#like i still don't really want my own kids i don't think but i want to be like. a cool aunt

[woso-dreamzzz]

Injured (Jenni's Version): Christmas

Jenni Hermoso x Child!Reader

Summary: Christmas with Bambi and Jenni

"Mama?" You ask as Jenni checks her reflection in the car mirror.

It's dark outside and it looks like it's cold outside of the nice, warm car. It's not snowing or anything but it'll still be cold, you can tell.

"Yeah, bambi?" Jenni fluffs her hair briefly before smoothing it down again when it doesn't have the desired effect, folding back the sleeves of her shirt.

"What if they don't like me?"

You can't look at her in the rear view mirror, choosing to look down at your feet.

Jenni bought you a pair of shoes that look exactly like your favourite ballet flats but could be worn outside so you're wearing them now. They're a nice, pretty pink colour and shiny too.

You flex your feet inside the shoes just to see them move.

"What if who doesn't like you?"

Jenni tries to catch your eyes but you refuse to look at her.

"Your Mami and Papa. What if they don't like me?"

Jenni twists around in the driving seat to look at you properly.

You're wearing your new shoes and a very cute reindeer pyjama set and an even cuter train conductor hat that Jenni had bought on a whim after seeing it in the window of a charity shop as she passed by.

Andy sits in the seat next to you, little tail wagging as he stands next to you in a matching outfit to protect him from the cold.

"Why wouldn't they like you?"

You shrug, still looking down at your feet. "'Cause I don't look like you. The kids at school say I can't be your daughter if I don't look like you."

Jenni undoes her seatbelt and climbs over the centre console into the back with you.

Andy seems overjoyed, trying to escape his own seatbelt to lather her in kisses but Jenni's only focus is on you.

"Those kids at school are stupid."

"Mama, you say to never call people stupid."

"Huh...I guess I do but I can't help it if people are stupid and kids like that are. Alright? It doesn't matter if we don't look like each other. Do you know why, bambi?"

"Why?"

"Because we chose each other." Jenni gently unclips you from your car seat and pulls you into her lap. "And I think that means more than anyone will understand."

You rest your head on her shoulder, reaching out to gently play with her fingers as you think through her words. "Really?"

"Really. The kids at school are silly for thinking that just because we don't look alike means we're not family."

"Like how Andy's family too? Even though he's a dog and we're not?"

"Exactly like Andy. He's still part of the family and we still love him the same."

You nod. It's only a little nod, barely a movement of the head but Jenni feels it against her shoulder. "And your Mami and Papa will understand that I'm like Andy? And I'm still yours even though I wasn't always?"

"My Mami and Papa have been looking forward to meeting you for so long," Jenni replies. Her fingers gently stroke up and down your back, touches featherlight as she draws you close to her body like she wants to enshrine you under her skin - kept close and safe forever next to her.

"Are you sure?"

"It's all they've been talking about for weeks," Jenni assures you," They're so excited for you to open the presents they got you."

"They...They got me presents?"

That shouldn't have really been surprising for you. It's Christmas. People get other people presents for Christmas. But, still, you find yourself a bit confused.

Jenni was Mama, that was certain. That was definite. She did all the things that Mamas were meant to do like feed you and give you cuddles and kisses and take you to ballet and even let you sleep in bed with her when you woke up from a nightmare.

Jenni was Mama but that didn't make her parents automatically your Abuela and Abuelo. Jenni chose you. Jenni looked at you and decided that she would be your Mama. You chose her too.

But her parents haven't chosen you. Not yet anyway.

You've met them before, a long while ago when you were still Alexia's. It had only been in passing though and you don't really remember them now.

You wonder if they're actually excited to see you or if that's what they told Jenni.

You wonder if the presents they got you are actually something you'll like or something they think you should like.

The little knot in your stomach returns, like a tiger pacing its cage and you lean more heavily into Jenni.

"Tell you what," She says softly," We'll go inside, we'll open our presents and if you're still filling a little icky, we'll grab some dessert for the trip home and get out of there."

"Really, Mama?"

"Of course." Jenni presses a kiss to your crown. "It doesn't matter where we are so long as we celebrate Christmas together."

[deathlygristly]

Hmmm.

Like I've often said, I read every book the local library had on the Holocaust when I was nine. That is not at all why I still startle at loud noises or jump when someone suddenly comes into view or why I had a self-injury phase in my early to mid 20s or why I'm just now really getting to a point of not hating myself and fawning all over the place whenever someone, even a total stranger, disagrees with me or seems slightly upset at me. It is also very much not why I take escitalopram.

So...yeah.

On one hand I guess it's good to listen to and believe people when they say a very basic book from school traumatized them. On the other hand, it's really hard for me to see a book that you are always free to stop reading or a show that you are always free to stop watching as having the same effect as your mother slapping you and choking you and screaming at you or your half-brother pulling out a gun in the midst of his psychotic episode or your mother's boyfriends after your father died when you were 7 occasionally being handsy.

I guess the closest I can get to understanding it is that when I was in elementary school and still in single digits, like around six to eight or so, I had a collection of cards with pictures of animals, and one of the cards had a snake eating another snake I think? Also somewhere I heard a story about someone getting bit when a snake came up out of their toilet.

I asked my mother if that could ever happen to us. She said no because we lived in the country, not the city. Then she forgot about that but she still remembered later on about how when I was a kid and I needed to go to the bathroom while we were out I would ask if we were in the city or the country.

I have the word snake filtered on here now and in ESO when there's occasionally those giant snake mobs I don't look at them while I kill them and I don't like seeing them and I usually feel a very momentary frisson when I see a picture of a snake.

That's not trauma. That's not PTSD. That's not being triggered. It's a little quirk from when I was a kid. I have never been so dysregulated by seeing a snake that I turned to self-injury to calm my nervous system down. I am not so troubled by that momentary reaction to seeing a snake that I asked my doctor for a prescription about it. I have not spent two decades of my life after moving out into my own home working on building self-esteem and boundaries and coping with other people's emotions because I once heard a story about a snake coming up out of a toilet and biting someone.

And for the Holocaust reading, I'd say that's only had good effects. Obviously it greatly affected me but I like and appreciate the me that resulted from it.

I don't know. I know there's always Nuance and everything, but the spousal person is really into kdramas so I listen to a fair few kdrama podcasts and I read kdrama content online, and I'll admit that when someone says they were traumatized by a kdrama I kind of want to comment and tell them that hey, I get it, escitalopram has really helped me, and here's some ways that I've learned to cope and heal and grow over the last 20+ years. Don't know if the startle reaction to sudden sensory input after watching that kdrama will ever go away, but meds can help with a lot of the anxiety and here's how I've been working on building boundaries and self-esteem and regulating my nervous system without using sudden sharp pain to do it if any of that helps.

I'm wondering if, as a society who cares about vulnerable people, we could stop saying "traumatize" when we truly mean "upset"?

I am sick of hearing sad books or movies "traumatize" their readers. I simply do not believe that happens. A traumatic experience might be adjacent to books (I have vivid memories of books I was reading around certain experiences and even how the contents of those books affected my processing of the experiences). But it's not caused by the book. And, y'know. The weather is Christofascist Censorship Attempts outside.

Meanwhile from the other side I continue to be surprised at just how badly people fail to understand trauma and traumatic experiences in general. Watering down the term isn't helping. Find other hyperbole to express that The Bridge to Terebithia gutted you, chewed on your heartstrings, and made you cry your first pair of contact lenses right out of your preteen eyes.

[unacknowledgeable]

I’m imagining the families switch to yandere mode will come soon after reader is outed as a serial killer, it’s already bad enough with them missing out on their kid/ sibling’s life, because they just didn’t notice, but people are dead now!

It would be an easier pill to swallow if they were like Jason and killed criminals , but no, they kill innocent people.

dozens of people gone and the culprit not being stopped because they just…didn’t see the signs?!

imagine she sheer chaos that would come about if people found out their identity as a Wayne? There is absolutely no way that people would believe that Bruce just allowed this to happen, he’d go from brucie Wayne the philanthropic himbo to another morally bankrupt billionaire who let his kid kill people for funsies.

even if the public believed the truth everyone would -rightfully- blame him for literally having a Chinese parade's worth of red flags in the damn face, in his own home and not seeing it

Not me giggling smiling and kicking my feet over this, the worms are eating gooooood today ya'll.

So, like I said in my last post, before even writing most of this stuff I made sure that I had a whole timetable of important events and how old the characters are during them and what not, so I DO know how the MC gets caught. Though that could be subject to change if I find something more interesting

 That being said, I never really planned for the general public to find out about readers' crimes. Once the bat fam finally catches on and tries to huddle them away, as far as the rest of Gotham is concerned, this major serial killer is still at large.

I also really really wanted to make it clear that y/n? Is not a good person.

 Be it by circumstance or their own making, they simply just aren't. Yes, the hand they were dealt by fate was cruel and painful, but they chose which direction they went in based on their life experiences. Reader is fully aware of that, and is rather peeved with the batfams pity party on how it’s “all their fault you’re like this”

 Because??? No? It's not??? Sure, they definitely didn’t fucking help, and most times made it worse with their actions, but you already had a slew of mental issues that were left unchecked, genetic ones inherited from your mother and father, and those formed by early childhood trauma and neglect. But you chose this, they didn't hand you the knife and or force your hands around your victims necks. It was all you. You wouldn't let them take the one form of control you had left.

Obviously you were not inherently evil because of forces out of your control, but you did choose it, and you will not let them delude themselves into thinking otherwise. Hurt people, hurt people, as the saying goes.

 But does that make what the batfam are doing okay? Keeping the reader locked within the Manor, the family taking on the roles of Judge, Jury and Executioner and thus denying the General Public and the victims families the right to Justice, as well as denying the reader the right to a fair trial.

  Going against their own morals by asserting their own feelings of guilt over the law, and in doing so, they are actively obstructing justice. Complete and utter hypocrites. But they always have been, haven't they?  Things get even more confusing and strange when even after the reader is caught by the batfam, is jailed in what's essentially a glorified prison. The murders. Don't. Stop.

[jal-the-jinxed]

MOONSHADOW MARKINGS S7

a maybe mildly comprehensive rambling

Whenever we meet an elf in the show I stare at their markings and this is what I've got from season 7

Lets kick it off with the Moon Cubs!

First off there's the cub who's making embarrassing Callum her new favorite hobby

From what I've seen, her markings are most like Callisto's

Then we have the cub with the yellow eyes

The only moonshadow with markings I'd call similar is this friend from the tabletop game

But they're only a little bit similar and I don't know too much about the tabletop game so I'm not sure what such markings might mean 😅

Either way, what the elves paint on themselves has meaning, which leads up to the cub I really want to talk about-

Last of all is this little guy, who's got a nose stripe like Runaan

Past Runaan specifically

I'm fairly certain this sketch is of the past bc I'd find it confusing to change up his facepaint and mend his horn for no reason, on top of that Ethari is wearing his og outfit and also has different markings. The markings stay for a long while, I think the creators described them as like extra-long lasting henna's, so the fact that 2/3 cubs might have assassin markings is Interesting to me. There's a lot of moonshadow markings that go across the cheeks like the oldest moon cub's does, so it could be only one cub with possible assassin markings, but i find it curious either way. Like how and why are marks picked for elf children, especially marks that seem to have correlation to roles/careers/etc? Do kiddos get markings similar to what their parents have to kind of show familial connection? Or do parents paint the markings based off what they'd like their kid to be or what the kid seems enclined for? And if so then how often do the markings get swapped? People can change their mind on what path in life they want as they grow, and kids can change their mind on something like that every day.

On the note of swapping markings-

In that past sketch, it looks like Ethari has fewer marks on his cheeks and shoulders, then in the episode we meet him, he has these circle-y markings filling up the space on his cheeks and shoulders.

And then in season seven he has very swirly-ee markings

Similar enough that I didn't notice on my first watch but different enough that I'm staring wanting to know the meaning

Since it seems like markings correlate to roles/jobs/whatever and also the rank the elf has in that position, I'm guessing the increasing amount of circles on Ethari and the second nose stripe on Runaan is to show their moving up in the ranks. But the change from clean, geometric markings to more organic swirlies for Ethari feels like a more personal thing. We know home boy has a steady hand, so even if Runaan painted his markings before they wouldn't look this different now. Maybe he wanted something more spiral-y to lowkey match the mark over Runaan's heart or the patterns he adorned his husband with?

I think I actually know why, though: "Similar but different."

When there's stuff you did with someone and suddenly you don't have that person anymore, doing that stuff is hard. To put it lightly. There's this part of your brain that screams something's incorrect, something's off, something is wrong. Because this isn't a you thing, it's a you and that person thing. But they're not here. It's not supposed to be like this.

That's were the "but different" comes in. If you change it up then it's no longer what you did with that person, at least not exactly, and that can be enough to make it manageable. You still achieve whatever the objective is, just differently.

So if Runaan and Ethari painted each other's markings, then I believe that this is one of Ethari’s Similar-but-Different's. Painting them the way his husband did was painful, it was supposed to be Runaan's hands creating those shapes, but now it was his own. So he changed them. He couldn't just stop wearing them, they're kind of like a uniform, so he made them similar but different.

More on changing markings- As far as I'm aware, no elf has changed markings more than Runaan. Not canonically, but in the Xadia phone game. The game was never compatible with my phone so everything I know about it is from other people's posts, but from what I've seen it looks like Runaan has the most marking changes out of all the elves. He's got different markings in his moon phoenix skin, the wasteland skin, the halloween skin, the theif skin, featherblade skin, another one that idk the name of, and maybe more? No idea how many skins the characters have, but I don't think I've seen major marking changes in the other elves skins? Could totally be wrong though

Either way, I think Runaan's markings are going to change and I think the game might have hints as to how.

Runaan no longer believes in precision violence, hell the boy just realized he's alive, too. So he's probably got a career change coming, which means a uniform/markings change.

So what's a stabby boy who no longer believes in precision violence gonna do? Probably protect, I think. There's a whole brand new city/kingdom and undead souls running rampant every time the sun goes down, so between that and more, there's tons of stuff to protect and defend. And I think he's going to become some type of guard or something like that.

How will this change his markings? I think they'll look most similar to his moon phoenix skin markings

Our guy was "already dead", actually died, came back to life, and realized he's actually alive. That's just got phoenix vibes all over it. We're also introduced to moon phoenix's by a guardian in the show. But besides vibes, I want to point at the marks on his cheeks in this skin. They're these two little lines beneath his eyes atop his cheeks, kind of like...

They're slanted at different angles and I think the dragon guards markings are supposed to remind you of dragons its the shapes for me but I think Runaan's new markings are going to be similar, sort of twin little lines across his cheeks under his eyes like his old friends and his phoenix skin.

I think his arm markings will probably change too, but I'm too sleepy to go on about that, goodnight ✌️

[klysanderelias]

@kitabasis so this is one of the posts I was thinking of, there's more context I can't remember how to find but basically the core premise of the argument is that a lot of western fantasies end up recreating a lot of these sort of ideas - stardew is the big one in my mind though because as much as it can be read as an anticapitalist text (and I think that's definitely part of the intention) there is still a lot of libertarian and reactionary ideas embedded in there -

I want to reiterate that I LIKE stardew, and I think in general anything reactionary is unintentional, but it's hard not to draw those comparisons - especially given that you start as an established landowner inheriting a plot of land that you have to 'reclaim' from the 'wilderness' and of course because it's a 'cozy' sort of game, there's no concerns about crop rotations, ecology, etc, and yeah there's a homeless guy but actually he's just weird and LIKES being homeless and digging out of trash cans so it's not like you have to actually reckon with that

Which is being a little reductive but illustrates the overall point - a lot of these fantasies are based around the American Dream ideal of getting married and having 2.5 kids in your single-family home and often it completely sidelines the work you do, or it turns it into something optional, or something that's so much fun it's not really work at all, and at some point if you were to attempt to translate the things happening in-game to a realistic framework you'd have to be a millionaire with passive income in order to make it work.

And as a white guy living in the US, I definitely understand how people get there! That's what we've been sold all our lives, and that plays into our understanding of the world. The problem is that it's whitewashing a lot of the underlying structure of that fantasy - if you're selling cash crops in stardew, hell if you're selling ANY crops in stardew, who are you selling them to? What are the ecological ramifications of the choices you're making? What are the economical ramifications of flooding the market with cauliflower, or coffee, etc? Stardew leans into automation more than anything else but farming absolutely relies on an underclass of cheap labor - either that's migrant workers, or impoverished locals, or in the older days that's why you'd have like ten kids. And of course it's not even mentioning the mines and other dungeons in stardew, and the weird implications of the shadow people and dwarves.

And I don't think it'd be impossible to address those concerns - you can decorate a condo in a 50-unit building as much as the inside of a house, and instead of landscaping your owned land it could be public cleanup or a community garden, and there's enough things out there that gamify boring drudge work like retail so you could do little minigames for your shift at the factory or whatever, but the core issue is that it's hard to sell that as a fantasy - putting aside 'number go up' as an inherent part, a lot of the fantasy is no longer being beholden to anyone, no longer being able to be told what to do or given limitations on your desires. And that's just not... I mean, it's realistic, in the sense that there are definitely people who get to do that, but not only are those people few and far between, they're also kind of the major drivers of human suffering partially because they get to do whatever they please.

And also like, there's a certain point where trying to construct a utopian game genre to make you feel comfy isn't really a valuable desire? At least in my mind. There's too much designed to absolve us of all those uncomfortable back-of-the-mind things, too much out there trying to cover up things like child slavery and the povertization of nations for US luxury, and I just don't think it's worth trying to create a game that focuses on calming our guilt without actually addressing it or changing the underlying causes.

But also I think it's important to critically examine the media we consume to see what sort of things it promotes and reinforces, partially just because I think good media rewards that, and because often it's easy to miss fascist or racist or homophobic etc undertones as both the audience and the creator and speaking as a white guy from the US, there's a lot of stuff that I can enjoy uncritically simply because it's tailored to my cultural expectations that is actually deeply fucked up to basically anyone else, and it's important for me to be able to recognize and address that privilege.

Also also I have a brain disease and I am unable to stop thinking about things period so even the barest interest in a thing can cause me to spend hours turning it over in my head over the sputtering grease fire of my brain

I love calling shit wehrbauer this is because so much liberal/leftliberal/anarchist shit is wehrbauer shit. oh everyone will live on a harmonious developed yet rural commune/settlement where they will be a self sufficient petite bourgousie farmer, who sells their crops at market to other petite bourgousie farmers? and theyll live in a spacious single family home? maybe the whole ocmmunity will be based entirely on their extended family structure? will they work in communal self defense and justice too? will every commune have a theater and everyone will get to have cheap luxury cars too?

[rita-repulsa-ke]

Agatha And Wanda

Set immediately after Agatha gets out of the spell

"Oh. Wanda. Not who I was expecting to see ever, ever, ever again."

"…You got out of the spell."

"Noooo. It's me, Agnes! Want a pie, hon? Seen my husband Ralph lately?"

"…"

"…Not buying it, huh? Wait, wait, wait, put the magic away, we don't have to fight! I mean, come on, I tried to drain your power and kill you, you brainwashed me to be someone really annoying. Let's call it even, okay?"

"You threatened my children. You tried to kill me and take my power. You lied and said you could help me fix everything. Do I need to go on?"

"Sure, yes, I did do all of that, but we were friends for a while there, weren't we?"

"I think I would just feel better about a world without you in it."

"…Uh. Right. Hey, Wanda. Have you been spending a lot of time with the Darkhold? You and it, alone? …Has it started whispering to you yet?"

"…It talks about my destiny. It wants me to do terrible things."

"Riiiiight. How about you sit down in this chair and don't move too much and I'll make you a coffee."

"Where's the trick?"

"No trick. Look, this is why you came here, isn't it? You're having trouble controlling it."

"…Yes."

"And you must be getting desperate if you're coming to me for help. So sit, okay, and we'll fix this together."

"…"

"Here you go, just the way you like it."

"…You remembered. Thanks."

"So talk to me, sister. What's the sitch?"

"I thought I had it. I thought I was controlling it, but the more I use it, the more I want things that aren't…me."

"Yeah, because you were a real goody-two-shoes before all of this—sorry, sorry, might still be a little bitter about the brainwashing. It does that, though, the book, goes for a little swim in your grey matter, tries to pull you apart at the seams and remake you into what it wants you to be. Doubly so for you, I imagine, the legendary Scarlet Witch. It could wreck a lot of havoc with you as its puppet."

"How did you stop it?"

"It's like riding a horse, a horse you've got to confront in a one-on-one magical duel, you versus your psyche. There are some techniques that will help—not sure if they'll be enough to help you, but…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Aside from your lack of any kind of training? Listen, there's no nice way to say this, you're a wreck. I mean, don't get me wrong, everything you've been through, no one could blame you, but your odds of that book not turning you inside out were never good, and now you've let it get its hooks in you. …You know, maybe if you gave it to someone more experienced…"

"Very subtle, Agatha. So are the crushed up sleeping pills in the coffee."

"Oh, shucks, is that not how you take it? You know my mind gets so mixed up these days, probably due to the brainwashing."

"…This is useless. You can't be trusted, I don't know why I even tried."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's not do anything rash! I wasn't lying about that confronting your own psyche thing, and you need me for that, you don't even know the spell or the proper safeguards."

"See, that's the problem, Agatha. I don't know the spell or the proper safeguards. I have no way to know if you're lying to me and I have to assume you are—what's that banging sound?"

"Oh, some kid I arrested last night. …It's hard to explain. …Though if he's real…"

Door exploding

"Hi, Agatha. I've missed you."

Masterpost or random rec Wandavision Ending, But Rio Is There

[throneofrayllum]

I Never Stopped - Part 2

A comfortable silence had fallen between Jinx and Ekko as he bandaged her wound. His confession kept replaying in her mind. Well, it wasn't exactly a confession, but Jinx knew what he was gonna say before he cut himself off. She loved him too, she had never stopped, but she was glad he hadn't actually let the words fall out of his mouth. She would have either started blubbering like a baby, or she would have been unable to stop herself from falling into his arms and kissing him senseless. Regardless, she was glad both situations were prevented. Ekko was probably married. Probably had his own family back home. Ekko having his own family would break her heart, but it would bring her joy nonetheless. He deserved love and happiness. It's all she wanted for him. "Your thinking." Jinx looked up when she heard Ekko's voice, he had finished with her hand and was putting the supplies in her bathroom cabinet. She smiled, "Is that a bad thing?" Ekko laughed, the sound intoxicating. "Depends, I never really know with yo-" He was cut off by the sound of the front door opening and her daughter bellowing, "I'm hooome!" Jinx shot up and yelled a quick, "Coming! Just give me one sec!" She turned to Ekko and whispered, "Just stay in here ok? She can brush her teeth in the kitchen so she doesn't see you." Jinx turned to walk out, but Ekko grabbed her wrist and stopped her. He looked at her with sympathy, rubbing comforting circles on her wrist as he said, "Jinx. I know you're worried, but you can't hide me in here. We don't have to tell her anything, but I need to go out there. I want to meet my daughter." Jinx inhaled sharply and nodded before walking out into the living room, Ekko following behind her. Despite how nervous she was, Jinx felt the weight of her situation fall off her shoulders when Felicity came into view. The sight of her daughter always managed to calm Jinx, no matter the situation. Felicity dropped her bag and ran up to Jinx, wrapping her arms around her moms waist. Jinx chuckled and kissed the top of Felicity's head, "Hey bug, how was your day?" Felicity smiled up at her mom, arms still wrapped around Jinx, "It was good. Aunt Lux helped me with homework and then we got dinner." Jinx smiled and ruffled her little girls hair before untangling herself from the embrace and gesturing to Ekko, "We have a guest! This is my friend Ekko." Jinx wrung her hands awkwardly, trying not to have a freak out at the sight of her kid in the same room as Ekko. After a few moments of awkward silence, Ekko came to Jinx's rescue. He walked up to Felicity and shook her hand, "Nice to meet you, Felicity. Your moms told me all about you." Felicity smiled and returned the gesture, Jinx laughed at the shocked look on Ekko's face when she shook his hand. For a little girl, Felicity had one hell of a strong handshake. "So, how do you know mom?" Jinx's head shot up at the question, she locked eyes with Ekko and shook her head. Apparently, he didn't gather that shaking her head and giving him a death stare meant 'don't tell her your from Zuan'. Ekko smiled and said, "I'm from Zuan, we were childhood friends." Felicity looked at her mom in disbelief, "What? You never told me about Ekko!" Jinx shrugged and gave her a crooked smile, "We stopped seeing each other around when we were like eleven, it must've slipped my mind." Jinx didn't miss the pained look on Ekko's face at her words, it took everything in her not to break down. Her answer seemed to be good enough for Felicity, because she turned back to Ekko and asked, "Are you gonna have a sleepover with us?!" Ekko winced and shook his head, "Uh, nah, I'm staying at the Inn on eighth street." Felicity let out a sound of disappointment and before she Jinx could stop herself , she blurted, "Stay!" Ekko look at her, eyes wide. Jinx bit her lip and crossed her arms around herself protectively, "If you want, that is. I'm sure you would like to get to know Felicity better." Ekko's eyes shined as he nodded and said, "I would love to stay."

After a quick Ice cream party in the kitchen where Felicity told her mom and Ekko all about her day, Jinx helped her get ready for bed tucked her in while Ekko was getting the couch ready. Jinx had insisted on sleeping on the couch so Ekko could have her bed, but he refused to take the bed. So chivalrous. She was about to turn off the lamp when a little hand wrapped around her arm and stopped her, "Mama, you look sad tonight", Felicity said as she snuggled closer to her pillow. Jinx sighed, "I am a little sad tonight, but don't worry about it. I'll be alright." Felicity furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "Do you miss Isha?" Jinx smiled sadly and sat down on the edge of the bed, "I always miss Isha, honey. But that's not why I'm sad tonight. It's adult stuff. Things you don't need to worry about." Her little girl nodded, "Love you, Mama." Jinx turned out the light and kissed Felicity's forehead, "Love you more."

[oralmisery]

Dear the King of Hawkins

The Love Letters were a means of catharsis, a way for Eddie to bare his soul. In private. They were never supposed to be sent.

Especially the one to Steve Harrington.

Basically a To All the Boys I've Loved Before au💌

[ complete fic on ao3 ]

Rating: E | WC: 12,293 | tags: Fluff and Smut, Light Angst, Happy Ending, Light Dom/sub, Dom Eddie, Sub Steve, One Shot, Porn with Feelings

When Steve sees the envelope he isn't sure what to think. It takes him a moment to even register who Eddie Munson is. In Steve’s circles, he’s usually referred to as “The Freak”. 

Munson is practically a permanent fixture of Hawkins high. A smear in the background, here to blemish Steve’s senior year since he flunked his own. If it's not Munson then it's some other oddly dressed weirdo. There's always people like that. The outcasts, the dregs, the ones you ignore. Except Munson. He’s pretty hard to ignore when he’s standing on lunch tables and being generally obnoxious. It's probably why there's so many rumors about him. Well that and being one of the only sources for drugs in town, Munson squeaks out of most beatdowns; what people can't punch they talk shit about.

People say all sorts of things. Satan worshiper. Nerd. Loser. Trash. Creep. Dangerous. Freak. Steve’s not sure how he can be a nerd and dangerous at the same time but he doesn't give it much thought. He's never even spoken to the guy. Tommy always got the weed on the rare occasion they wanted to smoke. 

That's why getting a letter from him was weird. It came in the mail. The mail. Mixed in with bills and coupons. It has a stamp, a little American flag. There is no reason for the guy to reach out to Steve, especially through the postal service.

Dear the King of Hawkins,

I'm sure every day is a sunny one when it's spent on a throne and under a crown. The way you walk these halls no one would believe otherwise. Everyone around you–drawn to your wealth, your looks and confidence–are just subjects turned fools. Led equally by charm and wrath. I wonder what it would be like to be favored in your court? To sit at your side, shoulder to shoulder, instead of distanced by so much more than just space? I can only piece together a flawed fantasy. A distorted image made from the glimpses I get from outside the castle gates. Assuming I’m even considered part of the kingdom, that is.

What the fuck is this. Steve snickers, did the freak send him a sad hate letter? Maybe to everyone in school? Tommy was going to have an absolute riot when he showed him, maybe they can compare letters.

I hope you at least know my name, Hawkins being as small as it is. You've never once looked at me like you actually see me. I know because I can't stop looking at you. Even though you're an entitled asshole, I happen to agree with what anyone with eyes can see. You are so beautiful I think they need to make a new word for it.

Alarms start ringing in his ears. He scans that last line over and over. No matter how many times he reads it, it doesn't change. He checks the front of the envelope to make sure it's really from Munson.

I wasn't surprised when you received your royal title. You’ve always had a way of commanding attention. Inspiring people to follow you blindly with enduring loyalty. I noticed it when I first moved here. I joined the 5th grade class halfway through the school year and everyone already knew each other. I was alone and scared shitless. I know you don't remember but that first week you invited me to a game of tag on the playground. You were genuinely nice, funny even. You made me feel like I could actually have friends here. Then Tommy returned to school after having the flu and we never talked again. I still remember your grin though, you had a tooth missing on the bottom row. Sometimes I see hints of that kid now, usually when you're talking up girls. I've got this sadistic urge to see your smile with a few teeth missing, just to compare you with your younger self. Which is entirely plausible with the fights you get into, but I fear the temptation to kiss you better will be too much.

He's right, Steve doesn't recall that at all. He's trying in vain to remember, but his memory has never been great and he's coming up blank. Can't even imagine Munson as a little kid, probably without his signature long hair. Nobody describes Steve as nice and actually means it. He skips over the word kiss because it’s giving him a terrible stomach ache. He drops into a chair and sets the letter on the kitchen table so the sweat on his palms doesn't smudge the paper.

Ya know, while I agree with the king stuff, I much prefer “The Hair”. Talk about temptation. Your hair haunts me. It makes my brain stutter, I want to simultaneously pet it softly and pull it out of your skull. I get why people used to give locks of hair as mementos. If I had a piece of yours, I'd twirl it around my fingers, imagining what I could do to the source. I want to see those brown waves messy, tug on them until your head looks like a bird nest. I want to see your hair spread out on my sheets. I want to find strands of it on my jacket, in my van, and clogging my shower drain.

It's hopeless, this infatuation. Fucking terrible in all honesty. You're a distraction I can't afford. I'm pretty sure I failed history last semester solely on the fact that you chew pens. It's a cruel combination; wandering attention and a vivid imagination. With the amount of times I've pictured you stretched around my cock, fingers, and tongue I can almost recall you clenching down on me like a real memory. I imagine opening you up real slow until you're begging for it with tears dripping down your face. The background changes like flipping through channels on a TV. Over the hood of your stupid car, Mrs. O'Donnell desk, the picnic table behind the school, anywhere that has a surface really. I probably imagine us most in my bed though. 

Steve’s stomach twists and revulsion burns his throat. It's fucking gross, Munson is a guy . And why the hell would Steve be the receiver in all this? Unwanted, graphic images play behind his eyes. He can't help it, the letter is descriptive. He can feel cold metal on his stomach and wood chafing along his back. Taste phantom salt from tears. He reaches up to run a jittery hand through his hair but aborts the gesture midway when he thinks about Munson wanting to do the same exact thing.

He considers just ripping up the letter without reading the rest but sick curiosity stops him. Like peeking out between fingers to watch a scary movie.

If it was just lust I could handle it. Teenage hormones and all that. But it's deeper than that, more than sex, I want you to look at me like everyone looks at you, like a king. It's horribly cliché but I want you to call me baby and hold my hand. Most of all I want to show you that someone cares about you because I'm worried you don't know that. There's this look on your face when no one else is watching, like you're not here but you want to be. Like you're waiting for something that's not coming. I think it's loneliness. Heaven knows I've felt it enough to recognize it. Maybe that's why I'm still harboring this torch for you even though it’s pointless. I wish I had the chance to make you happy, to take care of you and erase the word abandonment from your vocabulary. Even now, through the crowd, in the bleachers, the other side of the cafeteria, across the entirety of this shitty town, you're not alone because I'm there loving you every second of the day.

Yours,

Eddie Munson

A drop of liquid falls onto the paper, right next to Eddie’s signature. It knocks Steve out of his mental spiral and he reaches up to wipe at his eyes. He didn't even realize they were leaking tracks down his face. 

you're not alone because I'm there loving you every second of the day.

What the fuck is this. Eddie “the freak” Munson is in love with him? What's more upsetting is Steve’s gut reaction; he doesn't deserve it. This level of devotion. He suddenly sees himself from an outside perspective. He's not a good person. There's an inherent reason why his parents are gone most of the time, his friends are mean and shallow, and he jumps from girl to girl. There’s something lacking in him that drives people away, unless he–what were Munson's words?– leads with charm and wrath .

How does Munson know he's lonely when Steve didn't even know? It's mortifying to put an actual word to the feeling. That his efforts to surround himself with people, the “right” people, have apparently meant fuck all. He must look so pathetic to Munson, a deadbeat loser, who sees through him like glass.

What’s the guy’s deal? Why did Munson even send this? What does he expect from Steve? He wrote the words himself. Hopeless. Pointless . There's no ask to meet up, not even a request for an answer. He just drops this bomb into Steve’s life and expects to make a quiet exit? Just wants Steve to know he's loved for the sake of it? That’s dramatic even for the freak. The guy spends too much time doped up if he thinks he's going to flay Steve open and get away with it.

Yours,

Eddie Munson

Steve traces over the word Yours, with a finger. He’s going to get answers. 

[ continue reading ]

[uncanny-tranny]

Hey, you're being lied to about what fitness constitutes. If you can't work in an hour-long crossfit slog, but you can work in a five-minute walk, then that is still fitness. If you can't use your legs but you can do arm circles every now and again, that is still fitness. If you're moving around at work, that's still fitness. It can be intentional or incidental, but here's the best part: your body doesn't care if you're dedicating specific work-out times. It doesn't care if the "only" fitness it gets is your nine to five on your feet. It doesn't care, fitness is fitness is fitness. Some of us do it differently, but the end result is more or less similar.

If you can do any type of fitness safely, your body isn't going to care if you're doing it like an Olympic athlete or if you're just a casual.

[wizardnuke]

um personally i think that if your girlfriend is insecure over you being friends with another girl you should run far away really fast. but i may be misreading the situation. i don't think i am though.

[pa-pa-plasma]

i don't think i'll ever get over how people treat kids that aren't good in school as worthless no matter what. "oh it can't be that bad" my guy idk how to tell you this but the last time i went to a normal high school the principal called me into his office to brag about how he failed me in all of my classes before the semester was even finished & i should quit while i'm ahead cuz i'm too stupid ("officially" diagnosed as such by a school counselor & a psychiatrist!!) to succeed. & this is considered normal

[justalittlebluetiefling]

I haven't been involved with coaching for almost 3 months now and somehow I am still getting dragged into the drama.

[superkooku]

Look, this is us filling the Asclepius tag with ramblings :

Irl I'm super giddy right now !!

Honestly I was hoping this post would eventually reach someone else who wanted to ramble about Asclepius 🤣. Because oh boy ! These past few months I realized that he's actually very interesting but I couldn't find the opportunity to really start a discussion about him :3

Don't worry about the initial context, this post contains most of it. @kill-me-with-a-spoon and I began this in a comment section of this post :

I need a "read more" section because this is gonna be a long one.

First of all, calling Asclepius a crimebag is hilariously fitting. Not only did this man resurrect people and got punished for it, he casually does it again to a random woman. Not Coronis, not someone he knows, just a chick that the doctors decapitated to get some worm out and he was so exasperated by their stupid mistake that he just brought her back to life.

He's a criminal AND a recidivist. And Zeus just gave up at this point I think, because he was only punished once. He reminds me of Robin Hood in a way, an unrepentant criminal who helps people around him against an oppressive system.

Another figure he reminds me of is Prometheus. Seriously, I feel like Asclepius and Prometheus would be very good friends if they met, because they share a very similar philosophy of wanting to help mortals, being punished for it and still wanting to do it despite the risks, to push the limit and ultimately bring a wonderful gift to humanity, being heating and medicine. THAT and issues with Zeus 😂. He punished both of them for kinda the same reason. Maybe his grandson reminded him of Prometheus.

Now I'll try coming back to your points because there's so many things to say. I'll try respecting the order to hopefully make it easier.

You mentioned his birth and honestly it's so fascinating. Because, from the get-go, Asclepius cheats death, he runs away from it, he was supposed to die but thanks to Apollo's dad radar, he got saved.

Ok I know those are his ordinary god powers, but to me Apollo 100% has a sixth sense specifically warning him when his kids are in danger. I mean, look at what he said in the picture you sent !! It's clearly his fatherly instinct that drove him to do that, to save his innocent offspring from Coronis' punishment. And yeah, if he hesitated any longer, he would've lost one of humanity's biggest helpers, but most importantly his own son. And I feel like he would've hated himself for it.

This kinda reminds me of Zeus saving baby Dionysus once Semele died, also burnt, but because of his real godly form. It's a powerful way to connect Zeus and Apollo too.

Tying this unusual birth to his future activities is definitely a clever approach. Asclepius seems to fear death, even more than the average Greek. But, contrary so Sisyphus, he doesn't selfishly try to cheat his own way out of the Underworld. Or to extend his youth. Quite the contrary. He uses it to help his fellow mortals, exposing himself directly.

I'll jump to the end of your post to talk about his altruism but I'll come back to previous points. Asclepius committed a very unique kind of hubris. It's not a "I'm better than the gods" thing but a "I'm more helpful than the gods". He saw that none of them, including his own father, went out of their way to undo death. So he did it. And again, he didn't just go and resurrect Coronis or Phlegyas or any family member. I feel like he was given missions, given how random the people on the list are. And he dutifully accepted them. Like a god being prayed to, even by an Olympian deity like Artemis ! And THAT pushed another limit.

The random woman myth is so important because it shows that Asclepius doesn't only resurrect kings and princes, but also regular people. He didn't seek glory or anything, he just did his best to achieve his goals of helping those around him.

You worded everything about the Apollonian family line and the egregious pursuit of curing death so well !!

Even if it wasn't explicitly said, it would still be so blatant that Asclepius was raised by his father, because they have similar tendencies. They have this same stubborn drive to act on their principles, even if it involves disobeying other gods.

There's also this negative relationship with death, wanting to preserve the life around them and grieving when they can't (except Asclepius didn't accept this last part and went on to undo it).

Plus some gremlin energy and the staff from uncle Hermes 😂. Hermes was also said to help Apollo save him and since he collects human souls, he'd 100% be there in his birth to have Coronis AND in Asclepius' death.

Speaking of gods, yes he had godly support, through Athena and Artemis. Heck, even what you said about Zeus tolerating occasional resurrections fits because otherwise, Asclepius would be dead before even trying.

That whole thing about oppression and death is spot on. Coming back to Hippolytus, his demise was very unfair. A result of Aphrodite's spite in front of his indifference, Phaedra's maddening love and Theseus being Theseus. Asclepius seized the opportunity to restore his life and stolen youth. Hippolytus doesn't die again afterwards, at least not from some extraordinary reason. He probably passed from natural causes at a natural age.

But then comes the money thing. It's so interesting because it brings another nuance to his character. The desire and need for money is purely human, gods don't need it. He's only a mortal and this is a proof of it. Why was he "enthralled" by money ? He doesn't seem specially greedy. Maybe it's because he needed it to maintain equipment, buy more resources so he can do his job even better. Maybe it's because he isn't said to be paid anything for helping people, and even if he's a prince, he didn't live with Phlegyas (Coronis' dad) but in the fields with Chiron. So maybe he wanted better life conditions. Or maybe money to pass on. Idk, honestly.

There's so much more stuff to say but I'll let you with this. You're welcome (and encouraged) to answer any time you want. I'll probably post more about Asclepius in the future, so tell me if you want to be tagged.

Who did Asclepius resurrect ?

A couple days ago, I discussed the idea of mortals defeating gods with @kill-me-with-a-spoon on a comment section of my "thoughts on Epic" post.

We talked about Diomedes and Perseus briefly, but then a third example came in : Asclepius.

And I find this specific mention interesting because I didn't think about it but it kinda makes sense 😂

He didn't defeat any god like the two former heroes, that being physically overwhelming them. Instead, he simply "cures" death, thus Thanatos' doing. Not only his, but the Fates' too considering they cut the thread of life. And he meddled with Hades' realm, something that he hated and we know how that ended.

(Hades hating doctors will never not be funny)

I made some research on him for personal projects and so I want to use it right now for personal ramblings about who exactly Asclepius resurrected.

@kill-me-with-a-spoon was pointing out that if, by technicality, he didn't interfere with Hades' domain if souls he resurrected didn't cross the Styx. And I've got to say, I think he did.

Also, I completely agree with the fact that they're still killable. They won't die from the same cause since Asclepius heals their injuries but he doesn't deify anyone.

If we look up different sources, here's the list of people he resurrected.

Hippolytus (according to Pausanias and latin sources like Pseudo-Hyginus or Ovid)

What makes this particularly interesting is that Artemis is the one who has this idea. It shows that portraying her as a man hater is completely wrong since she asks her male nephew to resurrect her male friend/devotee. It shows her bond with Hippolytus (his death was very unfair, so I get it) and with Apollo too, since she trusted her brother's son completely.

Then, it's just funny but in-character that Theseus isn't the one who has the idea to resurrect his son, because of course he wouldn't think about it 😂. It's even funnier if we take late sources stating that Asclepius was among the Argonauts. Because Theseus was too, so they knew each other personally and yet Theseus couldn't think about it.

Another detail : Hippolytus seems to forgive Theseus in Euripides' play, but NOT after coming back to life in Pausanias' version. Different versions, I know, but if we mix the two, then we could interpret that maybe all this time in the Underworld gave him the opportunity to think about it, or maybe, with a new chance to live, he doesn't want to stay with his father.

I get you, Hippolytus. Go have fun.

Capaneus (according to Stesichorus)

What's interesting here is how Capaneus died : he participated in Polynice's siege against Thebes but was killed... by Zeus. He was struck by lightning because of hubris.

And then Asclepius comes and resurrects this guy. All the more reasons for Zeus to be angered. That means he came in and decided to undo divine punishment, the same one that will be his own doom in the future. It's pretty chilling for me.

Lycurgus

So, there are a lot of Lycurguses in mythology.

In the beginning, I thought it was Lycurgus of Thrace, which would've been hilarious because if this guy comes back to life, he'll come back traumatized and insane (also, any grapevine would be the source of PTSD flashbacks). And again, that would've mean undoing divine punishments.

BUT it seems to be a separate Lycurgus that was resurrected. Not the one who offended Dionysus.

It's also not Admetus' brother of the same name, though the logical link would've been easy to make (because of Apollo's servitude and Admetus also being an Argonaut according to some sources).

Honestly, Wikipedia is the only place where the Lycurgus that Asclepius resurrected is distinguished. Even then, the article speaks of a probable case and lists Apollodorus as a source. So not even researchers are completely sure of which Lycurgus it was.

Hymen/Hymenaios : yeah, according to the Orphics, he resurrected some guy named Hymen, even though the only figure with this name is a god... it would've been very interesting to analyze if I had more details about it. Unfortunately, there aren't really.

Tyndareus

Glaucus : It's funny how Asclepius resurrects both Theseus AND Minos' son. Though that exploit is more often attributed to the prophet and healer Polyidos. I wonder if there was some untold teacher-student relationship between the two, since Asclepius is one of the inventors of medicine (with Chiron)

And then there's this woman :

This cracks me up, because this little story alone states that Asclepius as a GOD still resurrects the dead even though he was punished for it. Tbf, he probably had to explain this to Zeus, that he had to compensate his partners' mistake. Still, that's hilarious that not even divine might stopped him.

Don't tell me he didn't know what he was doing. He's a smart guy and his father is literally mr. God of prophecy. I like his audacity.

So, coming back to the initial subject, with the sheer number of mentioned names, I do think they had the time to be buried and cross the Styx (except Capaneus, who was probably turned into ashes lol).

Asclepius definetly meddled with Hades' domain, thus angering the god of the dead and he 100% provoked Zeus.

But, not all the gods were agaisnt him. If we take the version where he resurrects people with gorgon blood, then Athena, who gave it to him, was in favor of his operations.

Then, there is Artemis who asked him to bring back Hippolytus and finally, quite obviously, his n°1 supporter is his own father Apollo (oh god, I could make a whole new post rambling just about Apollo and Asclepius).

So yeah, I really like this myth for many reasons and this is one of them : how it's tied to many other stories, how different figures behave and react to Asclepius' antics, how it puts the system of life and death into questions, etc...

Anyways, if you have anything to comment on about this myth, don't hesitate. I'd love to discuss it more !

My main source about all of this was Theoi.

[whentherewerebicycles]

a bunch of people have already registered for my mentoring workshop! unfortunately this means i have to plan and host a workshop aaaaaa

[compassmili]

I kinda really hate how I've been treated throughout my life

[girlivealwaysbean]

so tired of being a shitty bandaid for my parents' loneliness. like have u ever considered you passed your curse to me and some days i feel so lonely it's like i can't breathe around the emptiness in my chest????