#like love and light this pipeline is NEVER going to be made.

[retconomics]

working in tech w/ non-tech people is really like 'you know how to do this right' and its an entirely different field/set of skills.

[zephyrine-gale]

I recently got into Honkai Star Rail through you art and I was wondering what made you ship Blade and Dan Heng? Hope you have a great day ❤️

they had sprinklings of lore throughout the game and I love that! also the very first dan heng nightmare pv was 👀 that was the first thing that made me curious about their dynamic I'm also a sucker for dynamics that are a little unhinged and plague each other's dreams, gotta have a healthy balance of feral so the more intimate moments hit harder ajfjgkgh it's that friends to lovers to tragedy to enemies pipeline

it's that unrequited connection from someone forced to live because of past consequences, and someone who bears the weight of those sins but desperately wants to disconnect from the past. they're currently at their lowest rn but that just means they can only go up from here, and I'm really interested to see how they interact once they learn more about their past

their backstories are very much intertwined, alongside the high cloud quintet. I'll put some stuff that stands out to me below the cut!

Nowhere to Run lightcone

This isn't the first time he's seen this man. This man had become his own inseparable shadow. No matter how many times he runs this man through with his spear, the man always comes back. He can neither lose to this man, nor truly win. Though he wants to run away, there is nowhere to run.

Dan Heng's char story II

Very sus of u blade to chase after another man through countless planets and still recognize him after he's changed his appearance

Blade's char story II

The black-haired young man shivered violently all over, but still clutched onto the spear in his hands. He had no dragon horns, and his reaction was slightly less mature than he remembered... But he would never forget this spear, these eyes, and how cruelty burst out from beneath the mirror-like emerald calmness. His wounds began to heal. His irises flickered and fixed their gaze at the boy once more. Without hesitation, the boy made another flourish with the spear... "That's it." The one who showed no mercy to enemies - was you. The one who single-handedly buried the beloved - was you. The one who almost led the place called home to its destruction - was also you. He fell down again. The teen pressed his hand against his own wounds and retreated, until he was no longer in the man's sight. "Before I witness your death in person, we will meet again, ███."

the beloved = blade the blacked out name = dan feng/imbibitor lunae it implies they knew each other in the past, but DH doesn't remember. Blade doesn't remember much about his past either, only that his mara strikes are triggered by seeing his xianzhou friends of the past (he most likely doesn't remember them as friends)

They share a pair of bracers!

the entire Passerby of Wandering Cloud set is Blade lore! he's such a tragic character, he's been through quite a lot, you should give it a read if you have the time :'>

this one is the backstory for the dragon bracer:

It seems that pairs of objects have telepathic connections with each other. Though the unnamed only had one bracer in his possession, his fingertips could still faintly feel the temperature from the other. He closed his eyes, trying his best to extract any information about the other bracer from the tenuous connection, be it its location or master. A slender yet strong hand once wore the other bracer. That owner, whose sharp spear glinted with a cold light and flourished like shooting stars, once sparred with the unnamed. That owner also once shared company and drinks with the unnamed, the two of them simply gazing at the moon with no words exchanged. However, in the end, it was also this person who stubbornly adhered to their plans with the unnamed, turned the beloved into a monstrosity, and pushed all into an abyss of eternal hatred and remorse. Pairs of objects are destined for an eventual reunion. The long years of grudges and hatred between them should be savored, like ice-cold aged liquor, one slow sip after another until the bottle of resentment is finally empty. Would the wearer of the other bracer feel the same? The unnamed didn't want to know.

the unnamed = Blade = Yingxing

drinking under the moon together -> in cn this is very ceremonial bond/close relationship-coded. Yingxing and Dan Feng were close

Yingxing, a short life species craftsman

Yingxing has the bracer on his right arm and Dan Feng has the other pair on his left

They also share jade pendants (they look like they'd slot together, forming the head and mouthpiece of a cn lion)

This is a line from a vidyadhara egg, but I find the implications very fitting for them :'>

Yingxing created DH's Cloud-Piercer (as well as the other weapons for the High Cloud Quintet)

Blade's char story IV

He remembered that, decades ago, he came to the Xianzhou with a merchant vessel and was impressed by the superb craftsmanship of this place. The young man was obsessed to the point of forgetting to eat or drink, and spent his inspiration like he was running out of time. He forged hundreds of marvels, four of which were the most famous. ... The black-haired man with dragon horns used his water manipulation abilities to rejuvenate his allies, and in the next moment he bound the water upon his spear and used it to ran his enemies through.

Blade's iris shape is similar to IL's lotus motif. lotuses symbolize resilience and rebirth--fitting for both of them, though one came back wrong :'>

Blade | About Dan Heng:

It's been heavily implied that Dan Feng and Yingxing did something that caused catastrophe and resulted in DF being forced to molting rebirth + banishment, and Blade being cursed with immortality and banished.

Dan Feng trusted Yingxing enough to sneak him into the Scalegorge Waterscape and let him do research--into what? we're not sure yet, but since Yingxing is a craftsman, he's probably creating something from the ambrosial arbor?? or from something relating to the vidyadharas. Perhaps he got cursed with Shuhu's gift here?? or DF somehow gave YX immortality, who knows...

I think their plan may be related to what we learn from Imbibitor Lunae's companion quest

SPOILERS FOR IMBIBITOR LUNAE'S COMPANION QUEST

.

.

.

.

There's a big focus on vidyadhara's immortality through molting but inability to reproduce, so any casualties in their numbers results in a permanent decrease in their numbers. Dan Feng's sin may be related to changing that (and failing, creating a dragon abomination that they had to fight against instead. although a whole separate vidyadhara was born from the catastrophe--Bailu).

.

.

.

.

END OF SPOILERS

Big hc delulu hrs now

Maybe being around the High Cloud Quintet made Dan Feng realize he didn't have a legacy to leave behind, unlike them. Every high elder becomes like the former, they lose their own sense of identity. I'd imagine being around a group of friends with their own agency, who also saw DF as a normal person, made him realize he also wanted to break free from the high elder cycle.

Yingxing may have been DF's biggest wake up call just bc he's a short life species who has done so much, who achieved more than anyone could imagine in a fraction of a lifetime of those in the Xianzhou. DF saw a star shine bright and couldn't help but follow and maybe wish he'd never lose sight of it as well.

Maybe it was for the selfish reason that he didn't want to lose these memories of the people who truly cared for him--of the people he truly came to care for--that he committed such a grave sin

He was dehumanized by everyone around him, I wouldn't put it past him to just. Snap one day, break his cold and calm poise, cry of desperation and fear of losing something dear to him

This kinda became a DF thing but personally, while DH himself may want to distance himself from DF, they're still the same person with shared memories (that DH can't remember)

It's similar to how Blade distances himself from Yingxing because he can't fathom his former self becoming the monstrous thing he is now

I'm really looking forward to when they can both reconcile and put their past to rest

[ask-hws-uzbekistan]

Who are your siblings and what is your relationship with them?

You could say I'm the literal middle child of my family, given that I share a border with all my siblings. So in a sense...I'm the center of Central Asia!

Kazakhstan is my younger brother! He's known for his nomadic history years back, falconry, and for being the space hub of the now dissolved Soviet Union.

Yuri Gagarin, the first man to ever go to outer space, was launched in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. A little after his independence, Kazakhstan created his own space program, and enjoys keeping up to date with the latest news on space exploration and astronomy(NOT astrology), and won't hesitate to tell you about it. Please listen to him, his eyes light up like stars when he speaks.

Linguistically, he's the closest to Kyrgyzstan and then me. Though due to sharing a border with Russia, he's lost a lot of his language and tends to use more Russian loanwords.

He's great at horseback riding, given his nomadic history from years back. He, like Kyrgyzstan, loves fermented mare's milk, called kumis! And he also loves eating horse meat. Don't knock it till you try it!

He's the "face" of Central Asia, and has been insistent on us Central Asians working together as a team under regional unity(ironic since he declared independence from me way back when I was the Bukharan Khanate...).

Since borders have never really been concrete in Central Asia(not until the Russians came, that is...), there's a significant ethnic Uzbek population in the south of Kazakhstan, namely in places like Turkestan and Shymkent.

He's also been the most modernized Central Asian nation, and talks to Russia the most, whether he likes it or not(he doesn't). Regardless, I really do admire him for being the "trailblazer" representing the rest of us Central Asians.

However, bearing the brunt of all this comes with its drawbacks. I better get him to stop smoking at some point...

Also. Don't ever talk about B*rat in front of him. America made the mistake of doing that once.

Then we have my older brother Kyrgyzstan. He's... a handful. We've had a history of border disputes that only recently resolved, involving our diasporas in each other's regions. There's a large population of Kyrgyz-Uzbeks in Uzbekistan, and a population of Uzbek-Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan.

He's dependent on me for fuel and gas...so my old boss used to turn off pipelines or put off delivery time periods as a way of getting what he wanted.

But we have our moments where we get along now and again. We both worked together in the Basmachi Revolt of 1917 to fight against Imperial Russia. However, it failed when the Russians tried to increase nationalism in each of our regions to split us up... what with calling Uzbeks more "civilized" and "sedentary" than the "nomadic" Kyrgyz.

The both of us are also rather religious and sometimes nag our other siblings(Kazakhstan i mean Kazakhstan) into cutting down their vodka intake(Kyrgyzstan can't resist kumis though...it's his soft spot. What a hypocrite). We also jump Kazakhstan every time he uses a Russian loanword when he could've used a native word.

There have been moments where I was in control of some parts of his territory under the Emirate of Kokand...until he successfully broke away from my rule. Hmph.

I do admire how Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan both are very outspoken and are able to protest at all...something I don't have.

He, like Kazakhstan, also enjoys horseback riding, and is good with blacksmithing. And he enjoys eavesdropping on Tajikistan and my gossip... he tries to play it off like he doesn't care, but I don't buy it.

My sister Tajikistan is a very bubbly person. We're both very much alike. A lot of Tajiks look like Uzbeks, and vice versa! There's also a lot of Uzbeks and Tajiks living across our borders. However, as border sharers do, Tajikistan had tension with me and Kyrgyzstan for a while, especially during my former boss's tenure...

That weird sproingle on her hair is a result of years of Persian influence, what with sharing a border with Iran. That's why she's kind of the odd one out. She speaks Persian instead of a Turkic language like the rest of us, but her script is in Cyrillic because of Russian colonization, so she kind of sticks out among Iran and Afghanistan.

And like with Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, I also controlled parts of Tajikistan under the Bukharan Khanate...

(Can you stop flexing with your whole "I ruled over all of you guys" thing? It's super annoying. Thanks ❤️ -T)

Tajikistan, stop hijacking my blog!

Anyway, when she's not gossiping with Turkmenistan and I, she loves decorating the sleeves of her dresses with elaborate embroidery and blasting Persian songs on full volume.

Finally, my other sister Turkmenistan! A lot of people don't know much about her and she definitely does tend to keep to herself more. She's most famous for...how weird her bosses can be. She gets awful tired of her boss sometimes. She had to record a video of him rapping once! Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan can't get enough of it, they've made up games and bets on what Turkmenistan's boss will make her do next...

Ashgabat is really pretty...it just seems a bit lonely at times. Speaking of pretty, Turkmenistan has a long history of ornate headwear and jewelry. She knows a lot about jewelry, especially silver, and we'll talk about our pretty pieces sometimes! I know I can count on her to find something for me to wear on weddings and other special occasions.

Linguistically, she's closest to Turkey and Azerbaijan. A lot of her people go to Turkey to study at Turkish universities, and for travel. Turkey's trying to get her to join the Organization of Turkic States as a member instead of an observer state. It's still up in the air on what she'll do...

Those are all my siblings! I hope this helped!

[bazooka-overkill]

MR SANDMAN BRAINROT EUEUUUGGHHH

okay yay brainrot won the poll. also i might psot dragon chan headcanons requested by wallet becuz yaaaaaayyy

uhhh also i dont really gaf about timelines. so if something doesnt line up time wise. ignore it. shh

ermmm cw for child fighting!! mr sandman didnt have the best middle school experience

BAZOOKA'S THOUGHTS:

i need this man so badly PLS MR. SANDMAN ONE CHAAAAANCEEEE

who typed that omg…

GENERAL SANDMAN INFO (canon + headcanon)

full name: isaiah joseph banks

birthday: april 12th

age: 31

height: 6’5” (197 cm)

weight: 284 lbs (129 kg)

origin: philadelphia, PA, USA

gender: cis male

sexuality: bisexual (might be in denial lmao. men say theyre fighting demons and the demons r bisexuality LMFAO)

family:

victoria banks, mother, alive

george banks, father, alive

no siblings

HEAD CANON TIME:

- insomniac. goes between sleeping for 11 hrs during the day and not sleeping at ALL, also explains the eyebags in his TD

- incredibly horrible sleep schedule. stems from his childhood

- also stems from his childhood but not exactly the best at socializing w other people

- somehow is friends w glass joe. don't ask me how it works they just ARE (and they may be a little. fruity.)

- has one of those light up squishy things that u hit to change the color. yeah he either fucking SLAMS that thing or gently pats it when he wants to change it. it’s a bunny for anyone curious

- goes thru the 5 min nap to the 5 hour nap pipeline. “oh im just gonna take a small nap,” then wakes up w the blankets all over the fucking room, the god damn windows r open, he’s somehow upside down, etc etc

- him and the ref have beef after his TD victory animation

- was one of those kids that would be on his knees near some mulch playing w the roly polies on the playground. he'd have like 20 in his palms in 5 minutes

- if u catch him right when he wakes up (like. RIGHT right when he wakes up) he accidentally calls people “baby.” it’s a habit he picked up from his mom and he’s pushed it back into his mind, but it slips when he isn’t exactly thinking (totally not projecting my own habits onto him guys)

- adding to the above that the person who originally found this out was glass joe. take that as you will

- he sends some of his boxing money to his parents to support them (he’s a mamas boy LEAVE ME ALONEEEEE)

- doesn’t exactly search for a relationship, believes that when he decides he’s ready for one the right person will find him

- gets dragged into world circuit outings by either super macho man or aran ryan. on the rare occasion it’ll be soda. one time they all went bowling and sandman watched aran ryan throw a bowling ball like a fucking baseball and it broke the ceiling

- knows how to make a MEAN philly cheese steak. will be mentally freak out (positively) if someone mentions they’ve never had one before. if he wasn’t so stoic he would be jumping up and down and going “YAAAAAYYYYY🎉🎉🎉” becuz he finally gets an excuse to make one for someone

- has 100% almost broken the world circuit ring's ropes (see his intermission animation in contender)

- his locker in the locker rooms is either completely spotless or dented to hell and back. bonus points if theres like. a fake succulent in there or some shit

- luvs animals. takes pics of cool animals he sees anywhere

origin backstory thing under cur bc its long

origin:

isaiah joseph banks, known as his boxing alias mr. sandman, was born on april 12th to victoria banks and george banks in the Doylestown Hospital. born to loving parents, isaiah grew up as an only child.

isaiah learned to keep to himself and care for himself very early on, as both of his parents were usually at work. they worked hard to provide for isaiah and themselves, but always put their son first. they

the time they spent at work would be made up at home, albeit this time could never be fully made up for a young isaiah. he had spent more time with babysitters and nannies than his own parents. of course, isaiah knew his parents loved him, but all the bonds that were supposed to be formed hadn’t; the time frame had passed.

the time they did spend together was… memorable, really. not in a bad way, but every moment— every waking minute— made isaiah into the man he is today.

every night, when his mother was home early enough, she would sing him a soft lullaby. when she wasn’t, his mother had recorded this lullaby onto a tape for him to listen to. this lullaby was the song that made mr. sandman: Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes. it wasn’t a typical children’s lullaby by any means, but by god he loves that song— present tense intended.

then, a problem arose: school. starting middle school is one thing, but isaiah found out how cruel children could be.

isaiah was big, to put it lightly. five foot six at age 12 was enough ground for bullying, and being dropped off by a few different babysitters/nannies in the morning only added to the ammunition.

with how big he was, the bullying never went farther than verbal harassment. soft giggling every time he talked in class, glances from across the classroom, the bullying was subtle except for the occasional direct blow to isaiah.

his boxing interest began when he was thirteen, where his parents enrolled him in a self defense class that revolved around boxing and the sort. they had found out about the bullying from the babysitters, as isaiah had been reporting what they had been saying to him. there, young isaiah learned the basics of boxing: dodging, punching, and jabs had been added to his arsenal.

isaiah had always relished in the safety of knowing that he’d never get attacked at school, but unfortunately this was false.

it was brutal really; the poor boy had been caught in the bathroom and was attacked from behind, slammed his face into the sink, and assaulted from there. it took around two minutes for teachers to hear the commotion, but they were two minutes too late.

there, isaiah was brought to the hospital. no one truly knows the full extent of his injuries, minus his parents. if you look closely at mr. sandman, his top teeth are a little crooked.

nothing exactly eventful happened other than he moved schools, and everything was smooth from there.

his boxing career began to take off when he was 17, when he met an old babysitter of his— one who had taken care of him up until he was 13. he had become a boxing coach and offered to take isaiah up as a student.

if you ever ask mr. sandman in an interview about his boxing idol, he’d most likely say his coach. that man taught him nearly everything he knows, and even taught him the dreamland express move that mr. sandman is most known for, albeit modified.

mr. sandman picked up his alias when his coach told him about the WVBA and their boxers. it was almost inevitable he’d choose mr. sandman in honor of his mother.

he had his first fight at age 18, where it went swimmingly well. records of this fight have been lost to time, but, according to word of mouth, mr. sandman nearly killed the poor man.

i gotta be honest w u all idk how to continue this. umm mr sandman meets a wvba recruiter and then uh yah.😁😁😁

[manetsgarden]

The Directioner to marketing exec pipeline

For my fellow 2012-2014 Tumblr obsessives. A heartfelt tribute to the band, the years spent together online, and the many wonderful friends and life I made along the way. /

A few weeks ago it was my friend’s birthday. Six years ago, almost to the day, she and I met at a cupcake cafe, and bonded over the years we spent on Tumblr and Twitter as ultimate 1D girlies while we ate our cupcakes. We laughed about how we got follows from celebrities, or replies from the band, and how we spent every waking moment online, obsessed by different YouTubers, bands, and TV shows.

When I think about the string that lead me to that cafe in Edinburgh, it starts with Harry Potter. I was six years old in Orlando, Florida, and my parents took us to see the Philosopher’s Stone. In the rest of the pictures of our holiday, I have gigantic, frizzy hair because I begged my mom to braid it every night so I could look like Hermione. Six years old, but I knew how to immediately decide to devote myself to obsession.

Less than ten years later, I was watching trailers of movies on YouTube. At that point, I already had accounts on Twitter and Tumblr, but I wasn’t really sure what I was supposed to do with them. From the moment I clicked on the “What Makes You Beautiful” Youtube video, everything became second nature.

There was no call to action at the end of that video saying “now pick your favourite and love them forever.” There was no need: we watched it and knew immediately what our job was. I wasn’t even halfway through before I knew exactly which one was mine (and I’ve never wavered). Credit is due to the YouTube algorithm for filling my recommended videos with content from their X Factor days, because I spent the rest of that night watching the videos of them on the stairs, searching them on Tumblr, and falling down the 1D rabbit hole.

It was as easy as breathing! There was no ‘how-to’ guide, the word ‘stan’ didn’t even exist yet. The way the internet let us collectively fawn over anything from a band, to a character in a book, to a random person on YouTube felt like a brave new world. I followed One Direction online alongside girls from the UK, Brazil, the Philippines, everywhere. I started my deep dives into other worlds with Harry Potter, but it was as a One Direction fan that I became embedded in the globalisation of the internet. I went from One Direction, to Zoella, to Sherlock, to Doctor Who, to 5SOS, and eventually I graduated from high school and got a life. By the time I did that though, I knew, fundamentally, how the internet worked.

In 2013, I was there as the Mischacopolypse started. I saw those first few posts trickle in. Later that year, I watched the full 7 hour 1D Day livestream. Year after year, I waited for the new Zoella Vlogmas intro like it was the lighting of the Rockefeller tree. Online content, I learned, was addicting because it was the ultimate way to connect with people. I made friends with girls in Toronto, Vancouver, North Carolina, and England. Not just “internet friends” but real, solid, sweet hearted friendship. I still watch their lives unfold on the internet with pride.

By 18 I had built my own website on Wordpress; I knew how to optimise my blogs for SEO, and set up a tripod with a ring light. I knew how to edit on iMovie and MovieMaker, how to find the latest trends, and even how to search engine optimise on YouTube. And, I leveraged it. I had not only a blog and a YouTube channel, and I tried every new thing. I got my first brand deals, and by 21, I got my first job as a Social Media and Web Coordinator for the uni newspaper. When I graduated, there was only one place to go: the home of all my teenage obsessions, and the reason I was who I was, the UK.

Before moving, I debated between Brighton (home of Zoella) and Edinburgh (home of Harry Potter), and it was really just fate that made me choose the latter. Immediately upon moving, I went back to my roots and got a job as a Harry Potter tour guide. I started creating like you wouldn’t believe. I got invited to events, and even more brand deals.

By this point I knew what sold: the person, the story, the personal connection. People needed to feel like they knew me in order to be invested, so I mined my life for content. Within a year, I got a job as a marketing exec, pointing to my blog and my work as a content creator to get me in. Five years later, I have two degrees in history, but a big girl job in content marketing.

Last weekend that same friend and I were driving home together, listening to One Direction and laughing about how we both ended up in marketing. Both confident there was no reason for it other than our obsession with 1D in our teenage years. At the same time, on different sides of the ocean, we fell in love with One Direction, learned Wordpress, obsessed over Zoella, created Instagram personalities, built our “brands”, and eventually, settled for jobs big girl jobs in marketing.

More than our jobs, we have six years of friendship built (from my side) on the trust that because we both know what 2013 Twitter was like as a One Direction fan, we just get each other. We’ve shared countless jokes about the old days, (remember the pandemonium when the pictures of Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and baby Lux in Central Park dropped??!!!!), and looking forward to when we’re old and there’s inevitably a reunion tour. This was the norm, until she messaged our groupchat at 11:30pm on her birthday, and I only knew it was serious because she wouldn’t be so dramatic if it wasn’t. A quick Google search confirming the truth, one of the most jarring, official endings to anything so far in my life.

When you hear ‘stans’ say they owe their lives to a band or a celebrity, they don’t always mean it in a parasocial or ‘this song saved me when I had serious mental health problems’ sort of way. I was never that intensely obsessed with One Direction, but I wouldn’t have my career, I wouldn’t have met my friend, my husband, I wouldn’t have my home, or, god forbid, my cat(!) if I hadn’t clicked play on that video fifteen years ago.

It feels like a personal loss not because I have a parasocial relationship with Liam Payne, but because in my life there was a clear world before, with him in it, and now a world after, without. It is as simple as saying: it is hard to come to terms with a world without someone who completely created the world that you live in.

Support this essay on substack: https://atmydesk.substack.com/p/the-directioner-to-marketing-exec

[blessingmaxxer]

some things I love about my perfect CR (aka the reality I'm going to live soon):

• revised my entire life to my desires; revised my age to 16, and went back to September 2020 from March 2024 (well I guess it's 2020 right now so... I made it so that this year was 2020)

• my skin is never bumpy or pimply, or itchy (this was Hell for me in my past reality)

• my room is big, Baroque-style-fancy + whimsigoth, light blue, and looks a lot like the room in time princess; with lots of pretty furniture, a balcony, a reading nook, two altars for the deities I worship; and a huge gorgeous, gaudy four-poster bed (think princess-like), etc. (I used to have a small, white room that I had to share with other too many other people 🙄 I had to keep my altar in a miniscule cabinet, and only had space for one... my room is now the size of my OR apartment, so I no longer have that problem lol) + decorated with my fave fandom stuff/interests + full of amazingly beautiful furniture

• life like a fun teen movie or slice-of-life anime (in a good way, not the racist, fucked up way... Anyway, I used to barely go outside for fun, and didn't have much money to do stuff, and sure as hell didn't get invited anywhere... still salty about that)

• I never get headaches, stomach aches, cavities, most pains, etc. (I left period cramps cuz I wanna feel human... But yeah in my past CR I was sick and in pain a often, it was almost a personality trait at a certain point 😭 But not anymore!)

• I'm always hygienic and clean no matter what + I have the most perfect skincare and hair care products for me + I always smell like cotton candy and/or caramel (I used to be stinky and had weird shit going on w/ my body... Embarrassing)

• I have lots of Hot, Rich and Intelligent friends who absolutely adore me and listen to me and low-key worship me (let's just say this was very much not the case in my OR; most of my friends were NOT ride-or-dies for me... and most we're hot HRI...)

• homework is extremely easy for me because I just revise/wish it done + extremely high IQ, even though IQ is technically bs (I was only book smart in my OR, and even that started the die w/ age cuz of short attention span) + kid genius to adult genius pipeline

• family is super kind to me and are emotionally intelligent and perfect + spoil me and dote on me endlessly w/ money and affection (my OR family were nice 60% of the time, but were 40% toxic and stingy, which is still too much... 60% is barely a passing grade!)

• gigantic mansion.

• no but like, GIANT MANSION. It's literally something out of a fairytale, it's interesting and magical and full of secrets, lore and history (and, as I've stated before... My room. Is now. The size. Of my. OR apartment.)

• well-behaved younger siblings (they barely exist rn, but they will, and I'm excited to have younger siblings that don't make me want to kms when watching them)

• I was never parentified or had to raise anybody's kids

• immediate family won the lottery so we never run out of money + I have a magical, interdimensional job (it's fun but I won't share any details cuz it's top secret... Just know I make bank)

• really great and talented artist + great at the all the arts, whether sketching, painting, musical, performing, martial, etc. (in my OR I was barely so-so at drawing, and DEFINITELY behind my peers + I didn't know how to fight or play instruments)

• I have a HRI, kind, responsible and brooding bodyguard/personal assistant around my age (he's not in my life yet, but he will be... I shouldn't simp for him, but... 😩)

• now a triplet (I remember seeing a success story where anon manifested being a triplet, so I was like, yeah! I want that, too! I used to be a twin in my OR) + I have good relationship with all of my family

• me and my family are super intelligent + my parental guardians now have their dream jobs and are super educated (one's a lawyer with their own firm and the other is has their own restaurant and is now studying to be an engineer, plus we make a lot from stocks w/ 0 losses)

• me and my siblings have amazing singing voices (amazing range)

• I go to an extremely beautiful, fancy high school (my OR high school was super mid)

• manifested a fancy, wealthy and fun town into existence (used to live in a good but unwalkable town in my OR that is now next to my CR town)

• fancy walk-in closet and my own fancy bathroom (trust me when I say this; your jaw would drop at the beauty, just as pretty as my room)

• full health, whether mental or physical, for my immediate family

• perfect and ideal hair + skin

• I have everything from my desired scripts + everything I want that I haven't written down

[jokingmisfit]

'First' Sights Part 2

Eobard Thawne x Reader

This a part 2 read part 1 first

Warnings- Main character deaths, fear, little description of gore

It was another twenty minutes when I got a message back saying they were sending him back now. With dread in my stomach I made my way back down to help ensure everything went according to plan.

Making my way down the corridor, I find it odd how quiet it is. Looking into the cortex I find a horrific scene. I find it hard to keep everything in my stomach as I stand in fear.

Blood splattered and slightly dried on the main desk. Screens are pulled up to the pipeline cell, which is empty. None of this was as horrific as Joe who laid on the floor leaned against the chair with his heart ripped out of his chest and a look of terror on his face.

Shakily I moved through the front of the cortex. An empty table sat holding a slouched Catlin. Her head rested against the table and her hand held tightly the pole next to her. Walking a bit closer I see the hole in her back… And her heart on the floor.

Where the hell is Cisco?

What the hell happened?

I ran down to the pipeline.

“Harry!” I scream out. “Barry!” I scream louder.

I finally find Harry laying against the wall. His hair is matted and there are dry tears on his face. There’s no holes in his clothes or skin, but there’s also no heartbeat or breath in his lungs. 

My breathing is ragged as I continue down the hall. I haven’t felt so tense, so emotional in a long time. A part of me feels like this isn’t real. A part of me doesn't believe they’re actually dead.

I make my way to the closing, but still there’s no evidence other than their bodies.

“Barry!” I scream out.

I could hear the echo before the wind hit me.

Red. The lightning was red.

I should’ve known Eobard did this…

I turn to face the man in yellow clad and watch him take off his cowl. His eyes glow with pride. His lips turn up in a snarky smile.

“There you are.” He says smiling. “Did you see your little gifts?”

“Where’s Barry?” I whisper.

“Don’t know, don’t care. He’s not important right now.” He says while slowly stepping towards me.

I shake my head in confusion. “You’re obsessed with him; what do you mean he doesn’t matter? I don’t get it… you. He, Barry, wouldn't have let you kill them.”

“Well Flash wasn’t quite fast enough.” Eobard softly grabs my arms. He tilts his head while looking at me.

“Why are you here, what could you have possibly gained from any of this?” My voice breaks at the end of my sentence.

I’ve never felt so helpless, so defeated, confused, and… hurt. I just don’t understand.

He shakes his head with a breathless laugh. “I had to come back to get you, silly girl. I couldn’t just leave you here alone could I?”

I rip my arms away from him. I raise my voice, “You said you didn’t love me! You told me you were faking, using me! You left!” I pause. “How do you even remember me? You, you aren’t the same Eobard I know. You’re not, you're not supposed to know me, so how d-”

“Of course I had to pretend you weren’t important. I needed things to go according to my plans… Then foolish Eddie thought he could be a hero. I had back ups however. I made one little contingency plan just for you.” He steps forward and grips my hands as he speaks. “I used the negative speed force to propel my memories of you and my plans to another version of myself. And once I received those memories I knew I needed to get my princess back.”

I couldn’t gather the words or thoughts. Eobard came back for me. Eobard loves me. Eobard killed all of my friends, but I didn’t actually like them. I didn’t care. It’s like a train. All of the emotions I’ve shut out, coming back.

Tears gathered in my eyes. My voice was broken and quiet, but I need to know. “You love me?”

The smile he gave could light the sky. “I love you.”

A deep breath and a look around. I smile.

“Then take me home, Eobard.”

[blainesebastian]

what to expect (when you’re expecting) (ccg universe)

words: 3,520 ship: austin butler x reader summary: (a very lovely anon request): actual pregnancy in the CCG universe notes: thank you so much for reaching out about CCG! it means a lot to hear people are still loving it :) kinda crazy that was my intro to the fandom haha hope you enjoy!  warnings: none tag list: @killerqueenfan, @karamelcoveredolicity, @elizabethrosecresswell, @gigisworldsstuff, @stylesmendeshearted, @abloversblog 

When you became pregnant, you promised yourself that you were never going to become one of those women that just sat around and waited, becoming a couch potato or prepping the nest or whatever it’s called to just hang out in the apartment all day. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, it’s just not who you are. While you enjoy a good home day like the next person, you’ve always been pretty active—especially when it’s come to your job. Opportunities don’t just stumble upon people, you’ve learned that, so being pregnant is not going to stop you from living out goals you’ve made for yourself. Maybe that sounds harsh to some people but there’s nothing that says women can’t have it all—a family, a career, a doting relationship. There’s no reason you have to choose.

Austin’s been very supportive in that sense, since day one, since your relationship began to form on the set of Elvis. It’s been a few years now, which is kinda hard to imagine, but that bond of love and unwavering support hasn’t changed. If anything, it’s grown and adapted. You know how lucky you are every day that you have a boyfriend who encourages you and your career in every way as he nurtures his own, but things definitely begin to slow down during your second trimester. You suppose that’s not bad, one of the great things about being a script writer is that you don’t have to be on set of a film every single day (you just want to be).

You trust the people you work with, you’ve had the pleasure of developing a film with them in the past and they’re always open with communication and keeping you in the loop. It’s just…by missing days? You feel like something is slipping through your fingers, even though you know that doesn’t quite make sense. It’s a difficult balance you’re still struggling with—becoming a mother and having a career.

But you’re determined to do both.

Sighing softly in the early hours of the morning, you run your fingers through Austin’s hair, playing with a few gentle curls near his forehead. This has become quite the routine since you became pregnant, waking up together, slow moving, Austin shifting in bed until he’s pressed against you—head sometimes directly on your stomach. You smile a little, tracing a circle along his hairline with your thumb.

“She’s as big as a grapefruit today.”

Austin hums, tipping his head just slightly so that he can see your face, “She’s a girl today?”

You smile, shrugging your one shoulder, “Feels like a girl to me most days.”

“I don’t think I can take two of you troublemakers, bein’ outnumbered and all that.”

There’s an amused eyeroll before you gently tug on some of his hair, “Girls are supposed to be troublemakers.”

Austin chuckles lightly, pressing a kiss to your stomach before sitting up. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He moves to sit on the bed, drawing back one of the curtains behind the nightstand to let a bit more light in. Your eyes dance over his face, how easily handsome he is, even upon first waking up…which shouldn’t be fair at all.

He looks back over at you, a soft smile on his face as one of his hands moves to push your hair behind your shoulder. You know what he’s going to say before it even comes out of his mouth, “I gotta get goin’.”

While Austin doesn’t have a current film that he’s working on, he’s been having weekly meetings with his agent, planning out something bigger down the pipeline. You’re ninety percent sure it’s some sort of TV series but he’s keeping it pretty under wraps, even from you, until some things are set in place. You don’t mind the suspense, you’ve always been a big fan of surprises. You just hope it’s…nothing too hectic with a baby on the way.

You know Austin, trust him to make decisions that not only account for his own future but also take you into consideration as well and the life you’re building together. He’s not going to be taking trips that put him in other countries for months at a time. It’s not going to be easy, mapping out how it all works—a family, a baby, two blooming careers. But that’s the point, right? To figure it out together?

He cups the side of your head and leans forward to press a series of kisses to your face—your forehead, the bridge of your nose and finally your lips. “Take it easy today, alright?”

You huff out a bit dramatically but nod, watching as Austin’s other hand slides over the small swell of your belly. As he stands from the bed, you watch him wander over towards the bathroom to take a shower. Yawning, you run a hand over your face and turn to gather some pillows closer to you, pressing your face into the one that smells like Austin’s cologne and fall back asleep.

--

A buzzing noise wakes you up and as you turn, disoriented, you bring your hand down on your nightstand to make it stop. It’s then you realize it’s your phone—squinting at the screen, it’s Ronald, a guy you worked with on your last film that transferred to your new one. He’s really nice, thoughtful, tends to lights and sound on set (Austin insists the guy has a crush on you, but that feels a little silly). Regardless, you let the ringing go to voicemail.

He doesn’t leave a message but he does send a few texts shortly after,

Ronald: you wanted me to tell you if and when there was drama on set? Ronald: think Marissa is close to quitting

A soft groan leaves your lips, running a hand over your face. You don’t even need to text back to know what Ronald is talking about. You knew it was going to be an issue to hire exes as the leads in your movie but your casting director assured you there wouldn’t be any problems and that their chemistry on screen was worthwhile when it came to drama.

Doesn’t seem like it’s paying off. At all.

--

Despite not wanting to go anywhere today, you pull on a yellow sundress that’s easy to move in and drive to set. You’re hoping you can offer a little assistance to the producer and director, who don’t exactly have the most comforting way of speaking to people. They’re wonderful and patient when it comes to the craft of movie making but…this needs to be handled with a little more finesse. Sometimes the drama of actors is more than something other people are willing to put up with.

You’ve learned that you get a hell of a lot more with honey than you do vinegar.

Pulling into the lot and using your badge to bypass security, you park your car and slowly pull yourself out. You skipped breakfast, which you already know is a bad look but…you figure you can grab something from the food tent before heading back home. Or maybe even visit the bistro down the street from your apartment to get one of those extra-large cinnamon rolls you love. Checking your phone, your thumb hovers over the text message thread with Austin…debating whether you should just send a quick text to check in.

You already know he’s not going to be thrilled that you’ve made your way to set when he’s told you to take it easy but…this is totally going to be a quick visit, here and back, just a few words of confidence and comfort to your actors and then heading back home. Not worth the worry and aggravation of letting him know you’re even out of bed.

You’re not about to make statements about how you’re saving the film, either, even though you spend about a half n hour talking down your female lead so she doesn’t abandon the project altogether. There’s drama between her and her ex (meaning there’s tension…in your opinion sexual tension, but) and she just needed someone to hear her out. To understand what she’s going through.

She’s grateful for the venting session and you talk to your male lead as well to hopefully get everything on the same page. Everyone could do with a dosage of taking a deep breath so that not each conversation is reactionary and listening.

Crisis averted, right?

Moving towards the food tent, you pause by the coffee cart and smile a little as past experiences and memories come flushing back—sometimes it’s hard to believe that’s how the bulk of your career actually started. You wonder if you’d be in the same place you are today if you hadn’t managed a coffee cart on the set of Elvis…you suppose a lot of things happen for a reason.

Feeling slightly dizzy, you reach for a cup to fill up with water, turning when you see Ronald approach to your right. He gives you a small smile,

“Pretty sure that would have gone nuclear without you.”  

A soft laugh leaves your lips, “You’re just lying so I still feel like I have a spot on this set,” You shake your head, knowing deep down that no one can take that away from you given that you’ve written the script but… You have to admit you feel a bit disconnected given the space you’ve taken with your pregnancy.

“Well, you look great.” He adds, sticking his hands in his pockets.

“Now I know you’re lying,” You smile, running a hand through your hair.

While you appreciate the sentiment, you’re definitely not feeling your best. That wave of dizziness isn’t dissipating like you’d hoped and when you reach for one of the chocolate chip muffins that are on the table next to the coffee cart, you nearly stumble from leaning forward too far.

“Whoa,” Ronald says quickly, reaching out to steady you. “You alright?”

You’re about to wave off his concern and assure him that you’re fine, just the spins or something from moving too fast? Or maybe that whole skipping breakfast thing. But then you realize how wobbly your legs feel and there’s a cold sweat on the back of your neck—something doesn’t feel right.

“I don’t know.” You mumble and Ronald grabs a chair for you to sit in before you can fall down.

It doesn’t stop you from dropping your cup, however, as your vision swarms black.

--

There’s a soft series of beeping that you hear before you even open your eyes, your forehead crinkling in confusion because it sounds nothing like the alarm you have on your phone. Lifting your hand to your face, a wild headache appears, throbbing along your temples when you manage to pry your eyes open.

You’re disoriented, attempting to figure out what’s going on, where you are, why everything feels so foggy and sluggish.

“There you are.”

Frowning, you move your hand and your vision focuses on…Ronald and the background opens up to inform you that you’re in the hospital. Your stomach dips—oh no. Everything comes rushing back, being on set and feeling dizzy and faint.

“Please don’t tell me an ambulance came to get me.” Your voice cracks, throat dry.

Ronald winces, “Uh…alright, I won’t tell you.”

A groan, your head tipping back against the pillows. Great—sure that was amazing for the film set. Odds are it’s going to be plastered all over the internet and social media thanks to paps who like to hang around the perimeter for any breadcrumbs of things to report. Bringing your hand up to your head again, your massage your temples and realize you’re hooked up to a few monitors, an IV.

Then, suddenly— “Austin.” You state, like it might be the most important thought you can state. You have no idea what’s going on or…if you’re okay and the baby—your heartrate skyrockets on the monitor, the beeping becoming more insistent.

“It’s okay,” Ronald tries to comfort, but that’s not what you need right now. You want Austin. “The hospital called him, he should be here soon. I didn’t want to leave you with no one.”

And you appreciate that? But it does nothing to quell your overpowering nerves. Tipping your head back, you attempt to breathe slowly, you know that being worried isn’t going to help anything right now—for you or your baby. Your gaze draws towards the door to the room opening, Austin coming in looking more frazzled than you were aware he was capable of. He always approaches things with such confidence, a cool demeanor, a willingness to problem solve…he’s definitely overwhelmed, worried. You feel instantly guilty for causing it.

“Hey,” He says quickly, eyes darting over to Ronald and causing a momentary pause because he didn’t know he was in here.

“I uh,” Ronald stutters over his words, standing from the chair he was sitting on, “I didn’t want her to be alone.”

There’s this muscle working in Austin’s jaw and before he can say anything, you interrupt, “I went to set to prevent a crisis.” Your hand reaching for his when he comes over to the side of the bed.

He gives you a once over, squeezing your hand, “What happened?” Ronald begins to fill in the blanks before you can answer the question and Austin definitely doesn’t like that, “I’m talkin’ to my girlfriend.”

You wince, your other hand traveling over your stomach, “Austin,” You chide gently and to Ronald’s credit, he doesn’t appear to be insulted—your boyfriend is clearly rattled. “I just—I got dizzy, fainted I think. Ronald helped get me here.”

Austin takes in a breath, mostly through his nose, seemingly trying to calm himself down so he doesn’t snap at Ronald anymore. You can understand how worried he is, to get that call in the middle of lunch with his agent, to rush all the way here with no information about what’s going on or how you were.

“Thanks for lookin’ out for her.”

Ronald gives a small smile before nodding, offering a small wave in your direction before he makes his way towards the door, “Don’t even sweat it. I’ll see you.”

As Ronald leaves, your OBGYN, Rachelle, makes her way in. She doesn’t look overly concerned, giving a small smile in your and Austin’s direction as she writes some things down on her patient chart. So…that’s not terrible, right? That’s a good sign?

“Okay, how we feelin’ Y/N?”

Straightening up in bed, the only question on your mind flies from your lips, “Is the baby okay?”

Rachelle draws her hand up and down, signaling for you to take a deep breath, which…you kinda do, it’s difficult. “Your baby’s fine.” She smiles a bit, her eyes passing between Austin and you. “I’m more concerned about you right now.”

Austin seems to visibly relax, moving his hand that was holding yours to stretch across your shoulders, rubbing gently as he goes. It definitely helps with tension in your muscles—you’re really doing your best to try and relax. While today definitely wasn’t ideal? The point is that your baby is fine and you’re fine too, despite the slight dizziness and now nausea that are lingering.

You refocus yourself, moving back to Rachelle’s original question, “I’m alright, I think. I’m…feeling a little off.”

She hums, moving closer to the bed to hook the chart on the end of it. “That’ll happen with low blood sugar.”

A soft blush kisses your cheeks out of embarrassment than anything else—you got so wrapped up in heading to the set that you didn’t eat and…turns out it was too late to reverse it once you tried. You gotta remember that you’ve got more than just yourself to worry about now.

“I can appreciate that both of you have busy schedules, but Y/N, you gotta make sure you’re taking care of yourself. You’re into your second trimester and it’s only going to get busier from here. I know you’ve cut back on work but you also have to remember that stress is not your friend.”

You nod softly, glancing down at the bedsheets to play with the fabric between your fingers. You know that she’s not chastising you and that today was probably a bit out of the ordinary when it comes to stress, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’re here. You’ve done more than enough reading on how stress is bad not only for you—in making pregnancy symptoms worse, but also for the baby, extreme conditions ending in things like premature labor.

You shake those thoughts right out of your head.

“We’re gonna keep you for a few more hours, just on a monitor but then send you on home, okay?” She clasps her hands together, “With this additional ultrasound we took when you first got here, we also know the sex of your baby.” She smiles, “Did you want to know or be surprised? I can go get the envelope.”

You glance up at Austin, who gives you a small smile. He then nods, “I think I’d like to know before the reveal party that Ashley is undoubtedly going to insist she host.”

You laugh a little and nod, Rachelle smirking before she turns to head out the door and grab the envelope that’s probably in your patient file. Running a hand over your face, you pinch the bridge of your nose and feel Austin sit down on the bed next to you, the silence of the room settling over your shoulders. This is the last place you thought you’d be ending up in today when you woke up this morning.

There’s guilt, of course, but also like…this weird bout of shame that licks at raw nerve endings, like you should have known better than to go to set in the first place. You try to rationalize with yourself, the perfect storm of not eating breakfast mixed with stress but at the same time—

“I’m sorry,” You say suddenly, pulling your hands away from your face. Emotion sits heavily in your throat, hard to swallow over.

“Shh,” Austin shakes his head, “Hey, it’s okay.” He inches closer on the bed, smoothing his hand through your hair and resting his palm on your shoulder. “You’re okay.”

You quickly wipe away the big, fat tears threatening to spill down your cheeks. Your emotions are kicking into high-gear given hormones and the way this day has gone when it started out so perfectly. Sniffling, you let out a soft, aggravated sigh as Austin cups your cheek and wipes some tears away,

“I never meant to worry you like that, I’m sure it was—” You shake your head.

Austin nods slowly, chewing on his lower lip, “You definitely had me worried but…you and the baby are fine, that’s all that matters.” He tips your chin with his thumb, making sure your gaze meets his. “Okay?”

You nod softly, closing your eyes as he leans forward to plant a long kiss to your forehead. You want to say a handful of other things about how he doesn’t have to stay here once the envelope comes back, that you can hang out and probably eat horrible hospital food as you sit on the monitor for a few hours. That he can try to salvage more of his lunch date with his agent. But you already know the answer, can even hear it in Austin’s voice—he’s not gonna go anywhere.

When Rachelle comes in with the envelope, you can’t help but take a nervous breath in even though there’s nothing to be anxious about. No matter what you’re having? You’re going to be happy, grateful, excited, terrified, everything in-between. She hands you the paper and you squeeze it between your fingers as you look over at Austin, wanting to somehow open it yourself and have him read it first all at the same time.

Pulling the envelope flap aside, you quickly pull the paper out and close your eyes, almost like you might lose your nerve otherwise. One, two, three—and then it’s over.

A laugh leaves your lips and you can’t stop the smile from pulling on your lips, “A girl,” You show him the paper, “We’re having a girl.”

And Austin looks touched, his eyes a little brighter blue than they were before, licking his lips and nodding before a warm laugh empties from his chest. “A girl,” He repeats before wrapping an arm around you and pulling you close.

Grinning, you press your face into his shoulder and neck, squeezing onto him so tight—like a lifeline. You breathe him in, stomach fluttering, fingers gathering up the fabric of his shirt to ground yourself in this moment. You don’t think you’ve ever been so happy in your life.

“Knew I was gonna have a set of troublemakers on my hands.” Austin teases as he cups your face, leaning down to kiss you.

You giggle a little against his lips but you’re not about to disagree with that.

[hedgiwithapen]

For Dammit Hedgi Day:

The one time Cisco was right.

About EVERYTHING

(time to finally write this fic!!!! 1x15 baybeeeeeee)

Being right used to feel like a victory to Cisco. Or, if not a victory, a shield at least. If he was right, the professor couldn't get too mad at his techniques or solutions. If he was right, he could cling to that instead of being bitter that he was the one grounded instead of Dante. If he was right, he could solve the problem.

He'd known something was wrong with the numbers and data for the trap, gathering dust in the subbasement. He'd known something didn't line up, with the picture in Nora's mother's mirror, the bloodstain on the wall. He'd known that there was more going on than a fifteen year old murder.

He watched the hologram fuzz and flare, the yellow of the Reverse Flash's suit off-color at this angle, with the backlights up this time. The distorted voice goes through the phrases, the same onesided script Cisco replayed in his mind every time he thought about that night.  It didn't make sense. It didn't make sense. 

He was right.  The hunch Joe'd had, the talk of time travel that Stein had discussed with them before leaving the city, the numbers that just didn't sit right. All of it added up correctly, it was just the answer that everyone had gotten wrong. Staring across the room, his fingers numb on his laptop keys, Cisco knew he was right. There was no swell of vindication.

"Oh, I'm not like the Flash at all," the voice buzzed in his bones, as Cisco stared.

Being right wasn't going to be enough this time. Not if he had all the proof in the world. 

"Some would say I'm the Reverse."

Dr. Wells stood in the elevator. He stood, dressed in black, back straight. 

Cisco turned to look, sure he was going to die.

"You're incredibly clever, Cisco," Wells said, a look of pride on his face. It made Cisco's stomach twist. "I've always said so."

Wells stood there, hands in his pockets, just to the side. Cisco could see the light in the elevator,  just a few feet away, and knew he'd never reach it. Betrayal crashed into his heart. After everything, all of it was Wells. The accelerator, he realized.  Hartley had been right, too.  Locking the door on Ronnie sealed a fate Wells had planned for. What else had been Wells? Bette? Farooq? Had he planned for Snart to steal the cold gun to get it out of STAR labs, out of reach?  

One thing was obvious. "You're him," Cisco said, needing to hear it. Until he did, he could pretend it was all some awful nightmare. He wanted to pretend it was all just some awful nightmare.  "The Reverse Flash."

Wells moved forward, one step, then another, slow and deliberate. Cisco stayed rooted to the spot, his heart racing. "You and I have never been properly introduced," he said, and Cisco wanted so badly to be wrong. Anything, anything to be wrong, like Caitlin's awful way of tormenting herself while sitting in the pipeline antechamber. But he was not wrong. 

"I am Eobard Thawne." Wells ducked his head, a stupid little bow, like it was supposed to mean something. 

"Thawne," Cisco repeated. "Like Eddie."

"Let's call him a distant relative." Cisco had worked with Dr. Wells--with Eobard Thawne--long enough to know the tightness between his eyes just then meant that he was insulted, though not why. 

He wasn't dead yet. More questions he already had the answers to bubbled on his tongue. "The night we trapped the Reverse Flash," he said, gesturing to the trap's empty ribs without looking away, "You almost died."

He'd worn that guilt like a sweater all winter long. Dr. Wells--Eobard--plucked it from him with a chuckle.

"There were two of you," Cisco added, waiting for the answer, though he could guess. Hadn't Barry mentioned something like that only the night before? Seeing himself? 

Dr Wells--Eobard-- raised a hand, one finger up as if to say "wait and see, you'll love this," and then there was another of him, both of them blurry at the edges, and a whirring noise Cisco felt more than he heard. 

He couldn't stop himself from approaching. 

"It's an after-image," Dr. Wells--Eobard-- said, real delight in his voice. He could have been talking about new equipment for the lab, announcing a new big project, not discussing how he'd faked his own injuries. " A speed mirage, if you will." He did the little bow again. Cisco couldn't breathe, wobbling on his feet as he started to circle.  

He pressed his hands to his head. "Joe was right," he said without meaning to, still looking at his boss. "You were there that night, fifteen years ago."  Exactly fifteen, Cisco realized with a start. Dr. Wells--Eobard Thawne-- killed Nora Allen, framed Henry, destroyed a family. " Barry's house. You killed Nora Allen." The words hung in the air, shards of glass about to fall. Cisco couldn't get a breath. Dr. Wells--Eobard Thawne--killed Nora, killed those cops, and the scientists at Mercury, and now he would be next.

"It was never my intention to kill Nora," Dr. Wells--Eobard Thawne-- clicked Cisco's laptop shut.  "I was there to kill Barry."

"Why?" It burst out of him. Cisco knew he'd die down here, he wanted to at least have that answer.  "You're his,  his friend, you've been teaching him." And me, he didn't say. You've been my friend. You've been teaching me.  "how to--"

"Go faster," Dr. Wells--Eobard was circling again, tightening the loop. "Yes. I know. A means to an end. And I'll tell you why."

Because you won't be able to tell anyone else, he didn't say, but Cisco heard it all the same. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, as it screamed for him to run. His feet would not move. A hot tear dripped from one eye. He was going to die down here. 

"Because I have been stuck here, marooned here, in this place for fifteen long years. And the Flash, and the Flash's speed is the key to my returning to my world, to my time." Dr. Wells--Eobard-- turned his back to Cisco, an ache in his voice. Cisco flinched as he turned back, slowly. "And no one is going to prevent that from happening."

Cisco's legs shook along with his hands, paralysis holding fast. He'd always thought his instinct was flight, not freeze. Not fawn.

"I can help you," he said, voice breaking around the words.  But Dr. Wells--Eobard only shook his head. 

"You're smart, Cisco. But not that smart." He lifted a hand, the same awful blurring noise echoing in Cisco's teeth, in his lungs, in his pulse. Cisco looked down for a heartbeat that lasted too long, not wanting to see the moment his mentor's face changed forever. He couldn't see anyways, through the blinding tears.

His voice softened. "Do you know how hard it has been to keep this from you, especially from you? Because the truth is, I've grown quite fond of you." 

Cisco dared to glance up, unable not to.  Maybe, just maybe, there was a way out of this. Maybe this is a moment where the story changes. Maybe, just maybe, he was wrong. 

"--And in Many ways, you have shown me what it's like to have a son," he finished. 

A moment stretched out, and so did Dr. Wells's hand. 

It hurt so much that Cisco couldn't move, couldn't speak, his breath and any prayers on it rushing out of his body before he hit the floor. 

[chocotonez]

skz + christmas movies

a/n: this was such a fun n creative request!! hopefully this is what you wanted, if not feel free to ask for a rewrite :>

warnings/genre: christmas but nothing religious, cursing, hallmark movies, fluff

chan

-will die on the hill that Die Hard is a Christmas movie, but doesn’t mind watching the Nightmare before Christmas or smth like that

-honestly it’s hard enough to wrangle him into a regular movie night because of his schedule, but Christmas is even more difficult because of the holiday promos :,)

-but bcuz of this!! u both try to make ur christmas movie night really special!!

-the finest hot chocolate, warming blankets up in the dryer so you guys can get all cuddly, making sure there’s 0 interruptions so u guys can just snuggle on the couch and enjoy the movie :)

-keeps mistletoe in his pockets but gets too shy so you have to kiss him first!!

-he loves just taking at home and having these domestic moments w u <3

lee know

-“no why would we watch that all hallmark movies are the same” -> “THEY DISCOVERED THE MAGIC OF LOVE AND ROMANCE AND IT WAS SOHADJWJDJE” pipeline

-loves those really cheesy ones w the happy endings :) he’ll never admit it tho

-probably forgets to give u attention cuz he’s so immersed in the movie LMAO

-highly recommend Falling for Christmas, that’s not his favorite but I just really liked that movie LMAO

-honestly just pop on any movie that’s Hallmark and sappy, cuddle him, and have snacks at hand and he’ll be very satisfied

-the best part is hearing you laugh and seeing your smile tho, it makes him feel so cozy

changbin

-not really the type to sit down and have a whole night dedicated to Christmas movies, probably wants you to play it in the background while you guys are doing something or just hanging out

-so like maybe ur decorating the tree or just having fun teehee, and in the background there's a hallmark movie -he needs there to be a happy ending, or else he'll cry and he doesn't really wanna cry in front of you, and if you cry he'll cry and you both are gonna be crying- -so yeah!! hallmark movies!! (also i am so sorry abt the format changes omg) -if you want to just sit down and enjoy the movie whole-heartedly, he'll do his best but he'll probably get bored -someone who's very chatty during movies unless he's fully interested in it -and if he is, he'll just be so entranced he will go into a catatonic state hyunjin

-I don't think he likes Christmas movies tbh, but he'll indulge you because he <3 you -probably points out all the mistakes the movie made, light-heartedly teasing you about the cliches -"I feel like they get the same man to play Santa every time..." -i think the whole time he's watching you, your little expression, the quirks of your brow, etc... -probably draws you later on -Drinks your hot cocoa because you're too focused on the movie -"I feel like we just watched the same exact plot" "stfu its the christmas magic" -the whole appeal for him is seeing you smile han

-really fucking annoying (lovingly) (endearingly) -likes the animated movies more, something nostalgic and sweet -Nightmare Before Christmas kinda guy -blanket hog and then complains ur ruining the holiday spirit -"don't fight during the holidays!!" -the type to fall asleep and be like "huh no I'm awake I've been paying attention" -needs to always be talking tbh, he needs to observe every scene but he'll shut up if u tell him too because he's such a good bf -has to have first pick on the movie -probably clowns you and say you look like one of the bad CGI characters felix

-fumckin loves christmas movies -he's probably the one to convince you to sit down and watch w him, or maybe he turns it on while you two are decorating a gingerbread house -likes the more fantastical ones, with magic reindeer n stuff like that -giggles excitedly once the movie starts and is just like "teehee look at all that holiday cheer"

-its so wholesome idk he just luvs the warm feeling, honestly he just turns on christmas movies because he loves a domestic holiday w u -if he's ever unable to visit or sit down, you two facetime and screen share christmas movies :> -oh yeah and he makes that face when he's really getting into the movie - :> seungmin

-very neutral on christmas movies tbh -if you like them he'll watch them and maybe enjoy it, but he won't go out of his way to watch them -not the type to get fully immersed in movies, you tease him for being a grinch and hes just like >:T -"what does a man need to do to get a little respect around here" "idk have some holiday cheer" -likes the comedic ones that just take place during Christmas, finds them more entertaining -he likes the ambience n aura of Christmas, but he usually can't stand the plots of standard christmas movies -like hyunjin, he's more interested in you and the hot cocoa he's got jeongin

-Christmas movies to him are background noise for christmas activities, likes to turn them on if friends and family are over because it immediately adds to the coziness of the holiday season -probably keeps mistletoe in his pockets if there's a romance scene, and then is like "omg that could be us look at this mistletoe that came out of nowhere teehee" -probably uses plot devices as an excuse to act out cheesy cliches with you -"let's share a scarf!!" "we both have our own-" "ITS LIKE THE MOVIE." -not the type of guy who watches christmas movies for the plot, he just likes the mood

[tripleseptet]

Tell us about the Alex origin story :3

So, about two monthsish ago I found a fic on AO3 that I enjoyed! Yall probably know it already if you’re asking, but the important part is that it was the one with fullbody skill portraits at the top of each chapter. I thought that was pretty cool, bookmarked it, then went to tumblr to look for similar content about the skills, cause I hadn’t thought about them in that type of way before and I thought it was cool. I stumble upon! That very same art in the tumblr search! Wrow! So I follow this creator for a while. And I find their NSFW blog. and I follow THAT for a while. Send a few anons, reblog a LOT of their posts, and then realize. Hey uh. you’re startin to feel a lil parasocial there bud. And I hate feeling that about myself so I took action.

That action was actually DMing them. And we hit it off great!! I got their discord and we messaged every day for i think like two weeks? Found out we both live in the same general area, but about 4 hours away from each other. I confess my love to them, tell them its 100% ok if they dont reciprocate, and they say they don’t, but they’d like to still be friends. I say great! And we continue being friends. After a few video calls, writing together, etc. we work out a way to meet up, involving *drumroll please* … The underfunded public bus system. Insert dramatic sound effect.

Now, I’m a bit of a bubble boy. Can’t even drive on my own, so I’ve never really gone somewhere on my own, ESPECIALLY somewhere 4 hours away. But I decide to be brave. After all, they promised me they’d do whatever was necessary to make me comfortable, and wouldn’t let anyone hurt me, and I trusted them. Packed a bag, made cookies, bought them an alligator plushie, and I was on my way. Side note, I gave my bus seat neighbor a cookie to bribe him into liking me. He fell asleep on me 3 hours in and I was too spineless to wake him up so I just let it happen.

Without going into detail, the visit went great. I don’t think there’s a single thing we would change. After I take the bus AGAIN home (the sunset was beautiful and the city lights were so nice) we text every day again. And after a few days they say they want to be my partner, and they thank me for my patience in not insisting on being together.

Since then we’ve visited I think three times? Maybe two. We’re planning another visit soon. I love the time we spend together, I wait every day I’m NOT over there thinking about what it’ll be like to be there. And of course we text constantly. In case yall were curious, our 1 month anniversary was the day before yesterday. Since we didn’t get to celebrate then, I’m making us a cake to celebrate this weekend.

TLDR: AO3 to tumblr to discord to sloppy makeouts pipeline

[folfar]

16, 39, 47 & 55!

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

So I have two pretty hefty ideas that definitely will see the light of day this year (ie I've started writing them), and eight more in the pipeline! The two big ones are a Love Island AU, where Damen has to enter the villa to save Nik's tv job, and a Persephone AU, where Damen is Persephone, because I love to cast Damen against type.

The rest of the list includes - because I never ever give up on a WIP (I believe in my heart I will finish everything I post, my most grievous fault) - some absolutely ancient ideas, such as a Yuri on Ice fic that I will probably never post, which is about... Chris. And Georgi, kind of.

And a Wandavision fic! Which is the second least likely to be posted, because it's already not canon compliant because the MCU is exhausting to keep up with. This is sad because I think it's the funniest thing I've ever written, and the premise is "What if the citizens of Westview found Wanda and told her to come back and get her creepy witch friend she left there?" But Agatha is still stuck in her sitcom-self, and they have to go and live in a canadian shack about it. And then they fuck while the darkhold seethes in the corner.

39. Share a snippet from a WIP

From the Persephone AU! This is a very rough snippet - but I'm really looking forward to writing this fic:

Damen is doing spring, enjoying it but thinking it hollow. He moves through the world leagues at a time, stepping through his father’s sunbeams.

Spring is also the time of long shadows and cold evenings, when the stores run low and the calves starve, when death stalks the land; that’s how they meet. Laurent is a beautiful shade come from Hades. Damen is not unfamiliar with these pale emissaries of hell, come to take the sleeping dead in hand, but he has not seen this one before.

Damen protests at Laurent taking a spirit down to Hades. “It’s not right,” he says, “it wasn’t his time.”

And who are you to argue? The pale ghost says.

“I’m the god of spring; his sheep will lamb tomorrow, a fine and healthy crop. I have seen it - he will drink the milk and be well. I fed them ichor,” Damen confesses. Laurent stares at him, eyes as flat and silver as the coins on the eyes of the dead. 

“I didn’t like the sound of his cough.” Damen admits. He presses his case. “One more day.”

“Fine,” Laurent says, as if surprised with himself. “But you come to Hades with me - and explain it to the prince of hell yourself.” 

Damen creases his brow. “May I have a half-hour to ask my brother to take over my duties for me?”

“No,” Laurent says. “I have made my offer.” The farmer’s soul is coiled in his palm like a skein of wool. Damen looks at it, looks down at where the man is slumped by his byre.

“Fine,” he says. Laurent raises an eyebrow, and takes his hand.

The farmer wakes to see two sets of footprints - one iced over, crackling with cold - and the other, where in the indent, tiny, early strawberries are already coming to fruit.

47. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

hahahahha.......almost everything I have ever posted on ao3 is a first draft. when it is done i want it gone! you know when you have a fever and you're like i must strip IMMEDIATELY. like that.

sometimes I submit to a SPAG beta from longsuffering friends but i'm so impulsive i normally just post immediately and then kind people tell me "babes your tenses are fucked" and i have to revise on the fly.

don't be like me!!!!!

55. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

The reaction to Sunblind over the years has been so lovely it probably has to be Auguste because I am creature that lives and breathes for praise!

Also - when I started writing Auguste/Sunblind, it was because I had a personal vendetta against what I saw as a character getting put on a pedestal - the popular idea that Auguste had been everything Laurent said and more.

Given how Pacat demonstrates that character's perceptions of their own relationships often turn out to be incorrect or based on assumptions as the books go on, I wanted to do the same. I wanted to write him as imperfect in the extreme - a bit violent, a bit foolish, sweet but not as thoughtful as Laurent remembered - and a victim in his own way of their Uncle's manoeuvring, because I can't believe a plan like that comes from nowhere.

People have been really receptive to that, in a way I didn't expect when I started it - and it's taken me so long to write the damn thing that he's been with me for five years now. How could anyone supplant him?

[elphabaoftheopera]

HELLO!!!! how are you? it's been a while haha 😅... but, long story short, after watching wicked last night im back in the fandom! and what better way to celebrate than read a fic by my favourite author 🥳 ? so, i read "In Any Universe", and boy do i have a lot of good things to say about it!!!!!

this fic is awesome, im sad that i didn't read it earlier! it had my favourite tropes that were amazingly executed, along with so many wacky and interesting alternate universes 😁😁! some that stood out to me were fake dating, masquerade, family and musical. to say that i really enjoyed these would be an understatement!!!! first of all, fake dating is my absolute favouriteee trope, so i was so so excited to see it applied to fiyeraba so well! the masquerade was honestly a really interesting plotline, and the musical universe was cool to see referenced! and family au was soo adorable, and parents fiyeraba make me feel so happyyyy ❤️❤️! overall, they were all so so romantic and cute and made me realise how much i miss fiyeraba 🥺!! i also really liked the general storyline, and the pipeline of fiyero coming to terms and accepting his situation was so lovely and satisfying to read!

i was wondering if you had any little facts about this fic? it was super creative and i couldn't help but love every separate storyline!!!!!

sorry for gushing, im just super happy to be back and reading your fics again! ill hopefully in the fandom again for a while, so i can find the time to read some other works of yours and maybe reread 😁😁😁

@melop-sia!!!!! It's so wonderful to hear from you!!!! Welcome back to the Wicked fandom! Your message just made my entire day, I actually screamed when I read that I was a favorite author of yours, words like that TRULY go a long way. thank you for your thoughts on In Any Universe. I had so much fun writing that one!

Welllllll since you asked, I'd love to share a little bit about it!

Light spoilers for In Any Universe below the cut!

The idea came to me when I was just thinking a lot about fanfiction tropes in a loving way, inspired by fanfiction writers and our tendency to put the same characters into countless different situations/lives and have them fall in love all the same. I got the idea when I was driving (most of my ideas come when I'm driving) about my otp essentially going on a "tour" through the different tropes. Initially it was supposed to be 100% comedic and self aware.

I didn't have a strong throughline planned out in the beginning that would set them off on their journey. I thought about (and even drafted) Fiyero mentioning how "random" it was that they got together and if any one thing was different they'd probably not be together, then I'd have Elphaba take offense to that. But it just wasn't working, especially because I was clinging to the idea that I wanted Fiyero to be human in the present timeline. Once I finally released my hold on that idea and let him be a Scarecrow, the story throughline became much clearer to me! It was easier to write when Fiyero had a "lesson" to learn (sort of "It's a Wonderful Life" style, though I've never seen that movie). That of course made the throughline a bit more serious, as well as some of the timelines getting increasingly darker.

I just can't resist angst and hurt/comfort no matter how hard I try!

I just really love the quote I put at the beginning of the story about finding the same person over and over.

As for the stories within the story, I just started by making a list of as many tropes I could think of. Fake dating, fix-it fic, crossover, etc. and eventually trimmed it down to the stories that made the cut. I wrote them all out of order and then stitched them together later with the throughline story. I think I did the coffee one first, then the masquerade, and then I put it down for several months (as is my style) and picked it back up with the Wicked actor one.

I really considered breaking the story up into chapters and sometimes I regret the fact that I didn't, I still consider breaking it up because I know it's very long. Still I think it flows better as a singular piece but at least can be easily read in multiple sittings if you're like me and need mind breaks.

When I decided to make it one single piece I made a real effort to keep the sections snappy and not longer than they needed to be. I was pretty obsessed over word count and keeping it below a certain amount (I think 1000 words). I think the Fake Dating one ended up being the longest and the hardest to keep trimmed. Still, I wanted each story to have a satisfying arc in its own way.

One challenge I gave myself (which was VERY difficult) is that I didn't use the word "love" until the very end when Fiyero told Elphaba he loved her after getting shot. I came to that idea later on and had to edit a lot of the earlier stories. Then he says he loves her many times in the finale scene.

I thought it strengthened his lesson about being grateful for what they did have. I found it really important to mirror the "can't imagine thinking about how things might be different" (paraphrasing) in the worst timeline with her dying in the cornfield with what he'd said in the beginning.

As for the ending I did leave it slightly ambiguous, but I believe as the writer that the journey he went on was real and not a dream (kind of like I believe that in Wizard of Oz Dorothy's experience really happened, even though it seemed like Dorothy was waking up from a dream). However, I wanted to the reader to decide for themself!

I think my favorite ones to write were the Fiyeraba family (I love them as parents!), Coffee shop AU, and the Masquerade. I also found it clever and trippy to do the Wicked actors, but that one was by far the hardest challenge!

I so appreciate your readership and engagement with my work!!!! Please reach out in the future if you ever have thoughts or questions.

I don't want to jinx it because it's still early days but I'm excited to say I've been writing again (Fiyeraba, obviously) now that my life has more time. We'll see where it takes me, so be on the lookout!

[walriding]

When did you first start writing && Have you ever written a canon muse that you first thought of ‘meh’ when they appeared in their canon show/movie/book? !!

mun q's || accepting

When did you first start writing?

      my first rp experience was on a warrior cats fan forum when I was probably like, 13??? sometime in middleschool anyway. I don't remember if I wrote any canon characters for more than one or two short-lived interactions but I did have a cat oc named mosspath -- and that's why I go by moss online now actually! from that forum I ended up on deviantart and that's when I think I first started writing fanfic, or at least that was when I actually started sharing stuff I wrote. (if you wanna go back farther than that I do remember handwriting stories I'd make up about my barbies as a much smaller moss, and I know for a fact one of them was a murder mystery, nancy drew-type story lol. but those never saw the light of day). the deviantart to tumblr pipeline got me here in 2012 and I've had at least one rp blog running at any given time in the decade I've been on this hellsite.

      I obviously go through phases where I'm not as active, but I honestly I don't think I'll ever give up fandom writing -- either rp or fic -- completely. it's an outlet that's been part of my life for literally half of my existence, and as annoying as the burnout and writer's block can be I really do love the hobby.

Have you ever written a canon muse that you first thought of ‘meh’ when they appeared in their canon show/movie/book?

      hmmmmmm. I'm mentally running thru my past muses list trying to think about this one and not really??? they've all initially grabbed me in some way, and I'd say the commonality is that I was left with a feeling of 'that's IT?' when their story was over. my muses have typically been characters that I loved in their early appearances but was left feeling disappointed about in a narrative sense and that's why I end up writing them -- to continue stories and build up characters that I saw as having wasted or unexplored potential. I guess the closest muse I can answer yes to this question for is maaaaybe Alice Wake? and I was mostly meh about her because she's barely in the game. but there were some crumbs in later material that got me intrigued and set off the 'okay there is Something about this character that I'd like to dissect and flesh out' instinct in my writer brain. and now I'm banging pots and pans together demanding that she be made a playable protag in the sequel game lol

[sinceileftyoublog]

Pearl Jam Live Show Review: 8/29, Wrigley Field, Chicago

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Even when Pearl Jam have released a new record that happens to be arguably their best of the millennium so far, the band's priority when playing live is putting on a show. And when the venue represents a hometown return for Eddie Vedder, at the hallowed grounds of the Friendly Confines? Forget it. Last Thursday, Pearl Jam performed their first song from April's Dark Matter (Monkeywrench/Republic) 8 (!) tunes into their set. Wanting to ease in the crowd in, and perhaps themselves, the Seattle quintet opened with Ten closer "Release", whose slow-burn-to-shout-along pipeline has long made for a perfect introduction to the band's notoriously anthemic concerts. Ensconced in silhouetted light, they embarked on the tune's swaying melody, and at the point Vedder and the audience simultaneously shouted, "Release me!", a blue light came over Wrigley Field, as if to say that we were, for a moment, all on this Earth together.

Indeed, Pearl Jam has a way of uniting a crowd due to their willingness to play both rarities and favorites, appealing to newbies and die-hards alike. On Thursday, the sneaky "Of The Girl" gave way to campfire slice of life "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town"; acoustic choogle "Off He Goes", a fan request, was followed by cascading Vitalogy favorite "Immortality". The band also provides moments new to even those who know their early 90s albums by heart. "Why Go" forewent its studio version's urgent thwack for a more patient industrial thump, while drummer Matt Cameron sped up "Even Flow", only for Mike McCready to steal the show with a behind-the-head guitar solo.

I also, though, have to give props to Vedder for continuing to never shy away from waxing on what he believes to be moral and just. The day before the show, I was working on my laptop in a restaurant and overheard a father, his daughter in hand, mention to the bartender that he was going to see Pearl Jam but hates when Vedder "talks politics." Okay, I realize Howard Zinn, to whom Vedder dedicated "Down", may not align with the majority of Pearl Jam's fan base, and few folks nonetheless are going to concerts to discuss political theory. But during "Daughter", when he included a tag from Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2", he spoke about abortion rights. Singing, "We don't need no thought control" alone is easy--mental gymnasts from across the political spectrum can choose to interpret that line as in alignment with their beliefs--but his amendment of, "Teacher leave our bodies alone," left no mystery as to what Vedder was talking about: the right to choose. I couldn't help but think about whether the dad from the restaurant was momentarily pissed off and how many more like him were in the crowd; it made me appreciate Vedder's outspokenness even more.

As for Dark Matter, it really is an album meant to be heard live. It's the first to feature contributions from touring and session member Josh Klinghoffer, and unlike the band's previous record Gigaton, it was banged out by the band in studio, a much more spontaneous-sounding effort than many of their recent releases. "Scared of Fear", a punk rock barnburner, sports huge guitar solos and virtuosic tempo changes. The chiming guitars and shouted vocals of "Waiting for Stevie", a song the band wrote while waiting for hours upon hours for Stevie Wonder to show up to a recording session, encompassed the upper decks of Wrigley, Vedder's declaration that, "You can be loved by everyone," an affirmation for the ages. "Dark Matter" was Cameron's time to shine, one-upping the studio version's mammoth beats alongside pulsating keyboards and guitars. Vedder invited a crowd member, Abby, to sing with him on "Won't Tell", which may as well have been planned considering it features a chorus practically meant for harmonies or a duet. "Wreckage", the album's best song, was a Petty-esque serving of heartland rock, containing the catchiest pre-chorus melody Pearl Jam has written in some time.

At first, I was a little skeptical of the band's inclusion of Dark Matter closer "Setting Sun" in the encore, a drawn-out song at the end of a particularly sticky night. But its build-up segued perfectly into "Alive", a song I've heard more times than I've told my wife I loved her, no thanks to its inclusion on classic rock radio rotation. At the moment Vedder launched into the final rousing chorus, the lights went on at Wrigley and stayed that way throughout the cliché but undeniable move of inviting the opening band on stage to help cover Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World". With Vedder donning a glittery Cubs hat and uniform over his Walter Payton shirt, and multiple Ian Happ jerseys adorning the stage (one said "Happer", so you know Vedder and Happ are buddies), even the most cynical, jaded music lover and baseball fanatic couldn't help but be persuaded into fist-pumping along. It's a testament to Pearl Jam that they can continue to inspire, three and a half decades in.

[thornsent]

The possible ways for ER grem to go are like....

They continue as they are now and probably become Lord of Despair orrrr Frenzy Flame because despite their repeated attempts to reject Grace and truly fuck off, it will not Let them, and if they aren't free Nobody Gets To Be. I never said they were nice or good! In this instance it's less them siding with either of these out of true personal conviction; really they're just bitter and spiteful and want the Golden Order to burn to nothing. Can't really blame em!!!

Or they reach another breaking point and get even WEIRDER philosophically speaking. in which case they become Gremishka the Mirthful and are genuinely so happy and nicies and you really truly think they're just like, a normal fucking member of the golden order. They use incantations and speak of blessings and they're so full of conviction!! And then you actually start to listen and you realize oh they're like. On a pipeline I have never even heard of, perhaps one they made up themselves.

Imagine the dung eater but Happy while still effectively having the same belief system. Gremishka isn't doing this to curse everyone, but to bless everyone! Everyone will be kissed by the Crucible and we will all be equal :) and every generation a ray of sunshine like them will come along to make sure things stay like that yaaaaaay ^^ love and light!!!!! (so basically they'd be besties with DE but have a DRASTICALLY different attitude and take. they'd be like we'll ultimately we still kind of want the same thing he just is phrasing it different 👍 bc grem is also shunted into a Weird complex about their race given they're, uh, Whatever they are, so to me it makes sense they'd be like that)

OR tthey'd visit the haligtree and be like 🥺 and never leave. Tbh.

I have not gotten to the dlc so I have no idea how they'd react to that stuff! But I know there's a dancer set and dancer weaponry that I will absolutely be getting for them