#more fun to think about than “i wish he died cooler”

[milkyberryjsk]

i know muse's (literal) death was unceremonious and underwhelming but there is something thematically satisfying about the villain that made spectacles of his killings die in such a.. bland way

[rebouks]

Previous // Next

[Brodie flicked through the mail, instantly recognising the scrawling handwriting of a certain redheaded little boy. Scaring a few birds in the process, he bellowed up the stairs: ALEEEEX!] Alex: [breathless] Is it for me?! Brodie: Nah, but I could do with some help carrying this super heavy envelope upstairs. Alex: Who do you think you are, Johnny Zest? Brodie: I’m better than that guy, c’mon…

… Hi Alex! Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply to you, I promise I didn’t forget! I guess I just didn’t really know what to say cos I’ve sorta not felt like myself recently. My mom says I disappear into my own world sometimes so I sorta did that again and found it hard to think of anything fun to say. I don’t think I’d mind if you wrote to me about the less fun parts of your life though n’ my dad says you shouldn’t really keep everything to yourself all the time cos it ends up hurting so I thought I’d write anyway n’ just force myself not to worry about being boring or whatever. Your letters and your life always sound so exciting compared to mine though so sometimes it’s hard not to!!

I got in a fight at school which sounds like it should be an exciting story, but it wasn’t really. There’s this kid called Levi in my class that always picks on me (don’t worry though, I don’t care about that) and I couldn’t be bothered listening to him anymore so I hit him a couple times, I thought he’d hit me back but he just freaked out so I sorta felt bad about it afterward. He still makes fun of me but he doesn’t get up in my face as much so that’s a plus. Who says violence doesn’t solve anything? Hahaha I’m kidding! It wasn’t nice of me but maybe he should know better than to push people around so much.

I’m looking forward to summer so I can wander off a bit more and maybe it won’t rain so much! My mom doesn’t really like it when I go too far but as long as I’m back before curfew she tries not to freak out about it which is nice of her cos she knows I like to explore n’ stuff. I shouldn’t complain about my family cos I love them n’ stuff but I like being on my own sometimes and it’d be nice to have a bit of peace now n’ then. I’ve got SUPER good hearing so it’s hard to find anywhere quiet in my house, especially cos there’s always something crazy going on. My aunt Alma is sorta similar to me so she’s been helping me block out the noise with this meditation sorta thing, I guess it’s hard to explain but it’s not as lame as it sounds, it’s kinda fun to see how long you can stay in your own brain without people interrupting you. That probably sounds really weird but maybe you sorta get what I mean?

I finally have a treehouse now too!! It reminds me of your watchtower in some ways, but I guess it’s no way cooler than that, even though I know you’re bored of it by now. I wish we could hang out in it together cos it’s super awesome! Mom n’ dad don’t really bother me when I’m up there n’ my brother n’ sisters can’t manage the ladder yet so it’s all mine! It’s right at the bottom of the garden and looks out over the whole Bay too! Mom said she might let me sleep in it once it gets a bit warmer! It’d be cool falling asleep to the sound of the waves.. I hope it doesn’t end up making me need to pee all night though haha!!

Wren’s been obsessed with watching me play on the computer recently and I keep tryna teach her how to play herself but her little fingers can’t really reach all the buttons on the keyboard too well and she gets stupid mad when she dies so she just makes me play instead. She’d kick me if I told anyone but she’s a bit scared of some of the monsters too lol!! Mom told me I shouldn’t let her watch those ones but they’re the only ones she WANTS to watch and she jumps all over me until I give in so idk what they expect me to do other than lock her in the pantry, but I got told off for that so I guess I shouldn’t do that again haha (Wren thought it was funny though so it’s all good!) It’s a shame you don’t have a computer in the tower otherwise we could play together! Jude n’ Jacob aren’t really into that sorta thing so I usually just play on my own. Do you have a computer back home??

Oh! I got another badge for my swimming lessons too! I’ve almost got em all now which is neat but I sorta wanna avoid getting the last ones cos anyone that gets them all or has good attendance n’ whatever get an award at the end of the school year. They save em all up to give out at some stupid last year disco thing they put on before summer for the last year kids n’ it’d be so cringe to get called out in front of everyone like that. Some people think it’s gonna be amazing like my friend Jude, but I’d rather not go at all. Mom n’ dad keep saying it’ll be fun n’ everyone else is excited about it too but how fun could something be if you’re technically at SCHOOL? Bleh! I know you said you hate it sometimes, but being homeschooled sounds awesome to me lol.

I keep tryna bug my parents to go camping again so we could maybe see each other but they won’t take me out of school for a holiday n’ dad’s too busy with some work project so I guess we’ll have to keep writing to each other instead! Maybe if I keep annoying them about it we can come back in the summer! I hope so anyway but I guess I don’t wanna piss em off TOO much just in case my plan backfires or something.

I still feel really bad about not writing sooner but my dad said better late than never so hopefully you’re not too upset with me! I’ll try my best to write faster next time so you don’t have to wait as long. I’m looking forward to hearing about everything you’ve been up to!! Love Robin c: ps. my dad’s friend finally helped me fix that old polaroid so I’ve sent you some random pictures I took to test it out! I’m still getting used to it but the next ones will be better, I swear!

… the treehouse! it even has cool lights on it!! the back of our house! it’s so big it’s hard to fit in a picture.. it sorta looks fancy but it’s not really n’ dad said it was cheap cos it was a shithole a rare Byrd! (grumpy too – dad tried to take his dummy off him lol) he’s not supposed to be on my bed… the Bay! Jude says I sound girly for saying it’s so pretty here but I don’t care I could take a million pictures of this place n’ never get bored (I’ll stop now though cos mom says these polaroid things aren’t cheap for this model.. oops lol!!)

[your-unfriendlyghost]

I have two things to ask:

1.-Can we be friends?

2.-Do you have any Outsiders headcanons (or any that you haven't submitted yet)?

I mean sure?? Idk who you are since you’re on anon, so not REALLY, but I’m always down to talk!

2. Yeah lol- tons. Too many. Here’s a few (okay like 25 oops) off the top of my head lol, some serious/angsty and some lighthearted/kinda stupid without any real order. (Lotta ‘em are about Steve tbh -there’s so little to him in canon that I have the freedom to hc pretty much whatever I want)

Steve Randle’s nearsighted and has no idea, which is why he’s literally always squinting. (I’ve had that one for like months but only recently mentioned it on here lol.) Steve thinks his vision is completely normal

Dally and Sylvia genuinely cared for each other, but they were both so horrible at having healthy emotions that they just made each other worse. In a bad way, not a fun way.

When Steve gets kicked out, sometimes he hangs with Johnny in the lot. They don’t really talk about anything important like their shared experiences of having lousy parents. Instead they talk about cars, girls, music, school…lighthearted stuff. Sometimes Johnny will find Steve crying, which he never mentions- he’ll just sit down as per usual, which Steve appreciates. Steve almost never finds Johnny crying though. Johnny doesn’t cry much.

Okay tangent- I love how Steve and Johnny are low-key foils. Like Steve always seems tough but then cries when pushed to his limit, while Johnny always seems skittish until he’s under a bunch of pressure- in which case he suddenly is confident. (Not necessarily thriving obviously, but confident yk? Like grinning while saving those kids in the fire.) I know SE Hinton probably didn’t intend that at all, but it’s just such an interesting detail to me. One of these days I’ll put it into words better

Johnny’s jeans-jacket is a hand-me-down from either Steve or Two-Bit. (I can’t decide which lol) (obviously Dally would make sense too, but honestly I think it’d add more depth to flesh out Johnny’s relationships with the other members of the gang)

After the events of the book, Two-Bit starts hanging around the Curtis’s place even more. At first the gang assumes he’s trying to lighten the mood. It’s only after he gets sent to the cooler for a month due to drunk driving that they realize he was actually hanging around so much because he was trying to keep his kid sister from seeing him so drunk…

Two-Bit likes to joke that he keeps failing junior year so that him and his sister can graduate together. Which is a very bad idea since his sister is a year younger than Ponyboy.

Sodapop often feels like he’s only good for looking pretty and not all that useful or interesting otherwise. He likes himself, but when he stops to think about it too much, he starts to wonder if he really has anything going for him at all

My H/C for Steve’s home life is that his Mom is sick w/ like cancer or something. Before she got sick, Steve’s life was pretty alright for an eastsider- he and his dad fought, but they always made up for the most part. They weren’t perfect, but they loved each other. But after she got sick, she wasn’t there to mediate between Steve and his Dad anymore, and the fighting got worse and worse. And then Steve’s dad started drinking more and it was pretty downhill from there. Steve’s Dad still loves him, but sometimes Steve wishes that he didn’t. If he didn’t, then he could hate him. But his dad does love him, so he can’t get himself to.

Steve and Dally taught Johnny to drive when they were all like fourteen-fifteen-ish. Johnny is a very reckless driver. He loves speeding.

Johnny also loves fast roller coasters and stuff.

Dally doesn't ‘cuz he’s low-key scared of heights- he likes riding broncos and rodeos, but put him at the top of a roller coaster and he’s convinced that it’s gonna break and he’s gonna die. He pretends he doesn’t mind. The only people who know he’s scared of them are Johnny, and before she died, Mrs. Curtis.

Steve has a napoleon complex. Johnny, who is shorter than him by a few inches, likes to bully him for it sometimes

Ponyboy and Cherry don’t interact much in the school year after the book, but in the summer after, they start to hang out. Eventually they become pretty close. They fangirl over Paul Newman together

Ponyboy still doesn’t let Cherry read his theme though until years later

Marcia and Two-Bit re-meet a few months after the book. (Two-Bit is really scared that she’s embarrassed to be dating him, and Marcia is really scared that he’s embarrassed to be dating her. Neither of them are embarrassed. They both adore each other.)

Two-Bit likes to watch Marcia barrel racing. One time while he’s there, he runs into Ponyboy watching Cherry barrel race and immediately tells everyone much to Pony’s chagrin

Evie knows a little bit about cars, and she sometimes helps out at the DX during summers. Steve is so whipped for her lol (and Soda too Steve has two hands)

Evie and Sylvia are besties, but Steve and Sylvia hate each other. They act civil in front of Evie, but as soon as her back is turned they’re growling at each other like dogs. (Well Steve is. Sylvia just acts condescending as hell. Sometimes it goes over his head, so Steve knows she’s insulting him but isn’t sure what the insult is/means. Which makes Steve kinda want to kill her.)

Steve and Soda are low-key co-dependent. (Steve more so- Soda has his family at least, while to Steve, Soda and Evie are his whole world pretty much) It’s probably not super healthy, and both of them are vaguely aware of that, but are trying not to think about it too hard rn

Ponyboy’s friend group in high school consists of Curly Shepard, Mark Jennings, Scout Jenkins (from the tv show), and eventually, in her senior year, Cherry Valance. (There’s others too but those are the main ones.)

Pony dates Cathy Carlson for a while too, idk if they’re good for each other or not- I kinda like the idea of them being a sweet couple tbh, but no one else on here seems to care about them so I haven’t really explored the idea much lol

In a Dally lives au, Mark Jennings and Dally end up spending a bit of time together through Pony, and at some point they realize that they’re half-brothers lol. Mark is a deeply obnoxious little brother to have, and he drives Dally nuts on purpose. Weirdly I think Dally’s a relatively good influence on him, as much as someone like Dally can be. And Dally does care for Mark, though not as much as he cares for Johnny- Mark is, in his head, not exactly his responsibility.

Well I have (so many) more, but I think that’s enough for now lol. Point is, even though I haven’t drawn in a minute, I love these characters and their romanticized version of 1960s Tulsa so much and I think about them way too often lol

(dw once i get more into the swing of school I’ll be doin more art!)

[goldenavenger02]

you'll be alright (no one can hurt you now)

For @badthingshappenbingo Prompt: Hiding An Injury

Hakoda wasn't going to bring it up to any of the teens, but he had a sinking feeling that the week would not be as fun-filled as Aang was hoping.

If Hakoda was being honest with himself, he wasn't completely sure when he started seeing the former prince, now Fire Lord, not as an adversary but as one of the kids.

It would make sense if it had started after he accompanied his own son to save him, as well as Suki, from the Boiling Rock; Hakoda, who had to fight the urge to reprimand the then sixteen year old for putting himself in danger after finding out about the cooler.

But to him, he was more confident that it had been around the time of the coronation; when he saw just how broken Sokka's leg was and heard the tale of how the young Fire Lord had nearly died in order to save Katara's life.

Hakoda knew that he could not stay in the Fire Nation forever, nor did he want to when he finally had the chance to be with his children after the long, miserable years without them.

But he would have been lying if he had said that the reason he had postponed his return to the South Pole wasn't so he could be confident that the teenager wouldn't reinjure himself within a few days of that crown being nestled into his hair.

He should have known that he would be promoted to Head Chieftain upon his return to Wolf Cove, which ended up taking away more time from Katara and Sokka then he would have liked; it didn't make him feel any less guilty that they were simultaneously being pulled across the nations and into more danger then he ever wanted them in again despite the war being over, all with Aang by their side.

Hakoda liked Aang, it was hard not to get along with someone so happy, kind and understanding as the Avatar himself who also made time to play with the other kids in between all of the stuffy meetings that the teenager was subjected to, but he just wished that he would stay put.

And so, maybe that was why he bit the bullet and sent the letter to the new Fire Lord, extending his invitation to the South Pole; while the rest of the higher ups would want to extensively question the teenager about his priorities, he knew he was being mildly selfish in hoping that the response he received about the visit being confirmed and scheduled would be enough to get his children to stay put for more than a few days.

"Do you think Zuko has ever been penguin sledding?" Aang asked one night at the dinner table while sneaking some of the pieces of his bread to Momo, who had refused to be kicked out and curled up next to Aang's ankles at every meal.

"Do I think Zuko, former prince of the Fire Nation who had a stick so far up his as-" a nudge to Sokka's ribs from Katara, seemingly keeping him from swearing. Sokka skipped over the profanity as if it had never left his mouth, "who spent three years of his life hunting you down and is now so busy as the Fire Lord that I'm lucky if he talks to me for more than five minutes whenever I'm there, has been penguin sledding? Yeah, that's gonna be a hard pass, buddy."

"Gonna put it on the list, then."

"Aang, he's coming for work. Like Sokka said, he's been really busy."

"I know," Aang muttered, seeming more like the thirteen year old that he really was rather than the all-powerful Avatar whose very name made grown men tremble in fear, "but he's going to be here for an entire week. He has to have some free time, right?"

Hakoda could tell by Katara's nod, followed by a quick peck on Aang's cheek, that it was more of a hope than genuine confirmation.

They wouldn't end up waiting a long time for Zuko's arrival, however, when the single airship arrived in the South Pole just a few days later and out walked the Fire Lord along with two guards following behind.

"Fire Lord Zuko, welcome to the South Pole."

"Chief Hakoda," the teenager greeted with perfect posture and a professional smile, "thank you for the invitatio-ooff."

It had been going well until the Avatar himself wrapped the Fire Lord into a bone-crushing hug, followed closely behind by Katara while Sokka went around behind him and dumped the fresh snow down the back of his shirt.

To Hakoda's surprise, however, the guards didn't move despite the onslaught of "Fire Lord Hotman" from Aang, belly laughs from Katara and the snowball fight that broke out between Sokka and Zuko.

"I'm not going to tell you two how to do your job," he started, gaining the older guard's attention before pointing at the group of teenagers, "that being said…"

"I'm just glad it's snow and not leaves this time, Chief Hakoda."

"The autumn equinox in Ba Sing Se was a nightmare for the royal stylist." The younger guard added, still firmly in his post.

He had been a parent for sixteen years, and he knew that sometimes, it was not worth asking for more context.

After a few more minutes, however, the group of four seemingly remembered just why Zuko had arrived and helped him off the ground while he brushed off the excess snow from his clothes.

"My apologies, Chief Hakoda." Zuko bowed in his direction with a bright flush on his cheeks; whether it was from impromptu snowball fight or embarrassment, he couldn't tell.

"Well, that is the most I have seen my daughter laugh in a long time, so consider yourself forgiven." Hakoda was smiling as he wrapped his arm around a still giggling Katara while the Fire Lord stood up, but he could feel it morph into a frown as he noticed just how pale he seemed to be, "anyway, why don't we get some lunch?"

"Yes, I'm starving! You are going to love seal jerky, Zuko!" His son insisted as he wrapped his arm around his friend's shoulder, nearly knocking his knees out from under him due to the lack of tread on the Fire Lord's boots.

Hakoda made a mental note to review how the ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe was supposed to behave in the presence of royalty with Sokka later.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to," Katara added which resulted in a disgruntled sound from her brother, "where's Toph?"

"Oh, she wanted to be here, but then she found out about the climate and I told her that we needed her to keep all of her body parts, and she said, um…" He trailed off, but Hakoda had only needed to speak to the earthbender one time to have a guess what her direct quote was, "well, let's just say she made some very creative threats towards me if I dared to make her wear shoes."

Yeah, Hakoda definitely had an idea about the profanities that had escaped Toph's mouth in response to needing shoes.

"So, I know you have work to do while you're here. But, I've been working on some firebending techniques that I want to get your feedback on, and I've been making a list of activities to do in our free time!"

"Sounds like a plan." Despite the nod and Aang's whoop of excitement, Hakoda winced at just how exhausted Zuko sounded as he spoke.

He had always been more moody and reserved than the others, but now his voice had none of its usual bite now that the adrenaline from the snowball fight had ebbed away. Hakoda wasn't going to bring it up to any of the teens, but he had a sinking feeling that the week would not be as fun-filled as Aang was hoping.

…

Hakoda didn't want to be right.

The meetings had gone better than expected, with Zuko promising that he was doing his best to return all of his military personnel to the Fire Nation as soon as he could without draining the already dwindling economy, as well as helping build up the beginnings of the new trade routes.

In fact, aside from the brief moments of him rubbing at his eyes, Hakoda thought he looked as though he had been able to get some sleep the night before, which ended up being the reason why he allowed Sokka and Katara to postpone their meeting with him and the rest of the council about their specific duties to the tribe.

It wasn't like all of them had been given enough of a chance to relish in their teenage years just like he had done with Bato and Kya at their age. If they wanted to take Zuko penguin sledding that badly, then Hakoda was going to let them.

It even gave him a chance to get to know the guards of the Fire Lord better as they gave him advice about how to better security while he tried, and failed, to pry into any misadventures that his kids had pulled Zuko into.

All in all, as the sun was starting to set over the peaks, Hakoda was about to pat himself on the back for handling this head chieftain promotion pretty damn well, at least until he heard the chatter approaching the house.

"For the last time, let go of me."

"You're still bleeding, Fire Lord Hotman."

"And would you quit it with that? I'm fine, it's just a scratch."

"We don't even need Toph here to know you're lying," Katara's grumble was the loudest as the door to Hakoda's hut swung open to reveal the disastrous consequences of penguin sledding, "hey, dad? A little help?"

Katara, Sokka and Aang had snow on their shoulders and boots and flushed cheeks, but what was more concerning was the Fire Lord sandwiched in between the three of them, with snow caked on his clothes and the red-tinted snow that covered his forehead.

The guards were up before he was, the older one pushing Zuko's snow-covered hair out of the way to get a closer look at the gash on the right side of his head and the younger one asking him various questions to rule out a concussion.

"Qiang, Tao, I'm fine! Seriously, I've gotten worse than this from the turtle ducks."

Hakoda held back a snicker at the whine that interspersed itself with the Fire Lord's voice while he tried to fight off the attention of his guards.

He busied himself with grabbing a clean rag and running it under the warm water from the sink, listening in as the group of three wrangled their friend to sit down in one of the dining chairs.

"The turtle ducks made you smack your head into a tree limb?"

"Sokka, for the last time, it was a branch and all it did was take some of the skin."

"That's still a lot of blood, Zuko."

"It's a head wound, they bleed a lot more. Hold still."

"Katara, don't pull at it!"

"Okay," Hakoda finally spoke up while turning around, getting all six sets of eyes on him despite the fact that his daughter was still trying to get Zuko's hair out of the bloody gash where it had stuck, "unless you are currently in charge of part of one of the four nations, step outside," Hakoda commanded, cutting off his son's question before his hand was even fully in the air, "no, ambassador does not count."

"Damn." Sokka muttered under his breath as he, along with Aang and Katara walked out.

He really needed to review the behavior expected of someone with Sokka's position sooner rather than later.

"Your majesty?" The older guard, Tao, asked, "would you like us to stand guard outside?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Zuko agreed, waiting until his guards were out of the building to practically slump onto the dining room table in exhaustion.

"Are you alright, Fire Lord?" Hakoda asked as he finished wringing out the rag before bringing it and the first aid kit to the dining room table.

"Please just call me Zuko."

"Alright then, but the same goes for you. I wasn't exactly pleased to find out I had been promoted without my knowledge," Hakoda explained before using one hand to tilt his chin upwards and using the other to gently press the cloth against the sticky hair, "sorry if that stings, I just want to get any hair out before it's disinfected."

"It's fine."

"I take it that the penguin sledding didn't go as intended?" Hakoda asked after a few moments.

"What gave it away?"

Hakoda couldn't help but smile at the sarcasm as he deposited the dirty rag onto the table, "well, between the blood and my children along with the Avatar himself holding onto your arms as they brought you in here, just a hunch."

As he spoke, he soaked one of the gauze pads with the disinfectant and pressed it to the gash, unsurprised to see the teenager's knuckles turning white from the strength that he was clenching his fist, "you doing alright?"

He nodded, and stayed silent as Hakoda pulled the gauze away to replace it with a fresh, dry pad that he taped in place; he'd mention something to Katara later, but for now, he knew that he just needed to get Zuko dry now that the snow was melting off of him.

"I'll be right back," he insisted, shutting the first aid kit and picking up the dirty rag, "just gonna get you some dry clothes."

"Thank you, for all of this. If there's anything I can do to repay-"

"None of that," Hakoda insisted, cutting him off with a raised hand, "you are in my territory and you are a friend of Katara and Sokka's. More importantly, their shenanigans put you in this position in the first place. If anything, this is an apology for their actions. No need to repay me."

He quickly went into Sokka's room and grabbed a spare set of clothes before bringing them back to the dining room table only to see Zuko resting his head on his arms.

"Zuko," he called out, setting the folded outfit on the table, "I've got dry clothes for you."

No response.

This had happened with Aang too, the first night he came to the South Pole after the war had ended, only Zuko hadn't fallen asleep face first into a bowl of seaweed stew. Hakoda tried again, his voice a little louder.

"Zuko, you really need to change before you fall asleep for the night. Also, it might be best for your neck not to sleep at the table."

No response again. Hakoda sighed and laid a gentle hand on his left shoulder, "Zuko-"

He didn't expect him to sit up quickly and pull his hand away in sheer determination with golden eyes glowering right at him and fire shining bright in his right palm.

But Hakoda was unable to speak before his wrist was let go and the flames dissipated, the anger turning into deep regret as he stood up and backed away with his hands raised in surrender.

"I am so sorry-"

"Zuko-"

"I've been unprofessional. You have been nothing but welcoming and kind and I nearly-"

"Zuko, it's okay-"

"I nearly killed you."

And Hakoda wasn't going to deny that yes, he could have hurt him, but the seventeen year old had tears in his eyes as he backed himself into the corner over being woken up unexpectedly.

"Zuko, take a deep breath," Hakoda instructed, managing to lock eyes with the teenager while taking a step forward, "It's okay. No one got hurt."

"I almost-"

"Almost, not did. I'm fine, you are fine and everyone else was sent out. We're all okay," he wasn't surprised by Zuko slumping to his knees on the floor with a nod while he extended his hand towards the teenager, "you need to change and get some real sleep. Can you manage that on your own?"

He nodded again and wrapped his left hand around Hakoda's right, giving him the chance to pull him to his feet only to frown yet again when he saw the sharp wince that crossed Zuko's face.

"What happened to your shoulder?"

"I just need to get some rest."

And Hakoda so badly wanted to push further, the parental side of him desperately wanting to pull the teenager into a tight hug.

But Zuko wasn't one of his kids and, with what he had heard about Ozai over the years, he had a sinking feeling that touch would only result in the young Fire Lord spiraling further.

So he used his best judgment and let go of Zuko's hand before passing him the clothes, "there is an empty bedroom on the right. I'll let your guards know where you are and I suggest having Katara look at your head tomorrow."

"Thank you, Chief Hakoda."

Having been a parent for sixteen years, Hakoda had also learned when to hold his tongue, especially around someone who was easily startled and just nodded in response while saying, "Sleep well, Zuko."

He went outside as soon as he heard the door shut behind the young Fire Lord to be met with three sets of frantic eyes and two sets of raised eyebrows.

"The Fire Lord is getting some sleep," he started, his eyes locked on the two guards, "he's in the third room on the right." He waited until the two guards walked in, a nod given by Tao, before he turned to the three teenagers, "his injuries aren't severe, I don't even think he's going to bruise."

Aang's sigh of relief wasn't lost on Hakoda, but he continued to press on.

"Sokka, you and I will be having a very long discussion in the morning about how the ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe should act around royalty, even if they are one of your friend's. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Sokka nodded, the tone being known by his son that it was time for him to turn in before he had a chance to do something else that would be frowned upon, "come on, Aang. It's late."

The young Avatar followed with Momo settled firmly on his shoulder, leaving Hakoda with just his daughter in the snowy wind.

"You said injuries."

And in that snowy wind, when Katara looked into his eyes, he could only see Kya for a few moments as she seemingly looked right into his soul.

"I advised Zuko to come to you in the morning, so you could heal his head wound which is why I'm also going to ask you a question," Hakoda stopped to take in a deep breath, because even if he wasn't one of his, the fact that someone may do this to a child who hadn't even reached eighteen yet…"has he mentioned anything about assassination attempts?"

"For Tui's sake," his daughter cursed as she pinched his nose before a shout tinged with sadness escaped her lips, "he promised to tell me if it happened again! That no-good, jerkbending-"

"Katara," Hakoda scolded, his hands on her shoulders, "regardless of what he said, it would be best not to insult him while he is in our territory."

"He's lucky I don't go in there and ask him what-"

"Katara, that is enough. He had his reasoning, no matter what it was. More importantly, he needs to rest," he stopped to push a strand of hair out of her face, not surprised that it was wet with tears, "and so do you, my child. It has been a very long day, for all of us."

"Y-you're right," she said, wiping her arm on her sleeve before pulling him into a tight hug which Hakoda instantly returned, "goodnight, dad."

"Gp get some sleep."

She let go and made her way to the campsite she had made with Sokka and Aang when they had arrived in Wolf Cove which left Hakoda standing outside of the chieftain building in the snow and his swirling thoughts about how to speak to the Fire Lord in the morning.

…

"So, what do you think, Sifu Hotman?"

"I think your posture needs more work than your use of outdated Fire Nation slang. Straighten out your back and extend your arms, you'll get more force in it."

Hakoda couldn't help but observe the three of them from where he had exited his meeting with Sokka. It had gone well, but he couldn't help but think it would be the first of many.

Aang was eager to continue firebending, showing off the different ways he could bend the flames, waiting for Zuko's advice as he sat next to the fire pit while Katara healed the gash on his forehead.

He was confident that she had already taken care of his shoulder and probably yelled at him a great deal as well while he had been talking to his son.

It didn't take long for Sokka to join the group with Momo on his heels as he carried their breakfast to them on one of the trays and soon enough the entire group was laughing about something that Appa had done the day before.

Hakoda wasn't sure when his parental instincts had spread from just Katara and Sokka to now involving Aang and Zuko as well, but what he did know was that the biggest thing they needed right now was to be kids.

And he was going to do his best to make sure that it happened.

(Want to read the Gaang penguin sledding? Part 2 below)

[ladyloveandjustice]

I have to speak up about Gideon Nav of the Locked Tomb series losing to Katya from the slightly overrated film Goncharov (1973) in the Tumblrwoman poll. What I say may be hard to hear. Some will say I’m too harsh. But I REFUSE to be silenced. Gideon’s loss is truly the essence of tumblr. Katya is a slim, white femme character who sits safely in the realm of subtext and who are created for cis straight consumption by cis straight men. Meanwhile, Gideon is butch, Gideon is mixed Maori, Gideon is muscular, Gideon is horny, Gideon is messy and flawed and unapologetic, Gideon is created by a lesbian and is very much for the gays. All these things are what Tumblr claims to want, claims to crave, yet they don’t turn out to support her when it counts. They only have room in their hearts for the Katyas.

We venerate men like Matteo JWHJ0715 and Scorsese for throwing us a bone, talk about how ‘brave’ and against the mainstream they were (ignoring any of the textually queer stories from their era in the meantime) yet with modern queer creators we don’t turn up to support them. (I know some like to believe Matteo is gay and/or trans but we have no idea if that’s not wishful thinking, and yes I know I have privilege he doesn’t thanks to his license plate parentage too but please focus on my point). Instead creators like Muir get harassed, dissected, and even have their characters lose niche polls that ultimately don’t matter. I love Katya, but I have to acknowledge she wouldn’t be as popular if she were like Gideon. Just look at all the final eight, they are all pale, or even worse, homestuck (yes i know about tlt and homestuck don’t @ me unless you want a very long essay about why I’m right). Note the lack of butches.

We cling to nostalgia, to the subtext of the 70s and deify the straight men…meanwhile we crucify and ignore queer creators. The femme who dies prettily with barely a bloodstain will always be more palatable than the butch who [SPOILERS THAT ARE GROSS AND MUCH COOLER]. What’s more tumblr than that, truly.

Wait what do you mean Katya was defeated by Vr

(feel free to mock/play debate about this, rp is fun, i probs won’t respond, but please don’t actually get aggressive with me or message me thanks. Also see the post that started it all here! )

[jq37]

-You got the timeline of Lucy's death off by a year. She died at the end of Sophomore year. I wonder if the Grinders were trying to keep up with the Bad Kids by also bringing back a god from nameless oblivion.

-I have my own spin on why Ivy's not as good as Aelwynn. Ivy's a too realistically mean bitch, Aelwynn's a CRAZY bitch. One's way more entertaining than the other. Also Ivy's dollar store Garthy O'Brien accent is very off-putting. Stop sounding like a much cooler character, you high school hot girl cliche.

-Is Henry having Gorgug do all three Artificer years at once or one at a time? Cause one's a very logical way to go about it and the other's really not. You know, hyperfocus on finishing Freshman then Sophomore year and then play catch-up on the Junior year material. The smart way to do it. Or is Gorgug having to do Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced course material simultaneously? Cause that's a very dumb way to do it. Whichever way, Gorgug's nailing it, but that second one isn't sustainable.

-At first Fig's whole crisis about her lack of passion for being a Bard struck me as manufactured drama, but I've let it sink in and come to a different take on it. Fig's whole Rebel Punk Girl deal so far was obviously a reaction to the divorce and her life/family kinda falling apart. But now, things are REALLY great for her. Great family, great friends, great girlfriend. Her personal life is goals. So, how much is all that positive change affecting her? Is she over her Punk phase and moving on to something else? Season's not over, let's find out.

-Adaine's starting to use magic means and her connections to make money and I respect it.....BASRAR'S A GENIE! That just sank in right now as I'm typing this. But Brennan's no dummy. He probably set like a hard limit on the value of his wishes to close off that easy solution, but maybe he got sloppy and forgot to do that. Fingers crossed.

-I still don't think Fabian deserves Mazey after his behavior of late, but I'm still pretty into that ship, so whatever happens happens.

-Not much to say about Kristen and Riz. Especially Riz since he's been taking a narrative backseat so far this season. Hopefully that'll change soon. Still, Hi Riz, Hi Kristen :)

Holy shit, this one ran really long. My gift to you, I suppose.

Sorry this is late! Things are crazy! Luckily it's all still relevant. Let me go through point by point.

-You got the timeline of Lucy's death off by a year. She died at the end of Sophomore year. I wonder if the Grinders were trying to keep up with the Bad Kids by also bringing back a god from nameless oblivion.

If I said something other than that then it was a typo! I'll check and edit when I have a chance. But I think the point I was making was that it would make sense that the Rat Grinders never got more ambitious if Lucy had died the first week of school like Kristen and Gorgug. It makes less sense that they wouldn't ever leave the starting area with no dramatic incident to keep them skittish and that happened in Sophomore Year, not right away. And it def feels like they're copying the Bad Kids. The question is whether it's to just score some extra points or if there are also ulterior motives.

-I have my own spin on why Ivy's not as good as Aelwynn. Ivy's a too realistically mean bitch, Aelwynn's a CRAZY bitch. One's way more entertaining than the other. Also Ivy's dollar store Garthy O'Brien accent is very off-putting. Stop sounding like a much cooler character, you high school hot girl cliche.

That's also an excellent point! The ideal bitch character is, to quote Heathers, a "mythic bitch". You want her so crazy she doesn't feel real. You want her doing full ass crimes. Ivy is just like, the run of the mill racist bitch you went to high school with. Too close to home. Not fun at all. The only thing it pings for me is disgust. And Garthy is WAY cooler than her. I hope the Bad Kids grind her into dust.

-Is Henry having Gorgug do all three Artificer years at once or one at a time? Cause one's a very logical way to go about it and the other's really not. You know, hyperfocus on finishing Freshman then Sophomore year and then play catch-up on the Junior year material. The smart way to do it. Or is Gorgug having to do Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced course material simultaneously? Cause that's a very dumb way to do it. Whichever way, Gorgug's nailing it, but that second one isn't sustainable.

There is a split between D&D mechanics and actual in game reality sometimes and I really hope Brennan is just making Zac roll them simultaneously for mechanics reasons and in reality Gorgug is just taking all three years back to back to back and not simultaneously because it would be, as you said, and INSANE way to structure learning.

-At first Fig's whole crisis about her lack of passion for being a Bard struck me as manufactured drama, but I've let it sink in and come to a different take on it. Fig's whole Rebel Punk Girl deal so far was obviously a reaction to the divorce and her life/family kinda falling apart. But now, things are REALLY great for her. Great family, great friends, great girlfriend. Her personal life is goals. So, how much is all that positive change affecting her? Is she over her Punk phase and moving on to something else? Season's not over, let's find out.

I'm kinda curious about where exactly the disconnect is for her because it's not like she needs to even be a musician to be a bard. There are so many different subclasses. Did she get into music just to let out her aggression and now that she doesn't feel so angsty, it's not flowing as well? Would she be feeling this way if she didn't have pressure to put out an album? It's not like she lost her creative spirit in a broad sense--who else but Fig could come up with Wanda Childa? But yeah, it'll be interesting to see where she lands, especially since she has this other stuff in her life going on too that needs to be resolved (curse stuff) and also she is literally the archdevil of rebellion currently which will be hard to pull off is she doesn't feel a connection to it. Which I honestly think she still does because if she didn't, the stuff with Cass wouldn't be working as well (the whole doubt/rebellion tag team and her successful prayer). Anyway, I just think she's in a transitional period. As you said, let's find out where this goes.

-Adaine's starting to use magic means and her connections to make money and I respect it…..BASRAR'S A GENIE! That just sank in right now as I'm typing this. But Brennan's no dummy. He probably set like a hard limit on the value of his wishes to close off that easy solution, but maybe he got sloppy and forgot to do that. Fingers crossed.

There is no way Brennan is gonna let them Basrar-Ex-Machina their way out of their problems without some truly insane rolls but, in character, it wouldn't be out of pocket to ask. Especially since she's the reason he can grant more than just ice cream wishes. But yeah, good on her for using her jacket as a side hustle and I really hope her charging for visions because you know those Falinel elves are sitting on piles of ancestral cash.

-I still don't think Fabian deserves Mazey after his behavior of late, but I'm still pretty into that ship, so whatever happens happens.

I'm not overly invested in Fabian's love life but it is really funny watching him flail so badly in this department even though he's objectively really cool according to the dice. If I was friends with Mazey though I'd be like, "Girl, are you sure?" Just a bit too much of the rich boy arrogance for my tastes.

-Not much to say about Kristen and Riz. Especially Riz since he's been taking a narrative backseat so far this season. Hopefully that'll change soon. Still, Hi Riz, Hi Kristen :)

Kristen is Going Through It and Riz has been great support so they deserve a bit of a break, especially because I feel like things are gonna pop off for them pretty quick.

OK, that's it! I have to lesson plan! I will hopefully have some time to so some recapping soon!

[liauditore]

76

A masked figure sits at the opposite side of the table, their arms by their side, sitting completely still.

"76, we would like to ask some questions."

//cw: implied childhood trauma (not detailed, 76 doesn't believe he's traumatized so he doesn't dwell on it), canon typical violence, swearing, kind of an implied sex joke (it's like one throwaway line)

~

ROUND ONE

[Sounds of shuffling, pacing. 76 appears to be agitated]

76: You let me go right now or I'll kick up a fuss, aight? You've seen what I can do.

The Watcher: We have, and we would be intrigued.

76: mmph… [76 lets out a low growl in frustration]

76: I just have to answer some questions and then you'll let me go, right?

The Watcher: That is not for you, or us, to know.

76: You know things would go a lot easier for all of us if you'd just talk like a normal person.

The Watcher: That's no fun.

~

The Watcher: Do you consider yourself an honest person?

76: A little white lie's never hurt anyone, even if they fuss about it. Conversations are about more than who's right or wrong, I reckon.

The Watcher: What do you like to eat?

76: I usually order takeout. I like to try different restaurants everytime. If I'm not sure I'll just order fast food.

The Watcher: What's your weapon of choice?

76: Usually, my fists are enough. That axe did end up growing on me eventually.

The Watcher: How does it feel to kill someone?

76: It depends on who it is.

The Watcher: Do you prefer cats or dogs?

76: Aren't both great? Most people think I'm more of a dog person but if I had to choose, I think I'd rather have a cat.

The Watcher: What was your childhood like?

76: Pretty normal, I'd say? It's not like it was perfect but I'm not traumatized or anything.

The Watcher: Do you have any regrets?

76: Um… I wish I hadn't died? I think that's pretty bloody obvious.

The Watcher: We were expecting a more… specific answer.

76: Am I being graded on this now?

The Watcher: We don't believe you're lying, but we don't think you're telling us the whole truth either.

76: … Fine, fine. I wish I was less reckless. I wish I didn't go through with Ren's dumb plan. Maybe if we were a bit more clever with our own lives then we--

[76 suddenly pauses mid-sentence and falls silent.]

The Watcher: Anything else?

76: You're never satisfied, are you?

[The Watcher remains silent]

76: I, uh… I wish I wasn't so harsh on Jimmy. I think I might've done more harm than good with that one.

[The Watcher chuckles]

76: But at the end of the day, we're all grown ups, aren't we? I'm not responsible for anyone but me. It's a game death we're in.

The Watcher: Do you regret it?

76: I regret a lot of things, I think I've made that clear.

~

ROUND TWO

A masked figure sits at the opposite side of the table, its legs crossed and hands planted comfortably in its lap.

"76, we would like to ask some questions."

~

76: So we meet again. More stupid questions.

The Watcher: Indeed.

76: Did I disappoint you, huh? Not bloody enough? Not gruesome enough?

The Watcher: It was entertaining. Watching you fail.

76: You.. You're a real piece of work, you know that?

[The Watcher remains silent]

~

The Watcher: Do you know how to cook?

76: Uh… Do instant noodles count? Microwave meals? I think I tried to make french toast once but, uh, it didn't turn out well and I felt bad for wasting the bread.

The Watcher: Can you describe your family?

76: Family's not really real, is it? Blood relation doesn't mean much in the long run. I think, growing up, I considered my friends my family.

The Watcher: Tell us of your friends, then.

76: I… Don't really know if there's anything worth mentioning? We were just regular kids. I was always the oldest so I always looked out for everybody. That's how things should be, right?

The Watcher: Do you like your name?

76: It's… Okay? Sometimes I wish it was something cooler but having a simple name makes it easier to get through life, I suppose.

The Watcher: Do you believe in true love? Would you like to get married?

76: God no! I'm not ready for anything like that. I've, uh, "loved" alot of women over the years, I suppose.

The Watcher: Do you have anything you'd want from us?

76: Stop talking in my ear all the bloody time. I know what I'm doing.

The Watcher: Do you like animals?

76: Pets are just another thing you have to take care of, but they're good company.

The Watcher: Do you think you're yourself?

76: No. The ”me“ you have in your head and the ”me“ that I exist within and the ”me“ that exists within the games… They're all pretty different, aren't they?

The Watcher: If the opportunity arises, would you play the game once again?

76: I won't make the same mistakes I did before.

The Watcher: Do you have any regrets?

76: I… wish I talked it out with the boys a bit more. I don't know what got into Grian near the end. Jimmy and, uh, Mumbo too… they would've had to die eventually, but I think I could've done better for them.

The Watcher: Do you regret doing it?

76: I'm not sure if I know what you're talking about.

~~

A masked figure sits at the opposite side of the table, chin resting on her hands with fingers intertwined. She seems to radiate pity and… amusement?

"76, we would like to ask some questions.“

~

ROUND THREE

The Watcher: Can you tell us about your relationship history?

76: W-What kind of question is that? This isn't related to the game.

The Watcher: We're simply curious.

76: I have to answer, don't I?

[The Watcher remains silent]

76: I, uh, I had crushes like any kid did. Once I started wandering around I had a couple of flings here and there. It's not like I'm some clueless little boy. I'm not gonna get all hung up on one girl, I've got tons waiting to crawl all over me back home.

The Watcher: Did you love any of them?

76: Depends on what you mean. I think we all we were just messing around. Things would've gotten messy otherwise.

The Watcher: Do you dislike any of the other participants?

76: Scott and I can't seem to see eye to eye.

The Watcher: How come?

76: He's just, uh… I think we have clashing personalities? I just.. I don't like the way he speaks, I guess. It's nothing deep.

The Watcher: Do you dislike Scott because he takes people you care for away from you?

76: People I care…? I don't know what you mean.

The Watcher: Do you have any regrets?

76: I think we've been over this enough times.

The Watcher: Do you like yourself?

76: I'm a good person. I believe this.

The Watcher: Is there anyone you'd like to see right now?.

76: I'd… like to apologise to Cleo. Again.

The Watcher: If the opportunity arises, would you play the game once again?

76: Please give me one more chance.

The Watcher: What do you think of us?

76: You're annoying.

The Watcher: If you had one wish, what would you ask for?

76: Freedom.

The Watcher: Do you regret it?

76: I'd do it again if I had do.

~

ROUND FOUR

[The sound of laughter echoes through the room.]

A masked figure sits at the opposite side of the table, he leans back carelessly in his chair, clapping his hands in congratulations. He chuckles.

"76, we would like to ask some questions."

~

[The sound of heavy breathing is heard, broken up by hallowed laughter. Sharp inhales and choking giggles. It sounds as if 76 is in pain]

The Watcher: You seem proud of yourself

76: I fucking did it. I finally did it.

The Watcher: Do you find it—

76: Shut up. Just get to the questions.

[The Watcher snickers]

The Watcher: As you wish.

~

The Watcher: Which one of the other participants do you think is most like you?

76: Scott. He GETS me, y'know? It's like we have this mutual understanding. We don't have to explain ourselves to each other, it's brilliant.

The Watcher: What do you do when you're bored?

76: Usually I'd play video games or watch anime. I always find new things to keep myself entertained.

The Watcher: Do you want to go home?

76: I don't have a home.

The Watcher: Do you have any regrets?

76: None.

The Watcher: What's more important to you - someone's personality or their looks?

76: Depends on what you're looking for.

The Watcher: If the opportunity arises, would you play the game once again?

[76 laughs]

The Watcher: If you had $1000 suddenly, what would you spend it on?

76: I think I'd spend it all on things I've wanted for a long time. Games, merchandise, snacks…

The Watcher: What is your weapon of choice?

76: Whatever I can get my hands on.

The Watcher: Do you lie to yourself?

76: What would there be to lie about?

The Watcher: We think there are… feelings you won't allow yourself to admit.

76: If they mattered, I'd take care of them.

The Watcher: Do you miss your King?

76: I don't think you'd let me see him, so I don't see why you're asking.

The Watcher: Do you miss your Soulmate?

76: I said so in the game, didn't I? We've crossed that bridge.

The Watcher: How does it feel, not being needed?

76: Freeing. So fucking freeing.

The Watcher: What makes you feel the need to lie so much to me today?

76: I hate you. I've played your game. I don't owe you shit.

The Watcher: Do you regret it?

76: I'll do whatever I have to. I want to live.

~

NOTE: 76 is a clever and ruthless participant with a strong urge to prove himself, it's no wonder so many have been anchoring for his victory since T████ L███. However, just as a child whose favourite toy is the first to be worn out, we are concerned we may have broken him more than we anticipated.

(( i got a bit carried away LMAO. 76's player is very much one of my favourites to make messed up cus he very much leans into that already. i should mention that this series very vaguely ties into my merc au but only in like a vague ethereal sense. tagging it anyway cus i like having it all in one placeeee ))

[iciatheguardess]

AH, YES, I WAS WAITING FOR AN EXCUSE TO TALK ABOUT THESE GUYS!

Let’s start with the names, because that alone was an escapade.

I started with Arthur’s name and planned to name all four of them after various members of the original Arthurian lore. Verie was next, and that’s about the point where I realized that original Arthurian lore, when it wasn’t being epic, was really freaking weird and kinda incest-y and kinda “why the heck are we romanticizing cheating on your husband”

So I shifted it a bit. Mercutio was originally going to be named Mordred (the main villain) and Juliet was probably going to be named after Gawain somehow (cool knight guy). I didn’t add Lancelot because…um…well, Verie is cooler (and more faithful lol) than Queen Guinevere and I didn’t want to have someone research the name and think that whoever “Lancelot” was was gonna end up with Verie instead.

Mercutio’s name comes from Romeo and Juliet, and is the name of the Bard character who does the “Queen Mab” speech. He dies but is my favorite character and the one I played when my class read R&J a year ago, Queen Mab speech and all. He’s Romeo’s best friend and kind of his wingman, a very similar dynamic to our Merc’s dynamic with Arthur. They’re those “we’re not actually brothers but we’re childhood best friends and might as well be adopted family by now”. Yes, Mercutio helped Arthur get his first date with Verie.

Juliet is named after…well, Juliet. Her name was a very last minute choice and has the least meaning out of all of them. Arthur’s name tells of his station and valor, Verie’s of her affection and good leadership, and Mercutio’s of his creativity, but Juliet’s just tells of the fact that she loved. Fitting for someone who tells very little about herself. She’s not actually usually all business, and is normally very shy and bad at socializing, the Court were her only friends pre-circus. She tends to get flustered easily, especially when being given physical affection from someone she likes. Fun fact, she’s Verie’s younger sister. They look nothing alike, but that’s because Verie has albinism and Juliet doesn’t, both pre and post circus.

I am. So sorry I'm posting this so late

But

My GODDDDD all of that makes so much sense.

I like the way you incorporated both Arthurian and R&J names, I think it works very well-

I'm honestly super excited to see more Juliet too, she seems like such a unique and cool character

I really wish I had more to say- honestly, all I can say is. I fucking LOVE THEMMMMMMM

[iwanttoplayagame20]

100 favorite horror movie deaths PT 5!!

41. Stu Macher- Scream

He was easily one of my favorite villains. And he got to go out in a cool and funny way. TV fell on his head and he got electrocuted. I think it wasn't a totally horrible way to go but it could've been faster.

42. William Easton- Saw VI

I AM UPSET THAT HE DIED. Even if he may have deserved it. He went out in a horrific fucking way, hydrofluric acid was pumped into his back and he melted in half. Another fucked up aspect was that his sister had to fucking watch this happen.

43. 12 Children (Including Constance Berman and Henry Fier)- Fear Street Part 3: 1666

This is a terrifying way to go, having your eyes gouged out by someone you thought you could trust. Fucking Solomon Goode sucks ass. And I don't necessarily think you'd die right away either, it'd be a minute or two which just adds onto how much it would suck to die that way. Though it looked cool.

44. Loretta- Leprechaun 3

She should've wished to be younger and beautiful again. It was turned against her and she blew the fuck up because she got too big. I loved how it started with smaller things like her chest, lips, and butt and then everything got bigger and then she just fucking exploded.

45. Gary Amaan- Wrong Turn: The Foundation

He's a kind of forgettable character to be honest. But he went out in such a bad way. A huge log came tumbling down and his skull was absolutely smashed. Though you could still clearly see the damage that had been done. And that adds onto how horrifying that is since everyone else had to see the result, including his boyfriend.

46. Snakehips- Shaun of the Dead

Nobody will remember him unless you have seen this film repeatedly and I can guarantee it. He was basically a nothing character Ed made fun of to cheer Shaun up after getting dumped that showed up for one single scene alive and one quick scene while dead. And when you do see him dead you see zombies nomming on his guts and insides and it's very visible when you do see it so I think it looked good and cool.

47. Glen Lantz- A Nightmare on Elm Street

Highly memorable death for a highly memorable movie. He's sucked into his bed and a geyser of blood just shoots up from his bed and absolutely covers the ceiling in blood. And there's so much that it actually starts to fucking drip from the ceiling and it's all moving around.

48. Ian Pierce- Curse of Chucky

I hate this character but he definitely had an interesting death. He had his jaw chopped of with an ax, and only his jaw. The bottom half of his head was still there and his tongue was hanging out still attached to whatever in his mouth. It was nasty.

49. Carly Numan- Wrong Turn

I feel so bad for her, first she watches her fiance get killed and then she fucking dies. I liked her. But she went out in another memorable way, half decapitation. This franchise is more known for its kills than anything else really. And then after her body tumbles down the tree she's in and we get to watch that happen.

50. Ian McKinley- Final Destination 3

My man is splattered because of a sign. He's ultimately cut in half because he's standing in the wrong spot at the wrong time chewing out Wendy for something, about how he's never gonna die or some shit. And I love how this was mostly practical, and that makes it so much cooler.

[pop-punklouis]

my thoughts about alice in borderland, the "games" is like a limbo, a place in between life and death. they have this 'visa' whenever they play and i think that those who d.ied or commited s.uicide inside the game are the people who literally died in the real world when the meteor hit the city. those who survived happened to live irl, surviving the meteor.

also, we were given three different explanation when arisu asked the queen of hearts and tbh, i like the first explanation first where she said that they're playing virtually in the future. i think it's more believable, as well as the second where she said that she's his psychiatrist bc his friends really died irl bc of car accident and arisu can't bear the guilt so he made up a scenario, and he happened to include usagi, too.

it was a roller coaster ride, and i was kinda (🤡) when i found out that the others were alive, too? like they were literally shot and stabbed inside the game? but i'm not compalining, haha.

so excited about the joker, too! what's your thoughts about it? sorry for rambling, english is not my main language and i hope you understand and share your thoughts, too!

have a nice day, hopeee! 💘

hi babe! thank you for talking to me about this!! (and to everyone who is rambling with me in my dms)

but i tend to agree. i like how the “country” could branch off into mental health range or being part of a collective limbo for those who survived. but i do wish it was more science fiction/futuristic dystopian explanation wise. the meteor felt like a cop out when laid out next to the other explanations the queen of hearts gave (which that entire episode could’ve been thirty minutes shorter it went on for TOO long rip). like what was the point of the advantageous, progressive plant species that ann ended up discovering was true?? i also have so many questions about the child who showed up in S2? we never see any other children in the entire game, and i know more than that child survived. so i would’ve liked to have seen more explanation and even discussion from the characters about that. there are many aspects of the narrative that seem to have holes in it or weren’t fleshed out enough for me to be satisfied with the ending explanation for the world 🧍🏼‍♀️ but with it being a manga/anime i cant criticize it too much. it’s one of the best adaptations i’ve seen of a manga/anime to live action.

i would’ve loved the explanation to lean more science fiction like the virtual reality ending that you said! or even the rich betting on these AI cyborgs that believe they’re actually human. the mental health one was fascinating and fit the story, but it also felt like a cop out that it was all happening in his mind yk? the other two felt so much cooler and like it existed within the same confines of the world that was built for the games.

although episode 7 is what GOT ending wishes it was, i was also screaming at like. aguni being shot in the head by the king of spades (who would never miss djdkdkdk) yet it only grazing his head, or akane being shot with a machine gun up her middle and still being able to crawl all the way out of the alley to be with aguni to cuddle or even the pipe bomb exploding and both aguni and arisu getting up after djdkdkd it was very manga in that regard which is fun but when translated to real life it was absurd 💀💀 i wish we got more depth to the characters in the end instead of blips of like chisiyah or kuina. and we didn’t get much of chisiyah’s background besides him being a doctor with the most anime look i’ve ever seen which was unfortunately so hot 😪 wish we got to see more of that.

BUT! i think my main complaint is that i wish the games this season were more psychological and strategic like last season. a lot of them were more physical this time. wish we got more games like the two chisiyah went through. those were the most engaging ones for me to watch yk 👁

and yeah the joker was an interesting ending. i like how it left it open to interpretation of that being a mass hallucination and not the true ending. like we, as well as the characters, were all tricked to believe it was over. OR it could mean that we were tricked into believing it was more than it was. which would be a tongue-in-cheek way to end it lmao but also i don’t think there’s going to be another season so it’s just what each person takes away from it which is cool in its own way!

hope you have a nice day too bb ✨👐🏼

[taxfraudhousewife]

these white people on the internet will be the death of me

you’re lucky you fucked off before the internet got even worse

i’m trying to convince myself it’s enough that i know what’s real and i know what you lived and died for

but like maybe i literally don’t fucking know

don’t worry i’m not that type of indoctrinated yet

i just mean the more i learn the more i know ill never know

i didn’t say anything but damien yee said it’s fake

i thought it was funny i thought what the fuck type of autism is this

when you love russia but you hate iran but you love guns

i thought the guns might endear him to you

i know that’s extremely incorrect

but i thought i could make him see

half chinese to half chinese

angry white boy to angry white boy

but i’m not a boy and im not white and im not chinese

or maybe those all mean very different things to him

i wish i didn’t tell him your name cause the way he said it made me want to jump out the car

the second i said it i knew

i should’ve known from MY UNCLE WAS IN THE IDF AND HES REALLY NICE

why was i even in his truck in the first place

i wish you were here i want to talk shit with you

i want to be judgemental and self righteous and look down on all those stupid boys with you

i wanna laugh at them with you i just wanna know what you’d say

cause now it just makes me really angry

the genocide deniers aren’t fun anymore

he was so desperate but so unwilling it was kind of insulting

all cause i can’t say please can we talk about something else cause im scaring myself

all cause i can’t say i think he’s too deep in the indoctrination not that i blame him

you would’ve told him his pessimism and his obsession with numbers mean nothing

you would’ve put it into words cause you could actually fucking put humanity and life and death and god into words

you would’ve made him see god and you wouldve struck such fucking mighty fear in him

but i just sat there and nodded

i led with “i feel” statements and did not whip out a single wikipedia article

i hoped i could be like you

i thought i could make him see with the magic of humanity and life and death and god

cause numbers only make people sad and angry but stories make us hopeful

and i wish i never said it i hate the way he said your name

he said it like it wasn’t a special sacred religious name in a special sacred religious book from a special sacred religious land

he said it like it wasn’t actual fucking sunlight put into a single noun

he said it the way i read out the names of skip drivers

do you see how absolutely fried my brain is

i fall into the same trap again and again

cause i’m waiting for the reincarnation of you to finally trap me

maybe i’m just way more reactionary than i thought

these boys are telling me unrwa is hamas so of course it leads me back to you

cause i thought you fried what was left of my brain but then israel finished the job

i just wanna know what you’d say about them once we settled in our warm spots

with the blankets and the too cold sucking lemons coolers

i don’t even know if it’s a racism thing or a i’m a girl thing

i hadn’t even considered the i’m a girl part until liam said it

and i’m like actually offended

i am so offended and angry how dare they

i wanna do to them what i assume they did to you

i’d just be reeducating them

if a reeducation camp is for reeducation then what’s the problem they should thank me for being so progressive

what’s the big hullabaloo youre not starving if i feed you four hundred calories every few days

it’s just reeducation i’m helping you develop important skills you’ll need for the workforce

skills you can’t develop in your own neighbourhood with your own people

cause your people are violent and radical

they’re fucking backwards cousin fuckers goat fuckers

you need me to reeducate you

so why won’t you thank me

anyway sorry for being so fucking dramatic holy shit

i know they’re not worth it they’re not worth the thought let alone the conversation

i’m just really really pissed off and it’s so hard to not be a reactionary piece of shit sometimes

i wish you would remind me i am not a boy

wish you’d remind me my job as a woman is to quell male anger

keep them comforted enough that they don’t burn the whole world down

you’d say that’s how we got here in the first place

fuckin not very manly of you to go and get fucking murdered by effeminate rice and corn eaters tho

jesus sorry i know it was probably super noble and honourable and it got you into valhalla

i’m just being a fucking annoying atheist and the idea that all that didn’t even get you into valhalla

not in jannah either awkwardly trying to unionize seventy two virgins

it just sucks

i don’t think i’d care about any of this if you didn’t

i mean it it’s not the politics it’s you

i wish you gave up on everything and everyone and became the most disgustingly selfish neoliberal to walk the fucking planet

i would think no less of you if you did

[humanoidtyphoons]

i think the last book of alanna's quartet should have been split into two tbh?

-fetch quest and castle battle were good, but... i think if it had been two separate books, i think the padding would have been better for castle politics, and also george/alanna?

-like even ignoring the parent situation i was just. i'm kind of a little bit like. was there time for alanna to properly fall for george? book 3, she was rebounding hard over jon, and then book 4 introduces liam... which i'm kind of like... while it didn't personally interest me bc it seemed pretty clear from the get go it was doomed, i don't fault alanna for trying, bc even with odds stacked against it, if the attraction was that strong, then ofc you'd try and beat the odds, even when repeated issues keep telling you that... it's not going to work! so she gave it ago until it became clear to her that no it's not sustainable. and then the battle happened, and it's like. yeah. alanna loved george, she has always loved george bc they've been friends for so long, but i don't think she fell for george during book 4 even tho the ending is super cute, and they're negotiating their future together

-thom's a character i got most intrigued by his non-appearances tbh, and i think this both hurt and benefited him as a mirror figure to alanna, and what could have been, but fuck, that shadow of an arc, to arrogance and self-confidence and isolation is soooo intriguing ngl. i needed more to properly love him, and so while i get the story is predominantly alanna's perspective, i would have filtered in a few more thom viewpoint moments tbh. i may have checked out slightly after he died, i just. idk.

-i personally didn't think roger was that crazy? but i'm also like. in awe of roger revived from the dead, and that was a kickass idea, but i wish that he genuinely felt more unstable and unhinged because of it???? that final confrontation with alanna was great tho!

-i felt like i needed to pay more attention to alex tbh? i don't think i took that much of a break between book 2 to book 3, but i did struggle to remember him, and him becoming a darker character under roger's tutelage is my jam!! so when he died, part of me wished he had been more memorable, but that's on me.

i'm... not sure i'd have been massively into these books if i was a teen tbh? i think i would have found it cooler than i do now, to an extent, bc there's things i genuinely do like about the quartet -- tho book 3 still would have been the fave, bc again! taran wanderer vibes!!! best!!! -- but! as it is. they're okay. still going to read numair quartet, bc i have that too, but not really interested in pursuing more, i think?

not a bad book quartet, but. it's alright. altho i do think the author's note in book 3 & 4 were suuuuuper fun to read about, bc she's older and has a different perspective on things, and it recontextualizes a little, and i wish book 1 & 2 had that too tbh!

[overtrolled]

I posted 3,388 times in 2022

That's 943 more posts than 2021!

335 posts created (10%)

3,053 posts reblogged (90%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@fishmech

@gorgonconverters

@davestriderpostscratch

@enchanted-tatas

I tagged 3,015 of my posts in 2022

Only 11% of my posts had no tags

#queued - 826 posts

#lol - 350 posts

#rose lalonde - 279 posts

#art tag - 273 posts

#karkat vantas - 248 posts

#kanaya maryam - 235 posts

#vriska serket - 213 posts

#dave strider - 200 posts

#jade harley - 157 posts

#john egbert - 144 posts

Longest Tag: 133 characters

#my favorite dirkjake is the one where dirk has to get ritually decapitated every year or the world is plunged into winter without end

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

blushing is a very convenient visual shorthand for embarrassment or attraction, so i understand why it shows up in more cartoony, stylistic art, regardless of whether it makes sense that a character’s blush would be visible (would a snake person with scaly skin blush pink? probably not but whatever!). but i find it mildly annoying when, in a written story, characters with skin more opaque than my own visibly blush when i do not. i’m not even that dark, in the scale of shades that people come in, yet my blush is not really something someone would spot.

In a halfhearted rebellion to this, when I write characters blushing, I tend to avoid mentioning anything about the appearance of the flushed skin unless the character is canonically pale-skinned. This self imposed restriction has led me to think more about the sensation of blushing; how it feels to blush rather than how it looks. It also has its challenges; if the blusher is not the viewpoint character, how do i convey their feelings to the audience? (body language and expression, usually) can the other viewpoint characters tell, if there is no obvious signifier (yes, provided they know can interpret the body language/expressions) all in all i think my writing is stronger for it. i wonder what other restrictions could elevate my writing?

147 notes - Posted September 20, 2022

#4

a doodle I made in reference to this alchemical drawing of the green lion devouring the sun

195 notes - Posted June 28, 2022

#3

people use the term ‘self-insert’ to suggest that an oc is essentially “[author] except cooler”, and i see some positivity posts these days saying such things are cathartic and harmless fun. but i’ve never really made a character like that, even in high school. instead my novice writer thing was creating a world where all of the characters have my perspectives or interests or values. like in my teenage wish fulfillment writing there wasn’t a mary sue but everyone inexplicably thought linguistics is super interesting and would be easy for me to get along with if they were real, even if this did not really reflect canon characterization very well.

214 notes - Posted April 20, 2022

#2

Vriska being the image of womanhood that cracks June's egg is the sort of ego-stroking thing Vriska would believe, which makes me think that it isn't true.

355 notes - Posted November 6, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

when john enters the game he’s a weenie who almost dies fighting an imp wielding a stuffed bunny even though he had a hammer. when rose enters the game she’s like okay it’s time for me to wade through an ocean of corpses i’ve got two knitting needles and i’m going to be unto these monsters a new doom marine

1,748 notes - Posted May 2, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[perpetuelledaydreaming]

Ivy | Prologue

summary: rooster and you break-up, you run back to san diego and you run into a pretty blonde at the Hard Deck. What could happen?

listen to: ivy - taylor swift | summer time sadness -lana del rey (playlist here)

warnings: smut!!!

word count: 6.2k

series masterlist + read the next chapter early on my ko-fi!!

It had been a really bad breakup. 

It wasn’t the type of breakup in the movies when the main character and their love interest just face a challenge and then they reconnect, say how much they love each other, and live happily ever after. No, this wasn’t that type of breakup. 

This was the type of breakup where you move out the same night, the type of breakup where you tell your friends to pick up your stuff when he’s not there, and the type of breakup where you haven’t spoken in person since it happened. 

It was the type of breakup that you’d never thought you’d experience with Bradley Bradshaw, Rooster, your Rooster. 

“What games are you playing?” your eyes narrowed in annoyance as you poured some water while Rooster groaned automatically as he laid on the couch. 

You’d been out to the bar near the base. Since you two had been stationed temporarily on Whidbey Island it had been a bit hard to adjust. Usually, you were always in San Diego or at least in any base in California but with your Ice gone, you didn’t particularly want to spend too much time in San Diego, the presence of your father lingered in those hallways in ways that still made your skin crawl. 

“What are you talking about?” Rooster huffed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

The fact that he still didn’t want to acknowledge it made your blood burn as you glared at him. 

“Do you think I’m stupid? Or blind?” you said nonchalantly before sipping the water, hoping that it would make you feel soberer, more in control when you were about to have this conversation.  

“Brat, not in the mood for another fight”

You bit your cheek, and the grip on the glass got a little bit tighter as you fought the urge to simply walk away. You were never too thrilled about having hard conversations with your significant others, which part of you believed, was the reason you’d let his attitude go on for so long. 

“Do you think I am?” you asked while you passed a hand through your hair, glaring at Rooster from the kitchen. “You want a meek little girlfriend that doesn’t call you out on your bullshit and I’m not it, Bradley,” you grumbled. 

He let out a snarky chuckle. “You don’t let me forget that right?” he asked as he raised from the couch. 

“Fuck you, Bradshaw,” 

Rooster and you had known each other since you were kids. Growing up with parents in the Navy meant also knowing other kids in the Navy but with Ice and Mav being so close along with the fact that basically, Carol became even more like family after Goose passed away, you practically were attached to the hip since Rooster was five and you were one. 

When you were younger, you didn’t get along too well. Rooster often picked on you and as Ice called it, the Navy Brat that you were, you didn’t stand for it. Your younger sister and brother loved Rooster and he got along with them better, maybe because he was a lot older than them, they looked at him as being cooler and more fun than you. Although, there were small moments when you would get along, after school when Rooster would often come to your home for homework and he helped you, when you convinced him to play fighter pilots with you and when you would watch movies together. 

The bickering and small fighting only died down when you were a teenager and even older, you were 18 while Rooster was twenty-three when you started to get along. Carole and your mother often joked that you should be dating, that it was meant to be since you knew each other so well. 

Rooster mockingly refused, saying that you weren’t that pretty while you would bite back saying that he wished he could take you out. Both of you apparently were hurt by the other statements, you would later find out. 

So, it just stayed like that. Graduating high school, all through college, then on the Naval Academy where you and Rooster went together since Mav had pulled his papers, and finally at Top Gun. 

Nothing had changed until you were called back a few years later, the uranium mission being the catalyst of it all.

“Why are you being so hysterical?” Rooster yelled back, now in the other corner of the table. 

“Oh, I’m sorry I should be laughing and playing nice when I see my boyfriend flirting with another girl when we’re out?”

Rooster looked away, avoiding your gaze as he now poured water too. “I wasn’t flirting, I was being nice,”

He was a bit drunk too, you wondered if you both had tried to drink your feelings down. 

“You’re always being nice to every girl, except me,” you answered with a stern look. 

You’d noticed it. You wondered if it was because you’d always known each other but you also knew there was a clear cut in his attitude when you’d told him over a month ago about your plans for the future. The fight lasted over a week, and it became insufferable and ended up with both of you in bed but it was truly never closed.

“That’s bullshit,” he snapped at you. 

There it is, you’d thought. 

Rooster wasn’t good with hard conversations and he’d rather avoid them. Part of him thought because he usually was never raised to be a confrontational type but he also knew it was because he’d been angry most of his life, at everything, and he was always afraid that he would snap like he usually did when he was younger, a stupid teenager. 

But that had been a long time ago. He liked to think his anger was in check, that he didn’t have any bad specific outbursts. Sure, there were moments he knew he was near to losing it -like when Hangman had mentioned Goose- but he tried hard to never let his anger get the best of him enough to hurt people he cared about. For you, Rooster had always been kind, soft, and perfect.

Especially when he was fighting with you, he always tried to keep his rage from spilling over, but lately, it’d become harder.

“It’s not and you know it,” you pressed. 

Rooster rolled his eyes and he took a deep breath; so much for not liking hard conversations, he thought. 

“What do you want me to say?” 

“I want you to tell me the truth,” you insisted but Rooster remained quiet, his silence saying so much more. You took a deep breath. “Do you want out of this relationship?”

Rooster frowned deeply. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the fact that we haven’t had a real discussion since I told you that I didn’t want to get married yet or have children,”

It had been a month since it’d happened. You were celebrating your anniversary, it had been a one-year and a half since the uranium mission and since Rooster confessed his feelings for you. He’d felt called to do it since he’d almost died, he’d always loved you and you’d always loved him.

It had been a dream kiss and confession, followed by the most perfect night someone could’ve spent together. Sarah, your mother had been so happy while insisting that Carole would’ve loved it if she was still with you and Ice too. 

In the last part, you didn’t know if it was true. 

“Don’t bring up that,” Rooster bit back, features hard and serious. “We’re talking about how I flirted with a girl, right?”

You rolled your eyes while you glared at him. 

“It’s all the same. You want a wife and kids and I’m not going to give you that, and you would rather do things that hurt me rather than break up with me!”

“Do you want to break up? You don’t love me anymore?” Rooster’s jaw clenched as he got closer to you, stomping the glass of water so hard on the counter that you flinched slightly, thinking it would break. 

You sighed as you stepped closer to him. 

“Of course, I love you,” you scolded him, attempting to take his hand before he swatted it away. 

“Not enough apparently,”

You groaned. 

You now wondered if you should’ve said it, but you knew it was the right thing to do. You’d never wanted the traditional life like your mother, you never felt ready for it. The only thing that you’d ever wanted in life was to be like your father. Maybe it was an older daughter thing and the fact that you were the only one of your siblings to choose the same life as your father, maybe it was the desperation of being recognized by something more, of doing more with the path that everyone wanted you to take. 

“See?” 

“Okay, fine!” Rooster screamed as he paced back and forth in the kitchen and then walked to the living room, his steps being a bit unstable because of the alcohol previously consumed. “I want a family and you know it, you’ve known it since we were friends that I wanted that, that I wanted to get married, I”

“And you’ve also known that I don’t want that since I can remember, you know that I’ve only talked about flying. I’m not ready for anything like that yet,” you screamed back, following him. 

“Yet, see?” Rooster retorted while you grumbled under your breath.“I just don’t get why you don’t want to give that to me?” he insisted. 

“Am I denying you something, Bradley?” you scoffed. “You can go back to the girl in the bar, you want someone, anyone, just not me,” you hissed. 

“That’s not true,”

“But it is! You want the house, the stay-at-home wife, and the kids but not the person, not me!” you insisted, as tears began to spill from your eyes, he refused to look at you. “And I get it, I get why you want that after everything you lost, Goose and Carole, and I get it darling but I can’t be the one that’s going live with your trauma, you can’t step all over m-”

“Fuck you,” Rooster roared. 

It was a split-second, involuntary reaction. 

One second he was looking away from you, trying to keep his anger at bay but the grip on his anger went loose when you mentioned Goose and Carole, his trauma, the most painful experience, and his biggest loss. 

The next, his fist was rammed into the wall next to your head. 

Silence reigned between the two of you, breathing heavy and jilted as your lip trembled while you looked at him wide-eyed and then to the right of your head, staring in shock at his hand wedge into the wall, white powder, debris, and white paint drifting down innocuously to your clothes and floor. Rooster pried his hand out from the wall, staring at the red and raw knuckles of his shaking fist. 

“Brat, I-”

You flinched. 

It was over after that. You knew that Rooster would never hurt you, you were aware of his anger issues but never to the point of him expressing it so clearly against you. Both of you had cried, he begged you not to go but you also knew you simply couldn’t stay. 

That’s why you were back in San Diego, it had been three months since it had happened and it had taken almost a month to be stationed back to your home town but thankfully the Kazansky name still worked for something, you decided right there to take some time off. You hadn’t used the time that was given to you to grieve your father the prior year and you barely remember taking any type of vacation since you graduated but you surely needed it now. 

You hadn't told your friends that you were back and you’d managed to stay hidden at the guest house at your parent's place for the remaining two months, only Sarah and Maverick knowing that you’d returned and why, while you actively avoided any place where you might run into them until that night. You were due to start the following week and you decided that you needed a drink. 

You found yourself at the Hard Deck, you left your bike in the front and asked for the bartender of the night to pour you some tequila. Thankfully, Penny was out with Maverick that night, you realized, and you didn’t need to talk about it. 

At least, until you heard that thick southern accent. 

“Brat?” 

You refused to turn around immediately, mentally cursing the universe for being so cruel to you.

“Hangman,” you finally breathed out as you turned around with a small smile to find him. 

There he was, it should’ve been illegal how pretty he could look sometimes. Tall, knee-buckling handsome, his sea-foam-colored eyes stared at you softly, and the million-dollar smug smile accompanied with the dimples that you’d made fun of while you first met was wide as he took you in. 

“You’re a sight for sore eyes, sweetheart,” he teased as he opened his arms, you climbed down off the chair to hug him. 

He was happy to see you, you could tell by the way he was holding you, he was always happy to see you. The scent of lemon and wood wrapping around you as you bury your head in his chest. 

“A shame that I cannot say the same thing to you,” you replied teasingly as you pulled away, Hangman chuckled softly.

The thing was that you knew that under that smug face and cocky attitude, there was a loyal friend. He could be a hard head sometimes, which was how you’d come to know each other; you were always butting heads at the academy but as time passed you’d come to find that Hangman was not so bad. He became a good friend, he also saved your best friend and uncle from being killed by an enemy jet. 

That definitely promoted him from a good friend to one of the closest people in your life, even though you didn’t enjoy admitting it. 

“Sweet as always,” he muttered while shaking his head. “What are you doing here?” he asked as he leaned into the bar, sitting next to you. 

“Drinking,” you replied dully. 

Hangman's lips parted for a second before they closed again, he nodded slightly. “You know what I mean,” he replied while taking a sip of his beer. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you muttered, not daring to look at him. 

“Something happened with Rooster?” he asked. 

Were you that transparent? 

You stared at him, hoping that the melancholy on your features wasn’t visible to Hangman, but you knew that he could see right through. He stared at you softly, eyes gleaming with certain knowledge.

“Tell me about you, how was Hawaii?” you asked, quickly changing the topic as you gazed back at your drink. 

Jake chose not to pry but he could already guess that something had happened between Rooster and you, he knew you well enough to know that you were not okay. He knew it was about Rooster too because he could recall every time you had a bad day at Top Gun, you would run to Bradley almost as if he was your safety blanket. 

Now, you just seemed doleful and he was nowhere to be seen. 

He got the clue though, he didn’t press you to tell him and choose to lighten the mood. You talked for hours and hours on end while you sipped on Moscow mules and tequila while he only nursed on a couple of beers and watched you softly, amusement toying on his lips as you talked about your mission in Virginia and then he went on to tell you about the missions he carried out with Phoenix, who had apparently grown tired of him and then how he spent the last three months with Fanboy in Hawaii. 

It was around 2:00 am when you both realized that the bar was closing and you were one of the last ones in the whole place. It wasn’t until you stood up from the chair that you realized how much alcohol you’d consumed. Jake saw how you stumbled slightly and immediately placed his hand on the exposed skin of your waist. Goosebumps erupted on your skin and your breath hitched as you felt his featherlight touch on you, he didn’t seem to think it was a problem but you quickly tried your best to walk along, brushing his hand off from you knowing that feeling like that about Jake touching you wasn’t a good sign. 

Not that it mattered now when he insisted that you should go to his place and ask for a cab from there, there was no way he was going to let you ride your bike in such a state and you knew that it would be irresponsible as well. Hangman’s place wasn’t far away from the Hard Deck, a lovely small house in front of the beach, one you’d been to many times before for dinners and parties with the Dagger team. 

It was a familiar setting, but as your gaze followed Jake in the kitchen as he poured some glasses of water for both of you, you realized that something was shifting. When Jake gazed back at you with that smug smirk you rolled your eyes as you took the glass of water and sipped slightly while still watching him talk. 

“God, I forgot how annoying you were,” you teased with a smile. 

“The girl whose literal call sign is Brat, is talking about annoying?” he replied. 

You elbowed him playfully as you both leaned into the table in his kitchen while you laughed softly. He smiled coyly at you, his eyes gleaming as your laughter died down, just enough to realize the way he was gaping at you. It was strange, to see that look in Hangman’s, he was always playful with you, he always had something to say but just now it seemed like he was at a loss for words. 

There was a beat of silence and something compelled you to speak. 

“We broke up,” you whispered as you played with the water that remained on your glass, not daring to look back at Hangman. 

“What?”

“Me and Rooster, we broke up,” you explained, again not daring to look at him. 

Hangman stared at you, he could feel the bitter taste of your words as you told him. It must’ve been hard to even bring it up, he knew that you were never a fan of talking about feelings just as much as he was. 

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry,” he cooed softly as he brushed some hair away from your face and you turned back to him. 

“I know but I feel like it’s for the best,” you concluded.

Hangman nodded as you looked at your water in silence, recalling the last time you’d spoken to Rooster, which ended up with angry hot tears falling from your eyes. You hated it, you hated all the crying, hated all the discussions with Rooster that never ended right, and you hated that you didn’t even know who you were now. A part of you lost between the friendship, the love, the fights, and everything else.  

“Are you really okay?” he asked after a couple of seconds, your mind snapped back to reality as you turned to Hangman. 

“What do you mean?”

“I know you, Brat,” he muttered affectionally. “You always act so strong, like nothing’s wrong but I know that you’re hurting, it’s okay if you’re not okay,”

You sighed, he wasn’t wrong. 

“I’m better than before and the important thing is that I’ll be okay,” you answered him softly, although you didn’t think the last part was completely true. 

“Well, you know that I get along with Rooster but I’m always going to be on your team,” Jake said, leaning back at first as if he was trying to see all of you at once while before he leaned closer to you nudging your body softly against his. 

You snicker softly but then you realized how close he was, his hot warm skin from his arms flushed against yours as he cocked his head towards you smiling, as if he was seeing you for the first time. The air suddenly shifted slightly as you smiled at the other, you’d smiled at Jake so many times before in all the years that you’d known the other but this felt unknown, there was an intimacy in the way that you were talking, that you were staring at each other that was enough to make your heart feel like it was going to burst from your chest. 

“Thank you, Jake,” you replied. 

You stared up at him silently, your heart hammering on your chest as both of you turned to the other, it was so slow that for a second you thought that you were imagining it yourself but then you realized how his eyes flickered to your lips, the same way yours did a second before. 

Jake pressed his forehead against yours as your breathing hitched, his jaw clenched slightly as he stared at you with those sea-foam eyes swirling with so many emotions that you weren’t sure how to feel about it at first. The tension crackling between both of you. 

But you weren’t afraid anymore of what happened, you were suddenly overcome by the fear of what if?

So, you took a leap of faith. 

You closed the gap between your lips, his hand went to cup your face softly as you placed your hand on his neck as you straightened yourself while Jake looped his arms around your waist pushing you against him. Stumbling through the kitchen you continued to kiss him, it was soft at first, it was new and it was tender and it stole your breath away. His palm brushed off some of your hair to get at your jaw as he pulled away suddenly. 

You gasped softly at the sudden loss of contact but your eyes looked up at him, willing to continue, begging him to continue. Yet, he didn’t for a second, he looked at you as if you were a precious stone that he had to take care of. He placed his thumb against your lips and passed it softly over them as he looked at you, you knew that he was weighing his options, knowing that this might be something that was wrong because you were friends and you were Rooster’s ex but as he looked at you, Jake couldn’t let it go. 

It was Rooster’s loss, it wouldn’t be Jake’s too. 

He leaned down and pressed his lips against yours more urgently than before, stumbling against the wall as he nudge your neck and began to press kisses on your neck as his hand began to play with the buttons of the breezy silky black shirt that you’d worn, exposing your chest. He stopped for a second as he looked down, you weren’t wearing a bra that night and you felt your body sizzle by the lustful expression those sea-foam eyes gave you. 

Jake began to kiss you again, you collapse into him as Jake’s tongue started to explore your mouth, deepening the kiss as he reached down your hips, cupping your bum and suddenly turning you against the wall. One of your hands was pressed against the wall, as Jake’s lips were kissing, licking, and biting on your neck your breath hitched, your body sizzling with anticipation as his hands reached down and began to pull down your pants before he pressed his hand over the one you had at the wall. 

He suddenly pressed his length against your bum, you could feel him pressing insistently against you and you bit down a whimper while he kissed the length of your neck again and your shoulders as your shirt began to fall from them. 

It was feverishly, the way that you were touching, passionate to the point that it was frightening. You wondered where it all came from, the burning desire for Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin, the way that he was tenderly but fervently touching you. If you thought about it, it was always there but you’d never allowed yourself to see it. 

You turned around, your trousers on your ankles, and the oversize black silk shirt slipped to the point that your breast were somehow out whilst Jake couldn’t help but pry a bit as you stared at him. His blonde hair was out of place which was strange for him, his lips taken apart as he looked at you, a dusky pink color in the slated light of the kitchen, a pale blush tinting his cheeks. 

You couldn’t have wished for more. 

You pulled him back harshly to kiss his lips, Jake breathed a sigh of relief, as if he was waiting for you to stop him, and this at any moment but just the fact that you hadn’t had made his breathing normal again. His right hand came to cup your cheek as your tongue caressed his while you focused on the feeling of his thumb running softly across your cheekbone. 

Jake quickly looped his other arm around your torso and quickly placed you on the counter of the kitchen, you squeaked out as your bare ass pressed against the cold marble, and Jake couldn’t help but smile at you as he began to kiss his way down your body. A flash of heat ran down your body as Jake began to pull your legs apart, his sea-foam eyes always on you as you gasped with anticipation. 

There was nothing, Jake decided at that moment, more breathtaking than your face when flushed with desire. 

He yanked your pants off from your ankles as he pushed the lace to the side in one swift movement, diving in, he pressed a kiss to your clit, your hands flew to his hair, clutching handfuls of his blonde curls as you felt Jake’s tongue starting to move as he brushed a finger against your clit. You closed your eyes, a moan falling from your lips as your body couldn’t take the way how his mouth expertly move against your core. Then he slid his fingers inside of you, curling them against your g-spot while he pressed his lips against your clit, an unexpectedly loud moan fell from your lips and you felt like you couldn’t hold yourself anymore. Your back fell to the marble as you began to moan louder, grinding your hips up against Jake’s mouth, you could hear the glasses breaking against the floor, while one of your hands fell to your side as you gripped the table, a bowl of fruit falling too as you whimpered. 

You could feel your orgasm building, your pussy clenching Jake’s fingers and tongue as he worked on you. It was too much, your back arching as you mewled in desperation at the way he was putting all the attention on you, all of his efforts on your pleasure. He was too good, Jake’s eyes flickered up at you and he couldn’t help but smirk at the way he had you already. You moaned one final time so loud that Jake thought that his neighbors might’ve heard you, your walls clenched around his tongue as you were shaking and withering, as you squeezed your eyes shut while the waves of pleasure washed over you. 

“I want you,” Jake whispered as he climbed up and pushed you up against him.

His chest flushed with yours as he studied your features softly; Jake had been with many girls in his life but he was sure he’d never felt such pleasure in gazing at a woman he was with, sex for him had always been about touching and taste and fire, and yet with you, it was tender but passionate. 

You were so utterly beautiful to him. 

“Open your eyes,” he murmured against your lip, your thighs still trembling from the orgasm he gave you. “Come on, doll,” he said again softly. 

Your eyes fluttered open, cheeks blushed as you place a lazy kiss against his lips. Your pulse seemed to be so slow in comparison to a few minutes before, it felt as if you were drunk, intoxicated by him. 

“I want you too,” you breathed out as you pressed his lips against yours, you tasted yourself on his tongue feeling how he was smiling, really smiling as he took your bum off the counter and took you to his room while you wrapped your legs around his waist. 

Jake sat on the edge of his bed, while you laid on top of him, kissing him hard. You tugged his shirt upward and then worked on his jeans, Jake yanked his clothes off him without much trouble as you held into his shoulders for leverage while you continued to press kisses in whatever skin you could find. 

And then, Jake pulled down his boxers. You looked down at it and your heart began to thump harder as you realized what you were about to do. Jake pulled away for a second, looking up at you and smiling, Jake was so hard already and you could feel him pressing against your stomach, hard, thick. You touched him softly as you breathed heavily while watching him, Jake let out a soft growl as you work on him and you smirk smugly while licking your lips. Jake’s hands flew to your hips before you pause for a moment.  

“It’s okay,” you muttered as you understand the unspoken question. 

It’s okay that we’re friends and we’re doing this. It’s okay that even if you are a close friend of my ex-boyfriend we’re doing this. It’s okay that we don’t have a condom, we’re doing this. It’s okay if you are you and I’m me, we’re still doing this. 

Jake then pulled you down and kissed you, hot and unrelenting, kissing you with intent. You adjusted yourself a bit and soon Jake was pushing your hips so you were sinking down on him, burying himself as deeply as he could possibly go inside of you. Both of you let out strangled moans, the feeling of being filled and the absolute warmth overtaking both of you almost completely. He feels so good, so good that you didn’t know if you were just going to come there and then by the way he was pulsing inside of you. 

You moaned gently into his shoulder, nails sinking into his skin as Jake struggled for a second before he got a grip and started to move your hips provocatively slow as he swallowed hard and looked at you, he loved the fucked out look on your face. You were unable to help your sharp intake of breath as Jake thrusted up sharply, when you opened your eyes you saw the smug smirk on his face. You frown before you pressed your lips against him, claiming his mount in a vulgar, tongue-filled kiss. It was sloppy and hot as you sucked his lower lip between your teeth, eliciting a soft groan from Jake before you release it. 

Now, you gave him a smug smirk before you started to move your hips up and down as your hands braced your body against his broad shoulders. Jake kept pounding into you. Jake pressed his lips against your throat, rutting his hips upward to meet yours, he sucked different purple marks into your skin as your eyes squeeze shut by how good you were feeling, by how good his cock felt as he drove up against your g-spot with each movement. Jake marked you up, a purple mark on your neck, then one on your chest, then one under your boob as he continued to snap his hips against yours. 

“F-fuck,” his voice hoarse, sounding a little choked after a particular roll of your hips. “You’re so good, you’re so lovely, sweetheart,” 

You whimpered at the nickname as you felt how your body began to burn as he slammed harshly into you, his heavy breaths against your upper chest. The rhythm steadily increased the tempo, bodies rocking together, both finding their release. You ride him with everything you got, mewling in pleasure as your nails rake his shoulders and then his chest, sweat running between the two of you, dripping from your slick bodies as you rocked against each other. Jake gritted his teeth, hissing in pleasure as you slightly shifted your hips and everything becomes tighter. It’s intoxicating, the way that your breathless pants and gasps feel against his ears, his ragged breathing as you kiss him one more time, it’s slower than the other kisses but with a frenzy filling up your chest. The rhythm grows quickly out of control before your throw your head back as you feel the fire pooling on your lower belly, Jake knows you’re there, you just need a little push, he slid one hand between the two of you and pinches your clit with his finger. 

Your eyes rolled to the back of your head and you clenched around him. It was too much and not enough, you gasp for breath as you quickly surrender to the shockwaves of pleasure cursing through your veins as he thrust deep inside of you. Soon, your mind was spiraling, growing hazy from the intoxicating feeling of Jake’s cock hitting the right spot, your legs begin to tremble but Jake didn’t stop, relentlessly pounding into you with a barely animalistic growl as ecstasy burst through you as Jake’s thrust became sloppy and soon, he reached his own release. 

You barely heard Jake yelling out your name as he spilled into you, filling you up completely. 

Jake just holds you there as you both try to catch your breaths, bodies still overheated and chest heaving. Jake’s head falls back softly as he chuckles lightly. You don’t want to move for a second, still too dizzy and weak to do it, you kiss his shoulder softly, his collarbone, and then placed a chaste kiss over his lips. Jake smiled at you and you smiled at him, your fingers playing gently with the soft hairs of the nape of his neck as Jake’s fingers trace small circles on your back. 

By the morning, your muscles are so sore that you could’ve sworn you’d done aquatic training the day before but not, but you didn’t. Still, in the haze of your sleep, your mind didn't seem alarmed as you feel the warmth of a body tangled with yours, your mind didn't register the gravity of the fact that that body belong to anyone other than Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin. 

The only thing you could think about was a loud and lousy ringtone that was making your head hurt, maybe it was the alcohol that was making your head hurt but you didn’t want to take the blame. 

“Oh my god,” 

You mutter before you press your face back into the comfort of the pillow you’d slept on that night, pulling a bit away from Jake, maybe the loss of heat would wake him up but after a minute you realize that it didn’t. You push his bicep unceremoniously, waking him up suddenly. 

“What?” he asked alarmed as he began to move but still too sleepy to realize where the sound was coming from. 

You groaned. “Fuck Hangman, are you deaf? Why is that thing so loud?” you grumbled although it was hard to hear you with how your face was pressed up against the pillow. 

Jake’s mind finally snapped and looked down at his pants on the floor, where his phone probably was. He leaned down a bit too slow as you whimpered loudly, tacitly asking him to stop the sound. 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” Jake mumbles before he answered the phone and walked out of the room. 

The silence is finally comforting as you take a deep breath and try to get yourself back to sleep. Unfortunately, another ringtone starts to fill the room and you cursed mentally as you recognize that it’s your phone. Jake, before everything had happened, had placed it in his room so you could charge it before you left. 

You groaned as you pull yourself out of the comfortable position you were in before you reached for it on the bedside table, you don’t even mind looking at the number, you don’t find yourself caring or thinking too much about who it is. 

You just wanted to go back to sleep. 

“Hello?” you asked.

“Lt. Kazansky,” you recognized Warlock’s voice immediately and your eyes snapped open as you raise from the bed. You don’t answer, holding your breath as you wait for Warlock to speak, he seemed to take the hint and continued. “I’m to inform you that you’ve been called for a mission. The dagger team has to return.”

Suddenly, Jake opened the door as he gazes back at you, the same concerned expression painted on his features. 

Shit.

***

taglist: @laracrofted @double-j @inky-sun @alanadetigy

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author's note: so this took a while, I'm so sorry. I just really had this idea about the prologue and it took me a while to think about the smut lol anyway, I really hope this is up to your expectations. as always thank you for reading.

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feedback is always welcomed!!!

donate: help me pls with a glass of wine?

[finerllines]

you and that moustache [football!h]

a/n: hello! i am back with another blurb for football h that is inspired by my love for ted lasso <3 reblogs and comments are always appreciated and if you have any ideas for this au please lmk!!

summary: harry hates how much y/n loves ted lasso

wc: 900+

cw: none :D

///

y/n doesn’t wait for Harry as she carefully balances her bowl of leftovers on her bed and leans forward to press ‘play’ on her laptop. The familiar cold open immediately puts a smile on her face.

“What are we watching today, love?” he asks, carrying his own dinner to join his girlfriend on the bed. “Again? We’ve watched Ted Lasso so many times already.”

“Shh. You said I can pick today and I wanna watch Ted Lasso.”

Harry grumbles to himself, mocking y/n when she laughs at the show. It’s not that he doesn’t like Ted Lasso, he found it funny the first three times they had watched it. But this must be nearing the tenth time and he is getting sick of it. Not just sick of rewatching the same episodes over and over, but sick of the show in general.

Ever since the show aired, y/n has been obsessed, even by her usual standards. She started a new side blog dedicated to the show and even though there hasn’t been a new episode in months, she is still consistently making gifs and photosets. Now, Harry likes to think he is a supportive boyfriend. He has never made fun of her having fan blogs or laughed at her when she cries over shows, but he is finding it difficult to not feel annoyed.

At first, he thought this would be a fun way to get y/n more interested in football because despite having been to a good number of his football matches, she really only goes to cheer when his team gets introduced and wish him congratulations after. He isn’t even confident that she knows any of the rules. Well, she probably didn’t before Ted Lasso, but after the first season, she wouldn’t stop asking about what ‘off-side’ meant and whether teams really did fun formations.

Harry was all excited too, thought that she had suddenly developed a new love for football. Now, he can safely say all his excitement has died.

“I don’t understand why you love this show, you don’t even like football.”

“Well, maybe I do like football now.”

He scoffs. “Then why are ya watching a bloody show, love? You’ve got a fit footballer at your beck and call. I can bring you to the field tomorrow. Fuck Roy Kent.” His tone coming across more serious than he intended.

“Well, it’s less about the footballers and more about Ted.”

“Ted?” he asks, almost offended. “All this time you’ve been crushin’ on Ted?”

She doesn’t answer, choosing to shove a large spoonful of food into her mouth instead.

Harry can’t let this go; he doesn’t understand.

“What is it about this ‘Ted’ then? He’s old.”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. He’s funny, kind, has a moustache …”

“Please, I’m funny and kind, and I can grow a moustache.”

“Can you really?” she asks, attention pulled away from the screen for the first time this entire conversation.

“That bloody moustache. You didn’t tell me you like moustaches. You never gave me a fair shot!”

y/n catches onto the seriousness in Harry’s voice. She pauses the show and gently pinches his chin so that they are facing each other.

“Harry, are you mad at me?” she asks softly.

He pouts. “No.”

“Lovie, I love you and I am very attracted to you. I think you’re the hottest man alive, hotter than Ted. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were so upset by this stupid crush, but I love you the most and it’ll take more than a moustache to make me stop. Okay? I’ll shut up about the show, I promise.”

With both hands she cups his face gently and he closes his eyes momentarily at the contact as he leans further into her palm. “I’m sorry, I’m being stupid and jealous. I just … I couldn’t make you like football and this stupid fake football team can. I don’t know, I know you love me, but this one’s just a bit too real.”

“Oh Harry, that’s because you are more than just some football guy to me. There are so many cooler, more lovable things about you than how good you are at football. No need to be jealous okay.”

“Okay, but I’m still a little hurt so I think I need to be little spoon again tonight.”

She rolls her eyes at her needy boyfriend. “My big baby, of course I’ll cuddle you.”

Still wearing a pout, he tugs at her hips to pull her to nestle in between his legs and lean against his body. One hand stays wrapped around her waist while the other slowly spoons his dinner into his mouth cautiously.

“You can watch your dumb show now.”

y/n tilts her head up to press firm kisses under his jaw, snuggling into Harry’s warmth. The best way to watch her favourite show, she discovered, is wrapped in her boyfriend’s arms, surrounded by his scent.

“Wait ‘til my moustache grows out,” he whispers into her ear, “then you’ll lose your mind.”

She thinks she just might.

[hunnybadgerv]

Happy Friday! I am back to request Cyna Mahariel / Zevran Arainai with “I want you right here.” from the desire prompt list!

Summary: The cool waters of the stream Cyna finds to bathe in get a little sultry.

a/n: Written to address a DADWC @dadrunkwriting prompt sent by @anders-did-nothing-wrong for Cyna Mahariel/Zevran Arainai—“I want you right here.”

Here and Now

Cyna cupped the crystal cool water and poured it over her dry, aching skin. Every inch of her felt parched and cracked, like their time underground had aged her by centuries. She couldn’t believe the heat down there. One would have thought living beneath the surface might prove cooler, but the lack of a discernable breeze just made it sweltering. There were places where it bordered on temperate, and some where the Deep Roads felt dark, dank, and cold like death. But near Orzammar and some of the thaigs it was like standing too close to a fire.

Just thinking about it inspired her to dunk herself completely under the surface of the stream once more. As she stood, she pushed her dark hair off her face and looked up at the bright full moon hanging huge and close in the sky. Letting her hands drop to her side, she stared, studying the patterns visible and clear on its surface. It spurred stories in the back of her mind.

“Did you know—”

Cyna turned, ducking as she spun and came up with the dagger. It landed in the rocky back near his feet.

“Now, my dear Warden, is that any way to greet the love of your life?” Zevran replied. He crouched and plucked up the weapon and studied it. “Or to treat such a fine blade?”

“When you’re wandering about peeping, it most certainly is,” Cyna replied. Her fingertips danced across the surface of the water that lapped at her hips.

Zevran just grinned at her. “I would prefer to call it ‘keeping watch.’”

With a gentle laugh, she shook her head. “You can call it whatever you wish. Doesn’t distort the fact that you were skulking at the edge of the water, hoping to covertly catch a glimpse.”

He pressed one hand to his chest with practiced drama. “You wound me. I am not some common boy just seeking out his first glimpse of the curves of a woman.”

“Certainly not,” she agreed, turning and moving out into the deeper and colder water.

She smiled when she heard the sound of leather slap against her own discarded armor. It had taken him longer than she’d expected.

“If you had told me—”

“Where’s the fun in that?” she called over her shoulder. “I thought you found the chase at least half the fun?”

Zevran’s warm laughter echoed off the still water. “Indeed. Should I take that mean you intend to be prey this evening?”

Cyna turned again, and her assassin halted. “When have you ever known me to be prey?”

“Ah, only before I met thee, mi amor. And then only because I was an ill-informed fool.” He gestured rather dramatically, still carrying the dagger she’d thrown at him.

When he got closer, he laid the flat of the blade across the base of her throat, crossing over one clavicle. There was not even a sliver of threat in the gesture. He gazed into her eyes with a smirk and a quick raise of his eyebrows. “Now, where might you have been hiding this, my dangerous beauty?”

Her tongue pressed over her lips as she tipped her head, staring into his eyes. She let her leg move against his in a way that would reveal the sheathe belted around her calf. His smile tilted with lust, the mere idea of her wearing absolutely nothing but a blade played tricks with his mind.

“Oh my!” He stared down at his hand, moving it over her supple skin as he returned the blade to its proper place. When his head turned back toward her again, she was so close he could feel the warmth of her skin radiating between them. Her every breath teased his lips with ghosts of many kisses and the promise of so many more left to share. “I do have a weakness for deadly women.”

“I’ve noticed.” Cyna tilted her head the other direction, managing not to touch him at all as her leg sank back into the water.

“You have a keen eye. And sharper discretion.”

“Flatterer.”

“Speaker of truth,” Zevran countered. This game could be intoxicating. The water shifted between and around them as they kept the barest sliver of space between their bodies for the gentle night breeze.

Cyna laughed loudly, raucously.

Zevran’s smile lit his eyes.

“I adore you, Zev.”

“That, my dear Warden, is because I am simply irresistible.”

Her eyes twinkled when she looked up at him. “You do have your moments.”

Gasping in shock, he shifted back a step. “Moments?” He turned, his long blonde hair flicking cold drops of water at her.

She giggled and sputtered dramatically. “I want you.” The words were barely audible above the splash of water against skin, but she knew he’d heard her.

He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Pardon. Did you say something?”

Cyna knew how much he loved to hear her ask for it, speak her desire for him. “I,” she stepped closer to him, “want you,” her hand came to rest on his chest, “right here.”

A wicked grin curled his lips. Before her next heartbeat, he embraced her as his lips landed firmly against hers. This too was part of the game. Temptation, promise, and fulfillment. She needed him, all of him, in every way he offered himself up to her. It was the only way she could see this through. Cyna clung to his lithe body partaking of his radiance under the watchful gaze of the full moon.