#no readmore today look at my posts boy

[lemonadesoda]

i'm thinking about the coworkers au again. i haven't talked about the coworkers au. i'm going to talk about the coworkers au.

coworkers au is the little sandbox in my head where i go what if nothing bad ever happened to lemel and they just worked for the same company as tev and he's the captain of some resource expedition vessel and lemel is the chief of science on it. it's a very fun little au. there's a lot of different aspects i can think about. sometimes i focus on the early parts of their relationship, where they barely interacted because lemel hadn't even been promoted to chief of science yet so they only have a distant idea of tevane as just that hardass captain who Will get you on any space OSHA violations and he Is going to notice so don't try to cut any corners so mostly they just kind of distantly complain about how much of a nitpicky stickler he is, but then when they get promoted, suddenly, they're the one who has to do all the direct reporting (they hate reporting) and he's even more so on their case because their reports are always late (they hate reporting) and they're suddenly mouthing off directly to him in staff meetings because ughh this is so inefficient i could be actually doing things instead of having these fucking reporting meetings!! But! at the same time, he does actually care about what his staff are doing and how they are functioning and so as much as lemel is always getting into it with him, they start to respect him more the more they interact because he actually does advocate for them to the executives and such and doesn't ask them stupidass questions about why the stuff they're doing is necessary or important. and so that's how they become friends.

and it's a really really slow burn au where most of their interactions are just as colleagues for a long while because tevane is notoriously difficult to get close to in a professional setting because he keeps all of his crew at arm's length which he feels is part of his job and responsibility as leader but honestly sometimes has the detrimental effect of making him seem too distant. lemel manages to break through this little by little because they are a bulldozer and just kind of barge into his business and they do Not find him intimidating or if they ever did at any point, have too much of an unstoppable force personality to actually show it.

so he slowly lets them into his personal life aka they kind of just inflict themself on his personal life a lil bit by yelling at him to eat meals on time like a normal person and coffee is Not breakfast and go the fuck to sleep and stop sending emails with a timestamp of 3:49am etc. and like this is coming from a person who will put a shot of five hour energy into their coffee so you know you're in bad shape if that person is giving you health advice. but yah the more they get to know him personally the more lemel realizes holy shit the stoic captain is actually kind of a trashfire mentally because off duty, he's honestly pretty melancholy because hey it turns out keeping everyone at arms length and being married to your job is fucking bad for you esp if you have perfectionist low self esteem tendencies and are generally prone to getting lonely.

he eventually gets better the more they hang out and get to know each other and after a while he actively seeks out their company especially during off hours and when they're not on mission flights until pretty soon lemel is the one person on the crew who actually can read all his tells and realizes he's a pretty emotional person but just in unconventional ways.

and on their end they just really like having someone who can be a partner to them and who really listens to them and actually quietly backs their crazy bullshit shenanigans instead of arguing with them (which lemel does love a good recreational argument, particularly with their siblings But! that's just sibling stuff for them and it matters a lot that tev will just kind of choose to trust them especially on more nebulous things like their feelings and identity stuff because as much as they love and get along with their family, their family also has Opinions about things in the way family tends to so having an independent person who is wholeheartedly in their corner is a big deal, and also their family is kind of high strung, especially in combination, so having someone calm and who they feel really balances them and gives a completely different pov on things that they can have a discussion with is just good for their mental state). anyways it's just a nice time where the biggest issues they have are like, crew gossip, or family drama (because tev's shitty family is still a thing), or occasional occupational hazards from doing space travel and space science.

so yeah. i think about coworkers au sometimes

[bweirdart]

#mARTch 2024

text version (with more info!) under the readmore! please check it out if you're confused about anything <3

F.A.Q

do i have to draw every day? no!!!! there are skippable days built into the event, please use them whenever you need them! i really don't want anyone getting a wrist injury!

can you share my art? yep! i try to share entries to @bweirdevents daily during the event!! the tags can get busy tho so i might miss some posts OTL sorry

what are the tags? #mARTch is the main tag, but this year you might find posts in #mARTch2024 too!

wait, i'm confused about a prompt... full breakdown of all the prompts below ↓ with helpful hints if you're stuck!

_____

INTRO WEEK

this week is all about your artistic identity ... technically, you don't have to draw anything new this week if you have some art that already fits. the starter days are:

1 ⭐ self portrait who are you? it doesn't have to be you IRL .. if you feel more comfortable drawing a fursona or mascot, that's fine too! if you don't wanna draw, you can also just share old self portraits today and talk about why you drew yourself that way!

2 🤍 inspirations see how this day doesn't have a star? that means it's optional and you don't have to do it at all! but if you really wanna- tell us all about what inspires you to create art! this could be anything from the people that inspire you, the shows you like, the pins on your big messy pinterest board, or concepts that you're drawn to! you can draw something about it, talk about it, or just post your inspirations! anything is fine

3 ⭐ fav thing to draw what do you like drawing most? backgrounds? animals? one specific animal? bust of your oc facing left? cars? the same anime boy over and over and over? no judgement!! show us :)

_____

STUDY WEEK

this is the week we actually start drawing from reference! polished art is not required at all, quick sketch studies are fine! please don't burn yourself out

4 🤍 plant

5 🤍 body

6 ⭐ animal

7 🤍 object

8 🤍 food

9 🤍 face

10 ⭐ hand

these ones are pretty self explanatory! you can do them as realistic studies, or adapt them into your own art style, it's all fine! you can reference from your own photos or from resources on the web.. have fun!

_____

COLOUR WEEK

this is the week for playing with palettes and working on your colour theory skills! if you're really struggling with these ones, don't worry about drawing scenes or characters, you can just have fun splashing colours around on an abstract canvas!

11 🤍 RGB a set or primary colours typically used in digital/screen art - red, green and blue!

12 🤍 CMYK a set of primary colours typically used in traditional/print art - cyan, magenta, yellow ... and key (black!)

for both of these days ↑ you can add in black and white. and feel free to combine the two days into one, if you're struggling with a three-colour palette! use all six!

13 ⭐ WARM COLOURS the warm side of the colour wheel, reds oranges and yellows!

14 🤍 MONOCHROME monochrome doesn't mean black and white ... it means one colour! that can be any colour at all- shades of red, shades of purple, shades of green .. or yeah, grey if you really want!

15 🤍 COMPLIMENTARY complimentary colours are the ones opposite each other on the colour wheel! they're kinda married

16 🤍 YOUR FAV COLOURS pick any palette that works for you! where's your comfort zone? what looks nice to you? what colour combos do you always go back to?

17 ⭐ COOL COLOURS the cool side of the colour wheel, purples, blues and greens!

_____

CREATIVITY WEEK

this week is all about vibes! try to create something that matches the mood of the prompt .. they're vague on purpose! don't overthink it, just draw from the heart!

18 🤍 SMALL you could draw something that's really small, like an ant .. or draw on a canvas that's really small .. or use a really small brush .. get creative with it!

19 🤍 DANGER try to capture the adrenaline .. the rush .. the fear that you associate with the word danger!

20 ⭐ SOFT soft colours, soft textures, soft vibes ... whatever makes you comfy!

21 🤍 MIDNIGHT darkness and secrecy .. spooky witchy vibes .. the tranquility of a forest at night .. the fun of a late-night party .. there's lots of ways you can take this!

22 🤍 POWER what does this word make you think about? superpowers? control and oppression? literal electrical power? something else?

23 🤍 CHILL chill as in calm? or chill as in cold? who knows .. it's up to YOU!

24 ⭐ LOUD try to draw something that feels LOUD! BRASH! IN YOUR FACE! how can you convey sound through art?

_____

FUN + GAMES WEEK

this week is just for enjoying yourself! take it easy and have fun! also .. another reminder! there are skippable prompts! if you're tired and struggling to get to the finish line, please don't hesitate to skip a day!!! or multiple days!! as many as you need!!!

25 🤍 TRY A NEW ART STYLE copy the art style of a show you like, ask a friend if you can try their style, draw the eyes a new way, develop a totally new style on the spot... whatever you want!

26 🤍 DRAW WITH YOUR NON-DOMINANT HAND righties, draw with your left! lefties, draw with your right! ambidextrous nation ... our time to show off!

27 ⭐ DRAW WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED don't peek! try to draw something without looking! if you really want, you can colour it with your eyes open after you draw the lines/sketch with your eyes closed... but please try not to cheat with the actual drawing part!

28 🤍 RE-DRAW SOMETHING OLD find some old artwork you like, or something you feel like you can do better on now, and give it another go!

29 🤍 RE-DRAW A MEME find a silly picture on the internet to redraw .. do you have any in-jokes with your besties?

30 🤍 DRAW A GIFT FOR A FRIEND create something for someone you love <3

31 ⭐ FREE CHOICE final day! you can draw anything you want today! show off your skills! draw something you've been meaning to draw! whatever!

_____

please refrain from reblogging this post after march ends - next year's prompts will be different, thank you! if you have any additional questions, don't hesitate to shoot me an ask!

[corrodedbisexual]

So here's something mildly terrifying. Anyone feeling nostalgic for the color of the sky? Tumblr polls have the goddamn color of the sky potential. There is a symbol limit on answers, but seemingly no symbol limit on the actual questions.

What's more, doesn't matter how long it is, it does NOT count as a long post, on mobile or on web, so it will display fully on your dash. Absolutely wonderful. You can really feel the 2013 vibes.

So here's a poll with the entire Bee Movie script in the question. Enjoy. I'm putting it under a readmore line because I'm not a goddamn animal. But believe me that I've tested on a sideblog without readmore, and it absolutely displays as an unshortened scrolling disaster on your dash.

@staff my dudes. What the hell. Don't you know your site is full of trolls and gremlins?

@staffs-secret-blog you guys are totally secretly running the hellsite so I'm tagging you as well.

[strixcattus]

Day 5 of October and I'm back at it again with the sequel to CToP! I don't think I got in as much writing today as I did a few days ago, but progress is being made and I'm pretty sure I'm nearing the end of the second chapter as of writing this post. I'll put a couple short excerpts under the readmore:

It would be better, Tengen thinks, if Shabana’s expression showed the slightest change. But her face remains in a smile—not the taut, faux-realistic one Shinobu thinks no one realizes is a mask, but a distant, relaxed one that doesn’t try to reach her eyes, and she looks up at Tengen, not breaking eye contact as she steps around her desk.

Just once, Tengen would like to have a non-scary woman in his life. And, no, Suma and Mitsuri don’t count—the former can get so forceful even Makio would step down when she’s really insistent, and Tengen once saw the latter pick up an entire fallen tree to help a fox whose paw had been crushed beneath it. (The only thing stopping her from overpowering nearly any other Hashira, Tengen thinks, is her own belief that she shouldn’t be able to.)

“I see.” Tengen finds himself stepping back when Shabana speaks. This doesn’t help anything, of course, as Shabana steps forward in turn, maintaining the distance between them. “So, you were tracking an Upper Rank—a hypothetical one, you said, but let’s assume one is there nonetheless. You were investigating this demon by sending your wives to pose as courtesans, until they all—accomplished shinobi in their own right, mind—vanished at once without a word. Now you want three female Corps members, whom I suppose you can’t get in your own world, to take their places as faux courtesans, in a district with a highly suspected Upper Rank. Am I correct?”

Tengen only nods, silently. She is in fact correct. And, seriously, what kind of informant does she have? Which one of those brats managed to lay his whole history bare? They barely saw one another!

Shabana holds eye contact for a moment longer, then lowers her head and lets out a chuckle. “Well, I can’t fault your resourcefulness. Here’s the deal I can offer you. The two boys who’ve already visited your world are currently between missions. They’re skilled enough to hold their own against a weaker Kizuki, and with proper backup—which I assume you will be bringing, given the mission details—they should be perfectly qualified for your mission.”

“Yeah, sure, but that’s not really going to cut it.” Maybe the brat with the bob could pass for a girl in a pinch, but that’s only one out of three. With the boar kid’s face hidden, Tengen can’t tell how bad he’d look, but none of the others would probably make a very convincing young woman. “You sure there aren’t any female Demon Slayers available to go?”

Shabana purses her lips. “Unfortunately, no. Atsuko is currently out on a mission, and I’m not sure I’d let someone with her lack of experience on a mission this dangerous. I’d go myself, but I need to investigate a suspected Lower Rank in my own world before the damage grows too great. There are others, but the only two strong enough to be entrusted with this mission are both Tsuguko. You’d have to get permission to bring them along.”

“Then who’s training them? Tell me and I’ll ask!”

“You’re quite determined, aren’t you?” Shabana laughs softly and shakes her head. “As far as I’m aware, Kyogai and his Tsuguko are already out, and will be for a while. But I do know that the other is still here. Would you be all right if I left you directions? It’s a long way to my mission destination, and I’d like to avoid wasting time.”

Tengen nods affirmatively and notes the directions Shabana gives him. The estate is past the outskirts of the Hashira’s village, much as his own is. In fact, he’s not entirely unconvinced they aren’t on the same plot of land.

•••

It’s all Tengen can do to remain focused on the five—five! When did he ever agree to five—brats doing one another’s makeup in favor of the pain racking his abdomen. Did he eat something suspect or something? He better not be coming down with an illness! Being sick for a mission was about the most unflashy thing one could do!

At least the brats seem to know what’s going on, though. The boar-headed one has surprisingly nice hair for someone who almost certainly grew up in the woods, and the tiny brat is doing a halfway decent job at braiding it. The girl, too, seems to know her way around a makeup set, and the pink-haired brat is putting up with her efforts gracefully.

Tengen will have to power through whatever this is to shop the three around, but at least he can be assured they’ll do almost as good a job between the three of them as he would on his own.

[sterling-canary]

hi!!! for the writing asks: 8, 18, 29!!

8. What project(s) are you currently working on?

One that's about to prove my taste in media is stuck in the 2000s. In all seriousness, I have answered this question before, but I am working on more than one! I don't wanna share too much, since I wanna make sure it can get somewhere close to completion before I say anything, but I will say: this is not going to have a wide audience.

18. What's one of your favorite lines you've written in a fic?

Oh I have plenty of great jokes that never got published. Here's a few of my favorites:

"Technically, this is also illegal. This being assault, I mean."

“Not in that way, yous two,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I mean, a kiss is easy. Ya couldn’t’a given me somethin’ harder?”

“Somethin’s sure gonna be harder after this,” Hal commented, and he and Ricky broke out into laughter again. Johnny threw the other pillow at them, knocking over the bowl of popcorn in Hal’s lap. “Hey.”

It was a sitcom about sixteen people who end up living in one apartment building. It was interesting how the show managed its large cast, but it was more situation than comedy.

I mean, I think these are funny (the second one is definitely the best joke I've ever written), but you could have a different opinion.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

Oogh I have so many great ideas that are just in development hell. Here's a scene I'm particularly proud of, that may unfortunately never get published otherwise. I'll throw it under a readmore just in case people don't want to see all of it:

The only class the two shared that day was Gym. Tad had arrived early, and was just hanging around, waiting for Burton to announce which two poor sods had to wrestle for the rest of the class’s amusement that day.

“You ready to face me in the ring?” Bif said, coming up behind Tad and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh ho, hilarious,” Tad rolled his eyes. He did this every time Burton announced they would be wrestling. He fell for it the first few times, mentally preparing himself for the agony that was going to befall him, but it never came. Eventually, Tad just stopped falling for it, and Bif knew that, but he still did it anyway.

“You never know, today might actually be the day.”

“Unlikely. He prefers to pick on Nerds. He wouldn’t pick both of us to go in the ring.”

Sure enough, Tad was correct.

“Alright, you maggots!” Burton called, signalling the start of class. “It’s wrestling day! Ah, how I love the sound of boys crying in the morning. Melvin, get your ass in the ring! Casey, you too!”

Both boys stepped up to the ring, Melvin looking significantly more nervous than Casey.

“What did I tell you?” Tad smirked, and Bif just laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, you escape my wrath this time, but mark my words, one day it’s gonna happen.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The pair stood on the sidelines as Melvin and Casey wrestled on the mat in the middle. Casey absolutely dominated the match, managing to have Melvin pinned on the ground within minutes of starting. All of the students and Burton clapped when the match was over.

“Ya did good, Casey,” Burton congratulated, “but I wanna see that little weakling hold his own. You two go again.”

It always happened like this. One of the poor Nerds would be the wrestling dummy all class as different opponents took him on. Honestly, it got rather boring, but at least it was an easy A for showing up.

“You think I could take down Melvin in more or less time than Casey?” Bif asked as he spectated.

“More,” Tad answered.

“What? Aw, you got no faith in me. I kicked your ass the other day.”

“Yes, but that was boxing. This is wrestling. Entirely different, my friend.”

“You’re just jealous because I could take down Melvin faster than you could.”

“Alright, you want to prove that you can be faster than Casey? Go up to Burton and get him to put you in the ring next round.”

“Sounds like a plan. Shall we put some money on it?”

“Absolutely not. I don’t want to render you poor simply because of a bad bet.”

The match ended, Casey victorious once more. Everyone clapped as Bif went to talk to Burton.

“Alright, Casey, ya did good today,” Burton said after a bit, “but you need a substitution. Melvin, your next opponent will be Bif.”

The class “oohed” at the chance to see this match up.

“What? Why can’t I get a substitution?” Melvin complained, clearly tired of being beat up by the strongest students in school.

“You’ll get one after this. Bif specifically requested he get to fight you. Consider it an honor, maggot! You’re getting toughened up more than your other scrawny friends.”

“I suppose…”

Casey got out of the ring, going to stand on the sidelines with his other Jock friends as Bif stepped in. Melvin looked just as unenthusiastic to face him.

“Go Bif! Beat him down!” Tad cheered, and Melvin simply shot an exasperated look in his direction.

The match started, and Tad had to admit, Bif was pretty good at wrestling. He knew all of the moves, and the swiftness he had in boxing certainly came in handy. Melvin tried many times to attack him, but Bif dodged all of them. However, he was not faster than Casey.

“You were close,” Tad shrugged as Bif and Melvin stepped out of the ring.

I'm proud of it because I think it's one of the best character interactions that I've ever written. It doesn't have the most substance, but it's still good nonetheless.

Thanks for the ask!

[ikoni-dweebs]

Guess I'm Here Now

No, my card doesn't have my face on it. Professor Douglas has been on my ass about it for ages. I'll get around to it.

Anyway, I'm Dave, (He/Him) a Behavioral Pokemon Researcher in Ikoni. Behavior research is kind of my permanent hyper fixation so I can get a bit rambly about it. At the same time I have to deal with a LOT of paperwork, so you guys might not hear from me all that much.

Posts from me will be marked #LabRattata

And here's the rest of the gang. (Under a Readmore because this gets a bit long)

Topaz - My starter. She is loyal to a fault and a little too excited to defend me sometimes. I've had her since I was a kid, though I generally don't advise using your family pokepet as your starter. She's great though and took to battling easily.

Ruby - Ruby was one of the earliest pokemon I met on my journey, but one of the last that I caught. It took a long time for me to gain his trust, but he's always been a great companion, even when I was just following him around.

Ametrine - Ami is a complete diva! She wants attention, but on her terms. She also thinks she's a lot bigger than she actually is and likes to pick fights with bigger pokemon. I love her though.

Agate - One of my earlier catches, she was easily the hardest to raise. I definitely have a few scars from her Deino and Zweilous days. She and Ruby are the biggest reasons I got into Pokemon Behavioral studies. She's still got a lot of energy but is a lot more in control of her aggression now. By the way, you haven't LIVED until you've flown on a big Dragon-Type's back!

Spinel and Pegmatite

Spinel and Peggy probably look a little weird to some of you. They, along with a few other pokemon, were actually discovered in an area where a Space/Time Distortion was occurring in Old Sisyphus. It's been determined that the pokemon found in these distortion areas are ancient versions of their modern counterparts, particularly from the ancient Sinnoh, or Hisuian region. I and a few other researchers were given some of these pokemon in order to study them as well as see if they can be acclimated to our modern era. So far.... it's actually going pretty well.

Spinel - I was given Spinel, who was already a Zoroark at the time, because I'd already trained up Agate and Prof. Douglas figured I would be the best fit for a little ball of hate. I say little but when she isn't disguised she's probably the biggest Zoroark I've ever seen! It took a long time working with her, but she's a lot more chill now. Very mischievous of course, but she isn't seeking revenge on anything that slights her anymore. Her favorite disguise is a shorter version of me. Given she's actually taller than I am, I know she's mocking me, but she knows I can't stay mad at her. Fwiw, I think most trainers would be best raising a Hisuian Zorua if they want to go that route. A lot easier to train from a younger evolution.

Pegmatite - Peggy is the puppiest puppy to ever pup. He loves cuddles, scritches and fetch. I think the Hisuian forme might be even more high-energy than the growlithe we're familiar with today. A very good boy.

Opal - My lab assigned partner specifically trained and meant for safely and humanely catching pokemon for study. She takes her job very seriously, but when she's not on the job she likes to paint. I have easels set up for her and Zunyite for enrichment.

Zunyite - Zunyite is my support pokemon. I have ADHD and he's really good at helping me stay on task and remember to take my meds. Grafaiai aren't common as support pokemon but my little guy is fantastic. He likes to ride around on my shoulder or paint with Opal when he's not actively on the job. Sometimes he'll make me paint with him if I'm having a dissociative episode.

[anastacialy]

making my own rambly post so as to not talk over / detract from op in the tags but this is re: my last reblog

i genuinely agree from the white perspective™ which im sure no one wants (but i have felt compelled to say anyway, hence the readmore). i feel that certain parts of the internet, namely the tumblr i grew up on, shamed white people for appropriation to the point that it lost it's original meaning, much like many words on this godforsaken site.

i mean, we can even look to the overuse of words like weaboo and god even TEAboo as if a white american liking media made in the UK is also overstepping some horrible boundary of Stay In Your Lane and On Your Side. fuck you if you like anime attitude. which, by the way, also mixes with transandrophobia even today, the accusations of transmascs "really" being fujioshis and wishing T would make them "an anime boy." te assumption that all transmascs are white which is simply untrue. the casual hatred toward kpop fans as a monolith, the assumption that said fans are all white, the rascism that inevitably follows ("cringe kpop pfp" "that's ME in my pfp!")

years after i made a stupid little lipsync to niki minaj's arguably most popular with little white girls songs, superbass, i suddenly became horrified because, wasn't that appropriation too, in the new definition? wasn't it horrible to have enjoyed that song, wasn't it cringe, didn't that make me a bad person? i guess i have to hide that i like her music. better not say doja cat is one of my favorite artists. better keep that to myself, it's appropriative, right?

it got to the point that my sister, going to a faire that was focused around scottish and irish culture — OUR culture, primarily (save for the classic White Guy™ experience of being 1/78th native american) — HORRIFIED me. that was appropriative, wasn't it? shouldn't we be ashamed? we aren't really scottish, not really irish. maybe our father is, sure, but we weren't raised with the culture. if we aren't already steeped in our culture, then, doesn't that make it bad to want to learn about it?

that thought extends beyond appropriation, beyond this conversation once again. if you aren't already something, then you can't try to be something, that's appropriative, that's cringe, you're a poser.

nevermind that no real goth people seem to be able to come to a consensus on what goth music is, if you don't already listen to the right sort of goth music, you aren't goth, you can't ever be goth, you can't ever learn or change or grow.

nevermind that no real feminist / activist / lgbtqia+ allies can agree on what the perfect set of values are, if you don't already know to be perfect and unlearn every bias ever taught to you and just know what the right way to be an feminist / activist / lgbtqia+ ally, you aren't an ally, can never be an ally, can never learn or change or grow.

and nevermind that no actual people of color can come to a consensus on what is or isn't overstepping into appropriation, (the asoka trend, for instance, also terrified me, wasn't that appropriative? yet actual indian people are saying they love the trend) you have to already know what is appropriative and what isn't, you can't ever learn, or change, or grow.

anyway, that ramble got away from me. i'm trying to unlearn that all, listen to music i like without sticking myself into a box, unashamedly watch anime and kdrama and i could go on, but i've gone on for long enough, so i'll stop talking now. i just think the op in that post hit the nail on the head. that feeling of look but don't touch, keep yourself away, nod like it's a museum and say there's so much culture here. don't buy jewelry or god forbid wear it from the naitive american booth, just nod and keep your distance.

[inked-out-trees]

Ok!

12 for Trevor

13

And I think 18

ok!!!! :)

sorry i rambled a lot so i'm readmoreing this LMAO

12. Character + Dialogue (Trevor)

“I’m putting up a sign. If your name is Annie Twilloil or Francis Beaumont, fuck off. Rabid cat inside. Or whatever.” Trevor waves a sleepy hand in the air. “Something something I’ll bite you.” (Chapter 2)

13. Talk about your growth from your first fic to now.

oh boy. it's been almost eight years. or maybe it has been eight years. you're sending me back to wattpad, buddy, i don't know if i can forgive that (fully joking).

i started writing my first real fic (for academic purposes we are talking about the first thing i posted, not all my elementary school flights of fancy) in junior high, mostly in spurts on the bus or back and forth on a shitty little usb drive that also carried my schoolwork. i'm pretty sure the main document was password protected and in a folder labeled something totally innocuous because i was thirteen and painfully embarrassed about writing supernatural fanfiction as though anyone else would ever use my memory stick, like, ever. flash forward to today where the writing folder on my laptop is 90% fic and i Do Not Care Anymore! but still with weird titles because that's just how these things go.

(but also shoutout to my first fic, which according to wattpad is still #939 in supernatural fic after alll these years. it's got a little medal next to it and everything. fuck yeah!)

when i read it i see a lot of things that mark a young writer - mostly characterisation issues, things that could be portrayed better, I hadn't gotten the hang of internal monologues yet so it's quite painfully objective (in comparison to my current taste and style). but, like, honestly? not bad. not bad at all. full respect to thirteen-year-old me for sticking through and writing, like, a full 50 thousand word thing without even realising it.

("alright, i did the math and, with various author's notes included because i wasn't going to put any more effort into this than what wattpad gave me, our wordcount for this fic was... 52,385. my third longest fic to date" -from a conversation with a friend a couple months ago, timestamp almost 2am. moral of the story: wattpad give us word counts please)

ANYWAY. aside from the, you know, wattpad stuff, what propelled me forward on that particular fic was both the existence of a full story in my head (and then some. rest in peace to the abandoned sequel) and some pretty cool folks to share it with. not stopping - and, indeed, writing more spn stuff before finally metamorphasis-ing into a theatre kid - was prompted through friends. so. friends are the reason for everything. another reason for everything was my move from wattpad to ao3, which happened somewhere in my move from junior high to high school (very symbolic i know) and subsequently allowed for such things as: greater audience! a comment section! sophistication! all the cool kids use ao3!

and, like, even ao3 era onwards. from 2016's newsies works to now there's like. improvement in plotting and planning! character voice and internal monologue! fun with structure! music! all these funky fresh things that i'm always so excited to work with. i don't even really have words to describe it anymore i just think it's fun as hell. it's just like. i will keep writing and i will keep getting better and these things are perpetual. and in several years with even more work under my belt i will be able to look back at what i've been doing the past couple years and do the exact same thing.

but all my love remains to the password-protected word docs that hold those supernatural fics from an earlier time. some of them saw the light of day and some of them straight up did not. all of them are still in my heart.

18. Share a line from a fic you'll never finish.

("cornley time travel au: is significantly better written, stronger interpersonal relationships, i actually know what i'm doing / supernatural OC apocalypse fic: written when my hubris knew no limits, has demons in the story. oh and em-dashes. i only started using em-dashes in like 2017" -same conversation as above)

remember how i wrote a sequel (threequel) to the lookout mmnis? i was also fully prepared to write a sequel to flat pack attack. rest in peace to flat pack attack: homeworld which will probably never see the light of day. the idea was good and a kid can dream

SAMPSON: You ever heard of… (reading from a page) a tailsman?

DELTA: Is it a talisman you mean?

Sampson squints at the page.

SAMPSON: No, this says tails. Like a monkey.

He sticks a hand near the base of his chair and does a tail approximation.

oh and secondary shoutout to another abandoned newsies au that drew on my experiences with high school theatre tech, aptly named welcome to hell - its namesake was something like:

He catches a glimpse of the whiteboard once again before he leaves. Someone, probably Jack again, has wiped out most of the letters in HOTEL CALIFORNIA - now it just reads WELCOME TO H EL L.

[euphoricfilter]

hehe* alright then. if i'm 🎀 anon, then ur darling. it's a deal 🤝😌

i think the links are working now too :) ! but ofc u never know when it comes to this site lmao but still thinking positive thoughts ofc !! i honestly feel u on the updates tho. i think this recent update has been all over the place- i mean,, not to be be mean,, but i wanna know WHO thought it was a good idea take the home button out of the main navigation and put in such a random ass spot then proceed to not give the home button the home icon???? like bfr😭😭😭 and don't get me started on whatever that tumblr live mess is💀- sweeties just pack it up

okay cool cool, i'll request in a different ask since this is getting a lil lengthy lol. but oooo what puzzle did u end up doing ! puzzle are always fun .. sometimes frustrating .. but still fun haha*. i hope u have a good rest of ur day ! 🎀💕

yay yay okie!!

i’m slowly collecting cute nicknames 😋 you guys have me giggling, kicking my legs, twirling my hair or whatever

this hellsite needs to sort itself out 😭 secrets out i’m a massive hater, so i hope tumblr takes full offense on this one

no seriously like i know they want to promote their crusty ass merch but no one wants it for a reason.. sales aren’t gonna shoot up just because you put your store in the most convenient place, like please just change it back 🧎🏻‍♀️ the only good thing that came out of the update was polls. I HATW TUMBLR LIVE i’m never gonna use it, please please please get rid of it!!!!!! there’s like a million other apps people can go live on, we don’t need it here 😟 the most infuriating part is the ‘read more’ fucks up posts, like i cant even write on mobile anymore because the readmore line completely changes chunks of text 🧍‍♀️ and i had the worst night of my life when i posted ‘star girl’ because the read more had glitches the text and just yeah, it’s super lame

oooo a couple of years ago i think, my parents bought me this bts puzzle for christmas it’s like the love yourself/ speak yourself tour one, it’s really hard because there’s a shit ton of flowers that all look the same and they’re tiny so i was sat there for hours trying to figure it out 😭 and i still only got the easy white border done. my dad said that i should try and piece together all the boys and then work around them and maybe that’ll make it easier so i might try that today after i get a little productive 🧍‍♀️

i hope you have a nice rest of your day too!! however long of it you have left!!! and i’m excited to see your request 🫶

[poisonouswritings]

p

pegging Sage Lesath

just,, just fuck him up

fuck him into the bed til his brain's completely blank and he's drooling all over the sheets

Big ol intimidating dangerous cat mercenary man begging you to fuck him harder and babbling about how good your cock feels slamming into him

ur smaller and weaker? Magic.

Magic that can make him paper light,,, lifting his hips off the bed,,, urk oup I'm not normal

Do I just wanna see him ragdolled around? yes perhaps

now don't mind me, I'm just summersaulting back into my degenerate hidey hole

Reg get out of your hidey hole and come face your degenerate-ness head-on

GN!Reader, the whole post is NSFW (obviously) but the actual sex starts further down so that's where I'll be putting the readmore, depictions of rough sex, sex toys, little bit of aheago, lot of comfort towards the end, Reg I want you to know my mom walked in on me while I was writing this and I had to fucking sit there and have a conversation while praying she didn't ask to see my computer screen

Sage has had,,, a rough day today. He doesn't wanna talk too much about it. In fact it's only because of Tulsi that you know what happened, and even she doesn't have the full picture; Sage was in the forge with her goofing off and being a nuisance, someone who recognized Sage walked in, made some comment about him being 'exactly the same as before', and left. Then Sage got real quiet and upset and left a couple minutes later.

Normally he'd go to a bar when he felt like this but his favorites are all closed for fumigation or maintenance or whatever. So. Here he is. Sulking in your bed. You try to coax him into talking a bit more about it but he just keeps saying it doesn't matter, even though it clearly does.

You sit in bed with him for a minute, scritching behind his ears until he gives a reluctant purr. Then you lean down and kiss his forehead and say there are other ways besides alcohol to shut your brain off for a while.

Like sex.

At first he laughs. Not unkindly or anything! It's just that he's had a lot of sex over the years and he's never gotten that blank-ness you're talking about, not without a lot of alcohol. You're welcome to do your best (more than welcome in fact, he'd love to see you try) but you shouldn't get your hopes up.

:)

You tell him to give you an hour to prep. He agrees and nuzzles into your pillows for a nap. Being surrounded by your scent is comforting and lulls him to sleep pretty fast.

Meanwhile you go over to Felix's study and ask him for a strength potion and a stamina potion. And then ask him to teach you the ward to soundproof a room

:)

Oh and if he can help you pull something out of the Void

:)

Once you've got all your proverbial ducks in a row you head back over to your room. The wards you placed shimmer softly before sinking into the wood of your door.

Good. Now you can have as much fun as you want.

When you go back inside Sage is still sleeping. You keep your footsteps light and gentle as you practically float around the room, grabbing the full-length mirror and propping it up against the dresser that's across from the bed. Then you down your potions. Energy shoots through you, making your whole body feel like it's tingling.

You crawl onto the bed next to Sage, just watching him for a moment. His brows are furrowed. Must still be bothered from earlier. You lean down and kiss his forehead, softly scratching behind his ears. It takes a second for him to start purring. When you pull away to look down at him, his amber eyes are half-open and focused on you. He smiles softly and tilts his head into your hand as his tail winds around your thigh.

You always make him feel better. You know that, right?

Once he's fully awake - and boy does he take his time stretching out - he asks you what exactly it is you have in mind.

:)

A couple minutes later (after you've both undressed) he's panting and balling the sheets into his fists,, his moans are a low growl in his chest as his cock throbs in your mouth,, his eyes are half-lidded as he looks down at where you're bobbing your head up and down his stiff shaft, working your lubed-up fingers in and out of his ass to get him stretched out, adding a second and third once he seems ready to take it. As you coax him closer and closer to the edge, he squirms more and more. You finally pull off his shaft with a pop! and smile sweetly. Aw, does your little kitty cat feel good? :) He does? :)

You crawl up his body and smooch his forehead, scratching behind his ears. You can see the way his eyes go hazy with pleasure. His mouth is a little open as he pants for air.

Not quite desperate enough yet.

You kiss the underside of his chin. He purrs and lolls his head back, baring his neck for you to have free reign. You rest one hand on his chest, feeling his heart hammering against your palm. And your other hand works some lube onto your cock

Cock or strap-on or whatever it is you're wearing. Reg mentioned having it be something from Bad Dragon and I leave you all the website to look through. Anyways I'll be using the terms cock/dick/etc. but it's whatever you want it to be

Once you're pretty decently lubed up, you press the head of your cock against his ass. By now his neck and shoulder is littered with hickeys and he's deeply flushed, drooling just a little as he looks up at you. His soft tail slips around the base of your cock, shifting back and forth and tickling you a little.

Awww :( little kitty is all excited :( baby boy wants to get dicked down, huh? :(

His glare might be more impactful if his hands weren't holding your hips and trying to pull you closer. So you laugh and smooch the tip of his nose and slowly slide into him. His eyes flutter, then squeeze shut, a low growl rumbling through his chest that turns to a pleased purr when you placatingly kiss the underside of his jaw.

For a couple minutes you focus on getting into a decent rhythm. You can tell he's getting impatient, wiggling around and making little noises. When he catches your eyes he grins and says that, hey, you can go a little harder ;3 he can take it ;3

Okay then :)

Cut to ten minutes later when his knees are shoved into his chest and you're absolutely fucking reaming him. His hands are pinned to the bed on either side of his head, your fingers interlocked. The stamina potion means you can really pound away at him. The tip of his tail is going crazy against your lower stomach and the tops of your thighs. His head is thrown back into the pillows, back arched, throat bobbing with each gasp and cry. As expected of him, he doesn't stop talking.

Most of it is disjointed babbles, begging you to not stop, go harder, oh fuck he loves you so much, you fuck him so so so good, you're gonna make him cum, oh gods you feel so fucking good inside him

But you aren't done with him yet, are you?

Thanks to the strength potion, you can basically lift Sage around like a ragdoll. So you've picked him up and settled him in your lap. Gripping his hips and guiding him up and down your cock. His pretty silver hair sticks to his forehead and clings to the sides of his neck as sweat trickles down his body. You squeeze his sides, thrusting your hips up into him. Hard. Pretty kitty looks so good bouncing on your cock like that :) Is he having fun? :) Aw, he can moan louder than that, can't he? Of course he can. He's your good little boy :) Your pretty little slut, melting all over your cock :)

His eyes are dark and hazy, pupils blown wide in pleasure. He's drooling. His hands try to grab your shoulders - whether to anchor himself or just to hold you close, you're not sure - but the strength is just sapped out of him with every thrust you give.

His words are spaced out by gasps and moans and whimpers. It just... feels so... ffffuuuuuuuck feels so good... so deep... so...

But you don't quite have him in that state you want. Not yet.

Now you have him on his hands and knees. By which I mean he's almost limp and you're holding his hips up and that's the only reason he's not faceplanted into the mattress. He's a frazzled mess. You were gracious enough to give him a pillow to bite into but he's mostly just drooling into it.

You rub the tip of your cock against his hole, lazily teasing him. Does your kitty cat want some more? Hm? You thread your fingers through his hair, carefully grabbing from the roots, and pull his head up until you can see his pretty face in the reflection of that mirror you propped up earlier.

If you're significantly smaller than him then the reflection is probably a little bit funny. If he had his wits about him he might laugh. But you've done a great job of fucking his brains right out of his fluffy ears. You kiss his neck, then his cheek. Let the tip of your cock enter him. He tries to push his hips back against you but you hold him in place. If he wants it, then he better beg for it :)

To his credit, he tries. But he's more or less lost the ability to speak. He whimpers and purrs and whines and shifts his tail around the base of your cock but he just can't form any actual words. When he tries, he's slurring so much it's entirely illegible.

You smile and nuzzle into the crook of his neck, leaving a few little smooches and nips along his flushed skin. :) Aw, your cute little kitty feels so good that he forgot how to people-speak, huh? :) Well that's okay :) He doesn't need to know that :) He just needs to keep being a good boy for you :) You kiss his cheek and he purrs as you ease back inside him, settling back into your rhythm. You can pull his hair a little more and make him arch his back (kitty cat is very flexible y'know) so you can kiss the top of his head and that makes him very soft.

And then you get right back into pounding him into oblivion. It only takes a couple minutes before he practically yowls and tightens around you so much it nearly hurts and then he's blowing his load all over the sheets. Probably the last load of several, if we're being honest.

He finally collapses back against you, all the strength completely drained from him. His tail finally unravels from around you He lets out a final little whimper when you pull out of him.

It takes a little bit of time to clean the both of you up, not to mention the bed. Luckily your stamina potion is still burning - albeit on embers - so you're able to do most of the cleanup and get some water. Then you crawl into bed and drag Sage over, guiding his head onto your chest so you have full access to his ears. He slips his arms around your waist and lets his eyes close, purring lowly. And with each little kiss and nuzzle and sweet praise you mumble to him - he did such a good job, you're so proud of him, you love him so so much - the tighter he hugs you.

He sniffles a few times. It's been a rough day for him. And when you make him feel all warm and cherished like this, it's hard to hold himself together. You ask him if he wants to talk about what happened earlier and, still a little cum-drunk, he agrees.

He doesn't like the idea that he's the same person he was five years ago - the same person that abandoned his friends and sister, that killed his best friend, that never would have appreciated someone like you.

You know how much he loves you, right?

You smile softly and stroke his hair, covering his face with kisses. You know he loves you. And he knows how much you love him, right? He hugs you tight and nods sleepily. His tail curls around your knee.

And under your petting and stroking and praise and kisses, he gradually falls asleep, purring softly.

,,,, I mean he has super-healing but I like bullying him so I'm gonna say he walks with a bit of a limp the next day. Felix jokingly asked how hard you went on him and you just smile and sip your tea while Sage beams because he's so proud of you! You really did wreck him. And any time you wanna go again, he's more than ready for it ;)

[carpetcat2]

Aw man I have so many thoughts on Drill and Scrap Knight. Copy n pasted pretty much word for word from a twitter thread bc I don’t want to resummarize them. Put under a readmore for dialogue spoilers up to Drill Knight’s boss fight.

I was fully prepared to be obsessed w any other Hexcavators, but Drill Knight was surprisingly delightful. You don't understand him like I do.

He has the vibe of someone who didn't really think of his life in the long-term but is also terrified of death.

He likes the infamy gained from his heists bc 1. He's an attention whore.

But like. On a deeper level I think he's desperate to not be forgotten. He genuinely is prepared for the possibility of dying young, but he doesn't want to be forgotten just as quickly.

It's said in camp NPC dialogue that, besides Scrap, the other Hexcavators were pretty new. It's not a group that was around for a long time.

And just based off of the other Hexcavator dialogues, it seems they see it as a temporary thing too, or at the very least don’t plan on staying long-term. (Taken from SK wiki bc I didn’t want to go through screenshots again.)

They just have to do this one heist and they're all set. So it's really neat to see Drill say this line. He cares about this seemingly temporary group and it is so interesting and sexy of him

Anyways. That’s the Mostly canon compliant stuff here’s the fanficcy stuff I wrote about Scrap and Drill based off of their apparent unique relationship.

I would’ve put this under another readmore, but apparently you can only have 1 on posts so now you have to deal with my insane rambling.

I think Scrap is like. Pretty old. Like. 58 or something while Drill's somewhere around his 30s. They're equals for the most part but the age is important.  

She’s in no way the epitome of an adult who should be responsible for a kid let alone a teen. She’s like a wine aunt who's kind of a bad influence, but she still has valuable insight on life that Drill very much values.

They met when Drill was like. Some weird scraggly little teen and they've been pestering each other since.

Do you get where I'm going yes yes you do

 DK: There's no thrill in a heist without danger ScK: Well, there's no thrill without skill, you little shit. Lemme show you how it's done before you keel over or something.

  So that day rolls around and she just wakes him up like ScK: Wakey wakey birthday boy! Or should I say... Birthday man ;D

And Drill is still trying to figure out whether it's a Tuesday or a Friday morning. 

ScK: We gotta do something big for your big day! Like... Or or like... Or maybe!!! Fuck it were doing all of the above. We're gonna have a busy day today so LETSGO And then they rob a couple sorcerers and one of Pridemoor's treasure vaults 

 And by the end of the day they're breathless. It's become dark by then and the only light they have besides the fleeting setting sun is the dim glow of the magical relics they stole refracted in the facets of gems they also stole. 

They're trying to keep their voices down, but the excitement is too much. It wasn't a big deal though. They were the best scavenger and the best thief! 

Their chatter finally slows down and they just sit there for a moment to appreciate the chilled air. "Oh shit wait. Gotta do this before I forget" scrap breaks the peace to go rummage through their loot and drill glances over, curiously.

ScK: Tada!!

She pulls out an expensive looking bottle of wine and a glass that somehow did not break while inside the bag. 

DK: Oh... Wow  DK: Let me guess. You plan on getting blackout drunk again?  ScK: What? No, this is the fancy shit. Obviously it's for you.  DK: Really now? ScK: Yeah, really! I know your standards are high and all so I made sure to get the best of the best for you! Why did you think I dragged you all the way to Pridemoor's vault? DK: The various magical relics? The ridiculous amount of gold? Really, I can't think of any other reason.😒 ScK: Those were also very compelling reasons, but this one's the big one!

And she holds out the bottle and glass for him to take.

DK: ... You do realize that the legal drinking age is 21, right? ScK: What?? Where's the guy who raided Pridemoor's vault with me just an hour ago? Here I was, thinking you didn't care about the law. DK: Obviously I don't. 

And then he takes the items from her. but like. listen. listen.

"I didn't think I'd live past 18" 

And he's now at that middle point and that fact is just sinking in.

Y'know that feeling when you're overwhelmed w emotion or whatever but you're in denial about it / trying to push it down bc it's stupid?

You're in conflict with what's going on bc by all means it shouldn't be happening, and you're trying to keep it together to not dour the mood bc it's supposed to be fun/happy.

He's like. frozen in place for a moment because everything's just setting in. 

"Holy shit. I'm an adult." And he's reluctant at first to actually try it bc he couldn't really fathom the possibility.

ScK: Aww, come on! Don't tell me you're chickening out on me! ScK: Hey.. earth to Drill? Yoohoo! ScK: .......Are you alright?

He then (tries) to chug the whole bottle to deflect the question, which is something you absolutely should not do if you want to be correct about drinking wine.

She knows something is up but just isn't sure how to handle it. She doesn't really bring it up but still tries to lighten the mood. 

And she's not exactly equipped to handle something like that bc she's very much someone who pushes down issues too.

Far from an amazing influence.

Recognizes an issue, but doesn't personally address it. “He's a tough guy.. He's not gonna want to talk about it with me and that's fine. He can handle it himself.”

Note: He doesn't, and now Scrap has to reconcile with the fact that she actually has to act responsibly because she does in fact care about this loser and doesn't want him hurt.

It's not going to be as easy as just repressing it and laughing it off later, because the weight doesn't solely fall on her shoulders this time.

Something something she acts mean and pushes people away because she doesn't want that responsibility over another person in that way again. She's fucked up in that position more times than she wished she did and doesn't really trust herself to be in that position ever again.

The convo is important for the both of them bc Scrap has to confront that shared mindset of not thinking about anything longterm and find reasons that would comfort someone about it + acknowledge that amount of responsibility she has over her friend and take that seriously.

And like. I talked about Drill's deal. Actually looking forward for the future. Starting to delve more into the long-term.

DK: The highest quality wine from Pridemoor's vaults... Honestly, I have no idea how I'll top that when I actually reach drinking age. ScK: Well, that'd be a problem for when you get to 21! We could rob Pridemoor’s Castle itself! DK: ....Yeah. Yeah, that sounds cool.

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

what the fuck I just found this in my drafts I literally wrote this years ago, like a very significant number of years ago this is old shit

and apparently I just saved it and forgot about it??? anyway I polished it up and now it is here, I have no context and I barely even remember writing it, enjoy!

my apologies for the long post I still can't figure out how to do read mores in the app

edit: some lovely people have unformed me how to use readmores, thank you ~

-----

Jack was starting to wonder perhaps if he'd done something wrong.

It wasn't uncommon for him to accidentally say or do something to upset his wife or daughter, although usually when such an event occurred Maddie would glare at him to express her displeasure, and Jazz would always take the opportunity to tell him in exact detail what he'd done wrong and how to make it up to them (something he was honestly very grateful for).

It must have been something pretty bad this time, because both women wouldn't even look him in the eye.

Jack first twigged that something was off that morning during breakfast, when he sat in the empty chair by Jazz's side and gave his usual greeting, "Hey Jazzypants!"

She ignored his presence completely, steely eyes glued to the wall opposite her, they were puffy and red and Jack wondered perhaps if she'd been crying.

It had been a long time since her problems were easily pushed aside by her father's warm hugs and jovial attitude, he had stopped being able to handle a crying Jazz after she'd turned twelve and countered his attempts at humour by insisting that he 'stop trivialising her distress', whatever THAT meant.

Nevertheless, warm hugs and gentle jokes were the only method he knew and so he wrapped a comforting arm around her thin shoulders, noting that she continued to sit still as a rock, not even glancing his way as he tried to coax a smile out of her.

Jazz didn't say a word as she pushed herself away from her unfinished breakfast and left the room.

It was when he walked down to the lab intending to ask Maddie about Jazz that Jack started to suspect he may have been the one responsible, as it became apparent that the two had seemed to coordinate their punishment for whatever transgression he'd made.

"Hey Mads!" his voice boomed over the noise of his wife's current project. He strained to see through the bright light of her blow torch at the large gun-like weapon on the table. Jack whistled in appreciation is he took in the size of what he assumed was some kind of rocket launcher. "So what are we calling this one? Ooh! How about, The Fenton Spectre 'Sploder!"

Maddie's goggles made it difficult to see what expression adorned her face, but her tensed shoulders and the shaky grip on the blow torch told him that she was most certainly upset about something.

"Mads? Are you alright?" his voice quivered slightly as he took a few steps closer, seeing his wife this tense tightened a coil within his chest. Suspecting that he may be responsible added an extra weight to his stomach that he knew wasn't cause by the breakfast he'd skipped.

The light from the blow torch snapped off and Jack had to blink the bright spots it left behind from his vision, trying to peer through the blotches to find any indication that Maddie was going to acknowledge his presence. It seemed as though she'd looked his way for a moment but before his eyes could clear enough to meet hers she'd looked away again.

Jack watched, puzzled as his wife raised a hand to cover her mouth and catch the sob that ripped its way from her throat, she hadn't succeeded as the sound echoed across the lab and tore its way straight through Jack's heart, causing his eyes to sting and his throat to close up.

He reached a hand out to touch her shoulder, intent on giving her some form of comfort. He'd barely brushed it with his finger tips before Maddie stormed right past him up to the stairs, Jack had to quickly stumble backwards to avoid being trampled.

He couldn't imagine what he possibly could have done to elicit such a response from the woman he loved, but he knew for sure that he must have done something terrible for her to not seek him out for comfort like she did any other time she was upset. He just wished he could remember what.

Jack's shoulders slumped under the dim light of the glowing jars of ectoplasm lining the various counter-tops, he dry-swallowed a few times, trying to push down his confusion and distress before following his wife's light footsteps up the stairwell.

He found her in the kitchen, leaning against a counter with her goggles slung around her neck and her wild red hair loose around her head, abundant with the kinks and tangles Jack usually watched her brush out of it every morning.

"Mads?" Jack said, voice rough and quiet, "Look I... if I did something wrong I-" Jack's apology froze in his throat as Jazz poked her head through the kitchen door, eyes once again glancing right over Jack and instead locking onto her mother.

Neither woman shared a word as Jazz crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Maddie, who desperately grabbed at her daughter in return, burying her face in long red hair as violent sobs wracked her whole body.

Jack, at a loss of what else to do, wrapped his own arms around his girls. Nestling his chin on his daughters hair, he expected the annoyed scoff that Jazz usually gave him for his 'chin noogies', but it never came. Neither Fenton woman pushed him away though, so Jack considered it progress.

Finally, after an age of rocking and sobbing, Maddie's muffled words escaped through strands of Jazz's hair.

"Where is he? W-where'd he go, where'd he go?"

A deep chill coursed through Jack's veins, Danny? Had something happened to Danny? Jack pulled away, a million questions thrumming through his mind.

What happened? Was he missing? Was he hurt? Had he run away, been kidnapped, been kill- no. Jack shook his head violently, running a hand through the shorts strands of his thick hair. No he couldn't be. He couldn't be he couldn't be.

Jack's mouth was on the verge of catching up to his brain, multiple questions bubbled at his lips when he heard a voice echo down the stairs.

"Jazz?"

Jack took a steadying breath and grasped at the counter for support, relief flooding his body as his son rounded the corner and came into view. Danny was fine, Danny was safe. He had been fretting over absolutely nothing.

Then Danny's eyes locked into his.

A number of emotions flickered across his son's face, the first being a brief moment of sheer relief and delight, but it didn't last. Soon, too soon, Danny's dark brows pulled together and his lips curled sourly in confusion before a new expression swept it away. It was one Jack had never seen before.

He felt as though the air had been sucked out of the room, an icy chill prickled up his arms as the sudden wave of absolute horror overtook Danny's face. Jack couldn't tell if his son was about to break down crying or scream.

And then it was over. The tension in Jack's limbs released as Danny's face flattened into an unnaturally blank expression, he dropped his gaze and continued his way over to Maddie and Jazz. Once again it was like Jack wasn't even there.

Danny placed a hand on his mother's shoulder. "Maybe you should do another lap around town, you might find something today." he spoke softly into her frazzled hair.

Jazz looked at Danny strangely, her brother sent her back a glance that must have held some meaning because she then gripped Maddie tightly around the shoulders and led her straight out of the house, and suddenly Jack recalled that he still didn't know who it was that had gone missing.

"So... is anyone gonna tell me what's going on?" the jovial tone Jack meant to use came out flat and strained, Danny didn't look even remotely amused.

"I think you should sit down." Danny said quietly. He was no longer meeting Jack's eyes as he pulled out a chair for himself and one for his father.

Jack took the offered seat and prepared himself for the worst, obviously someone dear to Maddie and the kids had gone missing, Jack ran a list of all the people they knew, preparing himself for the worst, it was obvious Danny did not want to tell him what had happened. Perhaps whoever was missing was someone that Jack in particular had been close to? Was that the reason behind the horrified look on Danny's face? Because he'd realised he was going to have to be the one to tell him?

Something in Jack's gut told him he was on the wrong track, but try as he might he just couldn't imagine what else it could possibly be.

Jack kept his eyes on his son as the boy's thin torso straightened up in his chair and his icy blue stare bored into Jack's. Danny took a deep breath, then took several more, eventually he seemed almost ready to speak, Jack didn't rush him.

"Dad... you're dead."

[bringbackthebastard]

Bring Back the Bastard Daily Prompts

Hello, folks! I'm posting these two weeks before we begin our fest, on September 1st, to give folks some inspiration on what to write each day as we celebrate Severus Snape's pettiest, most dastardly moments. I specifically picked out moments Snaters always harp on, that Snapedom personally enjoys--from any moment with Trevor to bitching at Lupin at Sirius, to the moments that Lily turns away and Dumbledore's face flashes with disgust--sure, he's a bastard, but he's our bastard, and that's what we like about him. You don't want him? Good. We'll keep him. Here are 30 scene prompts for 30 days--it's a long list, pulled chronologically from all seven books, but I found that it reminded me of everything I love about this character. The moments where he's called deranged, the moments where he slips into all-caps, the ugliest moments of the soul. Hope yall enjoy. Excited to kick off the fest starting September 1st, and absolutely excited to see what Snapedom will do. Let's Bring Back the Bastard! The prompts are below the readmore.

Day 1: The Scar Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacheer with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes--and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead. "Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head. "What is it?" asked Percy. "N-nothing." The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look--a felling that he didn't like Harry at all. "Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy. "Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to--everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Day 2: Bad Impressions Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name. "Ah, yes," he said softly. "Harry Potter. Our new--celebrity."

Day 3: Potions Class "Potter!" said Snape suddenly "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of what? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand shot into the air. "I don't know, sir," said Harry. Snape's lips curled into a sneer. "Tut, tut--fame clearly isn't everything."

Day 4: A Horrible Sight Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages. "Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?" Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but-- "POTTER!" Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped. "I just wondered if I could have my book back." "GET OUT! OUT!"

Day 5: Maybe He's Ill "Hang on..." Harry muttered to Ron. "There's an empty chair at the staff table...Where's Snape?" Professor Severus Snape was Harry's least favorite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape's least favorite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own House (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions. "Maybe he's ill!" said Ron hopefully. "Maybe he's left," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defense Against the Dark Arts job again!" "Or he might have been sacked!" said Ron enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates him--" "Or maybe," said a very cold voice right behind them, "he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train."

Day 6: Slytherin Takes the Field "But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "But I booked it!" "Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.'"

Day 7: No Quidditch For You! "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest." "Really, Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong." Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look. His twinkling light-blue gaze made Harry feel as though he were being X-rayed. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly. Snape looked furious.

Day 8: Expelliarmus! "Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry--you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!" "Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear. Snape's upper lip was curling. Harry wondered why Lockhart was still smiling; if Snape had been looking at *him* like that he'd have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them. "As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our fist spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." "I wouldn't bet on that," Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth. "One--two--three--" Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Day 9: Only Bite Him A Little Bit, Please "Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it..."

Day 10: Poisoning Trevor The end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron. "Everyone gather 'round," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned." The Gryffindors watched fearfully. The Slytherins looked excited. Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat. There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small op, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm. The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown. "Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."

Day 11: Insufferable Know-It-All Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air. "Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between--" "We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on--" "Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are..." "Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf--" "That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Fire more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Day 12: Your Saintly Father "I would hate for you to run away with a false idea of your father, Potter," he said, a terrible grin twisting his face. "Have you been imagining some act of glorious heroism? Then let me correct you--your saintly father and his friends played a highly amusing joke on me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't gotten cold feet at the last moment. There was nothing brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine. Had their joke succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts." Snape's uneven, yellowish teeth were bared.

Day 13: Don't Talk About What You Don't Understand "KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted, looking suddenly quite deranged. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" A few sparks shot out of the end o his wand, which was still pointed at Black's face. Hermione fell silent. "Vengeance is very sweet," Snape breathed at Black. "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you..." "The joke's on you again, Severus," Black snarled. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle" --he jerked his head at Ron-- "I'll come quietly...." "Up to the castle?" said Snape silkily. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black...pleased enough to give you a little Kiss, I daresay...."

Day 14: A Great Disappointment "He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have let somebody in the room with him. When this gets out--" "HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very close at hand. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE *OR* DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS--HAS--SOMETHING--TO--DO--WITH--POTTER!" "Severus--be reasonable--Harry has been locked up--" BAM. The door of the hospital wing burst open. Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself. "OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" "Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "Control yourself!" "See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked, we just saw--" "THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth. "Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!" "YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" shrieked Snape. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT--" "That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the war ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?" "Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!" "Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further." Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward. "Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore." "Oh, he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."

Day 15: Haven't You Heard? "Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" said Hagrid, his smile fading a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. "Er--Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'....Thought everyone'd know by now...Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see. An' he was loose on the grounds las' night...He's packin' now, o' course."

Day 16: I See No Difference "And what is all this noise about?" said a soft, deadly voice. Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, "Explain." "Potter attacked me, sir--" "We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry shouted. "--and he hit Goyle--look--" Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi. "Hospital wing, Goyle," Snape said calmly. "Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said. "Look!" He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth--she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back. Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."

Day 17: The Dark Mark Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He struck out his forearm and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled. "There," said Snape harshly. "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eater to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."

Day 18: If You Are Ready...If You Are Prepared... "Severus," said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, "you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready...if you are prepared..." "I am," said Snape. He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely. "Then good luck," said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius.

Day 19: Obviously "Now...how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" she asked, her quill poised over her clipboard. "Fourteen years," Snape replied. His expression was unfathomable. His eyes on Snape, Harry added a few drops to his potion; it hissed menacingly and turned from turquoise to orange. "You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Professor Umbridge asked Snape. "Yes," said Snape quietly. "But you were unsuccessful?" Snape's lip curled. "Obviously." Professor Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard. "And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?" "Yes," said Snape quietly, barely moving his lips. He looked very angry. "Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" asked Umbridge. "I suggest you ask him," said Snape jerkily. "Oh I shall," said Professor Umbridge with a sweet smile. "I suppose this is relevant?" Snape asked, his black eyes narrowed. "Oh yes," said Professor Umbridge. "Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers'--er--backgrounds...." She turned away, walked over to Pansy Parkinson, and began questioning her about the lessons. Snape looked around at Harry and their eyes met for a second. Harry hastily dropped his gaze to his potion, which was now congealing foully and giving off a strong smell of burned rubber. "No marks again, then, Potter," said Snape maliciously, emptying Harry's cauldron with a wave of his wand. "You will write me an essay on the correct composition of this potion, indicating how and why you went wrong, to be handed in next lesson, do you understand?"

Day 20: Very Like His Father "How touching," Snape sneered. "But surely you have noticed that Potter is very like his father?" Yes, I have," said Sirius proudly. "Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him," Snape said sleekly. Sirius pushed his chair roughly aside and strode around the table toward Snape, pulling out his wand as he went; Snape whipped out his own. They were squaring up to each other, Sirius looking livid, Snape calculating, his eyes darting from Sirius' wand-tip to his face. "Sirius!" said Harry loudly, but Sirius appeared not to hear him. "I've warned you, Snivellus," said Sirius, his face barely a foot from Snape's, "I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better." "Oh, but why don't you tell him so?" whispered Snape. "Or are you afraid he might not take the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months very seriously?" "Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he's delighted his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?" "Speaking of dogs," said Snape softly, "did you know that Lucius Malfoy recognized you last time you risked a little jaunt outside? Clever idea, Black, getting yourself seen on a safe station platform...gave you a cast-iron excuse not to leave your hidey-hole in future, didn't it?" Sirius raised his wand. "NO!" Harry yelled, vaulting over the table and trying to get in between them, "Sirius, don't--" "Are you calling me a coward?" roared Sirius, trying to push Harry out of the way, but Harry would not budge. "Why, yes, I suppose I am," said Snape.

Day 21: Wormtail's Whine "We...we are alone, aren't we?" Narcissa asked quietly. "Yes, of course. Well, Wormtail's here, but we're not counting vermin, are we?" He pointed his wand at the wall of books behind him and with a bang, a hidden door flew open, revealing a narrow staircase upon which a small man stood frozen. "As you have clearly realized, Wormtail, we have guests," said Snape lazily. The man crept, hunchbacked, down the last few steps and moved into the room. He had small, watery eyes, a pointed nose, and wore an unpleasant simper. His left hand was caressing his right, which looked as though it was encased in a bright silver glove. "Narcissa!" he said, in a squeaky voice. "And Bellatrix! How charming--" "Wormtail will get us drinks, if you'd like them," said Snape. "And then he will return to his bedroom." Wormtail winced as though Snape had thrown something at him. "I am not your servant!" he squeaked, avoiding Snape's eyes. "Really? I was under the impression that the Dark Lord placed you here to assist me." "To assist, yes--but not to make you drinks and--clean your house!" "I had no idea, Wormtail, that you were craving more dangerous assignments," said Snape silkily. "This can be easily arranged: I shall speak to the Dark Lord--" "I can speak to him if I want to!" "Of course you can," said Snape, sneering. "But in the meantime, bring us drinks. Some of the elf-made wine will do."

Day 22: A Loving Caress Snape set off around the edge of the room, speaking now in a lower voice; the class craned their necks to keep him in view. "The Dark Arts," said Snape, "are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible." Harry stared at Snape. It was surely one thing to respect the Dark Arts as a dangerous enemy, another to speak of them, as Snape was doing, with a loving caress in his voice? "Your defenses," said Snape, a little louder, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures" --he indicated a few of them as he swept past-- "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse" --he waved a hand toward a witch who was clearly shrieking in agony-- "feel the Dementor's Kiss" --a wizard lying huddled and blank-eyed, slumped against a wall-- "or provoke the aggression of the Inferius" --a bloody mass upon the ground.

Day 23: Better People "What does it matter?" said Malfoy. "Defense Against the Dark Arts--it's all just a joke, isn't it, an act? Like an of us need protecting against the Dark Arts--" "It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco!" said Snape. "Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle--" "They're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better people!" "Then why not confide in me, and I can--" "I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!" There was another pause, then Snape said coldly, "You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you, but--"

Day 24: Revulsion and Hatred Etched on His Face "Severus..." The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading. Snape said nothing, but walked forward and pushed Malfoy roughly out of the way. The three Death Eaters fell back without a word. Even the werewolf seemed cowed. Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face. "Severus...please..." Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore. "Avada Kedavra!"

Day 25: Don't Call Me Coward Mustering all his powers of concentration, Harry thought, Levi-- "No, Potter!" screamed Snape. There was a loud BANG and Harry was soaring backward, hitting the ground hard again, and this time his wand flew out of his hand. He could hear Hagrid yelling and Fang howling as Snape closed in and looked down on him where he lay, wandless and defenseless as Dumbledore had been. Snape's pale face, illuminated by the flaming cabin, was suffused with hatred just as it had been before he had cursed Dumbledore. "You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them--I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, woudl you? I don't think so...no!" Harry had dived for his wand; Snape shot a hex at it and it flew feet away into the darkness and out of sight. "Kill me then," panted Harry, who felt no fear at all, but only rage and contempt. "Kill me like you killed him, you coward--" "DON'T--" screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly deranged, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them-- "CALL ME COWARD!"

Day 26: The Guest Voldemort raised Lucius Malfoy's wand, pointed it directly at the slowing revolving figure suspended over the table, and gave it a tiny flick. The figure came to life with a groan and began to struggle against invisible bonds. "Do you recognize our guest, Severus?" asked Voldemort. Snape raised his eyes to the upside-down face. All of the Death Eaters were looking up at the captive now, as thought they had been given permission to show curiosity. As she revolved to face the firelight, the woman said in a cracked and terrified voice, "Severus! Help me!" "Ah, yes," said Snape as the prisoner turned slowly away again.

Day 27: I Regret It "All this long night, when I am on the brink of victory, I have sat here," said Voldemort, his voice barely louder than a whisper, "wondering, wondering why the Elder Wand refuses to be what it ought to be, refuses to perform as legend says it must perform for its rightful owner...and I think I have the answer." Snape did not speak. "Perhaps you already know it? You are a clever man, after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen." "My Lord--" "The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. While you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot be truly mine." "My Lord!" Snape protested, raising his wand. "It cannot be any other way," said Voldemort. "I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last." And Voldemort swiped the air with the Elder Wand. It did nothing to Snape, who for a split second seemed to think he had been reprieved: But then Voldemort's intention became clear. The snake's cage was rolling through the air, and before Snape could do anything more than yell, it had encased him, head and shoulders, and Voldemort spoke in Parseltongue. "Kill." There was a terrible scream. Harry saw Snape's face losing the little color it had left; it whitened as his black eyes widened, as the snake's fangs pierced his neck, as he failed to push the enchanted cage off himself, as his knees gave way and he fell to the floor. "I regret it," said Voldemort coldly.

Day 28: You Hurt Her! "Tuney!" said Lily, surprise and welcome in her voice, but Snape had jumped to his feet. "Who's spying now?" he shouted. "What d'you want?" Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. Harry could see her struggling for something hurtful to say. "What is that you're wearing, anyway?" she said, pointing at Snape's chest. "Your mum's blouse?" There was a *crack*. A branch over Petunia's head had fallen. Lily screamed: The branch caught Petunia on the shoulder, and she staggered backward and burst into tears. "Tuney!" But Petunia was running away. Lily rounded on Snape. "Did you make it happen?" "No." He looked both defiant and scared. "You did!" She was backing away from him. "You *did*! You hurt her!" "No--no I didn't!" But the lie did not convince Lily: After one last burning look, she ran from the little thicket, off after her sister, and Snape looked miserable and confused....

Day 29: Save Your Breath "I'm sorry." "I'm not interested." "I'm sorry!" "Save your breath." It was nighttime. Lily, who was wearing a dressing gown, stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. "I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here." "I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just--" "Slipped out?" There was no pity in Lily's voice. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends--you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?" He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking. "I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine." "No--listen, I didn't mean--" "--to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I any different?" He struggled on the verge of speech, but with a contemptuous look she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole....

Day 30: Anything "If she means so much to you," said Dumbledore, "surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for the mother, in exchange for the son?" "I have--I have asked him--" "You disgust me," said Dumbledore, and Harry had never heard so much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to drink a little. "You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?" Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore. "Hide them all, then," he croaked. "Keep her--them--safe. Please." "And what will you give me in return, Severus?" "In--in return?" Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after a long moment he said, "Anything."

[pepsi-maxwell]

dynamite thoughts under the readmore

* i ffffffucking hate judas <3

* no honor in the title any more ugh god

* garcia at the back giving the most half-hearted of fives makes things a little better at least

* thinking swerve caster thoughts right now

* OH MY GOD YES MY BOYS AND NEW!!!!!!!

* kinda sad to see the end of siog but now we can have the swerve/keith lee breakup/singles runs and rerun gunn club vs the acclaimed with higher stakes eeek!

* also love to think mjf sent the gunn club out as revenge to fuck with ftr

* MJF YUTA REPRISE???

* oh my god yuta! on the mic!! SLAPPING MY BOY!!! (he deserves it)

* oooh orange choosing violence today

* FUCK i thought he was gonna take the title with those ddts

* lmao pac playing it off to remsburg like he did nothing, love him

* do not get why this has to be a 4 way match but god i hope it advances the jamie/britt breakup

* new music for athena <3 and the skull mask instead of the wings ooooh

* FUCK OFFFFFFF JAMIE BABE YOU'RE BETTER THAN HER just split them up ughhhhhhhh

* not sure how to feel about saraya debuting given her injuries but i guess it's kinda like bryan danielson's situation? hmm.

* really bothers me that darby's segments are always so interesting given it's darby lmao

* main event time!

* max in his special box <3 half wanted him to be sitting on a ring post the entire time

* man they are really making sure you can't forget him in this, he's visible in like every shot, looking like some hedonistic emperor whose jesters are performing violence for him

* sad that it wasn't bryan and that mjf didn't fuck it up dramatically </3

[hobbitsetal]

@loubuttons, ask and you shall receive.

~~

I've spent the last two years deconstructing and reconstructing my faith, and one of the things I've wrestled with and ultimately rejected is complementarianism, the view that men were created to lead and women to follow and submit. That is not the subject of this post.

Tied into the complementarian worldview I was taught was the belief that a woman's highest calling, and indeed her primary daughter, is to be a stay-at-home wife and mother. Now, while I currently am a SAHM, I do not think I'm theologically obligated to be one, nor is that my only or primary designation. It's part of my life right now, as dental assisting was my life for twelve years.

Rachel Jankovic is a complementarian (though perhaps she would say patriarchal, given that her father is Doug Wilson) who advocates the SAHM lifestyle as The Theologically Correct Way For Women. A loved one whose views I have diverged from sent me an article by Jankovic:

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-harvest-of-homemaking

I'm here today to pick apart what I disagreed with most strongly. Under a readmore, because turns out I have a lot to say.

First of all, Jankovic begins her article with talking about how mothers who stay at home are pitied and considered to be using less than their full potential.

To quote: "For a generation at least, homemaking has been spoken of as a prison-like existence that stifles a woman’s gifts — as though homemakers have less ambition than others, less ability, less scope, less understanding."

I'm not sure who she's been talking to. My experience with me or my husband mentioning I stay home has been that people either respond with a degree of envy or laugh about the challenges of raising a small, active, and inquisitive boy.

She speaks of moms who complain on social media--specifically TikTok--that their families don't appreciate their work, and calls that sort of complaining the result of "worldly propaganda," making the point that women who stay at home just need to see the inherent value in their work.

In a lot of ways, I don't disagree. Contentment is a choice. Joy is a choice. Paul speaks of learning to be content in situations that ranged from beatings to imprisonment; I can certainly learn to choose contentment and joy when my son drops crumbs all over the carpet that I just vacuumed. But I take strong issue with her hermeneutics, her tone, and her belief that SAHM is the only Godly choice for Christian women.

She says, "Scripture is the basis for my commitment to being a homemaker, and if I never saw any other reason to love it, never saw the fruit, never understood the importance of the role, that should still be enough. ... At this point, some readers may have rolled their eyes because I mentioned Titus 2 and Proverbs 31 in the same embarrassingly uncool paragraph. Why is that? Could it be because you have been trained to despise passages like these? Could it be that you have listened to countless people explaining them away? Could it be that you have taken in enough worldly propaganda that you feel free to look down on the tone of the word of God and those who embrace it?"

Actually, no. Her exegesis of Titus 2 is lacking--Paul wrote to a specific situation, as Marg Mowzcko talks about here: https://margmowczko.com/busy-at-home-how-does-titus-24-5-apply-today/ .

Further, Proverbs 31 speaks of a woman engaged in business, not just running her house. Real estate, physical labor, delegation--the woman of Proverbs 31 isn't necessarily a SAHM, not with everything she's doing.

If I roll my eyes at Jankovic's invocation of these two passages of Scripture, it's because they are the go-to passages for patriarchs trying to limit women's gifts. It's because there are so many more passages we could look at when exploring the question of how Christian women ought to live (1 Corinthians 13? book of James? Philippians? anybody?) and I don't care for articles that assume my reaction like this.

I take issue, too, with Jankovic's dismissal of women's complaints:

"When I read those sorrowful monologues about the mental load, about how much it all weighs on the poor woman, about how unfair it all is, about how husbands should be responsible for far more housekeeping, all I can see is that women are suffering from the horrible pairing of trying to do the Lord’s work with the attitude of those who hate him. There will be no joy of obedience there. There will be no fruit of free giving there. There will be no strength and laughter and dignity there, because there is a thick fog of accusation, discontent, and envy."

Really? Women who complain about housekeeping are all malcontents who just need to have more joy and love God better? Somehow, I'm deeply skeptical of that.

Raising children is hard. Keeping house can be a lot of work. I have it easy right now--I'm in a small apartment and I only have one child who takes two naps per day--and I am profoundly grateful some days when my husband comes home and takes our son for a while.

Housekeeper is an entire job unto itself, as is childcare, cooking, and the other zillion tasks that go into running a house. My mother, when she had five children under ten, hired someone to clean her house twice a month because she couldn't keep up with everything alone. She had that privilege as the wife of a military officer. Most people don't have the disposable income to hire someone.

So what of the women who complain their husbands don't help with housekeeping? Maybe some of them are being malcontents. But I'm willing to bet a lot more feel like they aren't receiving the support they need.

My husband listened to me complain about communal laundry and immediately offered to take over the laundry for me so I wouldn't have to worry about it. How many husbands would respond by offering to take on more work in addition to their weekly jobs?

And that's just housecleaning. What about the women who want a little break from childcare, from the constant On of looking after tiny people, or some help with the cooking? How many of them have to fight for personal time, and how many of them have husbands who go out of their way to care for their wives' needs?

I'm further peeved by the way she elevates keeping the home:

"Is there any other work I could be doing that would be this exponentially fruitful or influential? A hundred years from now, I hope there are people who do not know my name or remember me, but nevertheless carry about with them seeds of faithful living that were first planted in the soil of this home."

Listen. I'm not here to denigrate the work of SAHMs. My mother put a lot of work into raising us kids; my sister and sisters-in-law are raising their children with care and thoughtfulness. Heck, I am a SAHM and a large part of that is that I want to pour time and attention into my children.

But any other work? Yeah, actually, a lot of fields. My twelve years in dentistry were exponentially fruitful and influential; I helped a lot of people overcome their fear of dentists and live healthier lives.

Or how about my nurse friend? She literally saves lives. Pretty sure we can regard that as exponentially fruitful and influential.

I can go on about this one for quite some time--my parents' work as Biblical counselors, my sister's career as a piano teacher and accompanist, my friend who works in ministry--but let's not belabor the point. The idea that raising children is The Most Fruitful Work any woman could do ever is insulting to the range of human capability and experience. Not every woman wants children. Not every woman enjoys children. And beyond that, not every woman can have children. Does this mean their work for God is less important? God forbid we say that.

The implications of claiming children are the pinnacle of Christian womanhood are far-reaching and dreadful. If children are the pinnacle of Christian womanhood, then any woman who doesn't have children--whether from celibacy, medical necessity, or personal choices--is failing to live up to God's Best For Her. She becomes a spiritual cripple in this view.

We are not spiritual cripples in Christ. God's best for us is that we become more like Him, that we are united to Him fully. Our gender doesn't matter, our ethnicity, our marital status, our parental status. Those play into our stories and into who we are as people, but when it comes to who we are in Christ, they don't matter.

"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:27-28

And whether we are stay-at-home mothers, working women, single or married, we are all in Christ. We are all precious to God, and we are all united. I am not better because I'm staying home. I am not closer to God or living The Ideal Christian Life more than my friends who are working, single, childless.

Rachel Jankovic's mindset leads to heartbreak. Christ offers healing and joy. And whatever path He leads us in, may we find that joy fully.

[mushiewrites]

Hi Mushie! <3

I saw you rb'd a post about anons sending you questions so I am sending you some questions... except Im not on anon :P

If you don't feel like answering (all of) these thats completely fine too!! These were just off the top of my head! (Btw sorry for how long this ask is, you can't put readmore's in asks sadly)

1. What would you say is your fav color/ are your top three fav colors?

2. Sunrises or sunsets?

3. Fav animals as a kid vs now?

4. Current fav song if you have one atm/ how often do you listen to music?

5. Do you like to sing?

6. What do you like most about your art? What got you into drawing?

7. Whats the best season/weather?

8. Do you like thunderstorms? Do you like snow?

9. Do you have plants? If yes, how many?

10. Did you drink enough water today? If no, drink some rn this is a threath!

Juno 💗🥺 I love long asks so no need to apologize! For whatever reason mobile also doesn’t ever let me do the “read more” thingy so, I’m used to it 😂 The questions are a welcoming distraction so thank you, I appreciate you so much 😭

1. Okay my all time favorite color is like a teal blue-green? Like if you look up “blue green crayola crayon” that’s my favorite 😂 But second and third favs would have to be probably lavender and mint green maybe? Black also tbh

2. I am literally obsessed with the sky at any time of day, but I prefer evening / nights. I love cotton candy sunsets and starry nights ✨

3. When I was little I think it went in order from giraffe to elephants to wolves to cows to sharks to orcas….I still love all of them now but I’d say cats, orcas and sharks are my top 3. I have tattoos of an orca and a cat, I’m gonna get one of a shark too! (*an extra bit of mushie lore: I have a half sleeve on my left forearm that’s just all animals so rn I have the cat and orca, a moth, and a snake! My next one is gonna be the shark for sure)

4. OOF music related questions. More ~mushie lore~, I was a music nerd. I was in band, choir, advanced choir, music theory, marching band, theatre…..etc. I also was a music major in college 😬 So you can imagine how often I’m surrounded by music. I listen to it every single day, I don’t know how people go without it. I’d say right now, I’m currently just listening to Sabrina Carpenters new album “emails I can’t send” on repeat. But from THAT album, I’d say “because I liked a boy” OR “how many things” are the two I listen to the most! All time fav song…..that is genuinely so hard to pick but maybe “I love you” by Billie Eilish bc it always hurts me in the best way

5. I do be singing literally daily 😂 I used to get leads in musicals and stuff but I also don’t think I’m very good. BUT that being said I’ve had multiple people try and make me audition for shows like the x factor lmfao so do whatever you’d like with that information

6. So at the moment I’m not really sure there’s anything I like about my art. I’m kind of in a funk where I think everything I do just isn’t really that good. Which is dumb and not true! Because I know that I’ve been proud of things I’ve made. But yeah…I’m not sure. How I got into art was actually through my dad. He would always have canvases at his house and he would always encourage me to create stuff. So when I was younger and throughout like grade school I was really good, I was in advanced art classes and groups and in art shows and all that. But I kind of got out of it for a bit and just started up again in 2020. And I’m definitely more of a painter now, although I have been mainly drawing to try and get skill back

7. best season hands down is autumn. My favorite weather is stormy and cloudy, a little chilly so I can just wear a big sweater or hoodie and feel nice and cozy

8. Oop, I kind of answered the thunderstorm question. As for snow…..not really. I think it’s beautiful to look at and I love when it’s cold outside, but I don’t like being outside in it or driving in it

9. I have HELLA plants. Except they’re all fake 😎 I have probably around 20-30 in my room, I have an issue

10. It’s 9AM but I haven’t slept in like 36 hours so I don’t know what counts as today and what doesn’t….I have coffee currently and I have water!

Juno you are a lovely human and I am so grateful to have you in my inbox 💗