#not a long chapter but a very very important one

[omgfangirlland]

The Shadows That Nurture 11

Ch 12 is done and I'm kinda foaming at the mouth to give it to y'all- but I need to wait to finish ch 13-

Enjoy!

Masterlist || First || previous<< Chapter 11 >>next

Finding The Immortal was harder than expected but you weren’t surprised. Cecil worked The Guardians to the bone, you were sure. Nevertheless, you found him in the end, quickly flying next to him to greet him.

Surprised, the man looked at you before giving a small, weary smile while greeting you back. “This may sound crazy and like I’m digging into your life, and I understand if you don’t wish to speak about it, but I really need-“ You stopped as soon as he grabbed your shoulders, making you both stop midair and face each other. “It’s okay, take a breath.”

“See- that’s the thing! I don’t need to breathe, I don’t need to eat, I can’t die because I’m immortal like you due to magic and I need to talk to someone who gets it because this past week I feel everyone’s been acting crazy and it’s making me feel crazy- And- and I’ve lost you.” You looked at the shocked man. “You’re immortal?...”

“Yep.” You nod. “… Long story?” The Immortal asks slowly, getting the same response in return. His beeper goes off and without even looking at it he turns it off. “That may have been important.” You pointed it out, but he just chuckled and smiled. “This is important too. I’m sure the others can do well without me for a bit. Now, how about we talk over some food? I know this little family dinner in Las Vegas.” You relaxed, nodding at his suggestion.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“- and then he just tells me to be careful around certain magical weapons because they might hurt me- Like dude, you told me I’m immortal, taught me a bit of magic, and then dipped telling me to see him in a week at the same spot- he could have at least given me a way to contact him after telling me that something might kill me!” You sigh and take a bite of your burger and fries. “You were right, by the way, this is a great spot.”

Immortal chuckles at your complaint. “At least there is someone who is helping.” He furrowed his brows as he also ate bits of his steak. “Or is trying. I had a mental breakdown the first time I realized that I’m not aging and keep defying death.”

“Two days after I had a panic attack thinking about how everyone I love will eventually die, even Nolan and Mark- sure it’ll take a few centuries but that’s still nothing to immortality! The old bastard has been acting weird since I told them too, and Luthor keeps annoying me about his blasted party- which I’m like 90% sure is a front for my birthday- and today I’m supposed to meet the British bastard, but before I have to visit someone else-”

“Breathe, it’ll be fine, you’ll live.” The ancient man tried to reassure you with a small joke about the situation. “I can’t give much advice about this- your immortality seems very different from mine, and to be honest, I never actively think about it considering how sensible of a subject it is. Especially the ‘how many people will pass right by you’ topic. It’s…”

“Terrifying?” He sighs and nods at the completion. “It’s nice to know I’m not alone anymore, and that you thought I’d be the best person to talk about it with.” He plays with his food. “Therapists say that it’s good to talk about your feelings, right? I think it will be great for us both to talk openly about it- I don’t have a phone, but I do hang by the hero memorial stone every other Sunday- if, you know-“

“I’d love that, thank you Immortal…Abraham? Have you chosen a new name?” As your soft smile turned to a confused look the man only laughed, assuring you to call him whatever. Perhaps after that many years, names do lose their importance, or maybe it was the fact that he never had one when he was born in the Stone Age that could be translated to New World speech. “The honey pancakes are to die for, by the way.” His choice of words makes you snort with amusement.

“…You and Lex Luthor are friends?” He asks, a mix of confusion and surprise filling his tone. You just give a long sigh. “Friends is such a strong word…”

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

You waited patiently in front of the manor’s front entrance, smiling once the doors opened, immediately being greeted by the butler. “I’ll never hear you call me by my first name, will I Sanford?” You teased the older man as he led you through the halls. “I fear not, ma’am.” He smiled as he bowed, leaving you once you walked by him, getting closer to Samson.

You set the little box of treats on the accent table in between the two armchairs as you took your place across Samson while you both greeted each other. “How have you been? How’s that suit going?” Your soft-spoken questions are met with a defeated sigh and a shrug. “It’ll take two more days.”

“You know… You don’t need the suit or powers to do some good. Let me finish, please-” You quickly interrupted. These men were always so quick to jump the gun. “You’re rotting here. I’m not telling you to drop the suit but in these two days, you could go see the outside. It won’t kill you. There is this kid, Adam. He is staying at the hospital I volunteer at and he’s quite a big fan of Black Samson-“

“He’d be disappointed to see me-“ You swiftly but gently tapped his foot. “He’s one of the kids you saved when you lost your powers, Sam. He saw you lose your powers and still hold up kilograms of ruble just so he could have a chance at escape. That boy admires you now more than ever. You need to face things and it’ll be better for you if you do it before you feel like you’re worthy again just because you’ve got powers again.”

“That’s harsh, kid.” Samson almost pouted. “Learned from the best.” You shrug and he smiles. A moment of silence passes between you two before he finally asks where the hospital is.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

John was on his tenth cigarette, he was showing great restraint, really. He knew he made a mistake in asking Zatanna for help, but he seemed unable to do the opposite lately. They both had been arguing for an hour, Constantine knew that the girl would take to Zee like a cat to catnip, but this was making him regret letting Zatanna know more beyond a magical kid needs help. “I’m just saying- maybe Batman should know, she’s his kid-“

“The numpty has been locking her up in his mansion and ignoring her for years, her daft siblings too. The rogues had to raise and give her the attention Bruce wasn’t willing to.” He scratched at his chin before taking another puff.

“Maybe Bruce-“ John didn’t let her finish. “Don’t. Don’t you dare finish that, Zee. She’s just a kid- a kid who ran away because she thought Batman would kill her. Between the two of us, you should know better. You’re giving him too much grace.”

“Are you two mind reading or just mean mugging each other? Sorry for being late, by the way. Was finishing my project and lost track of time.” Your voice broke the two from their argument.  Zatanna looked at John with a raised eyebrow. “She doesn’t look like the little kid you described.” John clears his throat, brushing off the comment on his manipulation before he introduces the two. “I thought it would be good to expose you to different kinds of magic-“

“You’re ditching me.” John choked on his words as you crossed your arms, quickly denying the accusation. “- It’s just- I- Zatanna is a great Elemental mage, I thought you’d like to learn more about Umbrakinesis-“ Zatanna, at John’s rambling and pleading look, stepped forward. “It’s nice to finally meet you, John spoke highly of you.”

You gave her a gentle smile as you came closer and landed in front of her. “I doubt that, though, it’s nice to meet you too. Love your shows.” Your eyes moved to Constantine. “So, you two are going to teach me how to manipulate shadows? Can I learn the other elements and the mind-reading thingy you both were doing?”

“Telepathy, love.” John sighs as you give him a blank stare and double down. “Mind-reading thingy.” Zatanna chuckles softly at the look of pure defeat on John’s face.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Dinner was quiet. For the past week it’s been awkward, especially as Nolan kept missing dinners and breakfasts, and seemingly avoiding you and Mark specifically. “So… how has your day been?” Debbie asks, trying to lighten the mood.

“Amber and I got together, like- for real. And I mostly dealt with small stuff today. Robberies, Elephant Man, three times, the sort… Did dad text or- call, at least?” Mark mumbles, tired and slightly sore. Debbie shook her head. “No, but I’m sure he’s fine.”

You shrug once all eyes are on you. “Talked to Immortal about- you know. Also trained my magic some more and found out some elemental magic just hates me. Water tried to drown me…” You glared at the glass as you spoke, getting up with a groan after you finished half of the food. “My everything hurts. I’ll go sleep, thanks for the meal mama.”

“Aren’t you going to wait for dad?” Debbie asks softly, trying to hide her worry. You just shake your head and take your plate to trash the remains and put it in the sink. “Nah. He wants to act like the sperm donor, he’s going to get treated as such. Besides, gotta check up with my friends in Gotham. Good night.” You waved her off, not noticing Mark’s brows furrowing.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

While Hal was gaging as he encased the mangled body of The Joker, calling for the Watchtower to notify Batman that Joker had been found, Red Hood and the Sirens were celebrating, well- Jason and Harley were.

“Batman is going to be angry.” Pamela sighs in her wine glass. “Batman? Angry? Why, he’d never.” Selina joked, laughing before sipping on her own wine glass. “He’ll bust a vein when he finds out it was our little hero who did it.” Selina’s eyes catch Jason’s figure as he tries to climb onto her coffee table. “Wait- No! It’s-“ She and Pam cringe as the table wrecks to the side, the man’s body making a loud thud as he kisses the ground.

“Broken.” Catwoman sighs. “You good kid?” Ivy asks, almost being drowned by Harley's hysterical laughing. “I’m amazing! Best day of my life!” He slurs, giving two thumbs up before dropping his hands and groaning. “B-man is going to be so mad.”

Tag list: @bat1212 @trashlanternfish360 @shycreatorreview @syrooo @a-lurking-fae @alittletiredcry @kittzu @plsfckmedxddy @blackhood1229 @nxdxsworld @leeiasure @dandelion-delusion @lovebug-apple @sillysealsies @tsxukikami @enchantingarcadecreation @alishii @d3nnji @itsberrydreemurstuff @yuyuzi-ling @welpthisisboring @1abi @mxvoid26 @persephone-kore-law @bluevenus19 @ryuushou

[nameless-jamie]

Hi, your PA series is amazing! Can you write a fic about the team celebrating a big win and some people try to flirt with both PA and Jamie but they are so absorbed by each other they dont even notice other people? And the team notices and starts a bet when they'll stop being idiots amd get together, so Richard decides he wants to win and a couple days later he starts flirting with PA (because I imagine Richard flirting with women is his only way of comunicating with them) so PA is not bothered and thinks 'oh just Richard being Richard', Jamie is so confused he's speechless and the team has a laugh. And afterwhards Jamie shyly tries to find out from PA or Richard what the hell is going on.

Thanks :)

Bet On It

Masterlist

Jamie Tartt x fem! PA reader

TW: cursing, flirting, suggestive language

A/N: Thank you for this awesome request. The bet part is going to be very important to Jamie and PA's story, so thank you for that! Also it is a very long chapter and I've been writing it for ages, I don't wanna spam so I'll schedule it for some day...

The pub is buzzing with energy. AFC Richmond had just secured a massive win, and the entire team, staff, and their closest friends had taken over their usual spot at the Crown & Anchor. Pints were flowing, chants were being sung off-key, and spirits were soaring.

Y/N is there, obviously. Jamie had made a whole thing about how she had to come—something about “ya can’t celebrate a win if ya don’t have the best PA in the league with ya”—so she hadn’t stood a chance.

In the middle of of the bustling chaos celebration, Jamie and Y/N were exactly where they always were—next to each other.

They had claimed a small corner booth, sitting so close their knees brushed under the table. Their drinks sat untouched as they laughed over something ridiculous, because, of course, Jamie had ordered the most absurd drink on the menu: the 'Red Card', which came with a tiny plastic whistle attached to the straw.

Y/N was still giggling as Jamie twirled the whistle between his fingers. “Oi, don't laugh, this is class,” he said, grinning as he took a sip.

“It’s literally just a vodka cranberry with a fancy name,” Y/N teased, shaking her head.

Jamie gasped dramatically. “No, it’s got passionfruit syrup. Proper exotic.”

“Oh wow, passionfruit? That totally justifies the fact that it came with a side of gummy footballs,” Y/N deadpanned, picking up one of the tiny candies.

Jamie smirked, leaning in slightly. Too close, too warm. “Bet ya won’t eat it.”

Y/N narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“‘Cause they’ve been sittin’ in that jar at the bar since the 2014 World Cup,” he said, nodding towards the counter.

Y/N immediately dropped the gummy. “Jamie!” she shrieked, laughing.

Jamie cackled. “See? You need me to keep ya safe.”

“Oh yeah, protecting me from stale candy is really heroic,” she quipped, rolling her eyes.

They were wrapped up in each other, completely oblivious to everything else happening around them. They barely even noticed when Sam and Dani slid into the booth across from them, smirking.

“You two are disgusting,” Sam declared, taking a sip of his beer.

Jamie frowned. “Nah, this drink’s actually well nice. And we didn't even eat the gummies, so.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Sam muttered under his breath, exchanging a knowing look with Dani.

But before Y/N could question it, Keeley and Rebecca waved her over from across the room.

She nudged Jamie’s knee with hers as she stood. “I’m gonna go talk to them for a bit.”

Jamie pouted dramatically. “Oi, don’t be gone too long, yeah?”

Y/N rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of pink on her cheeks. “Try not to get another ridiculous drink while I’m gone.”

“No promises,” Jamie called after her, grinning.

And that’s where everything started to spiral a little bit.

The evening kept going on and on. Spirits were high. The music’s loud, drinks are flowing, and Richmond is riding the high of a victory that had the entire stadium on its feet.

Jamie, of course, is loving it.

He’s alone now, perched at a booth near the bar, lounging back like he owns the place, sipping his ridiculous drink. A girl—tall, blonde, very much into footballers—leans against the table, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

“So,” she says, all sultry. “You were incredible tonight. Saw the game on the telly.”

Jamie flashes her a quick, polite smile. “Yeah, I know.”

She laughs, clearly thinking he’s flirting back. "You must be exhausted. You should let someone… take care of you."

Jamie blinks. "What, like a physio?"

She pouts. "Like me."

But Jamie isn’t paying attention anymore, because across the room, Y/N is also getting hit on.

Some guy—tall, good-looking in a finance-bro kind of way—is leaning way too close, grinning down at her like he’s won the lottery.

"So, what do you do at Richmond?" the guy asks, flashing a cocky smile.

"I'm Jamie Tartt's personal assistant," Y/N replies easily, taking a sip of her drink.

The guy raises a brow. "Oh? That must be… exhausting. Bet he has you running around all day."

Y/N smirks. "Yeah, well, he's a handful. But I keep him in check."

Finance-Bro laughs, taking this as an invitation to keep going. "Bet a girl like you deserves a little break. How about I buy you a drink?"

Jamie physically flinches.

The almost-forgotten blonde girl notices. "You alright?"

Jamie waves her off. "Yeah, yeah—hold up, sorry, what'd you say?"

But she’s already gone, rolling her eyes as she walks away.

Jamie doesn’t care.

Because now? He’s glaring at that guy again.

Across the pub, the Richmond boys watched the scene unfold with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Y/N had returned to the booth after her chat with Keeley and Rebecca, sliding right back into her spot next to Jamie as if drawn by some unspoken gravitational pull. The two were locked in their own little world again—laughing, teasing, Jamie leaning in way too close just to whisper something in her ear that made her swat at his arm with a smile.

It was painfully obvious to everyone watching. Except, of course, to them.

Sam, beer in hand, shook his head in disbelief. “Are they serious?”

Dani sighed dramatically. “So in love and yet, so blind!”

“Unbelievable,” Colin scoffed, arms crossed. “They’re literally flirtin’ with each other every day, but the second a random person tries, they’re suddenly deaf to it?”

The team had just witnessed it firsthand.

Not five minutes ago, some bloke in an expensive-looking jacket had been chatting Y/N up by the bar. She had been polite—maybe even a little amused—but completely unaffected. Meanwhile, across the room, a girl had been twirling her hair and giggling at everything Jamie said, and he hadn’t even noticed. Jamie Tartt hadn't even noticed!

Jamie had barely glanced at her, too busy craning his neck to see if Y/N was coming back.

They were ridiculous.

Jan Maas huffed. “Five quid says they’ll keep doing this for at least another month.”

Isaac perked up. “Oh, we bettin’ now, bruv?”

He immediately stood, cracking his knuckles like this was serious business.

“Alright,” Isaac declared, pointing at Jan Maas. “One month. Jan Maas. Noted.”

Dani grinned. “Two months.”

Colin tapped his chin. “One month. No, wait—three weeks.”

“Three weeks?” Sam echoed. “That’s bold.”

“I’m an optimist,” Colin said, shrugging.

Jan Maas scoffed. “You are a fool. They will never confess because they are cowards.”

Isaac let out a low whistle. “Harsh.”

“I am only honest,” Jan Maas replied.

“Two weeks,” Isaac announced, crossing his arms. “Tops.”

The boys all turned expectantly to Richard.

But Richard just smirked and swirled his wine. “Oh, no. I will simply… speed things along.”

Thierry nudged him. “You’re not betting?”

Richard shrugged, ever the picture of confidence. “Why would I bet when I can guarantee a win?”

The team exchanged wary glances.

They all knew exactly what that meant.

“...Richard,” Sam said cautiously. “What are you planning?”

Richard simply took a leisurely sip of his drink. “You will see. Put me down for one day.”

The rest of the team watched him suspiciously as he glanced over at Y/N and Jamie.

Jamie was currently leaning in close, again whispering something in Y/N’s ear that made her laugh.

Richard smirked. Time to make things interesting.

As expected a day later, Richard makes his move.

It starts at lunch.

Y/N is mid-bite when Richard slides into the seat beside her, all effortless charm and intentional mischief.

"Ah, ma chérie," he croons, reaching for her hand dramatically. “How is it that every time I see you, you grow even more beautiful?”

Y/N barely looks up from her sandwich. "Mmhm. Thanks, Richard."

Undeterred, he tilts his head, smirking. “You know, I have written poetry about women like you.”

Y/N finally looks at him, lips twitching. “Yeah? Lemme guess. ‘There once was a girl from London town…’”

Richard chuckles. “Non, non. More elegant. More… French.”

Jamie, sitting across the table, furrows his brows. His fork is frozen halfway to his mouth as he watches this unfold.

What. The. Fuck.

Richard keeps going. “Ah, you do not believe me? Perhaps I shall recite it for you, oui?”

Y/N laughs, shaking her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

Jamie blinks.

Wait. That’s it? That’s all she’s gonna say?

Richard is laying it on thick, calling her ‘ma chérie’ and acting like some French Casanova, and she’s just laughing? Richard can't believe it.

Jamie however shoves a bite of food into his mouth, chewing aggressively.

But it only gets worse.

Later that day, it happens again.

This time, in the locker room.

Y/N is talking to Will when Richard casually drapes an arm around her shoulders like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“Ah, la plus belle femme du monde,” Richard sighs dreamily. “You must tell me, how is it possible that you are here every day, yet I still lose my breath when I see you?”

Y/N snorts. "Alright, Romeo. How many times have you used that line?"

Richard gasps, clutching his chest. “You wound me, Y/N.”

She pats his cheek. “Aw, you’re such a cutie, Rich.”

Jamie short-circuits. His entire body goes rigid. Because—what the actual fuck?

Did she just call him cute?

Colin, sitting nearby, is already cackling.

Jamie snaps his head toward Sam. “Oi.”

Sam looks up innocently. “Yes?”

Jamie gestures wildly at Y/N and Richard. “The fuck is goin’ on?”

Sam blinks. “What do you mean?”

Jamie waves a hand. "He’s bein’ all… French at her! He don’t usually do that, right?"

Sam shrugs. “Oh, you know Richard. He flirts with everyone.”

“Yeah, but—not her,” Jamie argues. “Like—not this much.”

Sam tilts his head. "Why? Do you have a problem with it?"

Jamie freezes. “What? No. Just weird, innit?”

Sam hums, suppressing a grin. “Interesting.”

Jamie glares. “It’s not.”

Sam just smirks. Because it very much is. And Jamie Tartt?

Jamie Tartt is about to lose his goddamn mind.

Later, in the locker room, Jamie corners Sam, arms crossed, brows furrowed.

"Oi," he says, voice low and serious. "Don't fuck around with me right now. Be honest, Sam. What the fuck is goin’ on with Richard?"

Sam looks up from tying his laces, blinking innocently. "I literally have no idea what you are talking about, Jamie."

Jamie gestures wildly. "He’s obviously flirtin’ with Y/N! Am I fuckin' goin' insane right now or are you lot just blind?"

Sam tilts his head. "And what if he was flirting?"

Jamie lets out a sharp scoff. “What d’you mean ‘what if he was’? That's not okay, right? Like—she's mine—my assistant I mean. And mans is callin' her ‘ma chérie’ and shit.”

Sam barely holds in a laugh.

"It's not fuckin' funneh!" Jamie insists, voice rising slightly.

Sam studies him, amused. "It bothers you. Do something about it."

Jamie opens his mouth—then immediately closes it.

Because the statement was very obvious.

But he can’t just say that.

He scratches the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at Sam. "It don’t. She can do whatever she wants, so yeah."

Sam hums, way too entertained by this. "Right."

Jamie glares. “Fuck you, mate.”

Sam smirks, but says nothing.

Because at this point, Jamie is digging his own grave.

The locker room is nearly empty when Jamie spots Y/N grabbing her bag from the bench. He hesitates, heart racing for reasons he can't fully explain, but he has to do this.

Jamie walks up to her, trying to act casual, but his voice comes out a little more strained than he planned.

"So," he begins, shifting on his feet. "You and Richard, yeah?"

Y/N raises an eyebrow, not quite sure what he’s getting at. "What about me and Richard?" she asks, her tone curious but not overly suspicious.

Jamie scratches the back of his neck. "Y’know… he’s, uh… been flirtin’ with ya."

Y/N lets out a short, surprised laugh, not a bit phased by the whole situation. "Oh, please. That’s just Richard."

Jamie blinks.

"What?"

Y/N shrugs, clearly dismissing the concern as nothing. "Jamie, he’s Richard." Her voice softens, almost like she’s explaining something obvious. "He flirts with everyone, especially me. He’s a flirt. It’s what he does. You’ve known him long enough."

Jamie stares at her, a mix of confusion and relief battling inside him.

So… she doesn’t like him? Richard’s flirtation is just… a thing Richard does?

It’s almost like a weight lifts off his chest, but that weight is immediately replaced by an even heavier, more uncomfortable feeling—one that Jamie can’t quite put a finger on yet. His mind starts to spiral.

“Right.” He rubs his face, trying to come off like it’s no big deal, but Y/N can see through it. She can always see through him.

"Jamie, you okay?" she asks, her voice soft but teasing. She knows he’s not acting like himself.

Jamie glances away quickly, his heart thumping harder than it should. He’s so relieved that he doesn’t have to worry about Richard and Y/N becoming a thing. Still, he’s struggling to make sense of why it felt so wrong when Richard was all over her.

But then his eyes flicker up, and he notices something he hadn't before.

The team.

Standing at the entrance to the locker room. Watching.

Watching him.

These idiots were fucking with him.

He turned back to Y/N. "Yeah, I'm all good. Just Jamie bein' Jamie, yeah?"

Y/N looked at him, now equally confused. "I guess."

"You want to grab a pint?" Jamie said, not letting her answer the question and quickly grabbing her by her wrist. "Alright, c'mon then,"

They walked past the whole team, Y/N wasn't even wondering why they all stood there. Jamie just mouthed a 'Fuck You' towards all of them and pulled Y/N along.

Richard is officially the first to lose the bet.

[internet1girl]

Chapter 9: Collision of Two Worlds.

Pairing: Johnny Cage x Fem!Reader

Summary: 😊

Word count: 5.0k Warnings/Notices: named!reader, johnny cage shenanigans

First Chapter / Previous Part

A/N: 😊

The past week has mostly been uneventful, but still good regardless. Liu Kang hasn’t selected you for any more missions recently, so you’ve been spending all of your time in and around Sun Do. You didn’t tell him, or anyone, but a break from all of these excursions was so nice.

All of this free time to yourself. At first, you didn’t know what to do. Lounging around and being unproductive felt… wrong, like you were wasting time (even though you literally had time to waste). You wanted to get the most out of your time here, in Outworld. So what did you end up doing? Why, spend the week training, exercising and studying in the palace’s library, of course!

Sometimes, it was like the meaning of rest was completely foreign to you.

彡彡彡

Johnny was also enjoying the week, the recent lack of work or anything important to do had given him plenty of free time. Plenty of time to himself. It was great!

He'd mostly been occupying himself with a mix of activities. Training, hanging with the boys, lounging around and, of course, screwing Kitana. Unfortunately for him, she's been busy for a lot of the past week! Princess duties or something like that. Johnny hadn't seen her nearly as much as he would've liked to. How unfair.

Whatever, though. There was more to life than having sex. He had all the time in the realms, and a large foreign city to explore. The world was his!

The fact that he kept thinking about you throughout the week was a little weird, though.

彡彡彡

All this to-ing and fro-ing, the past week had been busy for you. You didn’t even take one day of rest, you didn’t want to. Being alone with your own thoughts always turned depressing, without fail. Hiroshi this, your adolescence that, it was all too much. You’ve always been like this, occupying yourself as much as possible. For you, it felt right, like you were fulfilling your ‘purpose’ or whatever. And yet… there was one thought that kept reappearing occasionally throughout the week. You just couldn’t seem to get rid of it. It and his stupid smirk kept you up at night. He would be the only thing on your mind at the late hours, under your sheets.

Coming to terms with your romantic feelings towards Johnny was a bitter pill to swallow. The realisation that you did indeed like him, more than a friend should, made a part of you want to scream. You just… couldn’t stand it. Him? Of all people? Why? The noble, honourable, respectable woman that you are, how could you feel this way about this pompous, arrogant prat? Why? Why him? But… another part of you fully understood why. Him saving you from your close assault was the straw that broke the camel’s back, the kick that sent your view of him from platonic into something more. Johnny was amazing, unlike any man you’d ever met. Strong, kind, admittedly very funny and an excellent fighter. Even his typical irritation had a certain charm to it, it was weird. Also, probably the key factor, he was so unbelievably attractive. You just couldn’t convince yourself otherwise anymore. Johnny was one of the most handsome men you’d ever seen. He was a marble sculpture come to life, a work of art. Every time you saw him, it was like you were being tested by the Elder Gods. His voice was so smooth and sultry, it made the butterflies in your stomach go crazy whenever you heard it. He was so jaw-droppingly fine, you couldn’t help but stare at him for a little too long whenever you thought you could get away with it. He was so frustratingly funny, you had to fight hard not to give him what he wanted and laugh at his jokes. You wanted him, badly.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

You woke up late today, the morning had long since commenced by the time your eyes eventually opened. Your heart sunk when you checked the time. It was the afternoon, you’d slept in! You flopped back onto your mattress with a groan, running your hands down your face. You couldn't believe how lazy you’d been. Extra training was due, punishment for being a slouch.

So that’s what you did. You spent the rest of the afternoon training, honing your kombat prowess. You’d been pouring your hours into this, pushing yourself to your limits over and over. Sometimes, you would think about taking a break, to ease the strain on your body, but you quickly discarded that idea. You didn’t need a break. You were fine. You weren’t weak, you’re strong. Strong, independent, capable. That's what you are. What you had to be.

By now, it was evening. Sun Do’s amber skies were darkening with each passing hour. It wouldn’t be long before night befell the city. You were still training in the palace dojo, going at it like there was no tomorrow. You were one of the only few people still in the training grounds, everyone else had either gone home or was out in the city. Not that the lack of people bothered you, though. You were too caught up in your own practice to care.

Your pace was fast, unforgiving and unrelenting. You were ruthlessly striking the training dummy, loud clangs echoed around the arena as the bō staff hit the faux figure in front. Today’s gym outfit, a simple green crop-top and some black pants, was dotted with patches of sweat. An excellent sign of your work.

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.

“Hey.”

CLANG!

The sudden sound of somebody’s voice from behind made you hit the dummy a little too hard. You winced, grimacing at the piercing overstimulation before slowly turning around to see the voice’s owner.

Johnny was standing a few steps away, his arms crossed over his chest as he looked at you. The corners of his mouth were curled upwards in a smirk, his eyes were roaming her figure leisurely, studying every inch of her sweat-drenched body behind his Ray-Bans.

“Wow, you really are putting in the work today, huh?” He teased in a low tone.

Ah. Your tension was eased when you were met with the sight of Johnny. It was just your crush him, there was no need to be so on edge.

But that was the problem. It was him. Your face dropped. He was wearing a red compression shirt that hugged his broad form nicely. His muscles were practically on display with how his shirt’s thin fabric was clinging to them. On his lower half, he wore some black sweatpants and laced-up boots. Gods have mercy.

“See something you like?” He teased with a smirk. 

“…Hello, Johnny.” You eventually spoke up after a few seconds. A forced smile wore you, one that hopefully wasn’t picked up on.

He didn't say anything in response, opting to stand there with his arms crossed and a large smile on his face, like some sort of marble statue.

He was so attractive, why was he this attractive? The mere sight of him made your heart skip a treacherous little beat. A the desire to smack yourself for being so affected by him, by him of all men, was there. As if that would fix anything.

You wanted to ask why he was here, but the way he was dressed made it obvious. Stupid question, it would be like asking somebody who's sleeping if they're asleep. Why did he have to choose today to squeeze in a late gym session?

You gave him another quick, faux smile before turning back around to resume your training. You didn’t notice him continuing to grin at you, his focus lingering for longer than was appropriate, right on your-

With that, he decided to stop staring and walk away. He actually was here to work out, this was the only time he could squeeze in some exercise today. Finding a bench, he got right to it with some bicep curls, casually stealing at you across the arena every now and then. He couldn't take his eyes off of the way you so flawlessly moved, the blood in his veins making a beeline for his cock at the attractive blur of limbs.

You, unaware of this, returned to working the training dummy, trying hard to eject any thoughts of you-know-who out of your mind. You frowned when you realised your form was faltering. A missed strike here, a slip-up there… it was all so increasingly annoying. It was all Johnny’s fault, somehow. The knowledge of his presence was making you all clumsy and awkward. It was like your body was trying and failing to impress him, or something dumb like that. Ugh!

You looked over at the canvas of your projected frustration. He was currently in the middle of a little break, his thick arms were over his head as he stretched out his aching muscles. The deep sigh that you heard him breathe out was hot, it did something to your panties that you could feel. His shirt rode up a little, a strip of tanned skin peeking out from the gap between hems. You couldn’t stop your eyes from wandering all over, drinking in the delicious view with unabashed interest. Thank Argus he wasn’t aware of what you were doing, so you thought. He’s just so effortlessly-

Nooo no NO! You shook your head, forcefully expelling the lustful thoughts of this man out of your brain. For the Gods sake, you needed to focus! You were here to train, and that was that!

Your exercise comes FIRST!

彡彡彡

You were still at it half an hour later. You put in the extra work, hitting your humanoid target harder and faster than was really necessary. All of this was in an effort to focus on something else besides Johnny across from you. The sounds of your bō smacking the dummy echoed all around, a constant reminder of who owned the training grounds.

That would be good and all, if you weren’t pushing yourself to near-exhaustion. Your arms were aching, screaming at you to stop. You ignored their cries until you just couldn’t anymore. A few swings too many and you were keeled over, hands on your knees as you desperately tried to catch back your breath. Your body was in control, forcing you to listen to its calls for rest. Sweat droplets were dripping down onto the floor below as you gulped down lungfuls of air like you had just completed a marathon.

You regained enough of your bearings to fully stand back up a minute later. After stretching a little, the feeling of thirst started to seep in. You desired water, an icy cup of liquid to quench your thirst and cool you down.

Strutting over to the water station, you picked out a spare cup and placed it under the dispenser, a hand on your hip as you leaned back. You started to grow impatient, the tip of your boot furiously tapping on the ground as you stared the tank down. This damn thing was so slow for some reason, it was taking forever for your cup to fill.

With a groan, you turned away from the water station, only to be met with the sight of Johnny walking over to you. Yay(!)

He sauntered towards you, his face was straight with some sort of smug confidence, something that had your breath catch in your throat. Your face started to irritatingly feel warmer as he came into view. Just like you, he was also slicked with sweat. His compression shirt now clung to his body even more, his abs were practically bulging out with the way the material was sticking to them. Moving upwards, his hair was messy and undone. Damp with moisture, brown locks were stuck to his forehead, framing his face in a way that made your thighs subtly clench together. There were those butterflies again.

“Looking a little worn out there, Jade.” He flashed a smile, stopping just in front of you.

You mirrored the expression, though it was a little too forced to come off as authentic. As was the laugh you gave him before turning back around. You were really hoping that your leaping stomach would start to calm down, a wish that was thrown out of the window when you could feel him start to lean over you. 

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” He stopped behind you, back pressed against your chest, his voice a whisper by your ear.

"Have you come over here just to pester me?" You didn't look at him as you spoke, bending down to pick up your glass of water. To say that you really didn’t appreciate this was a vast understatement.

Johnny smirked at that. “Pestering you? Me? Pfft, never.” He was silent for a bit, taking a moment to shamelessly stare at your ass before responding. "Want some water."

You didn't say anything back, taking a sip of your water as you moved to the side, granting him passage, something he thanked you for. 

Silence hung in the air for a minute or so. Johnny gulped down his drink of water eagerly, refilling the cup when the last of its contents were poured down his throat, his 1st not quenched. All the while, you were doing the same, drinking at a calmer pace, sneaking a glance at the Greek God posing beside you every now and then. You looked around. By this point, you and him were two of the few people still in the training grounds. The minuscule amount of people still here were either cleaners or too focused on their own respective training to pay attention to.

An idea came to mind. It was so spontaneous, you almost didn’t want to say it. It probably wouldn’t turn out well, not with how you were feeling at the moment. Your teeth were gritting slightly, your thighs rubbing together at the vision playing out in your mind. In your mind, and not in real-

“…Would you like to spar with me, Johnny?”

“Would I?!” He slammed his cup down, turning to you with a wide, enthusiastic smile on his face. As if he would ever pass up this golden opportunity! “You bet I would, princess!” He pointed at you, eyes narrowing. “You’re on.”

You came to regret what had just been said, effective immediately. You couldn’t help it, you were acting on impulse. The way you blurted it all out sent a tingle throughout your being, it almost came across as eagerness. You felt a little embarrassed, a little ashamed, and now that he’s said yes you couldn’t back out. That would be rude.

Swallowing the lump in your throat, you walked over to the mats in the middle of the training ground. You took a few minutes to stretch out your weary muscles and also mentally prepare yourself. All the while, your not-so-secret admirer was watching your warm-up intently. The way your sweat-slicked skin glistened in the evening light was tantalizing, Johnny’s pants tightened at the personal dance before him. He had to fight the urge to approach you and lick the perspiration off of your body, like you were a pair of mating wildcats. No matter how many times he looked, it didn’t seem to be enough for him. Would it ever be?

He downed the rest of his water and threw the cup in a nearby trash bin, strolling over to you with a pep in his step. The closer he got, the more impatient he became. He wanted this match, and what he was hoping it would lead to, to begin already.

Now, you both were circling each other, walking around the mat with your focuses glued onto the fighter across. The anticipation was gnawing at the two of you, for very different yet very similar reasons. You both wore matching looks of determination, as if each of you were silently testing the other to have a go.

“Checking me out, princess?” He quipped, smirking deviously.

You shook your head. “No. Assessing my opponent.”

Well, technically, you weren’t lying? Your eyes roamed all over Johnny’s form, focusing on… some areas of his body more than others. You weren’t checking him out, though. Ew. No. Gross. Never!

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.” He stopped walking and took his stance, facing you head-on. “Ready to get your ass kicked?”

Oh you HATED this. You wanted to attack him, to beat and punish Johnny for having this effect over you. Him, his captivatingly handsome face and his perfect body were all infuriating. He made you so mad!

You were the one to initiate the first round. You flew forward with a shadow kick, a yell thrown into the air as green magic came to surround you. This caught Johnny off guard, he was just barely able to block your foot with his hands, grabbing onto your ankle. He stumbled back a bit, gritting his teeth.

“Damn, princess. Eager to get your hands on me, aren’t you?” He laughed as he pushed you away, regaining his balance. He lunged forward, flipping the tides, aiming for a strike at your side.

A sparring match ensued.

The two of you spun around the centre of the training grounds, solely focused on one another and their respective actions. Your movements were a blur as you both jabbed at and struck each other. Johnny was larger and stronger than you, but you were faster and more precise. None of his attempted blows deterred your need to best him and beat him down to his place. You channeled your sinful feelings for him into every one of your hits, an excellent source of strength.

Johnny was holding his own pretty well, well enough against your flurry of attacks. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you. The way you were attacking him, your moves so quick and graceful, just served to turn him on even more. The need to pin you down was growing by the second as was something else lol. He wanted to tame you, to make you submit, to have you entirely to-

All these thoughts distracted him, causing him to make a crucial mistake and allowing you to deliver a good kick to his chest. He came crashing down to the ground, a loud groan came from him as his body collided with the mat. You stood over him, each foot beside his hips. He was between your legs, and wow, what a view did you have below.

There was something about a cocky, annoying man being put in his place that pleased you, in more ways than one. A large smile was plastered over your face as you silently looked down at him, your eyes stalking all over his heaving form. You bit your lip, grinning wickedly as the filthier of thoughts started to overtake.

"Aww... was that your best?"

He chuckled, the sound breathy and a little strained. “Oh princess, that was nothing. I was going easy on ya.”

Ha! Yeah, right! You didn't believe him for one second! You audibly laughed at this poor excuse before leaning down and extending your hand out, grasping his own and pulling him up to his feet. Johnny was still a little dazed, his chest still aching from your strike. It didn’t help that he got a face full of your tits either as he stood up, the tip of his nose nearly tucking into your cleavage. Yeah, that didn’t make things any easier. But it definitely made something harder!

Once he was up, you strutted away from him. You flicked your long braid over your shoulder as you stepped away, your inner diva no longer suppressed. Winning a round against him had made you arrogant, some of Johnny’s cockiness had rubbed off onto you like cologne.

"Best two out of three?" You called out, turning around with a conceited grin.

He took a moment to gather himself, taking off his sunglasses and placing them down beside the mat. “You’re on, Jade.”

A second sparring match ensued.

You and him moved all around the mat underneath, jabbing at and blocking each other’s strikes. Your speed and his strength made for an even match-up. There were moments, but overall, neither of you seemed to have the upper hand in the fight. The brief contact every now and then between you both was electrifying, more so than it should be. Johnny’s feather touches made your skin burn, you had to fight off both this man and your desire for him.

At one point, your hand was pressed against his arm. The feeling of his large, hard bicep against your palm made you jolt backward in surprise, your stomach jumping at the realisation of what happened. This made Johnny laugh. A laugh that stuck into a grin when an idea came to mind.

Johnny quickly whistled to get your attention. This proved effective in distracting you. As you stood there, eyes quickly darting over his features to try and guess what he was plotting, he pulled up his shirt, giving you a view of his bare torso.

Ah. To say that you were visibly caught off guard by this little stunt would be selling it short. Your jaw dropped, a loud gasp came from your parted lips as you were presented by the sight of his bare abs. Any move you were going to make was lost to you, leaving along with most of your thoughts.

Six large, well-defined lumps of pure muscle were sticking out of his lower torso. The way they flexed and rippled with each movement had you completely entranced. You practically malfunctioned. You forgot all about where you were and what you were doing. Hell, for a second, you’d even forgotten how to speak. Your stance stalled, you just… stared at the sight. Can you picture the moment when Richie saw the Deadlights in IT Chapter Two? Yeah, that’s you right now. To a less dramatic extent but, still. Accept the damn analogy!

The way you reacted to this cheap trick made Johnny laugh out loud. He wasn’t an idiot, he saw right through all of your shallow denials when it came to your little crush on him. You may not have thought it, but he’d caught you staring at him for a little too long more than once. Of course you were.

With how stunned you looked, using this to his advantage more often would be fun. Not that he had time to properly think about this, though. He took the opportunity to pounce, quickly closing the distance. You didn’t even have time to make an attempt to move as he grabbed your wrists and swept you off of your feet, knocking you to the floor. He stood over you, eyes darkened with lust as they stared down at the view below, all over. Each boot was by the side of your waist, nearly pinning you underneath him.

You flopped onto your back, the feeling of your braid pressing against your spine making you wince ever so slightly. Your eyes met his as they reopened.

You… you couldn’t believe it! Johnny had used such a dirty tactic to best you, how dare he?! You were mad at him, of course, but you were also more upset at yourself. A part of you was screaming, yelling, so angry that you would dare fall for such… tricks!

You were looking up at him, your facial expression a mix of anger and befuddlement. The fact that Johnny would resort to such low means in order to win a round made you mad. The fact that the sight of him towering over you, in all his gleaming glory, sparked a feeling of arousal inside you that made you even more mad.

“Aw, what’s wrong, Jade? You look flushed. Did me beating you again get you all hot and bothered?” He teased, leaning over you, smiling in a way that made you want to swing your foot up.

You didn’t know what to say. You were looking up at this man with an unreadable facial expression. Never in all your years were you bested in a fight by such a… dishonourable tactic. You wanted to yell at, to chastise him for resorting for such means but it was pointless. You already knew that doing so would just fuel his already inflated ego.

When Johnny bent down and extended his hand out, you bitterly took it. You briskly walked away from him once you were on your own feet, a stark contrast from your little victory taunt before, something your victor took great pleasure in.

You both returned back to the center of the mat. The both of you took some time to stretch and fix your hair, though only one of you spent a considerable amount of time flexing their muscles before taking on a fighting stance. Can you guess who?

A third sparring match ensued.

Unlike the first two, this one was a little more… physical. Johnny was a little more… grabby this time. He was grabbing you in a way he usually didn't, like a man starved of female attention. Your hips, waist, arms, even your thighs, he just couldn’t seem to keep his hands to himself. At first you refrained, but eventually you couldn’t help but reciprocate his close contact. Your intrusive thoughts took the wheel in the heat of kombat. His arms, chest, shoulders, even his hands, it was all driving you insane. Your bodies touched more often than appropriate as you fought. You both yearned for each other, in more ways than one, the walls containing your mutual desires were quickly crumbling.

At one point, he managed to lock you into a hold, your bodies were firmly pressed against each other. Both of his arms were wrapped tightly around your waist, pulling you as close to him as humanly possible. Your back was pressed against his chest, writhing against his front. Johnny’s grasp on you was firm, no amount of you hitting at his hands would falter the hold he had on you. Thinking quickly, you used your feet to sweep at his legs, knocking him off balance and sending him to the floor.

His back hit the ground with a thud, the impact of the fall knocking a little bit of air out of his lungs. His arms were still locked around your midsection, so as a result, you too came crashing down. His form broke your fall, your bodies landing on the mat made you both groan at the same time. Neither of you stayed like this for long, though. Johnny instantly reacted by flipping the both of you over, so that you were now underneath him. 

You barely even knew what had happened. One second, he was behind you, wrapping you in a bear hug. The next, he was on top of you and Gods… what a sight you had above. Each of his hands were beside your head as he crouched over you, his chest flush against yours.  Every feeling you were currently experiencing was on overdrive, it became increasingly difficult to control your… urges for him. The feeling of Johnny’s knees against your sides, as well as his body mere inches above hers, all of it had your clit twitching in anticipation, it was too much.

In one swift motion, you quickly hiked your knee up and made contact with his backside. Such a blow had him squeal in surprise, temporarily stunning him. In a flash, you switched your positions, pushing him off of you and rolling your bodies over, planting yourself on top of him, straddling his hips.

Now in control, you grabbed both of his wrists and pinned them down, above his head. Your things pushed into his sides as you settled your weight on him, there was no escape. You looked down at him below you, a small smile of satisfaction on your face shining through your heavy breaths. The sight of him all dazed made your smirk widen, that stupid cocky smirk was nowhere to be found. Once again, you had bested him. The sparring round was yours.

Minutes passed. No words were said between you two, you guys were both catching back your breaths after such an intense three matches. Your eye contact never faltered, though. Both of your focuses were on the other’s sweat-slicked faces, just… looking.

Johnny tried in vain to get his wrists out of your iron grasp, but you were just too strong. His body forced him to stop struggling and give up, going limp against the mat as he submitted to your mercy.

That’s when he looked up, meeting your gaze. Your face above him, your hands around his wrists, the way your thighs had him completely pinned, it was driving him crazy.

You were insanely attractive. You’re so jaw-droopingly gorgeous, it was crazy. Your body, your face, your hair, you were perfect, truly. You’re one of the hottest women Johnny ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes on. The amount of pressure in his pants grew in intensity every second, just by looking at you. 

Your smile faltered a little as your adrenaline wore off. With that, the feeling of Johnny’s body underneath you was starting to become more and more clear. He was so firm, he felt so warm. The way you were sat on him, your position on his body, you could feel… something rising underneath you. Right on your-

Your mind was like a storm, all of your thoughts were yelling at once, they were impossible to decipher. The sight of a breathless Johnny, the feeling of his muscles underneath you, the sweaty scent of him in general, it was all making you dizzy. Your eyes glossed over with desire, your heart was beating like crazy, whatever explicit thoughts were in your brain right now were going into overdrive. You were fighting tooth and nail with everything inside to not give in to your instincts, but that proved to be a losing battle the moment you saw the tip of his tongue dart out to wet his dry mouth.

Without thinking, you leaned forward and pressed your lips into his.

A/N: and so it begins…

[aziraphales-library]

Hello there

First of all, a huge thank you for all the effort you put in for us to find stories we love.

I was just wondering if you have any stories along these lines

An "Accidentally Married AU" but not one where they get drunk and get married. More like one of them comes from a different culture/is some sort of creature and the other completes a mating ritual without realising. The closest I've found for this is here:

Don't Wake a Sleeping Bear(Dragon) - ZehWulf - Good Omens (TV) [Archive of Our Own]

But I was wondering if you knew of any others?

Your help is very much appreciated here!

Have a lovely day.

Hi! Here are some fics where they are accidentally married/bonded for reasons other than being drunk. Mind the tags on a couple of these!...

Intertwined by greygerbil (G)

After switching bodies, Aziraphale and Crowley have a matching small but persistent problem.

Vows by Bookwormgal (T)

Crowley certainly didn't do it on purpose. It wasn't something that he exactly planned. But a moment of desperation and stubbornness gave birth to the creation of something new. A bond forged of power, hope, devotion, love, and promises that he would never break. It isn't often that a demon metaphysically half-marries an angel.

Help, I Accidentally Married a Fae by fruchox (T)

Crowley hadn't meant to fall through a Faerie and into an accidental marriage with the Fae Ruler, Aziraphale. It's just that, as time passes, and as they overcome the problems that stand in front of getting Crowley home, he's not sure he wants to go back to his world after all.

The mortifying ordeal of being un-known by Gay_internet_mafia (T)

Tasked with securing a surrogate for the second coming he does not want to come, Aziraphale seeks out his demon. Only for Crowley to have no memory of him at all. Can they solve the mystery and see Crowley's memories returned? And what will he think of Aziraphale once they do?

I’m Your Landsailor by IneffableDoll (T)

In a small seaside town called Tadfield, one of the last places on Earth where humans and magic coexist, an exiled selkie and a human who ran away from her life accidentally get themselves married in the oldest, most binding sense. The two are forced to stay together until they can find a way to undo it and free the other from their accidental marriage. It sure would be complicated if they started to fall for each other in the process…

Offerings by fenrislorsrai (M)

“Come home with me then. Stay and talk.” “Are you… inviting me in?” They are nowhere near a building to go into. They are just reaching the first crossroad on a very long walk home. He is clearly asking something Anthony doesn’t quite grasp the meaning of, but can tell it is something huge and life changing. “I don’t know what that means. What does it matter if you’re everywhere and nowhere if I ask you to be somewhere?” Ế̵͇̠V̷̯̇Ĕ̷̞̬͠R̸̖̭͋Y̵̬̟̅T̶̜̺͠H̴̖͉̾I̸̦̠̽̽N̶̯̈́G̴̫͎͋ As a young man, Anthony saw Death and invited it in. Gave it a home. Gave it a life. Bought that time with the blood of others. Now he’s growing older. His last victim nearly took him. Death comes for everyone. Anthony accepts this. Knows he’ll die too. Have to leave Death alone. And Death can’t accept that. detailed notes about potentially triggering content at the start of each chapter. Rated M for graphic violence On healing from trauma and the importance of stories & rituals for dealing with that which would otherwise destroy us. On finding the words to describe what happened without those very words causing you greater pain. Also pining while married

And the one you mentioned...

Don't Wake a Sleeping Bear(Dragon) by ZehWulf (T)

Crowley's a mage on the run from goons from Lucifer's court, but a twisted ankle means he has to find a hiding spot for the night and fast. Luckily, there's a nearby, hopefully empty cave he can hide in! :D

- Mod D

[bunnwich]

I just found out a Prince of Egypt Musical exists, and one of the addition songs— 'footprints on the sand'— really gives me Leona vibes

(Spotify link to the song)

https://open.spotify.com/track/40PqpFQdrylghRZgY36W8G?si=wATkespmQyar931PNnNc8A&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A7MOGTYjo3ifwHDBf0EBE71

(Genius lyrics)

https://genius.com/Original-west-end-cast-of-the-prince-of-egypt-footprints-on-the-sand-lyrics

So since you're— at least in my view— one of the Leona experts, I was wondering what your thoughts would be on it!

Not that it fits perfectly; no song ever really fits 100%, after all. But I think it has strong Leona vibes

Leona VS The Weight of Insignificance

(Ahhh sorry I am just getting around to this.;-; BTW DFGHJK I’m flattered that you consider me a Leona expert??)

So this is pretty cool because I didn't realize there was a Prince of Egypt Musical? I’m a big fan of the animated movie and of musicals so I’ll have to listen to the rest someday!

So, I think in general the theme of “Footprints in The Sand” is about the idea of “trying to leave a mark” in life, but feeling like it won't matter in the long run and also exploring the insignificance that we all feel as people.

That being said, I can see why this song made you think of Leona! It brought up some feelings about what being second-born in a royal lineage means and how that can make someone feel insignificant just in concept. The spare heir if you will. 

It's interesting because it also made me think about how Leona has such complicated feelings about his title too?

Like on the one hand, he feels like he's “forever in the shadow of Falena” but at the same time, I DO think a small part of him secretly enjoys the mobility of not having the reasonability of king and therefore the first few lines of the song before it fades into him sounding more melancholic made me think of this.

(AND ALSO since we’ve seen how he would handle being king in his Chapter 7 Dream OOF.) My thoughts on that: X

The second son– My father's wrong (THIS LINE TOO) It's got to be the easiest role on Earth Just play around Just play along Enjoy the bounty of my birth So what's today's amusement For this second son? Which one shall I choose from so many kinds of fun?

I think it leads back to the age-old conclusion about Leona’s character (that his dream really hammered home), is that being king is NOT what he truly wants and it more comes to feeling worthy as a person as if he has to “justify” his own existence of feeling useless. It’s more about the kind of attention he craves. To be useful, respected, adored. 

The song mentions the fear of not leaving behind a legacy and feeling the weight of your own insignificance as a person. I can see how both the characters of Moses and Leona both struggle with “finding their purpose” and not being able to see their own worth like others who care about them do. 

It made me think of the song (also in Prince of Egypt) “Through Heaven's Eyes” which I feel actually continues this theme. The idea that even if you can’t see your OWN value that everyone—has their own innate value as people—and that in itself is meaningful.

A single thread in a tapestry Though its color brightly shines Can never see its purpose In the pattern of the grand design And the stone that sits on the very top Of the mountains mighty face Does it think it's more important Than the stones that form the base?

For Leona—the people he acts as a mentor to like—Ruggie, Epel and Savanaclaw as a whole—have a pretty high opinion of him despite his flaws. And the fact that he can’t always see that and appreciate that value that he unconsciously and consciously brings to them reflects this. He has and will leave an impact even if it's not as “important” as a king. And he could do even more good if he actually tried to do so.

I think it’s a lesson we all struggle with TBH, the whole: seeing our inherent value as people and it’s def why I think Leona is a more relatable character than he first appears in twst. :3

Thank you for sharing with me though! I love finding stuff like this! I hope you have a wonderful day/night!💚

[enden-agolor]

i'm catching up on your fic rn

Jesse felt scared, and strangely enough, he couldn’t shake off this weird feeling that something was missing, but he was at least relieved he was in the company of Reuben and his friends– and cookies too! Thanks, Axel!

This one right here, my brain immediately went to the cookie scene, i love how the original story still connects to this timeline. The way that Jesse felt that something was missing and no conflict between anyone, just showing how things really weren't meant to be the way they are in this AU, BRO YOU KEEP MAKING ME LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH

I'm so happy to see you're back!! 🥹

Fun fact, I actually wrote Jesse's backstory in this chapter while Andy wrote the journal entries. I think I re-started this chapter four times? Which is why it had taken so long to come out. I knew it had to be perfect, and a lot of things were changed from our previous plan as we were writing the chapter.

I like to think that there's tons of universes with alternate Jesse's and different outcomes because the game is played differently by everyone. This being one of those universes, but things are drastically changed because Lukas is absent during the main story. The canon storyline still happens, but characters and feelings are altered because without Lukas, there was a lot of room left for different interactions for Jesse to have with his friends.

But he still couldn't shake off that feeling that something very, very important was missing from his life.

Hopefully it worked out with the story pretty well. I'm very happy to know you like the fic so much. Thank you 🥺🩵

[mxrtixnzwrld]

What's Wrong w/ Nanami?

Synopsis! you've working for Jujutsu Tokyo for a while now as Nanami's secretary and you're sick of how your schedule leaks into your personal life. you go to quit and nanami isn't havin' it.

Pairing! kento n. x fem. reader

Content. MDNI! office au, ceo. nanami, jealousy, 'work wife' usage, series, piv, proposal, petnames, gojo mention, higuruma mention, intern itadori + more

Word Count! 2.1k

Authors Note! this story is very loosely inspired by 'whats wrong with secretary kim' and it kinda gave cocky nanami so i decided to write my own little version of it as my first series of this page. i'll add tags as i post more chapters of the series but please let me know if you have any recommendations for the series.

You have been working for Mr. Nanami for a couple of years now and finally understood why he was so feared respected by his coworkers. You were hired as an assistant secretary and bound to replace his current secretary.

-

"He's not that bad once you work here long enough.." Shoko mumbled as she exhaled the deep breath of smoke from her cigarette.

"I'm not too worried about it, but what'd Miss Yuki get fired for?" You asked, looking at her as you took a bite of your lunch. Her eyes met yours as she chuckled.

"She had relations with President Gojo, and Nanami found out," Shoko answered for you to pause.

"As long as you keep your head down and do your job, you should be good-" Shoko continued before the door swung open to reveal Kiyotaka.

"I'm sorry to interrupt Miss (name); Nanami would like to see you in his office." He says, walking up to you and Shoko's table. The umbrella above you rustled with the small gusts of wind as you looked at Kiyotaka, annoyed.

"Can it wait a bit? I wanted to finish-"

Before you can get the sentence out, Nanami walks out the door with an irritated look on his face, coming straight towards you. Kiyotaka shrunk and silently snuck away as Nanami got to your table.

"Miss (name). You clearly didn't understand your job description if you are 4 minutes late to a meeting as important as this one." Nanami huffed as he stood before you and Shoko, who mirrored the same look of surprise.

"But sir, my scheduled break is-"

"I can move it back to later. Please pack your things and follow me; it wouldn't look good if I had to fire you your first couple months here for your incompetence." He stated in a calm, chilling tone, making you straighten up and throw your belongings in your bag before standing and waving back at Shoko as you followed Nanami to his meeting.

-

Now, in your years here, you have his schedule down to the letter. You come early to meetings, and he doesn't even have to ask you for daily documents. But the longer you work at Jujutsu Tokyo, the more you realize that your life revolves more and more around your CEO. All of which brings you to your current moment now.

"You're quitting?" Nanami asked as he looked at your resignation letter.

"Sadly, yes, Mr Nanami." You answer, bowing silently as he stares at you in disbelief. You had been the best secretary he's had in a while. Always on time: punctual, you had even stopped to do the little things like fix his suit and run and get his lunch no matter how big the order. All while staying on top of your work with your intern Yuuji Itadori.

"I don't see the issue, sir. You have Itadori to help you with your tasks and-"

"He isn't as experienced as you."

"Well, whip him into shape the same way you did me." You huff, maintaining your tone of respect, causing him to sigh and rest his head in his hand.

"Can you wait until after the company's art gallery opens?" He pinched his nose as his room filled with thick air.

"I suppose.. but after that, I must take my leave." You sigh as he looks up at you.

"Of course; you have until then to train Itadori to be your work clone." He says for your eye to twitch. Getting in your position with Nanami took years, and he expected you to do that all in 6 months?

"I will try my best, sir."

"Good."

You exited his office and softly closed the door before returning to your desk to text Shoko and the Marketing Manager Tsuki about what had just happened.

Nanami slouched in his office. He had just gotten used to you, and you just want to quit? You were the best candidate for the job, but something else pulled at him. You were completely right; he had Itadori, so why couldn't you leave?

He didn't want you to leave.

You were too important to the company.

Too important to him.

No! He sat up in his chair and sighed, focusing back on the pile of paperwork on his desk that seemed to pile up with upcoming events and meetings. Although well spaced out, it was all still so stressful.

His mind wandered and wandered before he reigned it back in. He couldn't think of you as anything more than an employee. An asset to his company... a big asset that he was going to lose if he didn't convince you to stay, and he would have to figure out how. And quick.

–

“Shoko, Mr Nanami would like to see you.” You walk up to the cubicles as eyes turn to you. Childish oo's went over the desks as she stood and chuckled.

“Did he say what for?” She asked for you to shrug with Itadori following you in toe. Ever since that meeting, you made sure to keep Itadori around at all times possible to make sure he got the most information about her job as he could.

You walked through the hallway with sounds of clicking from heels, shoes, and typing, filling the silence as you led Shoko to Nanami’s office, which was covered by a huge door. 

“Good luck, soldier.”

“Thanks, but I think I’m good.” Shoko chuckles as you knock on Nanami’s office door. He replies with a quiet ‘come in,’ causing you to open the door to see Nanami sitting at his desk writing, not even making eye contact with you. Shoko stepped through the door, and you swiftly closed it, sitting back at your desk.

“He seems real intense.” Itadori sighed as you nodded and opened your tabs on the two monitors on your desk to pull up Nanami’s schedule along with your emails.

“He is. That’s kind of the reason I’m leaving..” You sigh as you look at him.

“You seem so good at your job, though! And it seems to pay well.” He says, watching your screen as you go through emails, swiftly replying and occasionally sharing emails.

“The pay is good, but I heard Higuruma is hiring a new secretary for his law firm, and since Jujutsu Tokyo and his law firm are in good connections, I thought it’d be better to move over there.” You explain.

“Is your job hard? I’ve only been here for a month or two, but it doesn’t seem that busy.” Itadori asked. The two of you sit in silence as the sound of your computer fills the area. Nanami wasn't horrible to you when it came to your office. If it was empty, you could snack on something small before your lunch, and your desk was decorated and even had a humidifier that sat on the edge of your desk.

 “It’s not too hard, but it gets in the way… I haven’t been out anywhere in a while, and I don’t like using my PTO unless it’s an emergency. Especially since I’m so close to Mr. Nanami at all times, I usually just go to work and sleep because of his overtime. If he’s in a good mood, I can go home early, but my schedule doesn’t clear up at all.” You rant lowly to the younger man.

“Higuruma’s past secretaries have said that he’s not as bad when it comes to scheduling since his law firm isn’t as big as Jujutsu Tokyo overall.” 

“Do you think I could live up to that? The expectation, I mean.” Itadori asked before you rested a hand on his head. You ruffle his hair and smile at him comfortingly. The job was hard, but with encouragement, it was manageable. The only difference is that when you started, there was no encouragement unless it came from Kiyotaka or Shoko, and it took a while for one of them to even speak to you outside of regular work conditions.

“Of course, you could. If he selected you as an intern, then he sees enough potential for you to be his next secretary.” He smiled and lifted his arm to flex, pulling back his sleeve to show his muscle.

“For you; I’ll do my best!” His optimism always made you smile. It was so infectious. 

You chuckle and make small talk, asking him how he even ended up applying here to this dead-end job.

–

“You asked for me, Nanami?” Shoko asked for Nanami and looked up at her with tired eyes that could pierce someone's soul. He had stayed up the night before, making sure everything was perfect for the concept of an art show. Making sure his pitch and tone were perfect for the upcoming meeting.

“Jeez, you look stressed,” Shoko said with a lopsided smile as Nanami pushed up from his mahogany desk to stand tall. His suit perfectly highlighted his muscular body.

“You’re close with Ms.(name) correct?” He asked, ignoring the informality due to their high school years.

“Close enough.” 

“How would I stop her from quitting?” He asked for Shoko to pause. That was out of the ordinary for him. Nanami, to everyone else, was the type to fire someone at the drop of the hat. Even in scenarios where good secretaries left the company, he was never usually caught up on it and just hired another one. 

“Why, if I may ask, are you concerned about her quitting? Don’t you usually hire a new one?” She asked as Nanami walked around his desk and leaned on it so they could speak face to face. 

“Well… I’ve noticed before she resigned that she was already unmotivated, and she shows a good amount of talent that I haven’t seen in any of my past secretaries.” He explained, knowing that it was only half of the full truth. 

“Well, she doesn’t get out much. She probably feels the way you do since you two basically have the same schedule.” She sighs for Nanami to respond with a pinch of his nose along with a frustrated sigh. 

His office sat silent as the two talked. He knew that he was stressed, but she didn’t do much when they were in the office together. At the most, she fetched paperwork missing from his pile and made sure to inform him of any meetings that were added last minute to his schedule.

“So, give her more days off? She could’ve asked for that any time before that.” He huffed.

“The last time she did, you had an attitude about it, so I guess she decided not to do it after that.” 

“So what should I do?” He asked again

“Well, you can try being more lenient with her. Try to be more nice. Like if I didn’t know you, I would have thought that you’re a no-shit CEO who won’t tolerate any mistake.” She sighed.

“Hmm, I think I came up with something. Thank you for your information, Shoko, please make sure to give Ms.(name) her documents before the end of the work day; I’d rather not have her stay longer than she usually does.” He nods as she nods back. She leaves with a bow, being met with you and Itadori giggling at your desk as the two talk amongst eachother. 

“Ok! Ok! I’ll organize the files the way you showed me.” He laughed as you put him in a playful headlock. 

“What are you two doing?” Shoko asked, getting a gasp from you before you moved away from Itadori.

“Shoko! You scared me!” You say, straightening up in your chair.

“Ms.(name) was just showing me where each file goes, but there are so many I lost track,” Itadori replied.

“Well, you two should tighten up. Nanami seems irritated.” Shoko said for you to nod. She walked back to her cubicle before Nanami came out moments after.

“Itadori, are you good with notes?” He asked Itadori for the boy to scramble to his feet and enthusiastically nodded.

“Good. Ms.(name) take the rest of the day off. I will teach Itadori anything he needs to learn while you are off.” He says calmly, for you and Itadori to look at eachother as if the sky started falling.

“D-Did I do something wrong, Mr.Nanami?” You asked him to shake his head in response.

“Of course not, Ms.(name). You have seemed stressed as of late, so I would like you to take a day off to recuperate; take some time for yourself.” He said for you to look up at him amazed without a sound.

“Wait, Ms.(name)! Before you go, can we exchange numbers, just in case?” Itadori asked for you to smile and hand him your phone. After you exchange numbers, you begin to pack your bag to leave.

What's going on with him?

©mxrtixnzwrld. do not copy, modify, translate, repost any of my work! reblogging is greatly appreciated!!

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[doonalli]

The Point of Alice's Death in 3-1 (Mini-Analysis)

Gonna start trying a new thing where unlike my other analyses where instead of making a long post about specific characters i make shorter ones about particular scenes in the chapter.

So while it may not be as long I still hope I'm able to make you appreciate the chapter a little more bit by bit regardless With that said I want to talk about a specific (controversial?) moment, being the Yabusames death in 3-1

I'll be focusing particularly on Alice because I'm an Alice router lmao, but I'd love if any Reko'ers were able to add their own input too!! So a common criticism of the Yabusame's death is that it "comes from nowhere". Not in the sense that Ranmaru killing them came from nowhere (I've explain already why that's just not true in my Ranmaru analysis) but in the sense that it makes no sense why they specifically were targeted rather than anyone else.

At first glace it seems like it has nothing to do with their arcs at all and the easiest answer is to just say "they just so happened to be there" but this is a story and Nankidai could have chosen anyone to be there. Yet it was them specifically, so why is that? Disregarding the fact that it couldn't be anyone else REALLY for plot reasons, (Qtaro already being dead, Keiji being trapped, Gin being needed for the Banquet and Sou because it's likely he'll be necessary for 3-2) because that doesn't feel like a real answer to me, and because I feel like there is more to it than just that. One important note to call attention to is that Alice dies exactly in the same spot as Hinako did. Obviously, this already draws a connection as Alice was the one who doomed Hinako in the first place by leaving early and "betraying" her in the First Trial.

But this also leads into what in my eyes is the most important aspect of this death, which is the fact that Alice never found out that he killed Hinako in this route. Now that may seem like a point against this death, as it kills Alice before this moment in his arc, which should be important, but stay with me for a second. One of the major points of Alice's arc is the way his character asks the question of if your even better of knowing in the first place. This is shown in one of the first major changes in his route where he actually ends up using Safalin's machine where Reko didn't

Gin tells him that it doesn't seem right what he did while Safalin affirms that she still believes her machine is one way to achieve happiness.

In particular she says "If all you have is burdens, that isn't life..."

And it's this question that seems to loom over Alice over his arc for the next chapters.

Later Alice is face to face with Midori, someone who is responsible for ruining his life, right after finding out he didn't really kill him at all, and earlier in a similar situation he acted very aggressive towards Gashu

and you'd expect him to be way more mad because he has more reason to fight with Midori. Yet when he fights...

Alice is awfully calm, something he even notices himself, and it just goes to show the change between the before and after of his choice.

Even Reko, when faced with the same choice, was fully ready to fight.

And this leads Sara to question something important

So why am I even bringing this up? Well, it's because Alice's death brings up the most extreme form of this question. When he dies here, he dies not knowing he killed Hinako, but he DOES know he didn't really kill Midori

At this point Alice is in a state where he is fully oblivious to the murder he committed, thinking that he didn't kill anyone. In a way you could call this Alice's happiest state, dying not as a "real murderer", but as an "innocent person".

But is that really a happy ending? He IS dead after all; sure he isn't a murderer anymore but still. And that's what I think his death wants to ask; Is that happiness a good thing?

Maybe once 3-2 drops we'll be able to actually get an answer to the question in Kanna's route but for now it's interesting that the possibility could even happen in the first place, and I think that will make whatever the answer is end up being, hit all the harder knowing that this was a real possibility.

But another part to death in YTTD is the effect it has on the people alive, and Alice's death does this too.

After the death Sara will think about who Alice was and what he meant as a person (and Reko too, maybe even more for her)

And their death is what finally pushes Sara to swear not to be who Midori says she is.

This scene genuinely means something to everyone in the cast, it shows Sou refusing his emotions, Gin and Sara's relationship and calling attention to his sin, showing us that YTTD won't just write him off as a kid and respects his agency in the situation, and a major moment for all the dummies (which I've talked about in each of their respective analyses).

On a more sentimental level the Yabusame's were also the ones who consistently helped Ranmaru with accepting his humanity and self-confidence, so by having him kill them specifically it shows how Ranmaru ignores those words they said representing how he denies his humanity.

And most importantly it leads us to a very important scene from Q-taro where he talks about how we are all carrying sin.

And who better as a backdrop for this moment then Alice Yabusame. Someone who spent so much of his life burdened by his sin and being unable to forgive himself for it. Reko fits in a way too with her past actions and her regretting not forgiving/believing in Alice when she had the chance. Thematically it just makes sense for them to be there, just to really hit home the message Q-taro presents.

So ultimately, I think it just makes sense for the Yabusames to have been the ones who died there and that it isn't indicative of "bad" or "lazy" writing but instead actually really well done and clever in the way it adds to their arcs while also acting as a good full stop to it too.

Through how it brings together many other characters to add a note into quite literally everyone who is present's arc, and through how it completes Alice's arc in a truly poetic way, I think not only is it not a bad choice to kill them there but actually one of the best examples of YTTD using one of its most unique strengths in its split routes for its character writing.

And I hope I was able to express just why I think that is here.

================================================================================================ AFTERWORD: So yeah, I think there is more to Yabusame's death than it can seem at first and maybe I've helped you see that too or maybe you think there is something more to add or you just think I'm insane and there isn't actually anything to it idk lol

I also understand that some people like the Yabusames and are simply mad that the route they chose ended up killing them for something they felt was out of their control, but at the end of the day this is a story and characters dying is a part of it, you can feel saddened by their death, its expected even, a death SHOULD affect you in that way, but I hope you can see how this death is so much more than that and the way its masterfully woven into the themes of their characters.

It's pretty common to see criticism of this death as "pointless" or "just for shock value" and it saddens me because there is far more to it and to Alice and Reko as characters then that and so I wanted to write this in an effort to show off just how much thought is put into them even in CH3 when it's possible they aren't even there. either way I hope you enjoyed reading this mini analysis and that I got you to think about it even a little bit more!!! See you next time for a bigger analysis more akin to what you'd usually see here.

[dawnoftime22]

tent.

| T.S

INTHAF series, Chapter 1

Warnings: None!

Summary: With the thought of being away from Taylor for such a long time, you finally decided to call her up, and with the idea of spending your time in a recently built tent — inside your house…

Word Count: 2.1k

Category: Fluff!

A/N: so...who could write a short series on a song that barely has lines? me. yes. don't expect much, but this is all FLUFF <333 enjoy!!!

P.S, this is a series that was originally from 2023 but never got worked on :] i won't mind if anyone will like it or not, I'm just really proud of it and actually finishing it, but love you all, hope you enjoy anyways<3

| Started on 26/11/2023, 8:33 AM |

| Finished on 29/12/2023, 11:13 PM |

Main Masterlist | T.S Masterlist

INTHAF Masterlist

"It's nice to have a friend."

|——————————— ⸆⸉ ———————————|

It was quiet as you were sat on your bed, relishing in the feeling of a peaceful atmosphere. The windows emitted daylight from outside, and the sheets of your bed kept you warm despite the cool air.

Currently, you were free to do whatever you wanted, having no plans for your day to do.

...Or, well, you had no other plans that could get in the way of your one singular plan for today. It was very important to you.

Taylor, your best friend since high school, has been busy in her music business, and you've been thinking of a way to spend time together once she gets a big break from her work. A tent was casually sitting in your living room as your finger lingered on her contact name. Oh. Yes. The living room— only in reason due to all the rain thats been outside.

Your thumb taps on the name eventually, and the screen changes to a calling one, a rhythmic tone sounding out from the phone. You put it against your ear, awaiting for the beeping to stop and a familiar voice to come through.

"Y/N!! Hi!!" Her voice comes out softly. From all the time you've spent away from each other, your mind plagued with worry, but the softness of her tone calmed it right down.

"Hey, Tay," You respond right back, her name coming from your mouth just as gently. A smile rose on your face, and she could hear it in your voice.

"We haven't talked in a while. What's up?" As you listened, her voice sounded happy, or excited. There was no background noise at all, and it didn't seem like she was stressed. At least relief flowed through you, with the hopes that you caught her at a good time.

But in her side, her face and day had brightened up the second she saw your name pop up on her phone screen, and now she was fidgeting with her necklace as she waited for your response.

You took a breath in. "Nothing, really, I just thought...are you busy at all today?" You were about to mention the plan of hanging out right away, but since she's been so busy, you didn't want any expectations of either of you being disappointed, so you asked her first.

You hear her hum through the phone, like the gentle melody of her songs as you waited. "No, I'm free all day," she said softly. With a soft sigh, you let yourself lay down comfortably on your bed, knowing that if you stood up, it would only make you pace the room as you talked.

You pressed your phone against your ear, making sure your grip wasn't too loose. "Wanna have a sleepover or something?" a pause went by, but then you simply blurted it out. "I have a tent in my living room."

A moment of silence went by. You could almost imagine her expressions. "What? What led you to doing that?" Her surprise was present in her voice, a soft laugh echoing over the call, and you giggled yourself.

"Well, I was thinking of going camping with you but...since you've been busy lately, I thought we could do a short and easy way to feel like we're camping without having to." You explained, trying to give her reasons to come over.

Another silence goes by as she processes your words. Either that, or her brain may have short-circuited. You thought the first one, because your own brain might be dealing with the latter. "It's also just been very rainy, and who doesn't like feeling like a child again, sleeping in tents?" you add in, although a slight grimace rises on your face at even the thought of a tent sitting casually indoors rather than outdoors.

"You...are so random sometimes." She breathes out a laugh, then goes quiet. You hear a small meow coming from the background, and it was obvious her attention had gotten distracted by a certain cat.

"And...?" You added, having not gotten an answer to your question yet, and your fingers brushed over your bedsheets to find something to soothe your own heart.

"Yeah, sounds like fun!" She says, her voice going up a bit at the end of her sentence, saying it with full honesty and excitement, while another meow sounds out again.

"Who is that in the background?" You asked with curiosity, the noise being adorably small like a kitten.

"That's Benjamin. He jumped on the piano keys." You hear some distant sounds of the piano keys being played, presumably, his paws hitting them as he walked.

Taylor had picked up your call while at the piano, that's for sure. You caught her in the middle of a practice or songwriting session.

Then you blinked after process of realizing she stopped playing to pick up your call, but another thought went by of this new cute friend.

"You got a new cat while you were gone?!" She hears your gasp through the phone, and breathes out a chuckle. "He sounds so cute and small..." you murmur, a smile upon your face. Some shuffling came through before she spoke up again.

"Yeah!! I saw him while filming a music video, so I thought why not..." she says, keeping watch on the small little kitten walking on the keys. You couldn't wipe the smile off your face, and you shook your head. She could have 50 or more kittens if she wanted to, and in another universe, she probably did have that many.

"So, your place, I'll be there in 20 minutes?" Taylor asked. Since you two were close, she had once focused to getting a house near yours, just so you could go to each other's places easily.

"Yeah! I'll see you later, then." You said, sitting up. She could hear the movement, but couldn't see them since you were on a voice call, and you could hear her keys jingling in the meanwhile, a small laugh going by. "Okay, see you."

"See you- And don't forget snacks! Specifically marshmallows!!" You manage to get your words out as you giggled. You already had your snacks ready, all you had to do was just put biscuits and chocolate, or put the marshmallows over a fire. Or well, in this situation, your stove.

"Okay, okay. Bye, now!" She said, almost urgently, and you had to stop yourself from questioning on if she had things to finish up first, or if she was excited. On the other side, she was first petting Benjamin's soft fur, smiling.

"Bye!" The end call tone sounded out, and you pulled your phone away with a smile as you laid back to your bed, content with the conversation you had.

A sigh leaves your lips. It had been so long, but the time went by like the ceiling fan spinning from your ceiling, fast and full of bustling wind. There was nothing else to do but wait.

You turned on your side, then got up, (although regretting it and cursing yourself for how fast you went), you decided against continuing your comfortable position on the bed, for the risk of being too comfortable, or sleep creeping in to the corners of your mind.

Your legs led you off to your already open door and to the living room, where the lights were dimly lit with an orange color, and the curtains were closed, leaving a cozy atmosphere in the room.

The kitchen was your target. There, the snacks were already sitting beside a backpack upon the kitchen counter. Opting for an easier way rather than getting them all in the tent later with your hands full, you instead pick them up and place them all in the bag.

There were books in the tent too, ready to read with a small reading lamp. After gracefully setting down the bag, you went back out and laid down on the couch, not wanting to get bored of the small space while waiting for Taylor.

You fiddled with the couch's material, fingers brushing against it before a sigh escapes. Your phone was an option for distraction, sitting face down off in the corner of your vision, but you had already spent far too much time on it when you were trying to decide on calling Taylor or not.

You grabbed a book instead, going to get youreelf lost in a world of fantasy to pass the time. It was only you inside the house, but for now, you focused on Taylor's arrival that will soon come.

|——————————— ⸆⸉ ———————————|

Once 20 minutes or so passes by, you soon hear the doorbell echoing through the front door. You nearly jump from the couch in eagerness, the ceiling having turned to be entirely the most dull thing you've stared at your whole life.

Walking to the door, the air was cold from the rain that had started dropping down just a bit ago. Your hands go to the doorknob, and when you get it open; behind it, reveals the blonde standing with a gentle look on her face, her eyes brightening at the sight of you.

"Hi. I brought Benjamin." She smiles, turning her body slightly to show you the small black, brown-ish eared kitten. You giggle, loving how she sometimes brought along one of her cats, although this was a new addition.

"He's very welcome to join," you say, noticing how the sky behind her had gone dark. Not only from the rain, but the sun having gone down. You didn't even realize the time was evening when you called her.

You move to stand aside, letting her enter your home just as she used to so many times before. She quickly notices the tent sitting in your living room, and her eyes were set on it. The warm atmosphere wrapped her in a comfortable feeling.

"You really did go all out," she says softly, but giggled, stepping in and admiring every aspect of your living room, and the way the tent actually seemed quite comfy.

"Anyway, great news that he's welcome, because he's been wanting to meet you." You could see the kitten stare up at you from the peekhole of the bag. She takes off her shoes, leaving them on the shoe rack before turning to you.

"Meet me?" You ask, slightly confused, walking towards the tent with her following off with you after she was done.

"Okay, this sounds silly, but he's seen pictures of you on my phone, and I kid you not, gotten my attention with meows and paws on the screen multiple times!" This time, a bright laugh comes from your lips, making the corners of hers, turn up softly. The two of you manage to arrive at the tent, it safely (and nearly silly looking) sitting at the living room.

You had prepared by leaving the zip closed before, so when you arrived, you take a glance at her with a corner of your lip going up. She looked at you with raised eyebrows, but also an amused smile. Your hands go to open it, a smooth sound coming from the zipper until it fully opened, and the sheet flopped down to reveal the inside.

You crouch to go into the tent, settling down at your own spot as you watch her get in too, her face awestruck. Inside, was a small camping lamp you had bought a few days ago, and a projector that shoots up a picture of the night sky up the ceiling of the tent, leaving it glimmering with stars.

"I can't believe you did all this." She breathed out, sitting down next to you as she stared up at the scenery above her. She shook her head, a growing smile on her face when she glanced at you.

She took off her cat backpack and opened the zipper, Benjamin jumping right out and beginning his new curious adventure of inspecting everything in the tent, including you.

"Aw, he's so tiny." You watched the kitten's paws pad around before their directions turned to you, and its beautiful blue eyes shined your way. It certainly reminded you of a certain someone, that's for sure.

Your hand reaches out, and Benjamin lightly sniffs your hand before walking in, making your hand touch his head. Your face melted into pure adoration completely when you felt his soft fur.

You continue petting him, ending up entirely with him in your hands, while Taylor was watching the interaction gently. Her eyes held a somewhat calm, loving look in them. You didn't see, because you were too caught up in the new friend you had gotten.

You held Benjamin in your lap before going to grab something in your bag at the side of the tent. Both the kitten and Taylor had looked, practically sharing the same face as your hands searched. Eventually, your hand got back out with two vars of chocolate.

Taylor let out a small "ooh!" when you set it down in between the two of you, her eyes tracing every movement of the sweet treat, realizing what the marshmallows was for.

She reaches back to the cat backpack, opening another zipper to the further back, and brought out her own treats; the bag of marshmallows you asked for. "Got the marshmallows." Her hands gently open the pack and grabs one...(four) and eats it, her face brightening at the delicious taste.

You smile at her, grabbing one for yourself and opening the chocolate bar, too, setting hers beside her. If anyone saw you, they would've thought they were seeing kids hanging out. But, who cares? The treats were quite delicious, after all.

As you were unwrapping the chocolate, she had popped the other marshmallows in her hand, off into her mouth, and now was grabbing Benjamin off your lap, holding the purring kitten close to her chest to pet him.

She waits until she's swallowed the food in her mouth to lay down on the floor, placing Benjamin on her stomach. As the relaxation started to sink in, he had his eyes closed, curled up comfortably. The warmth of everything was making up the most coziest atmosphere.

Her eyes searched the ceiling with the made up stars, as if looking for a type of constellation. You didn't even know if this projection had the actual night sky, but it would be impressive if it did.

You bit into your chocolate, letting it melt in your mouth as you looked at her every movement. The soft skin of your hands brushed against each other ever so slightly when you moved to lay down fully, letting your head rest against the floor.

A crinkle sounds out as she cracked open the chocolate pack too, casually eating it with the marshmallows— a sweet chaotic taste that can either be teeth rotting or delicious in your mouth. Probably both. The least is, you both will remember to brush your teeth very thoroughly later on, and drink some water.

You both watched the beautiful stars with a comforting silence that came over the moment, all of everything, finally, seeming to slow down for just a minute. Maybe an hour. Her guard was lowering down, and you could slowly see the work starting to get taken off her shoulders.

You soon moved to prop yourself up into a sitting position, looking over to your side once more. It didn't take much for Taylor to notice, and she turns her head to look at you, her eyes curious on what you were doing.

You grab a piece of a post-it note from the small pile of items, along with a pen that sat next to it, writing down something without letting her look. She smiles, her mind wanting her to move to see, but she waited patiently for you.

You lay back down, the paper with ink handwritten on it in your hand. Slowly, you put it on her lower stomach, right below where a sleeping Benjamin sat, as if she didn't just watch you do the entire thing.

She tries her best not to smile and instead put on a curious face, her hand going to delicately grab it. She holds it up to the ceiling, since she was laid down, and read the words. It was, 'I miss you :(', and her insides filled with warmth. The blonde looks to you, who's been waiting in anticipation.

"I'm right beside you!" She exclaims playfully, laughing. But in her heart, she knows what you're trying to point to is that she was missed by you, so very dearly in the time of her absence.

Her teeth caught her bottom lip, but the corners of her mouth was raised up in a smile. "I missed you, too." she says, her voice being so soft.

You didn't see it, but she had slipped the note into the pocket of her sweater...for safekeeping.

end of chapter 1. <3

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[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

medialog january 2k25

books

ling ma, severance - first book of the year an unfortunate dud! the most notable thing about this book is that it’s a pandemic story published in 2018, but this is also true of carmen maria machado’s “inventory” which is a much better story at like 15% of the length. by chance literally the day after i started reading this brandon taylor sent out a newsletter talking about first person narration devoid of interiority, which allowed me to be like, yes, that! that’s what’s so fucking annoying about this! a first person narrative that feels like a list of stuff that happened, instead of a glimpse into someone else’s consciousness. and i knooooow people would say that’s the poiiiint because the book is reeeeally about late capitalist anomie or whatever, which would also be used to explain the fact that the narrator has no personality or emotional life, like she’s just so disaffected and detached and blah blah blah, but the theoretical justification for this mode doesn’t have any bearing on the visceral fact that i just at no point cared about anyone in this story, because it’s impossible to care about a narrator who doesn’t care about anything or act like a human being (a species that famously cares about things lol). might also be impossible to care about a narrator with a trust fund… open to having my mind changed on this one though. other complaints: prose clunky, nobody else in this book has a personality either, palpably convinced of its own interest and importance in a way that feels very Litfic Does Genre Trope Without Wondering If Any Genre Writers Have Thought About This At All Ever (zombies as capitalist metaphor is like... even i know that and i hate zombie shit!) the pandemic stuff closest to being interesting but the page count is unforgivably focused on 1 million backstory flashback chapters totally divorced from the present day because god forbid someone who wants to tell an immigrant narrative figure out a way to somehow integrate this into the actual plot of their book or otherwise develop a character through scene and action… truly this reads like someone was trying to write an autobiographical novel and realized they couldn’t make it interesting/saleable so they chucked a pandemic narrative at it to capitalize on the twenty-first century genre turn. i don’t know if that’s what happened… but that is how poorly the disparate threads are woven together.

miranda popkey, topics of conversation - really liked this! like it more the more i sit with it. i had it already and it happens to get mentioned in that taylor newsletter i mentioned as being a different kind of first-person narrator, so i read it figuring at least it wouldn’t annoy me in the same way as severance. i was a little skeptical at first for two reasons: (1) the book is told through a series of conversations across a long span of years, which i was worried was a cheat to avoid having a plot; (2) early on lots of women and sex and power stuff, which is dangerous territory re: potential to irritate me. but it won me over on the second point quickly by undercutting what it had seemed to be doing in a refreshing way near the end of the first chapter, and by the end i was ready to concede point (1) because it had done a very good job of telling a story beneath the story it was telling; more than once i was kind of rolling my eyes like, okay, but, really?, only to find a little while later the book addressing precisely what had been my concern, which made me feel like i had been pleasantly tricked. the prose is unshowy but very self-assured with a good ear, and a few lines/passages burrowed under my skin. the narrator is self-critical without being self-indulgent… idk, it threaded a number of needles very well. impressed and pleased.

myriam gurba, mean - another one i started out wobbly on and wound up liking a lot. in this case, the cover/what i’d heard led me to expect a different, darker, tone than i found, and i wasn’t sure i was on board; funnily enough, at one point i thought, disparagingly, “eh, kinda zine-y,” and then something clicked and i remembered wait, i like zine-y, and that let me recalibrate and get sucked in. mean is a memoir, more or less, opening with a description of a rape-murder in gurba’s hometown and then switching gears to become a coming-of-age story in vignettes, with the reason for the opening scene eventually coming clear in a way that made me really admire what the book was doing formally as a way to talk about sexual assault; i was also reminded of the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian, a book i loved, both for its form and for, to some extent, its tone, or its willingness to combine a light touch and a sense of humor with some dark-ass material (although mean is not YA and goes much darker in both content and expression) & often incisive racial commentary. gurba is a really playful, funny, curious writer, and while i think she could have killed a few darlings, by the end her voice had really won me over. she is not opposed to pushing hard on the bounds of good taste, and i would say that most of the time i was with her because she was either honestly capturing the sociopathic awfulness of teenagers, including her own teenage self (people who self-righteously respond “well i actually never laughed at XYZ in high school…” this book is not for you and also you are annoying, and i say this as someone known in high school as a bit of a PC scold myself!), or else, for example, making jokes about her own sexual assault or other issues, and then there were some times where, like… ok maybe an illustrative example is that i saw a goodreads review that was like “i was loving this book until she used touretted as a verb, my condition is not a cute joke,” and i was like, on the one hand, i get it, but on the other hand, the prison rape joke didn’t phase you? the holocaust joke? (holocaust joke distinct from the chapter about how reading the diary of anne frank made her horny btw.) so… on that score tolerance will reasonably vary lol. given that a fair amount of the back half of the book is in fact about the aftermath of sexual assault, i really admired how the book refused any kind of redemptive arc, landing on a brutal note, but also avoided feeling oppressively downbeat by virtue of the ferocity of its own telling, which stands as its own proof of survival.

elaine castillo, how to read now: essays - not for me. none of the ideas here felt new if you’ve ever spent more than five minutes considering the relationship between art, race, & politics, and i didn’t feel like they were ever explored at a depth beyond (or… even equal to?) that which i would find on a random tuesday scrolling my tumblr dash. elegance of expression can be its own justification but stylistically this book mostly just convinced me that books are not blogs and should not sound like the internet; the lack of discipline which can be a feature in internet writing (not always! but can be) is always a bug in print (or, at least, i haven’t encountered the book to convince me otherwise). i was excited that the title of the first essay was “reading teaches empathy and other fictions” but then instead of unpacking the cultural ideology that associates any kind of moral education with leisure pursuits at all it was mostly about how the white straight male story is granted universality but others are not, which… you perhaps see what i mean about how this will not be revelatory for those of us enrolled in the continuing ed program at supernatural dot edu slash tumblr dot html. there’s a weird essay about going to new zealand and being like “wow imagine if native relationships were this good in the US?” which i found weirdly uncomfortable to read from an american who by her own admission is not well-versed in that region’s history. she opens an essay by being like “i know it’s basically boring to talk about how you hate joan didion” and then spends 45 pages doing that (including what i think is a misread of at least the tone of didion’s comment that writing is the act of a bully - i’m not a didionhead and would never defend her famously terrible politics, but a) she is i think pretty clearly being both hyperbolic and self-deprecating b) castillo takes this as the chance to be like “well i write to be vulnerable and connect,” which… perhaps this is self-indulgent self-deprecation on my own part but i have an instinctive and strong aversion to writers hyping up their own reasons for writing, lol c) this is objectively not a stance exclusive to white ladies bc zadie smith once said essentially the same thing except i think she used the word sociopathic lol)... and then in the end notes of that chapter she drops a casual rec for the “excellent” show our flag means death which… girl, be serious… you’re gonna write 300 pages about the dangers of reading without context and then simp for the slaveholder RPF show with no commentary whatsoever? it’s fine to like that show btw i might watch it myself one of these days but it’s just deranged to drop this without qualifiers in a book allegedly against the act of eliding historical reality for the sake of aesthetic pleasure and comforting fantasy! she also does two things that are unfortunately guaranteed to make me, personally, insane (characterizing damon lindelof’s HBO watchmen as an important statement on race in america and being kinda wrong about the odyssey) which i will address below the cut at the bottom of this post because i understand that my own need to talk about them is the result of my bad personality and also this is long enough already.

movies

no - this is a 2012 movie about the plebiscite vote that ended the pinochet reign, starring gael garcia bernal as the young ad guy the leftists rope in to helping them make the best use of their allotted 15 minutes of TV time. i really loved this, for a few reasons. first, an interestingly and well-made movie; the director is the guy who did spencer, which i hated, and i don’t know if it’s a matter of directing in spanish or what but it felt like two totally different worlds. second, some extremely funny and perhaps broadly relevant commentary on the purity-strategy tension in leftist spaces; i particularly loved the scene where our protagonist unveils the logo and the leftists are like, “oh, and the different colors of the rainbow represent the factions of the leftist coalition coming together, right?” and he’s like “uh huh. yeah. totes.” third, there’s a matter-of-factness to the way the movie depicts living in a military dictatorship — depicts oppression, depicts military violence against civilians — that felt refreshing and, ummm…. very un-American. perhaps very latin american. but certainly very un-American. something really fucked up happens and it feels bad and then you go home and play trains with your kid and you maybe don’t expect that everyone is spending 8 hours a day wringing your hands about How Is Anyone To Live Now. fortuitous timing for me personally maybe to watch this on new year’s day 2025. also gael garcia bernal is always the only guy in the scene wearing jeans and rides his skateboard everywhere. strong rec.

the shop around the corner - the philadelphia story baby jimmy stewart pilled me so bad that when i learned this both starred baby jimmy stewart and was directed by ernst lubitsch i was like, wow i GOTTA see that. two coworkers hate each other while falling for the anonymous correspondents that are, of course, each other all along… this does a couple things that mitigate the screwball romcom gender politics problem, my favorite of which is introducing the female lead in a scene that highlights her smarts and competence, which is important in a love story about a meeting of the minds. has superb production design, lighting so good even i was like “wow the lighting,” a great ensemble cast given a good amount to do in a way that makes the whole movie feel really suffused with tenderness and care even amidst all the screwball prickliness, and most importantly some incredibly funny jokes.

one way or another (todo modo) - this is a really weird italian 70s thriller whose plot is largely incomprehensible if you are not conversant in italian party politics of the 70s, which i am not, but it was still worth watching for the unbelievable Catholicism Is So Fucked Up vibes… the whole movie takes place in a catholic spirituality retreat packed with power-players, largely underground in the spookiest ass rooms imaginable… there’s a ruthless priest and a million political freaks… and then people start dying… kinda conclave meets and then there were none meets glass onion? tbh sassier and bitchier and more honest about institutional catholicism than conclave!

a complete unknown - most of the non-singing parts of this movie are Fine, I Guess, If You Like Biopics; some are pretty bad (why does this movie hate alan lomax so much… to say nothing of the women, through no fault of the two actresses doing their damned best…). the cast is reliably good, i was worried at first timmy was going to be giving SNL sketch the whole time but something shifted and he won me over and i thought he was good and especially that he was very funny in the too-rare moments the movie found itself a sense of humor, mostly on the topic of bob dylan being a weird freak pathological liar with no social skills or interest in developing them (valid and should have taken up way more of the runtime than it did!!!). lots of people have complained about how much of this movie is just watching bob dylan write down lines while playing his guitar but i actually think this is even worse than people are saying because what it does is almost entirely obscure dylan’s voracious cultural appetite and eclectic influences, which is a huge part of what makes him the artist of he is, and which he himself is the first to own (chronicles volume 1 — of 1 lmao — is in my memory almost entirely dylan talking about what he was reading and listening to and watching as a young person). however the reality is that none of this really matters to the viewing experience of the movie because the movie smartly understands it’s not going to be better at making a movie than bob dylan is at making songs, so it just never makes you wait very long before the next time bob dylan is playing a bob dylan song, and if you are a certain kind of person for whom the music of bob dylan has a certain kind of effect — which i am — what happens is that the opening notes of one of the best songs in american music history starts up and all cares over “screenwriting” and “gender” and such things fall away and you just sit there in a haze so grateful to live in a world where bob dylan gave us “girl from north country.” also, credit where credit is due: the movie looks very good, in a very standard hollywood way but well that’s a dying art it seems. i liked all the lens flares in the night scenes! they were pretty and evocative without being distracting!

juror #2 - i love watching a movie about people talking about a process while i wash dishes. bonus points for this one because of my wrongful convictions thing — i found it genuinely a relief to watch a courtroom drama in which we know the whole time that the logic of the court seems persuasive to many people but is wholly wrong. nicholas hoult!

jay and silent bob reboot - this is an objectively pretty bad and at times genuinely offensive movie that made me laugh so, so much. im sorry

presence - i was absolutely never not going to love a soderbergh ghost story; i like that it’s less a horror movie and more a family drama from the perspective of the ghost, and i like that steven soderbergh, who i first started feeling interested in because of how unusually willing he is (among our A-tier dude directors) to view women as potential protagonists, made a movie largely about a sad lonely teenage girl. camera work on the ghost POV very cool and for me very effective. a tight 85 minutes! they shot it in 11 days! i love you steven!

nosferatu - already said this was a miss for me, and the more i think about it the more i feel reasonably sure that it would have been even if i were not so dracula-pilled… idk. i agree with my anon who called it cold. there’s a fundamental distance between the storyteller and the story that, again, was part of what i enjoyed about the lighthouse, but just doesn’t work for me with a more traditional, more visceral (in multiple senses) tale. similarly to the line about how there can’t be an anti war war movie, because you can’t portray combat without glorifying it, i sorta feel like maybe you can’t tell a story where you want credit for giving your abused and disbelieved female protagonist agency and also have multiple scenes that are like, “ok now do the crazy possessed horror chick thing” lol. i also thought it looked kinda bad in parts and really muddy in all the moonlight scenes but i did see one review on lbxd that was basically like “this movie only looks good in IMAX bc regular theaters can’t get the blacks deep enough” so… maybe that’s true. on the bright side: nicholas hoult!

music

kendrick lamar, gnx - this thing happens to me often with music where anything presented as A Big Deal i have a hard time listening to because i keep being like no it’s not the right time… this is why for example i have never listened to a mitski album and also why until now i had never heard kendrick outside of his features with taylor (bad, not his fault) and the lonely island (p. good) and, ofc, not like us. but “squabble up” came up at the singles jukebox and i got really into one of the slant-rhyme runs near the end and the general personality of his flow so i decided to check out the album and would you believe? kendrick lamar, good at rapping. i like how this album is like kind of about having a god complex and sort of knowing you’re being crazy but also what if actually you kind of mean it? (people get mad if you say this kind of thing so don’t tell anyone but it’s actually similar to the pose i enjoy taylor striking on some of the wilder moments on TTPD, lol.)

girl pusher, gaslight gatekeep girlpusher - 20 minutes of very of-the-moment hardcore-adjacent punk, mostly too hardcore for me (literally, i don’t like music that’s all screamy) but the 3 songs that aren’t are real bangers.

ghoulies, shafted by the algorithm - 20 minutes of bright synthy punk where i have no idea what anyone is saying, kind of like matt and kim with less abrasive vocals? (remember matt & kim??? no? bc i’m old? well ok). not an album i’ll return you but i liked the vibe enough to chuck the whole thing onto my 2k25 rolling faves list and have been enjoying the occasional 2-minute infusions of pep!

underscores, wallsocket (director’s cut) - really impressed by this one, and also really enjoyed it. i keep seeing people call underscores hyperpop but either their earlier work (which i haven’t heard) is very different or i just don’t actually know what hyperpop is (very possible). to me it’s giving aughts indie, maybe a little emo but like the bright eyes kind, it’s giving saddle creek but made by a kesha fan. (does anyone else feel like we’re really in a post-kesha era in a way that is not being appreciated…) catchy, inventive, varied but cohesive, angry and funny, political & personal in the lyrics, sometimes at the same time. there’s a song called “johnny johnny johnny” which is an incredible banger about being groomed by an internet predator in middle school that really blew me away; would also rec “cops and robbers” just because it slaps. but even the quiet songs are good!

rosie gray, louder, please - flawless and sometimes even kind of interesting (although never that interesting) dance-infused pop (pop-infused dance? i think the first one but i’m no expert). pretty, fun, sometimes endearingly unsubtle — there’s a song literally called “party people” and another one where the refrain is “the best things in life are free,” also one called “switch” that rhymes “positions” with “submission.” dumb but thoughtfully and expensively so (or so it sounds, which is what counts). the way that people talk about feeling when they watch influencers swanning poolside in ibiza or whatever, that’s what listening to this album makes me feel like. vicarious luxury and all i need is a pair of headphones. another one where i don’t anticipate returning to the album as an album much but i rarely hit skip when a track shuffles my way.

zora, BELLAdonna - yoooooo this album FUCKS, like, SEVERELY!!!!!! saw someone rec this saying it was framed as a black trans revenge fantasy, which, i’ll be honest, turned out to have absolutely no bearing my listening experience whatsoever, but i am dutifully repeating because maybe you, too, will be intrigued enough to listen, and then discover that this album has BOPS. i am not really up to the task of describing this one — rap/hip-hop forward but with glimpses of both r&b and a pop (maybe even hyperpop?) sensibility, obviously broad in its influences (there are at least two likely refs to bodak yellow lol) while sounding like the clear work of a distinct voice, retro and futuristic by turns or sometimes at the same time. sounds really really cool and really really fun. sick flow, sick beats, a song called “sick sex”... strong strong overall rec here, this album rules.

single of the year so far is "IT girl" by jade (from little mix!!!) btw. if you care. really delivering on always low-key being the most interesting of the quartet in what she's put out so far, not all of it is my thing but she has a Vision and IT girl is a certified bop... really curious about where she goes next.

okay so petty grudge-holding below the cut:

first, the watchmen thing. to start with, she drops in the intro that she admires HBO watchmen, and like, did this alone make me read the entire book less generously than i otherwise might have? entirely possible. that is me owning my positionality as a reader. anyway. mostly here i just want to say that she specifically discusses the fucking 1922 movie about a black hero saving a grateful white crowd that made me the joker and drops that the name of the hero is “historically accurate” because he’s named for the first black marshal in oklahoma or whatever, which, ok. cute, i guess, if i didn’t hate this. what i hate, and what is not historically accurate, is: the existence of a film in 1922 (7 years after birth of a nation!!!!!) with a portrayal of american race relations that looks anything at all like the one in this movie. i mean it’s just crazy. and i find it first of all just inane because if you’re capable of writing this scene and thinking it feels plausible, you by definition do not have a good handle on the history of antiblack racism in america or how deeply it has resided at the core of american popular culture (among other things), and second of all genuinely kind of offensive because of the smash cut to Real Historical Atrocity that follows, underscoring the alleged “realism” of the scene. and it is insane to me to praise this scene for its “historically accurate” detail in a book, again, largely about the importance of bringing an understanding of historical context to your reading. it makes the author look a little bit like she only means that for stuff she already happens to know about or saw someone else talk about online. lol.

also the essay starts out being like “another day another jkr twitter meltdown” which does not help with the sense that these essays were blog posts that did not get sufficiently cleaned up for publication (is that true? idk. it’s how it reads though!). and it’s called “the limits of white fantasy” (but then is largely about how HBO watchmen is good lmao) and has a thing like “well rightwing types can appropriate symbols from harry potter and the hunger games and wherever else because those authors never cared about oppression they were just interested in its trappings.” first of all, leave my girl suzanne collins, cashing her checks blissfully offline, out of this. but second of all i actually think this is a substantively wrong diagnosis. jkr very, very, very obviously and sincerely cares about oppression. she is just catastrophically wrong about who is oppressing whom! but it’s extremely clear she thinks of herself as an actual victim of the actual injustice (in her head) of the woke trans mob or whatever. ditto antivaxxers using hunger games cues or whatever. they sincerely believe their rights are being infringed upon. sometimes people are actually wrong! sometimes people care a lot about morality and justice and are wrong about what those things are! i think this is in general harder for people to contend with than the idea that anyone engaging in such wack behavior just “doesn’t care”... but it is true. writing this out makes me think i undersold the insight potential value-add of naomi klein’s doppelganger, because she’s actually really good about recognizing that while these movements involve a lot of sociopath grifters at the top, the footsoldiers are people responding to ways they do in fact feel victimized (and sometimes actually are, e.g. i literally can’t remember if klein talks about this or not although i think probably yes but a lot of people in the alt-wellness/medicine space got there as a result of terrible experiences with healthcare that failed to address their physical and emotional needs).

ok also AND one last thing about this essay, she really gives the impression that she thinks damon lindelof is like the first person ever in history to politicize the figure of the vigilante/superhero… lmao? she praises the show for being about how actually community is necessary and justice can’t be done solo, which, first of all, just gonna throw this out there, there are ways to tell that story without being like truly the most police brutality apologia nonsense i have ever seen, and secondly, this is literally thematically expressed quite poignantly in alan moore & dave gibbons’ comic limited series watchmen in the scene where the guy acting as a lone vigilante who has taken the fate of humanity into his own hands nukes a bunch of new yorkers coming together to try to mediate some conflict. do i think that you need to have read watchmen to write an essay — not a BLOG POST on your DUMB BLOG, an ESSAY in a BOOK — about the politics HBO watchmen? i mean, maybe? is that so crazy? she says making hooded justice black is a radical reimagining of a comics character which is so funny because it makes hooded justice sound like he’s fucking superman or something and not a probable nazi who dressed up as a kinky klansman as part of watchmen’s commentary on the politics of superheroes lmao. like hooded justice is already a radical reimagining of the superhero mythos… because he sucks… and i guess in my heart no i don’t think i’m just being a weird watchmen stan (lmao) to say, “you actually can’t get a meaningful read on the politics of HBO watchmen without taking into account that the actual intervention being performed with this character is ‘what if this nazi was actually a sympathetic black man.’” do you see how that feels different? (also not for nothing but wrt the idea of HBO HJ being inspired by the movie about a black hero, again, in the comics HJ through his klan-ish costuming is already inspired by american iconography of heroism — arguably one he also saw in a silent movie that actually existed by the name of birth of a nation lmao!!!!! — which is part of the indictment of american hero iconography… i mean whatever. it’s so fucking stupid. btw her big takeaway from this character’s arc is that justice has to happen in community which is also funny because like you know who had a really strong sense of community? the klan.) do you see how it feels maybe extra different in a show whose ultimate thesis is something like “what if nuclear weapons were good if we gave them to a black lady cop who loves doing police brutality so so much”?

and… ok one LAST-last thing… in her informal endnotes, she cites “the watchmen universe” created by moore & gibbons, which… idk man. on the one hand i’m like, ok but it actually is mostly irrelevant to my textual beefs here that watchmen was in fact not intended to be a “universe” as we now use that term in the IP era and that the extent to which it has become one has been expressly at the disapproval of moore largely because of the fact that DC fucked him over so bad with this that it literally changed comics contracts going forward lmao. but on the other hand, if you like claim to care about the social context in which art was created, isn’t it not the best look to do not a single google and uncover the most famous example of the abominable labor practices of the comics industry? i acknowledge i could be indulging in pettiness at this point.

OKAY so that’s all on watchmen i think. the odyssey thing is smaller and less of a big deal, more just goofy. so she talks about the cyclops sequence and highlights how in recounting this story to the phaeacians odysseus is identifying certain arbitrary marks of “civilization” such as cultivating fields, and how he ignores the arguably very “civilized” acts we see polyphemus the cyclops commit, such as tending his sheep and making cheese. this is all fine and unobjectionable, even true, although i will say that, first, she presents this like these are insights she is bringing to her close reading of the text but i really struggle to imagine the person in the past several decades who would disagree with the fundamental thesis “the stories and myths and texts of ancient cultures served in part to delineate and reinforce their own social norms”; and second, she opens the essay with an epigraph from toni morrison talking about how she always admired how homer could make you feel sad for the man-eating cyclops, but then she doesn’t bring this quote up at all and talks about polyphemus’s sheep and cheese as though recognizing in them the marks of humanity is, again, a novel way to read the text? idk maybe i am just misreading her tone bc by this point i was very tired of how impressive she seemed to find herself but i found it odd because she’s like “see polyphemus is actually complicated but odysseus doesn’t see that” and i’m like well yeah that’s like what morrison was talking about… i have no idea how this would have scanned in ancient greece bc i’m not a classicist but neither are you so… anyway. i couldn't figure out her attitude on the odyssey (or this chunk of it) as a text, i guess.

so she takes us through the whole incident, including a cutesy reading of “nobody is blinding me” as like a metaphor for how power operates by making it impossible to name it, which, sure. have fun. and she closes on odysseus’s final boast along the lines of “if anyone asks tell them it was odysseus of ithaca son of laertes who blinded you.” and then she goes into this whole thing about how like… this is odysseus wielding his privilege basically, that he’s doing this because he’s so secure in his name and the power that grants him. she says, “It’s his confidence in his own context that is Odysseus’s greatest strength, his greatest privilege, and his greatest cruelty.” which… i guess kinda makes sense… if you ignore the part where namedropping himself is literally what GETS HIS ASS CURSED? he drops his name and instantly polyphemus is like “grandpa end that motherfucker” and boom, odysseus’s men are doomed to death and he is cursed to ten years at sea. like… it is literally not his greatest strength!!! it is the thing that gets his ass beat!!!! and notice that observing this, the BASIC LITERAL PLOT OF THE TEXT, does not require morally defending odysseus, or claiming homer was woke, or whatever. it is very obviously the case that the text does not think odysseus’s thing about his name is bad and he is being punished for it to learn lmao. i actually literally pulled my old fagles translation off the shelf to find what bernard knox had to say about this, if anything, in the intro, and he reads it as an expression (one of several) of the same heroic code you see achilles living by in the iliad, which includes the idea that you must take credit for your shit — even in this situation in which doing so puts yourself and your ship at great risk. this is not a particularly sympathetic reading to most modern readers! but it is one that takes into account the fact that this is the inciting incident for LITERALLY THE ENTIRE PLOT OF THE POEM!!! like it is crazy to quote that line and end the story there as if odysseus just walks away unbothered! the point of that interaction is not that he’s acting like a vanderbilt trying to get a table at a fancy restaurant, and it is not incidental what happens next because what happens next is THE ENTIRE STORY! and, like… it’s also not incidental because the fact of the matter is the world of homer is simply not a world where your name protects you, or achilles and agammemnon would not be hanging out in the fucking underworld. i’m thinking here about knox’s comment on the iliad that it was written in a century where athens spent more years at war than not, and how crucial understanding that is for understanding the world these stories were created in… i mean on the one hand whatever but on the other hand the essay collection is literally about the idea of reading things in context… so like… whatever. you could take the events in the text and then discuss their influence on 3000 years of western art and how that trickles down into values or whatever, i guess… but she didn’t do that so like :/

also then she says “he may be traveling, but he’s not a migrant,” which i just found goofy because i’m not really convinced the concept of A Migrant as she seems to want us to read it makes a ton of sense to superimpose onto the mediterranean 3000 years ago. (i feel like A Migrant requires the concept of… nations? borders? etc.?) happy to be corrected on this by any classicists who follow me.

also her didion essay is not as good a takedown as either didion's own takedown of woody allen or barbara harrison's takedown of didion. lol.

anyway. ok. that’s my grudges off my chest lmao.

[greenwitchfromthewoods]

✨ a post appreciating writers ✨

it's sunday evening, before another week that will push me to my limits. but now it's time for me to tell you about the stories that have been accompanying me lately when I find a moment for myself.

these are stories created by wonderful writers. they are people with great imagination, enormous talent, very empathetic and sensitive, building the world with their words.

come in. read. support them ⬇️⬇️⬇️

IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU Pedro Pascal x F!Reader by @theetherealbloom

this is a gem. a real treasure. it could be anyone, and the story would still be beautiful. Reader is really real (yesss), with the normal uncertainties that each of us has. everything moves along at a pleasant rhythm, the dialogues are written really smoothly and there is no boredom there. I would like to be there even for a moment, to feel that someone is so sweetly interested in me. I hug you to my heart and love you. ❤️

The boyfriend act Frankie Morales x F!reader by @capuccinodoll

this is something! this is amazing! I love the relationship and chemistry between them. I love it when they tease each other. I sometimes wonder which one will be accused of the crime first, which one will break. the tension grows with each chapter. I don't know how you do it. I want to know your secret. how do you write something so wonderful? full of details, but they don't tire you out while reading. every sentence is important, every gesture and every word. I want them to be together, but at the same time I have the impression that they are doing everything to spite each other. your talent is a gift. nurture it, and I will adore you until the end of my days. ❤️

"OH LOVER BOY!" || 28 Days of Love: A Valentine's Challenge + Series by @whoredyceps

each story is a different story and a different hero. it's like a delicious cookie every day that I eat with pleasure. I take what you give me and savor it. you build stories full of emotions that lead us to the end, and we feel fulfilled there. I think you need a lot of strength to add something new every day and for it to be so good every time. you have my shield and sword. ❤️

'The soldier in the armour' Marcus Acacius x f!reader by @stylesispunk

this is something that will stay with me for a long time. your story is different, and that makes it even more beautiful. it's something great. but the ending… you broke my heart so many times, and then you put a plaster on it and kissed me on the forehead. i admire you for the amount of work you put into it, it must have been exhausting. but it was worth it! i would like to see what you create now, what you will feed me. my beloved… ❤️

i try to reblog everything that steals my heart. there is a lot of it! these beautiful beings are just the tip of the iceberg, which is a thousand wonderful writers that i find here.

you are all inspiring. you all teach me something new. you are all important to me.

thank you for being here.❤️

[agirlandherquill]

a little update straight from freshly dried ink

goodness me it's been a long time since i've been on writeblr - since early January I believe, and yes, it has been a long time, but I can tell you all now, with a great, big, stupidly wide smile on my face - that my time has been spent on important things, i've not just forgotten about Tumblr and let my blog go to waste (hell would freeze over before I ever let that happen),

my past month has been spent on things i couldn't update anybody about until they were done - and i can finally tell the wonderful world of writeblr that ruin's reprisal is done! final proofreads are complete (yes it did take me a long, long time to get through, but hey, juggling writing and life - especially at the start of semester 2 at uni - is an impressive skill i've been working on ever since I first found myself trying to write and I'm still learning the balance, even after years in the making) and i've got a fully finished off draft, if i can even call it that anymore, sitting in my files, and it's a day I never did think I'd get to, not considering this book has been around four years in the making, but I did it! it's done!

and another little update - truths, my little story I started on the 1st day of the year, ended up being around 3/4 complete by the end of January, which I'm very shocked about - I never thought I'd have it in me to create this story so quickly, and now that the week I took off writing it to focus solely on proofreading ruin's reprisal has finally paid off, I can get back to it! and i truly cannot wait to share more of truths and a few other things I have in store (which I'm not sharing quite yet, dear reader, you'll have to wait, but not for long, I give you my word)

but, to focus on the main point to this post - ruin's reprisal is done, which means... (insert drumroll if you will) i get to move onto the very final, polishing details - coming up with a blurb (the BANE of my existence), and more exciting things too! such as announcing a release date (soon, but tbd. ((deadlines be forgiving))) and creating a cover! (which I am both very much looking forward to and am equally terrified about) but for now, I can leave you all with a few stats about the book! Ruin's Reprisal is composed of 220,354 words, 566 pages, and 42 chapters (plus a bonus one i'm very excited about including since it's a glimpse at another character's pov during a very crucial scene - you'll understand come release, trust me :)) and who knows, there may be a little game full of teasers up my sleeve, we shall see, but for now, thank you for being a part of this journey and keeping my writing going writeblr, it means more than I could ever say to do it justice - keep writing and i'll speak to you all soon! ~ A Girl and Her Quill

~ ~ ~

now for the tag list!

(p.s if you'd like to be included/notified too, interact with this post :) p.p.s im finally getting around to updating it, so bear with me :))

@humbly-a-doppelganger @imawholeassmood @frostedlemonwriter @yrndrgn @abditorywriting

@riveriafalll @lead-to-code @casualsuitturtle @floweryprosegarden @joeys-piano

@catwingsathena @godsmostfuckedupgoblin @nothoughtsjustmhaandotherthings @anaisbebe

@drchenquill @leahnardo-da-veggie @tiredpapergirl @pastelpinkhobbies @a-mimsy-borogove @the-letterbox-archives @corinneglass @darkluminosity @kuebiko-writing

[tribalauthor]

THE WISEWOMAN (roman reigns ff) <chapter 14>

word count: 2.1K

Roman's POV:

Me and Sophia are in my home now. The place where I was born and grew up - Pensacola. We are in our big yard, eating a classic Samoan barbecue with the company of my family.

My mother specifically kept asking her a lot of questions about her life and to be completely honest I didn't quite listen cause I was too busy admiring my girlfriend's beautiful body that was hugged by the baby blue floral summer dress she is wearing and most specifically her breasts that are cupped by it.

Suddenly I felt a strong hit on my shoulder that completely startled me out of the unholy thoughts that I was having about my girlfriend.

"I raised you better than this." dad said quietly yet with scolding tone.

My father played such an important role for my mindset that is today. Frankly, if it wasn't for him, I'd probably never become a wrestler. He saw my potential before anyone else...even before myself.

He must have noticed how I look at Sophia and as a man, I expect him to understand me here but as I see, he wants me to behave. I couldn't help but feel bad.

"Don't blame me, dad." I whispered at him.

"I don't. The girl is amazing but please, keep your composure." he replied while he slightly widened his eyes.

I resemble him in a lot of ways. People tell me I look like him and act like him a lot, so I can bet my ass when he was young and met mom, he was completely crazy over her. But of course, he will never admit it to me.

"You are such a well-spoken woman, Sophia." I heard mom remarking. Judging by her expression and body language, she seems to like Soph and that brings me so much relief and comfort.

She didn't quite like my ex-wife ever since the moment I brought her here. Moms are always right. They really know when somebody isn't right for you. My dad has also been telling me that I shouldn't stick to a woman I met in the darkest period of my life.

I met Michelle when I thought I was never returning to WWE again. I had a serious injury that could have ended my life and even if it didn't, it was questionable if I could return to sports one day. I was so lost and depressed. She was my escapism to all of that.

I really viewed her as a breath of fresh air and all that and she was. That's why I was convinced she was the love of my life and married her and tnen I found out she doesn't want kids.

I mean it's her choice, of course, I am not judging but when you marry someone, you have to have similar goals for the future, right?

Not to mention that the second I returned to WWE and started to become the greatest in the business, I felt her pulling away.

She just wasn't the same person I met when I was at my lowest. And that's why people say it's not important how people treat you at your lowest but at your highest.

Michelle is the pure examle for that. The more I was rising at work, the more she was drifting away from me. What she told me was that she just didn't feel like a priority to me which is completely wrong.

I was always trying to spend time with her as much as I could but I guess, there is nothing I could do if she felt that way. I couldn't convince her and I wasn't intending to.

That's why our divorce process was very smooth and unproblematic. No quarrels, no scandals, no fights.

So yeah, people sometimes can underestimate the vibe check on the parents and the clichè sayings.

Right now before me, I see my mom and sisters watching my girlfriend talk smartly, my lil' nephews drooling over her and my nieces admiring her.

I feel completed.

"And how does Paul feel about this?" my eldest sister asked.

"He just threatened my career." I replied with my arms crossed and the table was filled with laughter.

"It's so amazing. The fact that your uncle has been with our family for such a long time. I remember him ever since he was so, so young and now his niece being with my son. A generational bond." my dad remarked and I couldn't help but giggle.

"We may be talking about very deep generational tie here. I agree." mom replied and I took a sip of my water cup. "If you two have kids." I suddenly choked on my drink and started coughing like crazy and Sophia started hitting my back immediately.

"Sophia, you want kids, right?" mom asked her.

"Of course. I'd love to have one day." my girlfriend replied.

"Great. His ex-wife didn't want." she spoke with bitter tone.

"Mom." I said with scolding tone.

"Are we going to have little cousins?" one of my little nieces asked excitingly and I gave mom the "you fix this" look.

Sophia's POV:

"All these trophies are yours?" I asked Joe as I was looking at the shelf full of trophies in his room.

We just had a pretty amazing day with his family and relatives. I got to know his parents and sisters. I spent time with his nephews and nieces as well all of which are raised so good.

I could see the wrestling genes are running in the whole family. The boys were fighting like crazy in the yard, I got scared for a second but Roman and Sika assured me it's a full circle moment. They were even advising them how to do the moves better and so on.

A bit scary yet wholesome.

I was left with the impression they liked me though but even if it was a pretend, it was a good one.

"Yup. I won my first one at seven. Even before you were born." he replied and I smiled continuously admiring the different gold figures in front of me. "I told you I have always been a winner."

"Impressive." I muttered. His room really looked like the typical room of a jock. Judging by what I've seen in the movies. High school me would never hang out in a place like this and I couldn't help but let out a mute giggle at that fact.

"I'm sorry if mom made you feel awkward, she just-" I interrupted him.

"No worries. She just wants grandkids like every mother." I replied logically. My mom has never expressed if she wants grandkids but even if she does, I don't know when she would be able to see them from her work schedule. What I know is that she would make sure the best midwife is around me.

"But it's too soon to be talking about this. Hope she didn't scare you." my boyfriend looked seriously concerned. I mean in a way I understand him since some of my peers as a whole can get triggered by this topic.

Not me though. Especially when my best friends are starting to get pregnant and the ones from high school are probably even expecting second kids.

"Nope. Not at all." I shrugged and finally decided to sit next to him on his bed. "This is not a taboo topic."

"I know but I had to make sure you are okay." he replied with cutely nodding his head.

"You're so cute." I exclaimed as I softly grabbed his face and kissed his lips. "I'm gonna eat you."

Joe looked excitingly scared with his boba brown eyes popping out. That expression however suddenly changed into a smug one.

"You know what I'm gonna eat? Those boobs." he said and buried his face in my cleavage making me squeal.

"Not here." I whisper-yelled.

"Why not?" he pouted and grabbed my wrists.

"I am not doing any freaky stuff in your old household where anybody can hear us." I declared. "I'm a woman of class."

"You just don't wanna make your biggest nightmare a reality." Joe said with that tone of a therapist who is psycho analysing you.

"What? Don't be ridiculous." I rolled my eyes.

"It's true." he argued and as I was about to argue back, the door opened abruptly and it was the younger part of Joe's nephews and nieces, running to our bed.

"Uncle." they all yelled and climbed on the bed.

"We came here to say good night to you and aunt Soph." one of the curly haired angels named Alani spoke. They are all so sweet and the way they call me aunt is just so wholesome, it fills my heart.

I love kids.

Joe lifted himself up a bit and all of them went to hug him. I think I'm gonna pass out any second.

"Good night, my little angels." he replied to them as he stroked everyone's dark curly hairs.

"Good night, aunt Soph." they yelled and now they came to me for a hug.

I didn't hesitate to hug them back and I felt one of them burying his head close to my chest.

"Nuh-uh, little Julian." I heard Roman saying slightly dragging the boy's head away from my chest. "Go get your own."

"Leave the poor boy alone, Joseph, oh my god." I dragged the little kid back for a hug and my boyfriend squinted his eyes at me.

"You are very pretty, aunt Sophie." Julian now faced me. He is such a cute boy - around 5 years old with light brown skin and big brown boba eyes, curly hair.

"You are prettier." I replied and started tickling him a bit and the toddler started laughing out loud.

"You look like Barbie." Sarah exclaimed and I smiled at her, squeezing her little hand slightly.

"No, she looks like Pamela Anderson." Liam, the eldest one here which was around 9 years old opposed. Me and Roman exchanged confused looks.

"How'd you know Pamela Anderson?" his uncle asked him.

"I found some old magazines in my dad's bedroom shelf." the boy replied and I started shaking my head.

"You really do look like her, though." my boyfriend agreed and I gave him the dead look cause there is another thing we should be concerned about.

"There you guys are." one of Joe's sisters, Summer, got in the room. "It's late already. Leave uncle and aunt to sleep, okay? They must be tired from the flight and the match yesterday."

She collected them like little stones and the kids actually listened to her. What I noticed from earlier when we were at the table, they may seem reckless and full of energy like every kid but when their parents or relatives tell them something, they listen immediately.

"They are so cute." I said after they left.

"Indeed but lil Julian can be a trouble." Joe remarked and I rolled my eyes.

"I guess he takes after his uncle." I snapped at him and he laughed.

"Some of them has to have my traits." he defended himself and then leaned to kiss me.

"I wonder what the fans' reactions are from last night." I said as we got away.

"Let's check." Joe replied excitingly and got in a sitting position, as he reached for his phone on the nightstand. "I will see on Twitter, you go to Instagram." he suggested and I agreed.

We started going through our phones. I am kinda off-guard since Joe claimed before that he isn't a technology guy and so on, he barely uses his phone but yeah, of course right now he is gonna be interested what the fans are going to think about us.

We opened the apps excitingly and while I was in the search bar about to type what I'm looking for, the stuff was all over my feed.

The capture of us kissing.

Headlines all over the place and questions rising for our future. Of course, there are comments about our age difference.

"I don't know if I wanna be Sophia or Roman in this situation. " Joe read out loud and started laughing. I followed him cause this is a good one.

"I knew it from the start that they were meant to be" I read a comment from Instagram.

"I was the first who knew that." he replied and my lips formed a tiny smile of sweetness.

"Of course the Tribal Chief would get the good stuff." Joe continued reading and started laughing at this. "Period."

"I wanna be in Sophia's shoes so bad." I read out loud and chuckled.

We actually read mostly very positive things and I am very surprised from this fact. People seem invested in this already and me and Joe said we shall not disappoint them.

[saturdaylemon]

Actually I have too many thoughts about this for the replies so LET'S GO

The "virus"

Yeah, it's not actually a virus, bacterium, fungus, toxin, or parasite and it's definitely not a prion. It's a god's power masquerading as a contagious disease; the actual vector of infection is memetic. It's not unheard of for someone in a locked-down community to succumb to despair, go full zombie, and start a cascade that kills half the town.

This is probably Mindt's fault.

The general population thinks it's a "normal" pathogen, because it's not like Joe Average thinks about divine malice as a thing he can encounter - and theologians who look too close have a tendency to get infected. Or assassinated. Or assassinated by infection.

This is also probably Mindt's fault.

Ideas about the disease and its victims: it's not actually mutant rabies, but rabies has an interesting feature in the possibility of both "furious" and "dumb" states. "Furious" zombies are more active, attacking whatever they find in whatever ways come naturally (so zombie humans won't usually bite, but they will pick up rocks, sticks, and any weapons they knew in life). "Dumb" zombies are arguably more dangerous; they sit in one place until someone or something capable of opposing Vide gets in range of... some sense, then attack the source of good vibes. (This is how it was possible to keep Kura's remnant in a room for so long: there are absolutely no good vibes in Ku.) (Half the travelers are significant sources of good vibes, and are consequently Absolutely Boss at surviving. Like, more than usual in this world. Ever Elusive is a lifesaver.)

Trousseau's poison makes a good model for the "disease." Shortness of breath, tremors, numbness and/or shooting pain, disseminated blood clotting and inflammation of blood vessels, with blood turning black at the point of no return. Slow the progression from minutes to days and you get a passable zombifying pathogen. (After her first brush with Trousseau's poison/plague, Castti's blood is several shades darker than normal - the inflammation went down eventually, but the scarring stayed. Hikari and Throné also have some hematological strangeness going on, but less immediately obvious.) The zombies aren't technically dead. They don't need to eat or drink, because god power, but they do breathe and their hearts still beat. Weakly, slowly, but they beat. (So, uh, that flashback in Hunter and Apothecary 2? The man totally turned into a zombie. Nobody is happy with this.) Counting zombification as death, the mortality rate is yes. It's yes. Humans either die or turn, with a very small chance of recovery if given medical care. (Trousseau had the best success rate before... the things that happened.) (It was like 3 people saved out of hundreds of attempts, but still.) Beastlings have a slightly better recovery rate (1 in 50 compared to "you're pretty much screwed") and don't turn at all. If they don't pull through they just die instead of rising from the sickbed to eat faces. Animals usually die if infected, but a rare specimen will turn before that happens. (Mugen's horse is a zombie. It was the only one that would actually let him near it.)

I don't think the zombies would be called zombies in-universe; Solistia doesn't seem to have a Haiti. "Walker" is conceptually too similar to "traveler" for my liking either. Could be called "blackbloods" after the defining symptom (don't ask me what this means for the Blacksnakes. They predate the zombie apocalypse as a concept, but brand recognition is important), or something like Restless Dead or Mourning Dead.

The Moonshade Order

Re: Sacred Flames, I gotchu sib. Petrichor takes the Darkblood Bow from Roi sometime prior to the game's events, shortly followed by his thumbs and his life. The Toto'haha Flame is isolated enough to theoretically snuff without setting off the alarm bells, so that one's probably out. Arcanette gets her hands on the Staff sometime around the end of Throné's Chapter 1, but for various reasons I don't think she kills Tanzy with it until later. Tanzy is a major player in Agnea's story and it feels off to have Agnea 90% done with her journey when Castti is just rolling off the ship. Agnea "Don't stop me now" Bristarni is very much the type to keep travelling after her final boss but having her as effectively the veteran is weird. Arcanette doesn't know where the other two flames are. She knows Toto'haha, she knows Flamechurch (SHE LIVES THERE)... she does not know about Crackridge or Ku yet. If their Sacred Flame went out, Flamechurch would burn to the fcking ground. Town. Gone. Which is an interesting plot point, but maybe not one to start off with.

And then the Blade and Grimoire are dependent on the travelers' actions.

Meanwhile Mindt is dong some kind of heresy 100% speedrun, as you proposed.

On Lostseed: I remembered that bloodborne illness includes STDs and now I need to excise that memory.

There is a Zombie Apocalypse going on and Ori still doesn't get hazard pay. You can imagine how she feels about this.

The Book of Night

THIS FUCKING THING

This fucking thing is the largest single infection vector in Solistia, and on top of that it makes lucid zombies. Mostly asymptomatic lucid zombies. They develop the signature black blood eventually, but no other symptoms except occasional Cotard's Delusion. Which is exactly what you'd want brain-baking cursed knowledge to do! /sarcasm (This is another thing the characters wouldn't actually know - except Arcanette and maybe Claude - because of all the people who were infected this way, only Tanzy was otherwise low-risk.)

Night ability buddies (and also Hikari)

It's slightly implied and entirely possible that Throné was carrying the Darkblood Staff tied to her back (or something) for the entire exfiltration part of The Job. Which, uh. Yeah that sounds like a reason for Spooky Scary Shadow Shit. She's not actually infected - Arcanette is trying but Throné is so fast and crafty - but as time goes on / she levels up in game terms, she gets faster and craftier while dealing with the infected - to the point where she seems slow against normal humans and beasts, and her "it's what I would do"-based predictions grow uncannily accurate. And every night, her blood seems a little darker. (Basically, during the day, she's a totally normal human. Her blood is red, and she has to dodge zombies. During the night... less so. Zombies grow more and more likely to assume she's another zombie, meaning they either ignore her or shove past her without attacking - the smarter ones will try to include her in their formation and get backstabbed for their trouble, and her blood is black.) (That last part takes months to notice because blood looks black in low light anyway, but the party loses their collective shit upon finding out.)

Temenos is just a wee bit eldritch. Regardless of which theories you do or do not subscribe to, there is something up with this guy. One of the things is his faith. True Faith is not as common as religious piety, especially in these difficult times.

This is not entirely Mindt's fault, but she is not helping. She is the exact opposite of helping.

Doubt may be what Temenos does, but Faith is at his core. And that Faith can do some very strange things when pitted against existential despair made manifest. So an idea I had was that in a slightly stress-addled moment of frustration (in the last week the party has had to field three murder attempts by two different cults, somehow taken the longest possible route through a night event, and there was an unannounced zombie in the latrine of all places; he just wants to sleep in a bed) Temenos pins a zombie to the ground with his staff, locks eyes, and demands to know... something. He could be after any info, the important thing is that the zombie answers right before its heart gives out under the strain. Entire party like WHAT. "Hikari" in the background like "Bury me, he actually did it." (Temenos caught a mind's eyeful of Things Man Was Not Meant To Know doing that and made himself very sick. Fortunately he's pretty spiritually resilient and Castti is Right There. She's got this.)

Hikari has been exposed to the Shadow since basically forever, bro has antibodies for years and the highest base health. (Unfortunately for him, his blood type is AB+ and the technology to isolate antibodies doesn't exist yet.) Unless he commits ego-suicide by "Hikari" he's not going to turn. And, self-sacrificing to a fault as he is, he absolutely will get himself infected at some point... and basically sleep it off.

SO NATURALLY HE TAKES ANOTHER BITE FOR SOMEONE AND ALMOST DIES OF TETANUS.

And then there's the other guy. Haver of bad ideas and wrecker of shit. "Hikari" says things like "Paint the woods red!" in canon, and in canon most things have red blood. (He may or may not ignore invertebrates, plants, skeletons, and skinks of the genus Prasinohaema left to his own devices, but mechanically he can be sicced on at least three of those.) But in this story there are zombies with the defining characteristic of black blood - and a connection to the same force that gave rise to him, but "Hikari" doesn't give a damn about that part. So he might be more of a friendly fire risk here, even taking into account "mechanically, you can't target your own party." And his attacks are infectious because of course they are. We love to torment Hikari here.

Pros of all this is that even outside the Shadow's Hold state Hikari can sniff out uninfected survivors like a bloodhound. (Why didn't he twig that something was very wrong with Kazan? Why would he? The man's a tactical genius, there's no point in time when he could have been infected and anyway he doesn't look sick.) (Also Hikari has a massive betrayal shaped blind spot when it comes to people he considers his friends.) (Which is everyone.)

Cons? Oh, you know :)

Intrigued or possibly amused by the thought that whether Hikari pings as infected or not changes based on what test you use. Animals like him. He tried to walk into Flamechurch Cathedral and took himself out on the wards. Temenos had to piggyback him. (Throné thought this was hilarious, right up until she tried to enter at night and took herself out on the wards.) Ochette is trying to figure out why he drops like a sack of hammers and smells like dead skunk after pushing himself. Immobilized zombies seem unusually blasé about him walking toward them with a sword.

Six Degrees of Kevin D'arqest

Because like 90% of this is his fault.

Harvey (the bastard) has dissected at least one zombie in his time, much to the consternation of the entire university. Somehow he didn't get infected from this. Not that the Book of Night strain is any real protection, because it can go from asymptomatic to full-on shambler whenever Vide (or someone else with the power and knowhow, like Arcanette for example) feels like triggering it, but technically he can't catch the black blood while he already has it. He also experimented with the few zombie animals he could get his hands on to make Shadow-element chimeras. This proved to be a dead end; they tend to... sublimate. Or sporulate. One of those.

Lostseed is almost literally a ghost town. Almost. ...ghosts would be preferable.

There's probably some interesting stuff going on in Sai. Between general Hinoeuma conditions, the conflict with Timberrain, Masoud is there... how do sand lions react to zombies? Possibly by going out of their way to sink and entomb any they find. A lot of stories have animals be violently averse to any whiff of the undead, but an overstimulated sand lion is unlikely to be much help to survivors. -The Sai sand lion is like "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP" and trying to bury anyone that makes too much noise, but since it has a history of attacking the Mourning Dead people are accusing each other of hiding infection, which leads to shouting, which makes the sand lion freak out and try to bury everyone... and there's a war on.

Lemme expand on that: a lot of the wildlife has magic or near-magic powers. Trained beasts and lively flora could be some of the best defenses out there, especially since they so rarely turn. Toto'haha must be a very dramatic place. Beastlings have earlier warning of any infected, but there's a language barrier between them and the human colonists. Master Juvah adds "they keep turning into zombies and trying to eat my face" to Reasons I Don't Want Humans In My House. Cohazeh is there.

Do the Blacksnakes (and maybe some other crime syndicates) have a more legitimate front as zombie exterminators?

Book of Night infectees by Cotard's Delusion status: Trousseau: got it bad. Oboro: it comes and goes, but Ori's had to stop him from trying to embalm himself more than once. Harvey: status unknown, probably wouldn't care if his organs really were rotting. Tanzy: no problems here. Apart from the obvious. Ori?: very confident in being alive, has mixed feelings about this. Claude?: nope nope nope nope don't know don't care get him away from me Arcanette?: maybe, but she's chill about it.

someone's gotta hear me out here;

octopath traveler ii apocalyptic au.

it has SO MUCH raw potential, no matter which route you want to take for it.

soooo.... prepare yourself for a ramble on potential ideas. do keep in mind i divided it up by sections only after writing most of it though ���

-- general concept //

i've mentioned the idea to a handful of friends, and most of them assume i mean an apocalyptic au placed in a more modern setting. that in itself is interesting and a whole other concept to explore, but what i've *really* been thinking of is one set in solistia.

at first, i wanted to use the stereotypical zombie virus. but when i further thought on it, that wouldn't really make sense in ot2's context. i mean, yeah, it could be a situation like castti's - but how would a mutated virus tie back to an overlooming shadow the same way trousseau's poison does?

there were a billion different ways to create or sever that tie. the virus' mutation could have been caused by the darkness, or the virus itself originating from a creature of it, or something else among the lines of that. i couldn't really settle on just one solid idea - until i remembered osvald's final chapter.

osvald's final chapter features people who are "possessed" by this shadow magic. they are unable to speak and appear violent to *some* extent. plus, after you're able to free them from this trance, they seem to be unaware of what had only just taken place.

in addition to this, while playing the game, you have a set chance of encountering a monster who looks *just* like one of the others, save for its darker palette and shadow-themed battle scenery. this also appears in ochette's final. and temenos' final, when that magic mutates kaldena into some sort of monster? AND the darkblood blade causing a similar instance with mugen?? ANDDD the dark akala/mahina for ochette's final???? and not to mention trousseau using "poisonous shadow energy" to cause fatal illness. the perfect set-up for a zombielike concept is literally all RIGHT there

-- hikari //

HOWEVER. using the shadow as a direct cause of it brings up a few questions that need solving. if we go with a "the last of us" sort of concept, where the people who are infected are *alive* but serve as "hosts," then what would that mean for hikari??? there's a bunch of different ways to explore that. would he technically be born infected and, therefore, have partial immunity?? if so, how would his infected state affect not only him but the other travelers as well??? i imagine it functions pretty similarly to the original curse, maybe with a few sickly symptoms?

i think one of the key differences with hikari and other forms of the shadow is sentience. with the people from osvald's ch. 5, they're reduced to just making animalistic sounds in place of speaking. in hikari and temenos' finals, both mutated versions of bosses have a VERY limited speech pattern and seem to entirely lose themself. in ochette's story, it afflicted animals. on the flip side, when it comes to hikari's curse, we have this shadow within that can speak and think for itself. while it is a possibility this sentience is limited because most (if not all) of what it thinks about is violence, it's perfectly capable of interacting with people (...if it ever wanted to without hurting them)

so...maybe it wouldn't act like the other infected whenever hikari loses control of it? but it probably still has a strong lust for blood. PLUS, being that this is set in an apocalyptic setting, being around violence is going to be an incredibly common occurrence. hikari'll have to be dealing with it. a LOT. i feel like at some point the other travelers start to notice that something's up, depending on which representation of the curse you wanna go for. like, if it's just partial infection immunity, hikari could be bitten at some point, start feeling a faint bit sickly, and everyone's grieving and preparing for his loss, and then...it just. doesn't happen. or, if you wanna go for something like the shadow being recognized as something similar to the infected, there could be an instance where hikari is struggling against it, and the infected they were in the middle of fighting charge toward him, set to attack, and— then they just walk around him, as if he didn't exist at all. this would probably act similar to the whole smell disguise thing in the walking dead or like the zombies ignoring the ill in world war z

-- throné //

the shadow's relation to the apocalypse would also raise a few questions for throné. for instance, if this widespread infection is marking the beginning of vide's return and the end of time, what would this mean about throné being a 'vessel?' what about her own blood ties to d'arqest (and the ones she shares with hikari)?

since throné doesn't have 1-to-1 interactions with her dark ancestry (the shadow), i wouldn't go quite as far as hikari's concepts. like, i don't think she'd be immune to them. buuuuut, as she was born as a potential candidate as vide's vessel, i can see her being better at handling the infected. maybe it'd be something like a heightened sense or intuition of their actions. there could be more of an understanding that's beyond just empathy of the tragedy. after all, these things are technically vide's creation, and she's not so far off from being considered one too. i wouldn't go off into fantasy land and say she can talk to them or something, but i can see her predicting some of their behaviors. if they ever try to sneak up on the cast, both because of her assassin/thief history and this trait, she'd be the first to notice them and spring into action-- even before they're actually near the group. it's like a feeling of paranoia except, most of the time, it's true

ochette could perhaps possess a similar ability (though not quite the same) due to the orign of the beastlings, and because of her being basically pure light LMAO. even vide couldn't find a way to corrupt her

another note- i feel like traveler stories relating to vide would be much more rooted in cultism than they were originally. you've probably seen films or shows of post-apocalyptic scenarios. cults spresd FAST. and, speaking of which...

-- the moonshade order //

THESE GUYS. eugh i both love and hate them sm i'm gonna throw them

anyway. so, in this version of what i'm describing, the only main world change is the timeline order. long story short, these guys managed to pull a lot of the big bad strings way back, maybe even before some of the travelers were born (glances at agnea) but i haven't fully arranged it out yet

ALTHOUUUGH, as we know, there are circumstances that were only capable thanks TO the travelers. (ex. kazan using the ku civil war to retrieve the blade). i think this is EXACTLY why vide has yet to fully return. maybe they've managed to get 2 or 3 of the flames out (i'm not completely sure which ones are possible and which ones aren't. i'd have to look back at it later... it's currently 12 am at the time of me writing this, so there's zero way i'm checking atm </3). in this csse scenario, i see this like a weakening on the seal, and hence, allowing for the beginning of the end to start

otherrr than that, post-apocalyptic, i see them functioning as a cult. ..well, they technically already are, but a more influential one. like, let's take kazan, for example. he would definitely use the apocalypse as an opportunity to 'advise' the king and general mugen. ...iiiin other words, basically manipulating them.

!! subsection about ku because i rambled a bit //

since ku's so war-heavy, after the kingdom falls (and, geographically wise, they'd likely be one of the last standing), i envision them having a survivor group ran by the royal family. kazan would use the chaos and conflict to paint himself in to a higher, more influential role in this group. as hikari would be pretty young when the apocalypse began, i can picture kazan becoming his mentor in this au. he'd probably speak to hikari and other people of ku about vide and the end of the 'cruel and ugly world' and such, and, because most people are willing to listen to just about anything in this stats of emergency, they start believing in it, too. maybe not as deeply as kazan, but it might influence them in behaviors or habits, like serving to only worsen ku's war-thirsty nature or people of the group beginning to adapt a more "ah, well, it is what it is. this cruel and ugly world will end soon anyway" mindset

also, on kazan mentoring hikari, this would definitely be another manipulation tactic. enough people of ku know about the curse (and, in mugen's case, about hikari's mixed ancestral bloodline) for it to be expected that kazan is fully aware of it. i wouldn't even be surprised if part of the plan was to use hikari to, at last, fully free vide. orrr, maybe kazan treats hikari as if he's vide's intended vessel? either way, this would cause much deeper rooted psychological problems for hikari. like...ku's violence meter probably went WAAAY up due to the stress and panic of the apocalypse. and then you add in the blackouts associated with the shadow within that he's not fully aware of until adulthood. and also a lot of the similar event sequences to his original storyline.

i just really quickly fetched a few small hypothetical concepts i sent to a friend about post-apoc ku late october;

" hikari's upbringing would therefore likely have a lot more of kazan's involvement in it, as well as all those bad behaviors.

ofc, just like he strays from his family's history of violence in canon, hikari often strays away from the path kazan tries to set up for him. he disagrees with all the violence and a good amount of the questionable behaviors clan ku exhibits

in facctttt

one idea i had for this version of ku, was that they sometimes keep others hostage for bargaining, torturing for information, cult-like related reasons, etc. but this would be pretty rare because ku would fucking murder most of their hostages

there was one scene i imagined would perhaps make a tie between him and another character (most likely partitio due to ku and oresrush's proximities)

in this case, lets say there's been a group near their area that they've been struggling to "sniff out," and they finally happen to find one of the members of that group. if this was as a tie to partitio, then this would likely be one of his friends - nikki, joe, maybe even alrond, etc.

young hikari realizes he's roughly the same age as the hostage and, ofc, feels super fucking bad. and hence sneaks out at night to bandage the captive's wounds and maybe try to free him

during that whole interaction, i imagine him saying something along the lines of "it's okay," offering out his hand to show the bandages and his intent to help, "...i'm not like them."

if/when he frees this person, kazan would definitely have the suspicion it was hikari and eventually find the evidence it was (likely through manipulating hikari to spill), and young hikari would get *a ton* of shit for it

to mimic a lot of things that happens in hikari's story, another thing i did sort of want portrayed was his mother's death;

but i thought it more similarly to a twd character, where his father clings onto a zombified version of her (and this could serve as another reason for the occasional captive and excessive bouts of manslaughter)

until, one day, she's found fckin dead. wound indicates a sword to the head and all. hikari personally felt a sort of peace with the fact, because he saw it as her *finally* being allowed to rest properly. he knew and recognized that the walkers were anything but human, and while they once were, the person they were before was most definitely *gone*. (hence he'd be the type to go out of his way to put an end to walkers that're trapped or hung, because he wants those people to finally feel a sense of peace instead of being trapped in whatever sort of hell that was. if the shadow was to have a big hold on him, it would also contribute to this sympathy because he'd *know* some of the hell they'd gone through)

....however, the rest of clan ku would *not* see it that way and treat it as an assassination. and that's another pointer to hikari that things around him are kinda lowkey fucked up

....and because of the way he viewed it, and him being young and not yet really knowing that view was VERY frowned upon, a lot of the clan ends up thinking he was the one who carried it out. henceee more of the shit hikari receives. the shit w/ jin mei would also be connected 2 this "

!! back to moonshade //

mindt may cause something sort of like that among the church, or be able to spread the word of vide under the disguise OF the proper church of the sacred flame. people are 10x more likely to listen to official clerics instead of some rambling lunatic, right?

okay i'm getting too tired to keep writing tjis it just turned 1 in the morning and i didn' sleep yesterdah. 😭😭. i MIGHT come back and revisit this if anything else comes to mind!!!! most of my thoughts have pertained to hikari and thr ku kingdom, so if this post somehow manages to pique anyone's interest at all, i'm really open to hesring any ideas you might have for any of tje travelers or ot2 chatacters! orrr any input about things i've already thought up. i really wanna find some way to implement ships into this too but i haven't gotten to think on it much. i'm personally a sucker for partikari, castthroné, and knightlight/crimenos. but also just relationships in general, like the close-knit friendship between throné and temenos. .....this is making me realize how much more thinking and planning i have to do 😭

ps i'm newer to tumblr so i'm sorry if the formatting in this is god awful💔. i wanted somewhere to rant about my silly little slow work in progress apoc au in the middle of the might and thought you guys would be best suited lmfao

[bull-shit-suji]

actually no i need to talk about the green witch arc. ciel and his band of merry fools go to germany and learn that this forest is haunted by WEREWOLVES and in it is a village full of WITCHES with cursed amulets and potions and whatever

and the immediate vibe is "lol what a bunch of bogus" which is really just batshit coming from the kid with a demon butler

and then woah big reveal! it wasn't werewolves or witches it was a covert military operation REPLETE with radar tracking (not a thing until wwii) and electronic displays (most likely crt screens, which again weren't fully developed until the 1930s) and TANKS. for reference the first "tank" was put together by a guy in 1899 who mounted a machine gun to THIS

absolute paragon of engineering. the panzer (the exact model of tank in the arc) was not a thing until wwi.

and. and ciel and ESPECIALLY the Demon Butler in question are like. ohhhh yeah that makes more sense. the amulets were just transmitting our exact locations through technology that won't exist for another three decades. whew glad we sorted that one out. man wouldn't it have been CRAZY if it really was werewolves.

[sysig]

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