#oh to be a tourist....no idea what's going on but fascinated by it

[mariemariemaria]

im not gonna lie that tiktok of the american vibing to the orange march with her wee tricolour bracelet was so fucking funny. she should never have apologised thank you Ms ma'am you're making today slightly more bearable

[absolute-flaming-trash]

Mahito getting obsessed with a tourist due to the language barrier.

Perhaps they bump into him after getting separated from their guide and they apologize to him in a language he doesn't understand.

And oh he would be so fascinated. They came all the way to Japan without even knowing how to communicate with the people there?

Not the brightest thing in the world, are they?

He'd start talking to them just to see the pure confusion on their face. To see whether they laugh awkwardly in an attempt to make light of the fact they have no idea what he's saying, or if they try to fumble their way through what little of the language they actually did know in order to communicate they don't understand him.

Adorable, really.

Either way, he's not letting them go after that.

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Can I get some steter with morally dubious Stiles?

You sure can! @kevaaronday made this list.

A Darkness Follows by havok2cat (9/9 | 41,994 | Explicit | Steter) Stiles serves his community service at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. He's assigned to a mysterious patient and finds himself quickly becoming obsessed.

As most wrong theories are by PotatoYoghurt

(46/46 | 35,150 | Explicit | Stetopher) The world takes everything from Stiles.

Stiles decides to take it back.

Null & Void by skargasm (18/18 | 28,762 | Explicit | Steter) In a world full of the supernatural and superpowers, everyone eagerly awaits their 18th birthday to ‘receive’ their gift. On his 18th birthday, Stiles Stilinski comes into his powers and finds out in the most horrific way possible that his gift is more of a curse – one unguarded touch, and he absorbs both a person’s gift andtheir life-force. 

Determined to keep his friends and family safe, he moves away from his home and takes a job with the government, taking away the gifts of those who would abuse them. As one of the most powerful – and potentially dangerous – people in the world, Void feels completely alone. 

Peter Hale’s gift is incredibly prized – mainly because no one is allowed to openly discuss what their gift is. Working within the P.A.C.K. bureau, he keeps his family safe and does the world a service. No-one’s gift can touch him, and he is one of the very few who can tell what someone’s gift is from one simple touch. 

So what does he do with this ruthless but attractive new partner who refuses to let Peter touch him?

To Court a (Oblivious) Werewolf by StilesIsMySpiritAnimal (5/5 | 25,437 | Explicit | Steter) There was no mistaking that this was the Spark.

He walked with a lethal grace, hands in his pockets and head tilted down slightly. His entire body had a soft glow to it.

Three bodies moved in unison to flank him, and they walked the remaining distance to the pack.

As if sensing his perusal, the boy looked up, right at Peter, his whiskey-colored eyes flashing in the sun.

Oh. Peter briefly wondered if the young man hid his face for safety, or because every ‘wolf within ten miles would be looking to court him.

Perhaps by Triskuit (1/1 | 7,168 | Explicit | Steter) Stiles and Peter run into each other when attempting to kill the same people. They get together and go a-murderin'.

-----

“Should we be comparing lists or something?”

There was an amused snort. “Perhaps.”

They stood around awkwardly for a few moments and then Stiles went to get a closer look at the thoroughly shredded Body Formerly Known As Todd.

“You’re not going to ask?” the werewolf blurted.

There was surprise and incredulity in his voice. And was that a hint of disappointment? Stiles bet he had a whole spiel prepared. He smirked.

“About what? You’re a guy who turns into a wolf-bear creature. And? Do you have another trick up your sleeve? Some fascinating hobby?”

The werewolf erupted into a full-body laugh, mouth open and eyes sparkling — Stiles was close enough now to see that they were blue — and he was pleased to elicit such a response. He wanted to hear that sound again. 

Aconite is Forever by threedices (1/1 | 5,636 | Teen | Steter) Magic helps Stiles find his soulmate. Knowing Peter exists is a comfort after his mother's death.

While magic doesn't stop the Hale fire it allows Stiles to bring Peter back when he thinks sacrificing himself for Stiles is a good idea (the fool).

Too Good to be True by stellewrites (1/1 | 5,256 | Teen | Steter) “This is a big fucking job, Ali,” Stiles said tiredly as he looked over the blueprints for the banks. “I’ll be doing you more than a favour if I do this. It’s peak time for tourists, so that means that cops are going to be more alert than usual. We won’t have much time.” 

“So, you’re in?” She confirmed. 

“Yeah, I’m in,” he said

“Who the fuck actually robs a bank in Las Vegas?” Peter murmured, feeling hysterical when he saw the masked group spread around the bank. 

--- 

Peter's on holiday with his friends in Las Vegas when he gets caught up in a bank robbery. One of the robbers has really pretty eyes - not that Peter noticed…

To Captivate a Killer by Noxnthea (1/1 | 2,000 | Teen | Steter) “The problem is that I’m not sure whether I want to kill him or kiss him.”

There’s silence from the Sheriff’s end of the spell before his father says, “Really, Stiles?” 

Stiles has accepted a contract to assassinate the Hale prince. It’s not panning out quite like he expected.

Just Calm Down by SnakePit1995 (1/1 | 1,085 | Gen | Steter) Stiles putting wards on Peter's apartment was easily the best decision he ever made. They worked perfectly and saved them time and time again. The intent wards were an everlasting argument but Stiles was never going to take them down. 

OR

The intent wards don't let Peter into the apartment when he's angry and Stiles finds it endlessly entertaining.

[luck-and-larceny]

FFXIV Write: Tempest

You're as charming as ever,” he says to me with a smile on his lips and malice in his eyes. With Marrant every compliment is actually criticism.

“That's true,” I reply and beam a giant grin at him that I hope is so brilliantly charming it fucking blinds him. “Which is why you went out of your way to contact me. You've missed this,” I motion back and forth to the “this” between us; it's nothing but animosity.

We stare at each other for what feels like a lifetime, neither of us blinking. I just come around to the idea that this interaction is intensely stupid when he sighs (and, notably, blinks first).

“Look, Lika, I need your help,” he finally says.

“Oh, is that all?” I ask cheerfully, “Great! No.”

Ah, that felt good! I just sat down at this bar and now I'm getting back up again. I love a good exercise.

I'm out the door in a heartbeat, but he's right behind me. He grabs my arm to keep me from disappearing into the night. I slap his face for having the audacity. The sound echoes through the empty alleyway we now stand in. Wow. Great acoustics in this spot!

A storm crosses his face, darkening every feature and tensing his jaw. I love storms. I especially love them on his face because it means I've pissed him off. If we fight here, anybody in proximity– tourists wandering the city at night,  patrons in the bar, the asshole wine vendor parked right outside the bar selling overpriced bottles to the already drunk patrons exiting said bar– will need to run for cover. 

It's been so long since I've seen that expression on his face that I almost welcome it. Let's have it out here. Let him tell me how I ruined his life all those years ago. Let me tell him he hasn't seen anything yet.

But the storm passes almost as soon as it arrives. I'm surprised. And mildly disappointed. I pretend I'm neither and return to the earlier game of staring bitchily at him and not blinking. It's still stupid. Oh, well.

“I need you to rob a rival of mine,” he finally says after a breath to gather his senses again.

Here's another thing about Marrant: He always hated when I stole things… except  for when I'd steal them for him. Seems nothing has really changed.

“Fascinating,” I reply. “Tell me more. Who is this rival?”

Relief softens his features. “His name is Audr Shade. His home is in Lavender Beds.”

“Audr Shade?” I repeat thoughtfully.

“That's right.”

Great!” I chirp. “I'll just go off and let him know you wanted to hire someone to rob him. Maybe he'll give me something nice for being an upright citizen! But even if he doesn't it'll still be worth it because I did something good and moral.”

He used to say shit about how I wasted all my talent doing pointless, petty tomfoolery instead of something ambitious, moral, and good. I hate the me that dated this blowhard. I also hate the me that remembers anything he said to me during that time.

He smiles at my response. His inner monologue is probably something like: “She used to pretend what I said didn't bother her. When she responds by repeating my words back at me I see that it did. I smile because in that moment I know I've won.”

Forget all the mes that I hate. I hate this asshole most of all.

“Fuck you, Marrant.”

“Mature as ever, Lika. Listen, I know you despise me. And you know the feeling is mutual. So consider for just a moment that if I've come to you that, sure, yes, I'm desperate. But there might also be something you can get out of it that is even better than my desperation.”

Obviously I want to say there's nothing better than his desperation but that lends itself far too easily to a sex joke. And there's really nothing that would repulse me more than associating sex with this guy ever again.

Better, I think, to say, “I don't care. This is boring.  I'm going home now.”

He looks annoyed before replying, “But you do care about something and I have information about it. I will give you that information if you first rob Audr Shade and then rob me immediately after.”

Then rob him immediately aft– what the hell? No. Don't fall for this, Malika. You don't care. 

“I don't care.  Good luck with the self-sabotage or whatever the fuck, you absolute fungus.”

“The Tempest Tapestry,” he says quickly. “I know where it can be found.”

I'm speechless. It's not because I'm impressed by what he's said; it's because I'm pissed. If I open my mouth to say anything at all it will open so wide that I will swallow him whole. I look like a 5’4” miqo’te standing in a dingy alleyway, but I’m actually a swirling vortex of rage. How dare he try this on me? How dare he even say those words?

He takes my silence as a good sign because he's an idiot. “It wasn't easy,” he says with a self-satisfied preen and smile.

“It's impossible,” I correct him as levelly as I can, “Because it isn't real. I already looked into it. You didn't find shit because there isn't shit to find, Marrant.”

There’s a legend that there is a book so old that only luck and spite keeps it held together. I admire that. The cover is said to be sewn together by thousands of threads, all a different color. That book is said to hold the answers of how to find the first item ever spun in the Spinner’s loom: The Tempest Tapestry. The book is named the same. I’d told Marrant years ago that finding and stealing that would be the ultimate job. I'd stop stealing after that.

I didn't mean it, of course. That's stupid. Might as well tell me to stop breathing. But if the book existed– which, again, it doesn't because I've fucking looked– I'd still want it.

“There's no such book,” I say, my voice low, hot and full of barbed wire. I'm saying this to myself more than to him. I can't get obsessed looking for this again. I can't. It almost destroyed me the first time.

“I'm not talking about the book,” he counters. “I mean the actual tapestry, Lika. I can tell you where it is.” No, he can't. That's stupid and offensive.

But I'm in trouble. I could and should say no this. Whoever has told him they know where this tapestry is is lying because there isn't one. It isn't real. It's a story.

But someone believes they have something they are pretending is the Tempest Tapestry. That's 1) blasphemy, I suppose and 2) fucking intriguing. Of course I want to see what someone thinks they could pretend is a legendary artifact.

And even when it's nothing but trash I'm going to want to steal it. Stories are more important than truth. People tend to believe in stories more than they believe the truth, too. Stories have power.

I'm so dizzy with wanting to do this, I think I might throw up.

This is a trap. It's so obvious. I go to steal from this Audr Shade guy and then from Marrant as he's requested and there are guards waiting at his place to apprehend me– that's GOT to be his plan. That has to be why he wants me to rob him.  There's no tapesty. He is making it up. Say no to this, Malika. Walk away. Walk away. Walk away.

“Fine. Tell me more.”

I'm so fucked.

[klarolineashur1919]

La Tua Cantante Series

Part 2

Romance Isn't Dead

Nina Pov

I'm crazy is all I could think about as I stood by myself at night in what looked like a sex trafficking target spot. I thought people would be out at night for the bars or restaurants but no, not one soul was out just my dumbass to see possible Italian mobster. I was right under the clock tower just like he said right in the perfect line of view for a kidnapper. The place was empty and here I was standing in the middle of the place clear view for anyone. It felt like a place a sniper has a bullseye on my forehead right now.

"When you know, you know..." The possible criminal is late, my feet started to wandered to the fountain near by.

"When you know, you know" I sit down on the side of it.

"It kinda makes me laugh, runnin' down that path" My hand runs through the water in the moonlight.

"When you're good as gold....Cause when you know, you know" I hummed along until I could feel a presence looking down at me.

"When you're old, you're old.....Like Hollywood and me, the diamond on your ring...The soul that you bring to the table" I looked up at his fascinating eyes. He was staring at me but it wasn't in a creep way. It was like he was admiring the view...I was it.

"One that makes me sing...In a minor key...Cause when you know, you know" He started to speak but I couldn't hear him. I slowly took out my earpods getting up from my spot.

"Hey" I do a little wave as he just nods and smiles at me.

"Good evening" He gives a very tense smile "I hope you weren't waiting long." He always looks so stiff with his hands behind his back and his stance so straight.

"Oh no...not long" I slowly make my way to him until I'm standing in front of him. We're just staring into each other eyes for a moment. It makes me look down giggling.

"I thought we could have dinner or go dancing or both" He says kindly smirking.

"That sounds fun" I bite my lip while we still stared at each other. He eventually offered me his arm, which I took with a light snort at the action.

He asked me about my day, how I got to his castle and how I met Heidi. I told him how I really just sat in cafes all day drawing and journaling. How it wasn't really Heidi that brought me to the castle but I just thought the castle itself looked interesting and somewhat crashed the tourist group.

"It wasn't Heidi" He asked almost shocked.

"I'm not into girls" I say jesting at his confusion while he looked to be deep in thought.

We got to a little fancy Italian restaurant after a short walk.

Demetri opened the door of the restaurant making me a say a quick thank you as looked at him slightly surprised by the gesture.

The staff looked stressed as Demetri and I walked in but there were no customers in the restaurant.

Demetri and them spoke in Italian as I watched the interaction it was very interesting. The host or owner of the restaurant was sweating profusely while Demetri wasn't rude though I had no idea what they were saying but he looked above the man's head as he talked to him.

The man eventually led us to our table tripping over himself as he walked which I noticed made Demetri roll his eyes while I bit my lip sympathetically. Demetri pulled out my chair for me and tucked me into the table.

"Thanks" I said in a kind of long way as I looked Demetri over intriguingly.

"Do I pique your fascination?" Demetri says teasingly at the look I was giving him as a waitress came shaking as she put glasses of water on the table, stuttered as she spoke to Demetri in Italian before walking.

"You're definitely in the mafia" I deadpanned making Demetri laugh but he ended up biting his lip as if he was thinking about something.

"I think I will leave that a mystery" He said coyly giving me a smirk that made me give him one back.

"A drive by isn't going to happened at any moment" I say with fake worry making him chuckle again.

"Oh no..no drive bys" He genuinely smiled but slowly faltered before he spoke "Would you say you lead an exciting life" he looked at me as if he was inspecting me making me hold back a scoff.

I shrug "I came to Italy on a whim for the summer so I guess I do try when I have time" I say slightly mocking "How about you...do you live an exciting life" I jokingly raise a brow.

"No all very boring" He says genuinely.

"I don't believe that" I say in a mock sly way.

"No its true. My life is extremely boring. This right here actually is the most excitement in months" He says nodding down to the wine that was shakily brought to the table.

"Do you mind if I order for you" He asks me politely making me shrug a little.

"I don't know italian so you might as well surprise me" I say watching him begin to order.

He had such a regal air about him I notice.

Maybe he's a prince. He has to be something special.

"Are you from Italy?" I ask watching the waitress is hurrying away.

"No, Im from Greece" He looked distance for a moment.

"I've always wanted to go Greece" I watched him intrigued by his actions and facial expressions.

He nodded with a somewhat sad smile as if he hadn't been home in a long time.

"How long has it been since you been on a date?" I said starting to get a vibe off him as this made him chuckled but pause biting his lip slyly for a moment.

"I don't really go on dates" He tried to say in the most gentlemanly way which made me chuckle.

"Then what do you go on?" I say mockingly raising my eyebrows at him. The look on his face I would've thought him being so pale I would've seen a blush on his cheeks but he almost looked embarrassed.

"I have a lot of....friends" He tries to say in the most polite way possible but it only makes me laugh.

"And am I to be your friend?" I mockingly inquire. This made all joking manner leave his face.

"No...your-" He says looking at me with eyes that definitely had me blushing.

"Different" I deadpanned interrupting making him smirk.

"Truly" He countered and I smirked at the comment.

"But you are right... I'm not going to be your friend" I playfully scoff as he looks at me intensely.

Me and him stared into each other eyes for a moment. In that moment I realized something. I never believed in love at first sight or soul mates. But this man across this table I feel a pull, a connection that was completely indescribable. I just knew he was going to be a huge part of my life.

No matter how long it would last.

[literary-illuminati]

Book Review 13 – A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Okay, getting back into writing these reviews before I fall so far behind that catching up is just impossible. Memory is the first book this year that I’ve actually read before; I’m rereading as the first choice for a theoretical book club with some friends. Honestly quite enjoyed the experience, if only because trying to jot down some things to say when discussing it forced me to take it a little slower this time.

To get the technical details out of the way – the book won the Hugo, and did basically deserve it. The writing’s lovely and occasionally downright poetics, the two leads are both insanely compelling, and the court intrigue is appropriately convoluted and byzantine for what is obviously Constantinople IN SPACE. It’s just overall a joyous read.

So Martine’s clearly very fascinated by the experience of having your standards of aesthetics, and sophistication, and civilization defined by a culture which has never even bothered to notice your existence. The simultaneous rapture at being in the heart of the universe that you’ve read about your entire life, and deep alienation knowing you’ll never actually be a part of it. How ever most of the people trying to be friendly and compliment you don’t even notice how patronizing they’re being. And so on and etc. Mahit’s internal monologue does a really good job of selling the ambivalence of it, especially in the party scene.

The book does an excellent job of actually selling the palace district as a site of imperial grandeur, too, every building buried in symbolic aesthetics and ritual significance. But also just, like, actually impressive and grand to read about. All the contrasts between the oveflowing abundance in the city and life on Lsel are fascinating too – Martine makes really good use of the little worldbuilding quotes at the start of chapters to sell the difference. The one that really stuck in my head was a quote from a tourism

guide explaining all the myriad fine dining choices for tourists visiting the City followed directly by a Lseli agricultural report about how new hydrophonic techniques had increased rice yield sufficiently to support a whole hundred non-replacement births in the next generation (it helps that all the Teixicalaanli food legitimately sounds pretty amazing). Though the time where Mahit’s internal monologue short circuited over the idea of carrying a pregnancy to term in your own body – wasteful! Depriving the station of a necessary laborer for months and months when perfectly good artificial wombs are right there! So decadent – is a close second.

Martine is, as I understand it, a Byzantinist, and oh boy can you tell. The city’s a little bit Tenochtitlan in the aesthetics and the religion, but it really is overwhelmingly space Constantinople. The theoretically absolute emperor dealing with mobs in the streets willing and potentially able to acclaim a usurper, the constant risk of legions doing the same, the basic fact that there’s a vast empire which is viewed as nothing but an adjunct or extension of the capital city which is the entirety of all political life and the place everyone whose anyone needs to be, and so on.

In a way, the obvious Byzantine-ness of the Teixicalaanli makes them seem less imperialist than just imperial, at least from Mahit’s perspective. Which is to say, well, first of all that ‘empire’ has far too many meanings and distinguishing them is hard, but the Teixicalaanli don’t expand like the British or French, in constant competition over captive markets and strategic locations, they don’t feel some glorious burden of manifest destination or a mission civilisatrice that requires universal dominion. They already are the universe, or at least everything worthwhile in it, they go to war like medieval kings or Roman princeps – to win glorious victories and so show the empire they have the right to rule it.

The relation between Lsel and Teixicalaan – well, if suffers from the standard space opera lack of scale, first of all. The stationers number in the tens of thousands – the empire must be in the hundreds of billions, minimum. ‘Realistically’ Six Directions would never have found out about the imago device because relations with them would have been handled by some mid-ranking provincial governor, only showing up in travelogues and fanciful ethnographies. But leaving that aside, Teixicalaanli myopia also means that the cultural imperialism that the book’s so fascinated by is oddly...blameless? Teixicalaan presumably has brutal campaigns dedicated to stamping out native cultures and integrating them into the empire, but there’s hardly one directed at Lsel. The general sense you get is one of vaguely tragic inevitability – that the mismatch in size and wealth is such that of course any sort of even slightly free exchange of media and ideas will lead to Stationer culture being overwhelmed. Makes me think about arguments around CanCon regulations.

(The whole Roman, medieval feel of the empire means it all kind of calls to mind various Germanic elites actively reaching for Roman iconography and institutions to legitimize themselves as much as anything, though of course that’s not really right.)

The book’s politics are, I think, a bit limited by the degree it’s laser-focused on the very uppermost tip of imperial society – the book seems to know this too, given the thirty page digression into cyberpunk two thirds of the way through (speaking of which, I absolutely adore the fact that the elegant, ritually harmonious and utterly aesthetic architecture lasts about three metro stops away from the palace before everything starts turning into economical concrete blocks). Which isn’t really a knock on the book, but I do think some of the praise of it does get a bit overblown; there’s a limit to how much insight you can really have on imperialism when you’re so focused on the stories an empire tells about itself in its most rarified and luxurious heart.

In much the same way there’s something very, I don’t know, ‘written in America in the late 2010s’ about the political imagination the book allows itself. There are people who don’t want the world to be the world, and maybe they can help a bit, but the actual players in the game of thrones are corrupt oligarchs and populist warmongers, you know?

All that said, the book sure does portray a city that views itself as synonymous with civilization. I only realized there was a Teixicalaanli word for foreigner that wasn’t ‘barbarian’ when one of the probably-terrorists made a point of using it during the whole cyberpunk interlude. Which retroactively makes, like, every single other Teixicalaanli character in the book waaaaay more of an asshole. (fanfic thought - Teixicalaanli attempts to talk even vaguely respectfully to/about foreigners as analogous to people trying to be gender neutral or talk about nonbinary people in really strongly genedered languages, right down to the awkward neologisms that the ‘average citizens’ rolls their eyes at. What’s the Teixicalaanli term for ‘the woke plague.’?)

Also – not really a better place to put this in, but something I really do like about the worldbuilding is that no one has anything like the same ideas of what constitutes political legitimacy as the contemporary liberal default? Lsel is a corporatist state, where political power is divided between what are basically guilds who seem to have wide remit to make policy within their jurisdiction, with only one seat on the council seeming to have any sort of election. And Teixicalaan is, of course, a bureacratic-verging-on-stratocratic monarchy, with a strong sense of popular involvement in government, but through demonstrations and rioting instead of any formal process. It’s enjoyable that neither place is actually, like, familiar.

The motor of the book’s plot is byzantine (or Byzantine, I suppose) court intrigue, and as someone who loves polite conversations and poetic allusions followed directly by assassination attempts, I adored it. That said, I’m going to be a slob demanding everything be hand fed to me for a minute and saying that it all got positively opaque by the end. Which is, I suppose, entirely realistic, given Mahit’s position and role in everything, but still I wanted an Agathe Christie drawing room denouncement so bad. Was Ten Pearl actively backing the coup? If not, what was up with the Sunlit? And the Cityshocks? Why was the Information Ministry so politically passive and uninvolved in a literal coup attempt? How was Eight Loop involved in the whole final resolution, given it was her people keeping the emperor safe but it was Nineteen Adze who was with him on camera? All these questions and more, unanswered and, probably, irrelevant! But like, inquiring minds want to know.

Though speaking of the coup, I really did absolutely adore how, like,incompetent and amateurish both coup attempts were? Which seems like it would be a plot hole, but actually it’s probably the strongest argument the book can make for Six Direction’s immortality plan – the empire has been peaceful for so long no one remembers how to do a coup.

Anyway, yes! Extremely good book, Mahit and Seagrass are absolutely great protagonists. Not at all sorry I’m peer pressuring people into reading it.

[annymation]

What things annoyed and infuriated you the most in Wish 2023 (or Canon!Wish)?

OOOOH BOY! You just gave me permission to open a whole can of worms! Let's gooo!

Okay so here's a list:

I don't like how weak the reveal of what Magnifico actually does is. Asha finds out that he doesn't grant all the wishes, awesome, that would be a cool reveal, except, it's not a reveal, she freakin KNEW THIS! Asha herself said to a kid "It could be you someday" COULD! Asha, you said COULD, as in, there's the POSSIBILITY he'll grant that kid's wish, not a certainty! Not to mention if he only grants ONE wish per month then OF FREAKING COURSE not all wishes are granted. Okay, case in point, there's no grand reveal that the king is doing something no one knew, Asha apparently just forgot how their kingdom works.

Now hear me out, I am NOT one of those people that says Magnifico is a hero and Asha is a villain, I wanna make this clear, because although I find people who legit think like that kinda funny and I reblog their takes from time to time, I also find it frustrating that Disney managed to make a STRAIGHT, WHITE, MAN, IN A POSITION OF POWER, MORE LIKABLE THAN THEIR SECOND BLACK PROTAGONIST! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? IT'S SO EASY TO MAKE US HATE HIM!!!-ahem- But, although Magnifico is the most likable character in the movie, I do not see him as a hero, no no no, keeping the wishes away from the people of Rosas is bad, pretending that he'd grant Sabino's wish only to say SIKE was bad, saying he'd never grant Asha family's wishes was bad. So, am I saying Magnifico is a villain?... No. That's topic number 2, Magnifico wasn't a villain, he was a jerk. A jerk does not a villain make. I didn't feel threatened by that man for not a single minute, and that's including when he was possessed by the evil book, speaking of which.

That dang book both ruined and saved the movie honestly, because yeah, although it's a stupid way to make Magnifico an actual villain, but in a way that makes us sympathize with him since he's not in his right mind, and the last thing you want is for the audience to feel bad for your villain... Well, there's exceptions of course, but that's a whole other subject. But even though the book caused all this damage, it also gave us King unhinged, campy, straight up evil, fruity, voiced by Chris Pine having the time of his life Magnifico, and I loved every second of it, I ate possessed Magnifico up, I was living for every cringe cliche evil dialogue that came out of him, like hell yeah, that's what I've been waiting for, that's what it's all about WOOOOOO!!! I loved him so much I just copy pasted his personality into the Magnifico in my rewrite, although, my version is actually willing to kill teens, while Canon Mag seemed more hesitant for some reason, my headcanon is that Magnifico was fighting the curse deep down, and that's why his magic actually didn't hurt anyone, so... That's sad, hope he breaks out of the mirror and kills them all Idk

We're on topic 4 and this is not even half of my problems oh my... Anyway, Asha is boring. And I mean like, in a way that feels intentional, how did they do it? It's fascinating how she has nothing going for her, she doesn't stand out, doesn't have any internal conflicts at the start of the movie, something ALL Disney princesses have: Belle doesn't fit in with her village, Mulan struggles to make her family proud, Mirabel struggles to make her family proud x10.000, Moana wants to explore the sea but can't, Ariel wants to explore the land but can't, Jasmine wants to get out of the castle but can't, Cinderella is a victim of domestic abuse, ya'll get the idea, all these girls get their struggles that make them compelling, what's Asha's struggle that has been with her for most of her life?... Uh... Her grandpa, this dude we just met and seems pretty happy... Doesn't have his wish granted yet... Ok, what else? Oh yeah everyone in town seems to love her and dance along with her to show tourists how cool the kingdom is... Uhum... So yeah she has no compelling struggles that hook us with her from the start, and the conflict she DOES get, as I explained before, feels underwhelming.

The setting, oh the setting. Like, don't get me wrong, the architecture is pretty, but nothing about it screams SPAIN to me, where is the cultural food? Where are the bulls? Where's the stuff we associate with the Iberian Peninsula? They did such a good job in Encanto, what the heck happened? Oh and did I mention that most of the animals that appear in the forest are not even native to the Iberian Peninsula, there would be no racoons in a medieval setting there, considering they're an invasive species that was brought there from North America, something that, I assume, wouldn't be possible back then, as I don't think the americas were even discovered yet, but anyway, there they are, racoons hanging upside down from their tails, something they can't even do. Sorry for expecting biology accuracy from my disney movie guys, but you can't just make Encanto, that was freaking amazing with it's inclusion of so many gorgeous latin American animals, and then do whatever Wish is, like bruh where were the Lynxes??? They're an endangered species there, Disney could've raised awareness!!!

The music...

Valentino was absurdly annoying, and it would be SO EASY to make a baby goat cute! Baby. Goats. Are. Cute. SO WHY DID YOU MAKE HIM UNFUNNY GOAT THAT MAKES BUTT JOKES???

Characters were unmemorable, Asha's mom didn't do anything, Sabino, whose supposed to be the backbone of the story, is barely a character, and again, it's not like Disney hasn't made likable elderly people before, Moana's grandma, Mama Coco, but my guy Sabino was just... There.

Aaaand I probably could go on and on but I can't think of anything else, feel free to share your own problems with the movie yall.

[tact-and-impulse]

Narumayo Week 2024 Day 5

I just had to pull together the idea at the end of the day, but I made it!

Prompt: Travel

“You finally made it? That took forever.” Pearl gasped on the other end of the line. “Can you see the big clock tower? Or London Bridge?”

Maya wryly looked past the glass, at the rainy weather obscuring the city lights. “Not right now, it’s already nighttime here. And guess what? I’m calling from tomorrow, it’s the next day.”

“Oh, my gosh…” Her little cousin was awed.

She spied a familiar blue blazer staggering out of the men’s restroom. “There he is. Nick is totally wiped out, even though he slept for half the flight.”

“I heard that, Maya. Hi, Pearl.” He yawned. “And it took almost fifteen hours. The Legal League of Attorneys is paying, so I probably shouldn’t complain that much.”

Maya was already enjoying the trip. She’d never traveled by plane before, and she had the window seat. The green fields, craggy mountains, and tiny bustling cars were fascinating, but she was absolutely enthralled by the glow of sunset among the clouds. She had taken pictures with her digital camera, although none seemed to capture the beauty of that golden hour.

A crack of thunder caused them to startle. Maya hurriedly said. “It’s also raining here, and we should get to the hotel. Talk to you later.”

“Bye, Mystic Maya.” The phone clicked, and they rushed to baggage claim. They headed for the exit, stopping short at the sheet of water rippling over the glass windows. A flash of lightning illuminated their resigned expressions.

“Uh, Nick, did you-?”

“No…ugh. And London’s known for it too.”

They’d forgotten to pack umbrellas.

And the airport had to jack up the prices. While Maya sifted through the sightseeing magazines and tried not to stare at an incredibly expensive toy tea party set, Phoenix paid for their shield from the rain. As he returned, she noticed it was a single clear umbrella. Just one.

Her pulse picked up, and she hoped she sounded nonchalant. “We’re operating on a budget, huh?”

“It’s only for tonight. Do you mind if we stick close together?”

“After sitting next to you for hours and hours?” No, she didn’t mind at all. In fact, that was crucial to her enjoyment. “I think I’ll survive.”

“I’ll try to keep you in one piece. Who else is going to ride a trolley and eat fish and chips with me?”

“And sticky toffee pudding. We have to get the full experience while we’re tourists.”

“Legal exchange representatives.”

“Only in the courtroom. Outside of it, that’s a different story.” She purposefully raised her eyebrows. He gave a low laugh, and she was too pleased.

“A fair argument. That’s why I asked you to come along.” Despite his weary demeanor and the dark circles under his eyes, he still offered his arm. That was him to the core, continuing to the very end. “Let’s go.”

She acquiesced, tightly hanging on to his solid presence. “Okay. First one to find a cab wins.”

And with that, they went stamping into the stormy darkness.

[the-stove-is-divorced]

Just read your post about the 100 subscriber, and wanted to congratulate you, so :

Congratulations!! 🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉

You totally deserve it and even more. Honestly I'm surprised not more people are subscribed smh

Anyway, seeing as this is a great opportunity to take a sneak peak, I will gladly take it lol

So, my question is, what happens next in your Steven x gotham crossover? And what where you thinking when you decide to merge something as dark and twisted with something also as dark and twisted but better well hidden than the other franchise?

Seriously I wanna open and dissect your brain and see what up with it (not complaining tho, your crossovers are always fun to read)

THANK YOU! ( ´ ▽ ` ) And oh, I haven't thought about that fic in a hot minute, haha. I kinda wanna re-write bits since I absolutely relied on fanon, unfortunately, bleh. But to answer ya, Steven ends up meeting Damian while looking for a new job! I'll put a excerpt down below :D

As for what I was thinking, the idea came to be suddenly, and I was so enraptured by it, I had to write myself. As for why it's so compelling to me: Steven, unlike, characters like Danny from DP, or Spider-Man for crossovers, does not fit in Gotham's world. The others make sense. They fit the mold of vigilante, secret identities, a specific flavor of hero angst, perils from villains, etc, which is why it's so easy to imagine them there. They can adapt easily. They make sense. They fit Gotham's ecosystem, they're vigilantes.

But Steven? He's like a bright pink canon ball of chaos to me. He's a hero, but not seen in the same way the others are, he doesn't hide his identity because everyone knows who he is, and he has to escape his own own narrow expectations of who he's supposed to be. His villains aren't just familiar strangers, but directly impacted by Diamonds, if not Diamonds themselves at one point. His hero-like angst comes from responsibility, a desire to help, but he gets to retire, he has to, for his own sanity.

There's still horror, angst, gut punches, peril, etc, but it's shaped so differently, that putting someone like Steven in to the Gotham ecosystem has to disrupt it, and how that can happen fascinates me deeply. It's still a character adapting to Gotham, but also Gotham adapting to him, or at least, if I got that far. He doesn't quite fit the mold of teenage vigilante, like the others do, and thus what to do with him and think of him (via heroes, villains, civilians), and what he'll do is a delightful to think about. But he's still strange enough that it isn't outrageous to consider, because Gotham is strange, it has to be by nature. It can't go like how crossovers tend to go, which is exactly what I wanted, or tried to attempt.

Sliding over closer, carefully still, Damian lets his hand waver around the lion's nose, letting the creature sniff it if need be, to which it simply blinks, expectantly.

Damian swallows, and gently, lets his fingers brush the lion’s mane. It’s so soft. He can’t help but coo, quietly, brushing as much as it allows. He curses, he wishes he hadn’t broken his arm, otherwise he could be petting it with both of his hands, as he should’ve been destined to do.

Foolishly, too overcome by the beauty of the lion he forgets his troubles, Damian clenching his fist tight, an ache spikes right back in retaliation, making him hiss and wince. He freezes, instinctively, over displaying such an open weakness before a stranger. Then again, there is nothing particularly frightening about him. Other than Damian’s usual, reasonable sense of wary paranoia, and ignoring his basis for the big cat, this teen reeks of tourist obliviousness fitting for Metropolis and potentially damning for one existing in Gotham. The teenager, the stranger with the Lion, doesn’t seem dangerous, either. Or capable of it, really. He’s disgustingly friendly. Unless-

The teenager’s eyes linger over to Damian’s cast, interrupting Damian’s paranoid spiral. “Oh, your arm! Is it broken? Do you, um, do you want me to fix that? Your arm? I can?”

The older teenager points at Damian’s cast, his head tilted ever so slightly, and when the light catches, the wind brushing back the leaves to spotlight his eyes, his black pupils seem almost cat-like for a second, a shaded pink hue embedded within them, distinctly in the shape of diamonds. 

Alien, Damian almost breathes. He’s gotta be an alien. Either that or a meta. Or, a heavy magic user to be shaped so subtly by his own magic, or to be so thoroughly warped by some sort of artifact. Damian stares at him, and decides sporadically, if just for the sake of seeing where this goes, and silently remarking if this is a kidnapping scheme, he’s knocking this guy unconscious and stealing his lion, nods. Better yet, if he’s a criminal, he has stumbled upon a tidy excuse to show how greatly he can perform in spite of such an injury. 

“You may assist.” 

The teenager does not whisper some ancient, ritual spell, nor does he transfer his hands upon Damian’s cast, murmuring words beyond human comprehension. Seamlessly, the teeenager licks his finger, and pokes Damian in the arm, pressing gently, before looking at him expectantly. 

The man’s a lunatic, Damian swiftly decides.

And like any normal, rational being with any functioning brain matter, he quickly calculates how many steps to take in order to dropkick this fiend into the dirt, without dirtying his clothes, and thus capturing Father’s suspicion. Cannot get caught doing any labor, less his family notices, and decides to stick with him something as stupid as a babysitter of some sort. Though, this weirdness probably would be justifiable for perhaps body slamming him into the ground and snapping his fingers.Just as Damian shifts back, something happens.

His arm glitters.

Light wraps around it, glowing softly beneath the cast, a fluttery, spiral of pink drifting into the air, warmth tingling his bones until he flexes his arm, bracing for the harsh spike of pain, but none comes. There’s no soreness, no exhaustion, no nothing. The light fades, and jut like that: his arm is fixed. It feels fine. It feels normal. It doesn’t even ache.

He pauses. His mind whirs. 

Damian stares at the (possibly insane, or socially oblivious, yet strangely, perhaps, genuinely friendly) alien, (or meta, or magic, to be determined) boy and his majestic pink lion. He flexes his arm again. Wiggles it. Tense it. Hits it. No pain, no numbing sensation, or strange marks that he can see. The tingling ache lingering along his bones have faded away. Forgotten. Gone. 

“You healed me,” Damian murmured in awe.  

He’s-he’s back on patrol now, he could storm right back into the Manor and prove just how capable he truly is, march right up to Father and show everyone, even that miserable, disrespectful heathen Drake and- 

But, Father would be suspicious. This was no doubt something mystical, or magical, or meta adjacent, and then what intentions, what side effects, what tests and pokes and prods would Damian have to endure to prove this is to be trusted to be back on the field?That Damian could be back in his spot, where he belonged, immediately?

[steel--fairy]

drabble -- soulmate au part 10

ao3! yippee!! i didnt realize i had more written!

Wallace dominated the conversation, but Steven didn’t mind. He listened intently to the other man’s words. He clearly knew his city well, pointing out each notable landmark, telling Steven its history and several fun facts before moving onto the next. It didn’t stop at famous landmarks either—Wallace seemed to know every nook and cranny of the city, having some story or anecdote about even the plainest of locations they passed.

After the initial release of the magazine, Steven had searched Wallace up online. Despite his insistence that things happen at their own speed, he wanted to know more about the man who was his supposed soulmate. Every interview painted Wallace as a charming, charismatic speaker who always knew exactly what to say, but it was different to be on the receiving end of it in real life. To be the only one given a sly grin and a wink as Wallace finished a story about how he met some person at some diner and did something.

Steven looked away, feeling his cheeks heat up. This was far too much attention to be lavished on one person.

Slowly, Wallace led them up and away from the main city streets. The lowest level of Sootopolis was the oldest and, nowadays, the most tourist filled. They left behind chic cafes and sprawling museums for a more residential area. Gardens littered the roofs of the buildings here, growing food instead of decorative flowers.

Wallace weaved between two indistinguishable houses and suddenly they were in front of a dark opening. For the first time, Steven pulled ahead of Wallace, ever eager to see a new cave.

“What’s this? I wouldn’t think there would be any sort of cave or tunnel-like structures in Sootopolis. The foundation of the crater wouldn’t be able to support many—”

Wallace laughed, breaking Steven out of his focused reverie.

“Oh, sorry—”

“Don’t apologize.” Wallace waved him off with a smile. There was a strange gleam in his eyes. “You’re mostly right. There aren’t many of these tunnels. They were created back when Sootopolis was first settled, before they realized what a poor idea it was to go digging so low in the foundation.”

“Fascinating.” Steven turned to stare at the dark cave. “I assume this is where you meant when you said you knew a place that possibly held Moon Stones.”

“Mhm.”

Steven rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. He wanted to dash away and go caving, but he didn’t want to be rude to Wallace.

Another laugh erupted from Wallace. “Oh, go ahead, already! I can see you tugging at your leash.” Steven didn’t need more encouragement. With a smile and thank you, he left the hot Hoennian sun for the cool shade of the tunnel.

[writing-whump]

Hello hello hello🥰🥰💕💕 it's ☕

I feel like have soooo much things to say Sol... feel excited!! Those heart fics... OH. MY. DEAR. GOD. I can talk about it with you all day long.. I makes me wanna stop being an anon-fan and sent DM instead 🤣 but I guess i will save what I'm going to say about them later... even if it's so hard LOL...okay, first things first. So you asked about my litte vacation, well I have visited a few countries, saw many many awesome things, had fun or whatever but... I fell in love with Wien... so amazing, so beautiful, fascinating city! Unfortunately I had a very limited time in there so I couldn't see everything I had planned but still... I'm in love 😍 I've spent most of my time at Karlsplatz and went Oberlaa, tried Arnie's mango cake and made sure my dear little Wolfson has a great taste, yum yum!!😋 I will definitely visit again as soon as possible because I still have so much to see but first Alte Donau, for sure🤭 as you said there is Hex's favorite in Wien i searched a bit and I understood once again why he is my favorite OC... we have so much in common!🤣🥰

Anddd as for the concussion fic that I asked and you wrote perfectly, thank you!! I want to talk about it for a bit, sorry if this ask gets too long 😅 first of all I'm glad that you liked my little idea and made a lovely fic with it 💕 Arnieee, my dear, I hear ya on that... bikes are more dangerous than cars in Vienna for real... I only had a few days in city and almost took down by a bike for many times as well LOL.. What can I do...I was a just fascinated tourist 🤣 I'm glad he made it with a few scratches and a mild concussion..nothing he can't handle while his protective older brothers are there to help😊

As for the older brothers resentment... Isaiah thought Hex is disappointed...because he got sick?? Gosh, I love Isaiah even more when he's this touchy inside for his loved ones 😅😅 They love each other so much, care each other so much, but their pride keeps them away...Wolfson brothers... I think you wrote storms inside those men pretty well, Sol. I felt their hesitations and intentions a lot. What about the hug at the end...aw... I'm melting... of course they'll fix things🥺

And...can't go without mentioning this especially as we are talking about heart episodes now... "It's a big deal, when one o you is hurt." Isaiah said this to Hector. And now he's been going through hell and Hector still doesn't know about it and– I'm definitely not crying 🙄🙄 okay, I'll try to keep my emotions under control for a little longer and save my delirant reactions for another post. But... okay I can't help with this and I'm asking, you said in my previous ask that you were planning the main thing to happen at home.. is this mean main thing didn't happen yet (if it is... excuse me I'm screaming because I just read what Isaiah said about her mom and how she passed...) ? Or this was one of your ideas but you decided to do it in mall?

Wow, it's been really long, I'm sorry 😅 I guess this happens when I really miss things 🤭🤭

Thank you and lots of love as always 💕 🤍

☕

☕️-nonny!! Hey! So glad to hear from you!

My DMs are open anytime, just saying 😏💕

I'm so glad you enjoyed the vacation! Europe is cool, isn't it! (One day, you gotta tell me where you come from, makes me super curious 🙈).

And ✨️Vienna✨️ glad it worked its charm. You really tried out all their places 😍 that's so sweet, I'm so glad you liked it 🤩💙✨️

You can't have a comment too long, man

I was so right about the bikes, wasn't I?😂 They are so agressive there.🚲

I'm happy it fulfilled the prompt then, I loved it. ❤️ Isaiah gets so insecure about being sick or needing things, silly boy...is why this heart arc is so difficult on him (and will be still). And the best thing, Hector doesn't and didn't in that fic, realize that was the case! Half of Isaiah's secrets could be explained by him being emberassed about not being perfect or needing help🙈 Hex doesn't get that at all. He is so so used to Isaiah being perfect that reminders Isaiah is human suprise him.😌

Welllllll, there at least two "mean" things coming up still, once Isaiah gets home. Then we will get to see Hector and Arnie reacting more.

I'm honestly not sure if I shouldn't take a break from the drama storyline and do something less angsty in the meantime with other OCs....too much tension could harm the climax and all...let me know if you have ideas or wishes, as always 😁.

So glad to hear from you again, I missed you ❤️!! Please be as long and emotional as you like, I'm over the moon reading it.🥰

[maythearo]

JAMIL NEWS!!!

Jamil Viper was found at the streets of Pernambuco, enjoying the Carnaval and dancing frevo! In a exclusive interview, he said his favorite food is acarajé and coxinha

Jokes aside, I really like the idea of Scarabia duo, Octatrio and Savannaclaw enjoying Brazil! And I really like that Malleus would use something similar to that Hawaiian shirt he bought in the Yasmina silk event (I really don't know what that shirts name, I just know its the same as the Genie in the end of Aladdin). And I also love thinking about Jamil using traditional São João outfit (mano, ele com uma camisa xadrez vermelha e preta... Oh homem lindo).

I want to claim Jamil as Brazilian, but I can't-

Do you have any HCs like that?

And omg you opened comissions!!!! I'm so happy, even if I don't have money for it, IM STILL VERY HAPPY FOR U FOR A REASON I CAN'T EXPLAIN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY!

Beijitos!

- The BR Jamil Simp Anon

First of all, you're so sweet, thank you 😫 and second ANON LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING YOU'RE MAKING MY BRAIN GO NUTS CAUSE I WANNA DRAW ALL OF THAT, AS A GOOD BRAZILIAN ARTIST WOULD! Also hello Jamil bbygirl what are you doing here in Brazil haha twirls hair twirls hair

Omg I'm thinking on the spot rn of some good br headcanons, and I completely agree with you, out of all the dorms, Scarabia, Octavinelle and Savanaclaw would definitely vibe the most in Brazil. Hold on lemme breath in before I shove all my hcs into this post hold on. Eng speaking mutuals and followers I will hold yall hostage to listen to my insane rambles ok here we go

First and foremost, I just know Ruggie is brazilian 100%, and I think we can all agree to that, he's our boy 🙌 he would absolutely drag Leona and Jack around, getting them to try a little bit of everything whenever they get the chance. The hyena boy would pile a bunch of stuff on Jack's arms saying "You HAVE to try this snack- wait have some caldo de cana too... OH you can't forget this piece of candy-" and last thing you know Jack is just buried under pounds of little treats and trinkets.

I personally visited very little States here, but at least around São Paulo and Rio, one of my favorite things to do is to browse those classic, super pretty handmade jewelry they sell on the beach, decorated with crystals and stones, and I just want to get them all even though I might not even use half of the stuff I buy. But anyways, Leona doing that. Leona getting tererê de cabelo to go with the braids. He's gonna spend so much money with clothes and accessories and he's gonna look stunning doing it.

Btw btw I'm obsessed with a store called Atame (@/voudeatame on ig) they have the most brazilian jewelry and clothes ever and the designs are gorge, I should draw Leona wearing something inspired by that someday 😭

Bro if there's anything we all learn in major tourist spots is that you gotta be smart with prices and everything, keep an eye out to not get scammed, unfortunately... But you know what, Octavinelle is just chill with that. You think anyone can scam AZUL? That's impossible. Anyone tries anything with the octatrio, the person is just gonna get scammed back. Jokes aside, I picture Floyd wearing the good ol havaianas, shorts, and maybe #those glasses wherever he goes, Jade might even go along with it every now and then, why not.

This randomly reminds me of Ace cause his casual outfits definitely exclusively consist of that + a random football team shirt. I couldn't care less about football but listen. Corinthians. Simply cause he's annoying and that would be very in character of him (É MEMES, NAO ME MATEM CORINTHIANOS)

Have you ever noticed how Trey looks like the twst version of Zé Carioca. Let that sink in.

Thinking about Malleus, don't you think he would love to visit historical towns and monuments? There's so much history in our architecture, he'd find most fascinating I'm sure.

I just know Jamil and Kalim would absolutely own the dance floor in carnaval, like. No dobts about that. Kalim specially, would love to participate in any bloquinhos de carnaval if he could. Sounds exhausting for me to even be amongst a single one, but okay Kalim, get it I guess 💃 Scarabia and Brazil we share vibes!!!!!

You mentioned the São João fit, and I also thought of Epel, that boy invented Festa Junina, fr. He throws biribinha/estalinhos everywhere to piss off Vil. Also Jamil oh homem perfeito c é doido, n é possível uma coisa dessas.

São João stalls under the management of Octavinelle and it's hell on earth

Sam would open a famous lojinha de 1,99 for sure, I will not elaborate. Oh also whenever I stumble upon frog shaped reco-reco I think of him, I think he would sell them idk idk

Ruggie will show Kalim those brown colored glass plate sets every grandma got in their houses, and tell him they are indestructible.

"Jamil, Jamil! Check this out! Ruggie says these plates NEVER break! Oh we need to have them in Scarabia, pleeaseee!"

"What do you mean they never break? No, Kalim don't-"

Kalim throws it to the floor, it immediately shatters in a million pieces. "I think it hit a weird angle, that must be it."

Idia = alanzoka

Me @ Jamil:

[jmrothwell]

"Setting the Christmas tree on fire doesn't count as a way to get warm, ok?" for Willex or Willie/Reggie/Alex plz and thank you

It was nice of Caleb to let them use his private secluded cabin for the Christmas season. It was still close enough to civilization to ease any of Alex’s concerns about getting snowed in and being unable to get help. A picturesque small town, which mostly consisted of wealthy holiday tourists taking advantage of what Reggie called ‘the idyllic holiday movie feel’

And Reggie had been thoroughly taking advantage of the picturesque nature of everything. Staging Willie, Alex, and himself in all manor of poses, face flushed a harsh vibrant red from staying in the cold so long. One time after he’d burrowed himself-teeth violently chattering-between Willie and Alex they’d asked if he wanted to go back inside.He’d said being a little was worth it if he got to be with them.  

So Alex wasn’t sure what to think later that night when Reggie refused to relinquish any of the blankets he’d buried himself under. The layers had been accumulating all evening. Starting with his flannel when they got home. 

Then Willie’s white hoodie as they prepared dinner followed by Alex’s pink one halfway through the meal. Once they decided to settle in for a movie Reggie disappeared for a short bit. When he reappeared it looked like he’d grabbed every blanket he could find and then built himself a little blanket nest on the couch.

“Why doesn’t this place have central heating?” Reggie’s muffled voice came from somewhere within the blanket pile. 

Willie chuckled, wrapped up in his own baggy sweater, “It actually does, sweetheart.”

Reggie grumbled, “well it sucks.”

Alex had to concede Reggie had a point there. Maybe they should call someone to make sure it hadn’t broken, because it really shouldn’t be this cold for the setting they had it on. 

WIllie hummed as he contemplatively looked around the room. “We could always start a fire.” He said with a far too mischievous grin as he eyed the fireplace.

The suggestion got Reggie to free his face from the blankets at least, his own curiosity peaked. And there was no way Alex was letting either of them near fire starting tools with those particular looks in their eyes. So instead he slapped his thighs as he stood, “all right, where’s the firewood.”

Willie’s smile turned apologetic, “if there isn’t any already by the fireplace then it’s all in the shed out back.”

“Noooooooo.” Reggie whined, disappearing into the blankets again. “No one is going outside or opening the door. it’s too damn cold. We’ll freeze to death.”

“We’re not going to freeze to death.” Alex said through an exasperated chuckle, at the same time Willie jokingly suggested.

“Well, I guess, Christmas trees are pretty flammable.”

Somehow the suggestion got Reggie to free himself from the shoulder’s up in order to gape at Willie. A bizarre mix of horror and ‘clearly interested in the idea’ fascination.” 

“No, no.” Alex cut in and this is exactly why he wasn’t going to let either of them near any matches or lighters. He knew Willie almost always had a Zippo on him but that wasn’t the point he was making. “Setting the Christmas tree on fire doesn’t count as a way to get warm, ok?”

Willie shrugged noncommittally as Reggie pouted, “then how are we supposed to stay warm?”

With a fond eye roll, Willie silently pulled Reggie into his side. His cheeks tinted pink as he nuzzled into WIllie’s shoulder with a small noise that sounded similar to ‘oh right.’

Alex chuckled as he readjusted the blanket mess in order to sit on Reggie’s other side, throwing a couple of the blankets over them again. They certainly had no trouble finding creative ways to keep warm the rest of the night.

[thenightling]

This 1974 documentary is based on the non-fiction book "In search of Dracula" which is the first historical attempt to connect Bram Stoker's fictional vampire to the real Voivode (Prince) Dracula (also know as The Impaler).

My mother found the book for me at a garage sale when I was about twelve and I devoured it with the fascination in learning that the famous vampire was meant to have been a real historic figure having risen from the grave.   Dracula was one of the only monsters who ever scared me.

I still remember the first time I realized Dracula scared me.  I was home alone watching a documentary on the history channel about the real castle Dracula (Poenari castle, not Bran Castle, which is what they use for tourists).   And it mentioned how the locals heard noises and saw strange lights up in the castle.

So they sent priests up to bless the place.  A storm broke out before they reached the castle.  They had to do the blessing from a distance.   And as the narrator mentioned this, I remember thinking that conjuring storms was one of the vampire Dracula's traditional powers.   That's when the front door creaked open and I practically jumped out of my skin.    And I realized in that moment that Dracula actually scared me.  

I had always loved the classic monsters but until that moment I had only thought of the idea of being cursed like The Wolfman as scary, and I was never really scared OF the monsters.    

It turns out I had tricked myself.   Deep inside I was actually scared of Dracula and hadn't realized it until that moment.  And that was when I gained an extra respect for the character because I realized he actually frightened me.  

The only other time I was surprised by my own fear of a monster is when I was watching "Let the Right One In" for the first time. I remember thinking "Ah, this isn't so scary." and it happened to be snowing outside. I was at the scene where Eli climbs up the side of the hospital.  At that exact moment the power went out.  And for just a split moment I thought "Oh, crap.  Child vampire is going to get me!"  

Back on the subject of "In Search of Dracula."  Many people argue that Bram Stoker only named his vampire Dracula very far into writing his famous novel.  And that the connections to the historic figure are heavily inaccurate and minimal but the one line in the novel that sticks with me is when Dr. Abraham Van Helsing says: "He must indeed be the Voivode Dracula who won his name against the Turk."  To me that solidified the notion that, in the fiction,  he's the historic prince of Wallachia, risen from the grave as a vampire.

 This documentary is very thorough and features reenactments of both the fictional vampire and the historic prince with Sir Christopher Lee playing both parts and providing the the narration.  

The book "In search of Dracula" and this documentary are why pretty much every film since the early 70s has portrayed Dracula as definitely having been the historic figure before he died and rose as the vampire.  

This documentary is fascinating because it gives the real history and shows how it has influenced the fictional vampire in modern cinema and literature.      

This documentary has actually been remade with updated information twice.   Once by the BBC and once by (I think) the History Channel.  One of the later versions is narrated by Leonard Nemoy but the version narrated and reenacted by Christopher Lee is the original.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZBOk7wMW2A

[teagrl]

Andor 7

-Oh my god the music! THE MUSIC! T_T it’s all I want from my star wars.

-I continue to LOVE the worldbuilding. Just every other new series just bites it compared to this. Andor is doing WILD things with worldbuilding. I love it. From Coruscant. CORUSCANT to Ferrix. The diversity is exactly what I would want from my star wars.

-They’re also doing a really interesting arc on Andor. While I too miss the idea of always devout Andor (”in this fight since I was 6″), and think that could have been a fascinating thing to explore, I’m also enjoying how non-linear his path is. I think it’s a gusty choice in narration. Like he really does go and do his own thing and fucks off to some rando tourist hell and lolololol. I love it so much.

-Lucien has grabbed my attention in his confrontation with Mon. I appreciate him more now as the node that connects high society with what’s happening on the ground. I feel like that’s an angle sorely needed and another point where the series is making an astute intervention into the franchise undoing the distance either rebel fighters/politicians that holds for a lot of it. I always did want more of the nitty gritty of how the rebellion gets formed. This is not exactly that (I’m more interested in how the different partisan alignments get consolidated and who gets clipped out and who gets brought into the fold), but it’s closer than any other live action media has gotten iirc.

-I am disappointed at not getting a super awkward dinner party, but the fucking amazing tunics and the vibe of it all was a great consolation prize, as was Tay’s “my politics might be too harsh for your tastes” or whatever. HAHAHA. Love me some irony. I just wanna roll in the Caligula feels of Coruscant but I guess that comes way later. I don’t know I just LOVE CORUSCANT SO MUCH. *flails*

-Um Lucien’s attendant’s clothing was omg FANGASM. Vel too. Lady sekrit agent meetings aaaaaaaaaaaaa. I don’t need a lot, you know? I’m just a lady of very specific tastes.

-I am enjoying the whole close fist rhetoric and its echoes. Good job referencing ANH and the more you tighten your fist the more star systems will escape through your fingers line. The spat at the ISB’s meeting was a fun time as was Syril and his avoidance of the robot mice. He sounds like he will be back on track (before possibly flaming out?) before the series ends.

-Have I mentioned THE MUSIC aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Sometimes star wars is for meeeee.

Anyway so very excited about more in this world.

[symbioticsimplicity]

By this point in his life, Eleven was accustomed to being in strange realities. His own, for all it’s beauty, was plenty strange. But he had yet to be somewhere quite this strange.

They were on Earth, Seven had told him that’s where they were going at least. And it did look like Earth, in most places at least. Though as he was looking around it was almost as though there were...interdimensional fractures? That was peculiar.

“Seven?” He spoke up, a light frown marring his features, “Do you see those?”

“Yep.” He popped the ‘p’ obnoxiously, “Wasn’t me, promise.”

Eleven rolled his eyes, “Of course not. These look like scars. I wonder how long those have been here, however.”

“Think we should ask the locals?” Seven gestured at an approaching group of what looked like teenagers, “That shit is loud enough even the humans ought to have noticed something.”

“Not your worst idea.” Eleven agreed.

The group made it to them relatively quickly, all on bikes, almost as if they had been planning for that very thing. They were a small group of mismatched children, six strong, each looking far more world weary than they should have for their obvious youth.

“Oh great now there’s Koreans too? Thought that war ended like thirty years ago.” One of the kids muttered to himself, an old radio clutched tight in one hand.

“Who are you?” A short haired girl asked, her eyes locked on them with an intensity Eleven found adorable, “How did you get here?”

Seven took point, as he usually did, a sharp smile stretching taught over his lips.

“You can call me Seven, and that there is Eleven. We’re...tourists.” He laughed to himself, evidently proud of his joke in a way that made Eleven want to drown him a little bit, actually.

The kids reaction was not at all like he’d been expecting. Most people thought they were strange, and the few with particularly acute senses would be mistrustful of them, but rare were the humans who reacted with outright fear.

Had they been here before?

The girl at the front raised her hand toward them, like a mage preparing to cast a spell.

“You... you can’t be.” She said, her eyes wild with fear held back by the thinnest of margins, “I’m Eleven.”

Seven cocked his head, looking more and more intrigued by the moment.

“It ain’t an exclusive title.” Seven appraised her anew, “You’re a little small for an Eleven though. And a human? Really?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” One of the boys in the group sneered from beneath a mop of black hair, “Dustin, call a code red.”

Eleven watched the curly haired child who’d spoken first begin hissing into the radio he was holding, though his attention quickly shifted back to the little Eleven in front of them.

“I believe we’re likely talking about two entirely different things.” Eleven spoke up, noting how one of the children, a boy with a truly unfortunate haircut, flinched a little as he did, “I’m interested to know who it is you think we are.”

He made eye contact with the Eleven up front, pushing his senses forward to look into her soul.

She was fully human, so the naming similarity was likely just an odd coincidence. Though there was something else there, almost like spiderwebs wrapped around her core, branching out into something greater. How fascinating.

She gasped, her eyes widening, almost as though she had felt what he was doing. That should have been impossible, but then this girl was far more than she seemed at a glance.

“You...” She started, fixing her gaze on Eleven like she intended to pry away his layers as he had just done with her, “Do you know Papa?”

Eleven tilted his head in confusion. What an odd inquiry.

“I don’t know anyone going by that name, no.”

“If you’re talkin’ about Lucifer, I’ve met him like once and a half tops.”

Sometimes Eleven wished he thought to keep a muzzle on him, just for moments like this.

The kids all started shouting over each other, save for Eleven who didn’t seem to recognize the name. Which, was somehow even more interesting.

“Shut up!” A small dark skinned girl near the back shouted, bringing the group back into order, “This is stupid, it’s cold, and I would like to get home before dark for once. You said ‘human’ like you aren’t one, were you made in a lab?”

Seven snorted at her directness, sending a grin her way.

“Nope, this body is 100% organically grown.”

“I don’t like the way you say that.” The little Eleven winced.

“It’s not convincing, no.” Eleven agreed, “What he means is that we’re not experimentations, if that is what you’re asking.”

“But you’re not human either?” The dark haired kid spoke up again.

“Not since like 1921.” Seven shrugged, “Next person to ask me a personal question is buying me dinner.”

Eleven found himself smiling at that though the curly haired child made a face.

“Gross dude, we’re like fifteen.”

“Bold of you to assume I meant that in a date way.” Seven, undettered turned his smile on him, “Am I so pretty it’s got you thinking about kissing me?”

The kid turned red and sputtered, causing Seven to toss his head back, laughing hard enough to make the sound echo off the trees.

“Moving on,” The bold girl from a moment ago butted in once again, “How did you get here? If you two ain’t lab rats, where did you come from?”

“I think, first, I’d like to ask you all a question.” Eleven retorted, “It seems only fair.”

The dark haired boy and the curly haired one both squinted in Eleven’s direction, as if preparing themselves for some inevitable cruelty. They reminded Eleven quite a bit of the humans back home, which was multi-versally a rarity. He hoped to stick around long enough to get the story of why.

“Go on.” Said another boy at the back who had yet to have spoken.

“How much do you know about worlds beyond your own?” Eleven kept his attention on the other Eleven.

She swallowed hard but didn’t flinch an inch, taking a few heavy breaths before seeming to center herself.

“You are not from the Upside Down.” She said with confidence, “We would feel it.”

The boy with the bowl cut rubbed the back of his neck seemingly habitually, but nodded along with her words.

“That what all this is about?” Seven gestured to the fissures they’d seen when they first arrived.

“Yeah.” The curly haired one answered, “Whole big ass earthquake, everything was all red and spooky, sound familiar?”

Seven pursed his lips, “Nope. Told ya already, we’re tourists. Ain’t been here but five freakin’ seconds before you dorks rolled up like the neighborhood watch.”

“Okay, we answered your question, we know there’s another world but apparently you’re not from there so where the hell are you from?” The dark haired boy asked impatiently.

“Oh so you’re buying me dinner.” Seven grinned over at him.

The kid made a face, as did the one with the bowlcut though he tried his best to hide it.

“Fine, whatever, just--”

“We’re from a whole other reality, like fifteen realities over and to the faaaaar left.” Seven cut him off, “Probably doesn’t help nothin’ but that’s the best I can give ya without a crash course in AP Magical Astrophysics and I’m not about that life right now.”

For a moment they just stared at him, all appearing to be letting the information sink in.

“Fifteen--” The curly haired one gaped.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute--” The dark haired one shook his head.

“Betcha I’d get it.” The bold girl pursed her lips.

They probably would have continued talking in circles around each other had a set of headlights not illuminated the group, causing them to turn to the source of them.

“Oh thank--”

“Steve!”

Seven tilted his head to Eleven, sharing a silent question. They could easily slip away, come back later, maybe 50 years from now. El shook his head, wanting to see where this would all lead. He was invested in the story.

Seven shrugged, raising his hands and resting them on his head as a car door closed.

“Alright, alright, someone tell me what the hell is going on, Henderson didn’t explain shit.”

The newest arrival was significantly older than the rest, looking to be around the same age as Seven’s body. Though, for the first time Eleven took notice of how out of date the clothes they all wore were. He wondered what year it was.

“We don’t know, but there’s these guys.” The quiet boy in the back, who might have been siblings with the bold little girl for how alike they looked, explained.

The new arrival looked their way, his hands settling onto his hips. Eleven almost laughed at the level of judgement contained in his stare, he looked imperious in his blue stripped polo shirt. Seven, with his utter lack of self control, did laugh.

“Sup, pretty boy?” He asked, casual as anything, “Liking this town more already.”

The man, Steve Eleven thought one of them had shouted, frowned even harder.

“Why is it that whenever we get a new shit talking blond in town, they always find me?” He muttered, “What’s your deal. The nerd herd wouldn’t have called me if there weren’t something up, but no one is hurt so what is it?”

“It’s your lucky day kid, I just found a much better candidate to take me to dinner, you’re off the hook.” Seven said without breaking eye contact.

The dark haired kid looked honest to God relieved.

“What?” Steve reeled back, “No, what?”

“They’re weird as hell, Steve. Also not human, so good luck.” The bold little girl explained.

“They’re Eleven and Seven.” The little Eleven spoke up, having tucked herself up next to Steve when he’d arrived, “But they don’t know Papa.”

Steve for his part looked like he was trying to run a decathlon in his own head. It was endearing, reminded Eleven of Seven when he’d first found him.

“I’m gonna need more to go on.” He ended up concluding.

“I’ll tell ya anything you wanna know.” Seven winked, “I like Italian, by the way.”