#old hyperfixation has come back SWINGING

[sugar4tears]

What I had left here, I just held it tight, So someone with your eyes, Might come in time.

[brakingpoint]

Idk if you have seen this question go around twitter and tiktok, but i have seen a lot of people discuss "if the 20 drivers on the grid were in the hunger games, how would they perform?"

I would like to hear your take! :)

thank you SO much for sending me this... i would not call myself a hunger games connoisseur because i put all my energy into hyperfixating on the prequel instead but i AM a hunger games enthusiast and i spent far too long thinking about this in the shower. also i'm doing the 2022 grid bc i don't have the vibes of the 2023 newbies totally locked down yet

(also i'm doing this as everyone roughly competing in individual games as opposed to against each other. bc i think that is more fun)

max: adjusting for inflation (how old he was when he started f1 vs the age you have to be to do the hunger games) he is like, a career tribute in training from district 2 who jumps up and volunteers when he is about twelve and then effortlessly wins the whole thing. gives an insanely nonchalant victory interview, does the victory tour like he's being held at gunpoint, and then is never seen again

charles: finnick odair if he kept almost getting murdered by other people's poor decisions. receives the most strategically pointless gifts from sponsors. literally put him in a desert arena and he will inexplicably be sent raincoats by the dozen

checo: ceo of coasting his way to the final like, three or four tributes based on a combination of luck, occasionally clever moves, and mostly just getting forgotten by everyone. his downfall comes when he overestimates the loyalties of the tributes he's in an alliance with and they stab him in the back (literally) with no remorse

carlos: objectively promising, great scores when he does his little demonstration, capitol haircare brands are tripping over each other to do a deal with him when he wins (because surely he will) but in practice he's another one who mostly just shithouses his way to the final three/four by being in the right place at the right time

lewis: scarily good. wins 75% on strategy, stealth, and speed and 25% by occasionally lashing out and murdering someone off the face of the planet but somehow avoids blame for it. also you know he somehow manages to wear the fuck out of whatever heinous fit he gets put in to ride in those chariots

lando: almost inadvertently starts a revolution because from the second he shows up in the reaping he gets such a devoted nationwide teenage girl fanbase that there are legitimate riots when he dies through an objectively silly unforced error in the final days of the games. also almost inadvertently gets assassinated before the games even start because he says something landogate worthy about the president in his interview. he was just having a laff

esteban: is genuinely just sort of having a nice time camping out in the trees and avoiding all the drama. it is just very unfortunate that in some idk quarter quell gender ratio fuckery he managed to get reaped alongside his childhood bestie pierre who has devoted his entire time in the arena to murdering esteban and esteban specifially

fernando: absolutely fucking terrifying. they have to stop showing his murders on tv because he's a little too gory even for the central thesis of the hunger games as an institution. he's just chill about it though. cracking his little yokes

valtteri: builds up so much pure boiling rage from being constantly ignored compared to the other tribute from his district that after a week or so of surviving because everyone kept ignoring him he finally snaps, swings through the forest on a vine tarzan-style screaming TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, FUCK YOU, takes out four career tributes in the space of fifteen seconds, and then slams right into another tree killing himself instantly

daniel: crowd favourite going into the arena. makes a little joke at the reaping, serves in all his silly little outfits, gets great scores, secures the most sponsors, has the most charming interview in the history of the hunger games. and then when he's on the little platform waiting for the games to start he gets a bit too excited, starts doing a little dance, and gets blown up immediately

seb: another unlikely child prodigy victor with a polarising but highly effective tactic of utter ruthlessness paired with being very charming and also crying a lot. he is at his most powerful and dangerous, however, when he moves into the mentoring side of things because not only is he just an objectively good mentor but he does it while plotting to take down the capitol from the inside at the same time. the hunger games trilogy vs the hunger games trilogy if katniss had sebastian vettel for a mentor

kevin: impressive scores from the gamemakers (voted most likely to have a bit of a katniss moment during the evaluation; fok smashes door on his way out?) but doesn't really do a whole lot during the actual games. makes it pretty far and has a couple of genuinely impressive kills but is let down by a lack of sponsors and getting a little too invested in his vicious rivalry with nico hulkenberg

pierre: bit of a rollercoaster ride. impressive pre-games energy, good scores, looks hot in the interview, but tries to hang with the career tributes very early on and nearly flops his way to an early grave. not to be discouraged, he strikes out on his own and makes it impressively far as a free agent, but keeps putting himself back in danger by focusing too much on a) regaining the respect of the careers who really couldn't care less and mostly just want to kill this guy every time he shows up and b) taking any opportunity to slaughter esteban. killed around the time of the cornucopia feast (yuki's fault)

lance: exceptionally dangerous but not intentionally so. at first the general commentary take is that he's very good at making his kills look like an accident, until they finally get the right camera angles and it transpires that all of his kills are in fact total accidents that come about through his own recklessness and stupidity. unlikely fan favourite due to his perpetual exasperation with his mentor (brad)

mick: the son of a fearsome victor from days gone by but largely underestimated due to his nice guy reputation. attempts to leverage this by taking a kind of johanna mason angle and appearing utterly unthreatening until the last minute when he plans to brutally and efficiently kill every other remaining tribute, but his tactic backfires dramatically due to the incompetence of his mentor and sponsors and he starves to death in the middle stages of the games

yuki: gets unexpectedly far due to his small stature making it easy to hide and by forming an alliance with pierre that charms the crowds and prompts widespread speculation about whether there is a romance brewing in the arena. unfortunately he gets them both killed with his reckless enthusiasm about the feast at the cornucopia

zhou: yet another one who gets really far mostly by being ignored. once he gets into the arena, that is. the entire buildup to the games is defined by his rapid ascent to capitol fashion icon. he wins the whole thing through a combination of laying low and getting sweet sweet sponsor gifts and then is permitted to stay in the capitol where he enjoys a prosperous career as stylist for future tributes

alex: he either dies in the very first brawl at the cornucopia OR sneaks his way to the final handful of tributes and wins the whole thing, no inbetween. if he does make it to the end he has at least one dramatic near death experience due to overestimating the kindness of the careers he forms a brief and tentative alliance with but he gets excellent medical care from his sponsors who are mostly supporting him because they saw a really cute video of his cats back in his home district

nicky: again he either dies immediately OR he coasts to the end by being a bit mid and forgettable foxface style and when there's around four tributes left he attempts a raid on their encampment to get food and somehow, in a series of events that no number of replays have ever successfully put into a logical sequence, blows up half the arena and everyone in it, leaving the games without a victor and setting into motion a series of events that lead to the downfall of the capitol, the destruction of half of panem, and a dramatic coup. after all this max verstappen finally looks out of the door of his house in the victor's village in what remains of district two, where he has been playing sim racing games for the past ten years, sort of shrugs his shoulders, and goes back to hanging out with his cats

bonus nico rosberg: district one career tribute, runner up, mostly remembered for the intense psychological warfare between himself and lewis after they formed an alliance in the first hour of the game that got so deeply homoerotic that the gamemakers were like full time on the phone to president snow like hey man. we might have to allow two victors this year or people are gonna be really mad. but luckily nico and lewis solved that problem themselves by turning on each other when they were the only two people left and engaging in a like three-week long increasingly toxic cat and mouse chase that had the entire nation glued to their televisions 25/8

[bottledkriegmen]

talk about your rtc headcanons please.

YES I WILL AHAHAH THANK YOU

i have a note open on my notes app full of hcs >:]

(some of these will be pretty ship centered, but they could probably be seen as platonic!)

~~{☆}~~

Jane/Penny

• bites people. out of love. i think

• autistic because i said so

• new special interest every week

• long-term hyperfixation on doll collecting

• like girly has a terrifying amount of dolls

• she/they/it/doll/star pronouns fuck you

• forgets what her own voice sounds like sometimes so randomly she'll just.. start talking to himself.

• has a pet axolotl

• queer platonic relationship with ocean

• has an old galaxy note phone but it's kept it pristine condition

• can beatbox

• has really good rhythm!!

• soprano 1

• devilishly good at escape rooms

• along with mishca, the choirs bodyguard

• isn't allowed in the kitchen without supervision

• stims by just... riffing

• yk that riff in tbojd? that.

• favorite time if the year is Christmas, specifically for the carolling

• takes the choir to carol with it all the time

• cannot spell for shit

• cosplays with ricky constantly

~~{☆}~~

Ricky

• had a nightcore phase

• SCENE KID <3

• makes the most killer hot coco ever

• teached the choir asl after the accident BCS THEY ALL COME BACK IN THE END FIGHT ME

• every year for the different choir members birthdays she draws them as a cat. (he gives them fursonas i dont make the rules here).

• uses all pronouns

• named a cat after each of the choir members but refuses to tell them

• genderfluid as fuck!!

• has one of those samsung phones that can fold

• makes cat stickers for fun

• her mobility aids are covered in stickers and has little trinkets that dangle

• had a warrior cats phase

• got noel into warrior cats in middle school

• has 3 hairless cats

• obsessed with the Labyrinth

• gets high with mischa weekly

• fucking pro on an electric guitar

• has a baseball cap with cat ears attached to the top

• jazz hand stims

• makes the choirs halloween costumes every year

• excellent seamstress

• also loves tf outta Halloween

• she gets to dress up as a swinging space age bachelor man and wouldn't get judged, ofc she loves it

• stims by.. meowing and purring?? for fun??? its fun try it

• has a lifetime pass to any cosplay convention that happens in Uranium ( idk if thats a real thing but it is now )

~~{}~~

Ocean

• horrid asthma

• avarage glee watcher

• IS gossip girl

• they/she user

• neurodivergent as hell but is undiagnosed because their parents SUCK and don't believe in that stuff

• asexual lesbian real

• has to use either Constances or Mischas washing machine/dryer to wash her clothes.

• hates the beach

• they sunburn so easily

• sibling relationship with both mischa and noel

• has a yellow iphone with an otterbox phonecase

• keeps little Polaroid pictures of her and the other choir members in a journal she has

• she likes taking pictures I said so

• was the last one to grasp asl, but she is trying!!!!

• cuts her hair themselves and as genuinely good at it

• soprano 2

• has horrid OCD

• loves deer sm

• loves Christmas time <3

• hot mocha enjoyer

• her and noel have kareoke night every friday

~~{☆}~~

Constance

• vocaloid enjoyer

• pumpkin spice latte drinker

• mom friend. keeps bandaids, candies, an inhaler, toothpicks, waters, and koolaid packets in her bag at all times.

• pansexual queen <3 i love her

• she/her pronouns, but doesn't mind they/them

• her family has threatened to adopt literally every single one of the choir members - noel and ricky

• listens to 90's rock music

• love language is physical touch!!! she loves holding everyones hands and gives the best hugs imaginable

• wrote pjo fanfiction in middle school

• it's still on ao3

• fandom junkie

• has a dark green motorola phone with a pastel blue case

• alto

• really good at crochet and makes sweaters for choir during their birthdays

• makes small sweaters for rickys hairless cats during winter

• K-pop stan

• has asked noel to dress up as a k-pop idol before

• adhd haver

• has hundreds of little lists for random things

• favorite holiday is Christmas and she loves giving the choir gifts

• giving love language is giving gifts fight me

• has a pet frog named Jeremy

• sometimes she just spins around as a stim

~~{☆}~~

Mischa

• HATES coffee, claims it tastes like dirt

• languages master ( teaches noel french bcs duolingo isn't helping at all)

• dad friend

• menace in the kitchen

• HIM AND NOEL HAVE MOVIE NIGHTS YES!!

• talia is real and they're in love... fuck you

• mischa "two hands" bachinski

• is the reason the choir room has a swear jar

• loves bearded dragons

• unreasonably terrified of snakes

• bisexual king

• He/They supremacy

• can and will down an entire bottle of straight vodka

• very proud of that fact

• transmasc real!!!!

• talia helps pay for their T shots and after hearing about noel being trans too she buys her a binder <3

• so in love with noel and talia both he has too much passion

• brotp with ricky they're brothers your honor

• only one besides noel that can drive

• made vines

• works at a haunted house with penny during halloween

• his adoptive parents are rich as fuck

• can tell you the history of rap if you asked him to

• love language is words of affirmation bcs i said so

• sometimes he just carries around the other choir members (usually ocean) on his back for fun

• body heater

• has a red iphone with a clear case

• it has so many cracks

• godly at stick n pokes

• has a pet hampster his adoptive parents know nothing about

• has gotten a lightbulb stuck in their mouth twice

• has the most batshit insane ideas

• really into pop music but will NEVER tell anyone

• he has autism btw

• really good at critiquing movies

• baritone/bass what's the difference

• carries ricky up and down stairs even if it isn't needed

• giving love language is physical touch fight me ( him and constance are always touching eachother in someway, either by holding pinkies or leaning in eachother. platonic or not, take it as you please)

• its a real struggle with talia but they make do

• movie nights in his basement happen every Tuesday after choir rehearsal, usually only him and noel are there but ricky and penny join every so often!!

• the choirs bodygaurd

• he's friends with the detention teacher

• has the second highest gpa out of the choir

• special interest: RAP

• DRUMMER

• listens to imagine dragons unironically

• halloween enthusiast

• always dresses up as some cheesy horror movie villain

• sometimes, mid conversation, he'll just start speaking in Ukranian. he won't realize until the person he's talking to mentions it.

• has a pretty bad lisp

• flappy hand stimmer fight me

• ambidextrous

~~{☆}~~

Noel

• starbucks employees know him by name

• stereotypical gay tbh, he drinks tf outta iced coffee

• tries to learn french through duolingo but fails miserably

• he/she noel supremacy

• always steals food from taco bell before a performance to give to the choir

• introduced rocky horror picture show to the choir and now they all wont stop quoting it

• TRANS MAN

• mlm/wlw hatred solidarity between her and ocean

• but in a sibling way

• unreasonably obsessed with peacocks amd doves (specifically white doves, they're so pretty)

• literally so oblivious to mischas crush its hilarious

• hates his job. so. much.

• her favorite stim is just repeating lines from the Blue Angel in a french accent. she knows it's a german film, but french accents are just too fun man

• she's autistic too btw ive decided

• hyperfixated on french history

• and scented candles

• holy shit she has so many scented candles

• has those fake candy cigarettes but absolutely hates how they taste

• has a notebook of little shirt stories of moniques life

• absolutely has thought out entire movies with Monique as the main character

• really really bad abandonment issues

• love language is quality time <3

• she is genuinely so angsty i have so many sad hcs for her

• has terrible eyesight but refuses to wear glasses

• instead, wears shitty contacts

• musical theatre nerd

• paints his nails so he would stop chewing them but it doesn't work

• purple iphone user, has one of those square cases with the gold accents please know what i'm talking about

• has an old cat named Nyxl and she is treated like a got damn queen

• token tenor

• has a notebook full of poetry

• has a book full of edgar allen poes stories

• she loves them

• picky eater picky eater picky eater picky eater

• has to be chewing on something to even exist

• usually a toothpick, since she got scolded by ocean once because she bit a hole in her lip

• favorite holiday is valentines day

• he'll say he hates it but absolutely loves the romantic aspect of it

~~{☆}~~

thanky ou for indulging me i needed yhis <3

[warrior-kitty]

hi! we don't really talk; but just recently, i thought about your old smash bros fanfics and wondered how you're doing nowadays. i used to constantly roam around ff.net during the smash 4 hype days and i was a big fan of your works! they were always a fun read and i always got excited whenever you update.

i'm super shy when it comes to sending messages like this, but the main thing i wanna say is you're a really cool and creative person and i hope life has been treating ya well!!

djdjdjsksksks

First I wanna say thanks! It’s honestly really great to hear that you enjoyed my old fics, it really means a lot!

In regards to where I am nowadays for fics, it’s kinda tricky to answer honestly. I’ve been wanting to rewrite some of my old Smash fics for a good few years now, due to learning more about a lot of the game series represented in Smash that I previously didn’t know much about and having ideas spring up because of them!

It has been a little harder though to sit down and plan out these ideas and then eventually write these fics because my hyperfixations have just drifted to other things over the years so I’m not as laser-focused on Smash Bros like I used to be back in the Smash 4 years. ^_^’

So it’s simply just been more difficult to put my focus on fic writing is all, plus I also tend to not have as much time like I used to due to work and all (._.)

But! I really do want to get back into the swing of fic writing again! Getting into KH and then Sora being in Smash brought along a new stream of ideas that I’ve been playing around with so hopefully I can get to working on those ideas some day! Who knows, maybe I could be able to when KH4 drops and gives us more incite on Quadratum, since a lot of my ideas have been rotating around it!

But thanks for dropping in! Again, it really means a lot to know that you liked my old works! :D

[qilingxiong]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @extraordinarilyextreme, 谢谢

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

On my current account, 25! (not counting everything from my old account I deleted in 2020)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

On said current account, 53,972

What fandoms do you write for?

As of right now the brainrot has taken me to MLC, and if I ever get my motivation back, then also DMBJ

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. The War Is Over, And We Are Beginning - Jiang Cheng & Jin Ling, 7.6k, Post-Canon

2. all of this mess (is just my attempt) - Chengning, 2.6k, Cloud Recesses

3. hold the world to its best - Jiang Cheng, 859, Long After Canon

4. won't run away (we're here to stay) - Chengning, 3.5k, Post-Canon

5. welcome to the storm - Jiang Cheng, 1.6k, Fall of Lotus Pier

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to, but god help the ADHD. I read and cherish every one I get though, I promise!!

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

It's either didn't want us to burn out, which was canon timeline Chengxuan, or come back and haunt me, which was canon timeline Sangyu. I think I'll go with the latter. It had more tragedy about identity and memory, I think

(There's also one Hamlet fic I'm proud of, but that was a one-off I wrote. You can go find it if you want)

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh boy, uhhhhhhh. Out of the stuff currently associated with me, it'll be one of the Chengning fics, I think, or my aro!Wei Wuxian Ningxian fic. Not gonna lie it's slim pickings for happy endings around here haha

Do you get hate on fics?

No, thank god. I was always too much of a small fic writer for that.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Hahaha, not really. I'll do handwavey and fade to black but that's about it. Might get there one day though!

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope, not a crossover person unfortunately unless you want to count the sins on my old laptop from my superwholock era (I don't)

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Ehhhhh..... as of recently, ideas yes but actual written fics, not that I'm aware of

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A couple of my MDZS fics and one MCU fic back in the day got translated into Russian

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Bestie I live in multishipper hell you can't make me decide

What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Basically every DMBJ wip at this point in time, but particularly the one I'm furthest along on that I do not have a working title for other than 'horrible huaxie backstory'. My relationship with DMBJ has changed a LOT since getting into it this year and now my hyperfixation is somewhere else, so who knows what'll happen *shrugs*

What are your writing strengths?

I've been told my narration has a distinctive voice to it, and I think that's what people tend to compliment most? Dialogue is also something I've tried to consciously work on over the years, and I don't know that it stands out as a strength necessarily but it's almost something I find easy to write these days if I'm in the swing of it

What are your writing weaknesses?

Action and smut. Basically don't make me mentally choreograph complex stuff

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Now that my Mandarin has improved after two years of study, I think writing bilingual fic could be fun. There's definitely dialogue I've thought up in Mandarin for C-Drama characters that just won't have the same impact in English, and it's a shame I can't just casually drop it into a fic untranslated and be done with it

First fandom you wrote for?

First fics I ever wrote were for Star Wars and they were written longhand into a horrid little hipster notebook from Indigo. The first fics I posted on Ao3 were for the MCU though

Favorite fic you've written?

Nah I'm not choosing on this, I have no idea <3

Tagging @nutcasewithaknife, @eirenical, and @ilgaksu (only if you want to and apologies if you've already done this 😅)

[konnfusion]

You've tagged so many cool posts with Odessa that I'm officially intrigued, I would love to hear about her!

I hope you're okay that I posted this publicly because you're the first person to ask about OC lore in quite some time, and I am ECSTATIC!

I will put a "read more", however, as I tend to ramble, and will mostly assume anyone reading this knows something about Doctor Who.

so a brief tldr; primer is that about a decade or so ago, my now-husband and I were intensely into Doctor Who and did a very cheesy, self-indulgent (pretty poorly-written but fun) RP here on tumblr with a companion character I'd created traveling with the Tenth Doctor. cut to now in 2023, and he's fully back into DW (classic and new), and dragged me along with him. I'd been reworking this character I'd created off-and-on for years (changing her name, her faceclaim, backstory, everything; I just felt like she deserved an update as my writing developed and improved!), and now that the hyperfixation is back in full swing, so is she.

pinterest board for vibe check // story pinterest board with working title for extra vibe check // said posts I've tagged with her name

basically, Odessa is a young woman living in an isolated cottage in the countryside following personal turmoil (including the mysterious and untimely death of her parents and possibly leaving a man at the altar, her neighbors are unsure about that last part; she's a little bit of a "champagne problems" gal), and barely has any contact with anyone. she's just chosen to shut herself up for whatever time she has left on Earth, and tend to her garden and books and be alone until she dies.

but, on her way home from a trip to town one day, her bike runs into a big blue police box that definitely hadn't been on this rural dirt before, and there's man nearby who says he's investigating some strange, not-of-Earth communication signals in the area. I won't give all the details since we're intending to publish portions of this at some point (I hope!), but she decides to help The Doctor find the source of the signals and hopefully stop whatever's going on before it can hurt anyone. it turns out the mystery is linked to her and to the death of her parents, and shines a new light on the tragedy and on her decision to live an isolated, quiet life alone. so, when they've deal with the threat and The Doctor invites her to travel through time and space with him, she agrees. might've been a little bit of a "Getaway Car" situation in the beginning, but developed into something so, so much bigger.

we've been planning lots of original adventures with her, as well as some stuff that adds her into canon episodes, all going through the end of Ten's run, through Eleven's, and into Twelve's and beyond. and, yes, she does get to find romance because I am a romantic at heart, so how can I resist?

there's so much I love about her that I wish I could put into concrete words, but I recently realized that the arc I'd been writing for her was seeing her start as someone who decided to lock away her love because all she ever did was lose the things she loved; to grow into someone who forged this huge, time-and-space-spanning family that she could love unabashedly and wholeheartedly. sort of a coming-of-age out of linear time, and one that she never got to have because she just always felt stuck in the same place (derogatory). she gets the chance to fight to protect the things she cares about, and be openly who she is without fear of judgement or shame--and feel like she matters in her own life. (I do like to joke, though, that she locked away her love because, for her, all love does is end, but then she fell in love with someone who is functionally immortal, so did she really ever unpack that fear? it's sweet, though, I promise.)

it's been fun morphing her into a character that sometimes is just so unapologetically weird, too. I mean, to travel with a centuries-old alien through all of time and space, you have to be a little weird, but I feel like I just poured all my wonderful weird into her and let her run wild. (and this is the first post I tagged her in during this little revisiting, SO. this somewhat references a plot point that my husband doesn't even know about yet, but that will be deliciously angsty and link back to Odessa and The Doctor's very first meeting.) it's been really satisfying to rework a character I've had in my back pocket for a decade and feel like she's more fully-realized, even if just in my own head. less of an avatar, and more of an actual character with needs and an arc. (an actual character who has a proclivity for going after Daleks with a baseball bat and relates a little too hard to the bridge of "Mastermind", but I digress.)

it's also been so gratifying revisiting a story that my now-husband and I were working on in the very beginnings of our friendship, and develop the romance plot from just romance to eventually a marriage between two characters we both really love. hell, we've already formed a spin-off AU, and one-off adventures with different incarnations of The Doctor outside of their shared linear timeline. (one of my husband's creations is a story where she's put on trial for perceived "crimes" against the known universe, and for being accessory to "crimes" committed by The Doctor. we love a chaotic woman wanted for multiple violations against the space-time continuum. ✨)

as I'm re-reading this, it feels kind of vague for how much lore I have in my brain, but honestly sometimes it's like when someone asks what your favorite movie is, and you suddenly forget every movie you've ever seen. 😅 I'm always so, so happy to talk about my characters (and their pinterest boards and playlists and such), please feel free to ask me to elaborate on anything if you're still curious!!! 💕 Odessa is a constantly-shifting, ever-developing, total-failed-misanthrope-beause-her-heart-is-just-too-big, time-traveling madwoman in my mind, and I love her so, so much and love that you reached out to ask about her!!!

[addminds]

Hello! I remember seeing a post on hyperfixations on here like last year, and I’m coming back to it because I’m applying to college and it puts into words so well! (Dw, I am not plagiarizing it! Just hitting the points) I was wondering though. I have both ADHD and autism, and when I asked my therapist last year, she told me special interests are more of an ASD thing? I was wondering how that all worked.

Old ask, I wanna post some stuff to get back into the swing of things. So sorry to original asker, but this is a good question!!

Honestly, a lot of terms used online in adhd and asd spaces don’t really have clear definitions, hyperfixation being one of them. Special interests are more well understood from what I can tell. A lot of the time, in more online spaces like tumblr, these two terms are used to describe similar experiences between adhd and asd people depending on what the person has. I personally only have a diagnosis for adhd( though I have questioned possible asd on my part a lot as well) so I call the experience a hyperfixation.

A lot of people, especially it seems people that have both adhd and asd, consider hyperfixations to be shorter term fixations, while special interests span a much greater amount of time. Special interests generally don’t seem to disappear quite like hyperfixations often do.

My own hyperfixations are usually pretty long term, and I have quite a few that haven’t disappeared at all which kinda messes with my whole point here, but still a lot of them can die out in a few weeks or months.

So, in general, it kinda depends how you’re using the terms. Some people see them as interchangeable between the two, just describing the same experience between two groups in which hyperfixation fits with adhd people and special interest fits with asd. Other people see hyperfixations as changeable and differing over time, while special interests are pretty consistent, even if they grow in number over the years. Hyperfixations seem to come and go more.

[mxtchups]

hihi! could I request a romantic matchup for 'The Arcana' (′▽`〃)?

i use they\them pronouns and I'm pan^^

my mbti is intp. I'm a very shy and reserved person in public, I try not to cause too much attention but also express myself openly. I suffer from anxiety ( I don't take meds or anything so I'm usually on edge) and overthink about people/other things. If you get to know me, im a huge extrovert and cheerful person. I love making jokes and laughing <3 I'm airheaded and clumsy, I hit my head or trip on air too much smh. I'm a very random person too, more eccentric for sure. I do the most offwall things because I'm bored ( like jumping off things or asking off-putting questions). I love talking! About anything I'm hyperfixated on atm ( as in old interests or new ones!) and I can go on for hours tbh. I'm pretty childish, but mature and mother like when I need to be. I love physical affection (even tho I say I hate it) anything like hugs is nice for me! I'm a caring person and mostly a listener. Very sassy (which people say it's "cute" from me) and sarcastic, with a whole lot of blunt. I'm a flirt too, but anything flirty from someone else gets me shy (like Julian lol). I get very bad mood swings and it is causing trouble for me to make friends or keep them, since I'll just isolate myself from them- I also have insecurities regarding my looks (particularly my body) so I get v sour when I think about that. Alot of the times you can tell when I'm in a mood bc I get quiet. ANyway I'm a lazy, procrastinater and plainn lmao.

my interests r playing the piano, reading/watching anime, romance novels (love triangles are my life), alternative/gothic fashion and music, hard rock and metal, stuffed animals and playing videogames!!

if it helps I pursued Julian to the very end ╰_╯!!!

hello! first of all, thank you sm for requesting, you are the first person that asked for a matchup so I hope I do it well. I don't want to leave you disappointed.

soo I ship you with Muriel!

Firstly, if anyone would understand your need to withdraw and not always be surrounded by people, it's Muriel. If you want to spend time alone with him, not doing anything in particular, he's there for it. If you don't even want to be with him and want to be left alone, he can understand that too. He won't get mad, offended, or sad, he'll just know you need some you time.

But in case you completely cut contact with him suddenly and isolate yourself, at first, even though he'd be worried, he'd think that maybe it's best he leaves you alone, and let you come back when you want to. But I feel like his worry would get the best of him and he would definitely check up on you. If you let him in, perfect, he now knows what he needs to do. If you don't he would truly not mind you coming back after a few days, weeks, or months and continuing where you left off.

With Muriel, there would be fewer reasons for you to overthink and panic about his true intentions or thoughts as it would be clear he sees you differently from other people. Although his ways of showing love wouldn't be the most open ways, definitely not always conventional they would be clear. If he loves you, you know it.

Also, I feel like both of you wouldn't like public displays of affection, but when you are inside, alone, you would get as much physical contact as needed. Both you nor Muriel aren't someone that would outwardly ask for cuddles, even though both would want it, so at least at the beginning of the relationship, you would be the one to initiate it.

Neither of you would get into a relationship without knowing someone well beforehand, so your extroverted side would definitely come out by the time you were dating, and he'd love and understand that one just as much as the introverted one.

The first time in what felt like a century since he laughed, it was on one of your jokes. Since then you probably would try to make him laugh as much as possible.

It's good that he has good reflexes as you said you were clumsy, but don't worry he's there to catch you every time you trip on air, or put a hand between your head and a cupboard, or guide you through a big crowd.

Your off-putting questions would at first surprise him and he'd never know how to answer them, but I feel like you'd always find a way to get the answer out of him. By the time you are deeper in the relationship he'd get used to them, and usually was able to see them coming and is more open with his answers. Though sometimes you'll still see him blush and take some time before spitting it out.

He'd also like the fact that you can talk for hours, and for all those hours he'd listen to you intently. Sometimes he's not sure if he's interesting enough for you as you have so many things you like and are good at whereas his past stopped him from that. But there you come in with your long talks teaching him about this and that and introducing him to so many wonders of the world. That would definitely be one of his favorite things about you.

Regarding your looks, he'd just never really think about it until you mention you are insecure about them. From the moment he met you he saw you as stunning and beautiful, so hearing that you don't like it came as quite a shock for him. He'll probably at first express his love for your body physically but he knows words are needed too, and he'd put in all the effort to find the right ones to explain to you just how gorgeous you are in his eyes. He knows that won't make your self-image go away so he'll make sure to compliment you more in the future, till you start believing him. You are the one that made him see good in himself so he'll make sure to at least return the favor.

He'd love you being blunt. He's not always good at interpreting the hidden meaning behind someone's words so just saying it how it is would make it a whole lot easier for him. And if you always say it like that it would also make it easier for him to express himself.

He is not good at flirting, and he'd get super shy every time you openly flirted with him. Before you dated he never knew if you were joking or if you'd actually want to have something with him, but either way it'd leave him a blushing mess.

And AAA I can already see you playing the piano and him sitting on the stool next to you, slightly leaning towards you, scared to do it fully so he doesn't interrupt you in any way and end the alluring music. He'd love it every time you play and once he's relaxed he'd often ask you to do it for him.

OMG, I CAN ALSO SEE YOU READING TO HIM. Imagine laying in bed, cuddled up, you with a book in one hand, the other hand in his hair, gently playing with it as you read to him. He's scared to fall asleep, so you don't think you bored him but once you tell him it's okay it'll be the best sleep he's ever had.

And as he knows you are reading romance books he might think you have big expectations as to what couples are supposed to do, or are simply more knowledgeable than him in this entire matter, so he'll consult one of your books and try doing something from it to win you over.

He'd adore the way you dress, and do your hair and make-up. And once he trusts you enough, which is pretty fast compared to how he feels about other people, he'd let you do his hair sometimes or put some makeup on him.  

He'd make you stuffed animals and then like leave them somewhere in your house for you to find or like on your porch because he'd be too shy to give them to you in person, but you'd know whose it's from.

In any way, you'd make each other feel comfortable, safe, and cared for. The roles of the caregiver and care receiver would be equally divided and would switch.

Regarding you and Julian I can also see that, but to me personally, I see it more as friendship.

I can see you two dressing in romantic gothic fashion together. Being dramatic together. Having all sorts of fun. He'd definitely like listening to your stories and having a myriad of his own to share. Imagine introducing him to metal! That'd be super fun. He'd still flirt with you, but most of the time it would be jokingly, he'd just like to see you get all shy.

I really hope this is okay, once again thank you for requesting!

[chiotri-loves-davekat]

here are five poorly drawn Homestuck OCs of mine

Crazy long infodunp v

F.I.N.N. (Friendly Imaginary Nonverbal Nanobot) is a robot that Niki made when she was 9 cuz her guardian was neglectful and she wanted a babysitter. She made them 16 cuz that's what age Nickelodeon main characters usually are. F.I.N.N. like best friend things. They like pizza (can't actually eat it) and drawing! They don't have a mouth so they draw it on with chalk.

Niki is a brilliant mechanic, and has been her whole life. She is obsessed with femininity, and loves Nickelodeon TV shows. She has frequent and severe mood swings that F.I.N.N. was made to help her with. When she named F.I.N.N. she was 9 and didn't know the word mental, so she used imaginary instead for F.I.N.N.'s name and now her friends think that they are her imaginary friend.

Erin is the John Egbert of this session. We start with Erin and circle back to Erin, it always ends up Erin somehow. Erin like videogames. He's a dork. He doesn't have any friend except online friends. Everyone debates about whether he is a boy or a girl, little do they know that he is both! He tends to use he/him pronouns but really has no preference. Erin's glasses are always a bit crooked. His passions include 100%ing games, and speed running games. Erin is pretty good friends with Niki and Ross, but he is pretty sure that F.I.N.N. is some weird AI thing that Niki created based on her imaginary friend. He thinks Glen is weird but puts up with him.

Ross is this sessions Cool Kid™. He constantly over stresses about being cool and not cringe. He *hates* cringe things. Ross has a (not so) secret cringe past. Under his mask is a permanent cat mouth (like the 3 in :3). Ross tries not to ramble and hyperfixate, and has thrown out all of his old cringe interests and habits. The only thing he lets himself obsess over now is pirates, as he's deemed them cool. Even though Ross is always concerned about being cool, he wears twinkle toes. He is also very angry and confused when anyone insinuates that twinkle toes aren't cool. Ross is dating Glen, but this is a post troll planet and so they have quadrants and Ross and Glen violently vaccilatate between kismesisitude and matespritship.

Glen is ***cringe***. That is his entire personality. He comes from a very rich household, and has not one but two guardians. You name something stereotypically cringe, Glen likes it. He's a bit entitled but not on purpose. Glen uses tamagotchikind because his parents just keep getting him tamagotchis and he doesn't know what to do with them. He loves/hates his stupid/cute boyfriend. Glen and Ross are neighbors.

[aislingangel]

What do you think about Old World Blues?

I HAVE SM THOUGHTS ANON

I think its really interesting as a story concept and each of the doctors stuck out to me for different reasons I love them all.. my fav is actually 8 LOL I also enjoy dala a lot. They're such an odd cast yet I feel like I can see all the love that was made when designing them + their personalities. I wish there was more images of them pre-robot, I stare at that group picture of them all as humans sm. I REALLY wanna redraw that so maybe I'll get on that when I have the time.

Also real talk their lore is so fucking sad? It's perfect in a fallout way. I'm cutting myself off here for now because I need to brush up on it but let me just say the symbolism of it all is SO GOOD.. plus lore implications of their actions like the cazador I might make a whole post just chewing on that idea the effects of their actions specifically are INSANE and people need to be more crazy about this I think (I just realized I was gonna stop talking and then proceeded to type ANOTHER paragraph the autism is too strong)

I remember laughing so so hard when I played it for the first time because of all the really dumb and silly jokes. I expected it to be really serious and then they stole my brain 💔 (as if I really had one to begin with) and I LOVE the Ulysses Christine interaction it's so wholesome?? + i can't forget the appliances, muggy and toaster my beloved. This dlc in particular brought me a lot of comfort n it always has a special place in my heart hehe

Thank you for sending me a fallout related ask!! IM SO SORRY I didn't answer it sooner I'm super busy irl atm but I will answer all asks I get eventually that is a promise to my beloved followers (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡ I love fallout sm but because I'm not actively hyperfixated on it rn I just don't talk about it as much. But I am still very interested and I love talking about it, I can't wait til the show comes out expect the fallout hyperfixation to come back full swing LMAO

[jooniperbonsai]

I love these prompts and how everyone always has an answer prepared 😂.

I think for my date with Joon, I would personally avoid museums as the first date and that’s mostly because while I love them I both have worked in art museums/currently work in arts administration, and I want to level the playing field without him and I trying to one-up each other on what we know 😂. I’m really stubborn too and a huge bratty smarty pants which can be really fun and hot I’m sure but on the first date idk if dude will be able to tolerate putting me in my place yet.

I would probably wear my chucks with a dress and t-shirt and my tote bag and Jean jacket and I would load up my bag with snacks and a notebook and poetry book and I’d just want us to go for a walk somewhere kind of quiet where we could be distracted by the flowering buds or trying to identify what kind of plant something is and giggle while eating snacks and sharing ideas and life philosophies.

—

With Jin, I’d definitely want to go play tennis and let him kick my ass as I bicker with him and he mocks me like “I thought you said you were the mpv of your high school team” and then I’ll huff and remind him how old we are and we will eventually just put on our loose comfy clothes and go get really good food since we worked up an appetite

—

Yoongi, I feel like I would also need to keep him somewhere quiet so he doesn’t feel like a deer caught in headlights. He’s so private about things but also he and I need to be in a room for five minutes and suddenly the pages of Wikipedia he has memorized in an adhd hyperfixation needs to come forth and then we are just back and forth info dumping. So I could see us going to a tea house or like a nice restaurant but our food is cold and we are just drinking water or he’s drinking his whisky and I’m drinking my silly fruity little drink and am all flushed and going “omg did you knowwwww” until the place closes lol. And I think I would also be dressed down around him too? I could see us in t shirts and jeans and baggy sweaters and then being like “hey we forgot to eat let’s pound this down and then go somewhere else to finish our conversation” and next thing I know the sun is coming up.

—

Hobi I feel like I would love to do one of those brunch dates in a cool neighborhood where we start off getting coffee and cruffles or whatever viral food is out there and then afterward letting the day take us places whether it’s exploring fun places like shops or small art galleries with obscure abstract art that we can just look at and go ah hmmm cool! I would probably be dressed a little more fun that day, putting on some loud colored coat but professional pants and doing my makeup all fun.

—

Jimin I would start the date with at a bookstore and end at a barcade. Getting a mixture of quiet, more tender opportunities to spend time together before opening up with lots of giggles and some healthy competition for skee ball. I could see us trying really hard to win each other prizes with the crane games or tickets, us ending up holding the other’s drink while we shout at the machines and then ending the night with shared custody of the one plushie we won. For that I am purposely not wearing a coat. He will give me his so I don’t get sick 😈

Alternatively I also want to take a pole class so he and I can do that and then I can basically just watch him do it while I suffer.

—

Taehyung and I are going to a classic movie screening like Casablanca or the Philadelphia story. We will leave quoting lines or trying to do a transatlantic accent. I’m from a family that loves golden age Hollywood which he tries to emulate a lot so it would be really fun and refresh its to play into that for a day. I could also see us doing a swing dance lesson and because I have two left feet he’s trying to throw me around on the dance floor but he’s so good at it that he’s having the time of his life. We can end the night with dinner and drinks at a piano bar, which he will be slightly disappointed by when it’s not just jazz but also I’m sure he will find it super fun. This would be the time I really enjoy getting glammed up for. It really leans into the classic ideas of formal dates and that can be nice

—

Jungkook and I are going to one of those places that has mini golf and ropes courses and go karts. We are going to be head to head in competition and the sore loser has to buy the other one snacks from the concession stand. And then we will go drive somewhere to eat our snacks and watch the sunset together and talk more about things. I could see myself in one of my mesh tops but making it casual with ripped jeans, just something to remind him of my great boobs while we are being bros 😂.

we haven’t talked in a while and that’s on me so i’ve come with a question that just popped into the dome, one of the tannies asks you out on a date, it’s your first one, where you going and more importantly what are you wearing??? 🎤 the floor is yours

i’m literally about to head out the door but i had to ask this before i left i will expose myself when i get back so be thinking about it while im gone!!!!!!!!

[jackhammerhim]

My life the past couple of months figuring out my neurodivergence:

Me: what is wrong with me

Me: I'm going to research neurodiverse things

Me: wow this is so cool.

Me: do I have adhd

Me: no I can't have adhd, I'm not hyperactive and i don't have all of the symptoms

Me: I think I have adhd

Me: I don't I need to stop pretending

Me: I've researched this a lot, I think I definitely have ADHD

Me: Maybe I am autistic too? No I don't relate to all of this, only some of the symptoms, plus I don't really have any sensory issues I don't think

Me: maybe I'm just faking having ADHD

Me: I have ADHD

Me: Maybe I have a sensory processing disorder? But I don't have nearly as much problems with texture/smell/sound/taste as the other people I've met with sensory processing disorder though

Me: I think I have an auditory processing disorder. Yeah. I do. It makes so much sense.

Me: do I have ASD?

Me: pretty sure I'm just ADHD and APD

Me: oh. I think. I think that response to anger. I think that was a meltdown. Do people with ADHD have meltdowns? Hmmmm... Are ADHD and ASD meltdowns the same?

Me: wait there's sensory seeking too

Me: I'm a sensory seeker

Me: maybe I am autistic

Me: but there's sensory processing disorder too

Me: there's the routine thing too.

Me: but ADHD makes me not be able to do routine and then feel guilty about it

Me: but when someone else is enforcing the routine I follow it and freak out if it changes and I don't know about it beforehand

Me: what if they're masking eachother

Me: I do have some sensory issues and have some foods I still can't eat because the texture still makes me want to throw up after almost a decade. Sometimes sounds hurt. Like plastic crinkling and the door banging even softly. You do the tiptoes. Loud noises are stressful sometimes. You get sensory overload kind of often. But you're not a picky eater for the most part. Tight clothes are hell. Lights give you headaches. You can hear the lights and sometimes it makes you cry.

Me: but I think I am pretty good with social cues most of the time

Me: but I can't tell when people are fighting or playing and couldn't tell that two kids were fighting fighting because I thought they were just playing. And most of the time when I'm in a group of neurotypicals I don't understand the cues

Me: maybe I think I understand social cues because all of my old friends are nd because we flocked to each other, like how we all slowly came out as LGBT because we attracted one another with our vibes

Me: I'm pretty good at doing social cues

Me: but when I'm too tired to/don't want to mask my ADHD I also don't really do them unless it's just talking or thumbs up. Maybe some laughing and smiling.

Me: and I don't understand sarcasm very well unless it's from me or another nd person

Me: I stim a lot. But is this kind of stimming the ADHD or the ASD stimming. Is there a difference.

Me: have I been masking this entire time and actually don't get social cues

Me: I don't know what the truth is anymore

Me: I don't think I've ever really had a special interest

Me: was that year long Pokemon obsession where the only thing I thought about was Pokemon and the only thing I drew was Pokemon and the only thing I talked about to the people I trusted was Pokemon and all I watched was pokemon. Was that a special interest or an intense hyperfixation. What about the snakes and the bunnies. Those both lasted years.

Me: what about Minecraft

Me: that went on for a few years and has just died down a bit for a while and has come back full swing again this year

Me: but

Me: what

Me: what is the truth

Me: I don't

Me: what

[august-anon]

Are You Still?

I got hyperfixated on It a couple months ago and now here we are lol, this has been in my fic backlog for a while now. Hope you enjoy this one!

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Fandom: It (movies)

Ship(s): Reddie

Characters (lee/ler): Switch!Richie/Switch!Eddie

Word Count: 3879 words

Summary: Richie finds himself in a position that brings up some of the few fond memories he has from Derry. He decides to relive some of them.

[ao3 link]

-----------------------------------------

Richie yelped as his legs and feet were suddenly shoved roughly off the couch, startling him out of his doze. He glared up at the offender and saw Eddie, already glaring back at him as he took a seat on the other end of Bill’s couch.

“What the fuck, man?” Richie asked, bringing one of his legs back up to shove at Eddie’s shoulder with his foot.

“If you’re gonna sleep, go do it in a bed,” Eddie snapped back, crossing his arms. “Don’t take up the whole fucking couch with your freakishly long sasquatch legs. This isn’t even your couch anyway, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Richie rolled his eyes. “The others aren’t getting here for another two hours, I think I’m allowed a fucking nap.”

“If you went to sleep at a normal fucking time,” Eddie said, slicing his hand through the air, “you wouldn’t need to take so many naps. What the fuck do you even do all night? I get texts from you at like, three in the morning!”

Richie leaned forward with a grin. “Well, if you really want to know--”

“If this is a joke about my mom you better shut the fuck up right now.”

Richie tossed his head back with a laugh. “Alright, alright.”

Richie had enough self control to give the scene about two minutes to settle. Then, he swung his legs back onto the couch and draped them over Eddie’s lap.

“Hey!” Eddie said, trying to push his legs off. “Get off me, asshole! Stop taking up the whole couch!”

Richie tilted his head back and let out an obnoxious snoring sound. Eddie huffed out a frustrated breath and it took all of Richie’s stage skills to not start laughing at him.

Then, unexpectedly, Eddie swung his own legs up on the couch along with Richie’s. Richie startled, jerking his head up to give Eddie an odd look, but yelped when Eddie started kicking and shoving at Richie with his feet.

“What the hell, man?!”

Eddie didn’t reply. There was a grin growing on his face as he slid down the couch, trying to reach further with his feet. Richie found it entirely too adorable, which unfortunately distracted him from Eddie sending a foot flying toward his face. Richie yelped and barely dodged out of the way in time to save his glasses from Eddie’s wrath. The scene unlocked a memory in his mind, long buried despite regaining his memories from Derry.

 At this point, Richie only hogged the hammock as an excuse to get close to Eddie. It was honestly pretty uncomfortable, the hammock wasn’t meant for two people, even as `small as Eddie was, and it was a hassle to get them both to fit most of the time.

Which, surprisingly, was only partially where the kicking came in. The rest was because Eddie and Richie were just like that.

They were arguing loudly over the hammock again, which happened pretty much every time they were in the clubhouse together. Richie barely managed to dodge a foot, clearly aiming to hook around his glasses and throw them off his face. It was one of Eddie’s favorite moves, because it left Richie blind and annoyed, and it wasn’t exactly easy to annoy someone as annoying as Richie.

Before Eddie could go for his frames again, Richie grabbed his ankle, fighting for control of the limb. Eddie tried to tug his leg back, shouting a number of obscenities at Richie, but Richie just grinned a memory sparking in his mind.

“Hey Eds--”

“Don’t call me Eds, fucknut!”

“Are you still ticklish as fuck?”

Eddie’s eyes went wide and he started yelling even louder. Out of the corner of his eye, Richie caught Bev laughing at them while Stan rolled his eyes. They could shut the fuck up, in Richie’s humble opinion, this meant absolutely nothing at all, and Richie’s heart was totally not beating wildly out of his chest.

Richie started scratching his nails against the arch of Eddie’s socked foot, and Eddie’s obscenities quickly became interspersed with laughter. Richie couldn’t help but laugh along with him, wiggling his fingers along with his scratching to try and get an even better reaction.

“Fuck -- Richie, please!”

Richie smirked at him. “Begging already, Eddie Spaghetti? I know you can last longer than that.”

“Rich!!”

Foolishly, Eddie kicked at Richie with his other foot, trying to knock Richie’s hands off him. Instead, Richie let out his best evil laugh (it fell a little flat, Richie definitely needed to workshop it, but even still, a blush rose to Eddie’s adorable little ears) and grabbed Eddie’s other foot. Eddie shrieked and tried to escape, but Richie quickly pressed Eddie’s legs together before wrapping his own legs around Eddie’s knees to keep them there.

“Richie, don’t you fucking dare!”

“Oh, I dare, Eds.”

Richie immediately went back to scratching at Eddie’s arches, grinning when he burst back into loud laughter. He scrunched his soles and tried to shake Richie’s hands off, twisting and turning and kicking what little he could, but unable to get free from Richie’s hold. He couldn’t even flip the hammock over to knock them to the floor, though it was clear he was trying.

“What’s wrong, Eds, can’t get away?”

Even through his laughter, Eddie still managed to cry out, “Don’t you fucking call me that!”

As usual, Richie ignored him, moving down to tickle at his heels. Eddie tumbled into childish, high-pitched giggles that were so adorable that even Richie’s ears went pink. It was nothing compared to the flush suddenly filling Eddie’s face, though, all too aware of how he sounded.

“Cute cute cute!” Richie called out to him.

Eddie didn’t reply, he simply covered his giggling face.

“Aw, come on Eddie, don’t hide!”

“Shut the fuck up!”

Richie decided to be nice and stop embarrassing Eddie, moving his fingers up to tickle just under Eddie’s socked toes. Eddie’s hands dropped from his face as his eyes bulged out of his skull, shrieking and trying desperately to kick his legs out of Richie’s grasp. He tried to sit up to reach Richie’s hands, but Richie used one foot to push back against his chest while still pinning Eddie’s knees as best as he could.

“Richie!!”

Richie grinned. “Yes, Eddie my love?”

“Please!”

Richie chuckled under his breath and cocked his head to the side. “You know, you haven’t actually asked me to stop.”

Richie lightened his touch so Eddie was only giggling, and Eddie’s eyes widened in surprise. He stammered for a few seconds, even as he was giggling and panting, before he found his words.

“Yes-- Yes I have!”

“N-n-no you h-haven’t!” Bill helpfully called across the clubhouse.

Eddie went so red that Richie was almost worried he would burst a blood vessel in his face. He couldn’t help the stupid grin that spread across his face as Eddie glared at him.

“Well-- fucking stop, then!”

Richie stopped immediately, freeing Eddie’s legs. And he may have been an asshole, but he was at least nice enough to not mention the disappointment that crossed Eddie’s face when Richie finally freed him.

 “Hey Eds--”

Eddie’s scowled deepened, even as he kept his feet flying toward Richie’s glasses, trying to knock them off. “Don’t call me Eds, fucknut!”

Richie grinned brightly, trapping Eddie’s feet and legs in that same hold from so long ago. “Are you still ticklish as fuck?”

Eddie’s eyes went wide. He started kicking even harder, trying to free his legs before Richie could attack. Richie wiggled his fingers threateningly above Eddie’s socked feet.

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Eddie shouted. “I will fucking kill you, don’t you fucking dare!”

Richie laughed. The whole situation was starting to give him a bit of deja vu, the only thing missing was the near-sickening swing of a shitty old hammock from all of Eddie’s squirming.

“Oh, I dare, Eds.”

Richie started scratching at Eddie’s arches with both hands, showing no mercy. Eddie burst into laughter immediately, trying and failing to tug his legs back. Just like when they were kids, Richie couldn’t help but laugh with him.

“Richie, come on!”

“Yes, Eddie?”

Eddie squealed at a particularly vicious wiggle of Richie’s nails against his skin, arching his back and scrunching his feet up. His feet wiggled and twisted in Richie’s grasp, and Richie play-growled as he tried to keep them still and tickle them at the same time.

“Hold still!” Richie said. “Or’ll I’ll go for your toes!”

Eddie gasped through his laughter, thrashing even harder. Richie laughed as he tightened his legs around Eddie’s own.

“Please!” Eddie yelled.

An evil grin spread across Richie’s face. “Please tickle your toes?”

Eddie yelled wordlessly.

“I think I will, since you asked so nicely.”

Richie dug his fingers into the fabric beneath Eddie’s toes, trying his best to tickle despite how scrunched up his feet were. He was really more tickling the balls of his feet at this point. Eddie howled and tossed his head back, more pleas and curses falling from his lips.

“Alright, that’s it,” Richie said. “If that’s how you’re gonna be--”

Richie started pulling Eddie’s socks off. Eddie desperately gripped them in his toes, squirming and kicking to dislodge Richie, but there was a smile on his face all the while even though Richie wasn’t actively tickling him. His dimples were bright and deep, even with the scar that cut through the one on his left cheek, and his ears were a bright pink. Richie’s heart stuttered in his chest.

Damn his stupid fucking childhood crush, coming back to bite him in the ass over 20 years later. How could he still be in love with Eddie Kaspbrack, even after all these years?

At least Richie was good at burying his feelings, especially before people could see them on his face. And Eddie, arguably the best at reading him (aside from Stan, at least, but Stan could read everyone like a book with no effort at all), was thankfully a little too distracted to notice Richie’s own pink cheeks and ears.

Richie finally managed to tug his socks off, throwing them somewhere else in the room. They could find them later. He made sure his grip wrapped around Eddie’s legs was properly tight before gathering up Eddie’s big toes in one hand. The other started spidering gently over Eddie’s heels, making him tumble into giggles just like when they were kids.

“You know, Eds, you haven’t changed one bit.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Eddie yelled through his giggles, the pink spreading down his ears and into his cheeks at the sound of himself.

His giggles weren’t as sweet and childish as they once were. They were deeper now, and less bright, but they were bubbly as ever and no less beautiful. Richie felt his own blush spread down his neck and he hoped Eddie didn’t notice that, either. Well, embarrassing Eddie had always been a great way of distracting him, before.

“You’re as adorable as ever, Spaghetti!” Richie said, wiggling his fingers just a tad higher so they just barely reached the bottom of his arches. “Ticklish as ever, too.”

Eddie shrieked and tried to scrunch his feet as Richie moved higher, but Richie kept his grip tight enough that he had no success. Slowly, he started inching his fingers even higher, moving towards Eddie’s toes. If he remembered correctly, this spot would get Eddie to scream.

“You know, Eddie,” Richie said conversationally, raising his voice to talk over Eddie’s laughter, “If you told me to stop, I would.”

“I did!” Eddie said.

“No you haven’t,” Richie replied at the exact same time as Bill, who Richie hadn’t even heard come back in the room.

Richie jumped, his tickling faltered for a moment, shooting a glare over at Bill.

“Fuck off,” he and Eddie said in unision. 

Bill raised his hands in surrender and left the room, muttering something about “weird flirting rituals.”

Well, fuck you, Billiam, because Richie was sure as hell not flirting, no sir.

He was just… tickling the shit out of the guy he’d been hopelessly in love with since he was eleven. It was no big deal. Just two bros being dudes.

Richie turned his evil grin back on Eddie once Bill had gone. “Last chance to stop this,” he said.

“Fuck you,” Eddie snapped, his blush going from pink to red.

Richie’s smile widened. It wasn’t anywhere near a “stop.”

He immediately started scratching his nails beneath Eddie’s toes, keeping his touch soft and gentle to start. It still had Eddie screaming in seconds, struggling desperately to pull his feet from Richie’s grasp.

“Asshole!” Eddie gasped through his laughter.

“That’s still not telling me to stop,” Richie said in a sing-song voice.

“Please! Rich!”

“That is also not telling me to stop. Are you sure you hate this as much as you pretend to?”

“Fuck!”

Richie cackled as Eddie thrashed around on the couch. He wiggled his fingers at the skin under his toes, twisted his fingers between them, and even scratched at the stems. The whole time, Eddie was going ballistic, tears of laughter building up in his eyes. Even through all this, he still hadn’t told Richie to stop. Richie was starting to wonder if he was going too far.

Then, Eddie started sitting up. Richie tried the same trick from when they were kids, using one of his feet to push at Eddie’s chest so he couldn’t reach Richie’s hands. The only issue was, Eddie was a lot stronger than when they were kids. He wasn’t that tiny little boy anymore, riddled with false illnesses, afraid he was as breakable as glass. He was still tiny, sure, but he was strong. Eddie worked out now (which Richie definitely appreciated, not that he would ever admit it).

Even weakened with his howling cackles, Eddie still managed to push his way up. His eyes were glowing with mirth, his face was bright and open with his unrepentant smile, and his cheeks were rosy and healthy. Richie couldn’t help the way his fingers faltered at the sight.

It was all the opening Eddie needed. His grin went from bubbly to feral in milliseconds and he tugged his feet out from Richie’s grip without any effort at all. Richie quickly realized that those were runner’s legs, because Eddie worked out, and that Eddie had been holding back that whole fucking time.

Richie had two epiphanies at once. One, Eddie had been letting Richie tickle him, he wanted it, and that set off all sorts of butterflies in his chest and stomach. Two, Richie was absolutely and totally fucked, which set off a whole different brand of butterflies.

“Eds-- Eddie, let’s talk about this--”

Eddie’s grin widened. “Don’t call me Eds.”

Then, Eddie lunged. Richie made a very embarrassing sounding yelp, that he very much hoped Eddie would keep to himself, and tried to scramble back over the arm of the couch. He failed, obviously, seeing as the only working out he’d ever done in his life was running from the clown and Bowers, and Eddie could probably run a marathon and not break a sweat.

Richie quickly found himself pinned underneath Eddie, Eddie’s weight straddling his thighs. Richie’s hands were still free, but he’d never been especially coordinated, and it only got worse with even the threat of being tickled.

Probably because of some subconscious desire of his to have wiggling fingers dig into every sensitive spot he has. Not that he’d ever admit any sort of desire out loud.

“Since you so mercilessly went for such a bad spot--”

“You were kicking me--!”

“-- I think I’ll return the favor.”

“Wait,” Richie cried, but it was pretty unconvincing given the giddy smile on his face. “Eddie, wait, no!”

Eddie took on a patronizing voice. “All you have to say is ‘stop.’”

That was totally unfair. Richie said “stop” when being tickled about as much as Eddie did, which was almost never.

Richie wasn’t given much time to think about that, however, because Eddie wasted no more time in digging into his hips. Which, even more unfair in Richie’s opinion, going for a death spot so soon, when Richie worked his way up to Eddie’s toes. 

He jumped and bucked as Eddie squeezed at his hips, which quickly turned to squealing and attempting to curl up when Eddie started scratching at the bones. Eddie’s nails, unsurprisingly, were a lot better manicured than Richie’s own, which meant they tickled like fuck. Richie felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin in the best of ways, and he chose to cover his flushing face with his hands instead of trying to shove Eddie off.

“Eds, please!”

Eddie hummed. “Mm, no. Tell me to stop, Rich.”

Richie wailed in ticklish embarrassment, now blushing for a completely different reason than Eddie being the cutest man on the planet. Now, he was fucking hot, all in control and making Richie lose his mind and shit, and he couldn’t even enjoy it because, as he said, he was losing his mind.

Well, he was blushing from that and the exertion of his laughter. Hopefully one could disguise the other.

“Cute cute cute,” Eddie said in a nasally, high-pitched voice, probably meant to mimic child-Richie.

Richie had a lot of things he wanted to say to that, not the least of which was a heartfelt love confession thanks to the object of his affections calling him fucking cute, but he went with a safer option instead.

“You’re shit at that!” He cried through his laughter.

Eddie’s tickling paused and Richie sucked in a few deep breaths, eyeing him warily. Eddie raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to fucking insult me right now.”

Oh shit.

Eddie shoved Richie’s shirt up and shimmied his jeans a little lower on his hips, sending all sorts of weird, conflicting messages through Richie’s brain. Then, while Richie was still trying to process that shit, Eddie ducked his head down and Richie lost all the breath he had regained.

He was shocked out of his stupor by the most torturous raspberry ever given in the history of mankind being blown against the dip of his hip. Richie was certain it was the loudest he had ever yelled, which was saying something because Richie was loud. He couldn’t gain enough control over his arms to do much more than grip Eddie’s hair. He didn’t bother trying to pull or push him away, he just held on for dear life as Eddie systematically destroyed him.

Richie howled and cackled and screamed, and Richie was glad that Bill was the only other one in the house because he really did not need every single Loser hearing him make these noises. Sure, they heard it echo in the clubhouse when they were kids, but Richie was an adult now and had to maintain some semblance of control and maturity.

Then again, Bill would probably spread this around like wildfire.

Just when Richie thought he’d reached peak ticklishness, Eddie somehow led him to an all new peak. Richie’s screams went silent as Eddie gently dragged his teeth against one of his hipbones. Ticklish sparks shot straight up Richie’s spine, too ticklishly keyed up to realize how fucking hot that was, and he bucked up with a strength he didn’t know he possessed. The two of them landed in a heap on the floor.

Richie landed on top of Eddie, whose legs wound up wrapped around his waist. Richie held himself up on his forearms, resting on the rug on either side of Eddie’s head. Richie was still panting for breath, the wide, tickle-induced smile still stretched across his face and a blush still travelling from his ears to his neck. Eddie was grinning up at him, the pink flush spreading through his cheeks once more.

Richie wasn’t sure who moved first. All he knew was that suddenly, they were kissing. They were both smiling too wide for it to be a particularly effective kiss, but it still sent magical sparks zinging through Richie’s chest. If this was how all of their tickle fights were going to end from now on, Richie was going to have to start them more often.

“Fuck,” Richie whispered when they pulled back.

Eddie pressed their foreheads together with a chuckle. “I guess that’s one way to do it.”

“You know,” Richie said, still whispering. “I only tickled you so much when we were kids because you were fucking adorable when I did, and I was practically in love with you.”

Eddie locked eyes with him.

“I don’t think you hated it as much as you pretended to, though,” Richie finished with a grin.

“Fuck you,” Eddie snapped, but there was no heat to it. “And now?”

“Now?”

“Why start a tickle fight now?”

Richie grinned. “Well, Eds--”

“Fuck you!”

“-- I gotta say, the years didn’t make you any less adorable.”

“Yeah?” Eddie whispered, and Richie felt Eddie’s legs tighten around his waist.

“Yeah.” And then, because Richie couldn’t be serious for more than two minutes at a time, he said, “Still not as cute as your mom, though.”

Eddie groaned, slapping his shoulder. “Beep beep, you fucking asshole. I thought we were having a moment.”

Richie raised his eyebrows. “We could have another, if you want.”

One of Eddie’s hands came up to thread through the hair at the nape of Richie’s neck. Just as he started to tug Richie down, just as their lips started to brush, there was a snort from the doorway that had them jumping apart. Richie barely avoided clunking his head against the end table as he sprang away from Eddie.

“Finally,” Bill said. “B-B-Bev owes me fifty d-dollars.”

“Fuck off!” He and Eddie shouted in unison. 

Bill laughed and raised his hands in surrender, leaving the room again. “D-don’t christen your n-n-new relationship on my rug.”

Richie scowled at Bill’s back until he was out of sight. Then, he turned his gaze back towards Eddie, who was already crawling towards him again.

“Wanna make out until the rest of the group gets here?” Eddie said with a grin.

Richie grinned back. “Only if I get to tickle you and you laugh into my mouth.”

Eddie laughed, already pulling Richie closer. “You’re so fucking weird.”

“You love it.”

Eddie sighed. “Unfortunately, I love you. Obnoxious as you are.”

Richie could barely stop smiling for long enough to press his lips to Eddie’s. Eddie shoved him back onto the floor, landing on top himself this time. Richie did end up skittering his fingers up and down Eddie’s sides and ribs, tasting the giggles that Eddie let out into his mouth. Eddie wasted no time in returning the favor, either, dragging his blunt nails across Richie’s skin to get him giggling against Eddie’s lips.

It was by far the best make-out session Richie had ever had. Partially from the tickling, Richie would never complain about that, but mostly because it was Eddie. Whenever the rest of the Loser’s arrived, they would be pretty hard-pressed to get Richie to stop kissing Eddie for even a moment. They had a lot of lost time to make up for.

[bittermuire]

A (long) analysis of Azriel,

+ a bit of discussion about Gwynriel vs. Elriel at the end.

Lately I’ve seen much discussion surrounding Azriel, and there seems to be a lot of hazy gray area. We know he has a terrible past, carries a lot of trauma, is both mentally and physically scarred, and has disturbingly possessive habits. But why? That’s the question.

I think most of Azriel’s character can be filtered into three sections: his anger, his possessiveness, and his self-loathing. Altogether I believe these form his crippling sense of emotional immaturity, which ultimately shines through most every action he makes in the books.

So yes, I firmly believe Az is a child in the body of a 500 year old Fae. But is he treated as such? No. No, he is not. In fact, he’s treated as the exact opposite, and that can’t be doing wonders for his mental health (which is already in shambles. Off to a cheery start.)

Let’s take a look at his past. He was both mentally and physically abused for the majority of his childhood. Then he was thrown into an unforgiving culture that both mentally and physically abused him as well. Then he was essentially bullied by Cassian and Rhysand for quite a while... until they randomly decided to like him, which is a choice he didn’t seem to play a hand in. And then he became a professional torturer. All the while falling madly in love and becoming obsessed with a female who can’t love him back. Not to mention he’s been ostracized his entire life.

(One big thing though, that I’m going to reference frequently, is Azriel’s constant chase of “happiness.” Kind of like my friends with ADHD. We squeeze all the serotonin we can get out of one thing and then fall into a listless, depressed haze until we find another. I honestly think Azriel does the same thing with people--he latches onto them and lets his mood swings rely on how much attention they do or do not pay him, and whether it is positive or negative.)

So I’m going to go through his relationships with pivotal characters and try to explain what I think is really going on with Azriel.

Regarding Mor:

He was obsessed with her for most of his life. He was incredibly possessive of her and fell instantly in love upon seeing her. Do I think it was love? No. But does Azriel think it was love? Yes, and that is so important. It shows how desperate he was for human connection.

This “love” spiraled into centuries-long obsession that we’ve all seen play out throughout the series. But why is it obsession, and not love? Well, I’m going to go ahead and say that Azriel doesn’t know how to love. He’s never been shown genuine love and so he doesn’t know how to show it to others in the way he intends. He’s basically a baby.

But right after he falls head over heels, Mor sleeps with Cassian, and then Cassian plays the role of the buffer between the two of them all the way up until the events of ACOSF. This is where I think Azriel’s anger comes into play. He can’t get to Mor. His best friend, his brother, is blocking him from her. He can’t touch her, love her, feel her, and he’s so desperate to. But he literally has no way to communicate it because he doesn’t know how, and so he responds in the one way he’s able: anger. And jealousy. And intense protectiveness that eventually begins to translate as possessiveness.

Again, he lets his happiness rely on Mor because he can’t make himself happy, and so his lack of emotional maturity ends up revealing him as desperate and unable to communicate his feelings of inadequacy and frustration. I’m not trying to justify his behavior, not at all. But I think this could be a decent explanation.

Regarding Cassian and Rhysand:

I mean... I kind of hate the way these two have treated Azriel. They all have their fair share of trauma, but Cassian and Rhys also bullied him and ostracized him, and then basically said, “Oh, we like you now.” Which completely leaves Azriel in the dark as to where he stands with them, and strips him of awareness regarding how his friendships with them will operate.

And then he becomes the head of espionage for the Night Court, which involves lots and lots of torture. What kind of message does that send? You’ve seen dirty things, Az, so you don’t mind doing the rest of the dirty things for us, right? That’s the only real message I can get from this. Which then plants the message in Azriel’s head of: Not only do I do dirty things, I myself am a dirty, disgusting thing. Thus, furthering his already deep-seated sense of self-loathing.

Plus, the IC generally operates with a pack-like mindset. One person’s method of healing is everyone’s method of healing. It worked for one person, so it worked for everyone. It’s a very naive mindset, and very toxic as well, so it’s not surprising that literally everyone in the IC is colossally messed up despite preaching themselves as having overcome their demons.

So Azriel never really gets to understand himself and mature as a person. He’s stuck pretending to be perfectly fine underneath Rhysand’s oh-so-benevolent and compassionate hand. Rhysand and Cassian recognize Az as being a little... odd, by seeming to think things like “he’s the quiet one” and “he’s the serious, scary one.” But do they attempt to understand him? No. They leave him to his own devices and let him figure it out himself.

That’s the issue. He’s not ever going to figure it out himself, so long as he’s surrounded by the people who’ve been unwittingly suffocating him for most of his life.

Regarding Elain:

Azriel’s infatuation with Elain, in my opinion, comes as a direct result of his detachment from Mor. Just like one hyperfixation fades quickly from an all-consuming thing to a passing thought, Azriel has shifted from one obsession to the next, in order to keep his spirits on a high.

But I think his feelings for Elain reveal a lot of what Mor did not. Why does he view Elain as so holy compared to him? Why is he so hesitant to touch her? Why does he put her on such a pedestal? That’s his self-loathing coming through again. He hates himself so much that he has to place her above him.

He wants to touch her and love her, just as he did with Mor, but again he is unable. It's a repeating pattern that he can’t get himself out of.

Let’s also look at the way Elain and Azriel’s friendship/relationship began. He had to take care of her, and treat her with utmost respect. She looked at his scars or his siphons, both monstrous looking things, and called them beautiful. Let’s remember that he’s basically a child who’s rarely known genuine love. The minute he gets a glimpse of it, he’s going to grab it by the neck and crush it to his chest. Plus, the fact that she’s the last sister left unattached and he’s the last brother left unattached is probably even more convincing for him that he and Elain are meant for each other. When he’s denied this love that’s come nearly close enough to grab, he responds in the only way he’s able: anger. And jealousy. Just like he did with Mor.

But moving on, that glimpse of potential love comes from Elain. That’s why he’s able to let go of Mor; a relationship with Elain suddenly becomes possible. He’s terrified of ruining this potential love and is incredibly drawn to her all the same. Best of all? She wants him too.

BUT. Azriel knows how fragile Elain is, so he walks on glass around her, coddling her, putting her first like he’s put everyone else first since being a part of the IC. I think he wants to save her from becoming like him. He essentially plays the role of her white knight, entirely losing his sense of self-preservation (not that he ever had one), and thus loses any chance of letting Elain help him mature in return.

Regarding Gwyn:

Now, Gwyn is a different story.

We know Azriel likes her. Maybe not in a consciously romantic way, but he likes her. She makes him smile and laugh, and he finds her amusing. He doesn’t have to walk on eggshells around her.

The big thing, I think, is that he doesn’t have to take care of her. At least, I think that’s what makes him so comfortable around her. With Gwyn, he can relax, and he doesn’t have to watch every move he makes. She treats him like a regular person and he treats her similarly.

Now, is it a bad thing that he doesn’t put her on a saint-like pedestal like he does Elain? No. Definitely not. I think this ordinary friendship signals a much healthier relationship than his festering obsession with Elain. Gwyn simply being his friend and not someone that he feels he has to be perfect for is a good foundation for Azriel growing as a person.

Gwynriel vs. Elriel (the necklace):

Honestly, I’m scared for whatever SJM decides to do, because Azriel has a shitload of trauma to move past and years worth of emotional growth needed before he can be a steady partner in a relationship. Both Gwyn and Elain’s character arcs are definitely not finished and so I think that no matter which way his narrative goes, it’s going to be disappointing in some aspect or another, unfortunately. I don’t think that either one of the females’ arcs really fit well with Azriel’s.

But I’m going to take a closer look at the necklace, because I think it’s a telling narrative point.

For Azriel, the necklace for Elain and Gwyn herself, are both “thing[s] of secret, lovely beauty” to him.

By describing the necklace for Elain as such (instead of Elain herself), Azriel unconsciously reveals his more idealistic view of Elain rather than his love for Elain herself. I kind of get the sense of Azriel giving offerings to a goddess, or something like that. He seems to be more preoccupied with appeasing Elain than actually loving her.

Now, this probably comes from, again, his self-loathing and his emotional immaturity. I’m just repeating myself at this point. He doesn’t know how to love himself and he doesn’t know how to love anyone else.

But then he describes Gwyn as such. Gwyn, the person. In my opinion, this demonstrates a potentially much healthier relationship than what he has with Elain. Azriel, instead of wanting to be perfect for Gwyn and wanting to appease her, is simply made happy by the thought of her. It is Gwyn whom he is taken with, not the idea of Gwyn loving him. And so that takes off so much pressure for him, and introduces the hope that he might be able to mature as a person in a friendship or romantic relationship with Gwyn.

Closing thoughts:

Azriel is a blundering, hormonal child desperate for love with no idea of how to get it, in a 500 year old Fae’s body. He’s also surrounded by people who refuse to address his clear issues... his future’s pretty dim, and I think he realizes it. Which is why whoever SJM chooses to be his romantic interest is going to be very important.

In short, I’m scared for what’s to come. But fingers crossed that his incredibly complex character is done justice.

[scifrey]

"Do you imagine I did not already know?" Morph says with a smirk, as Hob leads him into the church and up the trancept.

Hob squeezes his hand three times - I love you.

But out loud he says, "Know-it-all."

"Stories are stories, my beloved." He gestures with one moon-pale hand at the way the sun shafts through the stained glass. "This story celebrates the birth of printed books on this island I now call home. And you were there twice. Once as the apprentice in truth. Once as the model for your own trade. Of course I knew."

"Aye, couldn't help it, could I?" Hob says, tugging his ear with gentle embarrassment, swinging their joined hands between them. "Didn't want anyone else's mug up there when I'm the one who did all the hard work. I'm the one who stayed up late, and burned the ends of my fingers, and reeked of rotting ink. So I thought, should be my face up there next to his. A man's allowed his pride, isn't he?"

"Indeed," Morph says. He releases Hob's hand only to cup his jaw between slender palms and bestow a cool, sweet kiss on his mouth. "And proud you should be."

"I'm glad this one survived the blitz," Hob says when Morph pulls away.

They both look at the window. Hob slides a hand into Morph's back pocket to hold him close.

"I do as well, " Morph says.

They bask in the syrupy golden light coming in through the window for a few minutes longer. Hob is just about to suggest lighting a candle for old Master Caxton when a bevy of tourists tumble in the back door and laugh their way up the church.

"Hey!" one of them shouts, face flushed with the British chill and the excitement of recognition. "Look guys! It's the Witch Knight!"

Hob braces himself for a mob of what sounds like American history nerds descending on them, but when he turns to face the crowd of love-struck college students are staring up at the stained glass.

"Jeeze, Megan, your hyperfixation is showing again," says one of them, shoving the girl who originally shouted playfully. "That is just stained glass. Sir Robert Gadlen the third has been dead for, like four hundred years."

"And Robert Gadlen the sixth is already married," Morph calls out to the tourists, flashing his left hand with proprietary smugness.

"You bastard!" Hob laughs, yanking Morph into an undignified run down the aisle, toward the door.

"The actual Witch Knight!" Megan shrills.

Hob skids to a halt at the door, just long enough to throw over his shoulder: "We are not calling me that!"

I was watching some "Reading the Past" videos for research, and learned about this piece of original 18th century stained glass in Westminster.

HOB?!?

Is that you wrenching that press tight, bruh? Were you having a laugh when you posed for the sketch for this window 400 years later?

[zakthefiend]

The Shadow of the Night

(Happy Birthday @pebster​! I hope this adds to the celebration very well! Damn it’s been awhile since I’ve done one of these hasn’t it? Life gets in the way, new hyperfixations, Tumblr constantly killing itself, same old and same old. Well I feel like I’ve written a lot from other sources so why not return to my first MMORPG with a bang! Tyrande VS Sylvanas! Night Warrior vs Banshee Queen! Personally I didn’t much care for the cinematic, looked nice but I’ve long since given up on Blizzard actually doing good with their characters. That aside, my personal thoughts on WoW deserves it’s own separate post and shouldn’t be here where I gift an old muse and friend of mine something she’s probably been wanting for a long time. So without further adieu, I hope you enjoy!)

Ciradel lunges forward with her moon blades ready, her Elven weapons focused on their mark and their serrated edges threatened to rend the Banshee’s neck wide open! Suddenly she feels a shadow over take her chest before a sudden force smashed into her chest and sent her hurdling back! Her back slams into the ground, the force shaking her to her very core as she tried to pull herself back up. The Warden could barely catch her breath from such an attack yet willed herself back on her feet. Her fellow wardens were trapped in the midst of battle with the Jailer’s forces, and only she could delay Sylvanas from completing her ritual at that moment.

“Damn it!” She curses, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth quickly as she coughed some up in her helmet. Her hands rested over her chest and felt the overall damage. A cracked breastplate would explain why some of her ribs feel almost like dust now. Ciradel tried to regain focus, focusing on her stance again before drawing her moon blade again. Her breathing was ragged but as a Warden of Elune she must fulfill her duty before death!

Sylvanas simply took a glance at her before refocusing on the ritual once more, her attentions better spent on something far more important than Elune’s attack dog.

The Warden tried to move but found herself stumbling too much and ultimately fell to her knees. She tears off her helmet and coughs loudly while sucking in as much air as she could. Her hands gripped the grass beneath her and watched it slowly change colors from teal to black and grey. She felt the plants wither in her gauntlets and further inspection shows it all but ash in her hands. The sight of it, the smell of death that now permeated the air, it flashed images of her home before her eyes. The devastation brought on by the War of Thorn and the burning of Teldrassil ran before her very eyes. The faint screams and dying flames filling her minds and dulling her hearing before ultimately succumbing to the crushing weight of despair upon her shoulders.

“Poor lost soldier...” Sylvanas says, lowering herself to the ground and standing over Ciradel with a slight smirk on her face. “So hard you have fought for kin and nation, to stand for Elune only to watch her leave you to your fate. It reminds me so much of an old life I once had.” 

Ciradel looks up, but not with a face of fear or intense grief, she stares up defiantly to Sylvanas. Tears running down her cheek as her blood stained teeth gritted as she stares into the Banshee Queen’s scarlet eyes. “I do not fear you, banshee! Kill me and raise my body if you wish, but my mind and soul belongs to the Kaldorei! I will not forsake my people as you have yours!”

That smirk faded, and a dark look overcame the Banshee’s face before drawing her bow. “Then die braver than most, Warden.”

Ciradel prepared for the arrow to make it’s mark, and muttered her prayers before feeling something yank her from her armor collar with such a sheer force of speed that she had thought it teleportation! She quickly gathers herself and the situation, seeing the Banshee Queen almost yards away from where she originally was only centimeters from here the arrow was pointed at her head! 

Then, she saw her.

High Priestess of Elune: Tyrande Whisperwind.

The woman who brought back the Night Warriors to the Night Elves after their darkest hour, the one to have stood against Azshara when she sought to bring Sargeras to the world, and the woman who lead the Night Elves through the many wars and battles Azeroth has had over countless centuries. She stood over Ciradel, almost a towering presence now with the powers of the Night Warrior changed her appearance more now. A moon hovered above her head like a halo, as the markings she had received from her transformation now dazzled like stars upon a night sky, and runes of azure blue glowed across her arms and legs as she held her glaive in her other hand.

She let go of the warden, and gave it a wave and suddenly Ciradel felt her body completely healed of all it’s wounds! She looks up to Tyrande, whose black eyes stared at Sylvanas with a hatred rivaled only by Maev’s loathing of Illidan and of the Xaxa’s himself!

“Go.” She said to Ciradel, treating it less like a demand and more like something she was supposed to do, “Aid the others with repelling these deathless mongrels from these lands. Sylvanas is mine to rend justice upon.”

The Warden looked between the two, feeling these two near demigods were about to engage had her prepared to leave. She stood up quick and looked to Tyrande a final time. “Shaha lor’ma, Tyrande. Elune-Adore, an Andu-Falah-Dor!” Ciradel fled the scene to return to the other Wardens at the battle, leaving those two alone to their battle.

(Darnassian: ”Thank you, Tyrande. Elune be with you, and let the balance be restored!”)

 ______________________________________________________________

The tension in the air was thick enough to cut it with an axe, the two Elves who walked the path of vengeance were faced to face once more. Their previous fight back on Azeroth, where Tyrande had caught up to Sylvanas was interrupted and left unfinished until now. The peerless void filled eyes glared towards Sylvanas, returning the stare with a scowl as the memory of their last fight still burned in her mind.

“So. You found me once again. Did you wish for an award of some kind?” Sylvanas starts, opening her hands and closing them around twin shortswords of Quel’dorei design now warped to reflecting her darker attire now.

Tyrande took out her other Glaive from behind her, and did not hesitate with her answer. “Your head.”

Sylvanas nodded, removing her cloak and tossing it aside and shaked her head free of her cowl before smugly responding to her hunter: “Then come and try.”

Tyrande lunged forward, slamming her galives against Sylavanas’s blades and used her weight to swing the other blade at the banshee’s arm. Sylvanas quickly ducked beneath the swing and pulled her blades down with her and moved in to stab Tyrande in her gut but watched her swing herself out of the way for another slash to the Banshee Queen!

The two Elves were caught in a dance of blades and swords, each moving to a different tune and song of battle and war. Tyrande heard and felt the drums of the Kaldorei beat and boom as thunder inside her mind as she swung and spun herself with the weight of her blades and body against Sylvanas. The Banshee however felt the solemn sounds of a lute strummed and played louder and quicker within her, her parry’s and dodges and counters constantly keeping the other on their toes the entire fight. Neither dared to use their magic for this fight, as this was an almost ritualistic tradition that both Elven women of their races held close to their heart. With every swing that cuts the Banshee, the Priestess felt a stab to the exposed flesh of her armor. With every missed slash of the short swords came the near death experience of the magical glaives coming towards her neck. While the music within them played to different tones and themes, it was the same song that began to control their movements in an almost entranced way.

It ultimately ended when Sylvanas pierced Tyrande’s midsection with her blades, watching the woman drop her weapons from over her head to the ground. It was over.

Sylvanas won.

That is, until Tyrande gripped her fists together and swung a hammerfist across the Quel’dorei’s face! Sylvanas immediately stumbled backwards from the sheer force of the swing before forced to stop when Tyrande stomped her foot down on top of hers and swung a right hook across her face! She pulled her arms up to guard her face from the next punch, but felt an uppercut to her gut nearly shook her entire armor!

Sylvanas forced her foot free, and quickly side stepped the next punch and quickly backed away from the Night Elf to formulate a counter. Unfortunately Tyrande was on top of her the entire time and refused to give her a moment of rest. The next swing slammed into a tree and the bark practically exploded off from the force of the punch! Her knuckles bloodied from the swing, she gritted her teeth towards Sylvanas who used her new powers to bind Tyrande in shadowy chains long enough to catch her breath. In that moment, she realized that the Night Elf still had her swords firmly implanted into her gut! Before anything else could be discovered, a beam of light blasted down from the sky and blasted the Banshee onto the ground! She rolled onto her knees, snapping her fingers as the swords faded away and her bow was summoned into her hands. She quickly took pot shots at Tyrande, who now dashed to grab her Glaives from the ground. She was quick enough to dodge most of the arrows but felt one firmly implanted itself into her shoulder! She let out a quick groan before rolling for her weapons and quickly wielded them to block the next volley of arrows and slashed one in half before charging at her once more.

Sylvanas quickly realized the position she’d be in again if Tyrande was to close the gap again, and transformed into her banshee form to fly out of reach! Just as she turned to fire a shot at the Night Warrior, she saw Tyrande had blasted herself at Sylvanas with a mighty leap and slammed herself into the other Elf and the two came crashing back down to the ground below! 

The air around them swirled with a blackish blue dust cloud, before it revealed Tyrande having impaled Sylvanas in her shoulders. Tyrande pinning her as the markings slowly faded, having expended much of her power to healing the stab wounds in her gut and that powerful leap. She kept herself over the Banshee by kneeling over her midrift. The Quel’dorei groaned in pain as she struggled to fight the Night Warrior off her body.

Tyrande leaned close to the pained expression of Sylvanas with a calm fury over her face, before speaking to her in a cold tone: “For Teldrassil, and Elune’s mercy be upon you.”

She pulled her glaive’s out from Sylvanas’s Shoulders, and impaled her in the chest with her weapons! The Banshee cried out, her hands trying to pull the blades out of her body while cutting her hands on the harsh steel of the blades. This pain forcing her to remember her final moments alive at the hands of Arthas all those years ago, forcing a boiling rage to swell within her at being reminded of such a hated memory. Her head rolled back as the pain shot through her body, her eyes burning with fury and pain as she looked back at the one who had done this to her.

In her eyes, she saw no joy nor satisfaction in this act. There was no pleasure in this act of vengeance. No glee or pride found in the Priestess’s eyes. Instead, she saw only pity. She almost saw a hint of regret behind her cold glare, as if she wished she didn’t have to end this life.

Sylvanas breathed heavily, her breathing ragged as she looked at the Night Warrior who kept the blades embedded into her body. She smirked up to the woman, feeling her blood escaping from her mouth.

“I... I suppose this is wh... where you take my head then? Well go on. Your trophy need only a swipe to claim. Ash karath, Tyrande Whisperwind.”

(Darnassian: “Do it, Tyrande Whisperwind.”)

Tyrande pulls a glaive out from her chest, and raised it over her shoulder. She looked down and took a deep breath, “Selama Ashal’anore.”

(Thalassian: “Justice for our people.”)

Just as she swung down, just before her blade could meet the banshee’s neck, she was interrupted by the Jailer’s minions and slammed off Sylvanas. She was pulled away, as the invading forces retreated and left Tyrande behind. She tossed her Glaive at them, but missed as they were too out of range for her. She watched them get further and further away, her breathing quickening as her anger soon boiled over, and she released a blood curdling scream as loud as she could that echoed across the realm!

Tyrande had won, but failed to finish off Sylvanas this time.

(Author’s note: I know, I know, I know, this is a shitty ending. Look we all want Tyrande to put down Sylvanas after all the shit that had happened between them. Hell, I’m hoping they duke it out and the cinematic gets the animation of Saurfang V Sylvanas! But for now, until we get to see where the story goes, she gotta stay alive. Still, I hope you still enjoyed this fic and hope you have a wonderful birthday Pebs.)