#pre-Movie (you are a fairytale)

[therainscene]

I've described myself in the past as "overly-queerbaited" as a way of explaining why it took me so long to come around to Byler endgame as a legitimate possibility... but that's kind of a misleading way of putting it.

Truth is, I've always been too much of a cynical fuck to fall for queerbait... or any other story that promises positive queer rep.

[Sherlock couldn't touch me; I saw this cringe homophobia coming from a mile away. Fans mistaking straight anxiety jokes for meaningful gay subtext was clearly doomed to end in mockery. Nobody deserved to be treated like that... but god, it was easy to predict.]

I think it's a symptom of having grown up under Section 28 -- feeling like I'm being unreasonable for wanting to see queerness normalized is such an ingrained habit that even today I instinctively recoil like a vampire touching sunlight whenever an optimistic queer story falls unrequested into my lap.

But I'm hardly alone in feeling this way -- many queer Millennial and Gen-X fans of Stranger Things are against the idea of Byler because it would ruin the catharsis of watching the gay boy growing up in the same era as we did slowly succumb to the same despair that we did.

[For those who haven't played the VR game: Vecna is speaking in this screenshot.]

There's genuine comfort to be found in painful stories -- this type of catharsis is practically the cornerstone of horror as a genre -- so I can't really fault myself or anyone else for wanting it, despite the obnoxious oversaturation of disappointing queer endings in media.

This is the nostalgia show, after all -- and like it or not, for many middle-aged queers in the target audience, nostalgia is shot through with the pain of homophobia and loneliness.

But do you know who else is a hurt queer(-coded) adult who resents happy endings? This cynical fuck:

Henry personifies despair and loneliness and the dark urge to take our pain out on others -- and when Will is in the picture, I would argue that he also represents internalized homophobia.

Will might represent who we were -- but Henry represents who we've let ourselves turn into.

And I don't think many of us want to admit to that, because that would involve questioning why we have so much in common with the literal villain of the show; why we're still so consumed with self-pity after 20+ years that we're obsessing over the fate of some kid.

I'm not suggesting that wanting a less-than-fairytale ending for a fictional gay boy is equivalent to being a child killer lol. It's perfectly valid to want to see your pain acknowledged, and stories which appeal to that desire deserve to exist.

But between Henry's connection to Will and the cycle of abuse themes of the show, it's clear that this particular story simply isn't about wallowing in the bleakness of growing up gay in the 80s, but about self-actualizing in spite of it all.

So I just can't bring myself to want a "relatable" ending for Will.

As much as I struggle to enjoy positive queer rep, I don't want to be so cynical. I'd thrown up so many walls to protect myself as a teenager that I forgot how desperately I wanted to see just one of those painful queer stories end on the same uplifting note that straight stories were always entitled to: with true love overcoming the odds, saving the day, and living happily ever after.

[But I'm A Cheerleader, a surprisingly fun movie about conversion therapy, is proof that stories like this did exist when I was a teen... but finding them in the pre- and early-internet days amidst so much censorship was a tall order.]

What makes Stranger Things different from most queer stories -- and what allowed it to pierce through my defenses and stab me in the gut -- is that it perfectly mimics those bleak, acceptable-to-the-censors stories from my youth -- only this time, the secret uplifting gay plot twist is real.

Not for the sake of shock value or of grabbing some empty woke points at the last second, but because the plan all along was to slap the audience in the face for believing homophobic lies about the existence of queer happiness.

That's some gourmet catharsis, if you ask me.

Just the possibility that my inner child might finally be vindicated has allowed me to truly let myself want the things I want for the first time in 20 years -- and that's the first step towards finally crawling back out into the sunlight.

Happy Pride Month, everyone. 🌈

[dailyadventureprompts]

Hello Dapper. I don’t really expect too much about this, but do you have any ideas for Wargs? They have an interesting relationship with goblins and are weird in that they’re essentially sapient wolf monsters, but I don’t think they’re ever really used that creatively.

Monsters Reimagined: Wargs, wolf panics, and the Economics of Lupophobia

While the surface level answer is pretty simple (warg is a conversion of varger, an old Norse way to refer to mythological wolves like Fenrir) there's actually a surprising amount of material to drill into here on the topic of sapient wolf monsters, especially for someone like me who has a interest in moral panics and mass hysteria events. Wolves were effectively a boogyman for pre-industrial societies, a deep seated generational fear that we only recognize today through cultural relics like the big bad wolf or boy who cried wolf.

TLDR: If you want to do something interesting with wargs beyond just "wolves that talk" I'd advise playing to their folk / fairytale roots. They're creatures of embodied dread, drawn from the stuff of the feywild to sow fear among those who would travel off the path or too close to the wilderness. This lets you tell interesting stories about how the party/major characters respond to fear: Does fear of being attacked in the dark drive the party to make risky decisions that might endanger their quest? How do the villagers react when the wolves are very literally at the door, demanding just one of their neighbours as a meal in exchange for safety?

I'd also advise getting weirder with a warg's powers, playing into that fear of the unknown by doing unexpected things. The party can fight off a pack of wolves, sure, but what does it mean when the lead wolf rips off the bard's shadow and takes off into the night?

Background: If you want a window into the headspace of wolf-panic, think about the neigh omnipresent fear of sharks created by the Jaws franchise. Children who have never seen the movie, let alone seen a shark in person can become irrationally afraid of getting into deep water because they've absorbed the pervasive cultural phobia, which goes onto shape environmental policy as sharks are overhunted or killed out of spite for their perceived threat.

So it was for wolves, even after they were largely hunted to near extinction by medieval and postmedieval societies, the fear of them was so ingrained into cultural traditions that wolf and werewolf panics were a thing that went hand in hand with witchtrails. France had a country wide one as late as the 1760s and the movie based on it ended up inspiring Bloodborne. Alternatively look at the anti-wolf efforts during the colonization of the Americas, right up to the opposition to reintroducing wolves back to Yellowstone park.

On that note (and because we can't have a Monsters Reimagined without some kind of class analysis), lets talk about how these fears are propagated: On many levels it makes sense for everyday people to be afraid of wolves, they're a hunting species that can absolutely pose a danger to us, and when you're living or travelling outside the protection of a settlement you really are vulnerable to a coordinated pack of carnivores running you down.

However, the primary threat that wolves pose to humans isn't predation, it's property damage, specifically in how they kill livestock. While we can talk about individual farmsteads beset by beasts, in reality the herds that wolves were most likely to prey upon belonged to the landowning classes, powerful people who had a profit incentive in seeing wolves driven off or exterminated. This is where you get bounties on dead wolves, not just paying for the value of the hide but actively rewarding people for going out and killing as many wolves as possible to the point of it becoming a profession. This practice has existed for MILLENIA and is still active today, primarily in places where big agriculture influences governments.

It seems incidental at first but then you realize that it fits the model of just about every other kind of cultural panic: widespread ignorance and fear that just so happens to mobilize the populace in a way that financially benefits a select few. You can see the same thing happening today in england with badgers of all things, which have been identified with the local dairy industry as a threat to their herds. This is not only led them to petition the government to cull the badger population, but to put out anti-badger propaganda, eventually turning it into a culture war issure to the point where conservative mouthpieces like Jeremy Clarkson openly encourages killing and gassing badgers on sight.

Returning to the land of fantasy for now: I think it's worth taking the idea of the warg and mixing it with a few other "black dog" cultural archetypes, which can also include the creatures like the shuck or church grimm. In this instance the warg is a sort of curse made manifest, the fear of a haunted place given literal teeth. People who transgress into these forbidden spaces find themselves pursued by a manifestation that dogs them till they're exhausted and vulnerable, much like a wolf harrying its prey.

The bhargest is also of special interest here, considering how I like to relate goblins back to the feywild. You could easily see bhargests as agents of fey that feed on human fear, leading a pack of goblins or hobs that occupy the desolate lands they've called to haunt. My version of Maglubiyet would also delight in employing such creatures as his emissaries.

Going back to the vargr/ Norse mythology angle, it's interesting that most of the wolves that show up are destined to devour something, whether it be a god or celestial certanty like the moon and sun. It's like the concept of an inevitable chase is so fundimental to what a wolf IS that it became a theme of ragnarok's inevitable certantly. Consider having certan packs of wargs be offspring of some fenrir style god eater, beasts of forboding doom who's mere presence is an omen of ill times.

Alternatively, if you wanted to play on the big bad wolf angle, give wargs the ability to take on flimsy human disguises, all the better to get close to their pray and sow fear among the townsfolk. Historical wolf panics after all are not all that different than serial killer panics, and it'd be a fun twist on a traditional werewolf adventure to have the party on a creature that didn't play by the usual lycanthropic rules.

Artsource

[just-my-latest-hyperfixation]

Someday my prince will come

Written for day 30 of the @steddieholidaydrabbles and the 12 Days of Christmas bonus card of the @steddiebingo

Prompts: Sing & Movies

Rated: G

Tags: Post-Vecna; Pre-Steddie; Everybody lives; Injured Eddie; Hospitals; Eddie has a crush on Steve; Accidental love confessions

Notes: I wrote this, then googled the release date of the VHS and realized it didn't come out until 1994. Shut up, this is an AU now. 🤣

A high-pitched trill pierces through Steve’s foggy mind. He jerks awake and almost topples from his chair, hands grasping for his nail bat, for his ax, for anything. It’s the goddamn bats again, or police sirens, come to take Eddie away. He won’t let them, they’ll need to kill him before-

It’s not the bats or the police. 

Someone is singing.  

The realisation leaves him floundering and confused, even as the adrenaline slowly seeps from his body. Why is there a random woman singing operas in Eddie’s hospital room in the middle of the night? 

It takes him a few seconds until he makes out the source of the music: the television set in the corner of the room. 

The hospital doesn’t have video recorders, usually, but it quickly turned out that Eddie liked having noise and lights around, even during the first few days, when they weren’t sure he’d ever wake up. They tried the local stations at first, but the news are still full of Eddie’s face and murder allegations, and Robin needed to pry the remote from Steve’s fist before he could crush it. So Dustin brought in the video recorder, and everybody pitched in with their favorite movies, so that the hospital room never needed to be quiet. 

Right now, Snow White is singing to the seven dwarfs about how her prince will come someday. 

Who the hell picked that kitschy shit?

Steve cringes as she hits another ear-piercing note and turns to the nightstand to find the remote. 

And that’s when he sees that Eddie is awake and watching the screen. His pupils are large and unfocussed, but he’s smiling. It’s small and hesitant - a mere ghost of the bright, bold thing from before - but it’s the first smile Steve has seen on him since they brought him out of the coma. 

The song continues.

“I love this one,” Eddie says after a second or two. “We have it at home.” 

“Oh,” Steve says, realization slowly trickling in. This probably is the very copy Eddie is talking about. Wayne must’ve brought it. Must’ve dug through the rubble and debris that used to be his home to unearth this tape for his nephew. 

Eddie just keeps watching the movie and humming along with the song. It comes out raspy through his shredded throat.

“Haven’t watched it in a long while,” he whispers. “Thought I was too grown up for it. And ‘sides, fairytales never come true, right? No Prince Charming for me.” 

“Eddie,” Steve says before he can stop himself. The hand that was just reaching for the remote grasps for Eddie’s fingers instead. Eddie’s eyes shift over to him and that smile goes a little wider. It makes one of his dimples appear. 

“But now you're here,” he says. His voice is getting slurred from using it so much. “What took you so long, huh?”

Steve blinks. Oh God, is Eddie mistaking him for the stupid prince from the stupid movie? He looks a little bit like him, he guesses - if you’re high on pain meds and stuck in a dark hospital room, that is. He opens his mouth to tell him the truth, but Eddie tilts his head in the pillows, eyes stupidly large and dark, and the words die on his tongue.

“Sorry,” he shrugs, ignoring the red-hot blush that’s rapidly overtaking his face. “Got a bit delayed. You know how it is.” 

“‘s okay,” Eddie nods graciously, then frowns. “Where’s your horse? ‘s it not allowed in the hospital?” 

Steve quickly disguises his snort of laughter as a cough. Eddie’s brow wrinkles. 

“Um, yeah,” he says. “Had to leave it outside in the parking lot. Stupid hospital rules, right?” 

“Right,” Eddie agrees, and tries to lean in for a conspirational whisper. He’s still too weak, so Steve ends up bending down until his ear is nearly at his lips. “This place sucks. Stupid nurses won’t even let me have a smoke, can you believe it?” 

They both laugh, only that Eddie’s turns into a cough real quick. 

“Don’t worry,” Steve says, squeezing his fingers gently. “We’ll get you out of here in no time. You can stay at my place for a bit, I have it all figured out.”

Eddie freezes. 

“Oh,” he says, and suddenly he sounds all dejected and fearful. “That’s right. I need to’ tell ya somethin’.”

“Huh?” Steve says, resisting the urge to sweep a stray curl out of Eddie’s face. “What’s that?” 

Eddie sighs. It turns into a yawn halfway through. “You took so long to show up and … I wanted t’ wait for you, I really did, but … There’s someone else. Sorry.” 

Steve feels his frown melt into a smile, even as his heart gives a little tug. 

“Hey, that’s okay,” he says. “Are they good to you?”

Eddie bobs his head up and down, motions jerky and uncoordinated. Steve can tell he’s about to fall back asleep. 

“He’s brilliant, man. S’much more than I gave’m credit for. Kind and generous and brave and strong. Carried me outta that shithole all by ‘mself. And the way he tore that bat apart with his teeth? Holy moooh-... “ He yawns again, long and drawn-out. “-ley.” 

Steve doesn’t say anything. He thinks Snow White has finished her song by now, but he can’t be sure. The rush of his own blood in his ears is too loud. 

“Eddie, I-” he croaks after what seems like an eternity, but the only reply he gets is a long, hearty snore.

It’s okay, he guesses, brushing Eddie’s hair from his face before leaning back in his chair and focussing back on the movie. He’ll tell him some other time, when he’s feeling better and more clear in the head. It may still take a while, but until then, he can be patient. 

He’ll make it worth the wait for both of them. 

More holiday drabbles

More Steddie bingo

[hanrinz]

STARRY EYES SPARKIN' UP MY DARKEST NIGHTS.

pairing. lyney x gn! reader ( word count. 1.1k ) genre. strangers to lovers

synopsis. wherein lyney falls for you literally and figuratively, and he doesn't mind it quite a bit. or just bits of pieces of him trying being a romantic.

content. fluff, reader is not the traveller, flirty lyney, he's ooc sowsaury everyone, lynette is tired with the two of you. minimal proofread.

notes. hihi this is for @sixosix da only real one this is for u!! *does that corny pointing in movies* dribble dribble shoots! i just rlly need to write for him, bc he's a silly.

lyney was never star-struck, if anything he was more used to people being enchanted when they saw him.

but he would never expect it to happen to him, after all only the most beautiful things can capture the eyes of a magician—with life full of unexpected encounters and lively colors of shows—to all of which he found on you.

you, who came to the lands of justice from the lands of freedom—never being tied down to the shackles of laws—with an ecstatic gaze, you're here as where the winds have brought you. truly he thinks the momentary sight of you just by walking in the streets of fontaine didn't give enough justice for him to memorize your face. the sunlight that just makes you shine more and the way your eyes reminds him of the stars, warm they were.

and your smile. archons, he adores it. the way it just never leaves your face, you're so pretty.

he never knew anything about love, only with the books he grew up with of a fairytale he reads to his siblings at night—a hopeless romantic he was.

love at first sight. he was falling, hard and fast. like he was tumbling down into the bottomless chasm of just you. he's liking it and it should take him aback, it should scare him, but he can't find himself to do so.

it was unbelievable and it was magical to be able to know a feeling that you can know so much, but was foreign altogether. he knew right then, he was star-struck with you.

and he doesn't know what compels him to move and make his way to you. excitement dancing around his nerves as he nears you, with a smile on his face and a newfound fascination.

and just before he reaches, an unexistent rock trips him all the way to you.

it's embarrassing, lynette thinks. watching his brother fall in love, that is—literally and figuratively.

he flashes a smile at you. and you crouch down, asking him if he's okay. you're worried and he tries not to grin so much, he only replies to you with,

"i'm fine, now that you're here." he winks.

he took it as a chance to take out a rainbow rose out from his sleeves handing out to you. and you laughed, probably another thing that he finds enchanting—it's unfair, for you to have him this entrance by you.

what a memorable first meeting he had with you.

lynette cringes—her brother's antics are an embarrassment to die for. it's not a crime as far as the laws said so, but she sure hopes it is.

because now, his brother is here head in the clouds with the thought of you. his face all, but with lovey-dovey eyes.

"isn't y/n so pretty?" he sighed dreamily.

lynette looks at him with a blank stare, "you've said that for the thirteenth time today. yes, y/n is pretty."

"should i prepare a magic trick? maybe a dove or a bunny. it can be onstage, or just in the seats? ah, i have so many things to prepare..." and so many more, if she was a stranger, she would've thought her own brother is outrageous for the ideas that come to his mind just to woo you. "come now, dear sister for i have to prepare for my special guest."

it's a feeble attempt, really.

his own brother faltering down, just from you standing in front of him and anyone might not see it, but she knows his own brother.

lovestruck he was. when he took you to him showing his trick of lighting up the night in a single snap, a flower on your head magically placed delicately and he thinks you're just pretty.

"do you like it?"

another rainbow rose.

"they're pretty.."

your mesmerization, it takes his breath away. if anything he wants you to look at him, how you look at everything you love. he wants you to love him too, like how the stars never leave the skies and how the sun reflects its light on the sea.

he wants you just like how his hands die in need to reach you, how can you be so cruel to him this way?

and he breathes out, "i know."

"do you like dancing?"

the both of you stand on the stage, where you sit in one of the carts that has all their props now kept for their next show.

"back in mondstadt, we had a festival that we celebrated...and we would dance at night till the flowers fall." you recount, fondness creeps up on you with the memory.

he knows this, windblume—if he's not mistaken, he shouldn't be. after all what are those books he read for night after night just to know the culture of mondstadt? just to know you. you didn't need to catch wind of that, he can only hope charlotte wouldn't slip up with this one on you.

he imagines, you dancing with a smile on your face that he loves so much. and he wants to see it, to be able to live that vision in his head, but having you in his arms instead.

"would you dance with me then?" he offers his hand, making a little bow to you.

and you giggle, yet again at his antics. "i would love to."

"may i?" and you take his hand, he feels warm, giddy from how your hand fits together with his.

with a smile he holds you and leads you to dance to a sound the two of you can only hear and maybe it's the heartbeats that plays in your mind, but lyney thinks everything just seems more beautiful now with you here.

he's used to everyone's eyes on him as a magician, it's a normal thing. but to have you this close to him and your eyes on him, he thinks the spotlight doesn't make him special now, just the way you do.

if this was the fairytale he's known all his life, he hopes now that it will always be like those ever afters. don't wake him up and drop the glass of his heart, because he has so many more dreams he'd like to come to life with you.

he's memorizing the story now, how your eyes shine and warms him wholly, your hair dancing around as he sways you and your lips that holds a sound that he would like to hear every day.

the song ends and your hearts sync. he let's go and step back to kiss your hand, delicately with him keeping eye contact and it means so much more.

and he pulls out yet another rainbow rose out of his coat, and his eyes glazed. "it's windblume this season in mondstadt, isn't it?"

passion and romantic encounters.

"...let this rose be my oath to you."

oh, how the magician can be much of a romantic all for you. he hopes he'll be the first and the last one to give you such a gift.

◞♡ likes and reblogs are highly appreciated! here's a lyney fic bc i have beef with him <3

[franki-lew-yo]

James and the Giant Peach is still (mostly) for young children

Despite a single pre-metoo joke and it's uncanny-ish artstyle that's a serious make-or-break-you factor on if you like it, James and the Giant Peach is aggressively a movie for young children. I personally like it as I never find it a patronizing sit for little kids, like Don Bluth's movies from the 90s so often were, but that really is what I think alienates people; the intended audience may be a bit too scared of the visuals (NOT like how they are with TNBC, which kids go in expecting to be scary) where the adult audience who is here for the 'creepy stop-motion' feel like the movie is lacking for not being Nightmare or Coraline, which is unfair. It absolutely scared me as a little little kid but upon finally facing it at, like ten or whenever it was on Cartoon Network's movie show, I realized there was nothing to fear. And that, in turn, was exhilarating. It's such good symmetry that the film is about facing your fears and standing up for yourself because that's exactly what my relationship with it was. It's such a comfort film for me. My og Bluey. JatGP, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Ernest and Celestine = perfect comfort after I watch something serious and/or disturbing.

Half my reason for trying to pied-piper everyone else towards it as it's own merit is I think James and the Giant Peach would hit hard for lovers of weirdcore and dreamcore ala Jack Stauber or @samsketchbook's 'Welcome to Our Dimensional Party'.

That "looks unsettling/potentially disturbing but actually cute or gentle" vibe pairs perfectly with dreamcore aesthetic. We're coming up on it's 30 year anniversary I hope to see a genuine resurgence. If I had it my way and I was Dan Olson I'd make an hour-long look at the movie, the original book and Henry Selick's filmography as a surrealist the way Dan made an hour-lookback at Bakshi's Lord of the Rings. But I'm not. Cause I'm not Dan Olson and I can't build up the nerve to either show my face or figure out how to make videos in two years.

But anyway, about the title of this post (content warning: downer nsfl stuff; mentioning of real life child ab*se cases):

James' life with his aunts hits VERY different when you're an adult and you've watched too much true crime.

It's not intentional on the part of Dahl or Henry Selick. Selick had Mariam and Joanna ham up the screen and they clearly loved every minute of it and Dahl I think was just trying to tell an 'authentic' type fairytale story where the main character has to escape their evil family. Point being- Spiker and Sponge are supposed to be 'evil for the sake of evil' villains who could only exist as hammy caricatures in an already weird story. They aren't supposed to be like the parents in Matilda or the Twits who I'd argue are a little more 'realistic' depiction of awful people...except for the fact that legal guardians like Spiker and Sponge DO actually exist.

There's a heavy implication in the film that no one else in their county even knows James lives with Spiker and Sponge (literally the only people around to recognize James' existence are the bugs when they first meet him!). His aunts seem to make James work out of frustration for having to take him in, like he's a burden and they're making him pay for being one by being their slave. They actively don't feed him except for rotting fish and then shame him for not eating it. The Lane Smith picture book implies that James' parents weren't killed by a rhino but rather it's Spiker and Sponge who put that idea in James' head and use it to control him. And all that BEFORE the beatings which you know are happening off screen.

After the horrifying cases of Ruby Franke, Sylvia Likens and the Turpins, the "every child deserves a parent but not every parent deserves children" reality of it all makes you realize that James probably would have died if he lived with his aunts. Considering how they flip out on him in New York- that boy REALLY needed to escape, giant peach or no.

This is absolutely another reason for why JatGP is a comfort movie for grownups. You have this horrific childhood rescued by loving in-human parents who will kill everyone in the room and then themselves if you touch their human boy. It's like Opal but if Claire found a happier family. Of bugs. None of that was intentional, ftr, but it's what sticks out to me.

[starrlikesbooks]

Behold! The books I'm most excited to get to read in 2025!

Check for links and details under the cut!

Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear by Seanan McGuire is the newest Wayward Children book! This one takes place in a Drowned World, with giant turtles.

I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrews is a horror romance starring the signing interpreter of a selective mute who is also an heiress! I loved Andrews' last book, which hd lush folk horror vibes, and this one has a gorgeous cover and involves curses and a spiritual exorcism, so I'm IN.

Love Points to You by Alice Lin is about someone making a dating sim! And the MC being hired as character designer. This is an Asian-led sapphic romance, and as a dating sim fan, I'm super pumped.

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran is a horror novel full of mutated monsters, and a cult-ish submerged town where the MC and her mother are stuck, where the people believe their dead family have reincarnated as sea monsters. The summary also heavily implies the MC has monstrous qualities.

What Wakes the Bells by Elle Tesch involves malevolent souls trapped in bells and fighting gargoyles! This sounds like an exciting fantasy world with a really fun adventure.

I Am the Swarm by Hayley Chewins is a trauma-centric horror with a magical bloodline and the power/curse of summoning insects. This one really leans into female rage, and I'm really interested in the magic.

Holy Terrors by Margaret Owen is the third (and I think final!) book in the Little Thieves series! Fairytale-retelling fantasy with a snarky, morally gray, damaged MC (whom I love)

Roll for Love by M.K. England is one of my favorite kinds of books coming out lately- a D&D based romance! This one involves a new campaign & roleplaying group after a big move, and a no-dating rule giving some tension.

The Summer I Ate the Rich by Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite is Haitian-American Hannibal story! It's also a zombie story.

The Floating World by Axie Oh was pitched as an amnesiac sword-for-hire teaming up with a theatre troupe performer with mysterious powers, and I don't need to know any more than that!

Don't Let Me Go by Kevin Christopher Snipes is Snipes' second book- and I was absolutely gut punched by the queer tenderness and mental revelations of his first book. This one will also break me, as it's about two boys trapped in a reincarnation cycle.

And They Were Roommates by Page Powars should need no further explanation than the title!! But in case it's not- this is an MLM story of a stealth trans boy coming to a new school, where- unbeknownst to the roommate- he's roomed with his former, pre-transition fling.

Nobody in Particular by Sophie Gonzales is a royalty romance at a boarding school, and it's sapphic! This has a disgraced princess falling for the new girl pianist 😍 As a big believer in Gonzales, I am lined up.

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater is not my normal kind of read! This is historical fiction, taking place at a hotel/spa in the 1940s- but Stiefvater wrote one of my favorite series, The Rave Boys (and The Dreamer Trilogy!), and she'd super excited about it, so I'm just looking forward to seeing her spectacular writing coming at a new angle.

Love Misha by Jam Aden has been on my list for a LONG TIME. Why? Because it's promoted as A Goofy Movie meets Spirited Away with a nonbinary main character. SAY NO MORE.

If We Survive This by Racquel Marie is a apoclaypse survival horror. Lesbian zombie stories are surprisingly not that hard t find right now, but I'm definitely interested in seeing more of them!

Predatory Natures by Amy Goldsmith has one of my favorite things- TRAIN SETTINGS. The MC is working on a luxury train during her gap year, but the trip is derailed by the arrival of a mysterious greenhouse and a pair of odd, enigmatic siblings. This is fantasy horror.

Evil-ish by Kennedy Tarrell is about disillusioned teen trying to become a supervillain. I love supervillain fiction, and this one sounds really fun and with surprising characters!

Villain by Natalie Zina Walschots is the very longwaited (for me, at least) sequel to the wonderful villain-led, radicalization story Hench. I'm so looking forward to seeing Anna as a full supervillain!

Mistress of Bones by Maria Z. Medina stars a necromancer trying to resurrect her sister, and getting caught in a game of cat and mouse with the Emissary of Death. This one sounds really magical.

Hollow by Taylor Grothe is YA horror with an autistic (and trying to deny her diagnosis) teen in Upstate New York. I, personally, seeing book in Upstate NY and love autism rep, and this is queer!

The Cuffing Game by Lyla Lee has one of my favorite fluffy queer romanc writers tacking reality show romance by the way of Pride & Prejudice! There's also (no surprise) going to be K-drama vibes.

For No Mortal Man by Keshe Chow stars a girl who can resurrect herself, traveling the Underworld to find her grandmother, and being haunted by a former betrayer.

We Were Never Here by Sophie Hannan is a heist story! This is about ghost hunters being blackmailed to do a heist, stealing a haunted painting. I love weird heists, I really do.

You Weren't Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White is probably my most anticipated release of 2025! I love AJW's autistic, trans horror, and this one has aliens and pregnancy horror. I see no way this won't be weird as hell, and therefore no way this isn't gonna be amazing.

[kirk-spock-fics]

MASTERPOST

REC LISTS (ongoing…)

ALL TIME FAVOURITES - the fandom classics

ZINE CLASSICS - fics written by our fandom elders!

PON FARR FICS - biology……

NON-AO3 - ao3 down? check these non-ao3 fics out

more to come... 👀

QUICK FIC FINDER

Already know what kind of fic you want to read? Use these quick links to see past recommendations.

Shows/Movies

the original series the original series (movies) alternate original series (kelvin timeline) strange new worlds

K/S Tropes

pon farr sex pollen mind melds / touch telepathy mirrorverse mission fic stranded tarsus iv get married to stay on the enterprise spock dies kirk dies t'hy'la

Favourite Tropes

fake/pretend relationship fake marriage enemies to lovers / enemies to friends to lovers friends to lovers time loop kid fic found family secret relationship genderswap sharing a bed misunderstandings / miscommunication established relationship

Romantic Tropes

love confessions accidental love confessions unrequited love not actually unrequited love love at first sight pining / mutual pining getting together

Vibes

fluff angst (with a happy ending) romance hurt/comfort hurt/no comfort slow burn realllly slow burn humour / crack

AUs

soulmate au starfleet academy au vulcan science academy au royalty au fairytale au arranged marriage au coffee shop au pre-reform vulcan au high school au / college au modern setting au tarsus iv au alternate universe

Asexual/Aromantic/QPR

asexual aromantic queer platonic asexual spock asexual kirk aromantic spock aromantic kirk

Relationships

mcspirk spock prime/kirk spock prime/kirk prime (in AOS universe) mirrorverse k/s mirror!spock/kirk mirror!kirk/spock spock/bones kirk/bones spock/t'pring spock/uhura kirk/others spock/others amanda/sarek chekov/sulu chapel/uhura scotty/uhura bones/scotty

Characters

trans jim kirk trans spock mirror!spock mirror!kirk leonard ‘bones’ mccoy nyota uhura sarek montgomery ‘scotty’ scott hikaru sulu pavel chekov amanda grayson chris pike saavik t'pring

other

flower giving

[thatmexisaurusrex]

My Current Table of Contents

Lol finally changed the banner into something better 😂 Anyways, reposting an updated Table of Contents for my AO3 works. Check it out here or on my AO3 😆 :

Canon Divergence:

The Bucky Quest Saga, which tells the behind the scenes story between Sam and Bucky post-Captain America: the Winter Soldier through to The Falcon and the Winters Soldier and beyond that

A Captain and His Bucky which is what if Bucky was the original Captain America, Sam has been Captain America since the events Avengers Movie, Steve Rogers is the Winter Soldier, and Sam found Bucky thawing from a chunk of ice in SHIELD headquarters during the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and has now taken him in to help him navigate life in the future

My Aaron Davis/Peter B. Parker Fake Marriage Enemies to Lovers Fic You're a Sunflower (I Think Your Love Would Be Too Much)

My Heimdall/Sam Wilson Post-TFATWS Fic Series, Loving Are All-Seeing Men and Midgardian Captains

Sam Wilson finds himself in a very strange game show with some asshole named Bucky Barnes, The Marriage Game

Two clubbing feelings with porn SamBucky fics. One that happens post-TWS during Bucky's European Tour and one that happens during the black market art auction nightclub scene in TFATWS. The fics titles, as well as this collection title, are based on lines in the song hand crushed by a mallet by 100 gecs, I didn’t get to tell you goodbye

A story about Sam and Bucky finding out that Sam's dead husband Riley is a Winter Soldier, Captain America, The White Wolf, and the Winter Soldier

A story about Bucky hearing Sam truly laugh for the first and a bonus series of vignettes about Bucky's twenty-three goats and their pun names, Sam and Bucky's Cabin

Time After Time, or my Sorcerer Supreme Sam Canon Divergence Fic

Back in the Gulf, where Sam Wilson tries to figure out where he fits in the world post-blip and if he wants Bucky Barnes to be part of his life.

My All Caps fic, sometimes that's all we need, an Endgame Canon Divergence where everyone lived, no one went old and went to the past, and Steve and Bucky are competing for Captain America Sam Wilson's love and attention

Five Times Bucky Got Dirty and the One Time Bucky Got Sam Dirty, a two-part fic about five times Bucky got dirty around Sam and the one time Bucky got Sam dirty

My gay chicken, post-blip, accidental undercover fake married fic, Playing with Fire

My Valentine's Day Fic about Sam Not Knowing He's Actually Dating Bucky, You'll Never Be My Maybe.

Meanwhile... a short two-part fic about Sam and Bucky figuring out their love for each other while on a mission.

My Gideon Visits and Shenanigans Ensue two-parter, A Surprise Visit

My IWTV Season 1, Episode 2 Loustat fic, I don't think you realize (but you are in my insides)

The Beyoncé Trilogy, a series of three fics inspired by the Beyoncé songs "Blow", "Cuff It", and "Texas Hold 'Em" that take place during an alternate version of CATWS.

Fantasy AUs:

My Fantasy/Medieval/Arranged Marriage AU, Golden is the Sun

His Wingless Stranger, which is a "What if WWII Bucky fell off that train into a world that spliced Tomorrowland with Hiyao Miyazaki and Sam lived in a future society where everyone has wings?"

My Zombie AU, ESCAPE TO WAKANDA

My Apothecary Meets Prince Who Accidentally Becomes His Apprentice Fic Series, The White Wolf Apothecary

My Star Wars AU, Star Wars Episode IV.V: The Phantom Hookup

Fairytale AU, The Little White Wolf

A story about monster Hunter Joaquín meets Vampire Sam and Werewolf Bucky in a bar, Joaquín Torres Monster Hunter

The Two Strangers, A post-apocalyptic future western SamBucky AU on a different planet

My Practical Magic inspired AU, Impractical Magic

My matelotage Pirate!Sam, Merman!Bucky fic, Reaching Out For You

My Future Kid Fic, Pre-Vampire Apocalypse fic Canary in the Coal Mine

My Selkie and Pirate two-part love story, The Selkie and the Pirate Elect

My If You Were the Last AU, The Hypothetical

The Midnight Lover, my bittersweet Vampire AU

My Percy Jackson and the Olympians AU, Sam Wilson and the Olympians

No Powers AUs:

My Single All the Way AU, A No Snow Christmas

My Popstar AU, The Only Thing That I Refuse to Forget

My one fantastic impromptu date fic, A Night With You

My airport chase confession fic My Best Friend's Brother

My Bachelor AU, If I Take You Home

My Christmas Fake Relationship Fic, For the Holidays

From That Show, my Sitcom Actors!AU

My High School AU fic, Walking and Running to You 

My Anthologies:

The SamBucky Halloween 2021 Anthology I made for the SamBucky Halloween 2021 event the SamBucky Library is hosting

The WinterFalcon Week 2021 I participated in that's being hosted by the WinterFalcon Week tumble

The Nine Short Dates with Sam and Bucky ficlet series I made

The Sambtember Ficlets and Drabble Anthology I created for the Samtember event hosted by the Sam Wilson Fest tumblr

The Kinktober Collection 2021;

Water They Waiting For anthology series. It's 9 writers, 19 stories, and a lot of sexual tension involving water

My SarahBucky fics for Fleur de Louve Month2021

My SamBuckyTorres anthology, Captains and Falcons and White Wolves, Or My!

My collection of three fics for the MYSU Holiday Gift Exchange 2021!

My collection of fics based on the SamBucky Library's Candy Hearts Event 2022, SamBucky Library's Candy Hearts Event 2022 Fic Anthology

My collection of stories inspired by my the Daily SamBucky Fluff Diary on my tumblr, The Daily SamBucky Fluff Diary Auxiliary Stories

My collection of fics based on the 2 card of the MYSU Valentine's Day Bingo 2022, MYSU Valentine's Day Bingo 2022 Fic Anthology

My collection of fics based on the photos in post by hot-chocolates-world on tumblr, The Tush Collection

My collection for the SamBucky AU Week 2022, My SamBucky AU Week 2022 Collection

My collection of Drabbles and Ficlets for Samtember 2022

My collection of WinterFalcon Bingo Round Two 2022-2023 Bingo Fills 

My collection of fills for SamBucky Halloween Bingo 2022

My collection of fills for the Sam Wilson Bingo Round 2

My collection of fills for the SamBucky Festive Bingo 2022

My collection of fills for TFATWS Anniversary 2023 Fics

My collection of All Caps Bingo Round One 2023 Fills

My collection of SamBucky Summer Bingo 2023 Fills

My collection of Samtember 2023 Fills

My collection of SamBucky Halloween Bingo 2023 Fills

My collection of SamBucky Gift Event 2023 Fics

My collection of SamBucky Valentine's Day Bingo 2024 Fics

My SamBucky One-Shots!

My Other One-Shots!

[tookishcombeferre]

Metamorphosis & Mutation: A Cedric the Sorcerer Playlist

My hand slipped and made a 2+ hour playlist. My challenge for myself was that I was not allowed to use *any* of the songs from the series.

If you know how much I love music, you know I love a good challenge. There are one or two songs that cuss in them. (Only one "f-bomb" from a Passenger song, but it's worth it because the song "Fairytales and Firesides" is beautiful. The line "We are bitter losers, snarling through our smiles" was just too perfect to pass up.)

"The Incident" and its immediate aftermath is represented by "The Sacrifice of Faramir" for ... reasons. It just felt perfect. Any LotR fans will likely understand that and where my mind was going with that one. (Surprising number of parallels between Sofia and Pippin, Cedric and Faramir, and Goodwyn and Denethor. Might make a post about this eventually. Due to the casting in movies, which don't get me wrong, overall I love, very few people remember (or know) that, in the novels, Pippin was 28 at the beginning of the book and turns 29 in Gondor near the end of the trilogy. Hobbits don't reach full cultural maturity, and are considered minors, until 33. Billy Boyd was actually the oldest of the hobbit actors. So, most people forget that/ don't know that fact. But, now you know! :D) (I may or may not have spent four years of my life researching these books and relationships in almost monastic levels of isolation except for when my [now] spouse and our mutual friends would drag me out my dorm room to ensure I ate and hydrated myself. The sad thing is I am only kind of hyperbolizing.) A note on the song "I Found" by Amber Run - that is meant platonically/ paternally. If people read anything else into that DON'T. Just DON'T. (For people who have read "In the Flares of the Sun," and continue to read it, this song will hit different. The whole idea of "I found love where it wasn't supposed to be, right in front of me, talk some sense to me." is just ... it hits. Platonically. It hits from two directions for folks who have read the chapter "First, Do No Harm." Honestly, this song has always given me *deep friendship* vibes more than anything else anyway. The first playlist I ever used it on was an adopted mother-daughter relationship in a dystopian novel I was writing. It was used right alongside "You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan. So, if you want to know the vibes I get from this song, now you know. The kid was based on Thomas Paine so it was actually a "Common Sense" pun. ;D) "Show Me" by Idina Menzel is also intended platonically. I first heard that song on an Anna and Elsa tribute video so I've always thought of that song platonically. But, if you're gonna weird about either of those songs, just don't. With that out of the way, there are some very "me" choices in here. "This is the Moment" from Jekyll and Hyde was my *jam* in middle school. I almost broke my CD of the "dream cast album" with Anthony Warlow as Jekyll/Hyde playing it so many times on my CD player before I got an iPod. (I NEVER claimed I was not old, y'all. Also, I'm actually auditioning for the role of Jekyll/Hyde in December. XD) The fact that there is both Jason Robert Brown and Marianas Trench on this playlist is a very "me" choice. Also, yes, I did put two songs from the new Hunchback of Notre Dame with Michael Arden as Quasimodo on here. Don't *judge* me. (Made of Stone is a perfect song for Cedric, COME ON!) Also, if I chose to set Cedric's rant to Roland as "If It's True" from Hadestown. It is *my* prerogative to give my sad trash-panda this beautiful rant. If I wanna play that pre-dungeon moment as a little more justified because it felt a little more true than not ... it's *my* playlist. (Hadestown is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The song "If It's True" is set just after Orpheus has just gotten his butt whooped by Hades and told that he's worthless, that he's basically lower than dirt, and that music and love are meaningless.) (1. I'm absolutely setting this playlist in the universe of "In the Flares of the Sun." So, mild spoiler, in the first verse of this song, for backstory about something that has only been implied so far, but is coming up in a future chapter. The spoiler is very blink and you'll miss it. It's like a line and a half of the song. But, it's there, and I did choose the song intentionally because of the backstory I built in the world of that fic/ other fics I'm planning for future. So, you'll get a brief glimpse into my brain. 2. But, let's be real:

"'Cause the ones who tell the lies/ Are the solemnest to swear/ And the ones who load the dice/ Always say the toss is fair/ And the ones who deal the cards/ Are the ones who take the tricks/ With their hands over their hearts/ While we play the game they fix/ And the ones who speak the words/ Always say it is the last/ And no answer will be heard/ To the question no one asks" Mmmmm ... so perfect. So angry. Also that: "Tell me what to do" - so many different characters that could be directed towards.) But, this is also why I put the world's best anti-villain anthem that sounds like a Disney-princess "I want song" right before it. It's about the *juxtaposition.* It's about the *nuance.* (Cedric basically is Dr. Jekyll. Okay? It's probably why I love him. Jekyll/Hyde has long been a favorite character of mine.) Also, I'm obsessed with Collabro. Their covers are so good, and the story of how they came together is so supremely weird and serendipitous. Look them up. They do not disappoint. Also, "Chosen Family" is one of my favorite songs ever. I used the one where Rina Sawayama and Elton John sing together. Though, Rina Sawayama is the original writer. I love both versions, but I also just love Elton John so much, and I love the version where he sings with her. I hope y'all enjoy it too. I will spread the gospel of this song forever because I just love it. And, I had to end with the credit's song of "The Tigger Movie" - "Your Heart Will Lead You Home" - because that movie destroys me every single time I watch it. The end. That's my notes on this. There are a whole bunch of other songs I didn't cover. But, yeah. These are the ones I wanted to make notes on. This got really long. If you can't tell music is something of a special interest of mine. I managed to refrain from putting full blown oprea on here. You're welcome. I'm not sure exactly where I would have gone if I *had* decided to put opera on here. But, it's not an impossibility or something I wouldn't do, or haven't done, for other character playlists in the past. XD

[sleepyselkiesims]

Wanna help re-write the disney princess legacy challenge?

I'm over halfway through my version of the Disney Princess Legacy Challenge, and I'm realising the generations don't quite flow the way I want them to.

And now I'm hyperfixating on how to Improve it and it is... challenging

The current idea is:

Snow White -> Ariel -> Rapunzel -> Anna & Elsa -> Cinderella -> Pocahontas -> Jasmin -> Mulan -> Tiana -> Moana -> Belle -> Aurora -> Merida

(I'm not doing Raya because I can't figure out how to translate her movie into anything that could be accomplished in the sims. An ambrosia quest is the closest I got)

Some lines of decent are Super Easy:

Snow White has 7 dwarves, Ariel is 1 of 7 sisters

Ariel had a kid go missing due to an Evil Witch, Rapunzel went missing due to an Evil Witch

As a fun bonus, Snow White's evil witch gets killed by the dwarves, Ariel and her beau kill the evil witch... it's nice and neat!

Some ideas are a biiiiit more of a stretch, but still make sense;

Elsa with her magic powers would make a good fairy godmother for Cinderella, especially because Elsa would probably be regular godmother to Anna's kids

Cinderella hangs out the most with Animals, and Pocahontas is pretty naturey so with Cinderella as a mom she could grow up a bit wild with all them animals

Other ideas are hanging on by threads...

Since Pocahontas becomes some sort of activist/politician, that could kinda sorta be a "royal" expectation for Jasmin to follow that she doesn't want to, ig.

And with Jasmin being the Most Crime princess, having Mulan as the Honor Daughter would give Mulan some kind of tension that could be similar to the og going against her parents wishes/expectations

And then there's the Necessary Plot Points I just cannot for the life of me work out!

Moana needs to have a Grandmother she'd especially get along with, but still have some parential tension to go against. But what other mother daughter pairing would fit into that?

Merida has a strained relationship with her mom, but what previous princess would logically have a storyline where she Wants to be the Perfect Princess, have her daughter follow suit, and still be able to go on a transformational journey outside her comfort zone?

(Well I mean, Tiana kinda did that, but it would be odd to Repeat her story again but with a kid instead of a partner this time)

Belle feels her life isn't Adventurous enough, but all the other princesses are pretty adventurous...

And just to make it harder on myself, I like to keep the og fairytales in mind!

Jasmine is up against arranged marriages, but I doubt any of the princesses would do that to their kid

Rapunzel and Aurora both have Twins in their og stories, and Anna & Elsa tend to make good twins, so why not... but which mom do I pick?

Alternatively, either one could possibly make a good Merida mom and have the triplets instead of twins...

Snow White and Cinderella both have Evil Stepmothers which is a pain to set up in the sims, and there are way too many dead parents overall and killin sims ain't easy!!

But if I make either princess the First one and have the parent pre-killed, I still have to pick another princess to murder to move the other princess' story along, and I don't wanna do that to my girls!

Ah, anyway-

If you made it this far, feedback is welcomed!

[senseitoadstool]

MoViews: Wicked Part 1 (2024)

SPOILER FREE REVIEW - unless you haven't seen the stage show. You've been warned.

Also, I'm one of those people who read the book waaay before it was even a musical. So this might get long. You've been warned - AGAIN.

Not only did I read the first book, but I read most of the series and even a few others from the same author. I was definitely impressed by the story and the imaginative narrative, with the major throwback being the subtext towards it being a somewhat subversive work hidden in a fairytale type of story, much similar in nature to that of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Even when the story got long and dragged on because of the political and religious explanations, they all made sense in the end

I discovered the musical had been made when I purchased a CD of the soundtrack of the revival of Little Shop of Horrors at Tower Records a.k.a. Virgin in Downtown Disney (yes, I'm that old), one of my all-time favorite musical shows, and the CD came with a bonus, separate CD with two tracks: Defying Gravity, and For Good.

I didn't care much for For Good, as I didn't have context, but Defying Gravity blew my mind, and I immediately purchased the entire soundtrack which I proceeded to play on repeat until I memorized most of the songs - even before I had the opportunity to see the show on stage (which was also an incredible experience - I have goosebumps remembering that Defying Gravity moment on stage. Yes, if you've seen the show, you know exactly what I'm talking about).

I honestly went to see the movie without expectations, and I intentionally avoided as much pre-show spoilers as I could. As a lover of the stage show I can easily say that the movie not only does justice to the material (and when I say this I am not only referencing the original stage show - I'm also including the Wicked book and the Wizard of Oz movie).

They could have not cast a better Galinda (with a GA) and a better Elphaba for this film. Not only are they amazing vocalists, but they embrace the true spirit of the characters and their history.

The movie adds a lot of context that the stage show could not, bringing the key points from the book to light. What the show uses as somewhat-subtle subtext, the movie puts in your face, out front and it gets intimately personal with the injustices, discrimination and wrong-doings that lead to the inevitable dissention of Elphaba. All of this extra pieces give the material the perfect balance, and the justification of its 2:40 hour length.

Also, the extra add-ons to "One Short Day" are definitely a surprise-and-delight moment not to be missed.

Needless to say, the visuals are very impressive, and the addition of stellar singers like Keala Seattle to the cast make me hope she has a shining moment in Part 2.

But - it wouldn't be me if I didn't have something to critique, however small. I wish they would've found a different singer to portray the Wizard. Most know I'm not a fan of Goldblum to begin with - but I'm less a fan of casting stars who can't sing to movie musical singing roles just because of the heft of the name. Which, in my opinion, this movie didn't need. I can live just fine with Yeoh, since her singing lines are not that many and can be sung-spoken, but I do believe the Wizard would've been better served by a different choice.

Mi Opinión: Multiple Views on the Big Screen (4 out of 3).

He Dicho.

[wystericwoes]

Doomed, Sukuna x reader Pt. 2

Masterlist

Warnings: Cursing, violence, gore, descriptions of blood/death, anxiety, it’s JJK so death and fighting are inevitable. Season 1 and Movie 0 spoilers

Adding a whole new character to a pre-established story means some things in the canon are going to be changed. I try my best to stay on the same line and remain honorable to the original characters personalities/timelines so keep that in mind if something doesn't make sense. Or give me some feedback! I'd love to hear it.

“He was her dark fairytale and she was his twisted fantasy. Together they made magic.”

His state was laughable.

To say Sukuna felt a storm of emotions was the understatement of the fucking century.

He’s going crazy. That’s it. He’s been away from his own soul and was in his own domain for so long he’s hallucinating.

“Yuuji is currently harboring a special grade curse. I told you he never ceases to impress me!”

Gojo said with confidence, Yuuji smiled from the compliment.

You locked eyes back to where the second pair was, but when you went to look back all that was there were two eye shaped scars.

“A special grade curse? Like the thing I saw?”

“Oh no. That was just a grade 3. A special grade is the highest level, almost in the same league as I am.”

You didn’t know the extent of Gojo's power, so whenever he would say shit like that you didn’t really have a frame of reference. So, you took most of what he said with a grain of salt, because assuming there was a reason for all his confidence and it wasn't all just talk- that he was actually as strong as he said he was, made you feel abnormally peeved.

That brief second you had seen those eyes you felt a sense of Deja vu. But not a nostalgic one, one that stuck with you like a glue trap.

Life moved on. You met the other students and teachers, slowly sinking into this new and flawed reality that has become your life. Gojo never leaves your side the whole day.

Your attempts at channeling cursed energy were a total bust. And quite frankly- very embarrassing.

You tried everything that your very annoying mentor told you.

“Focus”

“Breathe.”

“Think of something negative.”

"Try thinking about things that stress you out."

"Try a reallyyy bad memory!"

"What's something that gets you angry?"

“Close your eyes and count to five, then start again.”

“Have you tried breathing?”

You couldn’t conjure anything. It’s like you didn’t even have powers at all.

You felt like both a disappointment and like giving up. Gojo kept on fucking insisting that you keep trying for some reason. He would just not let it go.

“Maybe you’re just a slow learner. That’s fine- “

You groaned in frustration.

“Maybe I don’t have any ‘magic powers’ and I’m just really unlucky and can only see them.”

At first you were excited, you had superpowers. What could you do??

But that opinion slowly changed as the sun began to set. It had felt like hours that you were out here trying all these moves and techniques. After so many times hitting the air and straining your muscles you began to feel ridiculous.

You had barely even seen it in action, so you didn’t even have anything to go off of

You were about to give up when Gojo stood behind you and put a hand on your shoulder, fanning his breath against your ear.

“Come on. Just one more try, hm?”

He snaked his hand down from your shoulder to your waist, and with the other one he held your arm out.

Heat rose to your cheeks as you tried to hide the increasing tension that he had created.

“Think of something that makes you feel strong emotion.”

The first thing that came to mind was what it would feel like to fuck the man behind you. Was he doing this on purpose?

What he was into, all the positions. If he’s really as strong as you think he is what could he do to you?

Images flashed through your mind of the not holiest of things, your body heated up as he rested his chin on your shoulder, and you struggled to keep your hand held out as goosebumps were sent down your spine from how close he was to you. Each breath sent a shock through your body as you grew increasingly more sensitive.

He was definitely doing this on purpose.

“Satoru…” you had whispered out.

His hand on your waist moved down to your hips as he began to squeeze harder, that made you feel something carnal. A warmth spread through your body, and you suddenly felt electric as the tips of your fingers lightly pulsed.

You were facing him, faces so close you thought he would kiss you.

He went to nibble on your earlobe which elicited a small moan from the sudden sensation.

His chin rested back on your shoulder.

“Look.” He whispered softly in your ear.

You looked forward for the first time in a moment and noticed a white light was emitting itself from your hand.

“WOAH!”

You were shocked out of it, and it quickly flickered out and died as you jumped back further into Gojo's arms.

“Easy now…” he supported your weight as you leaned against him for support.

“That… did that happen?”

Your heart was racing.

“Mhm.”

He spun you around by your waist as you looked at where his eyes are through the blindfold. You didn’t know if he could see you, but you pretended he could.

“I did that.”

“You sure did.”

He was smiling warmly as if he had just accomplished something.

“You’re not fucking with me?”

“Nope”

“You didn’t do that.”

“Correct!”

“I did that.”

You awkwardly laughed.

“How?”

“I knew you could.”

That praise he had given you along with his smile drove you mad. You both wanted to kiss him and pounce on him and hug him. All at once maybe.

"Go rest. You deserve it."

You felt accomplished and proud of yourself. although a bit disappointed he didn't want to come with you, you took a win as a win, and happily walked away.

The second you turned the corner, his smile dropped.

Gojo returned to his home, deep in thought.

he took his blindfold off and took in his surroundings.

It didn't make any sense. You didn't make any sense.

His whole worldview had been shifted within the span of two days. There's never been many points where the great Gojo Satoru had been completely stumped. Well, he had his theories. But those were just theories. had to figure out how to test them.

He paced around his house as he contemplated whether or not to ask for help. His pride was inflated, but he could admit when he was unable to do something.

Gojo: NANAMIIINN~ I have a question.

Nanami: Do you need to ask me?

Gojo: You're the only one who knows how to keep a secret- everyone else blabs :(

Nanami: That entirely depends on your question, Gojo.

Gojo: Has any sorcerer you ever know ever used reversed curse magic on accident?

Nanami: Why would I know that any better than you?

Gojo: I really need help.

Nanami: How serious is it?

Gojo: If I'm asking you for help...

Nanami: I have a mission tomorrow and will be at the academy for a brief period. If you catch me before then and keep it quick, we can talk.

Gojo: Ok!!! what time is your mission?

Gojo: Nanami?

Gojo: NANNAAAMMMIIIIIIIII >:0

Gojo tossed his phone aside. He had a blank expression on his face.

Every time he would find an answer there’s be more questions. One step toward two steps back

"What are you hiding, Y/n..."

The next day Gojo had left early before you’d be awake when Nanami always gets up (how he is always at work at 5:30 precisely is beyond him)

He sat impatiently tapping his finger at Nanami's desk reading “5:28”

Just before Gojo was tempted to start digging through his stuff Nanami walked in.

“Now, what’s the issue?”

Nanami sat with his elbow on the desk fist clenched against his mouth.

“I see.”

“When I tell you to keep this a secret, I mean it.”

Nanami understood when Gojo was being serious, which was exceptionally rare- and respected that.

“I have no interest in sharing this information.”

He sat deep in thought eyebrows furrowed and eyes closed.

“And I’ve never heard of anything like that, no.”

“I figured.” He sat with the chair facing backwards and his legs on either side.

“You should go to Shoko about this. I’m afraid this isn’t something I know much about.”

“It’s not just that, there’s more to it.”

Nanami listened respectfully as he began dutifully typing away on his computer and started working.

“I can’t see them, Nanami.”

At that he stopped typing, eyes slightly widening.

“I don’t know much, but I know three things. They have a subliminal cursed technique protecting them from six eyes, they naturally used reversed cursed energy, and- “

He took a deep breath.

“Sukuna has been awfully quiet since they arrived.”

Gojo wasn’t proud of seeking help. But Nanami was one of the closest things he had to a friend, and he was the only person he knew at the academy that had no incentive to tell anyone like Mei Mei for money, or power.

The thing about him was that he was loved by everyone but also- no one could fucking stand him. He knows that most his fellow faculty was not above snitching him out to the higher ups or using his emotions against him. Finding a weakness for him was rare after all.

But also, he was consistently lying to everyone around him about you. So, if they had found out about this, there would’ve been too many questions. And being entirely honest with people was sometimes so tiring.

Gojo's desperation was a new look on him. He managed to keep most of it under wraps around you and his peers, but he was losing it.

He had one option left wherein he could get answers.

Hidden to only a select few is a sacred library of sorcerer archives. There it contains every recorded detail of jujutsu history, every student, every crime and name.

It was buried deep within the thousand doors by Tengen, alongside the special grade curses.

It was dusty, and papers with engravings on them were sprawled in every corner.

He shifted through books trying to find what he was looking for, or anything relating to his situation.

There were thousands of years of history, documents, death dates, curses, and the works. He went over all of those without a second glance.

“Reverse cursed energy”

Was the first title to grab his attention.

He flipped through the pages at an ungodly speed, until he reached the page of all known documented users who have used mastered reverse cursed energy.

Present time: (2000- )

-Shoko Ieiri

status- active duty

A very skilled woman who serves as the school's doctor. Has a full understanding and mastery of the technique.

-Geto Suguru

status- deceased

A special-grade sorcerer whose activity was hard to monitor after he went rogue. Not much is known about all he’s capable of except that he can access the technique with the skill of at least a Grade 1 sorcerer. During his time at the academy, he was incredibly skilled, and most likely had control over the technique.

-Kinji Hakari

status- student

A third-year student of immense potential currently suspended for clashing with authority. He has demonstrated immense control over the technique and has a promising future outside his behavioral conflicts.

-Gojo Satoru

status- active duty

A current teacher at Jujutsu high, along with many other mastered techniques he also demonstrates a full control over this technique.

-Okkotsu Yuta

status- student

One of the youngest special-grade sorcerers, Yuta's powers are still not fully understood. A prodigy-born sorcerer who without any extensive training can use it at a skilled level. With no prior knowledge of reverse cursed energy, he successfully healed his peers using the technique in the battle of Geto's invasion.

A person having natural control over reversed cursed energy or knowing it without being taught wasn’t completely unheard of.

What stumped Gojo was that it was the first ever cursed technique you used, and just how enigmatic you were overall. All while being seemingly unaware.

This had proved to be almost entirely useless. He flipped through the pages again scanning to see if anything else would be helpful, he almost skipped past the historical section in the old archives, but decided looking at it wouldn’t hurt.

He browsed through alphabetically of all known sorcerers to have used the technique at a profound mastery or skilled level.

When he got to R something stood out.

Ryomen Sukuna

And just like that, the first red string had been drawn across the cork board tying a correlation.

He closed the book. Somehow a little more satisfied and more frustrated than when he first went in.

Sukuna. Sukuna. Sukuna.

You said his name over and over again in your mind like a prayer.

When Gojo mentioned that name you couldn’t get over that odd feeling that came over you

You wanted to be near him again. But also felt a gut-wrenching nervousness overcome you. Drawn to him like an addictive substance, something you can tell will be bad for you, but you just can't get enough.

Deep deep down something told you to run.

But you suppressed that carnal urge and instead let your brain guide you to your innate desire to know more about him.

You assumed because of curiosity. People can actually get possessed? Well, Yuuji didn’t look very possessed. I mean, all you had to base was on movies, so your judgment wasn’t exactly valid. You didn't know what to look for, blood from the nose, head spinning backward, ominous floating?

You speculated on that until you heard footsteps approaching your door. You were excited because you wanted to see Gojo.

You jumped up to open your door and instead of being met with him, you were met by Yuuji.

“Um hey, I’m supposed to bring you down so we can be briefed on a mission.”

He seemed hesitant; you assumed it was just because he didn’t know you that well.

“Mission...?”

You were so mad at Gojo. His pretty ass face didn’t make it up to you this time.

The day after you managed to conjure up the smallest amount of energy, he lets you be thrown headfirst into the actual field.

“This is going to be a way to test your range of abilities and get some hands-on experience!” That is what he told you before he left to go far away for something. He said that he was gonna be gone away for a while and was gonna be far.

So, then it was you, a man with glasses and dark hair, and three high school students.

The man with the glasses barely spoke a word on the drive there. You were going in almost completely blind, in this scenario you wondered if ignorance was truly bliss.

The remains of a long abandoned middle school. The sky was cloudy, the air was stale. You already didn’t like the feeling of this place.

The man in black addressed the four of you.

“The curse inside is most likely above your grades.”

Megumi was the only one who didn’t appear to be phased by that. What does he mean above? He could see the concern on all of your faces.

“Then why are we here?”

“Unfortunately, in this field, the availability of sorcerers is spread thin.”

His brows were furrowed, and he seemed concerned for you all.

“I only have one piece of advice for you going in… If this curse ends up being a special grade your two options are to run or die.”

If you weren’t scared before, you were now. You could feel your heartbeat inside you, did you have a choice? I mean you weren’t supposed to fight… they just wanted you to watch or so they said.

“I wish you luck.”

He muttered words under his breath, and above you a dark cloud engulfed around the building in a dome shape, effectively trapping you.

“What the hell?!”

Seeing your shock Megumi explained it to you.

“The veil is a way to make sure no passerby’s see, because of the stress it inflicts it could cause problems for us.”

Megumi was quieter between the two of the eccentric characters, he was a bit of the odd one out between them. But his seriousness was a good balance to the playful nature of his comrades. Tactile and good at making decisions in stressful situations.

Yuuji- well you didn’t know much about him other than what Gojo told you. But he seemed nice. Nervous, but a sweet kid. And also, incredibly passionate about finding any survivors or at least their bodies. You admired him and also feared of that.

The mission was simple- destroy the cursed womb, or retreat and take minimal casualties.

Your brain went back to the sight of the woman who had been murdered in front of you. Was this another curse like that? Some gangrenous mutant of absolute evil?

You had to calm yourself and trust that Gojo wouldn’t have let you be put into danger.

And so, you approached the abandoned building.

You wanted to prove something. You weren’t sure what or to who, but you felt the burden of expectations laid onto you.

Megumi quickly briefed you all on what he was instructed to do, and what role everyone was to play. An underlying tone of irritation laced his words, probably because he was stuck with three people who barely knew what they were doing.

Yuuji was supposed to stay with you at all times, and ensure you were never left alone. Yuuji specifically.

Nobara was there to add extra power, and of course give her some in the field experience.

You were told to just “stay in the sidelines” which felt a little degrading considering you were their senior.

Megumi was to make sure everyone followed their roles and keep everyone safe. His cursed ability allowed him to scout areas and cover more ground.

That was a lot of responsibility for one person, but if Gojo trusted him, you did too.

Megumi was essentially the group leader, and as much as you were embarrassed by having to follow orders from someone younger than you- you knew your safety was on the line.

From the shadows underneath Megumi's hand emerged a monster- no. A dog. Megumi explained that he was there to help you all keep track of your surroundings and smell out the threat. When you saw Nobara and Yuuji petting him you couldn’t help but join in. You felt a bit more at ease.

Yuuji was in a mission the second you all walked in. You admired the passion in his eyes as he made a promise out loud that these families would be getting their kids back, or at the very least closure.

When you walked in you were overwhelmed by the sight above you. A series of intricate pipes and structure that went on for seemingly dozens of stories above you.

“Wasn’t this a two-story building?”

Nobara asked concerned.

Megumi was focused, deep in thought as he took in the surroundings around him. Then his eyes widened as he turned around, a moment of realization hitting him like a harsh slap.

“The door…”

You all turned around much to your dismay to see that the door you had come in was gone.

You were fully in the lion's den now. And all that anxiety you had was intensified as you realized there was no turning back.

That all too familiar feeling of shallow breaths and adrenaline shot through you as you did what you could to keep it together. It would be really embarrassing if you had a panic attack in front of these three strangers.

Megumi continued forward supernaturally calm, which made you feel slightly better. He was treating this like it was entirely normal, Yuuji and Nobara followed behind making you feel left out by how unnerving this situation made you feel. Like a sheep, you followed the herd on instinct.

Walking through the halls of this building was an absolute fever dream. You felt disoriented as you wondered this new territory.

Megumi sent one of his demon dogs out as you and the group continued on until you entered a big empty room- something grabbed you and Yuuji's attention.

A dead body, severed in half.

His eyes were bloodshot from fear, mouth agape and surrounded in a pool of dark liquid.

You had become frozen in shock, feeling bile rise up in your throat that you had to hesitantly swallow.

“Is… is that…”

You had your hand against your mouth.

Yuuji approached the body without a second thought, crouched in front of it he read the name tag.

“This is that lady’s son.”

The entire mood shifted. Megumi was unfazed, Yuuji looked angry.

He picked the remains of the body up and sling the torso over his shoulder.

“What’s re you doing?”

Megumi furrowed his brows at him.

“We need to bring the body back to her. we couldn’t save him, but she at least deserves closure.”

“Our job isn’t to save people Itadori, it’s to eliminate curses.”

“How can you say that? No one deserves to not know what happened to their own kid!”

The argument became heated quickly. The air was tense, you and Nobara awkwardly standing next to each other.

“We have to prioritize ourselves first. Don’t go around thinking that saving someone is always worth it, this guy here? He’s responsible for the death of a girl.”

Yuuji's eyes widened, he was still angry, but he was stunned quiet.

Just before he opened his mouth, Nobara fell into a dark hole right next to you.

You gasped from shock and jumped back.

“Can you two stop arguing, I think there’s something more important to fucking focus on right now!”

When your anxiety was full swing you didn’t have that much of a filter. Which was justified, considering that as these two boys were having their pissing contest and someone next to you just fucking sank into the ground.

They turned their heads over to you, but before they could say anything they both froze into place from absolute primal fear.

Something was standing next to them.

You watched wide eyed and terrified as a white humanoid creature with four eyes stood between them. Appearing out of nowhere. The most sickening and visceral smile on its face.

Before they even had the time to process it Yuuji went to punch it, his pure reaction time was incredible. And his ability to not be scared in the face of danger.

Megumi wasted no time.

“RUN!”

The one who was supposed to be the strongest and in charge just instructed you to fucking flee, so you weren’t gonna question it.

The last thing you remember was absolute chaos ensuing. Yuuji was missing a hand, blood spraying from random directions upon where the impact had happened.

Megumi sent one of his cursed techniques after it, but it immediately vanished as it was eviscerated into a pile of black goo and sunk into the ground evaporating into nothingness.

That thing had killed it as quick as it had appeared.

Run. Run. RUN

“Go!”

Megumi and Yuuji still persisted as they blocked a path for you to retreat to safety.

You had turned around to book it, the purest of instincts was absolutely encompassing you in stress. It pushed past your anxiety; you had no time to overthink the situation as your feet carried you.

The hallway closed itself off in front of your face to solid wall. You had just barely stopped yourself from slamming into it, bracing your hands against the hard material, palms stinging.

A deer in headlights, a mouse on a landslide, a baby bird to a snake.

You wanted to help. You realized there was no sure way of escape, and that these two boys were fighting themselves to death so the curse wouldn’t reach you.

Guilt, dread, fear, anger, and above all else frustration. You had just lost your whole life, been dragged to some high school and your only explanation to how they were dealing with it was “we’re taking care of it”

You could’ve lost your job by now, your house could’ve been robbed in your absence, your life had just been turned around and with no fucking reasonable explanation.

You took a step back, the environment around you was fucking warping itself- you weren’t in the same building.

Buried in your basest instincts and fear deep down resided a feeling you had never felt before.

Watching Yuuji lose his arm served as a catalyst for something awakening itself inside of you. A rage that you had suppressed, a protective instinct.

Something that had been dormant for years- buried beneath every stress and inhibitor of your life. You were just so tired of being weaker, of not knowing anything.

There were no thoughts about what happened next. There was no reasoning or technique or explanation. Which seemed to be the new theme of your life.

You ran towards the curse. Megumi was knocked down, and Yuuji was losing so much blood it was almost surreal.

You raised your arms up before the hit landed, and when its fist went to meet you, it hit nothing. Or, more specifically, it stopped inches from you, an invisible barrier had manifested over the spot it tried to reach its impact.

Its sick smile dropped.

“Yuuji!” You shouted at him.

Wasting no time to seize the opportunity of this invisible barrier, you took action.

He was dazed from his blood loss; he blinked up at you.

“What will it take you to get Sukuna out?!”

His eyes widened.

“I-I can’t while I’m not alone. He could hurt you and Megumi!”

“Can’t you choose when he comes out?”

“Yeah, but I can’t see what he does while he is…”

He was in pain, albeit keeping his composure well considering his circumstances. Megumi was still standing but a hand clutched his side and breathing heavily.

You realized that you were the adult. You were the only one capable of making decisions. You didn’t allow yourself the privilege of thinking, you just acted.

“Do it! I’ll get us out of here!”

Yuuji looked at you with uncertainty.

You turned your head over to Megumi.

“Can you escape??”

He nodded. Whatever was the reason he trusted you, he did without second thought unlike Yuuji.

From the shadows emerged a giant bird-like creature, Megumi hopped on as he looked at you with a fleeting worried look.

“Go without me, look for Nobara!”

The curse had attempted to launch itself at Megumi, but before it could Yuuji intercepted it bloodied and beaten, a look of concentration etched into his face as he punched it right in the face.

You felt a sliver of hope inch its way back into you. Yuji seemingly making his own self-discovery and making a breakthrough.

You watched Megumi fly upwards out of sight.

He didn’t know why he trusted you, it could’ve been stress, or maybe he was just that out of it and shocked.

But what he did know was that the cursed energy he felt off of you was the strongest in the room.

“Do it now!!”

“What about- “

“JUST FUCKING DO IT!”

You felt a little bad for yelling at him, especially with the shocked face he gave you. But considering the circumstances, and the fact that hesitance could lead to death- you couldn't feel bad right now.

A small part of you was worried, worried about what Sukuna was like, and if he would hurt you. But you also knew that as long as he did come out, the curse would be dead and everyone else would be safe.

You were heaving and had never felt more adrenaline in your life.

A chemically induced high was pumping through your very veins each second as the stress of the environment around you increased.

You were in a zone of intense focus past any feeling anything had ever given you before. Sports, drugs, sex, anything.

You didn’t know if you had the raw power to take it head-on, but a newfound power and recklessness had overcome you in that moment.

You braced yourself to be hit again, knees bent and stance strong. Nothing in your life had ever been as clear to you as the sight in front of you.

you were so in tune with your environment that when you watched the curse lunge at you it was as if it was in slow motion, the things you only ever saw in movies were happening in front of you.

You could feel and hear each individual beat of your own heart, each pump of blood was felt throughout every end of your body.

Then, like lightning, the curse stepped away from you terrified.

You were confused. Why did this keep happening to you. Were you seriously that badass? Or maybe even curses couldn’t stand you.

“How annoying. Stupid fucking brat.”

A low gravelly voice behind you resounded through your brain and settled in like water to an open flame.

A man stepped between you and the curse, and in what was no more than a fraction of a second the curse's head twisted like a soda can, and it collapsed with a crude thud.

You stood there unmoving. Now you were really a deer in headlights. Staring at Yuuji… or at least Yuuji's body- completely and indubitably in shock.

One hand in his pocket, other sticking out

There was no primal instinct. There was no more fear. There was only a feeling of blankness every second you stared at him.

He turned around slowly to face you.

He had Yuuji's clothes, hair, and his face…

But it wasn't Yuji.

When his eyes met yours, you had just experienced a feeling you hadn’t felt before.

A solar flare, a word about to be spoken, the brief moment before the wick of a candle lights up as the match is held to it.

His eyes… those infinite Irises that looked straight through you as if there was nothing that could ever be secret. You were glass, completely transparent and vulnerable to him- So easy to break.

You two stood in silence for a moment. His face was unreadable, unlike yours which was lit up like you had been struck by lightning.

It was something inside of you metaphysically that was magnetized to him. Even though you knew you shouldn’t. Instinct fighting emotion.

He eyed you up and down putting his other hand in a pocket. You were so stunned you hadn’t even realized that he had hands again.

You opened your mouth to speak but nothing came out.

He turned around from you and just began walking away.

“Wait...”

You began to become dizzy before you could finish, you almost fell over from the feeling of vertigo spreading across your body faster than you had time to think.

Your knees buckled under you and your vision faltered. You saw double as you tried catching yourself but ultimately fell down to one knee.

“Your body isn’t used to cursed energy.”

You looked up at the voice to see him facing you again.

You tried to pull yourself up but failed, a sudden pain in your chest and limbs growing heavy as your fighters high left.

“You overexerted yourself. Don’t try to get up.”

“Aren’t you supposed to... to hurt me?”

You said between ragged breaths.

You closed your eyes for a split second, and he was on his feet crouched over, looking into your eyes.

“Does it look like I want to hurt you?”

Still his expression was entirely blank. He was completely unreadable.

“I don’t know… that's what… what everyone says.”

You tried again to get up, but your body collapsed onto itself, and you barely held yourself up with your knees and hands.

“What did I tell you moron? I try to do something nice, and no one listens.”

“Sorry…”

You didn’t know why you were apologizing to him. He sighed and stared right into you.

“You’re more useful to me if you stay alive this time.”

He said sounding frustrated.

Before you had the chance to think about that, he pressed a finger to your head, and you collapsed unconscious.

Your mouth was dry, body was sore, and on top of that, you woke up in a bed that wasn’t yours.

You felt exhausted in every way and did not have it in you deal with being in a stranger's home.

Y’know that feeling of being hungover on whiskey? Yeah, that. But also add a triathlon marathon, a forming migraine, and seven bar fights.

You sat up barely, able to get your bearings and take in your surroundings.

White bed and silk sheets, modern furniture, abstract art…

Expensive lights, hardwood floors.

A rack of expensive black sunglasses.

Wait.

There’s no way. What the hell happened between the fight and now??

With very slow and careful motions, you managed to get up from under the sheets and sit on the outside of the bed. Your back was slouched, and hands gripped the comforter as you struggled to fight against what felt like seventeen dumbbells sitting on top of you.

You managed to finally stand up and move around, albeit slowly and sluglike.

Rubbing one hand to your forearm you looked down to notice a half healed yellow bruise several inches in length.

“What the hell...?”

Maybe you were actually in seven bar fights.

As you took each step your migraine blossomed further into discomfort.

You let out an audible groan as you moved around feeling like seven bags of horse shit left out in the sun too long- and smelled like it too.

Limping your way out of the room you squinted your eyes at the sudden invasion of light. Huge windows covered what you could assume was the living room.

It was daytime, how long had it been though?

You were in more pain than self-conscientious and began shamelessly rummaging through cabinets absentmindedly looking for anything.

Advil, ibuprofen, some fucking weed even?

You had a sharp pain to you ribs which made you almost fall but you managed to catch yourself with one hand on the expensive marble countertops of an absolutely stunning modernized kitchen.

“Don’t hurt yourself even more while you’re here, I’ll feel bad!”

A voice shocked you out of your painful daze.

You whipped your head around which made your migraine peak into a spike of pain, causing you let out a sharp hiss.

“Satoru.”

You said angrily, but honestly you were somewhat relieved. A familiar face after all the shit that you had been through the past few days was nice.

“You probably have a lot of questions huh?”

Your eyes were closed shut as you rubbed your hand in circles against your temple trying to alleviate the pain. To sore to even make a “no shit” remark

“Well first of all sit down.”

He pointed to a stool against his kitchen island

You immediately went to do it. Not having the energy to protest.

He began opening up drawers and pulling things out as he spoke.

“I’ll just go ahead and start from the beginning. You were assigned to go fight a special grade curse with a few first years including Sukunas vessel- Yuuji.”

He popped open a bottle of pain killers and filled a glass of water

“Because of you everyone made it out alive.”

Everyone? So Megumi and Nobara made it out safe. You relaxed a little feeling slightly less stressed. At least your state of shittiness was worth something. He slid the glass and pills over to you from across the counter

The first thing you noticed was his shirt. He was wearing a loose long sleeve that barely hung over his shoulders, showing his perfect fucking collarbones and neck off to you.

“You look slutty.”

You said before you popped the pills and downed the glass of water like you had never drank any before.

Choosing to ignore your remark, he continued speaking.

“Everyone is safe. And that’s because of you.”

“I think you’re giving me too much credit. Megumi and Yuuji did all the fighting.”

“That’s not exactly true, but even then you told everyone what to do and led them all out safely, without even having done this before. I was pretty impressed when I heard.”

You weren’t gonna admit that you liked his praise, but you turned your head away from him so you didn’t make eye contact to hide your flushed face.

“They found you unconscious on the side of the building. Do you remember anything?”

You recalled the events to him the best you could, but it was all a blur. You remembered going in, Nobara vanishing beneath you, Yuuji losing a hand… all the traumatizing and gory details.

“So you don’t remember what you did?”

“A little… I think I got in the way of one of its hits and that’s why I’m so sore now.”

He smiled and chuckled at you smugly

“Oh no. If you were actually hit by it you would totally be dead by now,”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“Not this time!”

He leaned himself on the opposite side of the counter to you with his elbows and one hand under his chin.

“You used cursed energy. A lot.”

“How?!”

“You tell me babe! All I know is what Megumi and Yuuji told me.”

You didn’t remember seeing any cursed energy…

“You seriously don’t remember what happened?”

You shook your head at him annoyed

“You took several hits from it. But you managed to concentrate cursed energy to the places just before it hit it, so the brunt of the force was blocked but some of the energy still hit you because your technique is still very underdeveloped."

You stared at him half with curiosity and half with confusion, he took your silence as a way to keep talking.

“Your body isn’t used to manifesting or controlling cursed energy like most sorcerers do, and the raw power output you were emitting was more than you could take. It’s probably why you passed out.”

You were lost in thought. There’s something missing. You don’t know what…

“Also, you got really lucky. You got out just before Sukuna did, and so the curse was successfully exorcised, you did good work!”

The more you tried to look back on memories of what happened the more your migraine increased. You wanted to ask questions, but you didn’t know what to ask. There were too many blank spaces and fragments missing from it, he was hiding something.

“Why am I here?”

Gojo perked up and stuck a pointed finger up

“Because my superiors want you dead.” He said so as if it was nothing like the weather report.

“WHAT?!”

You were nearly shocked out of your migraine.

“Relax, they’re not gonna do anything about it.”

“Why do they want me dead?!”

“Because you’ve got something that they haven’t seen in a while, and they’re all conservative old goats who are scared of change.”

Your mouth was agape, staring at Gojo and how nonchalant he was about this.

“You’re acting really calm about this.”

“Well that’s because they’re not gonna do anything about it. Not as long as you stay close to me.”

“Wow I’m honored.”

“You should be! Now, go get ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“We’re going out!”

Even though this wasn’t the first time, it was still a surprise being spoiled like this.

Part of you felt bad but also part of you started getting used to it.

Gojo had thrown on a loose button down shirt, and a pair of his signature specs.

At first you were worried that he wouldn’t have anything for you, but as if he couldn’t have gotten more stalkery before by kidnapping you from a hospital bed and putting you in his- he had also broken into your house and taken some of your clothes.

“You didn’t do anything to these did you?”

“Not this time. Next time maybe”

He teased and you rolled your eyes

He had taken you that night to a semi nice restaurant. You thought it was super fancy but Gojo insisted it was just “okay” which absolutely infuriated you.

You could tell he was breaking you in when you accepted the expensive champagne.

From an outsiders perspective, you two looked incredibly romantic. Combined with his flirtatiousness and touchiness and your bluntness, you got those stares of jealousy from so many random people being seen with him. He loved the attention, the stares and the sparkle in everyone’s eyes when he smiled at them, you on the other hand, had never felt more out of place.

He kept getting numbers from left and right, and he accepted them all. Which was just a crude reminder that you weren’t special, and that this treatment hes been giving you probably was given to someone else before too.

You managed to keep your bearing and nod along as you started walking through the streets at night and admiring the stars. Still a little tipsy from the champagne.

“You’re being awfully quiet.”

You looked over at him and he had slightly pink cheeks from being buzzed himself

“Just nothing to talk about”

You lied

“Wanna head back home then?”

Home. When he said it like that it almost sounded like you two were a couple. You closed your eyes and fought the urge to fantasize about domestic bliss. That this was just a normal date out with a guy who liked you and not him being forced to take care of someone.

You nodded your head slowly. Anxiety creeping it’s way back into your veins as you felt like a burden to him

“You’re sad.”

“Am not.”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“I didn’t say you were.”

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets

“That’s how I know you’re sad. Because if you weren’t you would’ve disagreed with me.”

You didn’t know if it was hormones, the alcohol, or the fact that your life has been ripped from you in the past few days but you were getting emotional.

“I’m not!”

You looked away from him and your lip quivered. You couldn’t cry now, you would’ve just proven him right

“Okay then what’s wrong.”

“Nothing wrong.”

You were starting to get annoyed that he kept persisting but also deep down didn’t want him to stop caring.

You sniffled up some snot and exhaled deeply

“I just don’t want to be a burden on you. You’ve done so much for me recently a-and…”

Your eyes watered and you looked up to try and prevent them from falling

“Aw. Come here, you big baby.”

He pulled you into a hug and that just absolutely sent you into a downhill spiral. You leaned your weight against him and quietly cried into his shirt. Thinking that since he couldn’t see you he wouldn’t know.

You might’ve been a little more than tipsy…

He rubbed your head in circles as your body jerked with each sob. You managed to remain totally quiet which caught his attention but he wasn’t gonna mention anything about it

“This field is selfish y’know.”

You opened your eyes and loosened your grip around his torso a little, listening.

“Being a sorcerer doesn’t give you anything. Objectively speaking, some people like the money or the power. But all you get in return for that is the burden of knowing you have to be the one to save them.”

He was opening himself up to you, which made you feel a little better

You wanted to look up at him but knew that you looked like absolute hell.

“It takes and it takes. And it’s never gonna show you mercy. You were taken from your life and thrown into this one, and you didn’t want that.”

You still were sniffling, but the tears stopped flowing

“I’m sorry…”

“For what babe?”

“I don’t know…”

He had a gentle smile looking down at you. Your face was pressed against his chest giving you a natural pouty face. He thought you were cute

“Do you want to be here?”

“No…”

“Close your eyes.”

You didn’t know what he was about to do but you obliged anyway.

You felt that feeling in your stomach like being in an elevator when it’s going down. A very subtle but still there drop in your stomach.

The second thing you felt was soft sheets instead of a hard metal bench.

You looked up from him to see that you were in his room

“You can fucking teleport?!”

“Mhm.”

“Of course you can.”

You said so annoyed but you were smiling

You stifled a laugh as he made a dramatic pose showing off with a kissy gesture and a hand under his chin

“One of my many talents!”

You chose not to dwell on it for your own peace.

You sat in silence for a moment, just enjoying his warmth.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

Even though you stopped crying, you were still emotional. The strong facade cracking under the building pressure of all the recent events.

He moved his hand to you chin and lifted it up

“You have a lot more to offer than you think.”

He had a sincere smile on his face

You giggled quietly between sniffles. But you were quickly humbled when you looked back down and noticed the huge grey spot of snot and tears from where your face was

“Oh my god!”

You wanted to die. Right then and right fucking there.

How expensive was that shirt? How grossed out is he? Why would you let yourself cry on him? Does he hate you now?!

“I’m so s-…”

Your rushing thoughts went to sudden stop when he began unbuttoning his shirt and slid it off, tossing it at the foot of the bed

“-orry….”

Your eyes widened and for the first time in a minute he had completely flustered you again. You weren’t one to be left speechless but goddamn was he even finer than you imagined.

“You’re staring.” He had a shit eating grin.

You had pulled yourself back by now and you didn’t know if it was the alcohol talking or if he was just that hot, but somehow you two ended up kissing.

What’s a recipe for disaster?

1 Night alone,

2 lonely people,

3 too many drinks.

And 4 days of building sexual tension.

Pt3

[adarkrainbow]

Witches in fairytales: Fairytale-flavored

This post is a companion to my "Melting-pot" one. Here you shall find both A) Witches that are part of a fairytale world, but not based on a specific "type" or pre-existing character and B) Witches that are not from a fairytale work, rather coming from the worlds of fantasy or horror, but who still have a fairytale flavor to them. (And let's be honest, also some I forgot to add earlier Xp)

The Beldam from Coraline:

Yubaba from Spirited Away:

Howl's Moving Castle's The Witch of the Waste

The witch from the animated movie "Brave"

The Grand High Witch from Roald Dahl's "The Witches"

The Sanderson sisters from Hocus Pocus

The Three Mothers in Argento's Suspiria and Inferno (Mother of Tears doesn't count)

Queen Bavmorda from "Willow"

The witch from "The VVitch"

Xayide, from The Neverending Story

The witch from the "Tales from the Darkside" movie (I should have put her next to the witch of Nightbooks)

The Hexenbiest from Grimm

"La Pieuvre" from "La Cité des Enfants Perdus"

And there are so many more... but a Tumblr post must unfortunately be limited!

[tothepointofinsanity]

𓆉⋆.ೃ࿔*:･𖦹𓇼𖦹⋆.ೃ࿔*:･𓆉𖦹

Welcome to my miscellaneous art/dump blog ↓

- - -

Name: ttpoi/Caspian

Pronouns: He/him

Gender: Just Some Guy • Schizoid

What I do: Draw things I like. I also talk a lot about games and media. Frequent nonsensical ramblings.

Language: CN/ENG

DNI Criteria: If I see that you are unpleasant I will simply block.

Blog Tag Navigation Guide:

• ttpoiart (art)

• ttpoiwrites (fandom writing)

• ttpoilog (personal writing and My Things)

• ttpoicharacter (my OCs)

• pre-grief syndrome (Sayaka Miki art)

• Sayaka Archives (Sayaka-related introspection, analysis, thoughts, pondering)

• Fav art shelf (other people’s art that I reblog here)

• (?) Archives (For extra works that I also like and am obsessed with on the blog. To use, input a name of said thing plus the archive label. E.g Grass Archives.)

For OC art, you can also go to @library-mother because some works are archived there.

- - -

Here's some other stuff I'm interested in, but otherwise, have a good day (((;ꏿ_ꏿ;)))

𓆉⋆.ೃ࿔*:･𖦹𓇼𖦹⋆.ೃ࿔*:･𓆉𖦹

Music:

Maretu — Girl Eraser, Namida, Magical Doctor, New Darling, The Taste of Cockroach, Brain Revolution Girl, aishiteitanoni, Packet Hero, Miseenen, Dokuhaku, Koukatsu, Last Day

Masa Works Design — Rondon Slag Pathy HI, God of Marie, Soap Lagoon, Paris Green, Himitsuno kingyo

Itimatu Suzuka — Yes I am, yumenokeloid, hana-arashi

Mitski — Stay Soft, Francis Forever, A Pearl, Me and My Husband, Washing Machine Heart, This is a Life, Should Have Been Me, Your Best American Girl

Steampianist — The Singing Tumor, Candle Boy, Dream Eating Machine, Hero of the Abyss, Black Hole, Ang Cariñosa

Cosmo Sheldrake — The Fly, Tardigrade Song, Piloscene, The Moss, Linger Longer, Come Along, Pelicans We

Games:

Yatoimtop — GREENER GRASS AWAITS, Liminal Ranger, Pearl Grabber, Tropic Jim’s Sweet Island Adventure

Yames — Discover My Body, Water Womb World, Via Negativa, Discover Our Bodies

Taylor Swietanski — THAT NIGHT STEEPED BY BLOOD RIVER, Spirits Mirror: Digital Possessed, Caged Bird Don’t Fly

Modus Interactive — Iketsuki, Beneath a Withering Moon, Groaning Steel

Comics/Webtoons/Manga:

Bread and All Variations of the Aforementioned, The Dummy's Dummy, Cursed Princess Club, Shoujo Jiten, Apocalyptic Horseplay, Curse of the Three Sisters, Berserk, Blade of the Immortal, Uratarou

Misc. items of joy:

Breton hats, stickers, keychains, music boxes, aquariums, puppets, vintage dolls, ventriloquist dummies, wooden toys, angel statues, paper stars, cats, old animated fairytale movies, nutcrackers, traditional clothing, the Christmas atmosphere, seashells

[itsany62]

SteveTony - 22/23 favorites

Here are some of my favorite fics of 2022 and 2023 . Don't forget to leave kudos and nice comments in every fic! 

...but the place where you belong by Mireille, 2k, Pre-Relationship, Fluff, Post-Avengers (2012).

Steve meets somebody very important to Tony, and makes a good impression. (Pre-relationship fluff.)

The Northern Cascades by resurrectedhippo, 81k, Grief/Mourning, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Civil War Fix-It, Road Trips.

“I’m asking.” Steve walks two steps forward and waits. Tony’s wide eyes track his movements. “If you’d like to come. Like you said, see the country. How it’s changed. How it keeps going forward.”

***

A post-Infinity War fix-it set three years after the Snap where Steve tries to outrun his grief. This time, Tony runs after him.

met my destiny (in quite a similar way) by ishipallthings, 1k, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Post-Avengers (2012), Getting Together. 

“I’m in love with you.”

The spatula in Tony’s hand clatters to the floor with an audible thwack.

(In which Tony is incredulous, Steve is determined, and absolutely no pancakes are made for breakfast.)

Punitive Measures (Met your Match) by BladeoftheNebula, 19k, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Historical, Dom/sub Undertones. 

“Gods, he’s a beast,” Tiberius said from beside him, and for a moment, Tony had forgotten he was there. “I don’t envy the omegas, he looks like he’d have a strong hand.”

When the village elders bring in someone from the outside to fairly administer justice in the community, the alphas leap at the chance to send their unruly omegas to the Flagellator.

Tiberius Stone can't understand why his omega keeps acting up so much.

by your hands or mine by apricity_and_soulshine, 1k, Alternate Universe - Western, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics. 

A short little one-shot featuring protective parent Tony and equally as protective mate Steve.

•••

Steve looked comfortable where he had dozed off at his desk. His arms crossed over his chest, boots propped up lazily. His Stetson was tipped down to block out the light bleeding in through the windows of the Sheriff's office. Steve's peace, however, like most days, could only last so long before he was so very rudely startled from his mid-afternoon nap. He jolted awake at the shouting that ensued as Alexander Pierce clambered into the station, Tony hot on his tail. The sheriff barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his mate and the man who owned most of the town spitting curses and crude remarks at one another.

this love came back to me by meidui, 8k, Breaking Up & Making Up, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie).

It’s been five years.

Tony is softer than he remembers, in navy blue wool, silver in his hair and beard, laugh lines deeper around his eyes and mouth, holding onto his little girl. Steve thinks he must look rougher than Tony remembers, from the way Tony holds her tighter and steps back from him when he shuts the door of his car, as if looking for an escape.

As if he could get away from Steve.

The Best Laid Plans by ChocolateCapCookie, 3k, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Single Parent Tony Stark.

“Pete, we need to set dad up with Mr. Rogers!” said Harley excitedly. “Think about it, they’d be perfect for each other! Dad’s always so tired and stressed, he could use someone like Mr. Rogers to calm him down a bit. And I know Mr. Rogers is single, he’s always talking about it being just him and his dog…”

“Harley, this is a stupid idea,” Peter interrupted. “You don’t know that Mr. Rogers is into men. And even if he was, what do you want to do, lock them in a closet together?”

"Yes."

"No, Harley”

On Today's Agenda by Annie D (scaramouche), 779, Established Relationship, Mpreg.

Tony and Steve have been on a baby-making agenda, and Tony wants to get right back to it.

Today Was a Fairytale by iam93percentstardust, 2k, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Prince Tony Stark, Getting Together.

Today was a fairytale You've got a smile that takes me to another planet Every move you make everything you say is right Today was a fairytale

~

Steve gives Tony daisies.

And it’s… nice.

Tony’s suitors send him roses and exotic orchids and genetically modified blossoms that bloom in impossible colors no one could ever hope to find in nature. His mother makes sure there’s always a fresh bouquet of irises in his room—they usually come from her own garden, but he still doesn’t know how she manages to find them even in the middle of winter.

And Steve… Steve gives him daisies.

love me like a sinner by ArabellaAM, 5k, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie),  Misunderstandings. 

“So,” he says in the end, attracting Steve’s gaze towards him. “Is that everything you wanted?” It’s only then —when he swears he can feel Steve’s breath tickling his cheek— that he realizes how close they actually are. So close the hunger in those blue eyes is undeniable, just as it’s undeniable Steve is no longer looking at him in the eye, but rather to his lips. “Not really,” Steve says, voice raw and thick, as his eyes move quickly to Tony’s annular finger before returning to his lips. Tony tilts his head and asks, in a tone that sounds more like a dare, “then what are you waiting for?” Steve doesn’t actually answer; it’s Tony that makes an educated guess as he tries to grasp for air once Steve dips his head and drowns in his lips.

Or, Steve visits Tony after five years and it's not the salvation of the world he's after.

as long as you love me so by ohjustpeachy, 1k, Established Relationship, Snowed In, Christmas Fluff. 

“For what it’s worth, this is not how I imagined our first Christmas going,” Steve groans from where he’s sitting on the floor. It’s hard wood, and Tony knows it simply cannot be comfortable sitting that way. Even super soldiers aren’t immune to backaches, surely, and after the day they’ve both had, Tony wants nothing more than to lay right there beside him, ice and snow and ruined Christmas and failed mission be damned. 

Or, after a mission goes wrong, Steve and Tony find themselves snowed in at a cabin in the middle of nowhere. On Christmas Eve.

[hemingway-papers]

even for a disney movie tangled takes a pretty random but enjoyable departure from the original fairytale and i do think that's because another prince character just wasn't cutting it and they decided to incorporate the gentleman thief storytelling tradition instead. the art design and miyazaki loving team behind it pretty overtly tells me the idea for that change came from the castle of cagliostro and a deep appreciation for it.

and me? personally? I WOULD rank cagliostro one of the most sincerely moving and aesthetically enchanting but also actiony fun movies about a princess ever animated and somehow it's not trying too hard to be ironic or hip or something. I feel like it's an obvious choice for study when trying to make a tricky script adaptation work when it is calling for the upbeat fight sequences and genre aware clever subversions but still needing to sincerely remain a pretty princess story in a magical land that does actually celebrate the spirit of fairytales and trying not to skimp too hard on any aspect

the original script for the rapunzel adaptation before lasseter took it over btw was a sort of fish out of water body swap modern day disney princess parody situation banking off the success of shrek. that was imo directly reworked as Enchanted. and much better utilized that way too

tbh in seeking a good solution to the new but not too new direction for disney, post-potf critical acclaim for returning to roots of sincerity but pre-frozen box office sensation, still seeking that dreamworks and pixar level of market domination. there was a very happy tonal medium to be found in cagliostro and it's success does suggest what something like that could do in a market looking for more modern, self aware and action packed takes on princess movies. a market that was already responding well to the dubs of other miyazaki directed movies disney was distributing.

castle of cagliostro does deconstruct fairytale stories and notions and princess movies, but does so much more lovingingly earnestly and whimsically, with a lot of affection for the source material compared to the cynicism of shrek. which as heart felt and genius as it is , wasn't something the disney company could pull off and maintain their brand.

there is nothing but sympathy for the kind of idyllic childhood notions of heroes and fairytale castles present in older disney movies, because clarisse herself holds onto those notions to help her maintain hope when escaping her situation. lupin plays into it too with some irony but not in a way that mocks her, just lightly mocks himself. it's a movie about how the real world can be really hard and at times you WILL face things that are insurmountable alone because that's normal and part of being a real person with normal limits. and asking for help from kind people isn't a weakness but part of life, a beautiful part of life even.

i've actually never seen a damsel in distress storyline portrayed as so human and understandable and not shameful. nor as a mark of being incapable but a role we all play at some point. it directly signals those who are most capable at the time to heed those around you. for what the hell else are all those skills and power youve got good for in the first place. DO be aware of those who are currently drowning in a situation no one should be expected to magically just surmount or suffer on their own and DO take action. it's your job

i love the castle of cagliostro down to my very core because I think it manages to express innocence wonderment as a strength of the soul even when juxtaposed against the complexities and realities of the often harsh present day adult world. and does so even more gently and optimistically than other similar hits like shrek and princess bride. in that sense it's too perfect for any modern disney filmmaker to NOT find inspiration in. anyone would be happy to look to it as one of the examples of how to make a fairytale adventure feel updated, cool and self aware but still maintain its palpable respect for those who love innocence and wonder.