#so like. how am i at fault for being misled here

[sovonight]

,

[pigeon-behavior]

By the way, here's a heads up for people who may be somewhat new to pigeons (and excited to get a friendly one!) and have heard the term "ethical breeders" passed around.

This has a really specific meaning. And unfortunately how we use it in the pet pigeon community is not going to be how people in the rest of the pigeon community understand it.

You may be saying, "Well I don't know how the pet pigeon community defines ethical breeders!"

Well I may as well walk you through the whole thing:

For the purposes of this post let me clarify that the "pet pigeon community" I'm referring to here is the CPC discord server and its satellite entities, including the tumblrs and instagrams of prominent knowledgeable individuals and/or breeders. I'm not sure what say, GLPRs definition is, and for the purposes of understanding what I'm saying here, I am going to refer to them as the rescue pigeon community to help differentiate. God knows Palomacy doesn't deserve the title.

So then, what do we define as an ethical breeder?

Well, ethical breeders must do certain things.

Some examples:

-Provide adequate predator-proof, clean housing for their birds, without overcrowding

-Practice hatch control (aka not letting birds breed endlessly, for a variety of reasons)

-Work towards a goal (produce good temperaments, better a line's structure or color)

-Be willing and able to provide vet care

-Not seek monetary profit (if you're doing it right there will never be profit, only a black hole you throw cash into)

-Never handraise babies on purpose (but shit happens)

-Know your individual pigeons, understand their personalities and bodies, and what they have to pass down to offspring

-Socialize young parent raised pigeons

-Put animal Welfare before animal Rights. Animal rights are useless. Animal welfare makes a difference.

-Be willing to euthanize a pigeon that needs it

-Work with ethical breeds, or be actively in the process of making a breed more ethical (aka functional)

This is probably not exhaustive but its what comes to mind now. It's a decent core of it.

When you get a pigeon from an ethical breeder, you're likely paying more money. And you should be. More money was already invested into that animal.

And what did you get out of it? Well, for one, a MUCH lower chance your new bird is going to cost you $500 in vet fees. And that isn't even MENTIONING the enormous, ENORMOUS difference in temperament between your average pigeon and one that comes from an ethical breeder under this definition.

There is no better chance of receiving a bird that is friendly out-of-box. Which is really big, considering it can take half a year to bond with a pigeon.

But there's unfortunately a problem here. And it's that people new to this community who are very excited about getting a pigeon don't know that people elsewhere are going to have an entirely different definition of ethical breeder.

If you go on Facebook, where most of the Old Pigeon Guys reside, and ask in a breed group, "Are there any ethical breeders in here?" hoping to find yourself a pet, a bunch of guys will come in to the comments and be like

"well of course we're ethical breeders"

Having no idea what you're on about, but generally being too polite to question your weird phrasing.

And you will have been misled. Through no fault of anyone's. Through no malicious intent.

But if you're looking for an ethical breeder for a friendly bird, the result you get that way will be a disappointment.

I hope someone finds this informative and helpful. Shoutout to my buddy at Renaissance Loft for bringing up this issue recently and planting a bug in the back of my brain about it lol

If you like my posts, please consider tipping me on ko-fi!

[succulentlesbians]

"I should send an ask for the nice reply i got" Brain: Windows dial up noise. Anyway, hi, hello! :D thanks so much for your reply, it made me feel emotions and now im sueing for damages <3 YELENA WAS GONNA RUN FROM THE RED ROOM TO BE WITH DAISY??????? pain. suffering. a g o n y. im now imagining an au where she did manage to escape actually. they are happy and young and free and being goofy. yelena keeps them safe and daisy keeps them hidden. canon. to me.

omg young skye and yelena together would be so fun. sorry for your agony that they couldn't, i am similarly distraught. was thinking about writing a prequel (can you believe the audacity, i haven't even finished the sequel yet) about them but the emotional devastation of having to rip them apart would absolutely kill me so we shall see about that.

yeah the whole assassination thing was something that i hadn't fully considered in terms of what skye would be cool with when i offhandedly wrote that oneshot. i'd now imagine that yelena would have deliberately misled her for as long as she could (ie. "help me break in here for this information and no that people died wasn't me, it was a coincidence lol") and that skye was kinda naive and really wanted to believe that she was just stealing info and similar things. yelena at first was just using her as a resource and prob knew like yeah skyenet is cool with this sort of stuff only. but i think skye kinda charmed her and they kept talking and talking until yelena was like oh shit i care about you and you made me believe in the good in this world and i dont want to do this anymore. and skye after a bit maybe was wavering btwn like hmm i can read between the lines here, im not stupid, but also ive talked to you so much and i believe that you are good and i believe that you dont have to do this and then she learns about the actual situation that yelena is in with the red room? and shes like oh youre a whole ass victim. this is not your fault.

and yeah a situation where skye has to choose to save yelena over someone else (a target?) or something? bc the red room would kill her? could be both a demonstration of love but also kinda jarring for skye to make that decision and so even moreso something for yelena to be like omg skye cares about me so much. good god anon you're giving me ideas.

anyway. yelena coming out of the red room. im thinking she sorta tracked daisy while she was there, in a way where she was keeping tabs on the rising tide, shield etc. she doesn't want to draw interest to daisy after all but she wants her to be safe and to know about her. when she gets out, literally the only support she has could be daisy or natasha and she thinks that natasha abandoned her. she literally does not have a good relationship with a single other person in the world. she was in the red rooms hands since she was a Baby (this is so sad). so yeah theres a lot of courage that she has to reach out to daisy when she hasn't been heard from in ten years and to try and trust that she'll help, but there is absolutely a sense of 'i have no one else.' daisy is her first and basically only stop. but also. daisy taught her how to live once. and i think that absolutely she was thinking, oh daisy can help me figure out life. And! also being like hey, wtf is daisy up to shes kinda going crazy and maybe she needs help too. (this all being on top of, she just wants to see daisy again). so many reasons.

they are absolutely pairbonded kittens.

this is them. i don't make the rules. if i separate them again... you have my permission to kill me.

tysm for your ask and support, you're giving me so much motivation and thoughts to write about. i'm so glad you enjoyed the fic!

[brightblessed-aa]

// I am going on hiatus still but I want to make this very very clear:

In regards to the miles/reapcrbunny situation, I did interact with them. We were never friends or close. I do regret interacting and putting any victims through additional stress. I was misled on the severity of the situation but I do admit full fault in terms of not doing my due diligence. I will not interact with a predator like that. It seems like, over the last week, multiple blogs have been exposed as predators. As a victim of manipulation/grooming/csa, it is something I have no tolerance for. In that situation, I was led to believe that Miles was far younger when these situations went down. It is not an excuse. I just want to apologize so much for any harm I helped cause. I try to give second chances, but the blatant attempt to downplay and "teehee here are the callouts I have changed and understand people being uncomfortable with me" thing alongside it has been seriously doubting that is the case.

There is no excuse for those actions. I was not a good friend, partner, or person in regard to this situation. I was afraid of causing interpersonal issues and in doing so did not do what was best for not only me but also my followers and friends. I have blocked Miles on everything. I am so sorry. I wish I could actually heal any damage I contributed to. I wish I could undo unblocking him when I initially did so after the first callout someone shared in this community. I hope that I can someday earn back trust and make it up to anyone I hurt by platforming him in any regard.

Yesterday, I felt so struck by all of it. The fact that I had been basically tricked in a sense into thinking it wasn't that bad. The fact that I put people that have been there for me for years into a bad situation. The guilt of it and how I had failed not only my friends and mutuals, but myself.

I know I can't take back the harm I contributed to. I am so so sorry. I am going to take a small break solely because I am exhausted. We have had TWO predators in this fandom in the last 7 days. I am tired of it.

I know it is scary. I am terrified of confrontation myself, but please let me know if I am ever being this stupid again. I know how it feels to have everyone interact with an abuser, and my situation was far less dire.

[rurpleplayssims]

"Old habits die hard" Aela said.

Minerva didn't respond, she continued to say nothing.

Suddenly Aela burst into life, her tone a faster and more desperate, as if she was in a great rush to get the words out. "Look, I know that's not much of an apology, but believe me Minerva, I am trying. I...I was restless after our talk and it hurt. It hurt knowing that I'd hurt you and that...what you said held truth."

Minerva continued to remain silent.

"I...I miss him so much" Aela said and even without looking to face her again, Minerva heard the tears in the she-wolf's eyes. "Skjor has been a part of my life so long that we often joked that we were two halves of a whole piece. It was...perfect. It's hard to say truly what he was to me. Some people have their suspicions and they can think what they like but it wasn't anything like they imagined. What we had was pure, easy and...and..."

She broke off with a loud sob and Mineva didn't have the heart to ignore her friend's distress. She turned on the bench, lent forwards and put a comforting hand on Aela's shoulder to squeeze it gently.

"You were soulmates" Minerva said simply. "It was very obvious to me. I understand that soulmate connections can be completely platonic. I saw the look on your face when you saw him on the ground. I heard my inner wolf howling in anger at the loss of a shield-brother but her howls were nowhere near as loud as your she-wolf."

"It's my fault he's dead!" Aela sobbed, tears racing down her face. "It was my idea to make you a wolf and once I said it, he agreed instantly. He was so proud of the progress you'd made in the short time and he said that he'd noticed that I treated you more like a sister than Ria or Nijada. They're too much like me in that we're very competitive. Whilst you do not lack for courage or honour, you have no desire to outshine anybody. You are truly a kind and patient person Minerva and you're too good to be a wolf. I misled you into making a pact with a daedric prince, making light of it and seeing it as a blessing when it isn't that for you."

"Who says I regret it?" Minerva said but her tone and expression were lighthearted. "There are massive benefits to being a wolf. Numerous times already she has saved my life, and that of my other companions."

Aela looked up at her, eyes red with crying and her own face a mask of misery. "I'm sorry we misled you Minerva. I'm sorry that I inadvertently tired to use you to suit my own ends. I'm sorry that I keep asking you to risk your life for me, just because I want to avenge Skjor."

"Believe me when I say this hurts me to say this as well" Minerva warned her. "But he's gone and he's not coming back. What did you have to gain, other than vengeance? You could've come with me to exact revenge or gone yourself."

"Kodlak would've guessed what was going on" Aela admitted. "He knows me almost as much as Skjor did. I'm nearly always here in the evenings. I didn't want anyone to catch on because they'd stop me. You were new and didn't know how things worked around here and you'd have no thought to challenge me."

"Except I did."

Aela smiled "Yes, you did. Lucky for us."

"You seriously think I believe you're going to give up the hunt?"

She shrugged "No, you're too sharp for that, I see that now."

[queer-triple-a]

A Lonely Trip

Introduction

Hello, Lovelies!

Today we have a much less contextually difficult story than the last two. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most open ended stories I’ve come across so far. 

This tale comes from 2 letters (one which seems to have been sent and one which wasn’t) between two really close friends. 

I won’t say any more, so I don’t risk spoiling anything. I hope you enjoy it!

Content warnings: 

mild homophobia

You can also read this story on my website linked here. 

Letters

August 3rd, 1822

My Dearest Francine, 

I miss you. I miss you, and I’m angry. How dare the seller mislead me into a belief that we would be on this trip together. He assured me that our tickets would send us both from Britain to America together. I thought I’d checked the tickets thoroughly. They showed the same date, the same time of departure, and even the same cabin number. I did not even think to check the ship number at the top of the ticket. 

How annoyed you must be with me. I had assured you I could take care of the tickets, yet you and I had but a minute together on the dock between our realization that we would be separate and our being cast across the ocean on different vessels. My only excuse is that I was misled. 

I was misled, and now I am in pain. 

We promised each other to remain friends for our entire life. We swore an oath to remain by each other's side, yet it is my fault that we must be separated for these six weeks. 

Just before we came aboard these ships, after our brief goodbye and our decision to write these letters, you took my hand into your own and squeezed. I heard the words you spoke quietly, “I won’t do anything but miss you when we’re split up,” and I find myself thinking of these words now. 

They replay over and over in my mind. 

You were, I would venture to guess, speaking of the loneliness I suppose you feared. But I trust you will make friends aboard your ship. I believe you won’t be lonely for long because all those who live with you for your journey will swiftly fall for your charms. I believe it likely you were their friend before the ship left the harbor. I envy these people for being near your side while I am away from you. Though perhaps that is cruel of me, for I would rather you have those beside you with whom you can be gay and genial than be lonesome. 

I do nothing but miss you, though. 

I sit aboard my ship, in a room with strangers, and think of you. I trust the couple who sleeps in the beds opposite of me believe me to be strange. I have written page upon page in my diary in an attempt to reconcile the reward of our trip with the cost of at least six weeks away from you. There is land in America. That much we know. We know we will be able to stay away from cities and away from war. Our king is gone, replaced by extravagance, and America’s ruler holds his position yet. 

I trust our stability and space in America more than what we have felt in Europe over the past decade. Yet my stability aboard this ship is lost. 

My emotions flow with the waves, filled with longing for you, my truest friend. I watch the couple in my room, and I am reminded of the way you and I are able to exist in harmony. I miss the easy way we exist together. I miss so many parts of you. 

Francine, I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Two weeks before we departed, I was overcome with endearment for you. It was the night you had Lucille over. The two of you had both finished reading the new book by Mary Shelly, the title escapes me, and you were discussing it together. To speak of it seemed to light a fire within you (It also lit a fire inside our apartment, it did not escape my notice that you did not put out the lamp before you got into bed. I suspect the book left you afraid). 

As you and Lucille spoke, I found myself growing enamored with the way you make an argument. Though I have not yet read the book, I was pulled into your discussion with great attention. You spoke with a passion about the responsibility of creation and the sadness of a dejected child. You conversed enthusiastically about the creature’s desire for love and the assumption that one who was created in his image would be one he could love and one who would love him. 

Though it wasn’t just the content of your speeches which I found fascinating. It was the way you listened, rebutted, and agreed. You leaned forward with care when Lucille spoke of the tragic marriage and the feelings of loneliness experienced by the main character (His name was Frankenstein! I have recalled this is also the title of the novel). You listened as though every word she spoke on the topic had the potential to change or reinforce the way you thought. Your brows were furrowed until they nearly rested between your eyes. 

Your eyes, your beautiful deep brown eyes. Their rich shade contrasts with the copper of your sun warmed skin. They glow with shades of brown, and despite my best efforts, I cannot help but be drawn to stare into them. They were alive with lights and movement as you focused all of your attention on the content of Lucille’s speech. 

You look at me like that sometimes. 

When the conversation’s end arrived, you laughed with her and smiled as you escorted her out of the apartment. I sat quietly in the corner and waited for us to be alone. I believe that for a moment, you forgot I was there, for when the door shut, you began to whistle a tune. It’s one I’ve heard from you before, and I’ve known you to sing it when you’re happy. 

When your eyes finally gazed upon me as I sat with my feet curled up in your chair, your lips rose into a soft smile. That smile. Francine, I think that smile could make me do anything. When you look upon me with that gentle smile, I feel like I’m home. It’s like none of the pain and strife I’ve gone through matters because you’re happy, and I’m with you, so I must be doing something right.

Every smile from you seems to be further evidence of my theory that emotions are contagious among people who are close. When you are happy, it is difficult for me to feel unhappy. Something in the world must be just and right if you are smiling. I trust you. I trust your joy. 

I tell you this, so you know what you do to me with just a smile. I think you would like to know that you bring joy to my life.

You amaze me, Francine. You show courage when fear eclipses our lives and strength when I am taken with weakness. I have seen you face death with mournful peace, and you face life with an optimism it has not given you a reason to have. How could I not want to be your friend? How could I not wish to spend every moment of my life by your side? To live a life with you would satisfy my heart and make me whole. 

There’s a song a husband in my cabin sings at night to his wife. I’ve not heard it before, but I shall sing it to you soon. Amidst the second verse is the line, “Though our ship may rock when we dock, it shall always be you and I.” My Francine, know this is true between us. You are the steady shore I shall return to when this voyage is complete.  

Forever yours (If you’ll have me), 

Mabel

August 7th, 1822

My Mabel, 

Oh, Mabel, it’s been but two weeks aboard this ship. I miss you so much it will bring me to insanity. I’m sure I’ve told those who share my cabin every detail of you. One of them, Darla, seems to actually be interested in those details. Though, she has shown interest in every topic of discussion in part because she has been quite seasick on our journey. Whatever the reason for her attention, I am grateful. 

She lends a listening ear whenever I begin to tell a tale of our life together. I have told her of your kindness and of the things you did for your community in England. The countless sleepless nights spent working to nurse the ill. I told her of your courage. How you continued to face the world even though it has taken so much from you. How you continue on as a widow. How you take life with all its good and all its bad and make it your own.  I told her of your scholarship and the way you’ve dedicated your life to study. Your wish to be a doctor and your dedication to your place as a midwife. I told her of your smile. The way your lips purse and your eyes sparkle. 

I find her listening ear most fortunate as I miss you. The only way to quell the pain of your absence is to speak of you to others. 

Mabel, I hope you are well. I worry when you are away from me. We have not been away from each other for this long in many, many years. I worry something will occur aboard the ship, which will cause you to react within yourself. Every time it happens, I feel the need to worry and dote on you.

 I do hope my doting helps you. You have not told me aloud that it does, but I believe it is gratefulness which I see upon your face in the wake of these moments. If the attention I give you does help, then will you be okay without it? Will things grow worse for you while we are away from each other? I feel your emotional pains have grown less frequent and less invasive over the years. What are we to do if this time apart removes what progress you have made? 

This is selfish of me to think of you, Mabel. It is not as though your emotions are dependent on my presence. Though, the reverse is true. I am miserable without you. I have grown used to you. I feel half of me is aboard another ship. I woke up two days ago to hear Darla speaking with her husband. For a moment, her voice sounded like yours -- gentle yet deliberate. It was morning, and my brain was hazy. I forgot I was aboard the ship without you. My heart warmed at the thought of a simple morning with you. I was nearly distraught when my senses returned. 

It is as I told you as we were separated. I can’t do anything but miss you while we’re apart. I’m convinced it is impossible for my mind to stray from thoughts of you. I return to thoughts of you with near embarrassing frequency. 

Last night I was thinking of you, Mabel. One of the people staying with me, his name is James, brought along two books. He was reading one of them softly to Darla. I felt fortunate he was focused on Darla. He often tries to focus on me. James is convinced my life is incomplete. He is worried for I am unwed. I try to tell him I am not interested. He will not listen. However, when he was reading to Darla, he reminded me of you. I could think of no one else. 

Oh, how I love listening to you read me stories. It doesn’t matter the subject. I will listen attentively to anything you read aloud. You have an exquisite voice. You take such care to read accurately. Though you stumble on words, you dash back to correct yourself. These mistakes bother you. I can tell by the furrow of your brow when it occurs. I find your dedication to reading the words as they are written admirable. Your mannerisms when you fumble in fluency make my heart flutter. There is something vulnerable in your corrections. It reminds me you are not practiced in the art of public speaking. You merely read for me because I ask. I fall more in love with you in these moments. 

If only you loved me back in the same way, Mabel. That would make my life complete. I know it can’t be so. Even after all these years, you still see me as a friend. It would bring me grand euphoria if you saw me as more in a different way, a more romantic way. I am confident you do not. I would know if you did. As someone who has known you for so much of my life, I pride myself in knowing how to read you. I saw you in love with your husband Theodore before we lost him to time. 

You do not look at me as you looked at him. You look at me how you have always looked at me. You look at me as a friend and a companion in life. Perhaps one day, I will be lucky enough to be looked upon with romance. For now, I will cherish what we have. I shall not beg for anymore. To settle for friendship with you is to settle for the fortune of all the world’s empires. 

Goodness, this began as a letter to you. The final paragraphs have truly turned into a diary page. I shall try again to write to you. This time I will take more care to only write words which I wish for you to see. I shall still sign off, it feels rude otherwise. 

Until I see you again upon the shore, 

Francine

A note submitted with the letter

To whom it may concern,

I found these two letters (journal entries?) in my apartment. According to my landlord, they must have been handed over as part of this apartment many times. They were never noticed because they were shut inside a book that had been placed on top of a high kitchen cabinet. After it was placed there, the ceiling sagged with age until it rested on the lip of the cabinet.

I had a leak elsewhere in the ceiling this summer, so my landlord had the whole thing replaced. I have been cleaning up after the construction and noticed there was now a gap between the ceiling and the cabinet. In that gap, I found a copy of Prometheus Unbound by Percy Shelly, which held these papers. 

When I asked my landlord who they could be from, he looked into the records of tenants from around when the letters were dated (August 1822). Two tenants lived here then: Melvin and Francine. Their last name is smudged in the old record book, so we can’t read it. They only lived in my building for about three months. 

Unfortunately, I don’t know more than that. A friend of mine recommended I turn them over to your archive.

Best, 

Ruby Dawson

Outroduction

So there’s a bit of an ambiguous ending after that paper stored with this story in the archival department of the New York Public Library. But I suppose we can hope that Mabel’s letter made it to Francine, and that is why they were able to be stored together. 

Either way, the pining words of these two women feel so familiar when I read them. The emotions they felt over 200 years ago resonate well today. 

Stay queer and take care of yourself, 

Chrys

[mortalityplays]

Respectfully (because I agree with what you are saying here, I think it's great commentary) I think you are misreading my point. Granted part of that is my fault for using an analogy that involves children, I see why you would extrapolate that to think I'm implying people engage with non-normative ideas out of naivety, but that is genuinely not something I believe. It's the confidence of the kid-on-the-wall that I meant to point to, not their childishness. Maybe I could have said a construction worker at the top of an unstable ladder, who knows that it's fine because it's been fine every time they've pulled this risky manoeuvre before. The point is that it's easy to lose perspective on potential danger on the basis that you currently feel secure. It's necessary to have stable external reference points, and not to rely solely on an internal gut check (which, as you pointed out, is easily misled by e.g. workplace culture, patriotism, an overbearing family, any system which instils and reinforces a carefully tailored prejudiced version of reality). I don't think you're all little kids playing with fire while I sit on my lofty throne of wisdom, I think we're all playing with fire all the time, including me, and that makes fire safety important. But the post is out there now, and I can't do much about the wording.

Similarly, I am not trying to argue that normativity and truth value are correlated. I'm arguing the opposite. I'm saying that the more a certain set of ideas becomes normalised in a given social environment, the less intuitive it is to deconstruct and critically examine them. The reason I made this post at all is that I am concerned by trends towards conspiratorial thought in social circles adjacent to my peer groups, which become self-reinforcing as they make their way into the fabric of accepted reality for a given group of people. You are right that social isolation is dangerous, but it's a specific kind of social isolation that I think can be unintuitive to people who aren't primed to look for it - it's not necessarily synonymous with loneliness. It can present itself as the remedy to loneliness, in fact. And just because these aren't new trends or new patterns of exploitation doesn't mean people aren't still encountering them for the first time.

There is a huge scale of behaviour and experience that falls in between 'enjoying a kooky belief' and 'going off the deep end', and that's what I mean to illuminate by bringing all of this up. Being really into UFOs doesn't mean a person is inevitably going to slide into right wing 'space marines on mars' ideas, or anti-semitic conspiracy theories, but it does make awareness of those exploitative thought systems relevant and important. 'Inoculation' is a concept that has been gaining a lot of traction in anti-radicalisation work over the last decade or so. The idea is that when people are shown how cult recruitment, disinformation, false conspiracy narratives etc. work, what they look like, and where they are likely to be encountered, those people actually become more resilient to ideological exploitation. It's not accusatory, any more than getting a measles vaccine implies you would otherwise die of measles. It's precautionary, and it makes it statistically that much more likely that e.g. a forum full of UFO enthusiasts includes a significant number of people who are ready to identify and shoot down veiled anti-semititic tropes. It makes engaging with fun, kooky (and even potentially real and important) fringe ideas that much safer.

Anyway, I think we essentially agree on most of this. My original posts were really just me venting some frustration to my own blog, and weren't written with the idea of laying out my grand nuanced personal thesis of intellectual exploration. I certainly didn't mean to come off patronising, but I guess that's inevitably what happens when you vagueblog about hundreds of strangers in big general terms.

seeing really deeply troubling swings toward esotericism in certain leftist circles over the last couple of years that do not presage anything good. remember, just because thought patterns are aesthetic does not mean they're true, healthy or constructive.

[resedacitrus]

daniel larusso is not the real villain of the karate kid movies and here's why: a mega post because quite frankly, i am tired

fair warning, this is long and brings up some pretty self-explanatory points. nonetheless, i need to say these things because i have been in daniel's position multiple times and it drives me nuts when people say he somehow deserved what the cobras did to him! i'm well aware how dramatic i'm probably being but i honestly don't care. so happy reading!!!

before i start rambling, i just want to say something: i know the original "daniel is the real bully" video is a joke, and this is not about that nor is it about the people who jokingly use that phrase. this is for the obnoxious people who legitimately believe daniel is at fault for what he went through. also, i know johnny and the cobras were being terribly misled by kreese at this time! that doesn't justify their actions, rather it explains them.

1. the beach fight was JOHNNY'S fault, not daniel's!

daniel had been in california for a day. A DAY. when he met ali at the beach party, he knew absolutely NOTHING about her other than the fact that she was pretty and he wanted to pursue her. he didn't even know her name for crying out loud, how was he supposed to know her dating history?

johnny was the one who was territorial and jealous. johnny was the one who flew into a rage when he saw ali being happy with someone else. that's not to invalidate the heartbreak he felt and was still processing after ali dumped him, because those emotions were 100% real! (and not to mention, kreese was misleading him SEVERELY at this time) but johnny was the one who consciously chose to stir up trouble with ali and disrespect the clear boundary she had set.

daniel was nothing more than a bystander. he saw this nice sweet girl he liked being messed with and his first instinct was to help her. that's pretty gentlemanly if you ask me, and i'd hope a guy would help me out if i was being hassled by my angry ex. he didn't want trouble, he just wanted to diffuse the situation. he approached things calmly and nicely and JOHNNY was the one who decided to get physical. if daniel hadn't helped ali, and he'd just stood there, people would say he "had no balls" and he let ali get pushed around. but when he helps her, he "shouldn't have gotten involved". daniel didn't know who johnny was, or what johnny was capable of. all he saw was a bad situation and he wanted to help.

oh and one more thing, after daniel sucker-punches johnny, you can see him holding his fist but he also has a hand out for a shake whilst saying "ok man, now we're even!" daniel didn't want a rivalry. johnny did. daniel was simply defending ali and then himself. you're telling me you wouldn't fight back if some random guy was beating up on you? ok...sure...

2. the soccer tryouts incident with bobby...again, NOT daniel's fault!

how people manage to blame daniel for this one is laughable and embarrassing to me honestly. daniel was simply minding his own business, playing soccer and waiting to try out for the team. he probably saw soccer as an opportunity for him to find his place. as someone who has struggled to fit in and make friends for years, i totally get where he was at in this scene.

ali comes up and initiates a conversation with him and he smiles, despite having just gotten the crap beat out of him the previous night for interacting with her. he didn't want trouble, he just wanted to find connections with people.

it's JOHNNY AND THE COBRAS who ganged up on daniel. they were the ones who plotted against him. they were the ones who sent little hand signals to each other. daniel was in his own little world, kicking the ball around and not bothering anyone. BOBBY was the one who came after him, as we hear daniel loudly shout to the soccer coach.

"but daniel shouldn't have tackled and punched bobby!" nope. don't wanna hear it. if bobby didn't wanna get tackled and socked in the face, maybe he should have left well enough alone. if bobby didn't want daniel getting angry and fighting back, he should have left daniel alone. he picked the wrong hothead to mess with. again, daniel had every right to defend himself. if he hadn't, everyone would call him a pansy and make fun of him even more. the kid can't win!

this is why bullying victims don't speak up 🙈

3. the bike accident

do i even need to go into detail for this one? the cobras were 100% to blame here yet again. daniel was minding his own beeswax and they decided it would be appropriate to push him down a hill on his bike??? come on you snakes, give it a rest! daniel could have been severely injured here if not dead and i don't think anyone really acknowledges how scary that truly is.

let's put it in context: johnny and his gang were doing this to daniel over a girl. a girl! is a high school girlfriend really worth someone's safety and life? i don't think so!

4. the halloween fight. oh Lord.

this one is perhaps the most controversial since daniel did have a bit of a fault here. let me explain.

up to this point, and after the bike incident, the cobras had been leaving daniel alone. granted, daniel had been fleeing the scene any time he saw them and he avoided ali like the plague because he didn't want himself beaten up, but they really didn't bother him too much.

so i get it when people say daniel shouldn't have pulled the water prank. i really do.

but, think about it. wet clothes and hair and a ruined joint (all very fixable things!) are nothing compared to the amount of bruises, bleeding and torment the cobras had given daniel up to this point. the memories of this torture aren't exactly the easiest to get rid of, and you can't just dry them off with a towel. water is harmless. being beaten and bullied over a girl isn't.

daniel should have considered the outcomes before he did it, and i think one of his flaws is definitely his impulsiveness, but he had a right to give johnny a taste of his own medicine. even then, what he did to johnny isn't even an iota of what johnny did to him! so was medicine even served?

johnny flew into a murderous rage all over a harmless prank. johnny could have killed daniel that night and the producers confirmed that. if it weren't for mr. miyagi, daniel would have been dead or severely hurt and the cobras would have been facing charges. serious ones, at that. all over jealousy and over-protectiveness for a girl who didn't belong to them.

sure, daniel should have stayed away from johnny. he knew what johnny and the guys were capable of, and he wasn't stupid. he knew the potential risks. but johnny had no business overreacting the way he did. it was water, johnny. the kid didn't murder your family (or anything else that would warrant that type of reaction).

that's all i have to say, i think. in conclusion, yes daniel was a little punk. yes he was impulsive and it got him into trouble. however, johnny was the clear perpetrator here and none of what he did to daniel should ever be justified. 😁

[windmaedchen-fairytail]

On Laxus's recent spotlight in FT 100YQ

I do welcome the little bit of backstory, because I adore Laxus and love Ivan.

But… as good as that was as a on the spot developing story, generally speaking, it suffers from Mashima-ritis and lacks actual information and logic/continuity. xD

I HAVE QUESTIONS!

We still don't know WHY Ivan gave Laxus the lacrima in the first place.

It is heavily implied that Ivan himself bought the lacrima (much cheaper than he hoped to sell it for later on) and yet, we don't know why? Was it specifically for Laxus? [It may still have been a middle man who purchased it, not Ivan]

It was also implied that "someone else" could create a lacrima from that organic substance. Was that Ivan or some middle man? I like the idea that Ivan can creates lacrimas, in a way, because it adds some further skill to Ivan's magical repertoire, but I am not certain it fits well yet.

What was Gajeel's shock and Ivan's nonchalance about when they discussed removing the lacrima from Laxus? He appears to be fine without it even before he inhaled that bit of floating magic power. On the other hand, Fairy Tail jumps from one extremely unlikely if not impossible wonder to wonder, so Laxus still being alive is probably one of those moments. xD

I have no issues generally with fantasy violence and defiance of anatomy and someone impaling a human body with his bare hand is … fine, I guess. YET in this case, it may not be…xD Laxus, my dear, you have a solid bone plate right there and a ribcage attached to it. Not to mention the biggest blood vessels of your body beneath it. How do you open your skin and bone with your big, male, sausage fingers but manage not to damage the vessels or your heart or lungs beneath? And hey, if it was, essentially all THAT easy to get that lacrima out of yourself, why the heck did you wait until NOW? It seems like any doctor worth his salt could easily remove it for you, without any apparent consequences to your health or magic… (although we still have to see what magic power Laxus has now and whether he can still use Dragon Slayer magic, but probably yes, his inhalation-power-up will be permanent).

And then there is the big question of Laxus's character development…

With no word has Laxus ever breathed about how he "dislikes" the lacrima. Where did his apparent deep-rooted hatred for it come from? In the flashback arguing with Makarov, Laxus appears to somewhat protect his father (however, I might be misled here due to different translations) and he knows of his father's whereabouts before Makarov and even threatens to join his guild (even if that may have been an empty threat). Ivan seems to genuinely expect Laxus's arrival at his guild after Makarov did the same to his son as to himself. Given that Ivan is so pissed about Makarov knowing all about Raven Tail through Gajeel, Ivan certainly put a lot of faith into his own teenage son, which was, in fact, even justified. To me, there appears to be some sort of friendly understanding between the the two younger Dreyar men. Also, later on during the Grand Magic Games, Laxus's only issue with his father, according to his own words, is his unfair and cruel treatment of Laxus's participating guild mates. He isn't resentful over his father's implementation of the lacrima within his own body at that point. (He also indicates that he isn't impressed with the constant "trouble" his father caused but that doesn't quite fit with him protecting his dad as a youth despite the troubles.)

Another fan said and celebrated that Laxus has now freed himself from his father's imprint. While I like that idea, I do wonder how truly satisfactory his answer is.

First, how might Laxus have come to adopt the idea that the lacrima and his father were despicable to begin with? He didn't fault the lacrima at first and seemed rather fond of the power it gave him (Battle of FT arc), he may even have believed that HE was in control of the power rather than just being a recipient of it. Then he changes and humbles, through his excommunication and being welcomed back to the guild with open arms by his comrades. He was granted trust he didn't think he deserved. Now he starts to reflect on the why, and given the bullshit his father pulled during the GMG, he might start to realise, no matter how he steps out of his grandfather's shadow, he will still be tainted by his father's actions. He now believes, that without the lacrima he would never have done all the bullshit he did before Tenrou. Therefore, both lacrima and father are the source for his failures. To emerge as his very own man, where all actions and powers are born from nothing but his own doing, he must therefore reject what his father gave him. The current events in 100YQ allow him to do that, without loosing his actual strength (probably).

Sounds like character development. But this theory still is … unsatisfactory in so far, as that Laxus did only the superficial thing of finding an outward source for his own failures, and an external (or "internal" xD) thing to get rid off to free him from his perceived victim status.

I am aware that WE, as readers, don't know the reasons for Ivan's treatment of his son, but does Laxus? I am not certain he does.

I personally like the idea that he was a sickly child with chronic Magic Deficiancy Sndrom. Eeven if Ivan truly didn't care, he also found no better use for the lacrima and considered it worth his while to gift it to his son. Was that really so bad? The procedure may have been less of a spectacle than many believe. Laxus can surely attempt to fault the lacrima, but it wasn't the lacrima that told him what to do during his coup d'etat. A distinction I had hoped he would see. His father may have given the lacrima to him without Laxus's consent, but does that mean Laxus has no agency on his own? Could he not turn something that, in the least favorable reading of Ivan's actions, should have hurt, twisted and destroy him into something that brings light into Laxus's own heart and provide strength to him and those around him?

I am definitely looking for more content and meaning than we are being given in Fairy Tail (as a whole) and I know well that one doesn't need a complex reason to reject something. And that's fine. To simply "not like someone or something". But if Laxus just feels like hating the lacrima and his dad for the sake of it or to deflect from his own failures (consciously or not), then his development is extremely shallow.

Even though many young people would love to make a complete separation from their parents, through age and self-reflection they will come to realise that they still are and forever will be the child of their parents. Children (that grow up with their parents) are always in one way or another, more or less, a constructed result of their parent's upbringing. There is truth in the saying that the children will become like their parents, no matter how much they try to be different and whether they want it or not. That might not be in the way the children think or expect. xD That Laxus hasn't realised that yet or come to terms with it - that I forgive him. He is still young. xD

Long story, short meaning: As much as I love the moment, I would have loved for Laxus to go through a much deeper development process and emerge wiser and mentally stronger. He drips raw muscle power, I wish he had attained the same internal character strength.

Also, just in case people thought I hadn't noticed: BEST COVER IN AGES! Ivan looks even rather handsome in comparison to his other appearances (canon or spin-off). xD

Also also, I probably forgot to talk about much more or maybe even got things wrong... and maybe there is still more to come, like a off-hand comment here or there. But I just couldn't contain myself any longer... xD

[vake-hunter]

Fingerking and Devil lore post!

Spoilers for the Parabolan War, Heart’s Desire Endings, Nemesis Endings and Sunless Skies

So what are the Fingerkings anyway?

"We live behind the glass, the Fingerkings. Parabola is ours. If you want free passage of this place," it says, "that comes only from us." It flicks your ankle with the tip of a forked tongue. "Trust that I am the least dangerous of my kind."

It speaks other names. Orts. Boil. A Spire. Be cautious of these beings and places. Show respect, and do not make demands unless you are willing to bargain. 

— Dome of Scales, Occupied in Parabola; Fallen London

What about the Devils?

"After the Well of the Wolf," he says, "the Devils could no longer remain in the sight of the Judgements: not if we intended to live. We escaped through Caduceus into Parabola, the place that is not; and from there onward. We were a people in exile. Not strong enough to take a place and hold it for our own. Not weak enough to be welcomed as refugees. It was an intolerable time and I take no pleasure in remembering it." 

— Ask him about his memories of Caduceus via The Repentant Devil; Sunless Skies

Hold on, back up, The Well of the Wolf? What happened?

Revolution.

"It was a waste," the Repentant Devil says. "The protests, the peaceful fights and the violent ones. We were never likely to win by those methods."

You wait.

"Control what something consumes," he says, "and you control what it is. The feeding of stars is a delicate art. I had spent centuries in cultivating them, studying their palates, watching for evidence of their responsive growth. I had influence. Now, how much can any Devil say the same?" 

— Ask more about rebelling against the Judgements via The Repentant Devil; Sunless Skies

So the Devils and the Fingerkings met in Caduceus.

[...] 

The devils swarming into Parabola longed for many things: for souls, for escape, for their own deaths and the things that waited beyond each death. The Fingerkings saw their longing, and welcomed them as food.

The devils were bargainers, contract-writers, enemies of the stars. The Fingerkings saw their nature, and welcomed them as allies.

The devils were hollow, skin-shedders, eternally in chrysalis. The Fingerkings saw their capacity, and welcomed them as salvation.

— Receive the story in the form of cascabel venom via The Dome of Scales, Occupied; Fallen London

The Parlous Knot was the greatest Fingerking-congregation of its time: vast, numerous, indivisibly loyal.

It was the Knot that arranged the treaty. The devils would dwell in Parabola as long as they wished, but one day, they would depart, carrying any Fingerking who wished to possess a devil.

This Fingerking before you is descended from the Parlous Knot; it hatched on the day the bargain was fulfilled.

— Ancestral Stories via The Dome of Scales, Occupied; Fallen London

Aeons passed. The devils were in no haste to go. They built furnaces that scarred the land. They traded with Irem; they changed Irem. They searched the mirrors endlessly for a suitable destination in which to hide themselves, but always that goal remained out of reach – until they found the Neath. Until the first person brought the first looking-glass below.

Then they were ready to leave Parabola. Fulfilling their bargain, they opened their mouths to the Fingerkings, offering them transport into the Neath.

But the inside of a devil is too changeable, too corrosive. A Fingerking cannot survive in such a place. The Parlous Knot was dissolved in the gullet of a Grand Devil.

The devils returned alone to the Is, unpossessed, and the Fingerkings remained, trapped without change.

— Ancestral Stories via The Dome of Scales, Occupied; Fallen London

Slightly different text of the above from having certain qualities

With Vengeance Nemesis Ending:

Aeons passed. The devils freely used the hospitality of Parabola. They defiled the land; they let the Parlous Knot grow old waiting for them.

At last the day came when the devils were prepared to leave, the moment for them to enter their Hell.

All the Fingerkings gathered, the Parlous Knot first of all. The scales of its snake-cohabitants had faded to silver and grey; the eyes of its members were glazed like marbles. But weary and eager for Being, the Parlous Knot climbed into the gullet of a grand devil–

And expired there in agony. The devils cannot be possessed. They cannot house a Fingerking. They must have known this. They must have traded on it. They must never have intended to honour the bargain.

They must be punished.

They must be followed and punished.

In the name of the Parlous Knot. For the sake of every other who ever accepted a contract with a devil.

With Escape Ending of Heart’s Desire: 

Aeons passed. The Fingerkings waited. The devils built furnaces in Parabola, and laid down trade routes. The Fingerkings waited. The devils looked into mirrors, and considered new homes, and did not choose any of them. The Fingerkings waited, though patience is not in their nature.

At last the devils saw the Neath. Their destination was chosen! Their escape was selected!

There were so many devils that every Fingerking alive would have an escape. But as a matter of respect, the first possession was offered to the Parlous Knot, for it had formed the treaty, and it had lived into a great old age in the hope of seeing it fulfilled.

But a grand devil swallowed the Parlous Knot into a pit of corrosion and absence: for there is nothing in a devil that can sustain a Fingerking. The Parlous Knot perished, in the sight of all its descendants, down to the smallest egg. And the devils went laughing into the Neath, and not one Fingerking escaped with them.

With Time Ending of Heart’s Desire:

Aeons passed. The Fingerkings waited. The devils built furnaces in Parabola, and laid down trade routes; looked out of mirrors, and considered new homes; and for generations searched for their new Hell.

When they discovered the Neath at last, the Fingerkings proved unable to possess them. To be swallowed by a devil was death and dissolution. A Fingerking lives on desire, and a devil cannot sustain it. It was the death of the Parlous Knot.

This story is told in venom and fury, but you are able to know the tale without being drawn in. You too have bargained everything for time. You have known the devils' side.

With the Impenitent Devil:

"Make no bargains that you cannot enforce," says the Impenitent Devil, when you have framed your question. "We did not betray the Fingerkings. We upheld our side of the bargain. When we left Parabola, we offered every one the chance to dwell inside a devil. Sadly, they did not find their new homes hospitable. We are not easy to possess. Not, at least, for such insubstantial creatures."

The Fingerking lifts its head to hiss at him. He pays it no mind. "How is it our fault if they did not understand what they asked for?"

He does not say the devils were ignorant. He does not say they made the treaty in good faith. He does not say they believed they could rescue the Fingerkings.

So bargains? 

"We always keep our bargains," says the Serpent of the Dome: almost affronted, perhaps, by any suggestion they might not keep a bargain with you.

— Purchase a greater freedom of the place via Dome of Scales, Occupied; Fallen London

[...] But this Fingerking is young, small, greedy. It has made its bargain without being ready for the dangers. [...] 

— An Illusion, Viewed from the Audience via The Dome of Scales, Occupied; Fallen London

The Fingerking is waiting, wide-jawed, for precisely the correct moment to open Parabola to the audience volunteer. Only the right victim, in the right state of mind, will bargain with a Fingerking, and allow himself to be possessed.

The victim must be at once anxious and bored, eager to be on-stage and sure nothing will happen, jaded with London and wishing against hope for some glimmer of cosmogone.

It is like waiting for the guards to leave their posts; it is like waiting for fruit to ripen on the vine.

But here, the moment's come. The victim's longing is intense, their doubt overpowering. Now, now, precisely now, the Fingerking lets them through the mirror, to the place where all dreams are true…

— An Illusion, Viewed from Behind via The Dome of Scales, Occupied; Fallen London

Devils are known for making contracts and being experts of loopholes and law. They are often lawyers and tricksters. They are known to be selfish and dangerous. 

Fingerkings do trick people in order to try to possess them, but it is just as dangerous for them as those they are possessing. They have to be strong enough, through feeding off emotions, in order to do this. It also seems the person needs to be willing, even if they are misled. They must agree to the bargain. 

Okay but what about roses and honey? 

We know Devils tend to roses, they do so all over. The walls of Hell are the only place Exile’s Roses can grow. Prisoner’s Honey is made by Lamplighter Bees who have pollinated these specific roses. The honey takes people to Parabola, where like dreams and glass, they can be led astray by Fingerkings. 

Order Serpentine from Knife-and-Candle says that the Devils did this on behalf of the Fingerkings, as a deal where the Fingerkings will give the Devil’s part of what they gain. 

…THE LITTLE SNAKE asked the grumpiest bee in both worlds for help. And the bee said, why should I help? And the snake said, I will give you one-fifth of all I gain thereby. So the bee thought, and he said, in a far place there grows a rose. And that rose…

— Order Serpentine, Sorrowful

...THE ROSE, WHICH IS CALLED EXILE'S ROSE, has a property of passage. So shall I brew a honey from its dusts and pollens, and the honey shall be sweet, and it shall bring those who taste it, here to your dwelling. And sometimes they shall stay forever. And the little snake was very pleased with all the new friends the honey brought, but... 

— Order Serpentine, Lachrymose

[literaryfic]

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: 빈센조 | Vincenzo (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Vincenzo Cassano | Park Joo Hyeong/Hong Cha Young Characters: Hong Cha Young, Vincenzo Cassano | Park Joo Hyeong Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, vincenzo leaves, set five years after he left sk, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, vincenzo and cha-young are exes, they were in a relationship before, Fake/Pretend Relationship, jealous!vincenzo, Jealousy

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO @trynatalktou FOR BEING THE BEST BETA I COULD’VE ASKED FOR. THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO HER!

Summary: Time stops, or so it seems. Vincenzo is petrified, beautiful statue of a man turned into stone. Her eyes follow the high bridge of his nose, the sharp angle of his jaw and the curves of his slender hands gripping the coffee mug. Ah, she thinks. This is how Pygmalion fell in love with Galatea.

listen to this spotify playlist while reading if you want to suffer

Cha-young doesn’t dream that night; she barely sleeps 5 hours before she finds herself knocking on Vincenzo’s door at 6 am. She can’t help it, being in a room just underneath his, so close after all those years apart. Yet, she doesn’t want to show him mercy. She’s here to torment him, the way his absence had tormented her for years. Maybe she wasn’t thinking clearly, maybe she probably shouldn’t seek him out first, or at all. 

In reality, Cha-young knows damn well that she’s trying to find an excuse to be with him, not that she would ever admit it to anyone. 

So there she is, pounding on his door at 6 in the morning. He stands there, wearing one of his expensive pyjama sets, dark circles sitting under his eyes. She can’t quite tell if she’d woken him up or if he hadn’t slept yet.

“Did you even love me?”, she greets him. Good morning is overrated anyway. 

He sighs, letting her through. “You know that.” 

“No, I don’t. I don’t know anything anymore, Vincenzo.”

She stops in her tracks, the world suddenly spinning around her. He’s standing behind her, a mere arm length away. She’s stuck in his gravitational pull, a planet orbiting around its sun. The sharp sensation of her nails digging into her palms is enough to get her moving. She sits on the couch, the same one she’d sat in just a few hours ago. 

“I did. I do.” He clears his throat, looking away. “Love you, I mean.” 

She nibbles on her lower lip, trying (and failing miserably) to ignore his use of the present tense. He loves her, still. She shakes her head. 

“Well, you seemed to be living well without me.”, her expression turns sour. Was it love to hope he’d grieved her loss as much as she had grieved his? 

Vincenzo finally settles in the chair facing her, running a hand through his hair. “There was a point where I wasn’t sure… I wasn’t sure if I would make it.” He winces. “During that time, my only salvation was knowing each day brought me closer to death.” He looks at her, gaze so intense it pierces right through her heart. 

She scoffs, “And I’m the dramatic one, huh?” 

That gets a laugh out of him, and suddenly they’re back where they first started, complicit smiles and knowing looks - them against the world. 

“Coffee?” he asks, eager to keep up the pleasant atmosphere. There’s still a lot that needs to be said, but she relaxes her shoulders, welcoming the lighter turn their conversation is taking. 

“Yes, please.” 

He busies himself with the instant coffee, that same yellow brand he’d gotten hooked up on while they worked together. “So what have you been up to, exactly?” 

“Jipuragi Law Firm just opened a new office in Busan, things are going well. It’s nice, we get to help people who need it. Probably not as exciting as being in a mafia war or whatever.” 

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” he gives her a cup of coffee and sits down next to her on the couch. There’s a safe distance between them, but there’s no point trying to shush the deafening beat of her heart. “Your father would be proud of you, Cha-young-ah.”

“You think?”, she sips on her coffee. She looks up from her mug, only to find him examining her face. His lips curl in a soft grin, and Cha-young thinks that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be so bad if she kissed it. 

The loud ringtone startles her out of the daydream, and she’s not sure if she’s supposed to be annoyed or thankful. She picks up the phone. “Mmh. Okay. See you soon,” she drags out the last word, using the endearing tone she reserved for those closest to her. Mr. Kwon, her assistant, was asking her to eat breakfast with the team. 

“I have to go.”, she tells him, getting up from the couch. 

He takes her mug from her, “I didn’t realise you were here with someone.” 

She hears it loud and clear, in the way he fakes nonchalance and keeps his voice cautious. He’s asking her if she’s with someone and part of her wants to reassure him that No. There is no one else beside you. But then she thinks of the countless times where she’d cried herself to sleep, memories of them echoing into her mind and his absence carving a hole into her heart, and she can’t help herself. He had wounded her fatally and it was her turn to injure him. 

“Mmh.”, she’s not lying, technically. She’s there with someone, with people actually, just not in the way he means. 

Time stops, or so it seems.Vincenzo is petrified, beautiful statue of a man turned into stone. Her eyes follow the high bridge of his nose, the sharp angle of his jaw and the curves of his slender hands gripping the coffee mug. Ah, she thinks. This is how Pygmalion fell in love with Galatea. 

The empty mug drops to the ground and the spell is broken. Brought back to life, Vincenzo collects the shattered pieces of the cup, and of his heart, too. “Is he a good person?”. Unlike me, he means. 

Cha-young has to remind herself that he deserves this, that this is his fault. “Mmh”, she repeats. “He is.” 

He’s back to the coffee station, his back to her. “I’m happy for you.”, his voice is tight. 

“Thank you.”, she’s almost at the door when she stops. “Maybe...Maybe we could be friends.”

He turns around, finally facing her. The distance between them, from one side of the room to the other, feels insurmountable. 

“Perhaps. If that’s okay with you.”, he answers. 

She doesn’t know what to say, so she stays silent. Is it possible for them to be anything else other than a tragic ending? 

“Perhaps. If that’s okay with you.”, he answers. 

She doesn’t know what to say, so she stays silent for a while. Would it ever be possible for them to be anything other than a tragic ending? 

She finally settles on a simple, “See you around.” An open ending, then. 

She’s cursing herself out the moment she leaves the room. What was she thinking? Cha-young had just lied to Vincenzo about being on holiday with her imaginary boyfriend. No, she corrects herself, she had simply misled him and he should’ve known better. 

She could picture it already; his aggravating smirk, raised eyebrows and insufferable “Oh, is that so?”, after she’d have to inevitably come clean. If only she hadn’t been so impulsive. Vincenzo would figure out her motivations the moment she’d admit to the lie; she wanted to see him jealous, to make him think she was doing better without him, that she was over him. He would see through the façade she had worked hard to maintain. 

Flushing at the thought of the colossal humiliation she would suffer, Cha-young scolds herself. Focus. This was a war that she needed to win. Like a general preparing for battle, she squares her shoulders and summons her most loyal soldier.

“Hey, it’s me. I have a favour to ask. Can you be my boyfriend for the next two weeks?” 

<>

At 37 years old, Kwon Ji-hwan considered himself to be a resilient man with a good head on his shoulders. In the four years he has been working for Ms. Hong, carrying out tasks outside of his job description was far from rare. Those included, but were certainly not limited to: picking her up after she’d drunk too much, infiltrating a yoga class to seduce a corrupt official’s wife, impersonating a law enforcement officer and hijacking an ambulance. In Ms. Hong’s vocabulary, a “favour” almost always meant something illegal. Despite her… methods, Ji-hwan enjoyed working for her greatly. The hours might have been long but the satisfaction of winning against the odds of powerful corporations made up for it. Also, the pay was really good. Still, as used to her antics as he was, he would’ve never expected her to ask something so absurd of him. 

Sitting there, in Ms. Hong’s hotel room (which, by the way, was way nicer than the regular ones she’d gotten for her employees), Ji-hwan cannot believe what he’s hearing. 

“Let me get this right,” he says, adjusting his glasses with his index finger. “You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend in front of your ex, who you’re obviously still in love with even though it’s been FIVE years—” 

“Yah!” 

“—because you want to make him jealous. Did I miss anything?” 

“That pretty much covers it.”, his boss replies, not even bothering to look ashamed. He looks at her, shaking his head. “So, will you do it?” 

He sighs, “What did this guy do to you for you to be so hung up on him after all this time?” 

He was not expecting the sorrow on her face as she answered, “He was there for me during the worst times of my life. We went through hell and back for each other. And then, one day, he left without saying anything.” 

“Wait, just like that? He didn’t even break up with you?” Ji-hwan raises his eyebrows. 

“Nope”, she accentuates the ‘P’. “He simply wrote ‘Live well.’ on a napkin and I never heard of him again. Until now.”

He scratches the top of his head, “What a fucking jerk.” She laughs, it’s rare to hear Ji-hwan swear. Finally, he rolls his eyes. “Fine, I’m in.”

“Yes, I knew you wouldn’t let me down. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She’s doing her little victory dance now, shaking her hips in the least graceful way possible. Like every time his boss convinces him to blur the line of what is morally acceptable, Ji-hwan is regretting this already.

“If I said no, you would have threatened to fire me anyway.” 

“You know it.”

[xpeachesncream]

off the grid | eight

summary: it was as simple as swapping places with a stranger from across the world to get away from everything back home. that is - until you meet Jimin. things become more complicated as he unfolds a new chapter in your life that you were initially trying to avoid.

pairing: reader x pjm

genre: post-college au, christmas/holiday au | angst, fluff, smut (to come)

words: 2.1k

chapter warnings: cussing, more insecurities and overthinking, crying, mom and dad to the rescue, your friends back home miss you, reminiscing

> series masterlist <

You woke up at the usual 8AM time, looking out at the city view from the bed, checking your phone to see if anything new has popped up. Christmas had finally arrived in Seoul, the sun beaming bright and early. You and Jimin hadn't talked since that night you got into an argument and to be honest, it had been taking a toll on you the past few days. You cried, and you cried. Still unsure of what to do and how to approach this, but you knew sooner or later, you were just going to have to pick yourself up and move on. Thinking about it still left this uneasy, empty feeling deep down.

You were going back home.

The month flew by in a breeze, but overall, you were grateful for your experience here. You were grateful for the new friends you met and the adventures they had taken you. You were grateful having crossed paths with Jimin, being the absolute angel he was. The amount of love and care he had showered you during your time together was more than anything you have ever experienced before. It was unreal. Golden. Pure. Unlike any other.

"Hi baby!" Your mom yells through Facetime, causing you to chuckle as you held the sheets tighter against your body.

"Hey ma, where's papa?" She flashed the camera over at your dad, who was sipping on wine next to her. They sat in their hotel balcony, overlooking the view, waiting for Christmas to hit London since it was only 11pm there.

"Hey sweetheart, how's Seoul?" Your dad asks from his seat, but your mom is hogging the camera, so you can't even see his face.

"It's good."

"Yeah? It's already Christmas there, right? Merry Christmas, sweetie!"

"Merry early Christmas to you and dad." You smile softly.

"We'll definitely do our own thing when we get back."

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it. How has London been?"

"Absolutely amazing. We wish you were here, but Seoul sounds awesome too!"

"Yeah, it is. I've been having a lot of fun since I've been here."

"I see that, I loved all the pictures you've been sending me. Are you hanging out with your new friends today?"

"Um, probably not." Your smile fades as your eyes drop down from the camera to your fingers.

"Oh." Your mom picks up on the mood change quickly. "What's wrong, sweetie? What's on your mind?" You sigh. Those words are triggering; so triggering that as soon as you register that your mom has asked you what was wrong, you break down in tears again. "Oh no, honey. What is it?"

"Mom, I think I messed up. Or, maybe it's my fault for getting so attached. I-I knew what my plan was coming here and I just messed it up for myself."

"What are you talking about?" You hear your dad faintly ask your mom to include his face in the camera too, being that he's worried about you and your well-being as well.

"I shouldn't have gotten so attached to Jimin." Your mom and dad were well aware of who Jimin was, being that you gushed about him and how well he had taken care of you during majority of your stay here. They were happy you had met new people and that you bonded well with them because they knew what you were going through back home. However, they weren't ready for this conversation to happen.

"Oh, honey." She slightly clicks her mouth, the expression on her face filled with worry and concern.

"How stupid am I? I knew I wasn't going to be here for long, but I still pressed on it. I continued on and acted on my feelings for him. And now he probably doesn't want anything to do with me cause I told him this was never going to work. What if he thinks I misled him?"

"Look, you aren't stupid. You hear me? You are not stupid. You can't help what you feel for someone, no matter what you do. It's worse to push that aside and try to suppress it instead of tackling it head on. You'll be miserable doing so."

"But mom, this distance. Don't you think it'll be too difficult?"

"Nothing is ever too difficult, honey." Your dad chimes in. "Every relationship will always have its ups and downs. It will always be a ride no matter what. You just have to figure out if this is worth it for you, because if it is, then none of that matters. You will get through it together."

"Did I mess it up? Was I wrong for telling him that this will never work?" Your mom sighed.

"Your dad and I can't really tell you what to do or what to say in these situations, sweetie. You're the only one who truly understands what you're feeling, no one else. Do you feel like you misled him?"

"I fell in love with him, mom." You cried into the phone, your voice becoming weak.

"Oh, baby." Your mom replies. "I wish I could give you a big hug right now. I think you need to take time and think about this before you come home."

"Just remember that there isn't anything you can't overcome, honey. If he makes you happy, then you should welcome it. Let yourself experience that happiness." Your dad chimes in.

"Whatever you do, we will always be here for you. Same with Namjoon and Yoongi. But, please just choose yourself for once. Be selfish. Do whatever that means to you. It's completely okay to do so." Your mom says, making you nod. Be selfish. The words stuck to you like glue. Do whatever that means to you.

You continue to talk to your parents for a bit as they spill the details about their whereabouts since they haven't sent you as many pictures as you have with them. You were glad they were taking time off and really enjoying themselves, they truly deserved it with all the hard, endless work they have been putting in back home. After the call, you finally head downstairs to get washed up and get yourself ready for today, or whatever the day had in store for you. There wasn't anything open, but you felt like a walk around the neighborhood could do you some good. You just needed some cool, fresh air.

This wasn't how you expected to spend your Christmas, but you were partially to blame. The thoughts flooded your head, the what if's. All of a sudden you were full of regret, feeling like you made the wrong move by pushing Jimin away just like you did. You were (and still are) scared. You were so fucking scarred from your experience with Romeo that you couldn't even bring yourself to appreciate a good man when he came along, and that's what you hated the most about this long-time fight you've had with your past.

If you were to fix this, you weren't sure how. You didn't know if Jimin was done. You remember seeing the hurt plastered on his facial expression and it kills you every time. As much as you were afraid to take this leap, you fell in love with someone who had the purest soul. You couldn't forget how easy he made it seem to care for you. How easy it was for him to show you how he felt. For once, someone showed you that you were perfect how you were, flaws and all.

What did you truly want?

"It's Christmas there, right? Merry Christmas, Y/N!" Yoongi yells loudly over the Facetime call.

"Merry early Christmas to you guys, too."

"You excited to come home?" Namjoon flashes his face into the frame.

"I guess so."

"How do you feel?"

"Better than when I got here, that's for sure."

"That's all that matters, right?" Yoongi asks, still concerned about you and your whole situation with Jimin. To be honest, your friends really wanted you to be happy, but they too weren't going to tell you how to live your life. They just wanted to make sure you were set with your decisions instead of drowning in regret.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"What are you going to do today?"

"I'm just going to start packing up my things and cleaning around Yana's spot. Just gotta make sure it's ready for her."

"Where are you right now?" Namjoon squints his eyes as he's looking at your background while you walk.

"Just talking a walk around the neighborhood."

"It looks beautiful there."

"It is. Truly."

"Well, make sure you rest and relax today. You're going to be on a long flight back home."

"Ah, the dreaded 13-14 hour flight."

"We'll be back to bugging you in no time." Yoongi flashes his gummy smile with a thumbs up.

"How's Yana been?"

"She's been good, she's pretty excited to go back home to see her family and friends though." Namjoon and Yana had also taken their relationship to new heights, something you wish you were bold enough to do with Jimin. Joon tried to spare details so he wouldn't make you feel bad about everything going on, but as long as he was happy, you were happy too.

"That's good. I'm glad she really enjoyed her time there."

"She sure did." Namjoon wiggled his eyebrows

"You're sick, bro. The fuck." Yoongi furrowed his forehead and slightly shoved him. As you started to make your way back to the loft, you slowed your pace when you realized there was something sitting on the doorstep. You rose your eyebrow, unable to make out what the item was from where you were standing.

"Hey, look, I'll talk to you both later, okay?"

"Is everything okay?" Joon asks. You send him a reassuring, toothless smile and nod.

"Yeah, I'm just about to get into the loft."

"Alrighty, Merry Christmas again, dude. Can't wait for you to get back." Yoongi replies, with Joon yelling another 'Merry Christmas' greeting before they end the call. Getting closer, you see a tupperware full of food, with a sweater and a small box on top of the sweater. Your heart drops because as silly as it sounds, you knew that tupperware. There was a small note taped to the lid of the tupperware that read 'Mom told me to feed you well.' You smiled a bit to yourself before unlocking the door. You brought the items inside, placing them carefully onto the kitchen island before observing the sweater and box closely. You also knew that hoodie all too well - it was the same black, Stussy hoodie you always pulled from his closet to wear whenever you were hanging out at their apartment. You always liked how his smell lingered on the hoodie, and how he looked so damn good throwing it on. Opening the small box, you find a tiny, black album, full of polaroids. You instantly find yourself in tears, your hands slightly shaking as you flipped through the polaroids Jimin had taken of you during your stay here. Most were candid photos of you, but there were other polaroids that included him, Jungkook, Taehyung, Hoseok, Jin and their other college friends. Your eyes landed on the last polaroid in the album, remembering that moment clear as day. It was at the tower and Jungkook had taken over Jimin's polaroid camera, snatching a photo of you and Jimin with the view of Seoul behind you two. Jimin held you closely, his arm wrapped around your waist, while he planted a huge kiss on your cheek. You smiled from ear to ear as you wrapped your arms around his neck, closing your eyes at how his lips felt against your skin. A note from behind the last polaroid fell out, causing you to crouch to the floor in order to grab it.

Y/N, Merry Christmas. If it's one thing you can do for me before you go back, please hold onto these and remember me. Remember the friends you made and remember our time together.

I'll always hold you close, no matter the distance.

- PJM

You felt your entire body sink against the kitchen island, no longer being able to bear the weight on your own two feet as you cried. And you cried, and you cried. Jimin was everything you had been praying for, the one man who you knew could treat you right and give you the world. There was no hesitation. All you wanted to do was run into his arms and apologize, stay here longer, be selfish. But, you had no idea what was stopping you. Maybe it was the fact that you had everything back home, and you weren't sure if this was too big of a step for you to take.

But God, you would never forgive yourself if you allowed him to get away.

So let's revisit that question one last time: what did you truly want?

[my-mt-heart]

I dared to ask if those who ship Carol and Daryl should also support both characters individually, and the response was overwhelmingly negative. My inbox is flooded with messages assigning blame to either character for "destroying" the relationship because of "x" and "y" reasons, and not gonna lie, it's making me really sad. Instead of responding to each one individually which is bound to have everyone up in arms, I'm just going to address bits and pieces here. 

Some of my fellow bloggers have put on their intersectional feminist glasses and tweed jackets to weigh in on these two lovely characters, which is fucking amazing. Internalized misogyny needs to stop. Psychological trauma needs to be taken into account. It's great that we can personify characters to make them feel more relatable, but at the end of the day, their mental and moral qualities are still being controlled by outside forces, aka the writers. So. For my purposes, I am going to focus on the writing because it's important.

It is [insert Daryl's or Carol's name here] fault that Caryl hasn't happened yet because [insert bad decision made here]. 

Good writers let their characters' emotions drive the plot, not the other way around. Not once throughout the entire series have Daryl and Carol simultaneously been in the right state of mind to organically spark a romance. What happens when you try to force it when neither character is ready? I’m pretty sure you end up with something resembling Daryl and Leah. 

 I'm not going to get into the weeds of "but if only this had happened instead of that, then maybe--" It's just not productive. In my opinion, everything Daryl and Carol have experienced thus far -- trauma, loss, etc. -- have been vital to their journeys, together and apart. 

Daryl already told Carol in 10x16 that he'll never hate her and that she's still got him and now suddenly he's mad at her again!? 

The reason it feels like backtracking is because it is in a way. In order to give Daryl and Carol a proper story in these "not supposed to exist" episodes, the writers had to carve out an emotional journey that could believably still get them to wherever they initially wanted them to start off with each other in S11. Will the progression feel a little unnatural? Yes, but dipping into the valley of their relationship to try to get to the root of their issues is a hell of a lot better than putting their story on pause with barely any interaction (a la S6-S8). 

Carol can do no wrong. She can be with as many men as she wants and it’s ok because it’s Queen Carol. I wish these people would just admit they hate Daryl and be done with it.

Yikes. A lot to unpack there, but again, I'm going to try to analyze the writing. 

Carol has been established as a character who puts on masks, and getting into relationships with other men, though she genuinely does have love for at least one of them, is one way she accomplishes that. So supplemental to the obvious reason why no one gives Carol flack for this, that "slut shaming" is super not okay, her relationships are also believable for her character. Meanwhile, Daryl getting into a relationship with Leah raises many questions about his character, which validates people's frustration. It's not about him. It's about the way he's potentially being written. Of course, we still need to watch the episode to fairly judge. 

I get the frustration about carol getting yelled at again, but guys, I think we underappreciated just how patient Daryl was with her in 10a. She wasn’t honest with him, she misled him, and she broke her promise to him, w/o push back of any kind from Daryl. Her reasons for why she did those things are understandable. But Daryl is human too and her actions hurt him. Relationships should be equal, where both partners pain is acknowledged

Certainly. And it is not a bad thing for them to land in this position. 

Just because Daryl and Carol make bad decisions and get mad at each other does not automatically make them bad people/bad characters. It's not just about creating drama, tension, and stakes either although those are of course factors. Characters grow from their mistakes and emotional lows. Thanks to Carol losing Henry, which led to her reckless behavior, which sparked Daryl's hurt and frustration, which caused their fight, they are finally at a point where they have to confront what they mean to each other, which will get them thinking about what they want out of life, which will eventually lead to them running away together. See what I mean about emotions driving the plot? 

FYI, this post is not a "fuck you" to anyone or a campaign to make anyone feel a certain way. I'm just sharing my thoughts. You can agree, disagree, or ignore me completely. 

Now. Time to rest for a couple hours before the release of the 10x18 promo inevitably throws us all into overdrive again. 

[gryfon-spanish-werewolf]

Uuh dunno if you would like this prompt : Anna and Elsa as a mythical creatures.

Would love too see what you will write them as ^^

@like-redhead-probably I sat thinking about this ask for a long time, because while I IMMEDIATELY thought of one for Elsa, Anna’s absolutely eluded me. And I know you were probably looking for a story, but I am unable to stop myself from first EXPLAINING my choices xD

I was already thinking about the myth of the Hulder (or huldra if we’re speaking of the creature in general instead of the specific Norwegian myth) for other story-related reasons, and as I did more research, I felt like the Hulder REALLY shared similarities with Elsa.

Generally speaking the huldra is a Scandinavian myth of a pale skinned, blonde or brown haired, attractive young woman who lives in the wilderness, often luring men away with song or dance to be killed or misled, stuck wandering forever. Sometimes she’s connected strongly to water, and instead of making men lost, she drowns them. Sometimes she is described as similar to an elf or fey-like creature, with characteristics related to other Huldufolk (we’ll get to them later) such as living in a parallel world, or a world Underground, and therefore preferring caves or appearing and disappearing suddenly. Sometimes she is depicted as having a hollow back, or a cow’s tail, which she hides out of embarrassment or to conceal her true identity. Which… how cute is that?

Before the 11th century, the myths were focussed more around the Huldufolk, which literally means “Hidden Folk”. There are lots of stories as to why and how the Huldufolk came to exist, but for the purpose of Elsa I think it most appropriate to look at the Christianization of the myths. Why?:

Frozen and Frozen 2 are modern movies made by an American company and Christianity is nigh untanglable with American culture, they take place in ~1840s Norway, F1 has a dedicated place of Christian congregation depicted in said movie, an official royal crowning overseen by a Christian faith leader, and the adaptation of Frozen generally comes from author Hans Christian Anderson and therefore should take his life and society into account, etc.

The Christianized myth says that one day Eve was washing her children (presumably after Cain, Abel, and Seth) in the river, when she heard God approaching. Ashamed that He would see her kids unclean, she hid the half she wasn’t done bathing, and when God asked, “Where are the other children?” Eve claimed that she had all of them present, indicating the clean ones. This gave God pause, but in the end He said, “Then let all that is Hidden, remain Hidden.” The children that Eve lied about became the Huldufolk, unable to live among humans. These people would eventually become characterized as dwarves, elves, fairies, etc., as time and interpretations rolled on, the huldra being just one of many mythical “species”.

So. Who is Elsa? She’s a:

fictional, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, fair-skinned young woman who led thousands of men wlw to wander helplessly into the dark caves and wildlands of social media with a power ballad and a jaw-dropping transformation sequence

Okay I’m joking… mostly…

In fact my interest in choosing the Hulder for Elsa lies purely outside of any romantic or sexual appeal, especially since Elsa as a character exhibits next to 0 romantic or sexual interest across two whole movies and an additional two shorts. Indeed, there’s a reason people headcanon her as either asexual, aromantic, or both! No, the reasons I chose the Hulder are:

Elsa’s name

Her upbringing

Her duty as queen, and

Her general behavior, specifically in regards to Frozen 1, as Frozen 2 Elsa is, at times, an almost completely different character

Elsa’s name was chosen very specifically by the filmmakers because it means “God is my Oath”. Oaths are binding, heavy, and invoke the maker’s or subject’s actions and personhood in the future. In Elsa’s case specifically, it invokes divine witness: perfect for a queen, someone born to rule. A promise to be fair, to uphold, to protect, to lead, to be a dignified and honorable face for the country. And Elsa was so ready to be that… except for the powers of course. Or at least, when they became something other than a magical gift of wonder and joy. When they became dangerous. Then there comes another oath, spoken to powerful creatures of magic, the Trolls, and born from parental fear: “She can learn to control it.”

Binding, heavy, invoking of Elsa’s future. As she grows, Elsa becomes closed off, quiet, hiding in her own home. She still takes her duties seriously, but now that she has been Other’d, taught to hide herself and her curse, she is just as much shadow as person. To young Anna, Elsa must have been almost ghostlike, disappearing right when Anna thought she’d cornered her, only to reappear sometime later down the hall, out of arm’s reach.

God promised Adam and Eve that their children would inherit the earth, even after leaving the Garden of Eden. Then suddenly that changed, due to Eve’s fear and shame of her unwashed children, and some would now inherit Underground, or somewhere else entirely. The lost children of Eve had become Other’d, needing to hide, disappear, and resort to inhuman tactics just to exist. Maybe they’re jealous, maybe they're just tricksters. But it’s not their fault. And it wasn’t Elsa’s either. Another reason they are similar.

Now, it’s not all doom and gloom for the Hulder, or for Elsa. While the Hulder is generally known for her more chaotic and negative attributes - just like our favorite snow queen, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. There are a few myths that say burning a charcoal fire -instead of a coal or gas one- is most pleasing to the Hulder, that she’ll even watch over it during the night, and wake the sleepers in case something happens. If a traveler leaves supplies behind with a note or offering for the Hulder, they will travel safely. In fact, some people leave caches for her, as though to cater to specific requests. Coming across the Hulder by chance can have a multitude of outcomes, but if an astute observer spots her cow tail and mentions it, she may become shy and run away. Don’t mention the empty back though, that’s almost certain death.

Basically my point is… trade out the word “traveler” for the name “Anna” and we can draw all the similarities we want. Anna did all of those things, in a way. Anna gave Elsa a little gift of their favorite snowman every Christmas. Anna knocked on Elsa’s door and spoke to her, treated her kindly despite the distance between them, literal and metaphorical. It’s not hard to imagine that Anna left little notes around the castle, hoping Elsa would find them, read them, and know that Anna still loved her, still missed her. And, well, hopefully Anna wasn’t setting any fires and falling asleep next to them - but Anna always kept a light on for Elsa, in her heart. And it flickered and wavered sometimes, but it was a strong fire most days. And we know Elsa was always drawn to it, drawn to Anna because she loved her right back. Loved her first, even. And because it was a warmth that pleased Elsa, she tended it, quietly, carefully, warmly. Like putting a blanket over an Anna that had fallen asleep in the painting room, refusing that slice of chocolate cake so Anna could have two desserts, and listening, for hours and hours, days and days, for the sound of Anna’s glorious bonfire-like soul outside her bedroom door. Even when her secret was revealed, Elsa believed that the best way to protect Anna’s life, her flame, was to distance herself, running to a secret, special place all her own - much like the Hulder might run away back to the Underground.

And this last part’s just me, but I’d like to think that if the Hulder was treated kindly, respected, and given dignity, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if someone came across her accidentally. That instead of being instantly drowned, or the Hulder becoming sheepish and attempting to run, it would feel recognized. It could be called by name. And instead of feeling the need to hide it’s Otherness, it could be treated as part of it, and cared for just the same. I don’t even need to be subtle here: Anna called Elsa by Name, really saw her, and reframed her darkness into light. Anna hasn’t fought God yet, but she did walk through hell and back for a sister that everyone else saw as a threat, monster, and sorcerer. A category 9 Other. Too bad for them, Anna’s got a Category 10 heart.

Speaking of. We finally got to Anna.

Anna was difficult to pin down because to me, Anna is so very, very human. That’s what makes her special! Yes, yes, you could throw any mythical creature at Anna and the fun part would be trying to make it work within her personality and characterization BUT since the question was Anna AS a mythical creature, that changes the game! The word ‘creature’ itself tends to conjure something distinctly INhuman. So I…. tried, and cheated maybe a little. Because I picked for Anna the Norse Valkyrie.

Most people know what Valkyries are so this one takes significantly less explaining. Valkyries are women that are warriors, shieldmaidens, and the hands of Odin, and they choose who lives and who dies during battle. Their chosen dead ride with them to Valhalla, while those they choose to live are usually granted honors in life. There are the darker sides of Valkyries that paint them as blood hungry maidens waiting on the sidelines before a war, singing the names of who will die with glee… but generally speaking the version of Valkyries that most people know and admire today are accurate! And thank goodness because attempting to depict Anna the other way would probably give me an ulcer.

Anna, much like the Valkyries, is a woman of valor and strength, who is perceptive, guides others, sees into people’s hearts and reveals their goodness. Valkyries are also warriors of prowess themselves, and Anna in Frozen 2 with that ice sword? We all know she was ready to use that for real. She also exemplifies traits that Valkyries both look for and have! Bravery in the face of danger: hello Marshmallow, Elsa’s own blizzard, Hans’ lethal sword strike, LIVING MOUNTAINS, and a damn collapsing.... dam. She also defends those who cannot do it themselves: saying publicly that, “My sister is not a monster… she was scared, she didn’t mean any of this,” even if that cast suspicion or doubt on herself, and the crown, as a whole. Anna knew and believed in Elsa, despite all the years and heartbreak and anger. Despite the impossible magic that literally just happened before her very eyes. Belief in character, despite appearances. And once they were reunited, Anna made every effort to stay by Elsa’s side because she STILL had that faith in her. Anna’s name means “Grace” or “of Grace”, and damn if she didn’t extend that to the person others found most unworthy, even to Elsa herself. Valkyries see what others don’t, and their decisions are final.

[Deep breath] SO! You asked for Anna and Elsa as mythical creatures. You got… a small academic paper, by social media standards xD. I intend to write a little piece about a Valkyrie who encounters the Hulder on the edges of a battlefield and… realizes she never made a choice about this particular woman. And wonders why she can’t ;). BUT I didn’t wanna leave you hanging any longer. Hope you like my choices!

Oh also, nobody asked, but Kristoff is a werebear. No research required

[theyungrose]

Chrysanthemums and Daisies (Roman Reigns/Jey Uso X OC)

A/N: More Chrysanthemum and Daisy for the TL today. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Rematches and Realizations

Daisy stayed with Chrysanthemum for the remainder of the show talking with her sister about her match and other things, but not once did she bring up Jey. How could she? The last thing Daisy needed her sometimes holier-than-thou sister believing is that she was only focused on finding love, especially her first night on her show. Not only that, from the looks of whatever intense exchange her sister and Roman had before she walked in, that part of the locker room wasn’t really friendly territory. At least to her. 

Still, she couldn’t forget the gentleness in his chocolate eyes, the smooth velvety feel of his skin, or the dreamy butter voice he spoke to her in; even for those few seconds. Admittedly Jey hurt her feelings a little bit with the way he reacted to her after her match, it’d brought her down from her victory high quite a bit. Could she blame him though? His cousin was a tyrant. 

“What boy are you thinking about now Daisy?” 

Chrysanthemum lightly hit Daisy over the head with a beanie before pulling it over her head.

“No one...”

“My ass little girl, who is it?” 

Daisy giggled jumping off her big sister’s desk. Chrysanthemum was the perfect balance of mom figure and older sister when she wanted to be, a trait she had perfected over the years. 

“There’s no boy mom. He’s a man.” 

With her back turned Daisy couldn’t see Chrysanthemum roll her eyes playfully. She had to see Daisy finding a love interest here coming, she found love interests everywhere. She was in love with the idea of love, and as cute and sweet as that was, it was just as dangerous. 

“Well you make sure this man doesn’t become the reason I have to yell at you too. I was so proud watching my sister’s hand get raised for the first time on my brand.”

The duo continued to suit up for the cold December air awaiting them outside. Right before they were about to leave, Daisy decided to run to the bathroom one last time.

“Daisy I will leave you here if you’re not back in five minutes.”

Daisy grinned kissing her sister on the cheek.

“You won’t though.” 

In all honesty, Daisy was actually looking to use the bathroom before the flight back to Georgia, but the smallest part of her hoped Jey was still here. Hopefully he wouldn’t regard her the same way if he was.

“Daisy...” 

See? All it took was a little patience. 

Jey had almost missed her, Daisy was on her way back to her sister’s office when he ran into her at the end of the hallway. He was dressed to leave himself, decked out in a black beanie and heavy black winter coat.

“I thought I had missed you.”

Daisy just smiled as she looked up at him, hopefully he didn’t find her slight infatuation with him creepy or disturbing. 

“Almost, I was just about to leave.”

Jey leaned against the wall they were standing next to, admiring the smaller woman in front of him. He tried hard not to make it too obvious, but he couldn’t help it. From the moment her small hand had touched him the way she did when they first met, it was as if she’d placed him under a magic spell. Her beauty enthralled him, the soft tone she spoke in sounded like singing in his ears, and he was sure those emerald green irises could tame a savage beast.

She herself, was magic. 

“I’m sorry about how I reacted to you earlier, when you tried to talk to me. I know you were only trying to help.” 

Daisy nodded clasping her hands in front of her.

“I know. It must be hard having to live with that everyday.” 

“It’s torture actually.” 

Daisy felt the urge to reach out and touch him but she quelled it, partially scared of how he might react. She yearned to comfort him though, to take some of that heavy burden away. 

“He acts like this around family too. Not just my brother, everyone. I’ll never understand how you can just turn on family like that, as if we weren’t here for you when no one else was.” 

Jey’s head began to droop again, and just like he’d secretly hoped for, her hand lifted it back up again, bringing his eyes back to hers.

“I’m sorry Jey, that must be terrible. No one deserves to be treated that way.” 

Jey responded with a soft smile, avoiding his mistake from earlier tonight and allowing her hand to stay there for as long as she wanted to. 

“Do you have a ride to the airport? I assume your heading home for the weekend.” 

Only then did it occur to Daisy that Chrysanthemum was still waiting on her, probably with smoke fuming from her ears as she was not one to wait. 

“Yeah I am, I have a flight to Atlanta in a few hours actually. As for the ride, if you’re offering...” 

“I’m on my way to the A too. There’s this little underground burger spot I know about where we can wait until morning.”

Daisy grinned tucking her hair behind her ears. This wasn’t an opportunity she was going to give up by a long shot, even for a road trip with her sister. They had plenty of times for those, and she figured without having to go the extra mile to drop her at the airport, Chrysanthemum could stay here in Maryland where she lived. 

Unfortunately, big sister didn’t share the same sentiment.

“What do you mean you have a ride? Who are you riding with?”

Daisy was never one to lie to her sister, but this time she knew her late night date with Jey depended on it, and while sisters always came before misters, tonight, quite frankly it was quiet for all that. 

“I’m gonna drive myself to the airport. That way you don’t have to make the extra trip.”

Chrysanthemum raised her eyebrow crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Little girl, I drove you here today. How are you going to drive yourself anywhere?” 

Now, Chrysanthemum was no dummy. She could add two and two and get four; whatever guy had her deep in her thoughts a short while ago obviously had found her while she went to go pee (or she found him) and now she wanted to ride with him instead. A silly and hasty decision on the part of her sister, but not one she could fault her for. She was lovesick and young one time too. 

“I know that look, that means you understand. Thank you sis I love you!”

Daisy ran up to her sister and wrapped her in a tight hug, placing a long kiss on her cheek before grabbing up the rest of her things. Chrysanthemum didn’t say anything as she packed, but right before she ran out the door she spoke up. 

“Daisy.”

Daisy stopped mid-stride before her handle could touch the door, silently praying Chrysanthemum hadn’t changed her mind. 

“Does he know we’re sisters?” 

Daisy glanced over her shoulder, noting the subtle worry on her older sister’s face. 

“No of course not. No one does.” 

Chrysanthemum nodded giving her a small smile. 

“Keep it that way.

The conversations between Jey and Daisy seemed to stretch on for hours. She loved the way he chuckled a bit at his own jokes, and he loved the way her eyes were focused only on him the entire time he spoke. Being the quieter twin of the Uso duo, he wasn’t used to that much attention, but Daisy watched and listened to him as if he was the most intriguing man on this Earth. And to her, he was. 

Admittedly, Jey would be lying if he said it didn’t surprise him how fast Daisy took to him. Daisy was gorgeous, absolutely stunning to be exact, she had the kindest spirit he’d ever come across, and with those green eyes she could have any man she looked at. Yet, here she was with him. Jey didn’t want to imagine how different life would be if he’d never taken the time to talk to her earlier, or if he hadn’t found her before she left the arena. He wondered what good karma allowed the universe to bless him so. 

“Why are you staring at me?” 

Her soft voice pulled Jey from the trance he’d unknowingly fallen into while speaking to her, and he realized that he was indeed staring at her with his chin propped up on his hand. 

“Sorry Daisy I didn’t mean to stare. I think I just got lost in your aura for a moment...you’re just magical girl.” 

Daisy smiled softly, pushing her chair back so she could rise from her seat. Jey looked at her questioningly as she slid her warm hand into his, urging for him to stand with her. Slow holiday music played from the speakers in the bar’s walls, and as she pulled him under the ambient lighting in the middle of the space, Jey realized that she was silently asking him for a dance. 

There were a few other superstars from Smackdown gathered in the bar with them, but as Jey glanced around at them no one seemed to be paying much attention. Daisy smiled into his chest as his body finally relaxed against hers and his free hand slid along her side to cup her back. Now closer to her than ever before, Jey took in the notes of vanilla and amber in her scent. The softness of her straight hair against his cheek. 

It was then that Jey started to realize the magic he held in his arms, and soon he was convinced that meeting her tonight was no coincidence. Daisy was a free, gentle spirit, warmth and love exuded from the depths of her being, and Jey knew then and there he only wanted that warmth and love for himself. She was a fragile snowflake that had tumbled down from the heavens into his hands, and he would protect his fragile snowflake with his life if he had to.

He would hold her in his hands forever, just as he did now. 

Meanwhile, Daisy couldn’t have been any happier. She’d trusted this feeling from the moment she felt it, and her intuitions had not misled her. She knew the energies that drew her into this man was not to be ignored, and now here in his arms, she felt safer than she’d ever been. His arms around her were like her favorite comforter wrapped around her naked body with the heat going.

There couldn’t be a more perfect ending to this perfect day.

*****

Fast forward a few days and it was Monday Night Raw, and as promised Roman interrupted McIntyre in the middle of his promo and demanded a rematch from Survivor Series. Drew didn’t pass up the opportunity, and with a few verbal jabs there was security overcrowding the ring to keep the two men from tearing the other to shreds.

It would have to wait until the end of the night.

Roman knew in the back of his head that this wasn’t a good idea, and Paul surely wasn’t allowing him to forget. He knew Drew was almost an impossible feat to overcome, he’d barely succeeded the first time. He knew this. To attempt it twice was simply put, a stupid idea. Nonetheless, Roman was here strapping up for his match because he had something to prove.

More specifically, something to prove to her.

Chrysanthemum had occupied the Samoan’s mind since the last time they spoke. As a man, a woman that attempts to challenge his power should offend him, and offend him strongly. Yet, when Chrysanthemum spoke, even as she was ripping him a new ass, he was undeniably drawn to her.

Her power matched his, only his. The way she walked and carried herself through life, he admired it. She was the alpha female if he’d ever seen one, and the only one worthy enough to hold her hand was the hand of the Chief.

When he reached the gorilla for his main event match, he was pleasantly surprised to find her standing in the corner beside the curtains. Even more surprising, she’d changed her hair. The usual raven black was now mixed with a light honey blonde, the splash of color bringing out the bright features of her face.

“I’m assuming you’re here to watch your champ go main event?”

Chrysanthemum smirked at his cocky tone, on a worse night it would’ve pissed her off, but even she would admit she was happy to see him.

“Actually I’m surprised you showed up at all. You’re usually more stubborn than this, at least that’s what I’ve heard.”

Chrysanthemum had been this close to him on Friday, but this time he was shirtless. Hair wet down his chest and shoulder, dripping water down his abs. It was a little bit harder to maintain her composure. At least a smidge.

“Well I’ve got something to prove to you tonight little mama, and I’m never one to disappoint.”

At the end of the day Chrysanthemum was still a boss woman. She was here only to represent her broken brand and bring some power and respect back to it, which was the only thing Roman needed to focus on. This wasn’t about whatever Roman was trying to make it about, and she would show him mercy if-and only if- he walked out of here the victor tonight on his own. Polynesian God or not.

He was still just a man.

Roman noted the sudden straight expression that covered Chrysanthemum’s face, and secretly he hoped he hadn’t offended her.

“Don’t call me little, Reigns. And don’t embarrass me either. I’d hate to walk out of here with a loser.”

Just then Roman’s music echoed through the Superdome.

“I think that’s you’re cue...champ.”

Roman smirked down at her as they walked past each other, him towards the curtains and her towards the computer monitors. They shared one last glance as she sat down at a desk and pulled a headset over her ears. With those full pink lips she mouthed...

Make me proud.

And boy did he.

As promised, Roman gave Drew the ass whooping of a lifetime. It was like watching a man with nothing to lose yet all the world to prove, and Chrysanthemum loved every second. He dominated damn near the whole match, and in the small moments where it looked like Drew had the upper hand, he came back ten times harder.

As soon as he hit Drew with a deadly spear in middle of the ring, Chrysanthemum knew it was over. But its when he didn’t go for a pin, that’s when she knew she had him wrapped up like a toy on Christmas. 

When Drew finally stood up Roman nailed him with another spear more deadly than the first one. Then with a white fire in his eye Roman hit him with a third, nearly snapping the poor Irishman in half.

“That’s a man on a mission there.” One of the producers said.

Chrysanthemum could only giggle and grin to herself, knowing she was the reason why.

@lavitabella87​ @oncetwiceandoveragain​ @msbigredmachine​ @stellarollins​

@saccreigns​ @fatedxdestiny​ @thewrestlingobsessor​ @bigpsychicbagelauthor @jasmine03322​

[itsmattsunshinehere]

here I come with another request, if it's okay with you. how about the reader being aoba johsai team manager and are playing twister?Can you also make the reader really into it but Oikawa makes her slip and lose the round?(but not in a bad way, just playing and also because he was losing to her) Thank you

Sure! It was fun doing it :) also I didn’t know if you wanted Oikawa to have a crush on reader or not and you didn’t specify if it had to be a scenario or an headcanon. Hope you like it anyway!!

-L

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Twist and shout.

Oikawa Tooru x reader.

synopsis: we all know Oikawa Tooru doesn’t like to lose but flash news either you do.

word count: 1.3 K

tags: fluff

~~~

"Iwa you're stepping on my hand!"

"Oikawa, Hanamaki! I know you're looking at my ass, stop it!" thank god you changed in time and wore your sweatpants.

"You have no proof." the brunette replies you.

You snort annoyed, causing a slight laugh in the two. You don't remember who had the brilliant idea of playing twister, sure is that you curs him now, as well as you curs yourself for accepting.

You should have stopped them as a manager should do, but you have the bad habit of getting caught up by the third-year and getting dragged by their idiocies. The coaches had warned both you, the captain and vice-captain that you would be training alone, as they would be busy all the day in a meeting with other coaches about the volleyball tournament you would have in a few months. They had therefore decided to leave the training that afternoon in your, Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s hands, sure that at least you would not be misled by the boys and supervised the team for them, preventing the boys from being crackheads and skip the training. Unfortunately for the coaches, they put their hopes in the wrong person. Thinking about it, if you're manager of the Aoba Johsai volleyball club there's a reason and it would be that you love to joke and play with them too: you're a dork as much as they are, you love fooling around with these idiots.

It's just you, Iwaizumi, Oikawa and Hanamaki. Matsukawa had immediately given up participating, saying that he’s too tall to play, Watari became the judge and Kyotani had simply ignored y’all, having much more fun seeing you twisting. Kindaichi had lost after a couple of rounds, Kunimi had withdrawn in the first round, claiming he was way too tired to play.

Watari turns the hand again and this time it's Iwaizumi's turn to move his right hand to a blue square. Unfortunately, although the boy is an amazing spiker, he isn’t as amazing when it comes to moving on the board and loses his balance, falling to the ground and being eliminated.

Hanamaki can't hold back a laughter, same for Matsukawa, who looks at you with the rest of the team sitting on the floor; unlike them you try to restrain yourself, not wanting to offend your friend. The ace, not appreciating the comment, moves his leg and with a sort of trip let the other wing spiker fall, eliminating him too.

"That’s not fair! It's not my fault, Iwaizumi pushed me!" protests Hanamaki in vain, but Watari shakes his head ignoring the complaints, while Iwaizumi chuckles.

It's just you and Oikawa left and you know what this means: you'll have to be even more careful; you know that he’ll try in every possible way to make you lose. You're both very competitive and neither of you want to lose to each other.

You go on for another twenty minutes to move your arms and legs, twisting as much as possible and ending up in the strangest positions, most of them embarrassing, provoking the laughter of the rest of the team, who instead enjoys taking pics and making fun of you, trying to distract you and make you lose your balance. Despite the respect you know you've lost from your kohais (or at least definitely kunimi's), you're still having a lot of fun and letting yourself be dragged by the stupid jokes of your friends, making your audience on the gym floor laugh wholeheartedly.

By now you are almost at the end of the game: you feel it as Oikawa tries to keep his balance, failing miserably; you see him wobbling all the time next to you, as he tries to reach the yellow square under your belly. Even though you're having fun, you still hope he falls so you can win and finish the game, clean and tidy up the gym and finally go home. Unfortunately for you, the setter isn’t of the same idea: Oikawa has no intention of letting you win and if he has even the slightest chance to win, he certainly will not let it slip away. That's why, while reaching the square he shoves you, dropping you first and him shortly after follows you on the ground, ending the game.

"Oikawa! You bastard!” you yell at him, trying to hit him as hard as you can, while he is weighting on you.

“It was an accident; I didn't do it on purpose, you know how honest I am.” He claps back, looking at you with an innocent smile, while he's still lying on you.

"Liar! Hope you don't kiss your mom with that mouth." You reply annoyed, accepting the defeat and pushing him away with your hands on his chest, in an attempt to move and breathe a little.

The boy bursts out laughing and moves from you, getting up on his elbows and getting back on his feet, then stretching out a hand to help you get up. You accept it, but with a cunning smile, you pull him down, causing him to fall face-to-face on the board next to you, provoking laughter from the other players.

"Wow captain, you're so graceful even when you fall!" howls Makki with laughter, followed by Iwaizumi.

"I didn't think you could lower the level of your dignity even more Oikawa, and yet here we are." The middle blocker piles on by mocking him and you give them another sincere laugh, attracting the attention of the boys, not used to seeing you so carefree. Sure, you like joking with them, but you rarely laugh so openly, that’s why they are so shocked.

"C’mon Oikawa, we need to tidy up the gym." You tell him with a smile and this time you offer him your hand. He looks at it hesitantly and you raise your eyes giggling, when the captain decides to squeeze it and you get up together.

That being said, you start giving orders and you all get together to clean the court and remove the net that at the beginning of the training you and Iwaizumi had put on, oblivious to what the others three had in mind. Although you haven't used the gym for training, you still keep everything in order, then you make the game disappear in your school bag, deciding to giving it to Oikawa once you’re out of school. When you're done, you go to the lockers and change and finally wait for the boys out of school, pulling out the phone and answering a few messages.

"Y/N-chan, are you still here?" You hear Oikawa calling you by the typical nickname he gave you, you put your phone away and instead grab the game from the bag.

"I wanted to give it to you back so that you can put it back wherever you, Hanamaki and Matsukawa found it." You tell him with a smile that he returns.

"We should play twister more often if you're in such a good mood, Y/N-chan."

"Am I always that serious?" you ask him, curious to know what does he think about you, and seeing him slightly embarrassed you can't avoid giggling.

"A little. It almost feels like you never have fun." In response, you burst out laughing. It doesn't bother you that they have this idea of you, even though you know it's still not correct: in fact, you hang out almost every Saturday with your friends to have fun.

"On Friday night we from third year always organise an evening board games at Iwaizumi's house, why don't you join us? Since you are a third year too." He asks you out of the blue and you think about it for a moment, then looking at him with another sincere smile you nod.

“I’d love to."

~~~

part 2 (kinda)