#the knowledge that the people who are really able to change the situation keeps turning a blind eye...

[dawnlitbouquet]

I had the displeasure of seeing the post in real time and I was honestly planning to just curl up in miserable silence, but I figured I may as well share some spectacularly specific quote tweets I had taken screenshots of in anticipation of the original tweet getting taken down.

[leeofthevoid]

Cold-blooded Beings - Part 2

Farleigh Start x Reader

a/n: Hello all! Super huge thanks to those who helped me change my perspective and gave good criticisms on the last chapter. I hope you liked this one, took a bit longer to write but a bit more slow. Might re-edit later and think about the kissing scene. Not Beta Read.

Warnings: Mentions of Alcohol, Strong language, Sex, Nudity

Word Count: 1951

|| Part One, Part Three, Part Four

Alcohol and Money

You weren’t a stranger to the Cattons’ wild side. They were known to throw parties, banquets, and get-togethers that could turn very out of hand after a few rounds of their expensive alcohol being passed around to people as young as thirteen. This rave or club was not any crazier; sure, there were a handful of borderline public sex acts going around, and people here were under the age of twenty-five, but it really had nothing against the Cattons.

Felix wasn’t known to be a guy to keep his hands to himself. He took his chance to steal you away from the guy you were making out with to get you dancing, his hand roaming while his other hand held his beer bottle. You didn’t mind; he was always like this, always a tad bit too touchy, just like the rest of them, save for Sir James. He was always childlike and in his own world.

“Why’d you steal me from Mr. Hottie, Fee?” You asked or screamed at him over the music. He chuckled and scrunched his nose. “Can’t have you doing sinful things you might regret.” You laughed as you swayed your hips to the music, dancing with him. “A bit too late for that, Fee. Been doing some very sinful things since I last saw you Love.”

“Color me impressed. You better tell me all about those,” he said with a wink while pulling you closer to him, leading you to the bar where Farleigh was eating some random guy’s face out. It was a little more quiet and a little bit more organized than the dance floor, a good chance to have a breather and enjoy the atmosphere. Felix slid away to order a few drinks for you when Farleigh pushed his little gent away. He looked so disheveled, with swollen lips and lust-filled eyes. My, my. These boys really grew into their family antics. “A little more snogging; I thought you’d be eating him, Farleigh.” He scoffed playfully and pulled you to sit on his lap, wrapping his arms around your waist, and resting his head on the crook of your shoulder. “If you could call it one; he was so bad. Probably better than Oliver, but fuck, it was so bad.” You gave him a few head pats as you teased him about his weird knowledge of Oliver’s kissing techniques when Felix handed you your drink before walking away to probably look for Oliver. Oh god, Oliver… It was crazy how you caught a glimpse of him staring at you while you danced with Felix; he was just gone so fast when you wanted to call him over. Kind of creepy.

“How was your little date with the cockless duo?” Farleigh whispered in your ear, teasing and all. You situated yourself on his lap in a way that you’d be able to see what his face looked like. That mischievous glint and smirk on his stupid face were laughable but also seriously? He just had to remind you? “Got stood up by the Math know-it-all and the lifeless writer.” Bastard.

“Jesus, Farleigh, your mouth needs cleansing.” He found humor in your censorship. Honestly, though, why do you even defend those two? You'll never know. “Oh come on! That other guy looked like he would have fucked his mom if he had the chance.” Your face twisted into a horrified expression, mouth hung ajar from the atrocities he’s telling you. “Farleigh! Is there any way for you to not say such things?” You slapped his chest, grumbling underneath you as he laughed his heart out.

“You know… Not to be one with a savior complex, but I do have an offer that’s a little tempting.” He bit his lower lip, rubbing small circles on your exposed thighs, the feeling making you shiver. You tried to play it cool by drinking some of the mimosa Felix gave you while looking at him, challenging his confidence that barely wavered.

“Do you Cattons have a kink for being handsy with childhood friends?” Farleigh chuckled as his hands traveled further up your dress. “Maybe? Is that bad?” Of course, that didn’t stop his hand from playing with your thighs and squeezing them every once in a while.

“Maybe. So… about this offer to relieve my heartache from being stood up by Oliver and Michael?” You put your drink down to wrap your arms around his neck. His eyes dropped down to your lips, heart beating fast under your hand resting on his chest. “Well, I’m not one to pity people, but you seem to be a lucky one.” He seemed to wait for your first move, but his eyes betrayed him. He looked like he was ready to pounce at any given moment anyway, and you loved the tension. Slowly sliding your hands up and down his exposed chest, you closed the gap as painstakingly slowly as possible. He rolled his eyes and closed the gap himself, earning him a small gasp from you.

His lips were soft and warm. He was delicate yet vicious as he sucked on your lower lip, hands on your back and thigh. He tasted so… different and so good you just had to pull him closer, as close as humanly possible to appease your hunger for him. He tasted like cigarettes with a hint of mint and oranges. What the hell has he been consuming to taste this good? This is probably the alcohol; for sure the alcohol making you insane and loving every second of your kiss. He slowly slipped his tongue into your mouth, swiping down your lips then nibbling with his teeth. You sucked on his lips, earning a faint groan, tightening his hold on you.

You pushed him with a smirk on your face, slightly shaking your head while he tried to pull you back. “Free taste could only give so much.” You whispered in his ear as you stood up from his lap, leaving him confused and empty-handed. You danced more that night, had a few more drinks, and woke up in a stranger’s bed. It was normal. This life was normal for you, but what about the plaything Felix found?

After a few weeks of hanging out with Felix and Farleigh, you were embarrassingly worn out on the tutoring session Mr. Ware told you to facilitate while he was out of town. Oliver seemed a little more confident and laid back now that Felix influenced him so much, but you can’t help but notice the little cracks this shy little man still had. “And life, though always heartbreaking, finds a way to course through the minds and hearts of even the most loveless individuals…” You sent an assignment last week to Oliver and Farleigh, ‘Write about life as tragic as you can.’ Farleigh seemed at least prepared for this session, but he remained quiet, and comfortably sat cross-legged on the other chair parallel to yours as Oliver continued his monotone reading. “Okay, so Oliver you have improved, and I am proud!” You interrupted, “But I still think you fail to capture a little bit more of the emotions we need to fully express to the readers and listeners about what you want them to think about your work.” Oliver pursed his lips, brows furrowing deep in thought, “I just thought maybe I’d let the readers perceive it as they want. Let them have the freedom, unlike the prison life has given to them.” It was smart and very interesting, but the exercise was for them to be able to focus on the subject they wrote about. You heard Farleigh blow raspberries as he settled back in his chair. “You know, Ollie, what she meant to say was that it was boring, again. It lacked life and the lust for things surrounding the tragedy life brings us.” He clicked his tongue and looked at you.

You sighed at his observation and gave a slight wink your way. “She was right in saying you’ve improved, but you lost your objective. You think you’re so smart in deviating from what you’re supposed to do and what you’re supposed to be, that you became too complacent.” Oliver looked at Farleigh, confused and angry, standing up abruptly after a few moments, excusing himself from the room.

“Farleigh!” You looked at him pointedly and watched Oliver disappear into the hallway. “What? Was I wrong? He was still so intolerable you almost fell asleep.”

“It does not give you an excuse to bash him like that.”

“Like what?” He chuckled lowly. “Like he’s one of us? Like he can use you and Felix as safety nets?” You chose to ignore him and stood up to fix the files in Mr. Ware’s office without another word. “I see how you give him money when he hangs out with you. How he looks at you when we go and get drinks, while Felix whispers in your ear about whose turn it was. Y/N, fucking talk to me! What is up with you and that leeching cunt?”

You sharply turned around to find Farleigh behind you, looking down at you as he waited for answers. “He’s already struggling enough, Far. Felix and I just talk sometimes about how he reminds us of the little kids our housekeepers had over when my parents threw charity parties.” He looked at you with disbelief in his eyes, biting his cheek. “You’re such a fucking Martyr. You and Felix both.” He humorlessly laughed as he backed away, throwing the essay he made on the table. “Please excuse me, Saint Therese.” He turned and left the room, giving a slight sarcastic bow in the process. What the fuck is his problem? You were only being kind, just like what Mother and Father taught you. What’s so wrong about it?

That night, you talked to Felix about the whole thing. Farleigh is right and wrong. He was right and you both knew it. While you were talking, you couldn’t help but feel a wave of disinterest from Felix. Like talking about Oliver was making him bored and he would much rather talk about something else. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Felix looked up from his laptop and blew out some smoke. You too had a lit cigarette in between your lips, unable to save yourself from the temptations of its relief. “It’s just… Ollie is…”

“Getting boring?” A silence hung in the air. You were right and Felix just didn’t want to say it. “He just doesn’t feel as excited anymore, you know?” If there’s one thing you knew about Felix, it was that he had always been the type of kid who would love his toys so much at the start but discard them when they got tired of them. Right now, Oliver was the pitiful toy. “Hey, if you’re getting tired of him then it must be the same for me?” You looked at him from the other end of the bed you were lying on as he sat up and held onto your knees in a comforting way. “You? No way! No fucking way am I going to get tired of our lovely Monarch.” You rolled your eyes at the nickname and raised both your eyebrows. “Why are we so different then, hm?” The answer was obvious and it was the bloody truth. Oliver was the scholar kid, smarter than the rest, got into a good school, had enough allowance to buy cafeteria food, and was an outcast. He was not like you. He was not from your world, only dragged because of Felix and your kindness (Pity). Felix kissed your cheek after you got pulled into your thoughts and went back to talking about everything else, lightening up the mood.

Previous | Next

[nats-revival]

Not they tryna reenact KOSA… anyway yall, here’s why KOSA is bad!!

If you don’t already know, KOSA, or Kids Online Safety Act is a bill that was proposed to keep children safe on the internet. You might ask ‘why is this bill bad if it’s in favor of supporting the safety of children online’? Well, according to stopkosa.com, it puts pressure on platforms to add even MORE filters on anything they think is inappropriate for children. This is especially harmful for LBGTQIA+ youth because the knowledge about this topic would be censored, as well as knowledge on suicide prevention and LGBTQIA+ support groups. Do you see how this an issue? For those children who are wanting to learn more about these topics they’d be turned away because of this bill. It would also be likely that it’ll allow the shutdown of websites that allow them to learn about race, sexuality and gender.

This bill would also add more internet surveillance for all users across all social media platforms. It would expand the use of age verification and parental monitoring controls. These things in itself are already very invasive, but doesn’t take into consideration the children who live in unsafe environments where they are domestically abused and/or are trying to escape these situations. To add my two cents onto this, I strongly believe that the KOSA bill is an unnecessary violation of our first amendment rights (if you’re American), and doesn’t really make the internet any more safer. It actually makes it more unusable for youth. Hypothetically, if this bill were to be passed, then this would make social media unusable for literally anybody. To censor content from the youth about wanting to learn about their identity is extremely harmful. Blocking them from accessing resources that may prove as helpful in their scenarios is outlandish and unneeded. We try to shelter our youth so much to the point where we try to boil them down to only being with their parents want them to be and also not being able to let them learn and explore about other things that they may want to identify themselves with. This is very harmful.

This is a list of companies who are saying no to KOSA ..

• Access Now

• ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)

• Black and Pink National

• Center for Democracy & Technology

• COLAGE

• Defending Rights & Dissent

• Don’t Delete Art

• EducateUS: SIECUS In Action

• Electronic Frontier Foundation

• Equality Arizona

• Equality California

• Equality Michigan

• Equality New Mexico

• Equality Texas

• Fair Wisconsin

• Fairness Campaign

• Fight for the Future

• Free Speech Coalition

• Freedom Network USA

• Indivisible Eastside

• Indivisible Plus Washington

• Internet Society

• Kairos

• Lexington Pride Center

• LGBT Technology Partnership

• Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition

• Media Justice

• National Coalition Against Censorship

• Open Technology Institute

• OutNebraska

• PDX Privacy

• Presente.org

• Reframe Health and Justice

• Restore The Fourth

• SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change

• SWOP Behind Bars 

• TAKE

• TechFreedom

• The 6:52 Project Foundation, Inc.

• The Sex Workers Project of the Urban Justice Center

• Transgender Education Network of Texas

• TransOhio

• University of Michigan Dearborn – Muslim Student Association 

• URGE

• WA People’s Privacy

• Woodhull Freedom Foundation

There is something you can do to stop the KOSA bill from being passed! On the website I linked, there is a petition. All you have to do is fill out the information and it’ll send off an email for you. The email reads as follows:

I’m writing to urge you to reject the Kids Online Safety Act, a misguided bill that would put vulnerable young people at risk. KOSA would fail to address the root issues related to kid’s safety online. Instead, it would endanger some of the most vulnerable people in our society while undermining human rights and children’s privacy. The bill would result in widespread internet censorship by pressuring platforms to use incredibly broad “content filters” and giving state Attorneys General the power to decide what content kids should and shouldn’t have access to online. This power could be abused in a number of ways and be politicized to censor information and resources. KOSA would also likely lead to the greater surveillance of children online by requiring platforms to gather data to verify user identity. There is a way to protect kids and all people online from egregious data abuse and harmful content targeting: passing a strong Federal data privacy law that prevents tech companies from collecting so much sensitive data about all of us in the first place, and gives individuals the ability to sue companies that misuse their data. KOSA, although well-meaning, must not move forward. Please protect privacy and stop the spread of censorship online by opposing KOSA.

The website also gives you like a format of what you can say if you chose to call your representatives. If after reading this post, you feel inclined to do something then I would say just go ahead and do it. My first time learning about KOSA was today immediately after seeing the post I felt inclined to send my lawmakers an email. Please try to help when you can and this will only take a few minutes so I think this is something that you can consider. This post is getting a little long now, so I’ll stop here. There are more resources online if you would like to learn more about the cons of this KOSA bill, thank you for reading.

[levia-chan]

MAKING PACT

A/N: Well, for some reason Tumblr doesn't have many works with demon!MC, so I decided to try to write my own, I hope you like it :3

- No.

- MC, please think again. I assure you, this pact will benefit both of us! - that annoying sorcerer won't leave you alone.

He's been trying to get you to make a pact with him for quite some time. You don't want that. Which, in fact, led to your current situation. You're desperately trying to get away from the sorcerer somewhere far away, and he's still following you.

- I said no. Look for some other demon to make a pact with them.

It seems suspicious to you that such a powerful sorcerer is persistently trying to make a pact with you. You don't have such a high rank and you barely match the level of the fallen brothers, so why would he do that?

Solomon already has 72 demons under his control, so what would change if you joined this list? If he wants a pact with you just because you're closely related to the seven brothers, then he won't get it.

- MC, listen, I don't just want to make a pact with you. I see great potential in you! If we combine our knowledge and abilities, we can achieve a lot! Besides, we will certainly be able to learn something new from each other! - he was hoping to convince you with that sweet talk and friendly smile.

Oh, Diavolo, this man is really testing your patience.

That's it, you've had enough.

You stop abruptly and turn to face him. "Listen, I'm flattered by your desire to make a pact with me, but I doubt we'll be able to learn anything from each other. Besides, you overestimate me. I'm not that strong, and I don't want to be overshadowed by a human."

Now that he finally had your attention, he took your hand in his and gently ran his thumb over your knuckles.

- You're being too hard on yourself. You have your strengths, and I have my weaknesses. If you're still not sure, then how about showing off our skills to each other?

You wanted to object, but first you decided to weigh the pros and cons. In the end, you decided that a show of force wouldn't hurt and would perfectly show who you'd be connected to if you did decide to make a pact.

- Okay, I'm interested. But after this show, my decision will be final. Either we make a pact or not, it's up to me. Is that clear? - you took your hands out of his hands.

Solomon nods his head. He understands your conditions perfectly and will be ready to fulfill them, even if everything turns out not in his favor.

- Great! Now it remains to decide exactly where we would like to do this.

Both of you turned your heads at the same time towards the old dark forest not far from you. There is almost no one there, except for some rarely passing animals, plus it is far from the busy city.

Just perfect.

- Huh, I think great minds think the same way, - you laugh and start moving towards the forest first.

Solomon didn't mind that you were leading him. It didn't take you long to get to the middle of the forest, where you are surrounded only by earth, rocks and some sticks. You are accompanied by a light cool wind that makes the hairs on your skin stand on end, because you were not wearing enough warm clothes.

He noticed that you were shaking a little, so he immediately took his coat and draped it over your shoulders.

- Are you cold? - he was smiling as he put his coat on your shoulders. "I wouldn't want you to freeze. You still need to demonstrate your abilities, MC."

You fell into a stupor for a while. You didn't expect such gentlemanly behavior, especially from him.

- What about you? You people are more fragile. A little breeze won't kill me. Take care of yourself, wizard - you tried to give him back his coat.

The last thing you need is for him to poke you in the face what a sissy you are for the rest of the day.

The sorcerer, also stubborn, forced you to keep his coat with you. "I want you to know that I'm not like other people. Besides, the turtleneck suits me fine," he fiddled with the fabric around his neck.

Well, if he insists, then who are you to refuse?

Now that you have reached the perfect location, you have a large empty space at your disposal.

You turned your head towards him and tilted it slightly. "So, are you starting or am I?" you're flexing your fingers in preparation for the demonstration.

Solomon laughed and rolled up his sleeves to his elbows. "Come on, please, demons go ahead."

- Wow, look at the gentleman, - you smirked.

At first, you stretched your hand out and felt the breeze passing through your fingers. You put your middle finger and thumb together and started concentrating. Magic began to crackle in the air. When a ball of magical energy formed in your hand, you turned all your attention to one object.

You looked at a large boulder and sharply reduced the sphere, after which you sent this small ball to the boulder. In just a second, a rather powerful explosion occurred. Strong air currents formed, as well as debris of different sizes, which began to fly in different directions. Some even flew in your direction.

- MC! - Solomon grabbed your arm and tried to pull you away, but you didn't even move.

You looked at the wreckage and clenched your hand into a fist. The stones stopped abruptly in the air and began to fall to the ground under the influence of gravity, forming small craters.

Since the danger has passed, the sorcerer has released your hand. He breathed out a sigh of relief and looked at you worriedly. "You could have been hurt, you know? It's good that you have a great reaction."

- I know my abilities and I wouldn't do this if I wasn't sure of my own safety. But it's nice that you're worried about me when you should be thinking about yourself.

He chuckled as it was his turn to show his strength. He will prove that he is worthy to make a pact with you.

- Let's see if you'll keep thinking I'm weak. Oh, and by the way, you're not getting seasick in the air, are you? - he asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

- No. Why-

You didn't have time to finish and understand what was going on, because you suddenly flew into the sky. The only thing that could soften your fall is the edges of the trees.

Solomon was next to you in a second, but he was much better at floating in the air than you were. Watching you awkwardly hanging in the air, he covered his mouth, trying to hide a chuckle. - Well? Are you having fun?

You stared at him, kicking your legs in the air. "What do you think? You just shot me like a projectile from a catapult! And without any warning!"

- You'll get used to it soon, but for now let me help you, - he flew up to you and took your hands. He began to guide you, and now your flight has stopped being so erratic.

It took your breath away to realize that you were so high above the ground. "You don't send everyone you meet flying, do you? Because it's a great way to make enemies."

- Don't worry, I'm not that reckless, - he smiled and gently lowered you both down. "I only do this with those who are really interesting to me and with whom I want to become closer."

You fell silent, feeling his gaze on you. "Solomon, - you haven't called him that for quite a while, - if you want to make a pact with me just because I know my brothers well, then you don't have to continue. I don't like being used."

He seemed to be taken aback by this response. "Is that why you've been rejecting the pact all this time?"

-... Well.. Why else would you sign a contract with me?..

Solomon gently took your hand. "MC.. Pacts are not something you will make with someone for no reason. What I want from you means more to me than strength or power."

Your feet finally touched the ground, and you were speechless after such a subtle confession. You can't even look at him.

- It looks like I'm making things too complicated, - he noticed your stunned state. "According to our agreement, I will accept any decision you make. Pact or not," he lowered his head and looked away, preparing to face rejection.

Before he left, you grabbed his arm and stopped him.

- The pact. I want to make a pact with you.

[ri-writing]

Ri rants about Northanger Abbey

Now that I have finished Northanger Abbey, I'm reading/watching/listening to academic thoughts on it. I do not have a degree in literature, but it feels like a whole lot of people are missing that Henry and Eleanor's dad is emotionally abusive. ??? I'm not the only one noticing this, right? It seems to be The Thing To Do to criticize Catherine for thinking he's a bad dude and I'm here going, "but he IS a bad dude."

His kids are afraid of him. They pull into themselves when they're around him. Eleanor doesn't have any friends when we meet her. At one point, she's scared about being a few minutes late to dinner. In her own house. Meanwhile, Henry's got a massive ironic-humor-defense-mechanism.

Catherine picks up on this. She's aware that Something Is Wrong. Her only knowledge of the sorts of people whose children are afraid of them comes from books and she doesn't have the vocabulary to express what she's picking up on. She's trying to figure it out. When Henry finds her in his mother's room, she isn't immediately forthcoming about her concerns. He pries it out of her. She tries to change the topic numerous times; he keeps coming back to it.

It's not like Catherine ran into dinner and did a whole Grand Detective Reveal accusing General Tilney of being a murderer. She's noticed his children - her friends - are afraid of this man and she's trying to figure out why. It seems unlikely she'd have said anything but-for Henry not letting it go when he found her.

Catherine isn't stupid. She's not letting her imagination run away with her. She's got a bad feeling in her gut that she doesn't understand but her gut feeling is correct. General Tilney is not a safe person. We see this for ourselves when he turns on her and puts her in a dangerous situation. She's seventeen, and has never traveled by herself but he sends her out of the house to fend for herself. He refuses to send anyone with her, so there's no one to protect her if someone wants to rob her or harm her. She doesn't know how the public transit works. She didn't even have money to get home; Eleanor has to sneak some to her. He throws her out and he doesn't care what happens to her. (That she figures out how to get home safely evidences that she's brave and clever).

So basically: (1) Catherine's gut is suggesting this guy is a bad guy; (2) the guy is a bad guy; and (3) the guy even puts her in a situation where she could be harmed. And if something had happened to her because she was forced into this situation - if she fell in front of a coach and got run over or if something more nefarious happened - that's at least partially General Tilney's fault and would mean he was...negligent or even worse.

Have none of these great academic minds ever considered that it's Henry who changes? When Henry finally gets Catherine's fears out of her after finding her in the hall outside his mother's room, he defends his father. This is a really common thing with people who are emotionally abused (I defended my abuser for years even when I knew deep down something was off). Because the abuse is not physical, it's harder to identify. You start to think that maybe you misunderstood or are exaggerating things in your mind, that you're being overly emotional or that you're reading into things that aren't there. An abuser even knows how to play into those thoughts until you find that it is easier to explain away and lie to yourself (he cares "in his way"). Henry knows deep down that his father does not treat him or Eleanor right, but he's lived his entire life in this abusive situation. I wonder how much of Henry's speech to Catherine about being reasonable is actually him voicing the things he says to himself.

When General Tilney puts Catherine in danger, Henry's finally able to admit the truth to himself. Once that happens, he's able to free himself.

That's the book I read. I'm still not sure I read the same book the academics read.

[filmnoirsbian]

i dont know who else to turn to in asking something like this and i know its probably left of field of what you normally get but like what do you do when you know you'll never get closure? how are you supposed to move on? after a series of incredible terrible events irl last year that would require tws to explain most of my friends abandoned me for being too erratic and being unable to explain myself, some of them by dropping a wall of text of all my wrongdoings theyd never brought up before ever in the most vague way possible and then blocking me. part of me still wants to apologize but it was all so vague and my memory is so bad i dont know what i did and i dont expect them to believe that. i also have no way of even contacting them if i could figure out how to apologize for it. so like. i guess im asking is what do you do when you did something terrible you cant remember and will never learn and can't apologize for? how do you move on from something like that?

While not exactly the same as your situation, I have experienced something similar (in the vein of doing harmful things I do not/will never remember, and having to come to terms with the fact that I did and that other people involved are never obligated to forgive me nor will I probably ever be able to apologize). For various reasons (drug abuse, mental illness, etc) this is a reality that quite a few people might have to face and I think the only way to really do that is to acknowledge it happened, and do your best to not let it happen again. This might mean behavioral changes, lifestyle changes, or anything else you can actively do both for yourself and those around you. What I'll say is that you have several options ahead of you. You can do your best to somehow reach out and apologize, which your friends may or may not accept. Or you can allow them their distance and move forward on your own, hopefully learning and growing from this admittedly suckass experience, and building new, healthier friendships in the future. I know it sounds silly but you move on by moving on. I'm not saying you have to ignore or forget about this information, tbh I don't think you should, but instead place it aside with the knowledge that you may have fucked up in the past (who hasn't?) but you can always do better. Every day is just a series of choices to be better than you were, to do better than you have. Closure is honestly very rare. Real life is filled with loose strings and messy endings. But wallowing in guilt and regret and what ifs is almost always detrimental to growth. You can feel sorry--I certainly did, and likely always will--but extend yourself the amount of grace it takes to stand up and keep moving forward, knowing that the best apology, even if they never see it, is in not committing the same hurts.

[kimbap-r0ll]

Hello, Kimbap! May I request the overblot victims with an s/o who's got the ability to manipulate all kinds of electronics (computers, tvs, traffic lights) within her sight? She can also remotely control communication lines at quick speeds with this ability.

Wait that's such an interesting idea 😭 thank you for the ask! I'm sticking to the overblotters from the English version for this one ^^

Overblot students x s/o who can manipulate electronics/communications

Riddle

First doesn't really see the reason behind it, thinks it's cool but doesn't see himself necessarily asking for help

He tends to like using everything on pen and paper still, so if he has to write emails or do things online, he may ask you there. In return, he helps you with things like snail mail (his handwriting's beautiful btw)

I feel like overall he would find it to be cool and will ask you about your abilities just to learn more about you. However, he won't be needing your powers anytime soon (just more simple online help would be enough)

Leona

He will only ask for your help in the most basics of tasks like turning on or off the lights or putting his phone on "do not disturb"

Despite his lazier attitude, he's pretty alert. He knows for example if you're going to use your ability when doing homework (will ask you randomly) and he learns how you are able to manipulate electronics without asking you a lot of questions

I feel like Leona would've liked you for who you were whether or not he knew about your abilities, but nonetheless he does find it to be a pretty cool (and useful) one

Azul

He really likes your abilities and will ask you to help him create some kind of digital ordering app or reservation platform for his lounge hahaha

However he does also like learning from you about your abilities and perhaps about electronics in general (you might have a lot of knowledge on them just because you use them so often). He's still not the best when it comes to online platforms, so you can definitely help him there

He finds your ability to be fascinating! While he himself won't be needing as much help as perhaps some others, he does appreciate the little help you give him when running the lounge's digital side

Jamil

Will ask you how your ability came to be since it's really new to him. He likes learning about others anyways, so it's a nice thing for him to hear about!

Jamil might ask if you can hack into systems and if you can. For some reason I can see him going after scammers that try to target Kalim's computer haha. It might be kind of fun to prank them too

The vice dorm leader isn't the best with technology so you might want to help him out when you can. He'll deeply appreciate it, perhaps he'll make you some of your favorite foods in return!

Vil

You can turn off or block people that try to message him? Like all the crazy fans he has or his annoying manager? Great. He'll ask for your help

Vil's more tech-savvy than he looks, mainly because he has to keep his online presence so up to date. He however, likes how you can manipulate communications. He also likes that you can change traffic lights so whenever you two are going somewhere, expect him to ask you to use it

Though he may find your ability to be super useful, he still feels bad when asking for your help. He'll show you a lot of gratitude whenever you do end up helping him with something, perhaps in the form of a really expensive perfume haha

Idia

Probably the only one that uses your ability the most but you also like using it with him so it's a win-win situation

The internet speed in his room is like crazy high, some other Ignihyde students will ask how that's even possible. Like how can it just be Idia's room and specifically only when you're around haha

He would've been too shy to ask you for help at first, but seeing how he looked curious about your abilities you decided to help. Honestly now you two use it whenever you two play games together or watch anime (it's very convenient!)

[peachywritess]

Unmei | OT7

bangtan (OT7) x fem!reader

02 - curse

☁️ unmei – 運命 (うんめい): a noun meaning 'fate’ or ‘destiny’ in Japanese.

☁️ genre: royal!AU, OT7!AU, reincarnation!AU ; smut (eventually), angst.

☁️ Unmei will deal with very delicate and quite dark themes, so please if you are a minor, DO NOT interact. I will always put a trigger warning at the start of every chapter, so if you feel unconfortable DO NOT read. ☁️

☁️ author’s note: hello lovelies, author here! i'm so sorry for the delay, and i know i've already said i had a rough week,, but still forgive me ! <(qwq<) it's quite a short chapter and we're still introducing all the situation, but next chapter will be veery interesting >:3

☁️ chapter’s TW: mentions of death, blood, anxiety (guilt),

☁️ word count: 2,3k

☁️ taglist @shabbamadapot @jnghs @iriaachan;

! disclaimer - This story is a work of fiction. I do not own BTS and the description of them in this story does not want to reflect nor portray them in real life.

"Do you think we will ever be able to fly?"

Taehyung looked away, turning his head to his right, focusing on you. It was a beautiful day, a few clouds coating the sky and the sun warming the skin: spring was just around the corner. You were both lying down on the grass covered in morning dew, heedless of your slightly damp clothes. Your parents had no knowledge of your whereabouts since you should have been at the castle while they were on a business trip.

His dark eyes seemed to reflect the sunlight - if not emit it.

His face relaxed, and one hand was open to mask the sun to be able to look at you entirely; he gazed at you as one does with sunsets. Every time you spoke, a smile came to light on his lips, something that you hardly noticed since you were constantly lost in your thoughts, in your endless speeches that he - in fact - adored. He would listen to you talk for hours.

"We have conquered the seas, the oceans... Do you think we will never conquer the skies?"

You contemplated for a few moments, gazing at the blue vastness above you; your smallness was considerable compared to everything up there, but you still couldn't look away although frightening it was, feeling so insignificant.

"I really envy birds. They can do whatever they want. If they need to escape, they can..."

"You shouldn't." The man at your side breathed softly, still intent on analysing every detail of your face. "If you lock them in a cage, they become powerless and can do nothing. Whereas you, Y/N, you can change your fate."

Your gaze abruptly saddened, and you bit the inside of your cheek as if to mask that sign of weakness. Unlike Taehyung, you were certain that your fate would never change, and that you would forever be shackled by your status.

"Maybe you're right." You lied, knowing that - in his heart - Taehyung felt the same way.

Things happen for a reason. Or, that's what you're supposed to think when life kicks you in the stomach - luckily, you were never an hopeless optimistic, you always decided to face life, and strike harder.

A few weeks had already passed since your father's assassination and, although the King's guards had searched for the culprit, every attempt of finding them had been unsuccessful. To keep people quiet, and to avoid unnecessary riots, they had decided to hang an innocent for his death.

You had been forced to watch the hanging - being the only heir to the throne - and it was you who had given the verdict to the victim.

Yes, you considered that man a victim, since he had done nothing wrong and was tortured to confess a crime he hadn't committed. Nevertheless, you were used to the tapestry of lies woven by the royalty to prevent any type of repercussions.

He had begged you to let him live, but you could not stop reading the sentence imposed to him. It was your duty afterall, wasn't it? You had to fulfil it, no matter the consequences.

Call their bluff. Say something now, spare his life.

"I therefore sentence you to death by hanging for the conspiracy and murder of the King."

You affirmed desperately attempting to sound convinced of the words pouring out of your mouth. You never even managed to look at him in the eye as you falsely accused him, letting his fate come to such an abrupt end.

"Please, I beg you, Princess. Your soul is still pure, do not dirt your hands with blood."

Although his hands were chained, the man threw himself at your feet, bowing until his nose touched the ground.

"Stop this injustice, in the name of His Highness, your Father."

You swallowed the knot that formed in your throat, frowning and shifting your gaze, unable to look at him.

"Please, no! No, don't do this to me, Princess!"

Two guards had grabbed him by the forearms, beginning to drag him towards what would be his end. You had decided to look away.

"This decision of yours will have consequences, Y/N. May you be cursed in this life and the next, for everyone you love will abandon you."

A sense of uneasiness held you rigid, as a heavy weight had placed down on you. You felt crawls all over your body, prickling at your skin.

He's just a man, he said those things out of fear. You tried to reassure yourself as you beginned to walk away, steps getting faster by the second.

The moment you turned away, letting the man be taken by the guards, you met Taehyung's gaze; his jaw was clenched, and you realized he was restraining himself from unsheathing the sword and save that man. However, he could never do so without endangering you. He - as a royal guard - could not have questioned the Queen's decisions, for that he would have cast doubt on your reputation too.

He made sure you didn't notice his eyes locked on you. He didn't want you to carry another burden on your shoulders - not at that moment. He perfectly knew that you felt like you had failed him.

You walked up the steps to the balcony on which were placed the ceremonial seats used by the royal family for centuries to attend celebrations or, in this case, executions. They faced exactly the wide earthen courtyard, on which the scaffold had been placed: you almost collapsed in your chair so much your legs were shaking.

You sat next to your mother, who kept her gaze straight at the patibulum without ever looking at you. She had said that - seeing your face - reminded her of her husband and that your presence made her nauseous.

"I'm surprised you managed not to stutter."

Her tone was harsh, just as it had always been. You had no fond memories of your mother, all you reminisced was the way she belittled everything you did.

The only time you had seen her differently, was when she had learned about your father's death. You always thought that you and her were as different as you were incompatible. You believed you had greater sensitivity… But of the two, you were the one who hadn't shed a single tear.

Your mind was as if barricaded in the illusion that nothing had truly happened. You couldn't know it yet, but that apparent good fortune would reveal itself as a double-edged sword sooner than you thought.

Your mother hadn't apologised to you for what she had said - you couldn't even understand what she was feeling. The man she had married, the man she loved more than her own life, was gone forever without even saying goodbye.

Now, she was doing the same thing to that innocent's man life. Ironic, wasn't it?

"That man is innocent." You replied monotonously with your eyes locked on the marble floor. You didn't dare raise your head, fearing to see that man getting murdered in front of you, fearing to see those eyes again.

You heard the crowd cheering and clapping, and you immediately knew.

"Was." She corrected you like she was speaking to a child, "No one cares, as long as our interest is satisfied. You too should think this way, to be at least an ounce of what your Father has been."

One thing you loved was to hide in the greenhouse, located only a few steps away from the main garden. The structure had existed for several years, and was now completely abandoned. Ivy had now completely covered the large windows, allowing light to enter only through the ceiling.

The warm rays of sunlight shyly caressed the plants. Nevertheless, the most distinctive thing about that place was the presence of a nest of doves. By now, the greenhouse had become their home, and you were nothing a frequent guest.

You were crouched down so that your knees were touching your chest, and you were pouring water into the soil - a small sprout was starting to grow. You were looking at its light yellow shades, that made you wonder if it would ever change colour - it was so delicate, making you feel desperate to protect it.

As you carefully caressed the leaves, you watched your hands. You blinked multiple times rubbing your eyes, feeling like something had gotten in one of them; as your sight recovered, and the blurriness disappeared, you watched your hands again - now, you froze.

Your hands were trembling, palms right in front of you, as you saw blood covering them. You started breathing unsteadily until a hand rested on your shoulder.

You were about to shriek, yet when you turned around your heart seemed to relax and beat normally again.

Taehyung slightly bent his head to the side, watching you with a questioning look on his face, frowning. You, on the other hand, brought a hand to your chest, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Please don't do that again. I didn't hear you coming."

"Actually, I called out to you several times." He now began to shout your name as if to show what he had done to get your attention, so you shoved him slightly.

"Oh, stop it." You giggled, and his smile grew.

The dark-haired man looked around several times, eyes scanning every detail of the place to make sure there was no one there. As soon as he made sure you were completely alone, he quickly placed a soft kiss on your lips.

"How are you feeling, love?"

Being in his company always made you nervous, because it wasn't often that you were alone and - above all - Taehyung was the most unpredictable person you knew.

The longer he kept his gaze on you, the more you felt yourself consumed like wax exposed to the heat of a match.

You knew very well that, at this point, he wanted you to be honest with him: he still didn't know about Jimin and what you had been told about the wedding, let alone mentioned what the man accused of your father's murder had told you a few days earlier.

You lied to Taehyung, and it wasn't because you didn't trust him, but the reason was very simple: you didn't want to make his life more complicated than it already was. Knowing you, you thought, was the greatest of all his problems.

"I am fine, the flowers are blooming."

It was a half-truth - or a half-lie, but you were really enthusiastic for Spring to arrive. When the flowers blossomed, you finally perceived the colours of the world.

The man before you, however, did not seem entirely satisfied with the answer, as his mouth twisted slightly.

"You know that's not what I'm referring to, Y/N."

His voice was calm, but his expression was stern.

"I really don't know what you are trying to tell me, Tae. I am fine, I am recovering."

"Y/N, your father was murdered and a few days ago you witnessed the death of a man, you are not recovering."

He had a point, anyone in the same situation as you would have thrown themselves to the ground, pulled out their hair, and cried endlessly. But despite experiencing pain and an incredible sense of guilt, somehow you were incapable of externalizing it.

Every time you closed your eyes, you saw that man's face, all you did was dream about him at night. He repeated the same sentence, while his eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets.

May you be cursed in this life and the next, for everyone you love will abandon you.

"It's all my fault, I could have saved him, I-"

"What could you have done, Y/N? Turn against your mother and the Kingdom? He was only a man, nothing more."

"He wasn't just a man!" You replied, raising your tone as if to defend the man you too had failed. "He was an innocent man, he had a family, Taehyung!"

"Y/N, I understand."

"No, you don't! I let my father's death and the wedding cloud my judgement…"

You realised it almost as quickly as he did. Your eyes widened in sheer panic and before you could even think about it, one of your hands went to cover your mouth - but it was too late.

"What are you talking about? What wedding?"

You remained silent as Taehyung began to run a hand over his face, stroking his skin until it almost reddened.

"Answer me, which marriage are you talking about, Y/N."

Betrayal can stab you in the back any time; it can take your breath away.

But you were witnessing it in the eyes of the one you loved, and you only had yourself to blame.

"Tae, I am so sorry, I…" You stuttered unable to form a proper sentence.

"Allow me to interfere."

All at once, both you and Taehyung turned towards the voice breaking in seemingly out of nowhere.

"What this sweet princess is trying to explain to you is that she will be marrying me."

Taehyung glared at the newly-introduced figure with hostility, pure, undiluted anger stirred within him.

"And who the fuck are you?" He hissed between gritted teeth.

The stranger took a few steps forward, and it was then that a few streams of light lit up his face. He looked much younger, but his figure was well formed and muscular. As soon as his chocolate-brown eyes rested on you, he smiled, showing bunny-like teeth.

"Jeon Jungkook, delighted to make your acquaintance."

©️ peachywritess 2023. All rights reserved.

[verdemoun]

Okay, but what I want to know is how does Arthur and Kieran’s friendship change in the “very chill about his murder and befriending said murderer” Isaac timeline??? While I am very much hoping that not much does, you can't tell me Arthur (and Eliza) wouldn't hold a bit of a grudge for WHILE after finding out, to the point they go out of their way to keeping Issac away from Kieran/lessening his visits (which of course, eventually leads to Bessie and Hosea running interference and forcing the three to address their issues. Not just for Arthur/Kieran/Eliza’s sake, but also for their own. No way in hell will they allow their precious grandchild, who’s still way too relaxed about this entire situation for it to be healthy, to be kept from them).

How do the rest of the gang who weren't present for the initial reveal react when they do find out— if at all? Is this entire thing something only a few are privy to and kept under wraps, or does it become common knowledge?

very, very slowly.

arthur couldn't bring himself to talk to kieran for a long time or look at him without glowering, which only left kieran a mess despite feeling/knowing he deserved far, far worse. finds it really unnerving that isaac had known all these years and still considers kieran one of his favorite people and for all the times he is a little shit he has always been really kind and decent to kieran

also arthur has known kieran for 5 years at this point. he still lived with bessie and hosea after sean+lenny and their gang moved out. kieran was part of his daily life. he cares and worries about the little wimp and finds kieran delightful to be around how can that be the same person who destroyed his life

eliza absolutely forbids isaac from visiting or arthur taking isaac to hosea's on his days, which arthur agrees to. but isaac is a certified shit he's sneaking out and going to bessie and hosea's on their own and they just cannot resist grandbaby time despite knowing eliza will be furious when she finds out and isaac is still trying to check in on kieran because he knows his autistic uncle/murderer will not be handling it

arthur has to do a lot of self-reflection and unpacking because isaac in one of his tantrum about not being able to stay at bessie's weekends anymore makes the point aren't all the gang murderers you don't get to pick and choose which murders are considered bad just because it actually impacted you. arthur carries a vague sense of guilt over all the lives he ruined with his many, many, many murders over the years. acab but that was still someone's son/husband/father. he saw what happened to the downes', and how that lead to his own death (also one of the cops who is buddy buddy 'oh you' whenever isaac is in trouble is the grandson of archie downes isaac loves accidentally becoming besties with people who haunt arthur's past)

also... no one can hate kieran as much as he hates himself. nightmares about colm might leave him in a cold sweat and trembling but nights where his brain reminds him what he did? all he can do is cry because that guilt never lessened or went away. arthur sees and knows that. really, there is nothing he can do to make kieran feel worse about it than kieran already does

so they end up becoming friends again. it's sort of a thing where sometimes the anger is a fresher than usual and he'll avoid kieran for a while but he can't just turn his back on kieran because he does care about the weird little guy

eliza agrees to isaac staying nights again on the condition if anything happens to isaac she will personally be taking it out on kieran, who she understandably still hates. but even if she hates him, being around him passively it's so hard to actually see kieran as the young man who murdered her? he's so awkward and terrified of everything and pathetic. even if she hates him she would still stop to help if he was having a panic attack in public because she's just a good person.

arthur will sometimes awkwardly explain it to people who knew about isaac in canon era eg john, abigail, grimshaw (charles, obviously) but for the most part people are too awestruck by wait holy fuck arthur has a kid to immediately follow it up with who killed him and arthur doesn't make a point of telling people it was him

[lacreni]

💕 WIP Romance Week, prompt 1 is to tell about a pairing in as much or as little detail as I want 💕

So let’s talk about Kai and the great loves of his life: his wife Liana, his long term girlfriend Bree, and his on-again-off-again boyfriend Camrys.

I sometimes like to describe this as the ‘worlds worst polycule’, but Kai’s three great loves very rarely interact with each other. In fact, Bree and Liana have never even met! Cam has met both the girls, though, and he’s NOT happy about sharing.

Kaios of the Lanra is the Champion of Jenu. He’s known throughout the world of Myris for spreading his goddess’s gifts of Inspiration and Hope through his music (and to his chagrin, often being forced to employ violence against the dark forces of the Skal who prey upon despair and desperation). Despite his reputation for being carefree and licentious, the old man has managed to catch absolutely debilitating feelings for three people in his life.

Liana, Matriarch of the Lanra is from a long and prestigious royal line. This was an arranged marriage, and at first Liana and Kaios got along about well as you might expect a ten year old boy to get along with a sixteen year old girl, which is to say: REAL BAD. In the slowest of burns that took five kids and almost two decades to complete, tolerating each other turned into friendship turned into a deep and lifelong devotion.

When Kaios felt the call to spread Jenu’s gifts throughout the world, he asked Liana’s permission first. While it broke her heart to do so, she let him go on the very strict condition that he always come home. He always has, at least once a year and more often if he can manage it. As a regent who is permanently moored to her homeland, Liana very much enjoys the stories, songs, and gifts Kaios brings her every time he comes back. Liana keeps 1-2 consorts on hand to cover for Kaios's duties while is out and about, but they know to make themselves scarce when her prince returns. <3

Bonus fact: The People of the Evening Sky are a bat-winged people a little over a foot shorter than humans and tend to be build much more lithely for flying. At just under five feet tall, most places Kaios goes he is an itty-bitty funny little man but compared to Liana he’s a giant hunky beefcake. She really likes that she can tuck her head under his chin and snuggle up against his chest while their kids/grandkids climb up him like a jungle gym. This sight is so sickeningly sweet it almost killed Camrys dead.

Bree Glazier is about as far from Liana as girl can get. Born and raised in the slums of the desert city of Rin, Bree makes her way in the oldest profession. It’s a hard way to make a life, and full of dangers, so when she happened upon happy, carefree Kaios spreading his little songs of hope and joy immediately after she lost several close friends she was, er… angry, actually. Very, very angry. Fortunately, Kaios doesn’t take being stabbed personally and he was able to talk her down with a little bit of that Jenu miracle. Kaios has done that sort of thing a lot over the years, but Bree was the first time he looked in someone’s eyes and really saw and understood the kind of darkness that existed out in the world. She became the push that took him from being merely Blessed by Jenu to being a Champion.

Kai and Bree have repeatedly helped each other out over the years as their personal situations have changed, and they know they can always find comfort and security (and great sex) in the other person no matter how long it’s been since they’ve seen each other.

Camrys Reol is a very prim and proper gentleman scholar. Intelligent, cultured, and ambitious, Camrys joined the church of Fanir, god of history and knowledge, with a game plan. As a novitiate priest he quickly made himself an indispensable assistant to the holy city’s Primearch, angling to take the title himself once the old man kicked the bucket. Amongst his many very important duties was accepting, cataloguing, and forever entombing any profane artifacts brought to the vault by the Champions of the other members of the pantheon. Enter one extremely slutty short king and his stories of thrilling heroics, and Camrys immediately started to reconsider his life choices. Despite his best attempts to repress it, his one wild night with Kaios followed him all the way to his ordination, where instead of taking his vows and becoming a priest he found himself grabbing Fanir’s reliquary and hoofing it across the continent to go find his ‘soulmate’ so they could fight evil together. He was absolutely crushed and befuddled to find out that Kaios was both deeply disinterested in monogamy and happily married.

As the only divine Champion with both critical thinking AND leadership skills, Camrys appoints himself as general of the Divine Host during the Skal Insurrection. He takes his position and their mission to fight the forces of evil very seriously and is less than pleased that the man he’s obsessed with remains so irrevocably flippant and hedonistic even as the war between the Eltrin and the Skal takes up in earnest. During the Insurrection Camrys and Kaios became known for two things: getting in not-so-quiet arguments with each other and sneaking off to go fuck nasty when Camrys thought no one was paying attention.

[radiance1]

FINNALLY FUCKING FOUND THIS POST!

So I'm here to add on to this with another idea that I had, this time concerning Sam than Danny, Vlad and Pariah.

So it's been about three entire years since the Ghost King's left on their quest to find Pariah.

Three years for Danny's friends and family to question where he went.

Three years for them to panic a bit and look for him.

Luckily for them, Sam received a note from Clockwork that the two left on a quest, somewhere along year 1. Which she then told the other, leading to them at least knowing what he's doing and not freaking out over it.

Do the... sudden, change that each and every resident received from a wish, it took some time to adjust for all residents.

Sam considers herself relatively more lucky than some others, say, being turned into a werewolf for example.

Sam herself was turned into a witch, although physically she didn't receive any changes, internally she could feel a thrum of power under her skin, waiting to be released.

So of course she did want any person in her situation would do.

Ask her parents to help her obtain any and all magical tomes they could get their hands on. Hell, they didn't even have to be tomes, just anything that was known to be magical.

Her parents managed to get her what she wanted, though some people made it very difficult to get some items, most of them being museums owners but it wasn't anything enough money couldn't fix.

And promises to take extremely good care, or return them when Sam was finished.

They also, totally unprompted on her part. Got a castle built for her. Only the size of a small mansion yes, but a castle nonetheless.

She thinks they heard talking about having one to herself, but nevertheless it paid off.

By year two she managed to completely go through most of what her parents got for her, then sent back what she was done with to those who wanted it back, if it were pages that still had lingering or outright heavy, amounts of magic still on them she kinda just, used her magic to duplicate them and sent the duplicate back to the museums.

Not that they would really know, now would they? Besides, they wouldn't be able to use said knowledge anyways.

Plus it would also be pretty dangerous if someone else with magical know how got their hands on them.

Now, she isn't pointing fingers but. You know. Freakshow, for example.

Those pages of magical knowledge are ones that she kept in book, with a durability spell and preservation of each and everyone of them, along with protections on the book itself to keep them safe.

Said book is also enchanted to never run out of space for new pages, and if not for any new page, then paper for spells she would right down.

It was near the end of year 2, when she was exploring an old ruin that she got full rights and ownership of. Funnily enough, said old ruin was right beneath her castle, so no one was really going to bother her about it, especially no one outside of Amity.

Amity Park keeps to itself, and anyone outside who wants to look deeper into it is not welcomed.

It was when she was exploring said ruin that she found something... otherworldly.

No it was nothing tied to the Ghost Zone.

At first, she thought it was. But reading through whatever ancient writing was left behind and comparing both ectoplasm and this mysterious pool of substance.

She could say with full confidence that this, liquid, was truly something otherworldly.

So of course she carefully experimented with said substance. It surprised her greatly when she finds out this thing is basically a revive and health potion in one, not like ectoplasm where it gave life to inanimate objects.

Even then that would need them being infused with a heavy amount of the stuff.

Like the Fenton's coo-

Regardless, it was a surprise, but at least it was a pleasant one.

It was when she was down in the ruin, having fixed it up considerably with magic and moved her magical artifacts, knowledge and research equipment down there that another surprise happened in year three.

A few months into the new year, when Sam was minding her business, studying some more ancient tomes and items her parents acquired, that some boy, who looked at least a year older than her. Crawled himself out of her pit.

Safe to say, she wasn't pleased.

But oh was she ever so curious.

[saline-coelacanth]

I'm in the mood to ramble about my ocs so get ready for the infodump. And don't worry, I won't be going into any spoilers for s2p2, this is mainly just gonna be random thoughts and ideas that I want to throw out into the void. Also I might end up repeating some things that's I've mentioned in the past so I apologize if that happens.

Leo has a lot of self worth issues when he first joins the team, mainly because he thinks his powers are useless in the grand scheme of things. Before he unlocks his True Potential, Leo can only control paint instead of being able to manipulate the color out of objects like he can do later on. This also causes some of the ninja to theorize that maybe he's the elemental master of paint, but they later realize his powers include more than just paint.

Because Leo only knows how to control paint at first, he always carries tubes of paint with him in his little pouch that he has. However getting the paint back in the tubes afterwards is hard so the inside of the pouch is kind of a mess with paint stains all over.

Leo is actually pretty messy in general. When he was younger he always got paint stains all over his clothes and that hasn't really changed much over time.

Leo's name is actually a nickname. His full name is Leonard, but he hates it and prefers to be called Leo. He also very rarely tells people his full name.

Leo isn't very strong physically, but he can be surprisingly sneaky and clever. He can adapt to situations pretty quickly which is definitely a good quality to have when your powers lack brute strength.

Leo is also the master at downplaying his own achievements. He could single-handedly save the world and still say that he didn't actually do that much. Luckily the ninja are slowly trying to help him build up his confidence.

Leo also didn't have many close friends before joining the ninja since he preferred being alone when he was younger. He's always been a bit socially awkward so socializing is something he doesn't like doing that much.

Ok enough about Leo, time to ramble a bit about Vivey

Vivey himself doesn't know where his elemental powers came from. Like most of the kids who got their elemental powers in DR, Vivey's powers manifested after the merge.

Vivey may not know where his powers came from, but the idea that I have is simply that Bolobo decided that it was time for a new elemental master of nature. He didn't have anyone to pass his powers to but also trusted that his powers would simply fall into the right hands, so he just kinda... gave up his powers and eventually they ended up finding Vivey and he became the new master of nature. Hopefully that makes sense.

Vivey is a bit of a loner, but not because he doesn't like people. It's mainly just that he's never found anyone who can keep up with him when he's out exploring nature. I like to think that a few of his friends tried to go exploring with him but Vivey accidentally left them behind.

Vivey has always been an explorer. When he was little, he often wandered off a lot and would worry his mom a lot because of this.

Vivey also doesn't like staying in one place for too long. He doesn't really have a home, he just kinda moves around from place to place, usually sleeping out in the wilderness. Pretty much as soon as he was old enough to leave home on his own, Vivey started living like that.

Being the master of nature, it makes sense that Vivey has a lot of knowledge on nature. He's really good at identifying plants and creatures and is also great at navigating. He would definitely do that thing where he tastes dirt to try and track something down.

I also feel like Vivey would just occasionally eat dirt just because. Dirt tastes good sometimes.

I may have briefly mentioned this before, but Vivey and technology don't mix very well. Vivey is not tech literate at all, he barely knows how to use a phone. This often leads to him and Sora butting heads, but they're still good friends. It almost never turns into an actual serious argument between them.

Honestly I should ramble more about Vivey's dynamics with the DR kids, but I feel like that could be a post on it's own.

Ok I think that's enough oc rambling for now. I just love these guys a lot and I will find any excuse I can to talk about them (and also I wouldn't mind answering any asks people have about my little guys because then I could ramble about them more)

But yeah, I mainly need to work on Vivey's background some more since he's newer and doesn't have as much detail as Leo does. Might make another post about him that doesn't include Leo ramblings.

[vickyvicarious]

Yknow, despite acknowledging the racism and xenophobia of a lot of the authorial intent of these bits of Dracula, it's surprising how easily we can turn it on its head and make these "dracula helpers" be also people in a Shitty situation, hating the fact they have no real way to help Jonathan. Making the contempt for these people be something dracula intentionally plants in Jonathan's mind to make him distrustful of the people that *could* help him. Specially considering the depictions of the crucifix lady and all the kind souls in the coach... it enriches the story to make it so these folks are not actually racist caricatures but real flesh and blood (ha) humans in an extremely complex position

It does take deliberate effort to come up with justifications/alternate interpretations. But at the same time, yeah, you don't technically have to change canon to get a much better view of them - the lack of communication between them and our main characters makes their canon motivations cloudier and opens up options to pick a different one. And it really does add to the story if you do so.

Throughout the entire book, the minor characters aren't evil people. Even when they're working for Dracula, they're just doing a job and either don't know what he is (in England, the Captain of the Demeter) or are too afraid to act because they do know what he is (the locals near the Castle, the sailors). Admittedly the situation on the Demeter is a bit more complex with the first mate's likely knowledge of what Dracula is warring with his denial of it, but being in denial and being a harsh or even abusive boss isn't the same thing as wanting to help Dracula. Everyone seems to basically mean well, even if the results are often in service of evil. This actually becomes an interpersonal theme amongst the main characters, with loving and well-meant lack of communication making them vulnerable to Dracula.

Dracula has a bunch of people working for him, and they all help him out to various degrees - in addition to the ones like the people on the coach and inn who are just too scared to openly oppose him. In fact, Jonathan himself provides him a lot of help in planning and getting his legal necessities squared away, and if anything he is the ultimate proof that you don't have to want to support Dracula in any way in order to feel like you have to keep him happy. Having just a couple of "Bad People" is really out of place to the rest of the book. It would make more sense if there was a kind of 'everyone is shades of gray' complex morality on display amongst various people, but the book doesn't go there (despite all the 'heroes were the true villains all along' sequels/adaptations). It has a pretty firm stance that people are basically good and want to help one another, but that a combination of not communicating, not believing in others' capabilities, and fear leaves cracks that Dracula takes advantage of to wedge them apart. Once he's isolated them from each other he is better able to hunt them.

The lack of communication is evident among the main characters. The prejudicial ideas/lack of belief in capabilities is largely shown through benevolent sexism and ableism, but there is also some racist dismissal of foolish local superstitions at various points. And of course fear takes various forms, for oneself, for others. But if we go with a different interpretation of these people, rather than just being racist Evil Goons who are exceptions to the rest of humanity, they immediately fall prey to all three of those themes. The language barrier doesn't allow for communication. The racist ideas of them Jonathan has been told are reinforced by this lack of ability to communicate and by Dracula himself. Their fear for their own lives leaves them unable to answer Jonathan's pleas for help. His isolation leaves him more vulnerable to Dracula. It even goes the other way around too kind of, because if they have difficulty communicating (not necessarily always straight up language barrier) and people are operating on those racist assumptions that they're fine or even eager to be working for Dracula, then no one is going to try and help them either (which just as Dracula would like, potentially leaves them thinking they don't have much recourse but to serve him). The entire chase and fight at the end of the story could play into that, potentially.

So yeah, it is still a deliberate effort, because there was clearly racist assumptions/intent in the way they were written. But making the effort to have a kinder interpretations of them... It gives them a chance to be people in a bad situation, rather than racist caricatures, as you said. And that's preferable on both a personal level and for the themes of the book.

[tenebrius-excellium]

I’m reminded of just how good Trollhunters was but also of how it kinda peaked in the middle of Season 3 and went rapidly downward from then on. Those pure None Shall Live Scenes, just...every time the amulet powered up...Claire’s mystery arc of discovering magic and developing her skill without getting any instruction, unlike Jim who was tutored by both his friends and his enemies and who was able to profit from centuries of knowledge and tradition...like, the way she had to go in completely blind and find out...and the way she did so well considering the circumstances... just the top tier humor, the NotEnrique and Chompsky and Goblin bits, Angor Rot and Strickler as glorious, complex and entertainingly dangerous villains... Draal... Draal... Toby and Barbara both knowing they were not the main characters yet still doing such a great job with their respective roles... and Jim being consistently conflicted about doing what was right and wondering what it meant to be a human warrior serving non-human creatures...

...and then the parents found out.

Idk that’s when it immediately turned sour for me.

Like, Barbara never really took a stance on what the discovery of the reality of trolls meant to her - it sort of remained her son’s “thing”. But what about herself? Was it cool to her? Did it spark her curiosity, her desire to explore and research - regarding new ways of medical treatment, for example? Why’d she never comment about Strickler’s ability to shapeshift...and did she like his horns in the end? Was she ever anything else than afraid and worried for the normalcy she used to know, instead of rejecting or embracing the possibilities and the wonder of the magical world?

Then Merlin appears, and it’s fine in itself that he is the character he is. He’s quirky and iconic and doesn’t have to change. But what happened to “Master Jim was correct! We are stronger together!” (quote Blinky, from when Claire opened the giant portal at the end of Season 2)? Why did Jim continue to walk alone after so many experiences that supposedly taught him the strength of community? Heck, he taught that exact principle to a desperate Nomura who had given up on someone coming for her in the Darklands!!! Yet it’s like he fails to learn the same lesson over and over...he makes the mistake of going into a life-threatening situation by himself, is then helped by his friends, everyone including himself assumes that he will natually choose better next time and then... he keeps repeating the exact same pattern endlessly as if he has amnesia. I understand that it might take a fictional hero a couple times for a certain lesson to sink in, just like it would for a real life person. But Jim never learns (not even in Wizards, not even in Rott). It gets frustrating and boring. Don’t get me wrong, I quite like Troll!Jim now, he grew on me. But it shouldn’t have been Merlin’s influence that drove Jim to become a troll “because there was no other way”, but because Jim decided for himself that this was the best way. He should have rejected Merlin’s initial suggestion, then realized he wanted it himself. Because frankly half his life and over half of his friendships were in the troll world by then, he loved their species and there were obvious advantages to fighting Gunmar as a troll - if only to truly understand their ways. But Jim’s character development kept being dictated by outside parties and therefore, got ground to a stagnating halt. He never learned to think beyond the authority of the people who made the amulet or wore it before him. He stayed dependent on all of the destiny stuff they told him instead of considering that the amulet might have been a tool of its own mind, bound to him, helping him into the freedom of making his own choices. Of course there is the aspect of only one person being able of carrying Daylight. But Jim did not have to follow the preset course that Merlin intended it for. I wish he didn’t. And that’s why, even though I’m happy that he became Troll!Jim, the ending of Season 3 just wasn’t as good as it could have been.

Jim, sweet gullible Jim who was just a little bit too receptive for random people’s guidance because he lacked a father figure, did not learn what I was led to believe was his arc over 3 whole seasons of plot, (to discern which voices to listen to and to gather confidence in his own strength while following a destiny) and since that issue was never finished nor fixed, the creators never gave him a new arc beyond the original problem, and so... that’s why Jim grew ultimately redundant. Slowly in Wizards, at lightning speed in Rott. And that’s how we ended up with a repetitive, nonsensical cycle of plot.

While Jim’s physical action potential grew consistently without his character truly evolving, Douxie on the other hand made it a point to learn how to grow personally fast.

Love him for it. Still wish he had been the main guy in Rott. Perhaps all would have been well. :) My point is, I really miss the earlier days of Trollhunters, because they really were that enjoyable and good!!!!

[forasecondtherewedwon]

remember it once - chapter three

Fandom: The Artful Dodger Pairing: Jack x Belle Rating: T (will change) Chapter: 3 / 7 Word Count: 2900

For today's @dodgerfoxweek prompt: love letters/banter

read on tumblr: one | two

The months are long without her. Jack finds himself softening towards Sneed of all people. Following the lifesaving procedure Jack performed on Belle, Sneed has demonstrated a genuine interest in bettering his basic surgical skills and acquiring the more advanced techniques he lacks. He’s still superior, still snide, still essentially Sneed, but now he listens to Jack’s ideas and, occasionally, compliments him on his successful surgeries.

The number of successful surgeries has been increasing steadily since Belle introduced ether and carbolic acid, and with Sneed cooperating, the two doctors are able to work side by side in the theatre on the same patient. This frequently shortens surgery time, which has manifold resulting benefits: decreased blood loss, reduced risk of death from time spent under anaesthesia, shorter duration for Jack and Sneed to endure each other’s presence. Strangely, the situation has become something akin to… training each other. When Prof goes, the hospital’s power structure should actually change for the better, with two capable surgeons sharing their knowledge. Sneed will be Jack’s reliable right hand, and Jack has dreams of bringing in new doctors who will contribute to the pooling of information rather than existing in competition with one another and risking lives in the process.

Of course, it isn’t a completely smooth partnership. Sneed can be awfully Sneedy at times. Whenever he makes a dig about Jack’s reading, Jack urges him to put his own educated shoulder to the wheel to see if he can find the cure for being an insufferable git. Someone really should, he insists while watching Sneed’s mustache twitch with restrained petulance, in this day and age.

Unless he’s tending to his patients, Jack keeps his evenings for himself. He’s trying not to gamble, not to drink too much (admittedly, “too much” is an inconstant measure), not to say yes to Fagin’s more suspicious plans; anything he claims is “foolproof” is particularly to be avoided. It isn’t exciting, but nothing really is without her.

Just once during the four-month voyage that carries Belle to England, a letter is delivered to Jack. Well, it’s delivered onto another ship, to the postmaster in Port Victory, to Government house, into Fanny’s hands, and she turns up at the hospital—to his initial confusion. Since Fanny escaped marriage to the Lettuce, Jack isn’t aware of any renewed interest in Sneed. He doesn’t understand what she’s doing here. When she says she’s received a letter, he imagines the very worst and feels his face drain of blood, but Fanny launches into a description of Belle’s experiences thus far. By her tone, Jack slowly recognizes that this letter was not followed by a note about Lady Belle Fox’s tragic burial at sea. He exhales. Even though Fanny feels that she’s communicated everything, Jack asks her to read the letter. He wants to hear Belle’s words.

Tell Jack I would write to him if Mother was not watching me like a hawk, Belle writes. I forgive her, only because we have been two months at sea and even the pastimes which were initially the most novel have become dully familiar. Without a full household staff to command—and Father, crucially Father—her attention falls heavily on me. She tells me to do my embroidery and study my Latin instead of the anatomy texts she finds “vulgar” and “revolting.” This is most amusing, considering her own pricked fingers and the seasickness that rears its head whenever she attempts to read for an extended period.

“It sounds dreadful,” Jack remarks, crossing his arms.

“But you were in the Navy!” Fanny protests. “Don’t you love the sea?”

“I didn’t mean the sea.”

She may be willfully ignoring the implication that he was talking about her mother.

It is not recommended that I stand on deck, Fanny reads on, but after I had done it once, I was determined to return. Fanny, it takes the breath from one’s lungs. Blue. Everywhere. To be in constant motion, harvesting the energy of the waves. Some mornings—

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

Jack’s vision had unfocused as he listened, reintroduced to the sea he’d made his career upon through Belle’s eyes. He realizes the question is Fanny’s and blinks.

“Which part?”

“All that dreadful… air! The wet!”

“Keep reading.”

Fanny sulks but lifts the paper once again.

Some mornings, I catch the dawn. The sky is the blackest thing you can imagine, and then, suddenly, the ship and all of us onboard are born into the world. I believe we are hardly real between sunset and sunrise. Colours seem to seep up from the horizon as though the paintings you love so much have been washed in the distant water, fleshy pinks and bitter oranges rise and bleed. It is the most vital thing I have ever seen. I only wish Jack were with me. Tell him, Fanny. I can hardly believe I won’t sail from one shore and meet him at another…

“It becomes a bit… romantic,” Fanny explains, not exactly bashful, but certainly aware that she is privy to something Belle and Jack would ideally keep to themselves. “Would you like to read the rest alone?”

Ah. Then it is uncomfortable.

Before he can speak, Jack watches Fanny’s eyes widen as she recalls the disastrous dinner. She’s about to assume (only because Sneed bloody announced as much) he can’t read. He heads her off, quiet and flushed while he explains that it is difficult, not impossible. Easier when words are written clearly with plenty of space, more difficult when someone’s handwriting is cramped and smudged. He can read. It just takes time, but he will spend time on Belle, he will sit with her letter and focus and squint in order to relieve Fanny of her messenger duties.

“But what about when you want to write back?” Fanny asks, eyes searching but kind.

“I’ll ask—” But who will he ask to correspond with his fiancée on his behalf? Fanny is probably the best choice as she’s keen to support their romance, but she’s nosy. He might (he does) want to say things that only Belle’s eyes will read.

“Oh! I have already thought of something much better!” Fanny gushes. Jack hasn’t yet had the opportunity to suggest a single name.

—

“It is the images that I find so very awful,” Fanny explains, supporting this assertion with a grimace as she pages past an illustration of a grotesquely swollen tongue, “but it was the images Belle seemed to like best, of late.”

She’s installed him in her sister’s room. One of Belle’s medical texts is open on her desk, and the pair of them stand over it in contemplation. The Governor is in town and the household staff are either entirely disinterested in what Lady Fanny and Dr. Dawkins might be doing in Lady Belle’s bedroom or else they don’t care a whit. Even if they did care, Jack thinks, what are they to do about it? Most of them probably can’t read any better than he can, if at all. They certainly won’t be writing to Lady Fox to inform her of the young doctor’s latest misdeed.

“What do you think?” Fanny asks.

“I couldn’t overstate their usefulness,” Jack says, turning a few pages himself. “And I suppose they are things of beauty, when done well.” He traces graceful lines of musculature. “The detail shows an interest in precision and care, which I can certainly relate to.”

“Not of the images themselves,” Fanny complains, closing the volume with sudden petulance. “My idea! Drawing to Belle instead of writing to her!”

“I’m not sure I have your… skill,” he states cautiously, recalling Fanny’s very memorable trees. “Not to mention your instruction. You must have had tutors?”

“I did have one, but he was quite rigid. We had a difference of taste.”

“I see.”

“Have you ever drawn?” she wonders.

“A little,” Jack admits. At last, he removes his hat, setting it on the desk. He brushes a hand through his hair. “We surgeons try to keep notes of our surgeries—successful and not. Often, Hetty will take dictation for me, but if she’s busy, or the procedure’s something I did by feel rather than by sight, it can be easier for me to try to sketch what I remember.”

Fanny smiles encouragingly.

“Try, then.”

This is how he removes his coat and pulls up a chair. It is how he casts his eyes over the pencils and sticks of charcoal, the messy potted watercolours, before reaching out to touch the tools with his fingertips. Jack doesn’t notice when Fanny leaves him to it, but at some point, there is a cup of tea on the desk into which he accidentally dips a brush. He doesn’t realize until he fills his mouth with the chalky flavour of diluted paint.

It's his own palm he’s attempting to represent. He curls and opens his hand, studying the toughened skin. In his mind, he peels back time, scrubs away the callouses to peel back his very skin, remembering his palm ripped open from the ropes on the first ship on which he sailed. Jack sketches the ragged edges of the injury, the glow of abrasion. With a sodden brush, he dips into the red, then swipes across the paper, watching the wound bleed as the water spreads. He wrings some of the water out before applying more paint to the spot, getting the colour rich and real and—

Fanny shrieks from behind him.

“How awful! I mean, excellent.” She smiles in apology. “I wish I had never seen it, and I mean that as the most sincere compliment.”

“I understand. I appreciate your opinion.”

“Do you?” She looks genuinely surprised. “I can see why Belle fancies you.”

It really isn’t his place to tell his fiancée’s sister she should expect more than basic respect from any man she’d hope to marry, so he doesn’t. Fanny is much more assured in the advice she gives to him, offering blunt criticism as she points to different parts of his creation. Not unkind though.

“Again soon?” she asks when she’s done and he’s standing to go, realizing he has paint soaked into the sleeves he didn’t roll up his arms soon enough. Unusual. It’s normally blood there.

Jack nods.

—

While he’s still learning, Belle’s letters begin arriving from London. Fanny dutifully shares each one. Now that Belle has more freedom to write—physical freedom, without her mother looking over her shoulder—each letter contains the sentence “Fanny, stop reading.” Jack appreciates the honesty of Fanny reading this line aloud, though she does also frown at being excluded from the rest.

The rest.

It has to be Fanny who explained, and Jack is grateful for it. The remainder of Belle’s letters are written larger, with spaces between the letters, each word cleanly executed on the page. They’re legible, specifically for him, exactly how he told Fanny a letter would need to be to lessen his struggle.

At last, he has an account of her longing firsthand. She doesn’t speak of the engagement—there is still a risk that Fanny would spy the word, even if she weren’t intentionally snooping—but it’s clear she isn’t only writing to an acquaintance, a friend, a fellow student of the human body. That Belle refers to well enough, perhaps dangerously so, but it’s all in Latin. The switch from one language to another stumps Jack at first, but he learns to watch out for it. In Latin, Belle is both formal and erotic, and Jack finds himself angling her letters away from the eyes of Hetty and Fagin, though neither knows the language. While Belle’s sentences are stiff, the parts of the body she employs Latin to address—parts of his body, and hers, frequently imagined together—evoke visceral memories. The dusty old language can be surprisingly sensual, Jack finds, when Belle writes of skin on skin.

He responds with broken bones, chipped teeth, dislocated jaws—drawings of all the latest cases to pass through his ward, everything Belle’s missing. It’s when he’s replicating the twisting line of stitches he threaded into an elbow the other day that he has the idea to embellish beyond paint; Jack pokes through her belongings (sorry, Belle) until he discovers her embroidery thread. After that, his art becomes vivid in a way that almost astounds him, even as he jabs the needle through the page. He lays a skin-coloured wash on an arm, then raises a blue vein down its length. He adds fibre ribs to open cadavers, creeping lines of red to blood-shot eyes. When he gathers both Fanny’s art supplies and his strength to recreate the surgery he’ll remember for the rest of his days, he brings Belle’s aorta to life in crimson before sewing in the noose that ties it off. I love you, he tries his best to say. I love you all the way through.

—

Dearest Jack,

I must tell you immediately, or with as much immediacy as a letter from Britain to Australia can allow, that my mother and I will be home in Port Victory sooner than we had planned. Therefore, do not suspect me of neglecting our correspondence if you do not hear from me with the regularity to which we have both grown accustomed. I may be boarding a ship within the week. I fear my mother is being overly cautious, but as an earlier departure is to my benefit, I was hardly about to protest. The responsibility for her agitated state is mine, as I will unfold.

I’ve told you of my time at the University College Hospital here in London. As access to the hospital was key to my mother getting me here, she has allowed me to maintain a standing appointment with staff. I have observed so much and taken copious notes. Your letters also inspired me to seek out a young nurse here, who I was told had something of a talent for drawing. I’ve paid her to illustrate my notes, so that we might more easily replicate these new techniques on our patients when I am back.

Though I miss you terribly—you know I do, Jack, do not be too jealous of London’s sick and injured, monopolize my time though they may—there has been so much to learn that I was deeply frustrated by the wave of sickness that suddenly swept the city. Before you leap to chastise my response, yes, I know it was a selfish one. You see, at home, you might have called on me to help mitigate the spread of illness. Here, I am an indulged guest. I may be present at surgeries and question patient doctors, but in the case of an outbreak, I am denied entry. Foolishly, I complained about this to my mother. Rather than commiserate with me over the injustice of my being shut out when I have the time, inclination, and very possibly the skills necessary to help, she determined they were quite right to bar me. A mere two days later, she decided we had better leave them to it and sail for home while our own health is still sound.

This does not mean I have seen nothing, and, Jack, I am not so selfish as to hope this illness reaches Port Victory. It appears to be neither influenza nor typhoid. I may have been able to diagnose it with closer study, but such a thing was denied me. At least these male doctors cannot separate me from my books; I have already begun packing my trunks with all the latest literature. I know you will make time for me so that we can discuss things properly. It is an enormous comfort.

It's been more than half a year since our separation began, yet I doubt you have forgotten what awaits us upon my return. My mother will see how you have flourished in your role as Head Surgeon, and she will know how steadfast our love has been. I believe our engagement has lasted long enough. I long for us to be united in all ways.

Yours across oceans,

Belle

—

The months are slower than ever, but not even Sneed on his crankiest day can bother Jack now. When Prof finally stepped aside, as recognition for his substantial contributions to the health of the colony (To the death rate, more like, Jack thought, but resisted impertinence just this once), he was allowed to maintain his residence in the house meant to be passed between head surgeons. Braced for the worst, Jack was surprised that this didn’t mean he wouldn’t be offered the things his predecessor had enjoyed.

Instead, they built him a new house.

The day he was granted his own bed is still clear in Jack’s mind, the day he was given his own quarters at the hospital even clearer. An entire house is so overwhelming that he puts off moving in. He’s afraid of the strange and terrible objects that will fill it—spoons in the kitchen and settees in the parlour. Innumerable trinkets for Fagin to nick, no doubt. Jack will have to pretend to mind, because the best thing that will be in the house will be Belle. He can’t imagine being concerned about much else.

He takes to strolling down to the dock each morning. On one of them, Belle’s ship comes in.

[ao3gobi17]

Hey, I saw that ask you answered about how Custody would change if Spider had been taken out of the country and put in witness protection program and I wanted to take it a step further.

What if in this AU, there is a "Pandora" but it's an island or jungle region that remained uncolonized and it's still controlled by the indigenous population, basically what I did in Blood is Thicker Than Water. What if, for whatever reason (maybe someone with a grudge against Quaritch pulling strings to screw him over even more) Spider was sent to or near Pandora and was raised alongside the Sully kids. Not as their actual foster kid, but maybe more of a situation where Spider's foster family lived close enough to Pandora's border for Spider to get close to them, or maybe the foster parents are friendly scientists who visit Pandora regularly to study the plantlife there, so that's how Spider gets close. (oh wait, the friendly scientist foster parent thing actually makes more sense, cause you could just say they were Paz's friends and that's why Spider was sent to live with them, despite him being an American and the son of Quaritch). Bonus points if you keep the backstory about Quaritch committing war crimes in Pandora in the past.

How would things have been different if Quaritch had to track him down to a jungle to get him back, a jungle full of people who hate his guts and have been telling Spider how horrible he is since he was little. And in the AU, Spider still has the same calmer personality like in Custody, but he would now have the physical prowess and survival knowledge that canon-Spider has, which could make him a lot harder to capture.

Ooh now we're really getting into BITTWxCustody crossover territory! (Every other day I think about doing collabs/crossovers, I just can't figure out a way it would work in practice.)

I could see Spider's personality being quite different from Custody if he wasn't raised by the McCoskers: he'd be a bit more in tune with BITTW Spider and original movie Spider, especially if he was raised in some kind of Pandora. But given he'd still have had the same 7 initial years upbringing with Q and P then its fair to expect him to still be calmer than both those Spiders as you said.

There would definitely be Home Alone vibes with Spider turning his local environment against the intruders! I would imagine in this case that his foster/adoptive parents and potentially also the Sullys (depending on how close he was) and other residents might resist the intruders. It could get ugly fast as Quaritch and co would come armed with guns and I assume tribes who live in jungle areas irl don't favour/have access to those kinds of weapons. If anything, they'd be used to being isolated and not having to deal with outsiders. So I could picture a lot of people getting harmed or killed if they tried to step between Q and Spider. However, I do also think Spider and company could make it very challenging for Q to locate him and if they were able to radio for help, then it could be a bit of a cat and mouse chase/race against time while the authorities are rushing in. <3