#their names are well thought out trust me. everyone has a nickname here

[egberts]

wait i really badly want to know about your OCs though.... are the orange haired ones siblings... please tell us everything 🥺👉👈

well, actually, the orange haired ones are the same person. we did a rule 63 au with our ocs, the lesbian couple is our original ocs that we've had for over six years and the other guys are their gender swap counterparts

i didn't originally say this because tumblr used to have insanely weird opinions about gender swaps, which personally as a young confused/trans person that liked gender swaps, they were super toxic opinions

lately I've been more whatever about it, though, so as not to perpetuate that kinda weird puritanical take that made me feel so bad as a kid, I don't want to make other trans kids feel bad either. everyone experiences their gender fuckery differently. some people hate it and some don't, the ones that hate it need to get over it

and I'm answering this ask so boldly because with all the force fem jokes on tumblr lately and force masc talk that happened casually in the replies of a question I asked earlier, I feel much safer admitting this without fear of being ostracized

(this is the art in question for anyone curious)

[latin5mamii]

Angel - Jude Bellingham

|WARNINGS: nsfw (not too much you'll have to wait😉) Previous part |SUMMARY:How could you know that a stupid nickname could change everything? |AUTHOR'S NOTE: Long chapter (I know you love me😌) enjoy!

“Girl he’s literally the love of your life, what’s wrong?”

YES, maybe you were overthinking on Jobe's warning. You know that he, being your best friend forever, has always been protective of you. If there had been something wrong he would have told you right away, right?

The first thing you did after Jude left was call your best friend, who was sure to attack you in any way possible. So now you find yourself talking about it with her, and she thinks you're stupid, obviously, but maybe you too start to think that you're a little paranoid.

“You're right, maybe? I don't know what to think either and I'm not even sure I realized what happened."

That kiss, God, couldn't get out of your head. You'd probably been waiting for this moment since middle school, yet you managed to ruin it from your thoughts. You try to practice one of the therapies to banish bad thoughts but it obviously doesn't work.

“Y/N, let me be honest with you: just trust Jude, you know your bond is very strong and I think he wouldn't have kissed you if he didn't want to”

But that's not what you meant, unfortunately. It's obvious that if he hadn't wanted to kiss you he wouldn't have even stayed at your house to sleep, because let's face it, you both knew what would happen. What if he didn't have to leave? You know very well what would happen after that kiss. You didn't even want to confront Jude because you didn't want him to think that you don't trust him. He said he would write to you as soon as possible. Maybe you have nothing left but to trust him. Ok that you study psychology , but not everyone is definitely crazy or plotting behind your back. And anyway you had other things to think about: You probably didn't forget that he invited you to one of his games, right?

"He also invited me to one of his matches, the one in two weeks, I think"

You can hear your friend gasp in amazement, you can hear an envious but playful tone in her voice.

"Are you fucking serious? Lucky you!"

The day continued in a calm, but boring way. You were waiting for a message from him, that's the truth.

 You even thought about sending him a message, but would you seriously have done it? So you tried to distract yourself: reading, studying , trying to do anything not to think about him, about that kiss and the way he could make you feel butterflies in your stomach at any moment. 

(Seriously, could you stop thinking about him for just one minute? It’s like he’s the only thing on your mind. Oh wait, he probably is.)

The moment you finally stopped thinking about it (Or at least you think) your phone buzzed, and you, as if you've been waiting for years, take it right away, and when you read Jude's name on the screen, you can't help but smile and your heart skips a beat.

Jude: Hey Angel, hope your day was as good as mine. I can't stop thinking about you. Lunch was a drag without you.

You couldn't help but smile as you typed back.

You: Hey, lunch was boring here too. I missed you.

(You missed him? It’s only been a few hours. But hey, who am I to judge?)

A few moments later, your phone buzzed again.

Jude: Let’s make up for it then. Are you free tonight?

Your heart raced at the thought of seeing him again so soon.

You: Definitely. What do you have in mind?

Jude: How about we take a trip to the lake? We can have a picnic and watch the sunset.

You:You always know how to make me smile, what time?

Okay, maybe this message was a bit stupid, but as soon as he replies, you can see that this message was appreciated.

Jude:Built for this, ain’t I? I’ll come pick you up at 6?

You: I can’t wait

Jude:See you soon then, Angel.

You spent the next few hours getting ready, packing a small bag with everything you might need for the lake. The excitement built with each passing minute, your heart racing at the thought of spending the evening with Jude.

As the clock neared 6, you were ready and waiting. Jude arrived right on time, his eyes lighting up as he saw you.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, pulling you into a warm embrace. 

"Beautiful?" You say with a slightly embarrassed tone as you rest your head on his chest.

"I can't deny it" An embarrassed smile appears on your face.

The car ride was pretty quiet, but also stressful because of all those awkward silences that happened because of what happened earlier at your house.

When you got to the lake, you settled on a towel and he started staring at you again, not that you didn't like it.

Jude’s eyes lit up with mischief. “Ready for a swim?” he asked, his voice dripping with playfulness.

“Absolutely,” you replied, slipping off your shoes and heading towards the water. Jude followed close behind, his gaze never leaving you.

Once in the lake, you splashed him playfully, laughing as he blinked in surprise. “Oh, it’s on now,” he said, closing the distance between you with a few swift strokes.

Before you could react, he scooped you up, water dripping from both of you. “Put me down!” you protested, giggling.

“Not a chance,” he replied, his voice low and teasing. He twirled you around before gently setting you back in the water, his hands lingering on your waist.

“Alright, alright, you win,” you said, breathless from laughter.

He grinned, his eyes locking onto yours. “I always do.”

His fingers lightly tracing patterns on your skin under the water, sending shivers up your spine.

“Jude…” you began, but his name on your lips seemed to ignite something in him. His gaze darkened with desire as he moved even closer, his breath hot against your neck.

“You’re driving me crazy, you know that?” he murmured, his lips brushing against your ear.

Before you could respond, his lips were on yours. The kiss was searing, his hands gripping your waist tightly as if he never wanted to let go. You responded eagerly, your arms wrapping around his neck as you pulled him closer.

The water lapped around you as the kiss deepened, growing more passionate by the second. Jude’s hands roamed over your back, pulling you against him as if he couldn’t get enough. You felt his heart pounding against your chest, matching the frantic beat of your own.

You broke the kiss for a brief moment, gasping for air. But the second you met his eyes, filled with an intensity that took your breath away, you were drawn back together. His hands moved to your hips, lifting you slightly as you wrapped your legs around his waist, anchoring yourself to him.

"We gotta pick up where we left off this morning, yeah?" he groaned against your lips, his voice rough with need.

You nodded quickly and in an instant his lips were on your neck, leaving significant marks. You let a soft moan from your lips and you know that this is driving him even more crazy. His lips are now on your lips again, in a kiss with hunger. You have been waiting for this moment for a long time, and it has finally arrived.

The feel of his skin against yours, the taste of his lips, the way he made you feel like you were the only person in the universe,it was intoxicating.

Jude’s hands moved up and down your body, exploring every curve, every inch of you, as if he couldn’t get enough. You matched his intensity, your own hands tangling in his hair, pulling him even closer.

After what felt like both an eternity and no time at all, you finally pulled back, both of you breathless and flushed. Jude rested his forehead against yours, his eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath.

You both stayed there for a moment, just holding each other, the water gently rocking you. When you finally made your way back to the towel, he started talking to you.

"My mom... she’s been asking about you. She wants you to come to dinner tomorrow night. She misses you,a lot."

Your heart warmed at the thought. Jude's family had always been like a second family to you, and the invitation really warmed your heart, "I'd love to come," you replied, smiling.

“She’ll be happy to hear that”

He said, caressing your cheek. “Anyway, there's one more thing I wanted to ask you.” A sense of anxiety made you laugh nervously. He looked slightly more serious.

"I have to go back to Madrid the day after tomorrow," After a short pause, he continues, "And I was wondering, if maybe you wanted to come with me."

Now you are sure of the fact that most likely, at this request, your eyes widened and perhaps, your heart might have missed more than a beat. Did it mean that you would sleep together every night? Did it mean that perhaps you were his girlfriend? A question now kept bombarding your head: What are you two?

A couple? Best friends who have gone too far? You don't know how long you've been staring at him without giving him a response, but just the thought of actually staring at him shocked embarrasses you so much that it makes you want to disappear.

"I mean, I want to" You are still slightly shocked by the proposal and can't form a sensible sentence.

Jude starts chuckling at your form of communication.

"You want to? Okay, that's a good start"

"But I'll let you know tomorrow for sure, okay?"

"It's more than okay, angel"

After spending a little more time at the lake, enjoying the sunset and each other’s company, you and Jude eventually packed up and headed back to his car. The drive back was filled with comfortable silence and soft music, your hand resting in his, little stolen glances that made you giggle, is this what it feels like when you're in love?When you reached your house, Jude walked you to your door, his arm draped around your shoulders. As you turned to face him, he leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

“Goodnight, beautiful,” he whispered, his eyes twinkling under the porch light.

“Goodnight, Jude,” you replied softly, your heart full as you watched him walk back to his car.

A smile played on your lips and you couldn’t be more excited for what was about to come. You giggled all the way to your apartment and as soon as you got in you flopped onto the bed, stomping your feet excitedly. How can I blame you? You've been waiting for this your whole life.

[lookingforhappy]

The Birth Locations/Suitcase Reveal Sucks

before you read please don't take this too seriously, I don't have a problem with people who enjoy this reveal I just wish more people would consider/analyse this as I feel like it's very half-assed and not at all well thought out

I know I've written something like this before and i'm sorry to write this again, but I think my arguments have developed and I want to explain better why I hate this decision.

I am referring to this set of posters for season 3

as the stickers on the suitcases were revealed to be their birth locations by Jeff King (executive producer and director) on instagram

the actual answer to his question is "lila's sticker" but semantics/specifics who cares (me)

why I distrust the theory/trivia as a whole

something I think should be considered here is that this is the only confirmation of this piece of trivia.

another example of TUA trivia that has been confirmed by the creators is the statement by Blackman (god ik just ignore that part for now, that isnt the point of the post & he's still a/the creator) on a reddit AMA that Grace helped the siblings choose their names based on their birth countries

however, these are both poorly researched/prepared pieces of trivia because they blatantly contradict each other

Luther's birthplace is Sweden, but Luther isn't a Swedish name, nor was is popular in either 1989 when he was born or 2002 when he was first seen using his name.

Diego is always a fairly popular name in Spanish speaking countries like Mexico but it's hardly high on the list (only statistic I can find is ranked at 31.)

Allison is neither a South African name nor is it listed as it's top names.

Klaus is Germanic (kinda fits the theme) but as far as I can see Klaus is not a biblical name which is much more typical of the Amish. Klaus is also not listed amongst the top Amish names that I've seen.

Five obviously is an outlier here.

Ben is clearly not Korean, and while I have had fun discussing the roots of his name with others (Jae-min becoming Benjamin, and Bin becoming Ben) I don't think that there's any way that the creators will acknowledge this. Ben has origins in Hebrew and is not at all popular in Korea.

Vanya (the applicable name, as Viktor wasn't yet revealed) is a male name in Russia. it's female in other countries like Bulgaria, but not Russia. It's a nickname/evolution of the name Ivan. Vanya is also not a popular name in Russia, but Ivan does seem to be. And I seriously doubt that they're going to reveal that Viktor originally named himself Ivan while he was identifying as female and then decided to change his name anyway?

which is to say, the word of the creator cannot always be trusted/believed, because that's not necessarily what will be reflected in canon or by the other creators.

there is quite a history in fandom of creators not understanding the themes/plotholes of their own creations, so i'm a little stunned at how quickly everyone integrated this into their canon without a second thought.

i have arugments as to why these locations are bad choices for the characters, but first lets take a look at what i believe these stickers were meant to represent

Placing down a read more because this became huge.

what the other stickers reference/mean

it's no secret that i think the stickers were hints to the events (related to each character's arc) of season 3.

but before i get to that let's breakdown the rest of the stickers and their meanings:

all of the umbrella's have an umbrella sticker. Lila is the only one who doesn't (so if we're playing the "who is the odd one out" game then it still falls as Lila because she is the only one without the umbrella sticker)

Luther

Luther dies in Hotel Obsidian, and never makes it physically inside Oblivion or has any part in powering it - so his sticker has the colours/design of Obsidian.

Diego

Diego is one of/the first to discover Hotel Oblivion, so he has the Oblivion colours and logo.

Allison

Allison is involved in Reginald's plot to use Oblivion to reset thte universe, so gets Oblivion's logo instead of Obsidian.

Klaus

Klaus was the one to know and direct them to Hotel Obsidian, so he has that logo.

Five

Five's revelation that he was the Founder of the Commission, and the impact of that discovery, links him to the Commission more so than either hotel.

Viktor

viktor has the hotel Obsidian logo because he has very little impact on anything to do with Oblivion and is one of the votes that decides to remain and die in Obsidian.

Lila

Lila has the Commission because she was raised in the Commission, not the Umbrella Academy.

Lila has the Obsidian logo in opposition to Diego's Oblivion logo as she chooses the opposite of Diego (I personally believe they should have swapped these two but..)

why the birth locations are more likely/appropriate as hints for the events of season 3

Luther - Stockholm, Sweden

This is probably my strongest argument: He is made fun of for having "Stockholm Syndrome" within the show

found: Season 3, episode 3, minute 13.

Luther, obviously spends all of his character development/moments with the Sparrows and Sloane - being kidnapped by them and developing "Stockholm Syndrome" for Sloane (romantic) and for the Sparrows as a whole (platonic/idealism/escapism)

Luther's mother's newpaper cutting also mentions 911 being called, but 911 is not the emergency number of Sweden, 112 is. Argentina, Canada, Dominican Republic, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, the Philippines, Sint Maarten, the United States, and Uruguay use 911 but not Sweden.

If Monica wasn't in Sweden at the time of Luther's birth, then Stockholm is hardly his birth location.

throughout the seasons we get a few instances of Diego, Ben and Viktor speaking their native languages, hinting that the 7 were all taught their mother's languages (with Allison at least likely learning all 7)

But if Luther is Swedish, why didn't he or Diego know what Oga For Oga meant if that's Luther's mother's language? and why was Five the only person who seemed to understand Swedish when he's not the Swede of the family? Why did Diego not at least recognise his brother's supposed second language? Or Luther for that matter?

Luther was a part of the Academy for 23+ years, longer than anyone, yet Reginald (who expects the best of his children) didn't bother enforcing this as a part of his education? his number one had a worse education than his number 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7?

Diego - Mexico

Diego apparently doesn't even get the luxury of a city, place or region. But I can confirm that his mother's newspaper cutting states that he was born in a "small town in Northern Mexico".

However, Diego's sticker could instead be a reference to the Aztecs or Mayans - his sticker has mayan/aztec pyramids on it, I believe maybe Chichen Itza specifically?? Ancient civilisations that were very advanced for their time, and that are somewhat frequently involved in alien conspiracies.

Diego is one the one to open Oblivion when he removes the harpoon, and is the first to enter it and confront the Guardians.

Oblivion is an Ancient building/place built by an Ancient civilisation of what is assumed to be aliens, and Reginald (confirmed alien) is the one to have directed them into Oblivion at first as well.

Allison - Cape Town, South Africa

Nelson Mandela is pretty famous for his part in the anti-apartheid (segregation) movement, helping to end segregation in South Africa. He was jailed in a Cape Town prison for attempting to sabotage the pro-segregation government, and then later his office as president was located in Cape Town.

an easy connection to make with Allison's arc in season 2, and the significance of it in her arc in season 3, with her dealing with PTSD, grief over Ray, and feeling alienated by her family who didn't have the same experience as her in the 60s.

Allson's mother has nothing connecting her to South Africa outside of this, as far as I'm aware.

Klaus - Pennsylvania, USA

This one I will concede is about his birth location. But in this case, it's also heavily related to his season 3 arc, as he is the driving force of the mothers plotline and literally travels to Pennsylvania.

PA is a strong and relevant hint for his s3 arc.

Five - Dublin, Ireland

Five could be connected to Ireland in multiple ways.

(there is a link between Five and JFK, "the 1st Irish American President" but I can't see the link to s3 here so honorary mention only).

A link that I understand is a somewhat touchy topic for any Irish citizens is the stereotype of drunkeness in Ireland. While there have been studies to prove that Ireland doesn't drink more than other countries such as England, it remains a well-known stereotype and the Irish people are statistically more prone to alcohol dependency/addiction.

There is also the phrase "make it Irish" which means to put alcohol in a drink, one of the more popular drinks to do this to is coffee. Which brings us back to Five - he is known for his love of coffee and for getting spectacularly drunk.

season 3 in particular features his drinking addiction in it's full glory. it's also plot relevant as his drunkness causes the murder mystery setup of the final episodes.

(also, while it's not great to have Ireland be the hint to alcohol, it's also not great to have Five, the alcoholic of the series, be the Irish representation)

Another interpretation could be the root of the name "Dublin" meaning "black pool". It was likely derived from the River Poddle which would have been stained black with peat. This could be a hint towards Five's elusive role as the Founder, as his life so far has been stained with childhood abuse, the apocalypse and his foray as an assassin, making the reveal of the Founder a shock.

One other interpretation is the Irish vs. English. Five is perhaps the most skeptical of Reginald throughout season 3, moreso than even Luther or Diego. While England has enraged many countries, Ireland is one of the most well known for it's dislike of the English, and has a lengthy history of war and altercations with England. So Five's sticker may be a hint for his re-ignited distrust of Reginald. It also works well as a predictor for Five and Lila's (English) bathroom fight.

Five's mother's newpaper cutting has several contradictions to the Ireland, Dublin location. First and foremost being that she is cited as being from both a "small seaside community" and from "county clark".

There is no County Clark in Ireland, but there is a County Clare and a County Cork. However, County Clare is on the opposite side of Ireland to Dublin and County Cork is even farther away,

Dublin, as the Capital City, is also not a "small seaside community" by any stretch of the imagination.

And the Irish police would likely not be referred to as "provincial" but instead be called Gardaí or The Garda Síochána.

Viktor - Moscow, Russia

Moscow is seen in season 1, episode 1 very briefly as Reginald arrives to adopt Viktor. You can see both the Spasskaya Tower and St Basil's Cathedral. Viktor also speaks Russian, something that none of his siblings have demonstrated.

However, this is not actually Viktor's birthplace (if we believe that the props have canon information, as most argue that Diego is definately from Mexico due to his cutting stating his mother was in Northern Mexico, etc) as according to his book Viktor was born in "small town off the Southern coast of Russia".

Moscow is nowhere near the coast and is not exactly southern either, nor is it a small town. And while this isn't exaclty specified that the "small town" he visits is the place he was born, it wouldn't make much sense if it wasn't, as Viktor was able to track his mother down via newspaper articles about his birth.

Moscow could mean a lot of things for Viktor's arc:

it could be a reference to s1, ep1 but instead of his exact birth location, it could simply hint to his mother's country and toward Harlan's involvement in the mothers' deaths - and the long reach of his powers from America to Russia.

It could also be a hint to Viktor's significance as a much more involved and aware plot driver this season as Moscow is the politcal centre of Russia as its capital city.

It might also hint at his disconnect from his family (not being a part of the Academy and not understanding the hard decisions and necessary teamwork that come with it) causing tensions, as while Moscow is the political capital, Saint Petersburg is considered the cultural capital.

Plus Moscow's history as the capital works well as a parallel to his journey with his powers, and works as a hint to Viktor developing his powers with Harlan because Moscow also briefly lost its status as the capital to Saint Petersburg, possibly a parallel to Viktor, the most powerful of the Umbrellas, losing his powers to Reginald's drugs. Moscow was later restored as the capital, paralleling Viktor's regaining of his powers.

Lila - Berlin

Lila is nice and simple, she was considered the outlier by Jeff King anyway as her suitcase doesn't match her confirmed birth place (London), and instead is a pretty obvious hint to her time in West Berlin, Germany, with Trudy and Stan.

why i dislike the chosen locations as the birth locations

in general I think it's silly to choose almost all capital cities: Dublin, Moscow, Cape Town, Stockholm, Seoul..

I know these are populous places but there must have been some variation? (aside from Klaus, who has plot armour for this point due to his Amish origins, and Diego, who is the only non-capital city purely because he wasn't given the dignity of a named city/town/village)

it's also lazy writing (and i believe somewhat racist?) to have every sibling come from the country/continent you'd expect?

the latino is mexican

the black woman is african

the asian man is asian

the blonde haired/blue eyed man is scandinavian

even Klaus, Five and Viktor are all white men from predominantly white countries.

at least try to subvert expectations?

to an extent i understand that they were trying to incorporate the actors ethnicities with Justin having korean roots, and David being raised in mexico. But the only irish thing about Aidan is his surname, and Emmy has no known connection to South Africa. I'm also pretty sure Tom isn't swedish at all and Elliot isn't russian.

it's lazy, poorly planned and honestly highly questionable writing at best

[neverchecking]

I have a brain rot for sage, hes challenging the chain for their time with player/reader, he basically wants all His/Her/Them's attention, of course none of the chain and sage are going to "play" fair their going to cheat no matter what. the only ones he might not win against is time, FD and maybe twilight. wind, four, Hyrule, and sky would do sad puppy eyes to get cuddle time, twilight and legend turn into their animal form to get pettings, sage and wild would cook food to get points for being delicious. (etc.etc.) just some yandere shenanigans for attention. the challenges he did were sword fighting, bow and arrow targeting, sparing, arm wrestling, and so forth.

-Eevee

Okay, last one for the night! I figured since this isn't really a request, I could spitball some more of my headcanons for our beloved Sage.

Jk it delted itself so I gave up and went to bed bc last time I tried to push through I wasn't happy with the end product, so sorry for the delay!

For those of you who don't know, Sage is another name for the Tears of the Kingdom Link--dubbed Hero of the Zonai-- should we decide he is not in fact Wild.

For the Wild and Facesitting request, it's in progress I promise! I try to go in order with my requests, but like I said, this is more headcanons versus a scenario. It should be out tomorrow later today so look out for that ;)

ANYWAY-

Y'all. The amount of Sage requests in my inbox right now? You guys are feral for this man and I love it. So I'm here to feed you guys.

TotK spoilers below!

・❥・Okay, so lemme start this off by saying. I have done you all wrong. And for that I apologize.

・❥・Because our wonderful @wayfayrr has opened my eyes to new possibilities that I would've never even thought of. So everyone say thank you rn >:(

・❥・So let's make some amendments!

・❥・First off, let's talk about nicknames. I love the idea that Reader, and only Reader, can call him anything other than Sage. And calling him other herb-related nicknames? Kills me. He is a flushing red mess the first time it happens. You had deemed him worthy of a nickname? You considered him person enough to have a moniker that wasn't also a title? If he was down bad before, it's so much worse now. Because you see him as a person. He's sure the others just see him as a means to the end. The second one of them, maybe save Wind, try it, he's shooting them daggers and snarling at them for even daring to try and impeach your privilege. (I also love the Calm, Wild and Feral thing, I thought that was so freaking clever.)

・❥・And you know how each of the hero's have their own 'sword' right? Well, what if Sage's was the Master Sword Remastered? Like Sky's (Like most of their Master Swords actually) but now it's been boosted by ten thousand years worth of direct light magic. (Does the Zonai time fall before Skyward Sword or after? I have no idea where they fall on the timeline tbh.). Just a thought. It could also be a gloom sword which probably wouldn't effect him as hard in other timelines because there's no demon king to power it, but it probably does hurt the others if they try to touch it.

・❥・Now, the juicy part. Let's retouch on Wild's and Sage's relationship. I originally said that Sage was okay with him? I lied. Wayfayrr has opened my eyes.

・❥・Sage probably can't fucking stand Wild. As they said, this is a version of him that didn't have this second adventure. Got to rest and distant himself from the Hero Title. And that just pisses him off. Why did he get the shittier hand? Why did he have to do it all over again? Why when this failure got to get off easy? Why couldn't he have the same grace, huh? What made them so different?

・❥・And if we're using the past oneshot (Here!) as they're 'canon' meeting, this filth let you get hurt. You were hurt before meeting him, which means that they can't be trusted with you. Especially Wild. So Sage cannot stand you being near Wild. At all. It eats at him and he doesn't last long before splitting the two of you up.

・❥・Calamity is even worse. There is probably an active hate towards Calamity (In this Yandere world, in a normal, not toxic world? They probably work out their differences a little better). This was a version of him who didn't even have to die to complete his quest. And this just shows that Fraud has favorites and it's not him.

・❥・You know who else he probably doesn't like? Twilight. Now, hear me out. This is purely me just spitting this out, but Sage has to be aware. He listens when they don't think he does, he's awake when they think he's not, he's watching when they don't even know he's there.

・❥・So he probably picks up on all of their little secrets. Meaning he knows Twilight is Wolfie. And (I think this is Canon is LU but I'm not sure) Wild had Wolfie as a guide. Which means Sage had Wolfie as a guide. The difference? When he needed him the second time, left stumbling around like a newborn fawn crawling out of the shrine all over again, he was left alone. He was fighting robots with a fucking Stick. He fused a mushroom to a shield just to buy himself more time. At one point, he was fusing a long stick to another long stick just to fight from a distance to save his battered body. Rauru did as much as he could, but there were some times he wished he was left for dead.

・❥・Not anymore as that means he would've never met you, but then? different story.

・❥・They also brought up that Sage probably doesn't stop at just cooking your food and I agree. When on the road, he for sure goes straight to the source. If he doesn't know exactly where it came from, it's not going anywhere near his Goddess. Nope. Not a chance in the gloomy depths from hell.

・❥・He's going to farmers themselves rather than merchants for produce, hunting any protein himself, climbing trees for eggs, he probably even makes his own butter. Now, because he's also cooking savy this for sure makes the rivalry between him and Wild widen. Wild is set in his cook for the chain, not you. Sage can't trust them to not hurt you again. Whose to say they don't over spice the food? Or undercook the fish? Or drop shells into the egg?

・❥・He can't trust them and may force you to pick one of the other. Depending on who you chose, he'll either hold his victory up high or work even harder to separate you from the chain. Can't you see, Reader? They aren't good for you.

・❥・When it comes to the Gloom, he for sure uses to his advantage. You know he's been infected, but you don't know how much light he's gathered to dispel it. At this point, he's probably gotten most, if not all of it, out, but you don't know that. And he preys on that fact.

・❥・Oh, the Traveler wants to down to the river with you? But, Reader, there's something rotten in his chest and he's stumbling against trees, exaggerating his steady steps just in case to really sell it. He needs you by his side, can't you see?

・❥・Oh, the captain is trying to get you to settle with him for the night? But, Reader, he's tossing and turning, feigning sleep and acting just enough to catch your attention. He's listening, ears pricked, just to hear you swiftly apologize before your gently hands are laying on his shoulders and he's won again.

・❥・And because his Hyrule is one of, if not the most dangerous Hyrules, he's given so much ammo to keep you tethered to him. You can't trust anyone, don't you know? The Yiga uptake has skyrocketed and they are everywhere, along with Ganon's new ability to make puppets? Can't you see how you can't trust any of them?

・❥・He even entertains you when you come up with the idea to have a secret saying between just the two of you as a fail safe. (It's probably something like 'Deforestation Enthusiast' because of how the two of you met.) Anything to have you pulling further away from the Chain and into his arms.

・❥・If it begins to take longer than expected, Sage is not above letting you wander just enough in his Hyrule. Maybe you set off a bit of Gloom hands (Or maybe he nudges them in your direction, hard to tell, really) and they go charging at you. The others don't know how to deal with them, but he does. He saves your life before the others even know what hit them. He's cooing into your ear, reassuring that where the others fail, he would never dream of it. He's whispering that he knows how scary the feeling of those hands are. He knows how freezing the feeling of sudden restriction, only accompanied by the burning sizzle of malice, is. He knows and he understands, but he's right here. He'd never let anything happen to you. Not like the other frauds.

・❥・Now, all that being said, Sage for sure does not play fair. Oh no. He does challenge them in his own ways, but does it in a way that can only reflect badly on them should they call him out on it.

・❥・He's fighting (Picking apart) with Wars and Calamity on their sparring routines, angling it in just a way that should they snap back he can turn on the innocent little look with a 'But I'm just trying to protect you. I don't know how any of you fight, I'm still learning.' Just in time for you to catch them barking at him to 'Learn faster' and it just falls perfectly into place.

・❥・He's calling out Twi and Four every time they try to wander off (Probably to bring out Wolfie or split to relieve a headache of sorts) because 'The woods are dangerous, what are they doing going off alone?' and now they can't leave because all eyes are on them and he's restricting their movement without even really trying. They wanna go foraging? But he and ...Wild were their best foragers and they were busy with dinner (That was something bitter to get out).

・❥・And wow, Time, Legend and Fierce have so many secrets, can you really trust them? Sage has laid down his entire adventure to you, and regardless if Reader is a LoZ player and knows of them regardless, Sage told you. Those two are trying to hide from you. He would never.

・❥・Wind, Hyrule and that filthy disgrace want to drag you along to go Shield surfing? Reader, do you know how dangerous that is? Especially with someone's track record. Here, you wanna go riding on this motorized wagon he just happens to have on hand? (Between the Zonite in his Purah pad, he can build any component necessary.)

・❥・Not even Sky and First are safe as he uses carefully laid words to sully their once golden image towards you. Afterall, they're so close to Hylia, whose to say they aren't behind all of this?

・❥・Now, you said that the only ones he may not win against are Time, Fierce and Twilight, but like I said, I can imagine him loathing Twilight, so instead, may I suggest First.

・❥・Time and Fierce are both pretty burly dudes that demand some semblance of respect and while Sage has muscles, he's not overly tall. So while he doesn't bow, he may just back off from their forefront for a while.

・❥・Now, First. He's probably the only one who can put Sage back in his place of the hierarchy. It's the first in the timeline, versus the last (As of right now). And it's not pretty. They probably go to blows a few times when you're out of ear shot.

・❥・The problem is that First can only push him back when you're out of ear shot and Sage makes it a point to keep you as close as humanly possible.

・❥・And while yes, some of them may use puppy eyes, Sage is not above using pity to get what he wants because he just hurts so badly don't you know?

・❥・He unfortunately can't do anything about wolves or rabbits. If they manage to disappear before he can call them out on it, he's left bitterly sulking as Wolfie laps at your cheeks or dumb rabbits nose at your hand. He may know who they are, but not even he's cruel enough to call them out (Yet) because that would just pit you against him. They weren't his secrets to tell, you would scold, and he just couldn't handle that possibility.

・❥・The biggest difference between Sage and Wild, one that the chain will fail to realize right away, is that Sage is much more experienced. He is on his second, THIRD if you count the pre-calamity, adventure. He knows everything Wild does, and more. Wild knows how to improvise and adapt, Sage can do it faster. Wild knows how to forage and concoct incredibly potent elixirs? Sage can do it tenfold with half the ingredients. He knows all the little tips and tricks and is not only backed up by the champion's gifts-- should they have remained-- but now he has the sages with him.

・❥・Like imagine their mid-battle, they had forced you away from Sage just to create some distance (At long last) and mans comes rolling in a giant fucking robot. He's using Sidon's sage to shield you over and over again and decimating a battle field using nothing but Riju and an arrow. Hell, the bigger enemies are struck down by Yunobo crashing into them. Sage alone is enough to cut the enemy hordes in half through recall and sending their own attacks back at them or fusing together weapons they wouldn't have ever dreamed of with new abilities. Even his outfits give him benefits far beyond anything they could think.

・❥・You saw him as someone more than just Link. He wasn't just the Swordsman to you when that was who he was to everyone else. You dubbed him something far beyond what a damned sword made him.

・❥・And he would have to be four days dead before letting you go.

・❥・And as he's proven before, Not even death could truly kill him.

I am so glad I waited bc I like this one so much more than the one that was deleted.

[ash5monster01]

Hiii, it's my first time making a request for a MacGyver x fem reader ff. I hope you'll see it. Well, the plot is about the reader, and she's a new agent and also a newbie to Mac's team, who had a huge crush on Mac since the day she saw him. She's afraid to confess, esp whenever she saw him around Riley/ Desi that makes her jealous and got aloof from the team. You can create the ending on your way, hehe, thank you!!!!!

Left Out

Pairing: Angus Macgyver x FemReader

Warnings: fluff, confrontation, minor language, misunderstanding, super cheesy, reader has nickname

Summary: New to the Phoenix team you can’t help but feel left out when it comes to their close relationships. It doesn’t help with your newfound attraction to Mac. Luckily he notices you more than you think.

word count: 1.3k

Masterlist

You had been over the moon when you had got the call to join the Phoenix. It had been your dream to be apart of such an undercover special ops team. You’re unusual skill set going to waste at your awful CIA desk job. It was the happiest you had ever been to pack up and leave a job. Things only got better when you were introduced to the team. Not only were they one of the most interesting groups you had ever seen, but one of them had caught your eye. You were against work crushes, truly you felt it did no good, but Angus Macgyver was one of the most attractive men you had ever met.

Yet naturally he was closer to the other females on the team. It shouldn’t have discouraged you, this was a job, but it was truly hard to see how intimate he was with Desi or even Riley on most days. A part of you craved that from him and a whole other part of you craved that kind of affection at all. You hadn’t seen a team so close before and now you felt like an intruder. An outcast in the one place you truly hoped to belong. So you distanced yourself, treated it as only work, before you got hurt or worse fired for being unprofessional.

Mac had noticed how you pulled back, unlike anyone else. They continued to go about their days in stride but Mac could see it. How your eyes didn’t fully light up anymore when you entered the room. He had wanted to get to know you, was desperate to know you. You were one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen, something pulling in his chest that he hadn’t felt since, well Nikki. Maybe he shouldn’t have trusted his instincts on this but you were different. You were like him. He had never had someone he could so easily bounce ideas off of or speak his language in the field.

“Hey Ace, can we talk?” Mac uses your field name, stopping you on your way out of the War room. Everyone sending you suspicious eyes as they filter out themselves. Even Matty steps out the frosted doors leaving you alone with the handsome blonde boy.

“What’s up Mac?” you try to act nonchalant, not like a nervous school girl. This was what you had wanted right, attention directed your way?

“I just wanted to ask how things have been going, do you feel comfortable here?” it’s unnatural the way it comes out of his mouth, something Matty herself should’ve been asking you. Yet he sits in one of the chairs anyway, hand digging into the bowl of paperclips as he frees one to fiddle with.

“It’s been fine, it’s just work” you tell him, sitting along the arm of the chair that opposes his. Mac notices how you’re not even comfortable enough to sit comfortably across from him.

“You and I both know this team isn’t just work, it’s a family” and you stiffen at his words. You did know that, and you had felt thrust upon them when they didn’t need another member.

“I don’t know what you want from me Mac. I’m doing my job, we work well together” you counter and he squeezes his eyes shut, wishing you could see it meant so much more to him how well you did work together. He had once thought himself to be the smartest in the room, that is until he met you. You could get them out of any situation you’ve ever been in, more than he ever could.

“I don’t want to just work with you Ace” he says after opening his eyes, baby blues looking desperately into your own. His genuine words making your freeze, heart thrumming in your chest.

“I don’t get what you mean?” you say with the shake of your head, trying hard to not be hopeful or nervous. You fit in well here work wise, you had completed more missions successfully then you ever had in your life. If your distance from the team or discouragement towards their bond were to screw you in the end you were sure you’d never recover.

“I like you Ace. Not only are you attractive and kind but you’re wicked smart. Like smarter than me. I’ve never met anyone who could give me a run for my money and it kills me that you don’t want to get closer to me” he says desperately, eyes ablaze and chest rising and falling with his confession. Your throat dries, not ever expecting your attraction to be returned.

“I don’t get close because you guys have a good thing going here. It feels forced trying to thrust myself into the dynamic you have with everyone. They’re your best friends and I’m just some girl who you got stuck with” you finally admit and the realization hits Mac all at once. The reasoning for your distance and why you denied everything they invited you too.

“You’re not just some girl we got stuck with. Everytime we hang out Bozer goes on and on about how you’re way cooler than me, that they should just trade us out. Riley hints at me twice a week to ask you on a date, she thinks I’m a fool that I haven’t yet. Desi and Matty praise everything you do, how proud they are and how good our team has become. All we want is for you to start coming around” he’s standing now, words coming out quicker as he defends himself and his friends. Wanting you to understand how true all of this was.

“I-I hadn’t realized. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to drift away” your lip quivers, realizing your own self destruction had pulled you away from a good thing you had going. You wanted to curse yourself and everyone else for not making you realize sooner.

“It’s okay Ace, we just want you” he says as he steps closer, but his words and the look in his eyes convey how much he wants you. If Mac had it his way he wouldn’t share you with anyone else.

“What if I screwed it all up?” you ask and he gives a pressed smile, hand holding out for you to grab. You reluctantly place your hand in his own, allowing him to lift you to your feet and face him.

“If you had screwed it up I wouldn’t be standing here asking you to go on a date with me” he says, voice a low hum due to your close proximity. Your heart races in your chest, face turning red and hand sweaty in his own.

“I thought you liked Desi, or maybe even Riley?” you say, eyes wide as you wait for an answer that could crush you. Mac chuckles, shaking his head lightly.

“No, they’re just my friends. Some of my best friends” he tells you and the ease washes over you like a wave. The hope returning to your heart.

“I’d love to go out with you Mac. I’ve been wanting to since I first got here” and your admission to reciprocated feelings illicit’s a tight hug from his end. His strong arms wrapped tightly around you and shocking you to your core.

“Would it be too much to ask if you’d come over tonight? Everyone will be there and we’d love to have you” he asks, pulling away just enough to look into your eyes but not let you go.

“Yeah, I would like that a lot” you say and his grin turns into a swift kiss to your cheek. Arms squeezing you into his form.

“I’ll text you the details, I can’t wait to see you tonight” he says as he finally lets you go, his grin wider then you had ever seen it. Slowly he loosens his hand from your own, and you feel the metal in your palm.

“I’ll be there” You tell him as he leaves just before glancing at the paperclip bent into a flower in your hands.

[natsukishinomiyaswife]

An Interview with Lydia (My Yuu ♡) Part One

One of the students apart of NRC's newspaper club got the opportunity to interview Lydia, the girl that appeared from another world! Though magicless, she became a student at NRC, and currently resides in Octavinelle. Here is the first part of the published interview! Enjoy ♡

(Please note that Lydia resides in an AU where NRC is an actual college, like my friend Ian (@crystallizsch) has for her OC Yuusha. Ramshackle and Grim do not exist in this AU, and Lydia is not in-game Yuu)

Interviewer: Hello, students and staff of NRC! I'm here today with our classmate from another world, Lydia Sweet. Thanks again for agreeing to this interview, Lydia.

Lydia: I... didn't really have a choice...

Interviewer: Now then, let's get started! We'll do some basic questions first, before going to the student submitted ones. So, Lydia, is that your full name?

Lydia: Yes, Lydia is my full name.

Interviewer: And do you have any nicknames you go by?

Lydia: I have a couple. Lyddie is the one most people use, though Lyds is a close second. Some people have specific names they call me, like Floyd and his nickname Leaf Sheep.

Interviewer: I see. And you're a 2nd year, right?

Lydia: Yes, that's right.

Interviewer: What club are you apart of?

Lydia: Well, I was a member of the Board Game Club... before...

Interviewer: Before you and the housewarden of Ignihyde broke up?

Lydia: ...

Interviewer: Touchy subject?

Lydia: I'd rather not talk about it, if that's alright...

Interviewer: What a shame... I'm sure everyone's dying to know what happened.

Lydia: ...

Interviewer: Alright, alright. I won't push it. So, if you're not in the Board Game Club anymore, what club are you in?

Lydia: I'm not in any club, really. I usually just join Jamil, Ace, and Floyd during their club meetings...

Interviewer: So, the Basketball Club?

Lydia: I don't play, though. Sports aren't really my thing... I just sit in the stands and watch.

Interviewer: Is there a club you'd like to join?

Lydia: Well... maybe the Science Club? I'd rather be in the Board Game Club, though...

Interviewer: Do you miss the Board Game Club?

Lydia: I do... even if it meant more time spent with Azul, every club meeting was always so fun. I didn't want to leave, but...

Interviewer: You felt like you had to?

Lydia: *She doesn't give a response, but nods her head yes after hesitating a moment*

Interviewer: How did you end up in Twisted Wonderland anyway?

Lydia: I was walking home after taking my cat to the vet. He was in his carrier, and I know I had it locked, but somehow... he got out. I chased after him, and ended up falling down a hole.

Interviewer: A hole?

Lydia: *She nods her head* The next thing I know, I was landing in the middle of a runway, decorated with flowers.

Interviewer: The Fairy Gala.

Lydia: Yes, the Fairy Gala. Leona was leading the group, while Kalim and Jamil followed. I landed between them.

Interviewer: Must have been quite the scene.

Lydia: I'm sure it was... I lost consciousness upon impact, so all I remember is waking up to Kalim leaning over my face, and Leona and Jamil staring down at me behind him.

Interviewer: Where was your cat?

Lydia: Throwing a fit in Leona's arms, trying to get to me... He must have been so worried.

Interviewer: I'm sure they all were.

Lydia: It was all so confusing... Nobody knew how I ended up there. And they couldn't really stop the Fairy Gala... So...

Interviewer: ... You joined the Fairy Gala?

Lydia: Yep!

Interviewer: On your first day in Twisted Wonderland...?

Lydia: Yep... Trust me, they didn't really want me too. They wanted me to go see the nurse, or the Headmage. But the gala was already happening, and they couldn't risk their plan...

Interviewer: Being thrown into a new situation like this must have been frightening... I can only imagine how lost you were.

Lydia: Oh, I thought I was losing my mind... or that this had to be one big dream.

Interviewer: Yet, you never woke up.

Lydia: *She nods her head* It's hard to believe at first... being in a whole new world. Sometimes it's easier to pretend it's a dream, then to face reality.

Interviewer: Do you still think this is a dream?

Lydia: *She laughs* Oh, no. Not at all. That's just how I coped my first day here. Telling myself, "This must be a dream" or "This can't be real"

Interviewer: So what happened after the Fairy Gala?

Lydia: I got examined by the nurse, and went to see the Headmage. Since I didn't have anywhere to go, Kalim offered for me to stay in Scarabia, which Crowley agreed to. He's supposed to be finding me a way home.

Interviewer: You live in the Scarabia dorm, then?

Lydia: I did, before I was transferred to Octavinelle...

Interviewer: What made you want to transfer to Octavinelle?

Lydia: I didn't... it's... a bit of a long story...

Interviewer: Well... Do you like being a member of Octavinelle?

Lydia: I like it more than I thought I would, which is... nice...

Interviewer: How tall are you?

Lydia: 163 cm

Interviewer: When's your birthday?

Lydia: October 20th

Interviewer: Are you single?

Lydia: *Her face turns red, caught off guard by the question* ... What?

Interviewer: Are you single?

Lydia: *She hesitates a moment before responding* Yes, I am...

Interviewer: What do you look for in a partner?

Lydia: I... I don't-

Interviewer: Do you have a preference when it comes to gender?

Lydia: No, but-

Interviewer: So you're more interested in personality, then?

Lydia: I have to be friends with someone first, before I'm able to develop feelings for them... I'm sorry, but these questions seem... very sudden.

Interviewer: I'm just going in the order I was given. If the question makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to answer it.

Lydia: It's not that. I was just... caught off guard. I wasn't expecting questions about my love life...

Interviewer: More people are interested in your love life than you know, Lydia. We've had dozens of students submit questions wondering about it.

Lydia: Really...?

Interviewer: Yes. Take my next question for example... why did you and Idia break up?

Lydia: ... I'm not answering that.

Interviewer: It was worth a shot... Moving on, what's your ideal first date?

Lydia: Mini golf! I've always wanted to try it, and it's... actually my dream date.

Interviewer: To play mini golf?

Lydia: I know it sounds silly, but I think it'd be fun!

Interviewer: Did Idia ever take you to play mini golf?

Lydia: Oh, no I... never brought it up with him, actually. I figured it wouldn't be his thing...

Interviewer: What do you like to do in your free time?

Lydia: I like to play video games! From otomes, to mobile rhythm games, to handheld consoles like the Nintendo DS and Switch! While I love my Gamecube, I don't really play it as much as I used to. Same with my Gameboy Advance.

Interviewer: Anything else you like to do?

Lydia: I like to read, and write... listen to music... I like to bake sometimes...

Interviewer: Do you collect anything? Cards, coins...

Lydia: Stuffed animals. I don't try to collect them, it just sorta... happens. *She laughs* I'm particularly fond of Sanrio, or anything cute really. Honestly, with how much nail polish I have, I guess I collect that too. I love painting my nails.

Interviewer: Outside of the school's uniform, what sort of outfits do you like to wear?

Lydia: Well, usually I just wear a graphic t-shirt and some leggings. Maybe a cute top, if I'm feeling fancy. *She laughs* When I'm in the mood for it, I'll wear a nice dress. Something cute, that makes me feel pretty. I like my pajamas, but I really only wear them when I'm in my dorm.

Interviewer: Do you have a favorite outfit?

Lydia: I do... this one.

Interviewer: I'm guessing you're a fan of My Sweet Piano?

Lydia: Oh, yes! Some of my friends like to joke that I am her *She laughs*

Interviewer: Do you wear this outfit often?

Lydia: Not really... I mainly only wear it for special occasions, like when I'm interested in someone...

Interviewer: So it's your date outfit, then?

Lydia: Oh, I guess you could call it that, yeah...

Interviewer: What's your favorite food?

Lydia: Cheese fries!

Interviewer: Your favorite drink?

Lydia: I like sweet tea, or sparkling water... but only if it's flavored.

Interviewer: What's your least favorite food?

Lydia: I've been told I'm a picky eater before... I don't like condiments... or pumpkin... or popcorn... or pickles... or raw fish...

Interviewer: Your least favorite drink?

Lydia: Soda... I used to drink it all the time before I quit, and I surprisingly don't miss it.

Interviewer: What's your favorite subject?

Lydia: Since I don't have magic, there's only a few classes I can attend. I think alchemy is interesting.

Interviewer: What do you do while everyone is in class?

Lydia: Oh, I'm usually working at Sam's shop, or the Mostro Lounge.

Interviewer: Well that's all the time we have for now. Join us tomorrow, where Lydia will be answering questions submitted by you, the students!

Lydia: I thought you said some of the questions I've already answered were submitted by others..?

Interviewer: Yes, by me.

Lydia: Oh...

Interviewer: And remember, these interviews are exclusive to NRC's newspaper! Now on Magicam, at NRCnewspaperclub! Until next time!

Lydia: If this is a newspaper, why are you talking like we're live on TV...?

Here's the first part to Lydia's interview! ♡ Since it got so long, I decided to split it up in two parts. The first part being general questions, while the second will feature the questions you submitted! ♡ (Feel free to submit more, if you'd like ♡)

Tagging:

@crystallizsch, @anbaisai, @0honeybones0, @cheerleaderman, @midnightmah07

@theolivetree123, @fell-fell, @justm3di0cr3, @cyanide-latte

@oya-oya-okay, @offorestsongs, @skriblee-ksk, @jewelulu

Thank you! ♡

[sgiandubh]

OK, I got it : Telegraph shitshow, anyone?

Oh, what the hell. I had no patience and couldn't picture myself fidgeting in a dull supermarket and ending up by forgetting half of the things on my list.

So, here it is, all of it.

Proof of buying:

Yeah, "between Outlander's seasons nine and 10'. See how accurate the girl who wrote it is? How about a cobbled something to address the real issues at stake, of which there are three (more on this, in my next post)?

LOL? LOL.

Anyway, there goes. Passages in bold are marked by me:

If anyone knows a thing or two about sex scenes, it’s Sam Heughan. Over the past decade, the 43-year-old Scottish star of Outlander, the cult-hit historical drama, has filmed hours of notoriously raunchy footage in his role as Jamie Fraser, the dashing 18th-­century Highland rebel, with his wife, Claire – a time-traveller from the 20th century, played by ­Caitríona Balfe.

Yet two years ago, Heughan, as one of the executive producers (with Balfe), introduced an intimacy co-ordinator to choreograph such scenes, which had been criticised by many as excessively violent.

“The industry’s completely changed since Outlander started,” Heughan says, sitting in a Soho bar on a visit to London from his home outside Glasgow. “Not just our show but also shows like Game of Thrones were very graphic, with no room for the imagination, in a way that’s quite jarring now. As young, keen actors, we were just expected to get naked and go at it. Caitríona and I formed a bond and trusted each other, but there were times when we were pushed too far.” He was especially troubled by a scene involving full-frontal nudity in ­season one, when Jamie was tortured and raped by his rival, Black Jack Randall (Tobias Menzies). “That really didn’t sit well.”

Everything changed following the MeToo scandal, leading ­Heughan to employ Vanessa Coffey to choreograph the sex scenes. “So now everyone knows what the boundaries are, like in a football or rugby match. It’s been so helpful and freeing, and it was because I didn’t want younger actors to go through what we’d gone through. Now, the scenes are sexually charged, but not gratuitous.”

Despite his heartthrob status, Heughan – who’s 6ft 2in, with the strapping physique his role necess­i­tates – is modest and thoughtful company. He also had Coffey enlisted to co-ordinate his latest pro­ject, Channel 4’s erotic thriller The Couple Next Door, filmed during the short break between Outlander’s seasons nine and 10, in which he plays Danny, a policeman living in a Leeds suburb in an open marriage with Becka (Jessica De Gouw).

“We didn’t want to make a salacious or seedy show about swingers,” Heughan says. “It’s about the psychology behind it – what is it to be in an open relationship where two characters love each other so much that they can invite people into that relationship? I think it’s possibly the greatest form of romance to allow your partner this, if it’s the itch they need to scratch. My character struggles with it.”

The couple’s (initially) strait-laced neighbours are played by Alfred Enoch and Eleanor Tom­linson, who in 2019 finished five seasons as Demelza in Poldark. With Outlander about to start ­filming its final season, she and Heughan compared notes on moving on from a huge, long-running costume drama.

“It’s emotional. For me, the prospect’s hugely bittersweet. It feels like getting out of an institution. Outlander’s like a family, it literally defines who I am.” After all, Heughan has created an empire of Outlander spin-offs, including books, television travelogues and his spirits brand, The Sassenach – named after Jamie’s nickname for the English Claire – not to mention his charity, My Peak Challenge, which has raised nearly £5 million to fund a variety of causes, including ­hunger relief and blood-cancer research. “I’m ready for new challenges, but also nervous about what it’s like in the real world,” he says.

Still, he felt now was the right time to wrap. “Outlander could have finished after the ninth season, but, personally, I felt we hadn’t quite got there. So now we have the problem of pushing the writers to do something that’s hopefully satisfying for the audience, but also exciting.” So Heughan doesn’t yet know how Outlander ends? “No idea, and it’s really tough because Diana [Gabaldon, the author on whose novels the series is based] has written so many books.”

The show has a vast international fanbase; VisitScotland has cited a 67 per cent rise in visits to the show’s locations, such as Culloden and Inverness. “I do feel like I’m an unofficial ambassador for Scotland, and sometimes I don’t think the show is given enough credit for what it’s done for Scottish tourism,” Heughan says. “I think the numbers are even bigger than they say, because reams of Americans are just making their own itineraries. Doune Castle’s numbers are up 800 per cent, it’s been completely renovated as a result.”

The show has also transformed the local film industry. “For 10 years, we’ve been employing ­people at over 200 Scottish locations, we’ve started an intern scheme, we’ve built a studio with five sound stages where there was nothing before. So it’s going to leave a legacy.”

The son of an artist single mother (his father walked out when he was a baby), Heughan spent his early childhood in the Borders, his teens in Edinburgh, before studying at Glasgow’s Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, where his mentor was third-year student James McAvoy.

Having worked in London and Los Angeles, Heughan fell back in love with Scotland when he was cast in Outlander. Initially against independence, filming the first ­season in the run-up to the 2016 ­referendum transformed him into a vocal advocate. “Scottish politics right now is a bit of a mess, which is a shame, but maybe they’ll find a new rallying cry. We’re a great wee country with amazing resources, most of which are controlled by the British. Similar small European countries have great identities.”

Initially, Heughan is hesitant to discuss the issue, aware taking either side will provoke a social-media backlash, but then he decides: “Why can’t actors have opi­n­ions? The problem is you have to come down on one side, there is no room for deb­ate. Everything has be­come so aggressive and then social-media algo­rithms mean you only get to see one side of the argument.”

He had his fingers burnt when last month he signed an open letter from Artists for Palestine UK, alongside the likes of Tilda Swinton and Steve Coogan, which accused the Government of “aiding and abetting” Israeli war crimes, but failed to condemn Hamas’s terrorism. The following day, Heughan rescinded, saying he hadn’t “fully understood” what he was signing.

“I was maybe naively calling for peace, which is what we all want, but, unfortunately, that situation is so complex, I can’t understand it all,” he says now. “As an actor, you have a platform, but if you put your thoughts out there, you upset ­people, but you’re also damned if you don’t say anything.”

Heughan’s taking time to navigate a potential post-Outlander career path. “I’m a workaholic, but I have to be discerning. Whatever I do next, I have to feel really passionate about.” Possible plans include directing and exploring a different side to Scotland than misty heather and bagpipes. “I think that underbelly you see in [Ian Rankin’s] Rebus and Irvine Welsh is very interesting, there are still pockets that are very hard and gritty.”

Back in 2005, he auditioned for James Bond in Casino Royale – the role that eventually went to Daniel Craig. Now, there’s a new vacancy. “I’ll throw my hat in the ring,” he says, grinning. “I’d be a brilliant Bond, I’m good at action and I’d bring a lot of ­emotional intelligence.”

There might even be space for a personal life. Heughan’s mystified by “facts” he reads about his private life online. “There’s so much ­nonsense that’s completely false – apparently, I have a daughter. News to me!” he says, flushing. The truth, he says, is that Outlander leaves no time for relationships.

“It’s insane hours and takes over everything. Caitríona’s carved out a beautiful family for herself that she protects very well, but I’ve seen how hard it is for her to do that. I want a cat, but I’m too scared even for that, how would I look after it? One day, maybe,” Heughan says, dreamily.

The Couple Next Door begins on Channel 4 on Monday 27 November at 9pm; stream all episodes from this date

[srslyscary]

✰ 003. you really are cursed mingi.

minecraft is loading…

“everyone in?” ary’s voice broke through the discord server, her excitement barely contained.

“everyone’s here except for yn.” timothy called out.

“what in the world is she doing?”

“i think she’s eating?”

“well tell her big back ass to hurry it up!”

di-ding!

“I heard that mothafucka.” yn joined with her camera on as her eyes were only seen. she scared everyone as soon as she joined.

“why is potato aim here ..” she called out as soon as she saw the name, the dreadful name she wishes she couldn’t see.

pinkminks

“i’m playing too duhhh.”

she looked at the camera up and down, pretending to bite her fist and then stopping. “oh you saw that? my bad I thought my camera was off.”

_

“it’s been thirty minutes where the hell is my jong at?” yn called out again, pausing her minecraft to look at her discord.

dawg2reall: yeah where’s pookie booty at

“POOKIE BOOTY??” keeho said looking at his own stream chat and back at his discord.

“we don’t play about jong around here, he gets all the cute nicknames.”

“WHAT ABOUT ME?” all the girls yelled in unison.

“damn what was that harmony in blues? .. don’t worry I bet she has nicknames for y’all too.”

“tim , we’re gonna build a castle. I don’t care what anyone says,” keeho said, already planning his empire.

“a castle? we’ve been in here for thirty minutes and we haven’t even found food yet, dude.” timothy replied, but he was clearly all-in for keeho’s wild idea.

doeun had been busying herself with gathering flowers, announcing that she was going to create a beautiful garden. ary, on the other hand, had one goal: diamonds.

“mining is life,” ary muttered under her breath as she began digging straight down, ignoring everyone’s warnings about minecraft’s number one rule.

surpringly soul and bibi had teamed up, and the two were focused on building a cozy little house near the water. lily, meanwhile, was exploring a nearby cave, determined to find enough resources to make everyone weapons and armor.

“lily’s going to be our mvp,” bibi joked, watching lily fearlessly descend into the cave system.

“she’s about to go crazy finding them resources- ain’t that right lily?!”

“YEP!”

“and uh… what about you potato aim?” yn asked as she gathered materials nearby.

“i’m building a house right by the river! i’m gonna raise a pet here. I found a duck, and i’m calling him ducky.”

a wave of laughter erupted in the chat.

“a duck? you’re raising a pet duck in minecraft?” yn wheezed.

mingi defended his decision. “hey- he’s going to be the best duck ever.”

_

mingi’s house was a small but sturdy wooden structure with a fenced-in area where ducky waddled around happily. yn’s base was far more elaborate, and she had enlisted art’s help to mine resources, which she decided to house the rest of the group that hadn’t already been building shelter.

"yn, I don't trust you," mingi declared out of the blue while tending to his duck.

“what? I haven’t done anything yet,” yn replied, a grin creeping onto her face.

“you’re plotting something, I can feel it. you’ve been walking near my house and walking away for 15 minutes now..”

“you must be seeing things.”

meanwhile, chaos erupted on tim and keeho’s side of the map as they bickered over how tall the castle walls should be. keeho wanted it to be grand and towering, while tim just wanted something functional.

“we don’t even have enough stone for this!” tim groaned.

“we can always mine more. get with the program!” keeho shot back.

“ladies, ladies you’re both pretty! now hush it up!” bibi yelled, laughing.

soul and bibi had fallen into a relaxed rhythm, their house now the coziest on the server, complete with flower beds courtesy of doeun.

“eunnie!!! these flowers are so pretty!!”

“THANK YOUUU!”

lily was still deep underground, occasionally muttering about creepers and lava pits. “ary come down here with me and bring a torch.. I forgot some..”

“how the heck did you get down there then?”

“I let the wind guide me!!!!”

“WHAT TYPE OF STUPID SHIT IS THAT??”

_

“uh, hold on, guys. my food just got here.” mingi said.

“what type of food?” soul asked immediately.

“jack in the box!!!”

everyone paused for a second.

“wait, what?” ary laughed.

“his stomach is gonna do backflips, oh lawddd,” yn muttered dramatically.

“that’s an earthquake waiting to happen,” keeho chimed in, barely able to contain his laughter.

the others erupted into laughter as mingi’s character went idle, just standing there with his pet duck next to him.

“I don’t care what anybody says- im about to fuck this shit up!!!” mingi said, his chair creaking as he got up.

“you better hope nothing happens to your house while you're gone,” yn teased.

“you better not yn.” tim spoke up.

“I DIDNT SAY NOTHING??”

shehexedme_: I know you’re about to do smth stupid mother 😭

“am not.”

a few minutes passed, and mingi finally returned, his voice muffled as he was clearly stuffing his face with food.

“okay, I’m back,” he announced.

“is it good mingi??”

“BRO YES. don’t come for me doeun im just trying to enjoy my foo- OH MY GOD.”

“what?” everyone asked.

“MY HOUSE WHAT THE FLIP?!” mingi asked, panic already rising.

“YO MINGI’S HOUSE IS GONE..”

…

“YN!!!!”

“WHAT THE FUCK DID I DO?! IM WITH SOUL AND BIBI!!”

mingi’s screen read “you died! / pinkminks was blown up by emperorsluv”. he quickly clicked respawn and his face dropped. his entire house had been blown to smithereens. all that was left were a few scattered blocks, the fence barely holding together. and worst of all, ducky was gone.

“no… no, no, no, no, no!” mingi cried, his character running frantically around the remnants of his house.

“where’s ducky?!” His voice cracked dramatically. “he was my only friend!”

“WHAT ABOUT ME??”

“NOT NOW EUN!!”

“i’m so sorry, pinky,” she whispered, holding back laughter.

“WHY ME?!” mingi demanded, spinning his character around in circles.

yn, cool and collected, simply said, “I don’t know… maybe it was karma.”

“karma for what?” Mingi was practically sobbing into his mic.

“you made us lose that valorant match!!” YN’s grin was audible through her voice. “I told you I’d get you back.”

there was a brief pause before mingi’s gasp, thick with betrayal, echoed through the server.

“YOU BLEW UP MY HOUSE BECAUSE OF A MATCH WE PLAYED A WEEK AGO? WHAT- DUCKY IS GONE BECAUSE OF YOU!!”

the sheer drama in his tone sent everyone into fits of laughter once again.

ary, who had helped yn with the sabotage, chimed in. “in yn’s defense, it was very funny.”

“i can’t believe you two did this to me,” mingi groaned. “my duck… my house… I was just trying to enjoy my jack in the box…”

“lesson learned,” yn teased. “don’t mess with me in valorant, and don’t leave your house unattended in minecraft.”

“you’re absolutely savage for that..” tim said.

soul kept giggling like he couldn’t breathe and the rest of them had already died of laughter.

mingi’s avatar sat down on a nearby block, defeated.

“i can’t believe this…” he said dramatically.

“i’ll help you rebuild mingi, don’t worry.” bibi offered sweetly, while the others continued laughing in the background.

mingi, after hours of moping and pleading, has convinced the entire group to rebuild his house. the new structure was much bigger and sturdier, and with doeun’s finishing touches, it even had a garden.

“alright, mingi.. you’re house is done be grateful.” yn said as she helped put some carpets in the house.

“this won’t bring back ducky…” mingi muttered, still not fully over his loss.

soul chimed in. “if you want another duck, I found an egg earlier. maybe you can raise another ducky.”

“y’all I want a ducky too don’t play..”

“we’ll get you a duck too lily..”

mingi sighed dramatically as everyone stood around mingi’s new house, admiring the work they had done.

just as they were about to call it a day, a creeper appeared out of nowhere, hissing ominously right next to mingi’s new house.

“mingi I think you might wanna move???” tim shouted, but it was too late.

the explosion rocked the server once again, and mingi’s new house was reduced to rubble. everyone was silent for a beat before erupting into hysterical laughter.

mingi, however, was inconsolable.

“WHAT THE HELL?! THIS IS A CONSPIRACY!!!” he wailed dramatically. “WHY IS THIS ONLY HAPPENING TO ME.”

“you really are cursed mingi.”

masterlist | chapter 004.

[peachymilkandcream]

Someone To Love|Part 2|Reiner x Jealous Reader

(A/N: It's kind of nice and out of my normal style to write a much more wholesome romance, but I can't say I dislike it. You gotta have the fluff with your angst. And since this is going with yandere Levi it's good to have a bit of a change of pace. Comment to be added to the taglist!)

WARNINGS: implied nsfw, depression, attempted suicide, violence, general angst, slowburn, lowkey love triangle with a happy ending, not a warning but Reiner calls you nicknames instead of y/n (because I personally can't stand it)

==============================================

It felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs.

"An Island Devil?"

"I know, it's crazy, trust me I already know that. Especially after everything they did to Bertholdt and Annie. I don't know, I just feel...good about myself and safe around her."

She clears her throat, trying to keep the wad of emotion down in her chest so it doesn't spill out all at once. "And you say her name is Evelyn? I..uhm- tell me about her-"

Reiner leans back with a shy smile. "Well for starters she's short, really short, but she's also fun, and super sweet, an impressive fighter, and pretty on top of that. Like the ultimate package."

"How did you meet her?"

"When I was under cover she was one of the Scout officers, I didn't get to see a whole lot of her since she was part of Captain Levi's squad, but still. As far as Island Devils go she's one of the sweetest people I've ever met."

"Does she know who you are?"

Now Reiner frowns, apparently a sore spot for him. "Yes she does, when we fled I exposed who I was to her...and she said she hated me."

She tries to hide her relief with a deep breath, it wouldn't help anything to outwardly show how glad she was of that.

"So you'll never see her again."

"Until we return to Paradis to reclaim the Founder it seems unlikely." His mood changed, his tone becoming more and more depressed.

"That's too bad. She sounds wonderful."

"Yeah...she was." Reiner rests his elbow on the table, staring into the wooden pattern. "By now she's probably married off to Captain Levi, no screw that, why should I respect him with a title, to Levi."

"Who's Levi?" She didn't know who he was but if he was able to give Reiner closure with this unattainable crush she'd be thankful to him.

"Selfish bastard. Captain of the Survey Corps and man does he abuse that. Always unfairly punishing everyone and demanding respect." He shakes his head. "Creep watched Evelyn like some kind of sick stalker. There were many times I got punished for being anywhere near her. Asshole."

"Maybe you just didn't understand their dynamic?"

"Impossible, it was so obvious he was sick in the head. But no one saw it but me."

Bravely she reaches out to touch his hand. "It'll be okay Reiner, you can move on now. Forget about what happened their and live the rest of your life in peace."

"The rest of my life." He scoffs. "What short time I have left."

The thought made her wince, but he had a point. If she didn't try harder he'd be killed and they'd never have that life she dreamed of, even if it was for a short time.

"That's why you need to make the most of it."

Reiner nods, taking in her words. "You're right, sitting here sulking over what could have been won't get me anything but wasted time." A smile comes to his face. "Thanks kid, you always make me believe in myself."

She blushed a little at the nickname, even after all of this he still saw her as the same girl from their childhood. "No problem, you're my friend and I want to help you."

Reiner's face turns solemn again but before he can speak his mind a soldier comes up to their table.

"Reiner Braun, Commander Magath has sent for you."

"Right now? Is it urgent?"

"He said to come right away."

Reiner offers an apologetic glance before standing and hurrying to follow the young soldier, leaving her alone.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but she had a bad feeling about all of this.

[milkbreadtoast]

random but-

i feel happy bc i finally have a korean name now... i recently found out-- Well actually that's not true. i found out about it 5 yrs ago, that my grandma came up with kr names for me and my older sibling (our legal names r english bc parents thought itd be easier ofc)... but at the time i had mixed feelings about it (and i couldnt even speak korean at all back then so ig i felt more disconnected from it... and i wasnt sure if it was feminine or masculine or neutral. In fact I was worried it was feminine...). So I like... kept it on the side but never used it... I tested other kr names too... (but tbh TT i know there's no reason to but i always felt imposter syndrome while testing those names out... plus i knew i had a more "legit" kr name so why am i recklessly choosing another name... i know i'm(and everyone is) allowed to do whatever i want but yea just couldnt shake that feeling/lowkey guilt)

ANYWAY long story short i talked to some korean friends (as in from korea, not kr am like me) and they told me that my korean name is not only gender neutral but it's shared by a popular well liked male celebrity so it kind of has a masculine image... OH??😳 anyway this is perfect for me... and the more i think about it and say the name to myself the more i like it hehe. So I decided I'm gonna start using it from now on..!! (this. isnt rly relevant for here bc im gonna keep using my nickname/alias "fluff" on the internet for anonymity anyway but. I just wanted to talk about it hehe) 앞으로 많이 쓸게!!!

And I like this korean name better than the other ones I was testing tbh... I think it has a nice ring to it... and I don't feel imposter syndrome with it bc like a relative(my grandma!!) DID pick it out for me... so it feels more "legitimate"... and it doesn't feel like im settling for it either bc I genuinely rly do like the sound of it now skfjskjd. And I'm grateful for that kr celeb for giving the name a masculine image... I FEEL LIKE I LUCKED OUT? ANYWAY KOREAN IS GREAT THANK YOU FOR HAVING SO MANY GENDER NEUTRAL NAMES <333

sidenote but the (new) kr friend who told me this info abt my kr name, i havent come out to them so they told me that it has a masculine image even w/o knowing im trans and desperately want that... so they just mentioned it as a fun fact... so i feel like i can trust their words bc ik theyre not just saying that to make me feel better dmcndm

[good-beanswrites]

Hello! I'd like to request "There's an 80% chance of this working out" from List 5 with Mahiru and Mikoto! Horoscope Girl and Tarot Boy...what will they do...

Ooh this one was so fun, thank you!! It was really neat learning about tarot :0 (It'll take a bit longer, but I got carried away with the idea and also started writing something of Mikoto doing a reading for Fuuta hehe). It always makes me sad that Mahiru doesn’t trust Mikoto at first, so it was really fun to picture them bonding over things like this during T1! I never thought of them having that in common and my mind has been opened to this duo asdfsdfds

“Alright, I’m going to need you to manifest your energy as hard as you can.”

Mahiru squeezed her eyes shut. Her face scrunched up in concentration. She let out a little hum of effort as she poured all her emotions into the card deck under her fingertips.

“Uh… maybe not that hard, Mappi.”

She looked up with a giggle. “Right, right! I’m just so curious!” Well, she was curious about how a tarot reading itself would go, not about what it would tell her. Mahiru was fairly confident of her upcoming verdict, and the cards would only confirm it. So far only one prisoner had been named guilty, and everyone could see he was just a bully. Mahiru was nothing like him. She would be forgiven. She just knew it. 

Mikoto started shuffling the cards. “Are you ready?”

“Oh, yes!”

To be honest, she’d had her suspicions about Mikoto for a while. His smile was too perfect at all hours of the day. (Even someone as cheery as her knew a smile like that couldn’t be consistently real.) She’d seen enough cheaters who chatted as easily as he could with everyone here. His nicknaming habit was a cute one, but she was keeping her eye on how informally he acted with little basis for friendship. She knew for sure he was a dangerous flirt when he’d grabbed her palm to read her fortune, launching into talk of life and love lines. However, none of that meant he was lying about his tarot expertise -- so who was she to refuse his offer to read her cards?

Her eyes glimmered as she watched Mikoto lay out three cards before her. Though he used the same theatrics he had for the others, she was just as entranced. It was just so magical, she thought.

Mikoto circled his palms over the cards. “We’re going to begin by looking at the past and present to get a bit of perspective before we move on to what your future will hold, alright?” He’d already explained that the cards couldn’t read one’s future as much as they offered self-awareness. He said it was all about being in tune with oneself, and the world. She was sure someone like him was already perfectly aligned within himself, but she could admit her heart carried her away at times…

Mahiru held her breath as he flipped the first card. She studied his face for any trace of negativity. Seeing her worry, he slipped back into his usual smile. “For the past, we have the Reversed Page of Cups,” he said. “This suit deals with emotions and intuition.”

Mahiru nodded, excited at the accuracy. Her past certainly had its share of intense feelings. 

“This card in particular may mean emotional insecurity, or immaturity. It could also point to an avoidance of reality, something that’s not being faced head-on.”

She nodded, with a little less excitement this time.

“It also represents a specific person who influences you.” His face lit up, recalling Mahiru’s favorite topic. “Pages can represent a companion! Is there a romantic someone in your life who may have been causing some emotional insecurity?”

Picking up on the way her face paled, he said quickly, “or maybe not! They could be a messenger, or a childlike figure, or…” He reached for the next card. “Moving on, uh, to the present. Ah! This is a really good sign.”

She perked up.

“Here’s Justice. It’s fairly self-explanatory, representing the consequences that follow your actions. It’s about cause and effect, and accountability. It means things are happening according to karma, which is natural.”

He turned over the last card. “And finally, when looking to the future, we’ve got the Two of Swords. Swords deal with the mind -- conflict and communication. That’s… interesting.”

Mahiru’s eyes grew round. “What’s interesting?” She slid the card closer to herself, studying the picture. A blindfolded woman with two swords. There was water, and the moon. Was that bad? Was the woman unhappy? She was all alone. What did that mean?

“Don’t worry,” Mikoto soothed. “It just means you’ll make a big choice. Well, actually, it means you’ll get stuck, so you need to make a choice. I just thought it was funny, we’re here wondering about Es’ decision, but it turns out you’re the one who needs to make a decision.”

“Ah,” she breathed a sigh of relief.

“Now we can look at the big picture. It seems like some of your past problems may have come from emotional issues, so you’ll want to keep an eye on your emotions going forward.” Mahiru shifted. “The fact that we pulled Justice should reassure you about being here. I’ve heard some of the others complain that they don’t belong here, or it’s all a mistake, but this card is showing you that it’s just cause and effect. The events of your life are running their natural course.”

It was true, even she had been unhappy that her actions were being labeled that of a murderer. After all, those were an entirely different breed of people, right? Someone like Fuuta, who was guilty. People like her and Mikoto could never raise a hand to another. It was good to know, then, that this was all meant to be.

“And going forward, you’re gonna want to make sure you’re being decisive. Face your problems head-on, and communicate. If you can do that, things will be alright.” He folded his hands on the table, finished his reading. 

Mahiru thought for a moment. A smile crept onto her face, growing larger and brighter by the second. She clasped her hands together. “That’s wonderful! Thank you so much for doing this. It’s told me everything I need to know.”

“Yeah?” He picked the cards up, shuffling them back into the deck. She pulled a slip of paper from her pocket, pointing to some lines scribbled down.

“Yes. I’ve been jotting down some birthdays, see? I’ve had to make a few guesses until I get more information, but if Es is either a Scorpio or a Virgo… as a Capricorn myself… we’re very compatible, look! Capricorns have excellent communication with both of those signs, and you said that’s what I’ll need to get through this tough decision.” She turned the paper over to reveal more notes. “On top of that, my extraction is scheduled right before my birthday, during Capricorn’s governing period. At that time, things will be aligned more in my favor.”

Mikoto’s eyebrows raised at her notes, impressed. “Wow! You have this all worked out, huh? If that’s the case, you seem very prepared to have a successful interrogation.”

She steepled her fingers. “I’d say there’s an 80% chance of this working out!”

“Definitely!”

He returned her beaming smile. Things would be perfect. Nothing to worry about.

[nikofortuna]

JTTW Chapter 40 Thoughts

Chapter 40 for the @journeythroughjourneytothewest Reading Group!

Deer, yey!

No antelope though, no no no.

Though as Anthony C. Yu mentioned in the notes this is a similar poem to one in chapter 20, so I already mentioned this.

Red Boy narrating to himself feels like such a child thing to do, I like it. Generally there seems to be a difference to his manner of speaking to most of the adults, which is very nice to see.

Love Sun Wukong calling out Zhu Bajie on his implicit bias against monster spirits given he actually knows some of them.

Also Tang Sanzang starting to learn to trust Sun Wukong’s expertise, it’s about time he does.

Maybe he shouldn’t point with his whip though, that’s just a little intimidating.

That Red Boy gives himself as a seven year old here carries numerical meaning as the German translation has stated in its notes! The number seven is associated with fire as well as the colour red.

Honestly Sun Wukong has every right to be upset in this situation.

Also really cute this brotherly moment between him and Sha Wujing!

So this is an awl.

I had no idea what that was, so here I present it to everyone for clarification. The German translation made a lot more sense to me, translating to drill head instead.

There exists also an Awl Pike as a weapon.

But given that it was developed in Germany and Austria and mostly relegated to there for usage as well I doubt that is what was meant here.

With this mountain the math doesn’t math. 30 each would only add up to 300 miles. I believe it’s a translation mishap and makes a lot more sense with the original measurement units.

Another deer mention. We have very generalized Mountain Deer or potentially Chinese Water Deer specified to be of the mountain, and Wild Deer.

I wonder if by childhood name they mean actual name or his milkname. A quick check of the Original Chinese version and indeed it is his milkname. Anyone spending even just a little time looking at Chinese culture probably already has a hunch as to what this is, but I’ll give a quick summary here anyways.

A milkname is essentially just a nickname for a baby for a couple of months after its birth before an actual name is decided upon. It is usually an insulting or at least plain name as well to keep evil spirits from taking an interest in the newborn. Very similar to traditional European cultures actually! In either place these kinds of nicknames aren’t really used anymore due to bureaucracy requiring a baby to be properly named at birth for record keeping.

[momentokori]

Storm in a field of flowers. Pt. 2 previous part---next part

“WHAT?! Why do I have to walk up the hill?” Rai complained. “It was your idea and my legs hurt. If he has candy, yell down and I'll meet you. If not, you can roll down the hill or something.” Elaine stated sarcastically. “Are you saying that because I'm fat?!” Rai jokingly accused. “Yup!” Elaine answered. Holding back laughter. Rai rolled her eyes and began to walk up the hill. She had put her earbuds in. It was only a three minute walk, but she liked the music. When she got up to the church she took them out. She hesitantly knocked on the door. Fixing the sleeves to her costume as she waited. Humming a song. The door swung open. A man was holding a pot of boiling water. He looked like he was about to throw it at her, but stopped. She was noticeably younger than other trick or treaters. “What are you doing here? You should be at a house party.” He assumed. “So sorry to bother, my friend was curious and wanted to know if you were giving out candy?” Her nervousness made him put down the pot slowly. “I'm not. I refuse to participate in the devil's holiday.” He turned his head. “Oh, my apologies then. I'll leave you be-” she stopped, jumping when she heard Elaine yelling at her from the bottom of the hill. He looked annoyed. “Your friend I assume?” “Yes, sorry about her.” Rai answered. She sounded extremely awkward. He almost felt pity.

She then turned around and began to say goodbye, but he stopped her. “Wait, I have a question. Why are you out? Normally kids your age are drinking and smoking at a house party.” She slowly turned back around. “Oh no no..i can't. Me and my friend would rather goof off and dress up. I don't care about the candy that much. I just like hanging out with her.” the man nodded and held out a hand. “I'm new in town. I'm the priest of the church. My name is Father Gregor.” She very hesitantly shook his hand. “I'm Raelynn. Normally people call me Rai.” She introduced me. “My friend down there is Elaine. Sometimes I call her Ei.” “Ei? Like the letter? That's..odd.” he asked himself. “I just wanted a nickname for her. I don't call her that often though..” she giggled at the thought. “Will I be seeing you at church ever?” He asked. Almost hoping to see her. “Probably not. I mean, my family believes I think? I'm not sure..it's a little confusing.” She sounded embarrassed. “I see. Well it isn't for everyone. I'm not disappointed in you or anything if that's what you're thinking.” He could see the nervousness on her face. She now had a wide smile. Then she said her goodbyes and left. Yelling at her friend down the hill. He watched her as she walked. Almost watching her to make sure she was safe.

When Rai made it back down the hill Elaine stared with her arms crossed. “What took so long?” Rai still had her smile, “Oh! The guy that was up there-” “Did he have candy?” Elaine interrupted. Rai gave her a look and just stared quietly for a moment. “No..he didn't. He's a priest I guess. Doesn't celebrate.” Rai answered as she put her earbuds back in the case and in her pocket. “I think he wanted to throw boiling water on me..but besides that he was chill.” She shrugged and began to walk, Elaine following. “A priest? Ew, what'd he talk about? Did he want you to come by?” She sounded extremely suspicious. “He just kinda talked, I'll be honest I forgot most of it. I think he said something about me coming by..but I don't know. Sundays are supposed to be my day off from band and everything. Oh! And his name is Gregor.” Rai didn't complain, she didn't even talk bad about him. Elaine didn't like it, she didn't trust him. “Gregor? That's stupid.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, he didn't like your name either.” “he WHAT?!” Rai started laughing at her friend's reaction. The two continued their conversation as they walked, Elaine being incredibly loud while Rai told her to be quiet.

[jils-things]

Wishing Ekans also a good beak, take care! I enjoyed the little (indirect) conversation hehe :3

also NEWS FLASH MOUSE SI HAS A NAME. It's Euphemia (Effie for short bc I think it's cuteee annnd idk imagine almost everyone calling her Effie and only Naib keeps calling her Euphemia because he likes that more hjkhdjkl)

Aryon, Irene and Euphemia would get along I'm sure! I think Euphemia wouldn't even notice when Aryon tried to pickpocket smth from her hjkhfhkk and she's looking confused at Irene, asking “something wrong?”

AGHHH Euphemia is looking at the stars saying “Beautiful, right?” and Naib replies “yes, very beautiful” WHILE LOOKING AT HER I'M HJKHFDFJJ 🧡🧡 THIS MAKES MY HEART BEAT SO MUCH I THINK I WILL EXPLODE

Irene and Naib remind me of Mabel and Dipper - I haven't watched much of Gravity Falls but I know that sound in which she's like “uh oh somebody's in loooove” and he's like “pfff yeah sure. It's not like I lay awake at night thinking about her” and then it cuts to him in bed, wide awake PFFFTTT

OH OHH YOU KNOW ALREADY? 👀 YOU EVEN THINK NAIB IS LIKE SOME OF THE OTHER F/O'S WHAT Ahhh tbh the only similarity I found for Naib and my other favs is… some of them also have long hair and some kind of ponytail fhjkkgfgjk I think that says a lot about me

I thought at first I might already gave it away with the detective conan skin because… that character of the skin is literally mentioned on my f/o list and I'm not sure if you'd remember that and I haven't seen any other selfshippers with an f/o from that source jkkhklgfj ANYWAYS I also think it's super nice talking to you and ngl it brightens my day a bit and makes me super excited hehe 💚

OH? No time to look at your husbands pinterest? But I'm sure there are lots of nice images on it worth looking at :]]

Hjjgfdh don't look at my pinterest it's constantly growing why are artists drawing Naib that pretty oughhh

BTW LOOK

https://www.tumblr.com/mirshroom/629119160230756353/late-night-doodles?source=share

It's ur husband and my stargazing partner your brother :]

-🐭 anon

EUPHEMIA!!!!!! EEEKKK THAT IS SUCH A LOVELY NAME. even if her nickname is presented i still want to call her euphemia because i love reading it... it sounds so charminggg!!! NOT HIM CALLING HER BY FULL FIRST NAME BECAUSE IT ROLLS OFF HIS LIPS NICELY EHUEHEUHEHEHEHEHEH he brushes it off as him being "polite and respectful to a stranger" BUT NOOOO HE JUST LOVES TO SAY IT SOOO MUCH HEHEHEHE (the accidental siblings calling her euphemia ehehehehehe)

EUPHEMIA JUST TILTING HER HEAD, CONFUSED LIKE, "did something happen?" (IRENE IS HOLDING ARYON BY THE EAR, ON THE VERGE OF SCOLDING) (aryon is quietly going "ow ow ow")/j WHAHHAHAHA THEYRE SO SILLY EYYEYEYEYE

WE ARE COOKING THE NAIPHEMIA (IM CALLING THE TAG NOW /J) DYANMIC CHAT!!!!!! HE IS STARING AT HER AND SAYING "yea... beautiful..." HEHUEAHUEAHEHAAHAHOH HES SO INLOVE OH LOVERBOOYYY BTW YES THEY ARE SO MABEL AND DIPPER CODED OMG WTF i was just watching the show recently and CACKLED at that scene... naib thinking abt her that day be like.... the stargazing took him out so bad heuehuehhehehehe EEEEEEE

OH MY GOSH I THINK I DEFINITELY KNOW WHO YOU ARE JUST BECAUSE OF THAT DETECTIVE CONAN MENTION, AND TO BACK UP MY ARGUMENT WITH NAIB BEING SIMILAR: perhaps its just my general advantage of knowing naib well and comparing him to the other characters: i can DEFINTELY say he matches the vibe with the other charas. trust me. im his sister i know/jjj EHEHEHEHEHEHEHE

SQYUEUEUEUEUEUEE YOURE LOOKING FOR FANART HERE TOOOEJEHEHEUAHAUAUAUAUAA I LOOVE LOVE LOEV NORTONS BASEBALL SKIN YK ITS SO?!?!?!? ITS SO ATTRACTIVE ON HIMKFLDKKLFKLKD i can imagine cheerleader irene just going eeeeee nonnon ure doing so great ilyyyy (he is dying /pos) WAWAWA SORRY JUST WANTED TO PUT IT OUT THERE i am horribly SMITTEN by his skinsssss💚💚💚

[mamamittens]

Alright, ngl, I fully planned on writing this week but work decided it was time to do inventory again. At the literal last minute.

I. Hauled. Ass.

And tomorrow I'm probably going to be counting a fuck ton of shit sooooo RIP IG

Anyway, as a small apology lemme talk about the au of Sweet Child, Grow (now the nickname for "How our Seeds Grow"). And fittingly, I'll start with the name!

I actually didn't think too much about the name before rolling with that but it's kinda genius in hindsight because now the two read as "Oh, sweet child of mine, how our seeds grow" which sounds awful wistful don't it? And sweet. I like it. And it's very poignant considering the au is all about little reader growing up with the WBP.

Also! I did write a fair bit for the next chapter but it felt short and I thought I could more or less squeeze in a few chapters now that the narrator (child reader) is way less angsty about being kidnapped and not as observant so there's less wordage to get across here. And as I did I realized I accidentally wrote in a little plot hole in the first one.

See, reader's supposed to really love animals. But what happened to their den den mushi? The snail from the beginning? So I'm taking a moment to answer what no one has asked.

They didn't get to keep the snail until well after they returned since it's apparently pretty easy to convert them into 'phones' so to minimize shenanigans, they just withheld it until they felt they could trust reader.

And since in Grow the reader is just a scared kid, they get to keep the snail with a normal shell. Reader named him 'Cream' even though they weren't supposed to because it's not 'their' snail. It's the marine's snail. Little reader has gotten better at hiding how attached they are to their issued snail at whatever base they're on but not very well.

As a treat, here's a little snippet!

Oh! And before I forget!

I'll try to remember y'all that asked to be tagged in the next update but I make no promises! If you're super concerned about it though as soon as it comes out you can also read not only Sweet Child but Grow as well on AO3! Or maybe follow the tag for the story??? Idk how reliable that is, I don't really follow specific tags on Tumblr ngl

AO3 is currently experiencing some minor issues (8/30/23) though, so please be patient if it won't work immediately and perhaps check back later!

Anyway! Thanks for being patient everyone, as well as the fairly positive-ish neutral reaction to my new rule concerning asks for updates! It's a lot less stressful thinking about which fics to update now that I have a hard line. I'm afraid the personal clash between pathological demand avoidance and people pleasing is incredibly uncomfortable to grapple with at the best of times. And it leaves me feeling like either a raging bitch or a doormat 😬

I'm hoping to get some writing done soon but with inventory in full swing tomorrow I won't be surprised if I just pass the fuck out when I get home. Istg I opened cult of the lamb for a quick sesh and next thing I knew it was 9 (my bad entirely. I know damn well that game is very hard to put down- always one last thing I can do before going to bed but it's never just one is it???)

Speaking of which! I gotta go to sleep now lol

[flowerfeast444]

most ardently || pedro pascal {pt 2}

pedro x oc

chapter summary: pedro throws a wrap party. drunk shenanigans

a/n: no significant warnings but things get hot and heavy if you catch my drift

We finished filming the final scenes for 'August Sun' around five hours ago. As soon as Sean shouted the final cut, tension rolled off my back, and I almost laughed with joy. It's not that I have been miserable the last few months because I haven't. It's just that the thought of never having to work under his critical eye again filled me with great relief.

I know that being the lead in 'August Sun' required a more solemn performance in comparison to my previous work, but have I not proved my talent already? It felt like every take was another audition in which I had to fight for my dignity. Sure, most of my acting experience has been from shooting commercials, but I have been working my way up in recent years; my nomination for best supporting actress in a kid's movie from two years ago sits heavy in my mind. At least my name was out there.

Still, it felt like no one trusted me to be alone on set or make a decision about my character for myself. So, when we finally wrapped, I seriously debated going straight home and drinking enough wine to wash out the grubby feeling in my gut. It became a bit more complicated when Pedro invited everyone to his house for a wrap party. I still could have avoided going, except he asked me personally to be there. It would have been easier if he simply shouted the announcement to the room, but he didn't. Instead, he told me how much he looked forward to seeing me there.

I was, unfortunately, alone outside of my trailer when he told me this, so I couldn't deflect or lean on Allison to avoid him. Like the few times we spoke before, he was kind, but I could see the apprehension through his whole body and his voice. I agreed to come only because I had no excuse otherwise. When I told him, he smiled shyly at the ground before schooling his expression and simply telling me, "see you 'round, Dev".

The way he spoke my nickname so casually irked me for the rest of the day. Who did he think he was? He barely knew me. I'm sure he knew this and only said it to get to me.

An hour into the party, even two Jack and Cokes couldn't help settle my agitation. When I first arrived, I tried my best to make peaceful small talk with the other actors and crew members there, but I felt like I was acting as much as I had been on set the past several months. Allison was there, but she was having fun with the other people from the hair and makeup department, and I didn't want to intrude. Eventually, I gave up, retreating to the other end of the house where I found a cozy library.

The slightly ajar door enticed me as if it were waiting for me to stumble upon it. A single lamp in the far corner illuminated the shelves of books and various trophies lining each wall. The multiple rugs layered on top of one another worked well to absorb the sound of the party, and without further thought, I dropped into the corner of one of the plush leather couches in the center of the room.

I drained the last of my third drink with a content sigh. I closed my eyes for a few moments, rolling out the tension in my neck before pulling my phone out of the pocket of my fur jacket. I had only been scrolling through Instagram for a few minutes when I suddenly heard the party's very own host behind me.

"Finally decide you're too good for us?" He asked smugly. He held two bottles of wine in each hand where he stood, leaning against the doorway.

I rolled my eyes and focused back on my phone. I expected him to blow me off and leave me alone like he usually does; instead, he admitted, "You know when we first met, I thought you were going to be much more lively. Social."

"Did you follow me over here just to say that?"

Pedro smirked and held up the wine. "Wine storage is next door. You sure you didn't come to the library in hopes of catching me alone?"

"God, get over yourself," I muttered softly.

"But seriously- you're not having fun? You know, when I was your age, I was throwing parties in my small-as-shit, shoebox apartment every chance I got," Pedro laughed at the memory as he finally sauntered into the room. He perched on the armrest of the couch opposite me, bottles still clutched in his hands but resting comfortably on his thighs.

"'When I was your age,'" I mocked. "Come on, you're not that much older than me."

"I've got a good ten years on you, at least." He shrugged.

Unsure of how to respond, I stared down into my glass as I swirled it, pretending there was something actually in it.

"Alright, take off that ridiculous jacket and join the rest of us again. I'll get you a refill of whatever you've been drinking, I can pretend you are a gracious guest, and you can pretend that you actually like any of us." Pedro stood and began taking small steps backward until he was almost in the hallway. "Who knows, maybe you might just enjoy your time."

I wanted to deny him or at least make a witty remark, but my words failed me. I kept my jacket on, though. I followed Pedro back to the crowded kitchen and pushed my empty glass on the counter in front of him as soon as we arrived. He side-eyed me but filled it up with red wine without hesitation. I lifted the glass to him, giving him a 'cheers' before taking several large gulps. He shook his head with a smug smile.

A few drinks later and I had lost track of time. I hated to admit that Pedro could be right, but I was laughing more and more as the night wore on. Like always, though, I found Allison to cling to when being social felt too difficult. We sat on the couch and gossiped until I couldn't feel my cheeks from laughing. I'm sure anyone around us thought we were hysterical. I eventually excused myself to the kitchen to procure a shot for each of us, but when I reentered the living room, Allison was headed toward me, purse and keys in hand.

"Sorry babe, I'm about to head out, it's been a long day." She brushed some loose hair behind my ear, smoothing it down with a few more strokes. "I'm so glad you came! We need to go out more often- let your freak flag fly!" With a kiss on my cheek, she all but disappeared before my eyes.

My shoulders dropped. I downed one of the shots and set the other on the coffee table beside me. Looking around for the first time in a while, I understood why Allison left. We were pretty much the only people left. Daisy, the actress that played my sister, was curled up on a chaise lounge, fast asleep. Music still pumped through the speakers, but I decided my time to leave had long since passed.

I clumsily twirled around in search of my phone and purse when I noticed the music lowering to a soft hum.

"Thought you'd have left by now," Pedro said, turning away from the stereo system on the other side of the room.

I found my purse half under the couch and picked it up, showing it to him, "going to now."

"You were able to get an Uber this late?"

"I don't live far, I'll be fine to drive." I shook my head but quickly stilled, trying to quell the dizziness it brought on.

"Honey, if you've had anywhere near what I've had to drink tonight, and I think you have, you're in no shape to drive," he said condescendingly.

"Don't act like you know me. I'm fine."

I tried walking to the door, but Pedro gently pushed on my shoulder, and by the time I processed it, I was back on the couch. I groaned. Pedro laughed.

"Like I said," he landed heavily onto the cushion beside me, "you're not going anywhere. So, kick off your shoes, unbutton your pants, whatever, just get comfortable. Because I will take your keys."

I could be arrogant sometimes, I knew that. I guess this was one of those moments to give in. Let someone else be right.

So I reached down to unzip my boots and pulled them off, chucking them to the floor beside the couch. I felt Pedro's gaze on me and my already flushed cheeks grew hotter. I lost my jacket at some point in the night, so I unbuttoned my pants next, just as he suggested. I maintained eye contact as I did so, watching his eyes darken and his demeanor transform to something more focused. I had only seen a similar look from him when we were in front of a camera, and even then, it was much more practiced and controlled than the man in front of me now.

Though my ego felt satiated, I hungered for more. So, I drew the zipper down slowly, with baited breath. Pedro's eyes danced around my body, but continually rested on the open closure of my pants. Just to see how far I could take it, I moved my hands up and behind my back in search of my bra clasp. I quickly unhooked it and pulled the straps from my shoulders, letting it fall out the bottom of my tank top. When Pedro's breath stopped for a full second, I knew I had him like putty in my hands.

"Comfortable, now?" he asked with a steady, deep voice, leaning closer to me.

I nodded, and before I could fully part my lips to speak, he was kissing me- and Jesus he held back during filming. His tongue prodded mine hungrily, and I felt his hands snake around my waist, grabbing me there just as fiercely. With one particularly rough tug, I swung my left leg over and landed in his lap, tangling my fingers is his hair to help myself balance. We rutted together intensely, his fingers splayed out, digging into the flesh of my hips.

I instinctually let my hands wander down Pedro's chest, my lips twitching to a smirk when I realized his half unbuttoned silk shirt had fallen off one shoulder. As I broke our kiss and reconnected my lips on the nape of his neck, a small whimper escaped him- so quiet, I almost missed it. My hands continued their path lower until they reached the top of his pants, quickly unbuttoning them. His grip finally left my hips, one grabbing my hands, the other holding my back as he maneuvered me to lay on my back with him hovering above me and pinning my hands above my head.

"Devon," he tutted, shaking his head, "who knew you could be such a bad girl."

"Isn't that what you like?" I rolled my hips up into his.

I could see the thoughts rolling behind his eyes, debating what to do with me. He leaned closer, and I could feel his breath on my chin, but he backed away again and, instead, dragged his eyes over my entire body then back up. Making eye contact again, he released my hands and sank back into the opposite side of the couch. I remained in my lounged position and tried to catch my breath.

"Get some sleep. There's a guest room down the hall." Pedro nodded to his left, still maintaining eye contact, "Don't puke on anything."

Without another word, he left me in the living room, music still purring through the speakers and Daisy still passed out across the room. Simply, what the fuck was that.