#thinking of u fondly queen

[sparring-spirals]

"are we looking for a huge fucking tree" not if laerryn had anything to say about it

[bomber-grl]

Nico Di Angelo x Son of Persephone🪦

Pairing(s): Nico Di Angelo x Male!Reader

Sorta awkward 😭 I mean you are step siblings if we really think about it

You can argue that you’re like Beckendorf and Silena but yk…

But lets ignore that

Anyway, when the two of you meet or atleast once Nico is made aware of your existence, he isn’t exactly jumping at the chance to talk to you

I mean Persephone wasn’t the best towards Nico so it’s to be expected..

However, with that he was pleasantly surprised when you were, dare he say, decent

You’re both pretty similar in the underworld aspect but different all the same

Especially since you’re able to grow plants and manage that while also being able to control darkness and such due to your mothers underworld aspect

So the two of you most likely met because you so happened to be in the underworld when he was.

He never expected to see another demigod there, especially since you looked very much alive

So the two of you got talking and once he found out u were Persephone spawn? Yea his face contorts to that of disgust

Dude doesn’t even try and hide it

Ofc because of you being there hades gives u the same treatment Persephone gives Nico and it’s awkward overall man

What he didn’t tell you is that the time you spent talking (surprising that he stayed to talk) before he found out your godly parent, he actually thought fondly of you

Well because of things you both can relate to- you two get closer and inevitably start dating after going through some hardship with Nico admitting his feelings

And thus you both start dating

Nico is pretty alert whenever he’s in the underworld outside his dads palace so having you by his side- he’s even more so

Ofc he forgets you can literally defend yourself since your mom is literally the queen of the underworld but yk

Being familiar with the underworld is what gets you two pretty close

Especially since you both know how it is to be so close to death and stuff, it’s sorta a “iykyk”

Now, just cuz you’re connected to the underworld- it doesn’t mean you’re not connected to spring and plants and the works

Ofc Nico hates when Persephone or Demeter are mentioned but he actually loves your powers since you made them your own

Was a bit weirded out since he’s basically one with death and living things hate his guts-

So ofc when you made a few plants here and there as you do and he’s surprised when it doesn’t decay

Since usually every plant around his does (only ever when he’s upset which he was at the time)

Honestly what was his thought process

Your mom is literally connected to the underworld why wouldn’t it be somewhat immune 😭

Well regardless he’s so sweet even if he has weird ways of showing it and you’re probably one of the few people he can tolerate and be patient with since you both have similar experiences.

Plus, once you both start dating he doesn’t not GAF what your mom or anyone else has to say he’s felt w enough bs from anyone- he’ll be just fine

Later on he feels bad for being so put off by you in the beginning especially since you’re most likely introverted and shy 😭

He feels so bad so he tries to be more appreciative towards you while you’re just confused

[luveline]

jade!! i have a rooster request (ty if you do it, love u if u dont! ur my queen). i feel like rooster doesn't uh, relax a lot? so maybe making him chill out with a face mask or something? love u!

tysm for requesting, love u ♡ fem!reader

Bradley sits back against the headboard of his bed, listening to your quiet movements in the bathroom with that 'I'm so lucky' feeling coursing rampant through his veins. 

The bed is made —though the corners aren't as neat as Bradley would tuck them— the windows open, a box fan breezing the smell of a triple wick candle his way. Vanilla, coconut, and almond. 

He's trying to think of ways to pay you back for it while you're gone. You don't like accepting repayment for anything, not dinner, not stamps for your copious letters, nothing. He might tuck a twenty into your purse. Better yet, he might ask you to get married, have a portion of his wages wired to your account whenever he fancies. 

That way, you might miss him less. And he'd be much less stressed, if tonight is anything to go by; not because of your cleaning, which he is grateful for, but because your presence feels like a balm for bad nerves. You turn the corner into the bedroom with a muted blue pot in hand and his pulse genuinely slows. 

"Bradley," you say, opening your mouth to propose something. 

"Y/N," he says, putting his hands out to receive you, pulling you over his extended leg to sit across from him. You fold your legs underneath you, taller than him for once.

"Did you wash up when you got home?" 

"Clean as a whistle," he says, eyeing the pot with curiosity, and your dainty vest top with something else. "Want me to prove it?" 

"Do you want to do this with me?" you ask, placing the pot in your palm to show him the dark writing spanning the side.

"Clay Mask." He raises his eyebrows. "For my face?" 

"Yeah. It has chamomile and lavender, so the smell might be a bit cloying for you, but it's…" You tap the lid and shimmy closer, the sheets crinkling under your knees. This close, he can see the triangles of your lashes. The urge to brush them up rises. "Don't entertain me, okay? If you don't want to do it and this will actually make you more stressed, don't say yes. But if you're okay with it I think we could really chill." 

"I'm not half as stressed out as you think I am." 

"Well, half of your stress is triple a normal person's." 

Bradley puts his arms behind his head and tries to give his muscles a subtle flex. You know him too well, rolling your eyes fondly as his biceps dance. 

"It'll definitely relax me if you put it on me," he flirts. 

Your smile is impossible to hide. "You can close your eyes, yeah?" You shuffle closer still as he complies, the gentle hum of sound complimented by the quiet in and out of your breath and the shushing of of your plaid pants rubbing against his as you lean into his space. "It'll be cold," you warn. 

Bradley smiles. "Just lay it on me, sweetness." 

You unscrew your pot. After a moment, he senses your hand, and then cold spreads against his cheek in a soft lump. You smooth it down flat over the planes of his face, melting his heart with the care you show his scars. They were healed years before you met and still you worry you'll hurt him as your fingertip glides over his chin. The smell is heady but with a little hint of sweetness to tide it over.  

It could smell of chicken shit and he'd stick it out just to feel you touching him like this. 

"Do you ever wonder what your top lip looks like?" you ask as you paint the skin either side of it. 

"Nope. You like the stache, babe, you know you do." 

You sit back on your heels. Bradley opens his eyes, his skin cold and sticky. 

"How do you feel?" you ask. 

"Better already." And it has nothing to do with the face mask. He couldn't care less about how corny it is, but you've really made him feel better with your touch alone. 

"Will you do mine?" you ask. 

"You kidding? C'mere." 

He's halfway through painting your face when he starts to feel stiff around his mouth. "What's happening?" he asks, batting down his alarm. 

"It dries solid," you murmur, trying not to move too much under his touch. "Gotta wash it off." 

The mess of clay and water that runs down his arms as he does is enough to put his stress levels back where they were, but your soft laughter from beside him makes up for it. "Looking fresh, Bradshaw." 

He gets clay on his lips trying to kiss you. 

[dearinglovebot]

oml hi! what are your headcanons for claire and owen when they were at school? here are some of mine:

claire would defnitely be on good tersm with everyone, i feel like she'd be popular in the way that she knew everyone

but she's classify everyone as aquaintences though and call it 'networking'

would be super annoyed by everyone in her class constantly talking abt marriage and kids like thats the only option for her (alas i wish she was in my class i'd have someone to survive those trenches with 😔)

straight A+ student ofc

owen wouldn't really care for school i think

he'd get like alright grades

he'd be like 55% class clown if that makes sense?

super good at PE tho like he'd be the Pe Kid (TM)

i think he had a pet dog or cat (or both?) but they died

i kinda hc that his parents were pretty shitty. idk why but i do. (shhh let me project)

constantly getting into fights with vic hoskins but everyone agrees vic is annoying as HELL so eh he gets a pass socially-speaking

also:

in dodgeball the teachers always put claire and owen on the same team bc the two of them against each other means the match lasts FOREVER and if it does end it's a tie followed by an argument of who won that lasts for two weeks. like claire vs owen in dodgeball would be legendary. and like +340% hype bc everyone's 10 and dodgeball matches are IT when ur ten (can u tell i miss primary school dodgeball 😔)

hello anonnie! brace yourself cause this is a level 5 yapnado

I don’t agree with EoC a lot (...most things) but it hits my high school headcanons very well. that is to say, she is weird and off-putting to the general public. particularly sheltered midwestern kids who absolutely will be raised on the housewife/breadwinner-husband cool-aid in the 90s. they’re all obsessed with settling down with kids in the same town they were raised in while she’s trying to escape to a big city and get a master's degree. they’re doing the 90s equivalent of calling her woke blue hair liberal with pronouns. not outright bullying her but like... side-eyeing her. she's not really being invited to parties. which is fine! (it is not fine. she is lonely).

she has sooooo many autistic traits that i do just consider it part of my personal canon and that will NOT help her. her hyperfixation is going to college and she stims by doing homework (exaggerating. but only partially). i love my queen dearly but she does not have cool autism that makes you do cool art installations. she has collecting alaskan postage stamps from the 1800s type autism. she is a loser that few will truly appreciate <33 like fine wine

claire being from no-where wisconsin in the 80s-90s is sooo vital to understanding why she is #likethat. small town midwest is basically the deep south politically except in the south people will straight up say "women belong in the kitchen" and in the north they'll go "oh. you want a degree? how quaint [condescending tone]". she's used to everything being a backhanded compliment and proving that she deserves what she has. it makes her super defensive and lean towards interpreting things as malicious even when they're not. which is why, on the island, people don't really like her. she's the mean boss lady who won't even do small talk with her peasants

she absolutely is a straight A student. that is PRESIDENT of the debate club to you. she's a teacher's pet who Will do the extra credit work every time and has perfectly chosen her extra curriculars based on what will look best on her college application.

i also think she'd start working about as soon as she legally could. not only is that the smart financial move (start saving as soon as possible) but it looks amazing on college applications too. she is absolutely maximizing what she is able to accomplish in a day

overall, it really isn't an experience she thinks of fondly. she spends most of her teenhood devoted to trying to escape the poor, rural lifestyle she was born into. it's another stepping stone in her 10 stage plan to conquer a small nation. and she wouldn't regret any of it until her life inevitably comes crashing down (indominus incident) because only then does she realize she's been chasing material wealth instead of internal happiness for her entire life

owen has none of the crazy ambition claire does bc he's normal. he would take it one day at a time with vague goals of where he wants to end up. as long as he does the bare minimum of passing the class then he's doing pretty good. best subject science, worst subject literature

owen is from the 80-90s deep south which also heavily influences how i view his characterization. as a funny guy who enjoys very traditionally masculine things like construction and sports, he's going to be very well liked. everyone likes someone who makes you laugh. but overall it's pretty surface level. nobody asks about his day. he's gonna be like "damn is this really all i am to them??". but it's not like he can say that cause then he's being weird and emotional (toxic masculinity culture). so whatever. he keeps balling. (represses vulnerability and compensates by going even harder into funny sport guy routine)

so really he's the guy everyone "knows" but they're gonna lose contact the moment he leaves town. which is whatever. he has his wholeeeee life ahead of him to make some #real friends (his only long term friends include barry, the raptors, and sometimes claire)

he has proven time and time again he has no problem speaking his mind so yeah he's punching every hoskins that comes along and getting a few days suspension over it. he would not gaf tho bc his internal sense of justice is stronger than any school related punishment

he's the kind of kid who mows the lawn for your mom for pocket change and volunteers at the animal shelter

not the worst but yeah he's not that interested in reliving that

not including much about their individual family dynamics because thats an entirely different yap session

also:

in a hypothetical au where they're in the same high school, i believe it would go like this: claire is brilliant and smart in every class they share meaning he's enamored with her big words, she thinks all sports guys are meathead jocks and actively avoids them, she tutors for extra cash after school and he's on the verge of failing lit, she takes him on as a client and he's like wowza the whole time, she's like can you focus on the themes of shakespeare already and stop looking into my eyes longingly every few minutes i'm starting to think you aren't even interested in the deeper meanings of the rivalry between the veronas and capulets (she isn't picking up on a single hint), and now he is actively pretending like he doesn't understand any of the assignments to "get her guidance" on them (she still doesn't get the hint and is wondering if he got a concussion at some point)

[moistvonlipwig]

should i poke the bear and ask for cwsg for the top 3 ask game? 🥴

consider the bear poked!

top 3 favorite characters: The legendary Lena Luthor, my king from the future Querl Dox, and uhhh I'm actually not sure who's third? Could be Red Daughter, could be James, could be Nia. Could even be Eve who fascinates me despite being underwritten. IDK. Depends on my mood. ...And actually if we count him as a Supergirl character and not as a walking backdoor pilot then it might just be Clark. I do like Clarky boy.

top 3 least favorite characters: Mon-El obviously, Ben Lockwood who Manchester Black should've gotten to strangle with his bare hands, and...there are several other annoying misogynists I could list here but I'm actually going to give this spot to Overgirl because it's still so baffling to me that none of the higher-ups thought, 'hey, maybe we shouldn't make a crossover where AU versions of Supergirl and Green Arrow are actual literal Nazis.'

top 3 otps: Kara/Lena, Lena/James, Brainy/Nia

top 3 notps: Kara/Mon-El is a no-brainer, Kara/William was a flop, and I can't believe it even needs to be said but. Kara/Alex. No.

top 3 brotps: Lena & Brainy my beloved <333 And I like Lena & Sam's friendship as well. Honestly a lot of the relationships in this show are great in theory but a little thin in actual execution, but I enjoy reading fanfics where Lena is good friends with Kelly, Nia, and/or iconic queen Jess the secretary. [I wish I could give a brotp for Kara but honestly I think most of her relationships suffer greatly from how they write her character.]

top 3 favorite episodes/chapters/scenes/games in series: My favorite is definitely 4.16 "The House of L." Bonus points for epic title also, like, that's an iconic pun right there. I look fondly on 4.11 "Blood Memory" as well which I think is probably Nia's strongest outing on the show and also is an episode that actually bothers to do something interesting with the Danvers sisters relationship. And in terms of episodes that are consistently entertaining I do really enjoy a significant chunk of 5.13 "It's a Super Life" although it's tainted by the terrible ending (as well as the foreknowledge of what comes after). [You might be thinking: what about XYZ Season 2 episode? To which I sadly must respond: Mon-El.]

top 3 other things u think ppl who like this thing should watch/read/play: I'm going to refrain from recommending other Arrowverse shows because I think that's too easy. But I do think my recommendations would depend on what you liked or didn't like about the show? If you like light-hearted superhero shenanigans you should watch DC Super Hero Girls (2019-2021). If you were frustrated by the show's surface-level pop feminism then you should watch Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997). If Lena Luthor's character type fascinates you then you should watch Severance (2022-ongoing). [If you're in it for Katie McGrath I can't help you, that woman was cursed by a witch long ago to only be in the worst shows you've ever heard of.]

my rating of this media out of 3, with 0 being lowest and 3 being highest: uhhh 1? idk. it's not 0

[artemis-potnia-theron]

for the pagan ask meme: 🎭❤️🏛🔥

🎭 - What is an emotionally impactful or a silly worship-related experience you've had?

When Artemis revealed her name to me. I had been worshipping her under a different (and incorrect) name for years, and it never felt right. I commissioned multiple tarot readings to try and get a different perspective. I was on a plane when I opened the results, and her name showed up in every single commission. A light turned on immediately. After so long trying to find my way to her, it felt like a path had finally been cleared. It was similar to the feeling of falling into your mother's arms after having a nightmare. I also burst into tears and starting crying on the plane lol which was very embarrassing (P.S. I love you my Lady, but couldn't you have waited until I was in private? 😭)

❤️ - What's one memory of your practice that you reflect the most fondly on?

Dude I have so many. But off the top of my head, I remember when another tarot reader told me that the Queen of Swords - which I thought represented Artemis - was actually a representation of me in the divination sessions between she and I. I'd been drawing that card for years and never got the message. She'd been calling me strong for years, and I never realized. It was a very 'I've been trying to tell u this forever and u never listen to me' moment from Artemis 🙃. But it was also such an honor to know that this is how she saw me.

🏛️ - Do you have a favorite statue or temple to your deity(ies)? If yes, what is it?

Yes!! This one!

I got her in Prague during an especially spiritually important summer. But I lost my luggage travling home, and for two weeks, her statue was just flying around, trying to get back to me. I had resigned myself to the reality that I wasn't going to get her back when the luggage was miraculously found!! The employee I talked to said he'd never been a bag get that lost and still be found. Every time I see this statue, I think about how incredible and rare it was to have found her at all - both the statue herself and worshipping her in general. And I've adorned her with a lot of important things - my mother's old wedding ring is her hairband, my favorite childhood hairchip make up the feathers, she's has a deer antler and coyote claw around her neck (two of my favorite animals) and lots of other little trinkets 💜

🔥 - Do you have a favorite myth or tale from your pantheon or others?

Oooooooh dude just one?? All of Artemis' myths are important in my practice, but Iphigenia's story - especially the whole 'replacing her with a doe and then whisking her off to safety' is so touching. Just thinking about it makes me fall in love with Artemis all over again.

Thanks for the ask!!

- Taylor

[fallenclan]

//an: this is the third part of this. if u could link the second part of that it would be greaaatt thank u very much

//tw; implied past abuse, death

--

Applebranch has her second litter the next moon.

"I want to name this one Crowkit," she says, pointing to a tortoiseshell she-cat. Then, she points to a tiny brown swirled molly with her tail. "And this is Molekit."

All that's left is a black and white tom. She stares fondly at him.

"I'm not sure what to name him," Applebranch says. "He's quiet, I'll give you that."

"Quietkit?" Silverbelly prompts.

"It doesn't feel right," Applebranch muses. "Thoughts on Coalkit?"

"No," Silverbelly says. "That one doesn't feel right either."

She takes note of how Crowkit and Molekit both seem to nestle into the little tom.

"Blackkit?"

"No," Applebranch says. "Too basic."

Then, the little kit sneezes. Silverbelly stares at the pine needle that just landed on him.

"Pinekit?"

"Pinekit."

--

Hailpaw flexes her leg. "It feels good."

"Alright, then you're free," Silverbelly says. "Don't strain it too much. Tell Otterslip to only do lighter exercises for a half moon, so you can get back into the swing of things."

Hailpaw grins at her. "Yeah! Okay! Bye Silverbelly, bye Lichenstripe, bye Stormsight. Thank you!"

Hailpaw was unique. She had this thing where instead of saying "thanks, you guys" she thanked every cat individually. She had boundless energy, yet stayed completely still while she was recovering. Sleeping, silently watching her littermates.

"Lichenstripe," she softly calls. The tom perks his head up. "When you catch Otterslip, tell him to keep an extra eye out for Hailpaw."

"Will do," Lichenstripe says.

Silverbelly turns back to her herbs, prepared to begin stocking them, when she hears rustling behind her. One sniff tells her all she needs to know.

"Oaktuft," she dully asks. "What do you need today?"

(She held a specific brand of sarcasm just for Oak "I once stubbed my paw on a rock and screamed loud enough to wake the dead" tuft. He knows she doesn't mean it.)

"I think Moxie is expecting kits," he hastily says.

Lichenstripe perks up. "Send her my way later."

"I was hoping... you could... ask?"

Silverbelly, as maturely as possible, groans. "What did you do?"

"I just, don't think she knows yet?" Oaktuft says. It comes out like a question.

"You mean to tell me," Silverbelly inhales. "That you picked up a queen was expecting before she did?"

"Yes?"

"You know how stupid you sound right now?" Silverbelly gawks. "Like, you're usually stupid-"

"Hey!"

"- but this is breaching new levels of idiocy. Lichenstripe, tell him how ridiculous he sounds."

Lichenstripe stays perfectly still. "I'll check on her later. I'll just say there's a stomach bug I need to check for or something."

Oaktuft grins. "Thanks Lichenstripe, you're the best!" And then he runs back off.

"Why do you oblige him?" Silverbelly sighs.

"He's funny," Lichenstripe hums. "Sometimes."

--

Moxie, as it turns out, is expecting. Oaktuft can be strangely perceptive when he's actually paying attention to things.

Silverbelly sighs, and drops a pebble in Lichenstripe's "made an inacurrate assumption about something and was wrong" hole.

--

Stormsight and her are out gathering herbs when he perks up, pile of poppy forgotten.

Then, he's walking through the bush.

"Stormsight!" She shouts, her own little pile of oak leaves left to the wind.

She follows his tail, and that's when she picks up on it. A tiny, barely audible mewing, followed by frantic shushing.

And he stops at a bush.

A cat with a bright ginger back and jagged stripes looks up at them, and hisses. "Get the hell away from me!"

"Are you alright?" Silverbelly asks.

She picks up one of her kits, and hisses again. "Back off!"

"My name is Stormsight," Stormsight smoothly says. "This is Silverbelly. We're medicine cats. We don't hurt cats, we heal them."

"That's what the last one said," the queen snarls. "And then I was attacked."

Silverbelly takes notice of the small nick on her ear, and the little scratch bleeding from her stomach. She sees a little nest of dead leaves and moss.

"What's your name?" Silverbelly gently asks.

"I'm," she pauses. "I'm Jagged."

"Do you need somewhere to stay, Jagged?" She instinctively asks. "We have a home. We can help you, and treat your wounds."

"I don't need help," she spits. As if on cue, one of her kits wails, and tries to paw at her belly. "I don't."

It takes a very long time, but eventually Silverbelly and Stormsight manage to convince her to come to camp, where she sleeps in the nursery with her kits, and continues to hiss at anyone who gets too close. But she talks to Holly, and Applebranch, even if it's just curt responses, so it's an improvement.

--

Moxie gives birth to one kit. Newtkit. A scrappy little thing that seems to hate everything except her mother and Bluekit.

And Jaggedstripe has gotten better. She has real conversations with Applebranch, and Moxie, and she lets Silverbelly check her over with minimal fuss.

And Hailcrash has truly grown into herself. She's a spectacular fighter, clever and intelligent. Otterslip always says her name with the utmost pride.

Henryclaw is a new addition to the clan, someone that Jaggedstripe used to know. They say tense hello's and nobody pries farther.

--

Two things happen in the following moons.

One, Lakelily has been more tense during their half moon meetings. Hesitant to say anything about his clan or how his cats are doing. He won't meet her at the border for herb trades. She has a horrible feeling Floodstar is behind it.

Two, Neo dies in his sleep. He was old, it was bound to happen.

Three, Goldenstar loses his first life defending his son from a dog. He spends one day in her den recovering, then leaves.

"Come back if it starts hurting again," she calls.

Goldenstar flicks his tail, but she knows he won't be visiting anytime soon. She watches Celia run to greet him, and realizes that he might have someone to keep him in check after all.

--

"You're old," Newkit says.

Moxie stares at Silverbelly. "Am I?"

Silverbelly winces, and decides the floor is the most interesting thing in the world. Moxie looks at Oaktuft, who looks like he was just viciously insulted.

"Are we old, Newtkit?" Oaktuft whispers, a single tear leaking from his eye.

"Yeah," Newtkit loudly says. "You should retire so you stop complaining about your bones hurting after patrols."

Oaktuft frowns. "Oh."

"I suppose we are old," Moxie muses. "Thoughts on retiring?"

"I guess we can retire," Oaktuft says.

And that is the story of how Moxie and Oaktuft retire. Because their four moon kitten calls them old.

--

Jaggedstripe leaves the nursery.

Her kits are six moons old, so she's technically supposed to leave. Technically, they've been complaining they don't need her since they were four moons, but she stays regardless.

"I don't think I want to move," Jaggedstripe says.

"You could stay in the nursery," Stormsight says. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Newtkit will be an apprentice in hardly a moon," Jaggedstripe says. "There's no point in staying in the nursery if there are no kits to look after."

Silverbelly hums. "It's up to you."

And later that day, she sees Jaggedstripe carrying a small bundle of moss into the warrior's den and smiles.

--

"Inhale," she says.

Sillymoon takes one deep breath.

"Exhale." She hums as she listens, then steps away. "Everything sounds fine. Don't push too hard, Toro will show you the ropes."

"Thank you for your help," Sillymoon says. "I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," she says. "Stay safe."

Then, Jaggedstripe walks into the den, and drops Newtpaw at her feet. "She fell from a tree. She seems fine, but I just..."

Silverbelly nods, and noses through her fur. "Anything hurt?"

"No!" Newtpaw exclaims. "Everything's fine. I'm just sore."

There's one bruise blooming on Newtpaw's shoulder, but otherwise she looks fine.

"See?" Newtpaw turns to Jaggedstripe. "I told you I landed on the moss."

Jaggedstripe concedes, and nods.

--

"You," Silverbelly breathes. "You what?"

"I think I accidentally flirted with Wormshade?" Flyspots meekly says.

"Aw, he's all grown up," Applebranch teases.

"Momma!" He squeaks.

"My little baby is finally feeling things," Applebranch purrs. Flyspots ducks under her muzzle.

"You know what, forget I said anything," he declares. "Never talking to you about romance again. Maplethorn!"

"Why is he talking to Maple?" Applebranch gawks. "He's horrible at romance. He has never once felt anything for anyone."

"Maybe he's looking for a more realistic opinion?" Silverbelly blinks.

She's promptly interrupted by Wormshade bowling into her. "Hey, if I hypothetically wanted to be Flyspot's mate, would you kill me?"

Applebranch hums. "Depends on how fast you can run."

"Oh," he says, then slowly backs up. "Yeah, I'm gonna. Yeah."

"Stop scaring his future mate off," Silverbelly says. "They're cute."

--

Landslides are one of the common dangers of mountain life. They've happened before, it's easy to avoid them if you're in shape and out of the way and it's easy to hear them coming.

She digs frantically, paws churning at the mud. He needed to be here. She can't explain this to Lakelily.

A warm pelt brushes her, with the underlying coolness that says it belongs to the stars, and she stops.

One yellow limb pokes out of the mud, unmoving.

"Oh," Holly whispers. "I'm so sorry."

Silverbelly tucks her head into her paws and cries.

--

"I'm sorry," she blurts.

Lakelily stares at her. His eyes are dull, and his tail lays flat along his paws. "For?"

"Lichenstripe died," she hollowly says. "He got caught in a landslide. I'm so sorry."

Lakelily pauses, then stares up at the moon. "That's not your fault."

She watched the newly named Eveningstar climb the rock, and the conversation abruptly ends.

--

Pinefrost and Molesong become warriors.

Crowpaw stares at them from next to Mudsplash, who murmurs something to her. Crowpaw doesn't acknowledge the words.

Silverbelly continues to cheer for her kits, and makes a mental note to check on Crowpaw later.

--

"It looks pretty badass," Bluefern says.

"It does," Newtpaw agrees. "I look cool as fuck."

Silverbelly sighs.

--

"Check back with me later," she yells.

Goldenstar does not check back with her later. When she finds him, sleeping in his nest, she asks Celia to send him her way when he wakes up.

Predictably, he does not stop by. Celia says sorry, and she says it's okay, but she wishes her leader would take care of himself for once in his life.

--

"The verdict?" Evie asks.

He's a brand new, so dark brown he looks black in most lights, recruit to the clan. Also, he's sick, and hacks his lungs out every four minutes. When he is not doing that, he is winking at Bluefern when she passes by.

"Greencough," she says, then passes a leaf to Evie. "If you're going to cough out phlegm-"

"What's that?"

"-please cough it out on this so I can properly get rid of it."

"Okay," Evie says.

--

"Maybe I'll retire soon," Curly says. She flexes her tail, now scarred in a ring like way.

She hums. "If you'd like."

And she promptly ignores how shamelessly Evie is flirting with Bluefern and Newtscar, who are also flirting with eachother. She can't tell if it's a joke.

--

"Crowflame, did you know male torties are like, super rare?" Blizzardfang says.

Crowflame hums. Silverbelly feels the fur on her spine stand. Applebranch laughs.

--

One moon later, Evie has recovered.

"I wonder what Bluefern thinks about mates," he mumbles. Silverbelly can feel her jaw drop. Next to her, Jaggedstripe gawks.

--

"Silverbelly?" Goldenstar asks.

"Look who finally pays me a visit," she says. "What do you need?"

"Would it be betraying Morningbloom if I loved someone else?"

"Why do you ask?" She carefully studies his conflicted expression. "Oh my stars, it's Celia. You like Celia. Why?"

"He has a charming smile," Goldenstar mumbles. Silverbelly groans.

"But to answer your question," Silverbelly says. "I think Morningbloom would want you to be happy. If Celia makes you happy, she would want that for you."

--

"I know," Applebranch whispers, in a soothing voice. "I know, Silvie."

"I keep having the same damn dream," she whispers. "Since I was an apprentice."

She chokes out a sob, and Applebranch murmurs hollow words of comfort.

--

"What do you mean you thought we were already mates?"

Flyspots tilts over, a dumbstruck expression on his face. Wormshade looks enraged, but the way the fur on his face fluffs up says everything she needs to know.

Applebranch catches his eye, and Wormshade wilts.

--

She wakes up with fluffed fur and unsheathed claws, panting hard.

She stares at Stormsight, and it's like the vision has come crashing down at her. Those fucking rocks, tumbling down a cliff, a trail of blood pooling behind them.

Otterslip is on guard. "Where are you headed to?"

"The glow cave," she says. "I need to speak with Starclan."

Otterslip blinks at her, confusion filling his gaze. "Do you want an escort?"

"No," she breathes. "Not really."

He nods. "Okay. I'll tell everyone where you went."

And Silverbelly allows her paws to guide her east of the mountains, where the clouds block the moon and a faint drizzle accompanies the chilly air.

--

She passes a Cricketclan patrol, who nod at her, and she continues walking, and numbly stops at the glowcave.

"What does it mean?" She whispers, to nobody in particular. "What does it mean?"

She glares at the pool, snarling. "Oh, so now you don't want to talk to me. I haven't gotten a proper rest since before my first litter, and now you want to be quiet?"

She feels her hackles stand. "Fucking talk to me!"

A whisper climbs behind her, and she whips around to face it.

"Yeah, you think this shit is funny? I'm being haunted by three rocks and it's a silly game for you. Of course it is."

The spirit settles next to her, and opens its mouth. Then, it closes again, and materializes a stick in it's jaws.

She stares as it draws a shaky line in the wet clay. She watches a shaky v shape take form, and the spirit points behind her.

"What are you trying to tell me?" She pleads. "Show me what you want me too see."

The spirit raises one paw, ever so slightly lifts it, and points behind her, to the starry pool.

Silverbelly rolls her eyes and looks behind her. And she stops, hissing and snarling as she wheels backwards.

Three rocks. Dark brown with a darker line, a dull brown pebble with two curved lines, and a more ginger one with white spots.

"Tradition," the spirit whispers. "Like an heirloom, of sorts." And then she hears it fade away behind her, leaving Silverbelly alone in a cave with three rocks that mean something, but she doesn't know what.

-���

part one | part two

LOLLIPOP. I AM IN FUCKING SHAMBLES DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS FIC IS DOING TO ME. when applebranch called her Silvie i almost started crying actually. and i LOVE all the little nods to the characters that didn't do much in canon, like Lichenstripe and Holly,,, oughghghh. the little hints of bluenewtevie. oaktuft being a dumbass. the goldencelia. this fic is a fucking masterpiece and i love it so much

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV 2022 - My Top 10 Reactors (2024)

Disclosure: I'm a diehard Louis-stan & Claudia's self-appointed pro bono lawyer. I'm also Loustat OTP shipper, who loves giving Lestat a hard time, cuz he deserves it.

FrankFreezy (S1 & S2 complete)

Olurinatti Pop! (S1 & S2 complete)

What R U Doing Bree (S1 & S2 complete)

AvatarAdrian (S1 & S2 complete)

ShalayahHomebody TV (up to 2x6 as of Dec 2024)

PettyPumpkins (S1 & S2 complete)

Syntell (S1 & S2 complete)

Bird Calls (S1 & S2 complete)

FoxTaco (S1 & S2 complete)

Nikki and Amber TV (S1 & S2 complete)

#1: FrankFreezy (S1 & S2 complete)

My vibe check always looks at how reactors respond to Lestat (S1) & Armand (S2), vs Louis & Claudia. I deeply appreciate how Frank's videos are even longer than the eps themselves, cuz he actually takes time to THINK. He won my heart when he said he identifies with Louis the most (he even painted a beautifully sensitive portrait of LDPDL), cuz he'd seen abusive relationships IRL, and was able to recognize certain power imbalances & toxic behavior cuz of his personal experiences. He can equally defend Louis & Claudia, AND rightly call them out when they act out of pocket (esp. Louis); not from a place of hatred or racism or ageism or bad faith gotchas, but cuz he KNOWS. He likes Louis' moments of self reflection, cuz he himself has been hated by people he's mistreated in the past, too. Frank's introspective response to S2 (esp. 2x8) was the purest, rawest response I've ever seen from a reactor. You HAVE to rewatch this show, and PAY ATTENTION to the deeper meanings & messages & lessons. NO, Lou & Claud are not angels, they do problematic effed up things. But the show's not about crucifying them (a la the Trial); it's about exploring how trauma & abuse affects people, and affects relationship/family dynamics in complex & messy ways. Frank just has such emotionally mature takes, it's really refreshing, when so many reactors are surface-deep.

#2: Olurinatti Pop! (S1 & S2 complete)

My QUEEN. A criminal defense lawyer IRL, Olay takes not a drop of BS from Louis, his garbage family, Armand, and ESPECIALLY not from Lestat. Despite being the embodiment of Claudia's rage, Olay's HILARIOUS as she chews these ridiculous characters new arseholes, visibly trying to not strangle them through the frikkin screen. XD I fell in love with Olay when she swiftly pointed out the gendered/racial/power imbalances between Louis & everyone he interacts with as a closeted Black gay man during Jim Crow; and how Lestat's toxic AF color blindness inevitably led to gaslighting, manipulation, and abuse. I love Loustat, but I also appreciate having someone who can yank my rose-tinted glasses off & point out their flaws; urging us to be more critical of the BS being slung in our faces. Lestat Apologists vacate the premises immediately, cuz Olay is NOT playing with y'all.

#3: What R U Doing Bree (S1 & S2 complete)

Another Black female criminal justice/defense lawyer IRL (I have a type), Bree's a longtime Tumblrina with a very analytical way of processing the characters and episodes, that is equal parts smart and equal parts unhinged fangirl. She's a Daniel Molloy stan (complete with a lifesized cardboard cutout of Eric Bogosian, omfg, LOL), and lives for him calling out all the inconsistencies in Loumand's accounts. She also gives flowers to the other characters, meticulously allotting Brownie Points every time they do/say something she likes--which makes it fun to watch her and start knowing ahead of time what she'll give BPs to. Daniel & Claudia get the most flowers, and she enjoys Louis, which is crucial for me as a Loustan. Lestat had to grow on her after a few rewatches, and she now fondly calls him her "dumb son," LOL.

#4: AvatarAdrian (S1 & S2 complete)

I LOVE having a Black gay man's reactions to this show, omg. Adrian's recaps are so dang FUNNY--he lives for ALL the mess. Most importantly, he stays ready to clock Lestat and his busted "George Washington" colonizer behavior, and I'm here for it! Adrian's Team Loumand, so I can't, but I get it, cuz Lestat.

#5: ShalayahHomebody TV (up to 2x6 as of 11/20/24)

My original favorite IWTV reactor, Shalayah just calls ish out like she sees it. I love myself a good ranter who can just go AWF on fools (esp. Lestat), no holds barred. IRL/technical stuff slowed Shalayah down a lot, and she hasn't finished S2 yet, so I ended up lowering her on my list, but Shalaya's so freaking awesome awesome--funny & here for all the tea and mess. She even made watching Mayfair Witches fun, as she dragged everyone for filth.

#6: PettyPumpkins (S1 & S2 complete)

I've learned to avoid white reactors in this fandom, cuz too many of them are either complaining book purists or just blatant racists. But Petty Pumpkins are absolute darlings. They are funny and love mess & drama, but are also so sensitive & sweet; when they cry I cry. They absolutely love Claudia, and immediately clocked Armand as the snake he is--Armand Apologists beware, cuz they WILL call y'all out during their reactions.

#7: Syntell (S1 & S2 complete)

Two HBCU educated articulate Black reactors who know about the history of the Black experience in America, they immediately & authentically & candidly talk to the racial things Louis experiences in a way VERY FEW reactors ever do in this out-of-touch fandom--THAT PART! Their videos are longer cuz they talk more, with a dedicated commentary/discussion section after each ep. I like Syntell (the man--an Armand stan) way more than M.Claire (the lady--a Lestan, who hated the S3 promo). Syntell pays attention WAY more, and catches on to themes & messages & layers quicker, and his takes are so good. But they bounce well off of each other. Neither of them cared for S1 Claudia much, but M.Claire really didn't like her.

#8: Bird Calls (S1 & S2 complete)

These ladies are fun to watch--a bit lighter on the commentary, but heavy on the micro/macro-expressions. They were NOT here for Loustat, but the difference with their take on 1x5/1x6 that put them above FoxTaco for me is that they're here for CLAUDIA and her liberation, rather than being sour cuz it wasn't fun watching abused!Louis rather than BAMF!Lestat. I esp. like Resha (afro); she has that quick snazzy personality that I just really vibe with, as she catches things hella fast & has zero time for BS--she instantly clocked Armand as a p.o.s. in 1x7 and I was ROLLING. She talks more than Akaya (beanie), and mostly everything she says is exactly what I was thinking.

#9: FoxTaco (S1 & S2 complete)

TBH Taco makes me mad sometimes, cuz S1 was Louis' story, and in 1x6 he was way too callous & insensitive when he outright said he didn't care about seeing Louis' depression, like...? Wrong show, my guy. 😅 But when he's tuned in, he's on point a lot of the time, which makes his rich commentary valuable & insightful, even when I don't agree with his takes. I know I'll enjoy him more in S3, when his attitude as a Lestan fits better with a show focusing on Lestat's experiences & personality rather than Louis'.

#10: Nikki and Amber TV (S1 & S2 complete)

Entertaining and engaging, but it frustrates me sometimes when they miss things, but not bother to rewind and go back to better understand what they're watching. I get wanting to do blind 1st time watches/reactions, the show must go on, but I wish they spent more time afterwards/during on reviewing with commentary; cuz when they do talk more they have such good points to make, and I love hearing their perspectives as two parents.

[iamnotawomanimagod]

Do you like any Britney songs and albums? any videos you remember fondly?

Oh for sure!! I wouldn't consider myself a diehard Britney stan, but I grew up in the aughties and she was the QUEEN of pop music, as we all know.

I mainly followed her as a kid - then I became a moody teenager and decided pop music wasn't cool. What a fool I was! But I listened to ...Baby One More Time on a loop when it first came out, and loooved all the associated music videos. I think "From the Bottom of My Broken Heart" was my favorite video from that first record. I seem to remember Britney's videos being "on demand" on my cable box (the 90s were quaint) and I know I watched all the videos from this era multiple times.

Oops...I Did It Again had "Stronger" which I especially loved because I had on this little karaoke toy microphone that I could connect to my TV. I sang it SO much. Good times.

I skipped over Britney, but became obsessed with "Toxic" from In the Zone, like everyone else did. I still think "Toxic" is her most iconic song AND video, it was truly her peak pop princess moment.

And I still love "Everytime," it features on my sad playlists a lot. I think it was our first big hint that not all was well with Britney (especially the music video,) so it's bittersweet, but it's such a lovely song.

I bounced off Britney for awhile after that. Obviously I love most of her singles, "If U Seek Amy" is a classic, along with "Hold it Against Me" and "Till The World Ends." (Kesha actually wrote that one!)

But I think one song from her more "recent" (relatively speaking) work that I really love is "Perfume." It has fun, beachy vibes and her voice sounds really amazing. I'll always be sad we didn't get more of Britney in her lower tones, her more natural voice is so gorgeous.

She's just the icon of icons. None of the pop girlies we know and love today would have anything without Britney. She's the blueprint. I'm very excited that Halsey is honoring that and sampling the chorus for "Lucky" in her own song of the same name!!

[floridakilo]

I Love u leechs I think so fondly of u I’m sure you’ve gotten some good karma because of it #queen

happy to serve

[rae-gar-targaryen]

happy birthday queen!!! i hope this new year is so good to you <3 we don't interact much but i think your writing is divine and i think of you fondly from my old acc (parkerprotectionprogram) anyway u r so beautiful and talented, a thousand roses for you (or others if ur allergic) <333

MY DARLING!!!!! I still think about your Peter Parker series that I loved so much -- to be told my writing is divine by you is truly a wonderful gift! I'm so grateful for you, and your kind heart! Let's interact more this year! Thank you for coming to give me a sweet wish -- I will gladly accept a thousand roses (and any other flower)

[fangsfortheblood]

There is only one thing left in the queue at time of writing this. When it posts this'll be the last thing. This blog will probably be remade. It may mostly be reblogs but it's important to us.

Yet it's also important to us we stop here and do a little tribute post because an era has ended. This is emotional so to those who happen on here be warned

Spike & Angel have fused. This is the second time Spike has fused (debates still go on about whether it was really him who came back or we just introjected the same guy twice aside) this is goodbye. It's goodbye to the awkward vampire who refused to smile and it's goodbye to the annoying vampire who refused to think.

Despite saying that they both did both.

Angel was genuinely caring and his adoption of Amber was a meaningful relationship. He felt cared for by his father and Angel made every effort to live up to the title. He fronted when it was uncomfortable and he guarded what was unpleasant and protected us until he healed.

He did reach out for help and he worked daily until he felt safe, trusted us to deal with what he heald. Mad respect tbh

Spike was a nightmare in the way that makes you smile. He would be so unashamedly a part that he made it impossible to not be a system. To not be proud of who we are because he was proud. Always willing to patiently explain being a system.

He's also astoundingly good at drinking culture and never getting emotionally involved until that one time when someone immediately called him out on being a part and he had to call our friend for backup because he proceeded to cry (I do love u spike).

Together you both drove me up the wall. I did nothing to deserve listening to you both arguing about fucking aftercare or which is the best way to shag with dracula powers. NOR DID I ASK ABOUT DRACULA. EVER. HE'S A GREAT BOOK. Fondly aggravating the way you constantly went after him. Drama. Queens.

There's shit i want to wax poetic about and i wont because the internet. Hopefully I'll locate our diary and do something proper but yeah... Goodbye blog.

There will be a part like them again. There always is. Just, happening to be a vampire has never made me care for the unnatural and mildly disturbing.

Nor will I ever post anything that was said about the best way to shag. Cuz ik it'd annoy them both and hey, I'm only a little ol' vampire.

Seriously, thank you for helping me accept that and aggressively being there for me. You wonderful people. Who annoyed me to death, they are why im dead

-Ly

[striddums]

dont take it like im trying to pressure u or anything i just wanted to say i miss ur art sm. like u were the first artist who actually inspired me to keep going with my art. at the time i was really depressed and s/icidal and discovering ur art and also marina thru u made me so happy, your art and her music always made my days better 💗💗💗 and i also miss being like 15 and being obsessed with total drama and everyone being active on here. sorry i just saw some total drama edit on instagram and felt nostalgic 🥺 anyway love u always 💗

WHY DID IT TAKE ME A LITERAL YEAR TO RESPOND TO THIS I'M SO VERY SORRY (IF YOU'RE STILL OUT HERE ON TUMBLR DOT COM) i haven't really looked at my askbox a ton the last couple of.............. years honestly oh gosh

you have no idea how much it means to me to hear this, THANK YOU!!!! (´;___;`) 💗💗 for as far as i know i've always been Just Some Person sharing my fanart online because of my love for the shows i was drawing, and it always filled my heart to the brim whenever people were able to find enjoyment in what i created❣❣❣ (˶ ◜꒡◝ ˵) and the thought i even INSPIRED you to keep going with art is more valuable to me than anything else!!!!!!!!!!! i really hope you are still making art and expressing yourself through it, it's such an amazing medium and i know for a fact everything you create has to be so wonderful!!!!! 🌞💝

ALSO I'M SO GLAD I GOT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO MARINA HEHE THE QUEEN!!!!! OUR QUEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 💖👑💖 i truly feel so grateful to know i was able to play a part/help with making your days better!!! you definitely brightened mine with this message❕❕ 🥹💙💙 it's interactions like these that honestly make me miss posting art online the most... it's such a shame i had a very unpleasant experience primarily in my last year of art school, which left me with an art block that lasted YEARS. i really felt like i had lost a part of myself back then because of it, which i've been slowly trying to rebuilt since, and i think i'm finally getting to a point where i've regained my ability to derive true joy from art once more! i've been thinking about uploading art again, i guess right now i also just feel kind of hesitant because of the rise of AI art & the chance that my works might end up being used to feed some computer program (as has happened to so many other artists, without their consent :( ) but we'll see!! cause i definitely feel inspired to start sharing more of my love for fashion online too, which for me at this point is very intrinsically tied to my art :D i'd like to get to a point where i can draw/design any piece i adore and then sew them irl as accurately to the original drawing as i can :>

"i also miss being like 15 and being obsessed with total drama and everyone being active on here" GOD I RELATE the old deviantart/tumblr days used to be so fun... well, i've heard they unfortunately weren't always fun for everybody (we were all teens with many feelings & opinions & not so much social grace), i think i'm somewhat "lucky" to have always been kind of a Neutral(??) party cause i honestly never truly knew what was going on between people and was just blissfully sharing my art... therefore i'm still able to look back at those times and remember them fondly 💙💜 i'm happy to hear it's the same for you!!! nostalgia is such a lovely feeling! AND we must always remember that there are still so many many more lovely memories to be made in the future that we have yet to experience (◍ˊ•͈ ᗜ •͈ˋ◍)!!!🎔

anyway, i hope you are doing well nowadays!!! I LOVE AND APPRECIATE U TOO, ALWAYS 💗💗💗💗

[safflowerseason]

yeah the pod was such a letdown and i had such high hopes for it but only reminiscing abt how much fun u used to have with your co-workers in the early aughts is not that compelling lol. not that i didn't enjoy some of the stories that peter gallagher or the actress that plays kirsten or adam brody (who btw was in one of the most underrated tv shows of this year in fleishman is in trouble) said. but those were the only 3 eps i managed to listen to in full and it's mostly bc kirsten is my favorite character probably and peter and a brody are sort of the only actors who starred in other stuff i enjoyed

the oc s1 had such a huge cultural impact and it's so weird to me that they didn't have a culture writer like alan sepinwall or some other pop culture writer on the pod!

anyway, hoping that mischa is fine right now and that she found closure and everything! and yeah the marissa discourse is one of the few things i remember fondly re: summer 2020

so the pod did actually have Alan Sepinwall on (I only know this because I followed the pod's insta for a bit even after I stopped listening), to talk about The OC and its cultural impact. I didn't listen to the episode but I remember from the promo that Melinda Clarke asked him why he left the show off one of his lists of the best shows ever or the best shows of the twenty-first century (some list like that). I really like Alan's writing and would have liked to hear his take on The OC, but by that point that I had checked out.

I *loved* Kelly Rowan's episode, she is an icon to me, and Peter Gallagher's, and I also heard Chris Carmack's episode was good too. He always seemed like a solid guy to me. And Adam Brody's episode was fascinating (and yes, he was great in Fleishman is in Trouble). I do think it's a shame they are putting the pod behind a paywall now, in spite of my less-than-positive opinion of it. It was just so clear in the show's run that there wasn't going to be any real analysis of the show, just the hosts echoing bland talking points. At the risk of repeating myself the Drama Queens OTH podcast is just so superior in every way, *the* model for how to approach a rewatch for an early-mid-00's show. oh well - at least we'll always have the marissa discourse.

[autisticlancemcclain]

For the last six months, Lance has been acting strange. It sounds like a long time, and maybe something Hunk should have brought up earlier, but he wasn’t sure enough to bring it up for a while — he’s sure now, though. Lance used to send Hunk fifty memes a night for Hunk to scroll through in the mornings, now it’s a rare day he gets even one. He used to get regular calls and facetimes from Lance about every little inconvenience Lance experienced, but now he’s lucky to hear Lance’s voice once a week. And he’s almost never available to hang out anymore.

“What I’m hearing is that you are getting a break, and what I’m not understanding is why you’re complaining about it,” Pidge says.

Hunk glances away from the dirt road he’s squinting at (country driving is hard, especially as the sun starts to set, why couldn’t Lance stay in the city like the rest of them), to roll his eyes at her.

“Oh, don’t give me that. You miss him too. It’s like he’s been replaced by a pod person!”

Hunk doesn’t know if it’s the conspiracy theory tease or if it’s because Pidge misses Lance more than he thought, but she deflates rather quickly.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. It’s a little strange that we haven’t heard much from him. But,” she bites her lip, looking away from her phone for once, “are we sure he’s not just grieving? I mean, he’s become a bit of a hermit ever since his Abuela left him her cabin in the woods. His tree-hugging ass never wants to leave. And I imagine he misses her, too. Is he maybe just trying to grieve in peace?”

“That’s a valid point,” Hunk concedes, “but I don’t think that’s it. Abuela died a year ago. He still misses her, shit, but if anything he’s even more clingy when he’s upset. And he just started pulling away a few months ago, so I don’t think it’s the death. It’s weird. He’s never been like this.”

“I mean, Lance is just kind of a weirdo,” Pidge says, because she and Lance have this weird relationship where they refuse to admit they love each other even though Hunk has seen both of them mope for days after a fight or argument. (But whatever works for them Hunk supposes.) “You’re right though, I guess. He hasn’t sent me a picture of an angry possum with the caption ‘this is u’ in a while, which is kind of concerning.”

“…Is that a regular occurrence?”

Hunk breaks concentration from the road again, looking at her strangely. She barely notices, attention back on her phone as she waves her hand dismissively.

“Oh, yeah. He sends a mocking picture whenever he sees a particularly gremlin-esque animal, I seen him one whenever I see a rat.”

“Pidge, you live in Queens. You see a rat twelve times a day.”

Pidge sniggers. “Yeah, and it’s funny every time. He gets all pissy.”

Hunk just sighs, shaking his head fondly. He will never understand their relationship.

———

Hunk has visited Lance at his new home a handful of times since he inherited it. He always, always has the porch light on (he says it’s in case someone were to get lost in the woods at night, they’d be able to see the light and come to him. Hunk has tried to explain to him dozens of times that that is an excellent way to get serial murdered, but damn Lance’s bleeding heart because Hunk’s worry does nothing).

There’s no porch light on now.

“Maybe he finally just started listening to you?” Pidge suggests.

Hunk levels her with a flat stare. “We have been friends for over fifteen years, Pidge. When, even once in that time, has Lance listened to a damn word I said about safety?”

Pidge shrugs. “Who knows! Maybe his newfound hermit lifestyle has made him wise.”

“Right,” Hunk says, snorting. He takes another moment to stare suspiciously at the dark house, and then sighs in defeat.

“I guess we should go in, huh?”

“I did not drive six hours through rural New York to turn the fuck around, Hunk. We are staying with Lance for the weekend if we have to break in through the goddamn window, and I mean that.”

Hunk doesn’t doubt it — Pidge hates long car rides, and only agreed to come up here in the first place because she misses Lance way more than she’ll ever admit, now that he’s not a two minute walk away.

“Desperate to spend some time with him?” Hunk teases, walking up to the door.

“Piss off,” Pidge snaps, but there’s not nearly enough heat in her voice for Hunk to take her seriously. (Hunk has heard her when she’s truly mad, threatening random cat-callers in the street. It is a terrifying thing to witness, which makes Hunk glad he’s on her side.)

She reaches forward to knock on the door — another proof that she very much does miss Lance, being the first to knock, which makes Hunk smirk — and then steps back next to Hunk to wait.

They stand there for two whole minutes.

“Is he maybe asleep?” Hunk asks, but dismisses it just as quickly as Pidge does.

“That loser never sleeps before, like, 3 in the morning.”

“Maybe the ambiance of the woods has made it easier for him to sleep,” Hunk says, just to be contrary.

Pidge snorts, knocking one more time and then moving shit around on the porch.

“The hell are you doing?” Hunk asks as she lifts the dorky little wicker chair Hunk knows Lance made himself in his basket weaving phase.

Mostly ignoring him, she flips the chair completely over and starts inspecting the legs.

“If I can just… ha!”

She sets the chair down, and triumphantly holds up a key.

“Lance is the most predictable bitch in these lands,” she brags, which Hunk thinks is rich coming from the girl who has lost every board game against Lance she has every played.

He tells her as much. She scowls.

“He cheats,” she insists, which is probably true, but she also cheats and still loses, so.

Hunk decides to drop it, because he likes his kneecaps exactly how they are, thanks, and Pidge has a violence problem.

“Hello? Dork ass?” Pidge calls as they walk in, which is as much of a greeting as any.

The entrance hallway is dark, as is most of the visible rooms. The only light comes from some faintly twinkling fairy lights Lance has strung up around various walls.

“Whose boots are those?” Pidge asks, staring at something right next to the front door.

Hunk peeks over her shoulder, squinting to try and make them out. It’s hard to see well in the low light, but there’s a pair of big, clunky combat boots next to Lance’s dorky retro sneakers.

“Maybe he’s got a friend over?”

“His car is the only one in the driveway,” Pidge points out, which is true.

Hunk shrugs. “Maybe he picked them up.”

Pidge huffs, still suspicious, and starts poking around the living room and kitchen instead of looking for Lance.

Well. Hunk is doing that too, so he can’t really judge. (It’s been so long since he’s had real Lance drama, okay? Sue him if he’s curious.)

“There is healthy food in the fridge,” Pidge says, in the same tone of voice someone might say ‘there’s a nuclear bomb in my toothbrush.’

Hunk blinks. He rubs his ears, he must have misheard her.

“Oh my God, there’s meat!”

Now he’s definitely misheard her, because Lance has been vegetarian since he was four and found out the pollo the feathered little animal was the same pollo in his happy meal.

Hunk scrambles over to where Pidge is starting incredulously at the open fridge, and his own jaw drops when he sees it: a gigantic steak, chilling on the second shelf, waiting to be cooked.

“Maybe he really has been replaced by a pod person,” Pidge breathes.

She’s started to sound nervous, for all her joking.

“Let’s go find him,” Hunk says, and he can’t hide the urgency in his voice. They both rush down the hallway, wordlessly agreeing to be as silent as possible. They pause before Lance’s bedroom door, exchanging a determined look. Pidge nods, and Hunk carefully turns the doorknob, soundlessly pushing the door open.

It’s dark. The only light comes from the moonlight pouring through the open window, and the small shark-shaped nightlight on the desk. Despite the brightness of the moon, the only thing really visible are shadows and figures.

The lump on the bed, wrapped in the covers, is far too big to be Lance.

Hunk hears Pidge’s sharp intake of breath, and is strangely reminded of the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. They’re both silent for a moment, tense as live wires, and then the large lump in the bed lets out what Hunk can only describe as a muted growl.

Pidge whimpers. The smallest of sounds. Barely a peep. But before Hunk has the chance to throw his hand over her mouth, the lump in the bed shoots straight up, and then both of them are screaming as glowing yellow eyes narrow and shining, razor-sharp teeth are bared in a snarl.

Hunk squeezes his eyes shut as the monster in Lance’s bed flicks his hand and a blade shines in the moonlight, extended at both of them as the monster is out of the bed in an instant.

“I am too young to die,” Hunk sobs over Pidge’s incessant screaming. He wonders if the monster ate Lance quickly, or if his own death is about to be slow.

It all makes sense now.

“Hunk? Pidge?”

Well, that doesn’t make sense.

Hunk opens his eyes just as the lights flip on, and sees Lance — he’s alive! — scramble out of bed and in front of the monster.

Right fucking in front of the monster. Zero space between them.

God, where is Lance’s brain?!

“Keith! Chill out. Put the luxite blade away. It’s fine, okay? They’re not a threat. No threat here. That’s it, babe. Take a deep breath. Put the fangs away, there you go.”

Hunk stares in shocked silence.

He thinks his jaw might be brushing the wooden floorboards.

“Pidge, stop screaming,” Lance says irritably, turning around to face the two of them. “You’re freaking everybody out.”

Pidge, predictably, does not stop screaming.

“No! I was just threatened by a real-life monster! A monster, Lance, what the fuck!”

“He has a name and it’s Keith,” Lance snaps. “And no shit you were threatened, you broke into our house.”

“And you’re fucking naked! Both of you!” Pidge continues — somehow more shrill — as if Lance had not spoken.

That wipes the fury right off Lance’s face.

“Out!” he yells, frantically yanking a blanket off the bed and throwing it over him and — and the monster that he knows on a first-name basis, apparently. “Get out! Right now!”

“I’m not leaving you with that!” Hunk argues, finally finding his voice.

He means it. Lance is bad at looking out for himself, and that thing is very obviously bloodthirsty.

“Get out of my room right fucking now, or the most bloodthirsty thing in the room is about to be me!”

Hunk’s not sure if it’s because Lance sounds deadly serious or because the terror of the whole situation is starting to fade into something like shock, but without another word, he turns away and walks out of the room. Pidge follows, closing the door behind her. The walk over to the living room, sitting gingerly on the couch.

Moments later, Lance stumbles out of the room in a robe, the monster following closely behind him.

“Stop looking at him like that,” Lance snaps, which Hunk thinks is unfair.

“Explain immediately,” Hunk says instead of voicing that particular thought.

“I’ll make some tea,” the monster says quietly, pressing a kiss to Lance’s cheek.

Hunk startles.

Well.

The monster can speak English, apparently.

Lance sighs, looking gratefully at the monster and squeezing its hand.

“Thanks, babe.”

And apparently Lance is — sleeping with the monster?

“That is the least surprising thing about this whole thing,” Pidge mutters, which is an astute observation based on Lance’s track record.

(Venom is not a good enough movie to watch 47 times. No one does that without Gay Reasons.)

Lance sits heavily on the loveseat, staring at them warily. “Why are you here?”

“Hi, Lance,” Hunk says sarcastically. “We’ve hardly talked to you in half a year, and it’s basically been radio silence from your end. Yes, I’m doing well, thanks for asking. I did miss you, too.”

Lance glares at him for a moment, but then he slumps forward.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been…busy.”

Pidge, who has recovered remarkably quickly, snickers. She looks pointedly at Lance’s collarbones, which are littered with bruises and bites. He flushes immediately, pulling his robe tighter around himself and hugging a pillow to his chest for good measure.

“I can see that,” Pidge teases. “And from what I saw from Mister Tall Purple and Furry, which is unfortunately burned into my brain for all eternity, I imagine sitting in a car for six hours to come see us would be…difficult.”

Despite himself, Hunk laughs. It helps that Lance looks more flustered and annoyed than angry, now.

“Fuck off,” he says, shoving his face into the pillow. “God, you people are horrible.”

Suddenly a new voice filters through the room, a gruff chuckle making Pidge and Hunk sit up straight, looking at each other nervously. Hunk almost forgot his terror.

“Why are you laughing, you douchebag?” Lance says, begrudgingly accepting the offered mug. The monster says nothing, only smiling fondly — well, Hunk is having trouble looking at the fangs peeking out of that smile and thinking fond, but it certainly doesn’t look malicious — and sets two more cups on the coffee table, and then takes his seat next to Lance.

Like, right next to Lance. Any closer and he’ll be sitting on Lance, and he’s thrown his arm over the back of the loveseat for good measure.

“I’m Keith,” the monster says when Lance fails to explain himself. “I’m not from here.”

That is a gross oversimplification.

“Try again,” Hunk says flatly, and he wasn’t trying to be funny, but the monster — Keith — laughs anyway.

“I’m sorry for threatening you,” he offers. “I was shot out of the sky by the government a while back, so I’m a little paranoid.”

Pidge looks intrigued. “Tell me every single detail about that story and you’re forgiven.”

Hunk scoffs. “Speak for yourself.” But he reaches forward and grabs the mug Keith placed in front of him as a show of trust, anyway, because Lance has lifted his face from the pillow of shame to glare at him and Hunk always feels like shit when Lance is mad at him.

Keith looks hesitantly at Lance. “Is it…?”

“They’re safe,” Lance says with a sigh. He reaches for one of Keith’s hands and starts fiddling with it — a nervous stim.

Now Hunk really starts to feel guilty.

“Okay,” Keith says, only a little reluctantly. It certainly says something that he’s so willing to trust them just because Lance said he could, even though twenty minutes ago he looked ready to stick a sword in their heads. “Uh, I was born on a planet called Daibazaal, about three hundred million light years from here. Earth is well known among the Intergalactic Union as a danger planet populated by gigantic, monstrous lizards.” He grins wryly. “Obviously, that information is pretty outdated.”

“Why’d you come here, then?” Pidge asks, eyes bright in excitement. If she leans forward anymore she’ll fall right off the couch. Nerd.

“My father is human,” Keith says nonchalantly, as if that’s not the most insane thing to have ever been spoken in this timeline. “He was a Texan physicist. He was messing around with things he shouldn’t have been messing in and accidentally wormholed himself across the galaxy, and decided he liked it there, so he stayed. He never told anyone about Earth because he figured if anyone tried to come here it would be mayhem —”

Hunk inclines his head, thinking of his own (possibly) over-the-top reaction. “Fair.”

“—but I grew up hearing stories about it here, so I wanted to come see for myself. It took me a few years because y’all don’t have transporters anywhere near, but I got here eventually.”

Hunk glances at his best friend, who has yet to stop playing with Keith’s fingers and won’t look at them. “I promise I am not being a dick,” he starts, which in hindsight could have been phrased better based on Lance’s scowl, “but why are you here? Like, Lance’s house specifically? And why hasn’t he told us about you?”

Luckily Lance laughs, looking a little more at ease. “He’s here because his father only told him about the Earth he knew decades ago. He was shot out of the sky the second he appeared on government scanners. He crash landed in one of the forests around here, and eventually made it to my door one night because he saw my porch light on and figured hostile shelter was better than no shelter. Luckily, I am not hostile shelter.”

The irony is not lost on Hunk.

“And did you jump his bones the second you saw the claws, or did you wait a week?” Pidge asks, grinning evilly.

Lance goes red again.

“He was injured!” Lance says hotly. “My first thought was to help him!”

“So it’s a Florence Nightingale situation,” Hunk says, smiling just as sharply.

Lance sees the tease for the apology it is.

“You’re a jerk,” he says, pouting. “Nobody in this household loves me.”

“I do,” Keith says, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world to say.

Lance softens like a goddamn block of spilled ice cream on pavement during a summer heatwave. Holy shit. It’s so saccharine it’s honestly a little gross (not really).

“As much as I have decided to be happy for you, Lance, if you two start making out I am going to throw things at you.”

Lance rolls his eyes, but settles for a quick, chaste kiss.

“Alright, you prude. I assume you two broke into my house with the intention to stay for the weekend?”

“Yep!” Pidge says, completely ignoring the dig. “And you are no sooner making me drive the six fucking hours back to the city than fly to the moon, so point me in the direction of the nearest bed. I’ll make fun of you more in the morning.”

“You mean the late afternoon, you lazy dog,” Lance teases, but gets up anyway. He presses another kiss to Keith’s lips as he gets up. “I’ll meet you in a few, okay?”

“Alright,” Keith says, and then he says something else in a language Hunk doesn’t understand that makes Lance all moon-eyed before heading back to Lance’s — to their bedroom.

“I’ll get you guys some fresh sheets and whatever,” Lance says, waving them over. “And then none of you are to bother me until I leave. If you walk in on us again and get scarred for life that will not be my problem.”

Pidge and Hunk look at each other before looking away in disgust.

“Understood,” they say immediately.

Lance grins.

———

part two

[notafraidofredyellowandblue]

Flake's podcast - Sport

podcasted 2022-08-09

Finally a theme that doesn't need translation: Sport 😊 Flake doesn't know what's more useless, doing sport or making music, but the most useless is music about sport.

And yes, we have a Rammstein anecdotes, like at 0h10, although Flake is not sure if he should tell his audience this: some of Rammstein are pretty big soccer fans, and when Rammstein does festival tours, this is often in the summer months, just like the major soccer championships (europeans, worlds). Well, one year indeed Rammstein was on tour during the Soccer World Championships, and they decided to take some small tv screens with them on stage, so they could glimpse at the match during the gig.

Flake is not naming the names of his soccer-fan-colleagues, but to stop people worrying at 0h17 he does confirm that it isn't Till. Flake is very glad about that because Till is always working the big flamethrowers and everything, and Flake is happy that he didn't let soccer distract him. Flake also mentions Till is not a soccer fan at all, which he thinks is impressive 🍀

Flake only ever met one soccerplayer, Mehmet Scholl, they met at a social event and talke a bit, but because everyone assumed they were both pretty well known, nobody bothered to introduce them, so Flake only found out afterwards who it was, and Mr. Scholl also didn't know Flake 😊

0h16 he talks about the first tours Rammstein did, when they only had one published album, and that fact, going on tour with just one record of songs, and Flake assumes they added some unfinished songs, or songs that never appeared on an album; he thinks that is an athletic performance all in itself.

At 0h25 the band even considered doing a sports song once, because like Christmas and birthday songs, these are usually popular and used a lot, but it wasn't very good, and never made it to an album, and in hindsight Flake is happy about that 😊

When (at abt 0h42) mentioned the East German band Engerling, who went to shows on bicycle, Flake muses that in the past him and his bandmates went to their concerts in a car (5 guys, all smokers, in a small Skoda), or later by bus, and all the warm, nice talks they had when travelling..when he thinks back at those times, he thinks back more fondly on their cartravels than at the concerts themselves (and wonders if they'll ever go to concerts on bicycle)

Rammstein tried (1h32) to make a song for one of the Klitschko boxing brothers once, as an 'entrance to the boxing ring' song; rumour in Berlin at the time was that they were looking for songs for that purpose and lots of bands sent one; allegedly, the Klitschkos liked the Rammstein song a lot, but their management said there was no way they could use something of a band with Rammstein's image. So Rammstein turned that song into 'Sonne'.

The song at 1h33 is called 'Ski Heil' and Flake plays it because his dad (who is from Thüringen, known for many wintersports like 'cross country') used that phrase a lot when Flake was a kid.

At some point (1h14) Flake muses that basically every lovesong is also a sports-song, because the one you love, doesn't have to be a woman, or a man, it can also be a sportsteam 💕

(And ofcourse we end with one of the classic sports songs 'We are the champions'by Queen) 🍀

More of my takes on Flake's podcasts