#this is a very shallow post and i love my mom so much but over the years her gift giving skills have deteriorated

[carlyraejepsans]

speaking of dr, there's something that really annoys me about how shallow the ship discourse around kr4lsei is. I'm not sure I'm 100% behind this for the same reasons i doubt toby will go full in with noelle's mom being abusive, ie "those are very delicate and complex topics to handle, does he have the time and space to deal with them in deltarune's story?" so take this with a grain of salt.

(warning for brief mention of incest, so I'm putting this under a readmore)

i think the discourse being framed as "thinking ralsei is presented as a romantic interest" vs "thinking ralsei is compared to kris' brother or like a family member" is incredibly stupid because those are... both true at the same time. yes, there's an unskippable "tunnel of love" scene, and it looks like ralsei could have somewhat of a crush on kris. but ralsei still 1) looks just like a dreemurr, 2) clearly plays, as a character, on our feelings and memories of asriel from playing undertale, as evident by their designs and their names being anagrams 3) i am 99% sure Noelle was going to say "that kinda looks like asriel" while looking at him eating cotton candy with Susie, and Susie herself suggests telling toriel he's "a long lost cousin". either way, if ralsei is meant to play on our feelings towards asriel, then as asriel's sibling, kris is likely gonna feel similarly.

are you uncomfortable? good! you should be. that's the point.

it's not random that the snowgrave route was framed and portrayed with the imagery of a wedding. first the freezering, then the thorn ring are explicitly compared to wedding rings. "we're just friends"/"we're something else". "YOU'VE BEEN MAKING [hyperlink blocked (...LoVE?)], HAVEN'T YOU?" noelle with whom kris had a strained relationship, whose feelings (platonic? romantic? we don't know) we brute force in what is the most chilling, manipulative, cruel iteration of chapter 2's story we could take... it's almost as if deltarune uses kris being forced into romantically coded situations they're deeply uncomfortable with as a way to showcase their lack of agency in the story.

and being pushed into romcom-like situations with a guy who looks like their brother works pretty darn well to follow that pattern, if you ask me.

now, if a forced romance with noelle represents their lack of agency in regards to the player, then... a forced romance with ralsei could represent their lack of agency towards Fate. The Plot/Story. unskippable cutscene, remember? not to mention ralsei's whole purposepilled shtick he clearly has a complex about.

this does raise a couple of questions about susie though, as the third option in the "who would you take to the fair with you" question, the one option kris seems to agree with, as well as being a character who is actively resisting the narrative.

because there's people who are very much FOR krusie, just as there are people against it, i doubt their getting or not getting together would work to represent kris gaining their agency back. and i believe i speak for everyone when i say that susie is going to play a huge part in that arc. either way, i'm curious to see how this develops.

idk! like i said, I'm not sure just how much toby is gonna go into this because it IS a very delicate subject. but it's an example of what i mean when i say "there's more to fandom than shipping" and "fixating so hard on Shipping Good Things" can be detrimental to analysis. I'm not cancelling anyone with this post, go on doing your thing whether it's kr4lsei or r4lsusie or krus1e. but if your first thought going into this was "I'm gonna ignore the part where the game compares ralsei to asriel because that would make my ship incest and that is Bad and uncomfortable" then... that's a very cheap way to interact with media? lol. sometimes being uncomfortable IS the point. god knows utdr makes you uncomfortable on purpose sometimes. ok rant over :P

[rustboxstarr]

🗡"Seeking attention like some common whore"🗡

Summary: Eddie doesn't think before he talks when he's pissed, he regrets that now when he has to explain to his daughter why her mom can't wear whatever she wants.

Pairings: Dad!Eddie Munson x Mom!Reader

Warnings: Angst, fluff, some fighting, Eddie being a dick, Eddie and R being a healthy couple and talking about their problems lol

Wordcount: 2.6 k

A/N: I found this in my docs and thought why not post it? Idk where the idea for this came from but I guess its mildly funny 🤷‍♀️

Love yas!

Check out my other works!

You woke up in a sour mood on Saturday, head pounding and your mouth extremely dry, a bitter taste resting on your gums. Your week had been long and challenging, you hadn’t even been that keen on going out partying Friday evening but Cindy, your closest colleague had psyched you up and made you feel excited about the whole thing, you even enjoyed yourself, had quite a few drinks, lots of laughs, some stumbling around with some other girls from the office as you made your way out and a permanent sloppy grin painted your features as you got out the cab and stepped through the door to your small house where so much love had been shared you were comfortable calling it a home. That grin was wiped clean off the moment you stepped through the door. 

A hangover was beating down on you, made even worse when you woke up with no long muscly arms wrapped around you, or any limbs even touching you for that matter. You craned your neck from your position lying on your side to see Eddies back to you, shallow even breaths making his torso expand evenly. It felt melancholy, not waking up with a comforting warmth wrapped around you, and you almost let that feeling overtake you before you rolled your eyes as you remembered what had actually gone down the night before, the reason for why there would be no awaiting tylenol and water on your bedside table and no lazy saturday morning cuddles before Ophelia woke up. 

You dragged yourself out of bed, the weight on your feet feeling undeniably heavy and sagging as your post drunk state hit you like a slap in the face when your head leveled upright. Taking a deep breath you decided to go downstairs and get yourself some pain killers, a very large glass of water or two and a strong cup of coffee. 

Rubbing your eyes of sleep you sipped your coffee at the kitchen table, sunk into the wooden chair, much too hard for any slouching to be at all comfortable. Footsteps pattered against the wooden stairs alerting you that someone was coming to join you, much to your dismay it wasn't a light pitter patter of tiny feet but heavy steps of a tired grown man probably equally as sour as you. The thuds alerting his presence caused you to quickly adjust your worn cotton nightgown, pulling the hem up comfortably to cover any awkward cleavage. 

You didn't even look his way as you heard the same footsteps enter the sage green and powder blue kitchen, you made no effort to stand up and greet him in any way instead you just sipped your coffee and looked out of the window. Your husband’s and your own car parked in the driveway in front of the empty quiet street of the suburbs. Green grass damp with the morning dew brightening up the dark hours of the early winter morning, a colorful painted mailbox even more a stark contrast to the blacks and deep blues that painted the sky. 

Eddie poured himself a cup of coffee and folded himself into the opposite chair, a low groan slipping past his lips at the action. All you did was glance over to him, at the interruption, but Eddie's eyes were fixed on the maple of the table as his hands wrapped around the dark Star Wars mug, the same one he drank his coffee in every morning, just like you with your Zelda mug. Before you flicked your eyes back to the view of the street through the window you noticed Eddie was shirtless, pale skin dampened in the lack of light shining at him, torso littered with tattoos, snaking up his arms and chest, down to his hips. He too hadn’t bothered to change into day clothes yet.

The silence loomed over the small open kitchen as you both sipped your coffee in quiet, you refusing to meet his gaze as Eddie chanced glances at you, trying to gather what mood you were in and by extension how the rest of the day would look like. All he could understand was that you were nowhere near happy and that meant that his day would probably be even longer than the workweek had been. 

He cleared his throat in an attempt to get you to look at him but you blatantly ignored him and continued staring out the window. Just as he was about to try again the familiar noise of tiny feet tread the steps down the stairs that he had taken not long ago. In an instant both of your heads turned in the direction of the hall awaiting Ophelia, eyes fixed on the corner before a head of messy brown curls appeared. 

In her blue whale pajamas, clutching her favorite teddy bear, Mr Burr as she so pleasantly called him. Rugged white fabric, fluff lost with the amount of love it had been given the past four and a half years and stuffing unevenly placed in the head and body, leaving a thin long neck on the seal in its rightful position of Ophi’s elbow. 

“Hia baby” had it been any other day your voice would be alot more chipper, but today, you couldn't muster up the strength, your tone was flat and croaky, clear evidence of the night before. Eddie winced behind you as he heard it, you were probably not feeling very well and he couldn't help but feel the slight guilt that part of it was his fault with the fighting yesterday, but also not being there to dote on you the morning after you had been out drinking. 

“Hi” Ophis' voice was near a whisper, still tired and not fully awake, she walked over to you, holding her hands out expectantly. You groaned as your weak muscles worked to pick your daughter up and sit her in your lap, that too made Eddie wince, guilt bubbling up even more than it already had. “Sleep ok?” he leaned over the table to let her slide her small hand into his big palm “No it was too loud” she complained as she let her dad wrap his fingers around her wrist. “Oh I’m sorry baby, were mommy and daddy talking too loud? you should have come in and told us” you hugged her to you as you felt bad about keeping your daughter up. “Probably would have helped me get to bed faster than staying up till 4 am” you mumbled, too groggy and hoarse for Ophi to understand what you were saying. Eddie let go of his daughter's hand with an eye roll, occupying himself with a large gulp of bitter coffee instead. 

“Why were you and daddy fighting?” Ophelia turned to you as she nuzzled her head to your collarbone “Me and daddy just had a little argument” you explained as a hand instinctively went to comfort her, smoothing down her hair atop her head. “What was it about?” she pressed as Eddie stood up from his seat to prepare a bowl of cereal for her and later on, her sister. 

You looked over at him and decided, you may as well just tell her “Hmm well you know when Daddy says you can’t wear some things?” looking down at her. “Oh great turn our daughter against me” Eddie grumbled as he poured milk into a pink plastic bowl, you scowled at him as the little girl spoke “Yeah, I don't like that, he tells Woxy too” she frowned up at you, it was difficult to take her seriously as she tried to pronounce her sister Roxette’s nickname. “Yeah well daddy does that with me too” you explained in a soft tone, despite the fact that you were actually really annoyed at the fact. “Why? Daddy says it's because I'm just little but you’re old” you chuckled, not catching the way Eddie's lips tugged up at the corners. “Yeah, I’m old” 

Eddie sat back down before placing the bowl and a small spoon in front of Ophelia's usual place at the kitchen table, signaling for you to let her down so she could eat. Ophelia crawled down and then up again to sit with her knees digging into the specially placed cushion on her chair. 

“Daddy” she looked up after a few mouthfuls “Hm?” he turned to give her his full attention “Why can't mommy wear what she wants? She’s not little, she's a woman” Ophelia asked confused. The gears were visibly turning in Eddie's brain as he thought over how best to explain it, he couldn't exactly tell his almost 5 year old daughter that her mom couldn’t waltz around in skirts that he barely considered an actual article of clothing and tops that reveal the things that are only for his eyes to see. “Um… well” he was fighting for words. “Because sometimes Daddy forgets that I’m not little like you” you interrupted, booping Ophelia's nose to earn a light giggle “So he forgets that it's not okay for him to tell me how to dress” even though your voice is soft you shoot Eddie a hard glare giving him insight into how you were actually feeling about him at the moment. 

Eddie rolled his eyes again and sat back in his chair, bringing the black ceramic up to his lips. “But listen Ophi, ok this is very important” you lent forward to catch her eye “When you become a big girl and same goes for your sister, if someone other than me or your daddy ever tells you what you can and can't do you have to come to us, and tell us ok?” Ophelia nodded in understanding “Especially if it's a boy ok? Because it's very important that you remember that you are your own person, and that no one can tell you how to dress ok?” Ophelia nodded again “You gonna come tell us if that happens?” “Yeah” Ophelia nodded happily as you sat back to mimic Eddie and bring your own coffee cup up to your lips and your eldest began her meal again. 

You recognised Eddie's face as he stared unfocused behind you, he was clearly mulling something over by the looks of it arguing with himself in his mind. Under any other circumstances you would ask him “Penny for your thought princess?” in some corny southern british accent, but today you simply didn't want to know. 

Ophelia seemed not to notice the tension between her two parents as she told you both about a strange dream she had where Eddie’s guitar had turned into an airplane and she had flown off with her friend Louise Harrington in it, both you and Eddie humoring her as she spoke with mouthfuls of cheerios. Soon enough she was situated under a blanket with various stuffed animals and a bottle of water on the couch to watch her morning cartoons next to three year old little Roxette who munched on some cut up slices of toast by Eddie and sat watching intently as bright colors lit up the screen. 

As Eddie got Ophelia and Roxette settled you pulled yourself upstairs with the intent of a shower and a fresh change of clothes, but decided to belly flop head first into the soft pillows of your bed, almost dozing off as the door next to your right opened. You didn't bother looking up as you heard Eddie close the door carefully and tiptoed around the bed to his own side, under the impression that you had passed out but was instantly startled as you awkwardly turned your head to press your cheek into the pillows, facing Eddie as he was about to climb back into bed himself. 

Your voice was muffled against the pillow as you spoke, “Come to shout about what a massive slut I am again?” Eddie cringed as he heard you, he took a deep breath before sitting down next to you, his back to the headboard. “No..” he sighed “You sure? Or would you maybe prefer attention seeking.. whore? Was it? No no wait, seeking attention like some common whore, that's what it was” Eddie shrunk in on himself as you repeated the words he had shouted at you in fury the night before, you knew Eddie would come around, you knew he would apologize, but this particular time you felt he had really crossed a line so you had no problem sprinkling some salt in his wounds. 

“Baby.. I’m sorry” he whispered as he leaned over to place a hand on your back and rub it up and down. “Mmmm” you sarcastically hummed “I-I really shouldn't have said that, I was being an absolute dick” at that you hummed in agreement, face still half smushed into the pillows as you looked up at him. “I just, you know how I feel about Billy.. I already don't want him around you, and when I saw you come home like that I just knew he was probably lapping it up” a roll of your eyes “But I took my anger out on the wrong person, I’m really sorry” Eddie moved down the bed to lie on his side as his hand continued rubbing up and down your back. 

“Mhm and?” you looked at him as his face was now level with yours “And..” he breathed fighting a roll of his eyes, he knew what you were doing “I just thought about you know if Ophelia or Roxette ever comes home with a boyfriend” “mhm” you coaxed him on “I wouldn't be that happy to know he was telling them what to wear” you broke out into a wide smug grin, even though there were a few more things to unpack about yesterday, an apology was all you needed for the moment. 

“Yup” you popped the ‘p’ even more smug, this time Eddie did actually roll his eyes but a playful grin tugged at his lips. “But” Eddie’s face suddenly went serious “I would… appreciate if maybe you don't wear those kinds of outfits around, at least Billy in the future” he was feeling sheepish at his request. “In my defense” you pushed yourself up to lay your head on your crossed forearms “I didn’t actually know Billy was gonna be there” you grinned “also if I knew that, do you seriously think I would have worn that?” Eddie chuckled “Yeah ok no, that's true” another smug hum of approval. “Mmmm but why you gotta wear that stuff anyway” he started of with a hint of a whine “Who you tryna impress when you have a big hunky husband with the biggest dick you've ever set your eyes on” a loud snort rang through the room as you turned to lie on your side, letting Eddie scoot closer and wrap his arms around you. 

“Maybe I’m tryna impress my boss, ya know get myself a sweet promotion, or maybe that so called big dick you pride yourself just isn't cutting it anymore” you nuzzled your face into his bare chest as it vibrated with laughter “Well first of all you are the boss, hate to break it to ya butchya’ can’t really get promoted babe, second whatchu’ talkin’ ‘bout woman, just last morning you were drooling over it” you rolled your eyes as a big amused smile spread across your face. 

“Well now you're just lying, I was not drooling” 

“Oh Eddie! Oh Eddie god! Oh my god! AAUUH Ugh! Your cock is so big oh my goood! Fuck Eddie yes! Yes! YEEES!” Eddie's voice turned into an awfully high pitched imitation of a girl's voice as he whispered as to not let the girls hear, whole body shaking with you in his grasp to get his point across further. 

“Oh my god shut up!” you clasped a hand around his mouth which Eddie easily pulled away to kiss at your knuckles “I’m getting a divorce” you giggle as you cozy up to Eddie.

[freshbakedbreadstick]

No. 1 Party Anthem - Mikey Berzatto x F!Reader - Chapter One

Past!Mikey Berzatto x F!Reader

Carmy Berzatto x F!Platonic!Reader

Richie Herimovich x F!Platonic!Reader

Summary: You finally grab the bear by its ears and face it head on, despite all the unanswered questions. 

Warnings: All my fics are 18+ regardless of the content. Heavy spoilers. Mentions of self harm, grief, death, mental health issues, strained relationships, smoking.

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: OMG thank you all for all the kind words and love ! ! ! I'm gonna b honest with you all, after i posted the prologue I completely logged out of my account for the week LOL I was SO nervous abt it and so I just left it alone 😭 but I'm back with the first official chapter ! Also, I am opening the taglist for this series, so please let me know if you want to be tagged ! Thank you to one of you lovely readers for asking about that ❤️ your comment was very appreciate bc tbh I completely forgot abt even considering making one 💀 thank u babes ily and I hope you all enjoy !!!

Taglist: @marysucks-blog

PROLOGUE / MASTERLIST

The rumble and honk of a car driving quickly down the street took you out of your thoughts. 

Here you were, once again, on the sidewalk and across the street from The Beef. This time, it was not some odd hour of the night but rather 4 o'clock in the evening. 

After tossing and turning all night long, you rose early that morning much to the insistence of your mom and dad, who were very much eager to get you to reunite with Natalie, with bags under your eyes and stiff joints. You trudged around the house, jumping at every small noise that somewhat resembled the notification sound of your phone, before finally giving up and plopping down on the sofa to send Sugar a text. 

'Hi Sugar, it's me. Nice to talk to you again. I'll swing by The Beef at around 4 if that's okay with you.' 

About 5 minutes later, a loud buzz made you drop a glass of water to the floor.

'Of course! I'm so happy to hear from you! I can't wait (:' 

You could feel a pit forming in your stomach as you read the message. You can practically hear the way her voice lifts in excitement as you read it. To make matters worse, the smiley face felt like it had a mind of its own and it was taunting you. It practically said 'Remember the good days? Remember how close you and Sugar were? Before everything happened?' 

With a shallow breath, you threw your phone onto the nearest soft surface and scooped the broken glass up with your bare hands.  

Your parents fussed around you all afternoon before you left. At first, they said it was to make sure you were okay with going over there but it became pretty clear that they were pretty much just making sure you weren't going to back out. While you understood why they were chasing you around like a chick chased their mother hen, you got tired of it really quickly.

"Mom, I'm serious, I'm okay!" You insisted, pulling your shoe on and pausing at the threshold of the front door. 

"Are you sure? Do you want us to come with you? How about you let us drive you-" 

"I'm fine!! I'm going now!" 

With a sigh, your mother glances at your father before nodding, "Alright honey, be safe." 

With a weak smile, you headed off. 

And now here you were, finding yourself halfway down the street and being honked at by someone in their car. 

Snapping back to the present after replaying your hectic morning, you jump at the realization that you were unconsciously halfway across the street and heading towards The Beef.

"GET OUT THE WAY!" The person in the car yelled, sticking their head out the window. 

You ran to the sidewalk and half slammed your body against the wall, chest heaving. You had no idea what took over you and made you move without thinking but here you are now, in front of the same place you vowed to never be at again after Mikey's death: The Beef.

"Fuck…" you murmured to yourself, trying desperately to catch your breath as you closed your eyes. 

Focusing on the sounds of tires on pavement and rustling leaves on trees, you took a breath. You counted from 1 to 100 and then back to 1 again. You then opened your eyes and counted 5 things you could see, 4 things you could touch…

With a hard swallow, you turned around, ready to walk to the front door now. It was past 4 now but from the messages you got earlier from Sugar, you knew that there was 'no rush' and to just 'come in the front door'. 

"I can do this, I can do this…" you whispered to yourself and lightly jumped in place, hyping yourself up. 

You pushed forward, rounding the corner of the wall and to the front door, when BAM! Some guy just slams into you. 

You fly backward, stumbling as you try your hardest to avoid falling onto the pavement. 

"Watch it, idiot!" Some guy in a high vis vest barks at you before marching away with a wrapped sandwich in his hand. 

You stare, mouth open in silent shock and confusion, unable to respond. If this guy had bumped into you about a year ago, you would have practically beat him up yourself. Mikey would've had to come out of the restaurant and drag you off the guy, laughing and cheering all the way. His strong arms would wrap around you and somehow lift you up and off, voice husky in your ear as he alternates between voicing good humored apologies to the guy who had the misfortune of being an asshole to you and murmuring about how hot you looked while you defended yourself.

But in this moment, all you could do was regain the little confidence you had and go back to the task at hand: walking in. 

You swallow before standing up straight, plastering on a faux confident but cool grin onto your face. With your head held high in a way that you used to do but doesn't feel like you anymore, you jam a fist into your pocket and use your other free hand to push the front door open and waltz in. 

Cooly, you scan the empty restaurant. It seems like the lunch rush was very much over by now and the last customer for a while before the dinner rush had crashed into you and left moments before. So now, it was just you and The Beef. 

"Give me one sec!" A loud and charmingly obnoxious voice yelled from the kitchen. 

Your facade slipped as you heard this voice. Instantly, your shoulders sagged as you let out a quiet but pained laugh under your breath. 

The booming voice of Richie got louder and louder as he came out of the kitchen and to the counter, "How can I help you-" 

He paused. You immediately stood up straight again, a wide and sly but fake grin spreading over your face. 

Richie blinked, frozen. His eyes were wide and mouth had dropped slightly open.

After a couple seconds, the awkwardness started to set in for you, prompting you to speak up, "Jesus, Richie, you look like you've seen a ghost." 

In an instant, Richie snapped back to reality with a grin on his face, "COUSIN!" 

You winced at the volume, apparently not being the only one as you heard a couple muffled groans and protests from the kitchen as well as someone saying "what?!"

Richie threw his arms out, wide, before dropping them and racing around the counter to you. With a laugh, Richie's arms enveloped you, squeezing tight. 

You stiffened up immediately, feeling bad for not reciprocating instantly like you used to do. But whether or not that bothered Richie, you would never know because as fast as he enveloped you in a hug, he pulled away. 

"Cousin, what the hell are you doing this side of the country, huh?!" He grinned and placed his hands on his hips. 

"Oh my gosh!" Another voice said. 

Your head whipped to see Sugar at the doorway to the kitchen. She clutched a clipboard in her arms but as both of your eyes connected, she let it fall to the floor with a clatter. 

You can see her eyes well with tears as she raced around the counter to join you and Richie and as she got closer, she blinked them away. A wary smile appeared on her lips as she stood next to you, making her look a cross between nervous and relieved. 

"Richie, give her some space. Oh my gosh, hi!!" Natalie gasped. 

You winced a bit and smiled, "Hey…" 

You wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole and stay there forever. 

"Shit cousin, I had no idea you were coming here! If you let us know beforehand, we could've made you a welcome party or, or, or something!" Richie said, ignoring Natalie. 

"How the hell have you been? How was it out west? I heard you got back in town but had no clue you were coming over here to visit!" Richie continued, going on and on and on. 

You stared at him, eyeing the way he looked rugged and much more tired than usual. But Richie was the same old Richie, loud and brash but caring when he wanted to be. 

Your eyes wandered from Richie's frame over to Natalie, who seemed to be analyzing your body silently. Her eyes were filled with worry and her fingers rapidly intertwined with themselves as she gave you a look that meant to say, 'Is this okay? Are you okay?'

You glance back at Richie before your eyes fell behind the two and to the entrance of the kitchen where a crowd had formed. 

And in front of that crowd was Carmy. 

Your shoulders tensed up, visibly enough to make Natalie perk up and whip her head around to see what you were staring at and make Richie go silent. The two glanced at Carmy and, unbeknownst to you, gave him a look of warning. 

Carmy wiped his hands on the towel he had and stared back, silent. His body language was unreadable and you couldn't tell whether or not he was upset at seeing you. Either way, you could feel the hair on the back of your neck stand. 

"Carmy…" you said, voice hoarse. 

You cleared your throat and awkwardly nodded, acknowledging those around him. You recognized a couple faces and others seemed unfamiliar but either way, they all looked at you with curious and cautious eyes. 

After stewing in silence for a bit, Sugar spoke up, "Carmy… say hello". 

Carmy blinked, eyes still set on you making you feel pinned to the spot. You could feel your breakfast swirl in your stomach as his eyes glared into you, analyzing your every move. Finally, he nodded and turned around, making the crowd behind him part like the red sea as he moved back into the kitchen. 

Suddenly, another face appeared in the doorway of the kitchen before yelling out your name excitedly. Fak came racing out of the kitchen, following the same path that Richie and Natalie took, before stopping in front of you.

"Holy shit!," he exclaimed happily, "Your home!" 

Your shoulder sagged. 

Home. 

You were home. 

He giggled to himself, not at all noticing your reaction "I haven't seen you in forever, how are you?" 

"Jesus man, give her some space she just arrived," Richie began, already launching into an argument. 

"What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine!" Fak said, head snapping over to Richie before the two began to bicker. 

Natalie rolled her eyes at them and turned to you, still concerned, "Just ignore them. Are you okay, sweetie?" 

You stood up straight again, wiping the wide eyed expression you didn't even know you had on your face for one with a lazy smile, "Yea, I'm okay." 

She reached her arm out, hesitating for a second to see if you would reject her, before resting her hand on your forearm when you seemed okay with it. She gently ushered you around the bickering men and behind the counter, to the kitchen. The crowd watching dispersed with curious eyes and kind smiles from those you recognized, letting you two pass through. 

As you walked through the kitchen, gulping as your eyes retraced each corner and crevice you had tried to forget about, your eyes stopped briefly to look at Carmy. With his back towards you, he silently chopped some vegetables, seemingly ignoring what was happening around him. 

"Here we are," Sugar said, quietly announcing to you to get your attention. 

You turned and dug your heels into the ground, soles squeaking as you did so. Sugar jumped back and glanced at you. 

"Can we… I'd rather we talk outside." You announce, voice wavering in a way that made your previous confident persona waver. 

Right in front of you stood the door to the office; an office you were very much familiar with as you too had spent many times there. All those memories, all bittersweet at this point, came rushing back; the nights you spent arguing over bills and paperwork with Mikey, the days you came with a bag of donuts from your favorite shop nearby, the intimate moments where your and his lips connected behind the closed door, the moments in which you hid in the office and cried your heart out. 

Sugar noticed the way your eyes had become misty and promptly led you to the back door of the kitchen and to the alleyway.

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, that's okay. We can talk here.” she said soothingly.

Her voice was so comforting, making you feel nauseous. You hated the way that Sugar would always act very motherly, even when you were all kids. 

With a shaky breath, you nodded and smiled anxiously, “I'm okay Sugar, you don’t need to worry.”

Glancing at you, Sugar smiled softly. But her smile quickly dropped when she scanned your features, taking in your face again. 

“You look,” she began quietly, “You look good.”

You chuckled to yourself, knowing damn well that she was wrong, “Thanks, you too.”

Richie bursts out the back door, with Fak in town, still bickering.

“My God you two, just stop!” Sugar yells, getting the two to finally snap their mouths shut. 

Fak playfully salutes Sugar, a knowing look on his face while Richie rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. 

“Yea whatever. I’m just happy to see you again, cousin.” Richie says, directing his body to you, with a tone of softness in his voice that felt so foreign that it made you shiver. 

“It’s nice to see you too,” you said softly, rubbing your hands on your thighs.

It was silent for a bit as the four of you all glanced at one another, unsure where to start and what to say. Each party had so much they wanted to say to each other at that moment, but you knew that the three people standing before you had the most to say to you. 

Carmy came out the back door, silent and unsurprised to see the four of you glance in his direction. He closed the door behind him and stood off to the side, away from all of you. He then proceeded to take out a pack and light a cigarette, quietly puffing. 

“Cousin, did you even say hello? It’s rude as hell to just ignore her,” Richie said, a bit agitated at his dismissive behavior.

Yet Carmy ignored him, staring out to the side and away from you all, his blue eyes flickering, but refusing to even glance in your direction.

You could feel your eyes prickle and your throat tighten, regretting even showing up. Carmy was the one person you haven't seen the longest and here he was, ignoring you as if you didn’t even exist.

“Hey,” Richie barked, taking you out of your thoughts, “At least look at her!”

Richie began to stomp forward to Carmy, making you and Sugar flinch as you watched. Fak moved forward, reaching out to Richie and mumbling quietly to get him to stop. Right before Richie could grab Carmy by the shoulder, Carmy spoke up.

“I’m glad you're okay.”

Your mouth dried up.

His eyes turned to you and all you could see in them was pained understanding. He knew you weren’t okay; an okay person wouldn’t just pack up and leave the night after her boyfriend’s funeral. But, he saw that you were alive and the fact that you showed up here after so long meant something. 

It meant that now you were okay.

“Thanks Carmy” you said, making everyone’s head turn to you. 

Richie rocked his jaw and nodded silently, stepping back from Carmy. 

The three of them watched as Carmy lifted his box of cigarettes and offered one to you. They then watched as you walked forward, arms that had wrapped around your body falling, to grab one. He fished his worn lighter from his pocket, carefully lighting the cig you held around your lips for you, before pocketing it and leaning back against the wall.

You take a deep drag, letting the nicotine smoke fill your lungs before exhaling. It soothed your nerves, reminding you of the moments that you spent outside with Carmy, avoiding the yells from inside the house during a Berzatto family event. 

Suddenly, a deep funny feeling began to strew about in your belly. It felt odd and you tried to suppress it, but you just couldn’t help it. You barked out a laugh. 

It surprised you and everyone, not at all expecting it. You felt your cheeks heat up, horrified as to why you just laughed. 

You breathed in, only for it to come out as another laugh. Your horror was then replaced with amusement, making you laugh even harder. 

Sugar, Fak, and Richie all averted their gazes, a mixture of remorse and shame written all over their faces. 

You laughed even harder, slamming your back against the wall before sliding into a crouch. Your body shook so hard as you laughed, barely able to keep the cigarette between your fingers. 

Carmy looked away, an empty look on his face as he too chuckled to himself. 

After laughing so much that your belly began to hurt, you finally spoke up between dissolving giggles, “What the fuck am i even doing here!?”

Natalie turned her back to everyone, clutching her body in her arms. Fak walked forward and gently placed a hand on your shoulder. You didn’t even look at him as he hooked one of his arms under your arm and helped you up from the floor to stand against the wall again. Your knees buckled slightly as you continued giggling and wheezing in an attempt to catch your breath.

Fak stepped back and sighed softly, watching your chest heave as your breathing began to stabilize. 

An uncomfortable silence fell as you caught your breath, leaving the four of you in limbo to listen to a couple cars pass by and the wind blow softly by.

Carmy straightened up, making everyone except Sugar turn to him. He dropped the cigarette he was smoking and crushed it under his shoe. He then reached behind him to untie the knot of his apron and then moved to his neck where he took it off completely. He thrusted it forward, pushing it to you.

“Okay Chef, break is over.” He said. 

You looked over at him, finding no fear or sadness on his face, before nodding and grabbing the apron. He stepped back and turned, moving to open the back door and step inside. 

Sugar, Fak, and Richie all turned to you.

“Break is over,” you repeated and began to tie the apron around yourself before opening the backdoor and walking back inside. 

[penaltybox-gossip]

My 2 cents on Maya Adler and Mat Barzal:

She doesn’t follow islanders insta

Never posts about his games

He wasn’t present for her bday

She wasn’t there for islanders Halloween

She wasn’t there for wags Xmas party or baby showers.

She’s yet to unarchive their pics together even tho… they’re together

How many times have they blocked/unfollowed/refollowed/unblocked I’ve lost count

She’s Jewish. Her dad and brother aren’t fans of him. Her fa mily doesn’t follow him. And they like the Rangers

It’s clear that she has an ED. This is extremely common in ballerinas. She’s not a normal healthy weight for herself. Look at old photos of her. She even edits her boobs to make them bigger in photos because she has lost so much unnecessary weight.

Few OG Wags just started following her over the summer for the first time

They are toxic. She needs to find some New York City Wall Street man who she doesn’t have to compete with. I think her overall vibe is feeling inadequate and insecure when compared to him. That’s why they have so much ego involved in the relationship.

Sometimes different people bring out different sides in you. I don’t find them compatible, personally, and again they bring out a very shallow superficial vibe in each other

Maya is deeply insecure and a pick me. She was averaging 200 likes per photo before Barzal. He got her clout and now she’s running with it. She loves the attention but I feel it will catch up with her because… it’s not authentic. She’s desperate for the likes/validation. Girl you’re like 5’2” and not even drop dead gorgeous trying to model. When ppl like you for the external and based on who you’re dating that……doesn’t last

She will probably peak around 15k followers tops, if that. And when they break up everyone will sadly and eventually lose interest in her. She’s just not interesting, period.

Also he’s been out for how many months? A LOT of free time… in an interview he mentioned playing chess and reading. And his mom coming to visit. Like not one mention of your girlfriend.

And Liana coming to town and you can’t even tag her in a post on your story? Weirdo shit. But she doesn’t have sisters so idk

They’re so secretive it’s bizarre. It’s like they have zero respect for each other. It’s all ego. Nothing sweet and sincere about their relationship whatsoever.

You both aren’t well known enough to be hiding and acting like you need privacy for protection. It’s honestly laughable at this point

.

[noveloctoling]

INTRODUCTORY POST!!!!

redoing this because the old one kind of makes me cringe

Name's Novel! Legal name is "The Newest Orange Star Burning Over Splatlands Shores", yeah I got a Salmonid title.

I use any pronouns, and I identify as non-binary (I literally don't care about the pronouns you use for me). Local lesbian. I'm 16 years old right now, birthday is October 8th. I'm a California Two-Spot Octoling!

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟

Y'all might've heard of me from the news? I'm that persistent Salmonid Rights Activist who is VERY against the very idea of Grizzco Industries. Yeah, that's me. My main goal is to ensure mutual respect of Salmon-kind by Inkfish in the Splatsville and Inkopolis regions, as well as to aid in stopping the mass exploitation by Grizzco Industries. Mr. Grizz or whoever runs the clamn thing now has gone too far, and because of that, has put many lives in danger.

I do a lot of speeches, writings, and protests outside the Splatsville building. My writing and art do a lot of commentary on the current state of things to spread awareness. But then sometimes I write and draw silly little things hehe.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟

I'm adopted by two Salmonid refugees who like in the splatlands region!

Shallow AKA "The Third-Born Daughter of Megalodontia's Blood, The Fallen Star Adrift in Shallow Waters" is one of my moms (She/Her), and she works at The Hooded Fisherman as well as service jobs where she cares for peoples homes like mowing lawns, cleaning houses, and babysitting. She's a very kind and sweet maws, retiring from the Salmonid army to explore the world. She's really sweet!!

Haggy AKA "The Hagfish Who Feeds Upon the Flesh of Fallen Kings of Long Ago" is my other mom, who I will often call dad too (any pronouns), and they run The Hooded Fisherman! The Hooded Fisherman is a hat shop down at the Anarchy Bay Pier, opened a year or so ago by Haggy. Haggy is a Horrorboros, but didn't grow to full size due to their training being cut short due to an attack that left her mostly blind. She's very patient and gentle, a good listener too, even if she has really bad anxiety and excretes a lot of ink like a Hagfish whenever she's nervous.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟

Stay fresh and delicious, get cooked and stay on the hook, and I'll catch you on the hook later!

gosh that's more cringe than anything but Lee came up with it and I thought it was too good to not be included

#wayward activist <- My Tag!!

#friendly neighborhood fish <- Tag for Shallow and/or Haggy related stuff!!

#the hooded fisherman <- hat shop related announcements!!

@the-specter <- My QPP, Lee Illex! Oh and The Specter too, but Lee will often make an appearance! Their tag is #the art of free will , and Specter's tag is #now is all we have left . Please mind the knives.

@omega-3-official <- MY FAVORITE BAND AJLSHKFAHSF I LOVE THESE GUYS SO MUCH

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟 𓆝 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆟

OOC STUFF:

Blog (and other mentioned blogs) run by @neomagicstar

Please remember that Novel is a minor, and so is her author, so please be mindful and don't be a creep.

Asks are open and nearly always will be!!

I also apologise in advance if I write Novel to be rude and mean, I don't mean anything she says that comes off that way :3

[faeriemarie]

(a very late) shiftmas catch-up 🎅🏾🎄

1. christmas caroling

your love’s like by sabrina carpenter - because it reminds me of my bf; von dutch by charli xcx - i’m shifting back to summer 2024; anything ha vay has ever released - her music videos are exactly my aesthetic and what i strive to look like

2. gingerbread houses

my house is a very boring suburban row house. but i still like it. i live with my mom and my sister, but i’ll soon move into my dorm at uni and live with my cr roommate. fav part of my house is my bedroom (obvi) and fav aspect of my dorm are my posters — i have george harrison and romeo & juliet (1968)

3. eggnog

drama going on in my dr? literally me and that i get crushes on too many people. i break up with my gf, have two crushes, and start dating my bf all in the span of a few months 😔

4. sledding

my friend group is my cr friend group. our favorite thing to do is go to local theatre shows and spend nights at karaoke. we go to a local diner after to eat sides and drink milkshakes that are way too big.

5. snowman

my fit inspo pinterest boards

6. stockings

my family is lowk the worst but i wanna keep in the trauma that makes me me. my favorite family member is my cousin jessica who’s one year older than me and my closest friend since birth. we spend christmas with my mom’s immediate family

7. candy canes

this is so toxic and shallow but literally looking at myself in the mirror and finally being beautiful and skinny. i need it like i need air to breathe

8. mistletoe

ahhh my s/o is named petro and i love love love him (scripted him myself too). he’s weird like me and likes old things so we go antiquing and visit museums. where i am a more 1960s filmmaker poet girl, he’s a total renaissance man who plays cello and oil-paints and is basically a chess grandmaster. we bask in our similar loserdom and it’s great

9. snowflakes

headcanons in my dr: my mom was the beauty when she was younger and everyone wanted her, my younger sister actually likes and admires me though she’d never admit it, my super religious best friend is a lesbian, i am my history professor’s favorite student 🤭, my boyfriend’s parents believe we’ll get married

10. icicles

my occupation is an amateur multi hyphenate: writer-director-actor-animator among other things because i can’t pick a hobby to save my life. primary job is being a uni student though. favorite aspect is having freedom to study what i want while pursue a career in entertainment. least favorite aspect is having to rely on my mother

11. tree skirt

found out about shifting from a random intriguing subliminal when i was in the sub community. first dr was an improved cr and current dr is a different improved cr. some things never change, even after 5 years

12. ornaments

objects in my dr but not my cr? my whole ass stop-motion set that’s beautiful and professional even though i made it alone in my childhood bedroom

13. sleigh bells

greatest privilege of all is my lifa app. the universe bends to my will with the click of a button and i can control anything i want :))

14. cookie cutters

i haven’t thought about this much honestly because i’m not big on scents

15. elf on the shelf

main wingman is always my cousin. she loves trying to set me up because she generalizes my type too much (thinks any random white boy will work for me 🙄). but she’s cool and somehow always has a new bitch which makes my job really easy. when we hang out we either go to the movies (my choice) or to a party (her choice)

16. wrapping paper

i like scripting in bullet points in either my notes app or a google doc. i’m very concerned with dates so a lot of my script is taken over by timelines

17. gift tags

my camera roll in my dr

18. snowballs

i want to make short films with my friends and get absolutely nothing done because we’re too busy cracking jokes and having dance parties

19. mittens

i make short films on my youtube channel and post short stories on my substack. i also watch a lot of movies (like 600 a year) and love to read classic literature.

20. ice skates

art museum dates with my boyfriend!! we could spend 5+ hours in MoMA and 8+ hours at the Met and it would be perfect to me

[liquidstar]

my big fat greek wedding is the realest greek rep in mainstream american media, not because its completely accurate- a lot is rooted in lighthearted sort of self-stereotypes, and is overall pretty shallow if youre looking for legitimate emotionally resonate representation of any kind. BUT thats also EXACTLY what makes it vibe w so many greeks anyway because we hardly ever see those very specific little eccentricities even mentioned, letalone be made the focal point, so we kind of love making fun of it in a way thats like "oh my god thats JUST like my thio maki!!! and thats just like thia calliope!!! oh fuck that ones just like me"

all things considered i dont think greek representation is like the most important ever or anything, but its so rare to see greece acknowledged beyond ancient stuff or mythology, or maybe the occasional jab at eastern europe, that its just... fun to see yourself and your family a little bit on the tv. it doesnt really get into the super deep parts of the culture or anything like that but its fine bc its fun. i think most greek families (esp of diaspora) have bonded to this movie because theyre just like us for real. before this, i think the closest thing id seen to actual greek rep on tv was from an episode of the suite life on deck where it was mainly just an eastern europe stereotype 😭 abt being hairy and playing with pig guts as balloons and shit idk. i mean also true but in a way that comes off as more mean spirited lol. but even then i was excited just to see our flag on tv and remember pointing at it to my mom so i cant say it was the worst. but hey!

anyway i like my big fat greek wedding a lot, wanna see the 3rd sometime too but never got around to it. it just vibes and is fun. and again like i said before, greek rep wasnt the most important thing ever growing up (even if it is super cool to see and does make me very happy to have our culture acknowledged outside of ancients!) but it does make me understand why representation is important in a more general way and why it means so much to people. and i also understand that it can mean a whole lot more to people whove been historically treated way worse by media. like, lack of acknowledgement is one thing, but outright malicious stereotypes are another. i do get this with lgbt+ rep too but since i was lucky enough to be born in a time where its becoming the norm i also cant imagine how it must have seen so much worse and then live in a world where every cartoon has 2 girls kissing. its not perfect and often corporate but... also a good sign

sorry this post is super stream of consciousness so its probably all over the place but i think my general thoughts are that ppl who shit on a series for having any kind of representation they dislike (being "too progressive" or something) is not only an awful unsympathetic person but also like. on the flip side will never know the joy of seeing yourself like that. but i do realize it also comes with the tradeoff of not being seen to begin with so its not like its a net positive but... those ppl still wont know! they will not understand the true joys of "[country] mentioned!!!!" when the country is The United States Of America. the end

[oceansabove]

2025 book bingo update #2 - book bingo I made!! Progress: 40%. If you are interested I have this on Storygraph - dm me for the link :) So far in 2025 I have read 12 books, but two of them didn't check off any of these boxes. See my last update here.

Book I've wanted to read for over 5 years: Night Sky With Exit Wounds, by Ocean Vuong. 4.25 stars. I’ve wanted to read this since I got entranced by the title on mid-2010’s-tumblr, and, though I appreciate all of Ocean Vuong’s work, I think I would have enjoyed this collection more in the mid 2010s, and I think his other books are better.

Book that changed my worldview:  Illness as Metaphor, by Susan Sontag. 5 stars. I’ve been thinking about the opening quote to this book for a long time, and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. It pairs very well with The Emperor of All Maladies, which I read last summer. As someone who researches the psychology of disease, I found it fascinating, especially to look at a disease that once was shrouded in mystery but is now much better understood and connect that to my own current work on long COVID. Fr mysterious causality is a blank canvas upon which we project our own anxieties and “our shallow attitude toward death.” But ymmv if this isn’t a topic you find interesting. I will be continuing to think about the allure of mysterious causality in the construction of metaphor. And disease as consumption. Anyway.

Unbearably pretentious lit fic (affectionate): The Plague, by Albert Camus. 4.5 stars. Another heavy hitting disease psychology read. Unfortunately I don’t think I’m the target audience for this book because it’s apparently an allegory for the Nazi invasion of France, and I am more interested in applying it to other disease outbreaks. But Camus really hit the nail on the head with the ending, and I’ve been thinking so much lately about the appropriate response to disasters that are almost entirely out of our hands. I also found the mid-20th-century setting interesting - though Camus had some medical historical inaccuracies, that’s an era I don’t often see represented in disease fiction. I appreciate the juxtaposition of the emergence of some modern antibiotics with the realization that in the end modern technology may fail - very prescient with antibiotic resistance on the rise.

Hopeful post-apocalyptic book: The City in Glass, by Nghi Vo. 4.5 stars. You gotta go into this book and just have the mindset that you’re along for the ride. It was a great ride. Very fantastical. Nghi Vo is a storyteller I trust. I’ll forever be in awe at her ability to create an entire world that feels like it’s on the level of a 300k word series in about 100 pages. And yeah, this book is about rebuilding something you love from literally nothing even though it takes everything you have.

Short story collection: Exhalation, by Ted Chiang. 4.5 stars. I think sometimes short stories, especially spec fic, work best when they ask the question “wouldn’t it be fucked up if” and Ted Chiang does that well and also throws in some existential questions. Very creative, really making the most of the genre.

Previous prompt fills: Book that takes place over 100+ years: The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years, by Shubnum Khan; Translated work: Please Look After Mom, by Kyung-sook Shin; Debut book: The Skin and Its Girl, by Sarah Cypher; Book that takes place mostly underwater: Our Wives Under the Sea, by Julia Armfield; Book with a metamorphosis: Annihilation, by Jeff VanderMeer

[sarahjswift]

Lovebite - IWHAIWSA Chapter 3

Heyyyy here's another chapter for you! It's currently Thursday but I think this should be posted on Friday. The day you are seeing this is my last day of school and I'm very excited!

I hope you all are enjoying this series! I'm very proud of myself because these chapters are longer and I have a couple already written and ready to post. I also am keeping up Twin Wounds, so I'm just doing it all XD

Next week is the start of my summer vacation, but it shouldn't affect the upload schedule too much, but there's always that warning.

Thank you all for your support <3

Warnings: Language, Light Smut

Word Count: 1.7k

Tag List <3: @backtobl4ck, @aelinchocolatelover, @renxzs, @blue-bird17, and @autumnbabylon! Thanks for your support <33333

enjoyyyyy!!! :D

__

“You made out with a stranger who is Eve’s best friends’ dad?” Lysandra gasped with delight. 

Aelin glared at her reflection as if it were Lysandra’s face, forcefully massaging her face with sunscreen. “We didn’t make out. It was one kiss.” 

“One very hot kiss, it seems,” her friend giggled. “I mean, he seems amazing. Do you have pics?”

“Uhm, yes,” Aelin confessed. “He sent me a selfie and I may or may not have downloaded it to my phone.” 

“Oh my Gods!” Aelin winced as her friend’s squeal filled the air - loud and proud, even on speakerphone. “Please tell me it was, like, a shirtless selfie. Or no, no, a mirror shot! No - both!” 

“It was a selfie with him and his kids,” Aelin said matter-of-factly. She dotted concealer under her eyes and surveyed herself in the mirror, checking for any blemishes, and-

“Oh my fucking Gods.” 

“What? What is it?” Lysandra squawked, but Aelin was too busy gaping in horror at the purple spot on her neck. 

“I have a damn hickey!” Aelin wailed, then clamped a hand to her mouth. Eve was watching Spongebob, but you could never be too sure with her. 

“Holy shit, this just keeps getting better and better!”

“Not if you’re living it!” Aelin protested, frantically dabbing concealer onto the very obvious love bite on her neck. 

“Can I see? Send a photo!” 

“Uh, no. It’s, like…very obvious.”

“Gods, how much did he kiss you?”

“I have no idea,” Aelin sighed. Luckily, the mark was covered. She sprayed setting spray onto her neck and prayed that her concealer would stick. 

↜↝

Rowan woke up in the morning with two screaming children, a messy kitchen, and a happy heart. 

He replayed the kiss over and over again in his mind, painting it golden. Even when Lilly knocked over her glass of OJ, he just smiled and wiped it up with a wet paper towel. 

The kids wanted to go to the pool and as they reached it, Rowan found himself searching the room for a certain mother. Unfortunately Aelin wasn’t there, and Rowan settled himself into a pool chair with a sigh, watching his children splash around in the shallow end. 

Rowan: Hey

Aelin: Hello good sir

Aelin: how are you 

Rowan: Good, the kids are at the pool today. 

He hesitated before deciding to go for it. 

Rowan: Wish you were here though. 

Aelin: *typing*

Aelin: 💗

__

“Can we hang out with Eve today, Dad? Please?” 

Rowan looked at his children, pleading up at him. Hold your ground, he thought. Hold it, hold it, hold-

“I’ll text her mom.” 

An hour later, Rowan was smiling faintly to himself as Aelin and Eve descended across the parking lot to the playground. Eve ran toward Henri and Lilly and the three immediately skipped to the playground, giggling. Rowan took a deep breath as Aelin walked up to him, reminding himself to calm down. 

She looked amazing as usual in a simple white crop top and a vibrant, flowing green skirt. Stylish sunglasses rested on her head and her golden hair was tucked into a braid. Her top and skirt proudly displayed her muscled shoulders, arms and legs and he enjoyed the view  - of those and other beautiful parts of her - before snapping his eyes up to her. 

“Hello,” she said, a serpine’s smile curving on her lips. She walked up close to him and placed a warm hand on his arm, the only thing separating their skin the thin fabric of his T-shirt. 

“Hey.” Rowan’s voice was lower than usual, and he had eyes only for Aelin as she leaned in to whisper something in his ear. His eyes closed briefly as he felt her hot breath on his skin, wanting it everywhere- 

“You may or may not have given me a hickey.”

With a start, Rowan broke from his reveries and whipped his head around to gape at Aelin. Her eyes were dancing and her grin stretched wider as she tapped a finger against her neck. “I guess you were kissing me a bit too hard.”

“I-Gods, Aelin, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking-”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Her clear laughter rang through the air, making Rowan smile. He couldn’t help it. “It’s funny. I did have a bit of a panic attack this morning, though. That’s why we didn’t go to the pool.” 

Rowan laughed. “What did Eve have to say about that?”

She shrugged. “She was great - we went on a little trail. What about you guys?”

“The pool and now this, after they begged all morning. It’s honestly adorable how much the kids love Eve already.” 

Aelin beamed, and he knew as a parent she was proud. “I’m afraid I’m just as bad about a certain father.”

↜↝

Rowan was so handsome she couldn’t stand it, and the urges to grab his hand, touch his shoulder, just to be near him, overcame Aelin as their families went to get Hawaiian Ice. The way he was with his kids did nothing but melt her heart, and Eve’s obvious adoration of the Whitethorn kids was the cherry on top. 

Soon the sun was setting, and they walked through the resort admiring the beautiful dusk sky. The children were skipping ahead of Rowan and Aelin while they hung back, talking softly, when Eve rounded and walked back to her mother. 

“Mommy, Lilly and Henri said that we could come over and have a sleepover!” she squeaked, excitement lit up in her blue-gold eyes. Her face was flushed and strands of her hair were poking up from her head. She looked insane, and Aelin had never loved anything more. 

“Did they really? Well unfortunately it’s not up to them,” Aelin reminded her daughter gently, praying this wouldn’t get awkward. To her dismay, Eve’s face crumpled and she slumped, practically dragging her feet as she walked back over to her friends. The two parents watched as her daughter informed the other kids of the incident and they immediately whirled around, protest lining their faces. 

“Please, Dad? C’mon, we want Eve to sleep over!” Lilly cried, hanging onto Rowan’s hand. Henri grabbed his other and looked up at his father pleadingly. 

Aelin cringed and turned to her companion, opening her mouth to apologize, when he said; “If Aelin is okay with it, I’m happy to have them over.” 

The children stared at him for a second and then erupted, cheering. They were so busy celebrating they didn’t notice the word change; them - but Aelin did. 

“Them?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. Rowan looked sheepish and he shrugged. 

“I mean, why not? You could…sleep over.”

__

I have no self-control, she thought to herself as she carried Eve’s sheets and pillows into Rowan’s room. Apparently they were all having a joint sleepover - the kids would sleep in Lilly’s room, and Aelin - well, Aelin didn’t know where she would sleep yet. That hadn’t been decided. 

After Aelin and Eve brought their stuff over to the room, they settled down at the dinner table for a dinner of steaming pasta. Aelin was pleasantly surprised at Rowan’s cooking skill, and she said as much.

“Thanks,” he said, biting down a smile. “I’m sure you are too.”

At his words, Eve let out a laugh. Aelin flushed as her daughter exclaimed; “Mommy is a terrible cook! She once tried to make brownies for my school bake sale an’ they were goopy an’ my friend Marianne got food poisoning! Daddy always did all the cooking-”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Aelin interrupted her daughter before she could ruin her chances forever. As she glanced toward Rowan, she found his amused expression frozen, his eyes like chips of ice. She felt herself frown - what had set him off?

__

At nine the kids disappeared into Lilly’s room to “sleep”, leaving the parents to clean up dinner. Aelin watched Rowan stand at the sink, his powerful arms on display as he scrubbed their plates dry. She couldn’t help imagining that they were a family, he was her husband, and they -

Stop. She scrubbed her face, exhaustion suddenly overwhelming her. There’s no point in imagining anything. It’s done. She sighed and collapsed on their couch, surveying the room. Their hotel space was an exact copy to theirs, so she didn’t feel too bad as she made herself at home. 

“Can I ask you something?” Rowan asked, and Aelin turned to find him leaning against the kitchen counter, watching her with an expression she couldn’t place. At her nod, he took a deep breath. “Is…where is Eve’s dad?” 

Oh. Shit. 

His words were light, but Aelin could tell her response would be important to her. She took a deep breath. “He’s..he’s in the picture.” 

Rowan’s shoulders slumped, and his eyes looked agonized for a half-second before a wall snapped up behind them. “Oh. Alright.” 

“N-not like that,” she blurted - she’d do anything to get him smiling again. “I meant, uhm, well…he has Eve every other week. B-but…we’re divorced. We have been for a year.” 

Rowan’s face melted into a smile she could tell he was trying to tamp down. “Oh. Alright.” Aelin laughed as he repeated his exact words from earlier. At her laughter, Rowan chuckled too, crossing the room to sit next to her on the couch. His weight brought the cushion down, and she slid toward him ever so slightly, close enough she could smell his pine-and-snow scent. 

His eyes darted around the room, checking if the coast was clear, before leaning closer to her. Her breaths came quicker, and she closed her eyes as he brought his hand to cup her neck, rubbing his thumb over the exact spot her lovebite was. She felt him lean in and kiss her jaw, loosing a breath as his other hand stroked her hair. Aelin watched him, heavy lidded, as he kissed his way down to her collarbone, lower. 

“Kiss me,” she breathed. He drew in a sharp breath and obliged her, lips pressing gently against hers. It was a soft kiss, not urgent and sharp like earlier, and she leaned into him, letting his heat envelop her as he hugged her. 

She thought, as she gently made out with this man, she hadn’t felt this safe in years. 

[purplepxls]

TS4 Lepacy Challenge (or how TS4 finally got me) pt.1

Hi! [waving and brushing off cobwebs] How are you guys?

In short, during the time I was away from Tumblr, I basically lost all interest in playing Sims when I lost all my stuff. Over a decade of CC, poses. It became impossible to recreate everything, and TS4 didn't work for me. Until... I realized that every time I played TS4, I would download everything, all the DLCs, thousands of CCs, mods, and end up feeling lost and bored. With previous generations, I always played from the beginning, knowing everything that was native to the game, following the DLCs one after the other. So I thought about following a Legacy Challenge to try to experience this in a structured way. I wanted to experience TS4, to know every item in the game, its flaws (so I could later search for the mods that I really needed)

About the challenge

The one I'm following is this one (which is already outdated, but I'll keep going as long as I can).

I'll confess to you guys, I'm following it in a very low-profile way. I always imposed so many rules on my TS3 saves that this time I just wanted to have fun. So basically, I play vanilla (the only mods I have are maxis match skins and eyes that I downloaded around the 3rd generation). And to be completely honest, I LOVED the game's aesthetic like this! It was tough at first because I always used TS3 alpha, so it seemed overly cartoonish. But that's exactly why I fell in love when I realized how cute this game is! What I did was disable all the DLCs (here's how to do it) and I'm enabling the packs according to the challenge instructions. Sometimes I follow the recommendations of the generation, sometimes I don't. It all depends on whether I'm having fun with those tasks or not. I always try to use the objects, clothes, and hairstyles from the expansion/pack of the generation to have a real immersion in that theme and get to know everything that was made available new in that generation.

It's funny because with each generation, I get so excited about the new things I'll have! I look at all the objects, read about the expansions, and try to do everything I can. Some excite me more than others, especially themes that don't appeal to me much like supernatural ones. But I'll tell you more about it in the next posts. I also try to follow the wishes of the Sims whenever possible, to see where the game naturally takes me. Usually, the firstborns are the ones who continue the challenge. But sometimes other children steal the show. Also, in some generations, I simply have no patience for babies and adopt a child. I also use Sims from the gallery a lot, both for townies and to follow the generation (sometimes I have zero patience to raise a Sim, so I make my own rules!) I always try to let Sims get involved with townies unless it's not possible (or they're terrible and I'm not in the mood for a makeover). I play with normal Sim lifespan and full autonomy. Gen 1 - 3

Gen 1: Base Game Gen 2: Outdoor Retreat Gen 3: Get to Work (Part 1) + Luxury Party stuff Unfortunately - or fortunately - when I started, I was having so much fun that I forgot to take photos!

In Gen 1, I couldn't reach the top of the comedian career, and I was surprised by how much there is to do with just the base game. Maybe I've always seen the game in a biased way, I admit.

In the first generation, there was a lot of family drama and fights because of the hot-headed and goofball matriarch. That bitch even stole her daughter's boyfriend, which left me IN SHOCK. An abusive relationship between mother and daughter, major drama!

Gen 2 was kind of boring; that camping pack is pretty disappointing. It's all very shallow and hard to get into, plus it feels kinda "stuck," I can't really explain it. But it was cool to develop the freelance writer career and write about all the traumas her mom caused (yeah, the storyteller never rests). And being a good loner, I loved taking her to Granite Falls for the whole weekend in a cabin writing.

As expected, she met a guy dressed as a bear at the camp and married him. He was the total lumberjack cliché. They lived happily ever after!

Gen 3, I realized the goals for this generation were impossible. I tried doing the bakery and being a detective and failed miserably. My sim was always tired, with no time for anything (missing a mod to slow down the game). I spent more time renovating Magnolia Promenade than playing. I was excited about the next generation. Gen 4 - Get to Work (Part 2) + Perfect Patio stuff

Here, I think the challenge really started for me. This is where I started to get attached to the characters. I completely ignored the generation's instructions and focused on the detective career. Terrible graphics settings and no time for decoration. This crazy lady got involved with Don Lothario and had TWINS. Their relationship was kinda messed up, but he turned out to be a great dad. Over time, he was so in love with her. They got married, she reached the top of the detective career, and he was a great stay-at-home dad and trophy hubby.

They bought a lovely house in Oasis Springs with a gorgeous patio. That boy there won me over. He was super curious and interested in computers. He was already programming from a young age. He was the chosen one.

Gen 5: Spa Day

I kinda skipped that one, I confess. I was too attached to my sims. What I did was, after retiring, my sim and Don Lothario became regulars at the spa, making use of all the services whenever possible, and hitting the gym, of course.

Gen 6: Get Together + Romantic Garden stuff

The heir moved to Windenburg to live his life as a IT worker.

Fell in love with Cintia Behr at the first party and ended up completing the generation recommendations with her. DJ and painting skills. He made a lot of money programming.

Don Lothario passed away from old age a bit later, and he got a call from his mom inviting him to the park. When they arrived, they just chilled, watching the clouds and chatting. I thought it was pretty sweet!

Their first kid was a cutie! And sticking to the generation's rules, I I made him grow up with cooking skills and traits.

They had two kids and lived in Cintia's house in downtown Windenburg. What a BEAUTIFUL city! I'm totally in love with it! Gen 7: Dine Out + Cool Kitchen stuff

The heir was like 100% into the cooking career his whole life.Never had any interest in other sims. Maybe it was trauma? 'Cause when he was a teen, his dad got involved with Hugo Villareal, and his mom died of rage when she found out (D-R-A-M-A). Dad moved out, and he had to raise his sister all by himself. Poor boy. But he forgave his dad after a while. His sister, though, never did.

I loved his sister! Totally rebellious, snobby, and sassy. The only person in the world she liked was her brother, and because of her troublemaker teenage personality, I downloaded the Basemental Drugs mod and it was a blast. Skipping school in the afternoons to drink and smoke with friends. Her brother didn't have any kids, and she was too precious not to be the heir.

Gen 8: City Living + Bowling Night stuff

Well, that snobby girl grew up and, as expected, became a food critic, partly thanks to her brother's influence (I mean, growing up eating the finest cuisine out there, you can't settle for any crap, right?). She fell in love at the Romance Festival just like the script said and had a cute little boy. I still had Basemental installed, and sometimes she and her wife would smoke a joint. Then one random day, her wife got BUSTED for carrying weed. I didn't know about those settings, and it was awful! The kid grew up without one of his moms, and it was super sad. Luckily, when she became elderly, she got out of jail and they lived their last days in peace. I uninstalled it right after. San Myshuno is pretty cute but kinda small :( But I'm really into the urban vibe, so I'll definitely come back to rebuild the city at some point.

I'll continue in the next post ;)

[entireoranges-creativity]

Not Missing The Goodbye

Title: Not Missing The Goodbye Characters: Collin McQuinn & Molly Phillips Time Frame: Post Series Song Lyric: "It's not too late to mend what we've broken" - Napoleon from Bear’s Den

Molly held her father’s hand, watching him sleep and noticing his breaths were shallow and even struggling for each one; the nurse informing her earlier when inquired if he was in pain, that he wasn’t—still it was difficult to watch. The cancer ravaged through his body, diagnosed from a routine checkup to this day in a little over four months. Molly wonders if she should’ve demanded he do the chemo treatment after all, but he was adamant on only taking the most basic medicine. Molly understood his wishes, especially after being told the treatment would make him feel absolutely horrible in exchange for perhaps only sustaining his life for another six months at the max; and it, of course, wasn’t a guarantee.

“I want to spend time with my family,” was all he had said, sitting in front of the empathetic doctor after announcing and laying out everything. Molly, having turned to look at her brother, and though they hadn’t been close in many years—perhaps never—she instantly knew even if it broke their hearts, they’d agree.

“Ok, da. We will make this the best time for you.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek, watched his lip quiver slightly but remained quiet. And make this best time they did, or tried to. Trips, sightseeing to all the places in the United States and Canada he had wanted to see yet never could because raising a family and, after they left home, he couldn’t afford anything too fancy. Molly tried only once to gift him the funds; he was far too stubborn to accept and created a significant gulf between them for a few years.

Now it was different. He was willing for her help, desperate for those memories not just for himself but his loved ones. Three weeks ago, Molly presented him with his absolute dream, the one he never spoke out loud, and somehow all knew: a trip back to Ireland. A place he hadn’t been since he was six years old. He wept, something she never witnessed—not at her mom’s funeral three years prior. That death being much more sudden, a massive stroke. Though not her fault, Molly still felt guilt for not being there in her final moments, much like the guilt of not being there when Rick had died.

Collin groans, eyes still closed. Molly squeezes his hand.

“I am here, da. It’s okay. The view is so beautiful out the window. I can understand why you always loved it here so much. There is another place just as beautiful waiting for you. Mom is there too. And so many other people.” She still didn’t know if she fully believed that, yet at this moment she could and would pretend she did.They had been informed there was a very good probability he won’t make the trip back home, and though she didn’t say anything that was what she hoped for her father. 

He groans once more, this time it sounded almost content and peaceful.

“I love you, da.” Molly says, only standing to lean over and kiss him on the forehead. “It’s okay to let go.” She begins to cry. And with a strange feeling of knowing, she didn’t miss this goodbye.

[yukihirata]

I Believe In You

“Honey, the thing Yuki gave us is making a racket,” an elderly Raen said as he passed a linkpearl over to his wife. “I do not understand such things.”

“Hello?” the woman said into the pearl as she pressed it against her right horn. “Yuki is that you?”

“Hi mom!” Yuki said through the linkpearl, the smile on her face audible to her parents. “How are you? I miss you guys!”

“We’re both doing well. Your dad is getting ready to harvest the rice, much to the ducks disdain. How are you doing, Yuki? Are your adventures going well?”

“Yeah! I’ve made some really nice friends and even got a job! I was hired on as a cook for a company! So far everyone absolutely loves my cooking, so, thanks mom!”

Yuki’s mother smiled as she leaned back in her rocking chair, her husband puffing away on a pipe. The two sat facing their large rice paddy, swarms of brown ducks casually drifting around in the shallow water. The Hingan countryside was quiet, the song of cicadas audible in the distance.

“You’re welcome! I’m glad that my teachings stuck and others are enjoying your food.”

“Can I talk to dad real quick? I have something I need to tell him.”

“Sure thing, sweetheart,” Yuki’s mom said, passing the linkpearl over to her husband. “Here, just hold it against your horn, either one works.”

The old man did as he was told and took the linkpearl, holding it against his right horn.

“Hey dad! So, uhm, I have a question for you.”

“If you need more money I’ll have Takeshi at the bank set aside some some Gil for you,” the old man said before blowing a plume of sweet smelling smoke.

“Oh! Well, I’m not calling about money. I wanted to ask you something.”

“And that something is..?”

“Were you scared when you first became a samurai?” Yuki asked with a slight hesitation.

“I was, yes. Standing before the emperor was very intimidating. Why, are you having doubts?”

“Kinda,” Yuki admitted. “Yeah. I’m just scared. You know me, dad. I’m not a violent or angry person. Am I truly capable of being a samurai?”

“Of course, Yuki. You are a very talented and competent swordsman. You may doubt yourself, but you are a better swordsman than I ever was. Everything you do, you do well,” Yuki’s father said with a proud smile etched onto his wrinkled features. I have, without a doubt in my mind, that you would make a fantastic samurai. Hingashi is very lucky to have a strong woman like you willing to defend it.”

“Thank you dad,” Yuki said, sniffling back tears. “I love you so much.”

“You are my world, Yuki. I see great things in your future,” the old man said with a warm smile as he looked over at his wife. “Your mother and I have a gift for you, one that may boost your confidence and erase any doubts you have.”

“Ooh, I love surprises! Did you finally hire someone to help you on the farm, because that would be really surprising if you did!”

Yuki’s father laughed and shook his head before saying, “No sweetheart. I had a set of armor made for you. It is made from my old armor, refitted to fit you and only you. Shortly after you left I had a carrier take it to Kugane. You’ll find it and some other treats in our old apartment.”

“My own armor made from your old armor?! YIPEE!” Yuki let out a cheer and clapped her hands together with a big grin on her face. “Thank you so much, daddy. I will wear it with pride.”

Unseen by her parents, Yuki started to dance, unable to contain her excitement. Her antics rose a few eyebrows from passerby's but otherwise went unnoticed. After a minute of working out her energy she returned her focus to the call. For the next several minutes the conversation drifted towards how Yuki’s parents were and catching them up on everything she had done so far. When they were done talking Yuki slipped her linkpearl into one of her oversize sleeves.

With the conversation over, Yuki turned to face the chocobo hitched to the small hitching post outside the company’s estate. She wandered over to the large birds, waving at them with a smile on her face. Her hand was held out for the animals to sniff, and once they were satisfied she didn’t smell like a predator they appeared eager to receive some pets.

“Aww, you guys are so cute! Ooh, your feathers are a really pretty blue, like the sky!” Yuki told the birds, speaking in Hingan. Her conversation was cut short when someone approached from behind, drawing the Raen’s attention. She turned to face the person, bowed and smiled before getting lost in the conversation.

[mace-waz-here]

Posed before ranting oops….

I’ll reblog multiple times to add more pictures

First we start with Caltsy bc she’s the first i made

At first she was a self insert hobbit but I always feel weird using my own name for things, so I thought of a random name and get Caltsy. (She’s the same age as merry)

Her story:

Her family, the Stoors (this was before I realized the Stoors were a type of hobbit and not just a name), were very close to the Brandybucks but one night just disappeared. They ended up on a mountain days and days anyway from anyone else and her mom, dad, and brother (Pertcy) lived until Caltsy was born. When she was 11 (what I’d say is about 7 for humans) her family got attacked by wolves and she was the only one that managed to hide in time. She hid for hours hearing her family die and when she came out she saw all the blood and her families torn up bodies, and she made a shallow grave for them and decided she couldn’t live at that place anymore, so she packed just what she would need and wandered for 25 years. She developed more animalistic characters than the average hobbit because she was mostly around animals for the majority of her life. Over the years she got turned away from town to town because she started a bone collection of animals that she had either eaten, taken care of, or found already dead. She did this as a way to take care of the dead, but people thought she was a murderer and would kill them and their animals for bones. So they always ran her off, often attacking her to leave. The scar on the right of her face is a burn from them holding a torch to her face until she left, and the left is a slash mark from more towns people. She thought she was the last hobbit left because she had never seen any besides her family, so she thought the stars were all the hobbits looking down at her seeing how their last hobbit would do. She got to a point of seeing so many people happy in towns while she got run off, that she thought the stars turned their backs on her. That is until she managed to wander into the shire, and she finally found a home.

Next is Petunia Greenhand! She’s Sam’s cousin. (The Gacha is just to get the colors, I’ve updated her since making it)

Farm girl at heart she is, and always will be. She doesn’t really have much of a story, shes just your average hobbit. Cery well loved in her community, and her and Caltsy fall in love. They’re in lesbian

Daphelia!

She is from Edoras, and she was born mute, though she can laugh and make sounds like that. Her vocal cords are just too weak to make words. She speaks using sign language and a good amount of people learned it to speak with her. She is best friends with Éowyn, practically grew up with her and had a HUGE crush on Eomer as a teen. But when the remainder of the fellowship came into Edoras, she fell for merry. Merry didn’t know her sign language, so Éowyn laughs him! :3

Gire!!!

If have it seen my posts about him before, he’s a ranger of Ithilien under Faramir. But he is head over heels for Faramir, but he really does try his best not to let it get in the way of his job. He often rants about how good of a captain Faramir is, never shutting up about him. He’s also a pretty reliable soldier to Faramir, and not just because he’s in love with him. The first time he ever saw Faramir, he knew that he was a respectable man and that he would follow him anywhere, and at the same time his love for him sparked. After the battle at Pelenor fields, he offered to held Faramir wherever he could. After Faramir became steward, Gire became the captain of the rangers. He also found himself falling in love with Éowyn, and depending if you want him to be happy or not, he either end up happily with them as their double bottom, or neother of them feel the same and he never loves again.

All for this reblog

tell me about your ocs pretty please? :3

AHHH OKAY!!! I’ll start with the lotr ones first… this is gonna be a long post

[90stvqueen]

I told my mom I want the Buffy box set on DVD for Christmas or my birthday and she was like "can't I spread it out over a few years? Just give you what I find at garage sales each year until you have the full set?" First of all I have never seen BtVS DVDs at a garage sale, second of all I know she won't be able to keep track of what she got me over the course of several years, and third of all fuck it I'll just buy them myself

[ok-boomerang]

Can I get your thoughts on this post claiming Mai and Toph are very similar (and that Zuko clicked with Toph immediately because she reminded him of Mai)? https://at.tumblr.com/i-was-talking-to-momo/everyone-else-took-a-really-long-time-to/nyh2nz26iuay

Toph and Mai are similar? That’s a hard no from me. And besides, the reason Toph and Zuko get along so well is because Toph and Zuko are so similar.

I can kinda see the post’s first argument, that Toph and Mai are similar in that they both lived sheltered childhoods and their parents didn’t understand them or allow them to be themselves. But that’s…where the similarities end. And these are also pretty superficial parallels, based on a character’s circumstances instead of their development. And since we’re talking about a story, character development matters most.

The reason that Toph and Mai are so unalike is that Toph is a fully developed main character with an arc, while Mai is just…not. That’s not even an anti-Mai argument, it’s more of a critique of the story. Mai had the potential to be an interesting character, but she’s really just a stereotype of a gloomy goth girl (intentionally juxtaposed with the peppy pink-wearing girl) and the attempt in "The Beach" to add depth to her character sort of falls flat because all we get is “I’m like this because of my parents” and nothing about how she might want to change.

Toph, however, changes a LOT throughout the series. She sometimes literally puts up walls to protect herself, but very quickly learns that she can rely on her friends and that it’s okay to need people sometimes. She has heart-to-heart conversations and recognizes when she's made a mistake (see "The Runaway"). Mai does not learn similar lessons.

Toph puts on a tough-girl image but deep down she cares deeply for her friends and even decides she wants to connect with her parents. Mai does neither of these things. Sure, Mai stuck her neck out to save Zuko, but only after she yelled at him for breaking up with her because he was trying to save the world and after she refused to reconsider Fire Nation supremacy. She’s not actually interested in Zuko as a person, and so I would argue that her love for him is actually pretty shallow. (Note: I do not think Mai’s rescue is solid proof of selfless love. A person can make a lot of sacrifices for someone and still treat them like shit. Just ask my mom!)

So why do Toph and Zuko get along so well? It’s not because Toph and Mai are alike—in fact, Zuko pretty consistently does not get along with Mai. It’s made rather clear in the narrative that Zuko and Mai’s relationship in the Fire Nation is supposed to show that Zuko got everything he could have wanted but it was still all wrong. Some examples just off the top of my head: Mai not asking Zuko “for his life story,” Mai refusing Zuko’s gift, Mai thinking ordering servants around is fun, Mai and Zuko fundamentally misunderstanding each other at pretty much every possible moment, lol.

But Toph and Zuko both had to shed the masks they wore and embrace the person they truly were. It sounds cheesy because Toph and Zuko have to learn to embrace the cheese. (Sokka, Katara, and Aang’s developmental arcs are very different from Toph’s and Zuko’s arcs—they're already big on cheese.) Mai, as a sadly underdeveloped character, never embraces the cheese. The best example I can think of is Mai and Zuko bonding over hating the world in early S3. But that’s just the thing. Zuko doesn’t hate the world, and accepting that is what jumpstarts his ultimate redemption.

Toph and Zuko also share superficial parallels—both from rich families, both the black sheep (seems important to point out that Mai is not a black sheep btw. That’s kinda her whole thing in “The Beach”). And Toph, of course, wasn’t around when Zuko was chasing the Gaang. That might seem like a minor plot point, but it’s pretty important! All she knows is there’s a firebender there to teach Aang and that he’s earnest and trustworthy. (That he has daddy issues like her is just a bonus!) Sokka, Katara, and Aang have history with Zuko that’s hard to forget, AND they can’t tell when people are lying like Toph can. Toph has every reason to want to befriend Zuko, while the rest of the gaang’s reluctance makes sense.

Finally, another reason I think Toph and Zuko clicked—Zuko is good with kids. Remember how he taught Lee how to fight with broadswords instead of scolding him? Remember how Zuko carefully praised Aang during firebending lessons? There’s a reason the fandom has Dadko.

Thanks for the ask! This was fun to think about, and I really did try to consider how Mai and Toph might be similar. But I just don’t think you can really compare a flat character with a well-developed one. Toph is much more than her “tough girl exterior.” But Mai’s apathy isn’t even truly a strength.

[kazistired]

I don’t know how to do the “under the cut” thing so I’m sorry about how long this post is.

Okay guys, here’s my reactions to The School for Good and Evil movie (this was me taking notes as I watched).

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE

Live reactions:

-KIIIIIIIT

-His guyliner is on point

-KITS MAKEUP IS AMAZING OH MY GOOOOSH

-THEY PULLED A LIV AND MADDIE WOW

-Dang, the CGI is both good and bad, wow

-okay the opening scene? The dialogue is a little cheesy but WHO CARES ITS KIT YOUNG

-first scene over and it’s already very different from the book

-SOPHIA ANNE CARUSO MY QUEEN I LOVE HER

-AGATHA. QUEEN. HECK YEAH

-they changed her mom from a healer to a wannabe witch. Weird

-they gave them more of a backstory together it’s so cute

-THEYRE SO SARCASTIC I LOVE THEM

-oh my gosh they’re so gay in this haha

-the girl playing Agatha looks so familiar

-white men. Scary dude. KEEP AWAY FROM HER YOU DRUNK WHITE ADULT MAN

-HE PULLED A KNIFE ON HER OH MY GOSH

-SOPHIE TO THE RESCUE RAPUNZEL STYLE WITH THE FRYING PAN AAAAAHHHH

-they’re gay your honor

-they’re screwing around with the people’s knowledge of the school. They didn’t know about it until now. That’s weird

-And there’s Sophie being Sophie. Good for you

-the way Sophia plays Sophie gives Lydia Deetz vibes. Maybe it’s cuz she’s the only other character I’ve seen her play, idk

-They’re a lot better friends in the movie than in the book. I think I like it

-they don’t have the whole “shadow kidnapping people every four years and the town knows and tries to stop it” thing

-at least they still have the scary bird

-they don’t set Sophie up as much as a brat before the school so it’s confusing

-the animation for the wolves isn’t very good

-THE FAERIES ARE FREAKY

-the school for evil is full of gender whyyyyyyyyy

-mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Sorry. (Red hair lady)

-mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Sorry. Mommy? Sorry. (Professor Dovey)

-dang lady 360 much?

-Tedros isn’t blonde. It’s a stupid thing to be petty about but okay

-Hort’s voice is very gender

-WHO’S THIS CUPID HARPY DUDE?????

-“CLOSE. DOESN’T. CUT IT. UGH.” Mommy, sorry

-Kit Young materializing in a column of blood? Yeah, okay, why not?

-Hester spits sparks. Dang

-THEY PUT BRUTAL BY OLIVIA RODRIGO IN HERE AAAAHHHHHH

-Gregor is a KING. I love him

-Sophie just straight up kissed a random dude and it was hilarious

-“I thought gnomes were supposed to be short.” “And I thought princesses were supposed to be likable.” HAHAHAHAHAHA

-Agatha and Tedros’s interactions are weird. Not as cagey as in the book.

-the props are painfully obviously props. Specifically the gnome’s staff

-WHY ISNT THE BLUE FOREST BLUE?????? ITS GOT A BLUEISH FOG AND THATS IT. IM LIVID.

-I like the pink little monster flower. It’s adorable. So cute. I love them

-someone get Gregor out of there and give him his grocery store

-SOMEONE. SAVE. GREGOR. PLEASE.

-NOOOOOO GREGOR!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY FRICKING LIGHTNING ZAPPED HIM TO DEATH OH MY GOSH WHY???????? WHY????????????????

-Lesso is BACK. Mommy, sorry, mommy, sorry

-why does Hort look like the front man of an emo band? Love him haha

-“Why don’t you go find someone else to go have mommy issues with” DAAAANG SOPHIE

-Hester is hot. Very. Hot.

-oh yeah, I forgot about the bees

-op the bees formed Kit Young. Kit Young covered in bees.

-Lesso’s got a thing for Rafal (Kit Young’s character). Wow

-okay but why is the scene with Hester putting her demon tattoo back actually heart wrenching?

-Lesso and her freaky love of Rafal. Dang.

-THANK YOU AGATHA FOR POINTING OUT HOW WHAT HAPPENED TO GREGOR IS WRONG

-“they have weapons but we have animals” wow

-CALL THEM OUT AGATHA. GO OFF GIRL

-why are they all so shallow? My gosh, I hate this trope. I’m tired of shallow princesses

-THE WISH FISH TURNED INTO A PERSON OH MY GOSH THAT WAS COOL

-THAT PERSON IS LITERALLY A CHILD OH MY GOSH AND THE CHILD FRICKING DIES IN A CLOUD OF GLITTER WHAT THE HECK

-oh yeah here’s the animal scene where they want Agatha to free them

-GREGOR GOT TURNED INTO A SKELETON BIRD OH MY GOSH

-WAIT TEDROS KILLS HIM IN THE BOOK

-NOOOOOOO TEDROS KILLED HIM I WAS RIGHT

-“Good used to be good and true. Now we are in the age of self-centered perfectionism” ha true

-there’s always a wolf playing the organ I love him

-Sophie is so pretty oh my gosh. She’s gorgeous

-wow, the doom room already? They’re really skipping a lot of stuff. The Tedros and Sophie build up isn’t happening.

-aaaaaaaaaaand there goes her hair

-the fact that Lesso cut it and they don’t have Sophie kill the Beast makes me sad, cuz that’s her tipping point in the book

-Agatha spitting FACTS

-and freaky Rafal in the mirror, lovely

-I love Kit Young so much. His voice? Amazing.

-he’s got his red vampire aesthetic going and it’s hilarious. He literally just needs fangs

-Agatha getting the build up Sophie and Tedros was supposed to get, nice

-did he trip her with his sword? I dunno

-“unlock your finger glow” “master your finger glow” why does the finger glow thing sound so weird

-Hort you masochist

-the key inserting is slightly triggering

-SOPHIE BURSTS IN LOOKING LIKE A HOTTIE WHILE YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN BY BILLIE ELISIH PLAYS????????? OH MY GOSH SHE’S SO PRETTY AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

-They’re montaging her bonding with her coven. No development. Just sudden friendship. Even Hester is in on it

-Sophie is hot. So hot. Her dress in the archery scene? Oh my gosh

-This is a two hour movie, I just realized that. I still have an hour left

-Agatha helping Sophie cheat. Good job.

-and now Agatha is getting sad

-Hester…. Hesterrrrrr….. I’m gay

-“you promise” word choice besties

-so…. The trial by tale isn’t a school event in the movie? Really?

-Hort really holds gender in every other shot. Sometimes he’s meh and others I want to look like that

-Bestie don’t announce your location to a dangerous forest at night

-okay from certain angles Sophie with this hair cut looks like Kallmekris (YouTuber)

-FRICKING REAPER SCARECROW THATS TERRIFYING

-HA Tedros got yeeted

-WHAT IN THE FREAKY GHOST STORY WAS THAT CRAWLING PUMPKIN REAPER????? I DID A PROJECT ON A GHOST LIKE THAT IN SOCIOLOGY AND IT MESSED ME UP FOR WEEKS

-reaper go boom

-Sophie is starting to craaaaack

-AND THERE’S KIT IN HIS VAMPIRE COSPLAY AGAIN

-Dovey’s acting needs work

-okay, the Never’s dorm is top notch

-Agatha is bisexual and Sophie is a repressed lesbian. Change my mind

-op, and here comes the nemesis signs

-Kit and his vampire cosplay back at it again

-THATS SO CREEPY

-Lesso is 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

-see, in the book you don’t know which brother the school master is. Here, good is explicitly stated as the school master and Rafal is causing chaos

-“oh no she’s missing” and no one thought to check the library?

-Sophie’s nooooooooose whyyyyyy

-ooooooo, I like how they made Lesso a reader

-Tedros spitting facts

-“she’s like my sister” NAH YALL ACT TOO GAY TO BE SISTERS SORRY

-Tedros “you’re my true love” after barely interacting. Lovely.

-Sophie had a veil on how ugly is she under there?

-YO WOW SHE LOOKS LIKE MIRACLE MAX

-“quiet Aggie the protagonists are speaking” I’m stealing that, that’s such a good line

-Wow Tedros throwing Agatha under the bus

-see, if you didn’t read the book, the nemesis thing wouldn’t have made sense

-Sophie turned the teachers into wooden dolls, dang

-Agatha literally being the only one in this movie with brain cells

-Never Ball!!!!! I love it!!!!

-Sophie looking like a goblin from Gringotts

-SOPHIE’S HOT AGAIN THANK GOODNESS

-YAS QUEEN MAKE THEM UGLY

-yooooooo Hort is wearing a skirt

-awwww, they’re not ugly, their clothes are just black now

-Hester’s dress is gross

-THEYRE FIGHT SCENE IS LITERALLY A TOXIC BY BRITNEY SPEARS REMIX OH MY GOSH

-HORT IN A SKIRT IS KING LEVEL BEHAVIOR

-I love Hort. He’s my favorite

-Sophie, snap that pen

-YOOOOO THE SCHOOL MASTER WAS ACTUALLY RAFAL

-Vampire cosplay is back at it again

-wow imagine Kit Young watching this back and basically watching him kill himself

-I mean, he’s not wrong. He really did corrupt them.

-Tedros and Agatha had no build up. They had maybe two scenes and that’s it. Ugh. I hate it.

-I didn’t know I’d ever watch Jesper Fahey seduce Lydia Deetz yet here we are

-the CGI for the school’s collapsing kinda sucks not gonna lie

-wow Agatha, that’s cheesy

-what’s with 100s of years old beings wanting to marry Sophia’s character?

-and after an awful stab scene the school’s rebuild lovely

-Sophie being stabbed by the Storian was cheesy as heck

-Rafal called Excalibur an oversized butter knife and honestly good for him

-Sophie is dying so slowly my gosh

-why didn’t Agatha just grab the sword? Why waste Sophie’s fading energy to send it through the air?

-all it took to kill him was one slash? Really?

-Ha, they kissed (yes it was a kiss goodbye cuz Sophie died but whatever)

-ah yes, the magic tears trope

-goooooood morning Sophie

-so…… no teleportation? They don’t get yeeted back to their home town?

-NO WOLF/FAERIE EVER NEVER REVEAL?????? SERIOUSLY????? THAT WAS MY FAVORITE PART OF THE BOOK!!!!!!

-HORT STRAIGHT UP REJECTING BEATRICE YESSSSSSS

-oh okay, they walk through a portal instead

-AGATHA STAYS????? FOR A BOY?????? THAT SHE BARELY KNOWS????? SERIOUSLY???????

-okay nevermind, she goes too

-they use their magic to make birds poop on their bullies. Nice.

-they set it up for a second movie. Good for them.

Okay, so basically they hit enough of their basic plot points to make it through but honestly? Wasn’t the best. The book was waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better.