#well technically james isn't here yet

[aeligsido]

[JILY CHALLENGE — AUGUST 2024] Celebrity

Prompt: “I’m a Disneyface character and you’re my canon counterpart but the mutual attraction is real and it’s becoming harder and harder not to call you by your real name instead of stage name.”

Partner: @eastwindmlk

Heya!! So, I actually haven't finished writing yet, but since I won't be able to post & finish before the end of the month, I thought I would share a little snippet! I hope you'll like it ❤️

@jilychallenge

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When Lily enters her own personal oasis, the one place for miles around where she can finally sit down and stop smiling, the place to be when you don’t have an appearance scheduled — also known as the break room —, it’s to the sight of their local Gaston doing his usual crosswords. His gloves are on the table in front of him, and he’s chewing the end of his pencil with a frown on his face. It’s an unsurprising portrait, something familiar; relaxing, too, and she can’t help but smile. As she approaches, he looks up at her, grey eyes meeting green, and he gives her a wave before writing something down.

“I don’t think that’s in english,” she points out, amused. She can tell just by the cover that the alphabet isn’t exactly the same, either.

Sirius snorts. “I finished those.” He raises the book in his hands. “It’s one Regulus bought me last time he was in Russia.”

“Of course it is,” she half-sighs, fully smiles. She starts the kettle for her tea, takes out two glasses she fills up with water and her favorite mug.

Lily puts down one of the glasses in front of Sirius, and sits down in front of the other. She exhales, letting out the stress of the day so far, and carefully rearranges her blue skirt. She’s wearing Ariel’s casual dress today — secretly her favorite, compared to the pink ball gown.

“Well I know what to get you for your birthday then,” she teases. Even after all those years, the idea of characters such as Gaston and Ariel sitting side-by-side and having friendly conversations makes her internally chuckle.

“Thanks, and I hope you’ll get more ideas than that.” Sirius winks, dropping an instant his favorite pastime in favor of the water she brought him.

She makes a so-so gesture, and is rewarded with a wide smile. Lily appreciates the downtime more than she realizes, sometimes; although, the easy and friendly banter definitely helps, and once more she feels herself growing thankful for Sirius’ friendship.

More important for her current problem, though, is Sirius’ friendship with James. Or, as people in their beautiful Disney park would call him — Prince Eric. She has known him for as long as she has known Sirius, and they’ve known each other before then; if someone can answer her question, it would be him. Even if she can guess — because, again, she has known them a long time — that Sirius isn’t exactly innocent in what’s happening either. But it would give her an idea, even if a broad one, about why James’ attitude toward her suddenly changed between last Friday and this morning.

“So,” she starts, as innocently as possible. It gets Sirius’ attention just fine. “What the fuck is going on with James, exactly? He’s acting…” She glances up and immediately eats her next words. Out of character would just get her some teasing, and Sirius is already gearing up for it, she can tell. “being weird.”

[aingeal98]

batfam and their favourite sibling to hang out with

"I love all my siblings equally." yes but there are some they get on with better than others and that's just life. Doesn't mean the love isn't there for everyone it just means there are some you'd rather sit on a couch with and chat about your day.

Dick Grayson: Favourites are Tim and Damian. Jason is right below them and if you asked Dick he'd say he loved all three of them equally but the sad reality of not having enough time with Jason before he died means that the love is different. It's just as intense but they don't actually get on as well as he does with Tim and Damian. So for this ranking he doesn't make the top spot, sorry Jason.

Jason Todd: It's Duke. Before Duke it would have been Dick and Jason hates that so he's very grateful to Duke for being a little brother Jason doesn't get the urge to shoot and dunk in the trash.

Tim Drake: Look it's always going be Dick Grayson for him. Being a Dick Grayson fanboy was a core part of his character concept. But given everything that happened since he first became Robin I'm going to put Cass up here too. Because it's my post and I'm biased and I love them. Plus I do think with the arrival of Damian and everything that went down Tim would sometimes find it easier to hang out with Cass than with anyone else. Middle child solidarity etc.

Cassandra: Tim and Duke. She just gets on with them the best. She doesn't hate Dick and Damian or anything, they're just less likely to know what combo move she wants to do on a random henchman with only one look.

Damian: Dick. He's the only one who's actually put any thought into this and is willing to rank them all out loud but the top spot has yet to change. Cass and Duke switch second and third place while Jason and Tim switch places at the bottom, depending on who's annoyed him most that week.

Duke: It's Cass. Sorry Jason. Duke is also the only one who if questioned, wouldn't have Dick in his top three.

Babs: Well it's not James Gordon Jr I can tell you that much. (If she thinks about it seriously she'd probably say Cass. Cass doesn't see Babs as a sibling as much as a mom but Babs is way more comfortable with the big sister label.)

Steph: Technically she doesn't have any siblings but if she had to pick someone she'd say Babs or Damian. Out of all Bruce's kids she'd rather hang out with Cass but their relationship is uh. Definitely not sibling like. With Babs she's like a cool older sister and with Damian Steph is his cool future sister in law. (Damian does not agree with this assessment of their dynamic.)

[nattikay]

So apparently it's now been officially confirmed that the "Mangkwan" clan briefly mentioned at the end of The Next Shadow comics IS indeed the "ash clan" that will be featured in Fire and Ash (a lot of people speculated this before but it wasn't confirmed until now).

...which is all fine and dandy, except that kw is still not a valid consonant cluster, Karyu Pawl plz explain, the language nerds are crying 😭 Was this perhaps a typo of Mangkuan or Mangkawn? Or a new dialect that allows for more clusters? Or something else?

Right now my theory is that it's gonna be Mangkuan and the Mangkuan vs Mangkwan spelling difference will essentially be the same as Omatikaya vs Omaticaya (the first one being the technically "correct" one per Na'vi phonetics but the second still showing up in some canon material).

Part of the problem here, I think, comes down to what I'm gonna call the Cameron Paradox. James Cameron didn't create the Na'vi language; he created a small list of words, as well as all the character names (from the movies at least, idk about the comics and games), then hired linguist Paul Frommer (Karyu Pawl) to do the rest. Cameron's grammatical/phonetic/etc understanding of the language Frommer built, from what I can tell, seems to be pretty limited; those details are Frommer's realm. So it's very possible that Cameron chose the name Mangkwan because it sounded cool and simply had no idea that it's technically invalid within the sound system Frommer set up.

However...while Cameron himself isn't the one who created the Na'vi language, he does technically own it. It's a commissioned work and therefore Cameron, as the commissioner, has the power to override Frommer if he wishes. If Cameron has his heart set on "Mangkwan", Frommer doesn't really have a choice but to work around that. He might end up doing that by hand-waving it as a special spelling variation of "Mangkuan" (again like the explanation of c vs k in Omatikaya), or he might end up doing it by incorporating some sort of special new dialect rules for the Ash People. Or maybe some other solution that I haven't thought of. We just don't know yet.

...and Karyu Pawl might not actually be legally allowed to address it until after the movie's release date, so we might be waiting for a quite a while to find out ;w;

[dailycass-cain]

Birds of Prey #7-8 is a neat little two-issue arc that had a lot of cute Cass stuff sprinkled throughout. So here are my thoughts (at last for #7) on the two issues.

I gotta say one surprising improvement is well, everyone gets more moments sprinkled throughout the two issues.

Then say one per issue. That and we get the members who came back with this issue bonding/training Sin/Megaera. That's where Cass comes in...

I love that the introduction for Cass is side by side with Barda (since their growing bond has been a major fun selling point of the series).

This is the (outside of Batman: Wayne Family Adventures and Batgirls) that Cass does normal things like going laser questing.

It's obvious everyone is having fun here, but also trying to gauge Sin's skills both as a combatant and in her new powerset.

I do like that writer Kelly Thompson brings back Cass being a fighting teacher.

It's something Batgirls gave us (though not the first with Cass teaching Steph), but then the little Nightwing backup again gave us it with Cass training with Dick.

I always love this aspect of Cass helping her comrades get better and her being a teacher. Just makes that moment in Scott Snyder/James Tynion IV JL run all the sweeter. That folks SHOULD come to Cass for help in their fighting prowess.

If there's any nitpick, I kind of want for Thompson to bring up Sin being raised to be the next Shiva. Like, technically it's an aspect somewhat overlooked in the run so far surprisingly (save in Cass joining the cause).

But I get "the why" Thompson hasn't dug into it yet. This is a two-issue arc, and it's gotta introduce our newest members, Vixen and Babs. And it's just that a "nit-pick".

I just hope Thompson is given the chance to eventually dig into that aspect.

Though in a way, she already is as all three ladies were born to be weapons but chose a different path. The fact they're just having fun but also being mentors to Sin is neat.

But yeah the other section for Cass this issue leads us to the moment me and others have been using and gushing over the last month. Mari gives Cass choices on wearing lingerie (if you're very very quiet you can hear Stephanie Brown still crying not appearing here and instead in another book.).

This moment really feels like Thompson course-correcting an aged badly moment from Batgirl Vol. 1 #39 with Babs accidentally making Cass wear a one-piece and she feels bad.

I think the fault isn't on Horrocks more per se the "product of the time" and WHO was slowly coming into power at DC around then.

Plus the actual end message in Batgirl #41 works quite well. With Cass figuring things out thanks to Kon (and aliens).

The moment over in BoP is just a page but artist Javier Pina captures SOOO much in the exchanges between Mari and Cass.

Just between the glances, you can tell Mari fully understands more and is more open to figuring out the common ground link that'll work for Cass.

I mean just look at these reactions. They say so many things and are just perfect moments for Cass (which is why I will be using these like crazy).

And of course, the piece Mari picks for Cass is just absolutely stunning and yeah perfectly works for the character.

I would love a creator's commentary on this how they chose each look for each Bird.

So yeah #7 was a great continuation of the plot with #8 wrapping the arc up, but setting it up for the next big thing for our Birds.

#8 began with bringing back someone I thought we'd never see with Batgirls ending last June, Detective Brooks.

I mean he isn't fully name-dropped but those who read Batgirls are in "the know" and it's nice continuity by Thompson in Brooks continuing his partnership with Oracle.

Even though I didn't notice him really doing much after the intro.

So let's get to the crux of this issue with it pertains to Cass.

Cass somehow flying around throwing batarangs (I'm not even gonna wanna answer where she was storing those) and fighting in high heels (just again doing a better job of it than in Batgirl #45).

I know everyone's eyes were on Barda in the fight, but you know where mine were. So yeah it was an interesting detail of Cass doing that, along with being the only Bird keeping her mask on.

Again this is a nice little touch because it shows Cass maturing and actually keeping a dual identity. Something that was quite a problem for her in Batgirl Vol. 1 at times (and some can say Tynion's Tec Knights run too).

If there's any negative (but I digress again minor nitpick) is how quickly Babs is ensnared by the mysterious force trying to end her (but #7 did showcase how easily Mari was swayed).

Anyhoot this was a fun little two-part arc and I'm really curious where the comic goes from here. Each Bird got a good moment and really the only downside was my minor nitpicks.

Birds of Prey continues to be a REAL fun series and I really do enjoy Thompson's Cass. I'm really curious given what we'll get with the character in the upcoming issues given the premise seems to be in the mind of each Bird.

[seducemefanficsandheadcanons]

I love you

(Aron x Sam)

Chapter 1 of 3

Next chapter

Song title from I love you by Billie Eilish

Soulmates can communicate through their journals, but Aron's never wrote back. She'd accepted that she would be alone. Which was fine, until she fell in love with Sam, who does have a soulmate.

Notes:

This idea came to me a few nights ago and I had to write it! I have been in a bit of a slump with writing (Computer issues, writer's block, and the Ao3 author curse have all struck me at once) but I'm happy I was able to write this AU

It's not true

Tell me I've been lied to

Crying isn't like you

Ooh

What the hell did I do?

Never been the type to

Let someone see right through

I love you- Billie Eilish

It was a calm, quiet evening in the Anderson mansion. The air was filled with the soft lull of the grand piano, which was being played by Erik. The notes blended together harmoniously, and the melody was familiar, yet Aron couldn’t quite remember where she’d heard it from as she hummed along softly in her room.

Aron was sitting on her bed, fidgeting with her pen as she stared down at the journal with a look of almost annoyance. Her best friend Melody was sitting beside her, nostalgically reading through her own journal, which had conversations between her and one of the incubi they’d found in the mansion when they arrived here, James.

See, these weren’t just normal journals. These were their ‘soulmate journals.’ Aron thought the name was a bit boring but could appreciate how straightforward it was. Anyways, both humans and demons alike are gifted these journals from birth. It’s assigned to them, bound to their soul. It wasn’t an incredibly strong binding, nowhere near as strong as a demon's connection to their names for example, but it was strong enough that it was near impossible to lose the book. The owner could summon it to them at will.

The catch with these journals, is that it technically does not only belong to one person. At least not the pages inside. When one decides to write something in their journal, their soulmates journal pages will also be inscribed with the writing. Many people use this as an opportunity to simply give their soulmates their names and information so they can meet, while others make it a fun game. It’s simply up to the owner of the journal. Regardless, there is a binding that will lead to the two meeting at some point.

Another aspect of these journals is that only the true owner of the journal’s writing will transfer to the others, and no one aside from the owner of the journal can see what the soulmate wrote back.

Aron, however…her journal was only filled with her own writings. There was not a single mark in that journal that she herself did not make.

By the time she hit around fifteen, she’d accepted that she either did not have a soulmate- a rare phenomenon but by no means impossible, usually in people who were meant to be alone. Or, that they had gotten fatally ill or injured as a child and had died before getting the opportunity to grow up and write into the journal. The only other option was that they’d just…chose not to write back. 

She’d left her name and some other information, asked questions, wished them well, and moved on. It bugged her, the idea of having no idea what happened to her soulmate or that she never had one in the first place made her more irritated than sad, though. And extremely confused. Though, she grew a tendency to joke about it and laugh it off as she does with her trauma, coping by laughing at things that hurt. It mostly leads to her pushing down and ignoring the sadness and anger she feels at the situation, but at least she isn’t actively upset about it. She could deal with her emotions another day.

She actually would go as far as to say she’s glad she doesn’t have a soulmate. What if they’re evil? Or, what if the only reason they’re together is out of the social norm to be with their soulmate? Anyone who has tried to pursue a relationship with someone else but their fellow ‘journal possessor’ has been shunned or publicly humiliated for their idiotic decision. Then, they’d go through all of that just to realize they were better with their assigned soulmate.

Aron never really checked the journal anymore. She had no plans or expectations for a response, so now she just occasionally would leave a small doodle and move on with her life. She didn’t really like the idea of being tied down to someone just because some stupid journal says she should anyways. She spent her late teen years and continues to spend her early twenties simply not giving a fuck about romance or long term sexual relationships. She attempted to fill the void by partying and sleeping around, she’d tell anyone she was living her best life and leave out the details that showed the truth of how she was feeling.

Soulmates were a stupid concept anyways, is what she told people.

And a part of her still agreed with that, but…things changed for her.

As much as she hated the concept of being tied to someone endlessly, she also was beginning to hate the concept of ignoring any feelings she may have for someone. Especially when that someone lives with her.

When she began developing feelings for her incubus roommate and friend Sam, she told herself it was some kind of fluke. Her heart skipping a beat? She’s dehydrated, which is causing a palpitation. Extra smiley and giggly around him? She smoked too much weed, and he’s a funny guy!

But, what she was brushing off as a harmless crush had become painful. She fell quickly- it was like a rug had been pulled out from underneath her, causing her to fall face first into her feelings for him. 

Sam had a soulmate, he said that he’d seen them writing in his journal before, but never mentioned much more than that. Aron wondered if he ever planned to meet the lucky person, if that person would ever get the pleasure of meeting him. 

A selfish part of her hoped that the answer was no.

Her chest physically ached at the thought of what would happen when he met this other person. It may start out awkward or tense, but that wouldn’t last long. 

They’re soulmates afterall.  

When that happens, they’ll be the one laughing stupidly at Sam’s jokes. They will be the one who’ll cheer him up after a rough day at work. They’ll be the one who he holds and kisses, his touch gentle like they’re the loveliest thing he’d have the pleasure of holding. They’ll be the one who makes him blush at simple compliments, and reassures him that he is not the monster the demon world made him believe he is. They’ll be the one he finds beautiful, his eyes admiring them like some incredible piece of art that could never be replicated.

They will be the one he loves, and Aron will be left behind. 

Aron sighed at her own thoughts and put the notebook back on her nightstand, not even opening it. She wasn’t even sure when the last time she opened it was, it couldn’t have been in the last year at least.

“You okay?” Melody asked her, likely noticing her slightly defeated demeanor.

“Mhm!” Aron forced a soft smile, hoping to reassure her that she was fine. “I’m just tired, I think I’m gonna try to sleep.”

“Okay, goodnight,” Melody said, giving her a quick hug before retreating to her own room.

Aron sighed and flopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling with a blank, tired expression. Her soft blankets brought a comforting warmth as she pulled them tightly around her body.

She hadn’t told Melody the full truth of her situation. She’d opened up about having feelings, but she was never fully honest about how deep her feelings ran, nor was she upfront about how much pain she was in everytime she was forced to face the harsh reality. Truly, Damien was the only one who knew due to his mind reading, but even then, Aron had been able to hide some of it from him. He’d tried to talk to her about it, but to no avail.

“It’s just a crush, Damien. Worst things have happened to me,” is what she responded with when he approached her about it, and while he took the hint to leave her alone about it, she knew he wasn’t fully convinced. How could he be convinced that she was fine when he could hear every thought in her head?

It’s not like it mattered, anyways. Complaining won’t change anything, if anything it would just make things awkward. God, if Sam found out… Aron shook off the thought. That would be horrible for both of them, so she’d made the choice to suffer in silence. He shouldn’t have to be negatively affected by her…crush, so she’d never tell him.

She’ll be smiling happily at the wedding as she watches the man she loves cry tears of joy for another person. She already has prepared herself for this fact, but fuck, it never stops hurting.

Aron felt tears streaming down her face, her throat burning with the effort it took not to sob. She made no effort to wipe the tears as she sobbed into the palms of her hands.

This is how the world intended it to be.

What a cruel, stupid world.

[sideprince]

I've been thinking a lot about this incredible meta which I'm linking because it's a long post, that started off examining the scene in the Shrieking Shack in PoA from Snape's perspective (and then went very deep in incredibly, insightful ways - thank you @shakespearean-snape for recommending it! I'm almost done reading it...). The thing I keep coming back to is the way that Snape had no idea that Lupin wasn't in on the prank. Maybe I've just gotten too immersed in discussions around how Sirius used his friend as a weapon without his consent, but the other side of that is that Snape had no way of knowing this, and no reason to think Lupin wasn't in on it, especially as we're given reason to think Lupin had bullied him too, at least up until that point (which I'll get to in a minute). This is shown most clearly through this exchange:

“So that’s why Snape doesn’t like you,’ said Harry slowly, ‘because he thought you were in on the joke?’ ‘That’s right,’ sneered a cold voice from the wall behind Lupin. Severus Snape was pulling off the Invisibility Cloak, his wand pointing directly at Lupin.

Lupin isn't able to get a word in edgewise after that, but when his patience is tested and he finally speaks up, he merely says,

“You fool,’ said Lupin softly. ‘Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?”

triggering Snape by calling him foolish and referring to his trauma as a schoolboy grudge.

We see in SWM that Lupin observes James and Sirius bullying Snape but doesn't actively participate, but we also see in PoA that when Snape tries to work the Marauders' Map, the imprint Lupin left of himself taunts him openly in a direct and personal way:

“Mr Moony presents his compliments to Professor Snape, and begs him to keep his abnormally large nose out of other people’s business.”

It's implied that Lupin contributed to Snape's bullying more actively before the prank and maybe less so after (possibly reasons for this are in the post linked above).

Then there's this exchange between Lupin and Sirius, which takes place after Snape enters the room under the invisibility cloak, but before he reveals himself:

“Sirius here played a trick on [Snape] which nearly killed him, a trick which involved me -‘ Black made a derisive noise. ‘It served him right,’ he sneered. ‘Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to … hoping he could get us expelled …”

Whatever excuses antis might make for Black having tried to kill Snape when he was just 16 (or 15?), here he is as a fully grown adult responsible for his actions and well aware of the meaning and horror of death, and yet he's still doubling down and saying that it would have served Snape right, though he was still technically a child, to be killed just because he was nosy. It also underlines Lupin's lack of consent in the prank that he uses a passive voice to describe his own role, ie. that Black was the one to play the "trick" and that it involved him (Lupin), instead of describing it as something they had done together.

I find this to be the biggest contrast between Snape and Sirius - they have both seen darkness and suffered trauma and deep, deep losses as a result of where their lives ended up in ways that run parallel. Both lost their best friends and feel guilty for causing their death. Sirius feels guilt because his choice to abdicate his role as secret keeper resulted in James' death though his intention had been the opposite, and Snape feels guilt because he was the reason Voldemort went targeted and killed Lily, though that had not been his intention. Over a decade later, Snape has become a person who, while emotionally stunted in some ways, has changed his values and ethics and we see him become someone who doesn't harm Sirius even when he's vulnerable and unconscious, and who we later find out values life regardless of whose it is. Sirius, on the other hand, emerges from his own experiences at the same time to a place where he seems to be in a suspended adolescence in most ways and still feels it would be justified to cause Snape's death for being nosy. While it can be argued that Sirius, at this point in PoA is still experiencing his trauma actively as an escaped convict, I think it can also be argued that as someone who has seen and experienced the very real impacts of loss and darkness, it seems petty, vindictive, and skewed for him to still hold a grudge against a former schoolmate with the same intensity as he did before these experiences. ie. that most people, having seen the horrors of war, will think back on their perspectives of death and revenge as their old pre-traumatized self experienced them, and see the naïveté and childishness.

Therefore when Lupin says, "Is a schoolboy grudge worth putting an innocent man back inside Azkaban?” it feels ironic, given that Snape is acting on the urge to protect Harry and his friends from a man who not only showed his willingness to murder as a child but has doubled down on that choice as an adult just minutes earlier, and a literal werewolf who at no point has defended himself and made clear that he was not actively involved in planning the prank that could have resulted in Snape's death. Sirius, meanwhile, is right there, still immersed in his schoolboy grudge and filled with hatred for Snape who he must know by this point had been a spy for Dumbledore. After all, if he was aware from what he overheard in Azkaban that Peter had been the spy, then he must have also been aware that Snape had been one as well, given that Dumbledore said so openly in a courtroom full of people, including loose-tongued prisoners like Karkaroff.

That scene in the Shrieking Shack is so complex and laden with so much once you know the characters' backstories. There's also an interesting progression in the three times that we know Snape to be in the Shrieking Shack: the first time he nearly dies, the second time he's knocked unconscious, and the third time he does die. As a tragic character who spends much of the story willingly sacrificing himself it's almost as though Rowling is showing Snape to be going towards his death again and again until it's finally time.

[samanthahirr]

Office Hours

Office Hours

In today's installment of "Stories Sam Isn't Writing," I bring you the opening meet cute of a non-MI6 get-together AU, in which private detective James Bond tries to recruit Imperial College professor "Q" Boothroyd to provide technical assistance on his cases.

Bond worked his way up through the Met and achieved the rank of DCI on the murder task force before his habit of following his instincts led him to step on some very important political toes. Bond’s superiors made it clear that the writing was on the wall for him. Rather than face demotion to the Traffic Division or, god forbid, Transport, Bond resigned from the police force and parlayed his investigatory skills into a successful new career as a private detective.

A couple years after his forced retirement, Bond lands his biggest case yet—tracking down the whereabouts of a wealthy recluse who may or may not have been removed from her home under duress. But he quickly hits a snag. The key evidence appears to be on the encrypted security recordings from the purported victim’s home surveillance system. He can’t decrypt it on his own, and it’s far too sensitive to take to a private vendor. Time to call in a favor. He rings up his former partner Bill Tanner to request a little off-the-books use of the Met’s crime lab. For the sake of his career, Tanner must reluctantly decline. But he does tip Bond to the new computer systems consultant the task force has been tapping for the past year, a professor at Imperial College. 

Wonderful. Bond loves spending time with stuffy, pompous academics. But at least this one comes pre-vetted by the Met. And it’s the best Tanner can do for him.

Bond talks his way into the university’s buildings by introducing himself as DCI Bond, a bluff that works far too well on these trusting civilians. In the second building he accesses, he finds the door to Professor Boothroyd’s office in the middle of a long hall. The bench just outside the professor’s door is crammed with four students, each more visually appealing than the last. Bond smiles charmingly at them, but they pay him no attention. He tells himself he doesn’t feel slighted.

He raps loudly on the office door, and when it cracks open, the four students stand in unison, each calling for the professor’s attention in tones of voice that don’t sound desperate so much as eager. 

Bond pushes inside, past the lanky, fluffy-haired student on the other side of the door. Unfortunately, the office appears empty, with no sign of the professor. 

“Can I help you?” the student asks, closing the door behind Bond.

“No,” Bond says shortly, then amends, “yes, if you can tell me where the professor is.”

“I’m Professor Boothroyd.”

Bond is tempted to call him a liar, but his instincts don’t support the assumption. On second glance, the man does seem to have a few years on the young people lined up outside. Behind the hipster stubble and chunky glasses, there are definite smile lines around bright green eyes. Bond recalculates and changes tack smoothly. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m DCI Bond, and I’m here on official bus—”

“No you’re not.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“If you were with the Met, you would have showed me your badge already.”

Bond considers bluffing again…and then deflates with a sigh. “Tanner warned you about me?”

“No, rather the opposite, which is another tell—his people always text ahead. I’ve worked with enough law enforcement personnel to know their protocols, and you’re not following them. So who are you, how do you know Tanner, why are you impersonating a detective, and why are you looking for me?”

Since becoming a private detective, Bond has grown accustomed to back-stabbing clients, ulterior motives, and a cesspool of petty deceptions. In a campus full of trusting fools, the professor’s clear-eyed suspicion is something of a reassurance. 

Coming off the back foot takes some doing, but Bond lays his cards on the table and survives Professor Boothroyd’s interrogation. After a moment of narrow-eyed deliberation, Boothroyd even agrees to examine Bond’s files…once Tanner vouches for Bond’s story—no offense intended. Bond smirks approvingly. By the time Bond secures his agreement, the professor seems to have warmed to him considerably, relaxing into an affable, vivacious demeanor and a smile that holds Bond’s attention more than usually happens without a low-cut blouse or skinny-legged trousers involved.

As Bond exits the small office, the hopeful gaggle of students rise again, each clamoring to get the professor’s attention first. And judging by the low-cut tops and skinny jeans on display, they’re angling for more than just tutoring help. Bond casts a glance back into the office, to the slim, magnetic figure of the popular young professor, and he thinks the students don’t have an entirely bad idea there.

Next time he visits campus, Bond will be sure to wear his best leather jacket. 

And a tighter pair of jeans.

[albentelisa]

Hi! Here's an interesting ask. What if Jim was Douxie's younger brother but still falls for Claire?

Oh, I actually have a fic draft with that premise in my notes though I don't know if or when I may post that one. So, I guess, I'll just share some of my notes.

So, in that AU, Douxie and Jim are half-brothers (they have the same mother who is the daughter of the Casperan family head). They are two years apart, with Douxie being the older one. Douxie is supposed to be an heir - he was born from the arranged marriage between his mother and a talented wizard from another powerful magic clan. Casperan family was once powerful but currently is in decline. The arranged marriage was an attempt to revive the former glory.

As for Jim, he is born out of an affair between his mother and a Camelot knight. This birth seemingly ruins everything for Casperan's family. Douxie's dad leaves as he is greatly insulted. The mother dies soon after giving birth to Jim, leaving both boys in the care of their aunt and grandfather.

Jim is greatly despised in the family. They refuse to give him a magical name, giving him a regular one James. While no one attempts to get rid of him actively, the family keeps sending him into dangerous places to gather ingredients for potions hoping that Jim won't return. Jim befriends Blinky during one of those outings.

Jim seemingly possesses no magic (yet another reason why his family cannot stand him), but Douxie doesn't fare that much better. He was supposed to be a rare prodigy and the hope of the Casperan family, yet he is nowhere close to the expectations. Besides, he likes music and wandering way more than studying under his grandfather's tutelage.

Technically, Douxie and Jim trust only each other in their family, feeling no familial attachment to anyone else (well, Douxie also has his familiar Archie, but that's it).

Jim's magic manifests out of nowhere when he is 9. Unfortunately for him, his magic is shadowmancy (it's blue and black in color, BTW!) and the Casperan family tolerates that one even less than Merlin.

They decide to kill Jim, but Douxie and Archie save him and the three of them run away and settle in Camelot (because of Arthur's purges, the Casperan family has no connections there).

After some time Douxie discovers some unexplained oddity about his brother - Jim has stopped aging both physically and mentally (think of a Peter Pan-like situation). It's the result of Jim's trauma.

Even though they are only two years apart as time passes and Douxie keeps growing, it starts to look like their age difference is bigger.

Jim has a horrible opinion about all wizards except Douxie (he believes his brother is a rare exception and everyone else is a horrible person). He likes knights instead - well, the concept of a knight, who is a noble protector and a true hero, and their aesthetics.

Douxie meets Merlin when he is 16, and around the same time, Jim meets Morgana (his magic goes out of control and she senses him). Morgana is extremely happy to meet another shadowmancer and proposes Jim to become her apprentice. It's the first time someone treats Jim's magic as a good thing (even Douxie, while not calling shadow magic evil, avoids discussing it).

So, Douxie and Jim end as apprentices of Merlin and Morgana respectfully. Merlin is furious about Morgana's decision, he believes she isn't ready to teach anyone and most likely will only set Jim on the wrong path. Morgana simply doesn't care about her master's opinion.

Morgana's support makes Jim start growing again and he also starts to understand that there are more good people among wizards than he thought before. Jim's shadow magic is slightly different than Morgana's - he exceeds in conjuring different stuff from shadows and because of his admiration of knights he can easily summon and maintain an armor and sword made of shadows. Merlin is both horrified and enraged when he discovers it and claims that something like that is too dangerous. Morgana simply believes that Merlin is jealous as doing something like that without external conduits is a rare skill.

When Morgana changes sides, it's another low blow for Jim (as Morgana was a true mother figure for him). Not to mention that Merlin is pretty much deadset on sealing Jim as well before he grows up to become as dangerous as his master. Only Douxie's pleas make him change the plan, but Jim is put under non-stop surveillance from the Camelot knights with some wizards always ready to seal him if something goes wrong.

All of that is obviously no good for Jim's mental health and his time stops once again. Douxie tries his best to heal his brother's psyche but Jim seemingly needs something he can't give him. There are centuries of roaming with no change.

James Lake is Douxie and Jim's latest caretaker from Camelot knights (they keep existing as an organization) and he is a bit more flexible than his predecessors (well, and actually not that devoted to the case). That's why Douxie manages to talk him into trying to play the true family (as he hopes that if Jim has some normal life it may help him).

Douxie and Jim both take the de-aging potion and pose as James's small sons. Eventually, James meets Barbara and they marry. It is serious for Barbara (and she also gets attached to boys fast), but for James, it's just a passing infatuation. He falls in love with someone else and abandons Barbara. Douxie and Jim insist on staying though and James sees it as an opportunity to get rid of an annoying responsibility. Douxie is supposed to report to headquarters about the development, but he ends up faking reports to get some freedom.

Douxie's plan actually succeeds. Jim has Barbara and Toby now, and Jim finally actually gets into living through the teen years.

In this AU, Jim isn't the Trollhunter. Barbara takes over this role and Jim is forced to actively use his shadowmancy to protect her (as she is another mother figure for him and he'll do anything to protect her).

As for Claire in this AU, Morgana plans to use her as a vessel, so Jim is eventually forced into picking between his beloved master and the girl he loves. Obviously, he picks Claire. This entire situation helps him to get a full grip of his magic at last.

Some other stuff this AU features:

part-Akiridon Toby (both Toby and Jim discover each other's secret simultaneously - and it's awkward),

changeling Steve (and he's also Draal's younger brother),

space mercenary Darci (which leads to some problems when she starts dating Toby),

Mary's family are devoted servants of the Arcane Order and she initially is a spy,

Eli is extra sensitive and being surrounded by so many people who feels 'odd' to him drives him crazy

[autisticsupervillain]

It's Fictional Throwdown Friday!

This Week's Fighters...

Alex Mercer vs Tavros Nitram!

Conditions:

Prototype 2 Alex Mercer. Tavros has no become Gcatavrosprite yet.

Scenario:

Aradia has been amusing herself by traveling to post apocalyptic Doomed Timelines, where she ends up visiting a version of Earth where humanity nukes itself into oblivion trying to stop Mercer's infection. The liquefied remains of Alex travel along with her when she goes back to the meteor, hiding in the labs and assimilating left over imps to rebuild himself. Eventually Karkat sends Tavros to investigate because he keeps hearing weird noises coming from the vents, at which point Mercer attacks him.

Analysis: Mercer

It's the early 21st century and the apocalypse is here. A viral pandemic has engulfed New York city and begun assimilating all in It's wake. The government is powerless to stop the fleshy monstrosities that roam the streets. It seems that the end is here. And the man responsible is none other than Alex Mercer.

Fortunately, that is not who we're talking about today. Let's take it from the top.

Alex Mercer was a scientist who worked for the pharmaceutical company known as GENTEK. He was a brilliant virologist, a progidy even among GENTEK's most intelligent minds. As such, he was made head researcher on the Blacklight Virus, a powerful bio-weapon that promised to make the company rich. When his research was shut down by Blackwatch, a Government squad designed to contain viral epidemics, Mercer refused to go down quietly. He spitefully unleashed Blacklight onto New York as he was shot dead, the virus consuming and copying his body perfectly as it was freed.

Alex Mercer died that day and the Blacklight Virus woke up wearing his skin.

Believing itself to be Alex Mercer, the Blacklight Virus escaped from the morgue and set out to uncover his past and discover who he was. This doesn't go do well, as it results in him unleashing another sentient bioweapon known as the Redlight Virus, who swiftly begins causing chaos across New York. "Mercer" teams up with Mercer's sister Dana to both bring down GENTEK and stop the Redlight Virus, putting Blacklight into position to put together the pieces of his past by assimilating GENTEK staff.

The revelation that he isn't the real Akex Mercer shakes the virus to his core, giving him an existential crisis that follows him for the rest of his life. This causes him to eventually become disillusioned with humanity, motivating to try assimilating it into his own personal "superior race". This backfires when Mercer tries to assimilate Sgt. James Heller, whose "stuborn DNA" allows him to resist Mercer's influence after being transformed. Heller eventually grows strong enough to assimilate Mercer straight back, ending his spree for good.

From here on out, I'll be referring to the Blacklight Virus as Alex Mercer just for simplicity's sake, even if they are technically different characters.

Alex Mercer is effectively John Carpenter's The Thing on steroids. He's a sentient hunk of biomass capable of absorbing and shape-shifting into nearly anyone he so much as touches. While Mercer may technically be a "virus" he's shown to be capable of absorbing and infecting inorganic material, implying he attacks not on the cellular level, but the atomic one. This is what allows him to absorb and replicate clothing, as well as immitate the functions of some minor forms of technology, such as handheld radios. He also gains the memories of the people he absorbs, allowing him to use their identity to the fullest while undercover. He can even evade sensors designed specifically to detect viruses like himself and fool other shapeshifters.

Having said that, he still has plenty of combative powers at his disposal for when stealth isn't an option. His complete control over his own body grants him monstrous versatility, allowing him to turn his limbs into hammers that can smash tanks and whips that can pull helicopters out of the sky. He can create pseudo-wings to glide through the sky, can alter his eyes to see in the infrared spectrum and detect infected people, can run up walls, and can cover himself in steel-like armor to shrug off damage from powerful foes.

As if his offensive capabilities weren't enough, he's nigh unkillable to boot. He can shrug off the radioactive fallout of a nuke, can stop the Redlight Virus from trying to take over his mind, can endure explosions that reach up to several thousand degrees, and can adapt to being infected with every virus known to mankind. What's more his absurd levels of regeneration allow him to come back from being flat out liquified.

Anyone whom Mercer doesn't assimilate, he infects, granting him complete control over their mind and body. He's led an army thousands strong and nearly conquered the world with it. What's more, he gets stronger with every person he assimilates. Mercer as absorbed the Redlight Virus and the Supreme Hunter, two bioweapons even stronger than he himself was at the time, as he has the combined strength and experience of thousands of soldiers, making him a force to be reckoned with in combat.

For example, every time he transforms, he creates a shockwave the pushes away all of the clouds across Manhattan, which would require an energy equivalent to 102 kilotons of TNT.

In terms of speed, Alex is capable of processing all of the memories and experiences of a 69 year old man in a matter of seconds after absorbing him, suggesting he processes information at a rate equivalent to 197,816,727 m/s. Thinking at 66% light speed.

With all that being said, he still has one major flaw. Alex Mercer has a limited supply of biomass inside his body, which he must maintain by constantly absorbing other people. As such, his regeneration can fail if he takes enough constant damage and even on a full tank he has limits. When Mercer was obliterated by a nuke at the end of Prototype 1, only one small chunk of him remained. It was only after absorbing a crow that came to feed on him that Mercer came back.

Alex Mercer is an unstoppable, insatiable monster with apocalyptic ambitions... and the virus he made is pretty nasty too.

Analysis: Tavros

Alternia. The world before humanity. A death world designed to create conquerors and killers. Only the mightiest of warriors could possibly survive to adulthood. Only the cruelest killers would live long enough to join the fleet of the Alternian Empire and conquer the galaxy.

Tavros Nitram.... is not one of those warriors. Yet, he survives anyway. And Vriska hates him for it.

Tavros is a simple dude. When he's not playing Fiduspawn, rather, Troll Pokemon, he's happily LARPing with his friends while cosplaying Pupa Pan, troll Peter Pan. He's a shy and awkward dork on a planet full of bloodthirsty killers, which you think would make him an easy target. His Lusus isn't even big enough to protect him and he's a bronze blood, the second lowest rung on Alternia's bloodcaste.

Normally, you'd be right, but Tavros has an ace up his sleeve. His unparalleled ability with animal communion. He can control the minds of any animal he can telepathically reach, with his range expanding across entire universes. And when everyone else on the planet has a giant animal parent, that's a very easy way to guarantee no one messes with you. His telepathic ability can even extend to the nigh-omniscient First Guardians, reality warping gods tasked with preparing planets for the apocalypse, so long as they have some kind of animal component to them.

So, Tavros was left well enough alone... until he met Vriska.

Vriska... has had the opposite life experience on Alternia. Even with her similarly powerful telepathic abilities, she lived under a cruel, indifferent Lusus that demanded she hunt down and murder other kids to feed them to it, less she get eaten herself. Vriska, more than anyone, internalized Alternia's philosophy of might makes right. After all, if that wasn't true, then everything bad that happened to her happened for no reason at all and she was just a helpless teenage girl being pointlessly victimized. And Vriska could never admit to that.

So, when she sees Tavros living his best life without a single mean bone in his body, she figures she has to "toughen him up". If she won't, then he'll just die, right? No way someone can be a weakling and live a happy, carefree life.

So begain Vriska's attempts to ruin Tavros's life. Starting with her mind controlling him into jumping off a cliff to shatter his own spine, confining him to a wheelchair that his hive was not built to accommodate. Vriska would continually harass and bully him even as the world burned down around them, all under the guise of toughening him up.

This created something of a misconception in the fandom that Tavros is a complete pushover who lets everyone walk over him. This isn't completely untrue. Tavros is a complete disaster in social skills and the less said about his disastrous attempts to flirt, the better. He's nice, shy, and naive enough to see the best in everyone, even Vriska, which makes him struggle to put his foot down. He's even one of the only people on his team who'd never willingly take a life, even when Vriska tried to force him to kill her with mind control, he instead broke down crying and fled.

But, on the other hand, he does snark back at Vriska for her abuse constantly. He doesn't take anything she does to him lying down, he's just physically powerless to do anything about it and gets humiliated every time he tries. Remember, Vriska is the one most pushing the idea that he needs to be confident to fix all his problems... and Vriska is wrong.

Tavros is more than capable of handling himself in a fight. He used to play Fatal Live Action Roleplay for fun frequently and was confident enough in his abilities to go up against Vriska in it in the first place. LARPing is a lot more immersive when the other players are actively trying to kill you. Tavros spent hours side questing in SGRUB without having to kill a single imp, despite their hardcoded hostility. Equipped with a rocket powered wheelchair, Tavros can easily soar through the skies, charging foes down with his heavy lance. He even survived being carried down to Alternia on the back of a flaming meteor, just like everyone else on his team.

Keep in mind, one of SBURB's meteors hit the Earth hard enough to punch a massive hole in Jade's island, generating an energy equivalent to 4.24 megatons of TNT. So, being able to walk off an impact like that freshly after being born in nothing to sneeze at. After all, this impact was completely tanked by an unprototyped Sprite, which any SBURB Player would be stronger than at the minimum.

Source:

With his Fiduspawn cards, Tavros can create monsters to assist him in combat or call on the nearby wildlife for aide, preferring to use large groups to outnumber his opponents. Tavros is not the dedicated fighter Vriska is and he doesn't have to be. He's perfectly effective as he is doing what he's good at.

In terms of speed, Tavros can keep up alongside the likes of Equius, who can jump to his portal gate in a single bound, and can keep up in combat against the Beta Session's Black King. Seeing as the Black King was Prototyped up to twelve times, he should be faster than the three times Prototyped Jack Noir that fought evenly against Bro, who can move at 60 times the speed of light, throwing a Batarang within a single nanosecond.

Source:

Ultimately, Tavros's most impressive feat would come about after his death. After finally getting fed up with Vriska and ditching her, Tavros would help in the battle against Lord English in his own way. He'd gather an entire army of millions of ghosts, thousands of dead gods, to wage war against tge Lord of Time, persuading all of them to his side for the fate of all reality. Tavros would completely upstage Vriska's own plans to take the fight to Lord English and completely shatter her world view, just by being who he is. Just like he always had been from the start.

Alternia tried its damndest to beat the humanity out of every troll on the planet. It might have succeeded for awhile with Vriska, before her own character growth, but with Tavros... it never even came close.

Throwdown Breakdown:

This... is a hax vs stats fight.

It shouldn't suprise anyone that Akex decimates in terms of hax. Shapeshifting, regeneration, on contact assimilation and infection, etc. You can make an argument for Tavros's animal mind control having some grounds to work against Mercer, given he can effect anything animal related and Alex has absorbed the minds of animals before, but even if you did want to go there, Mercer has resisted mind control before from the likes of Elizabeth Green, so no dice.

What's shocking here, and I cannot believe I'm saying this, is.... Tavros has the massive advantage in stats.

Let's create a direct comparison. The nuke at the end of Prototype 1 exploded with an energy equivalent to 8 megatons of TNT.

Source:

Alex was far from the epicenter of the blast when he got caught up in it, meaning he did not absorb all of its energy, and yet, the explosion still almost killed him. It completely liquefied his body the pier and likely would've vaporized him if he'd taken it head on. Given how far away he was from the blast, he wouldn't even have taken 5% of the blast and that alone liquified him.

Tavros, meanwhile, powerscales above someone who tank a 4.24 megatons collision point blank....

Even considering the unknown degree to which Mercer gets stronger between games, the strength gap here is very clear cut.

And as for speed, well.... Alex can react at 66% of the light speed.... Tavros can react at 66 times *faster* than light speed. To put an exact number on it, Tavros is at least 25x faster.

I love power scaling, it creates power dynamics that are hilariously fucking dumb.

Now, yes, Tavros was crippled by a fall that should not have hurt someone this durable. That's a major facet of his character, in fact. But, by that same facet, Prototype 2 starts because an ordinary human with a combat knife was able to hurt Mercer, forcing him to regenerate. By all logic, the knife should've shattered on contact and that fall should've done nothing, especially given Tavros tanked a fall from orbit as a baby. Sometimes, outliers happen in character's power level for the sake of letting a plot happen. Writers aren't trying to be perfectly consistent physicists. They're trying to tell a story. And when both these characters are analyzed back to back without those constraints.... Tavros's feats are more impressive.

If Mercer gets his hand on Tavros for a second, he's dead. Instant assimilation. But, that's just never going to happen when Tavros can move 25x faster than Mercer can think. And when every single hit puts as massive dent in Mercer's biomass reserves, Alex is going to realize he's overmatched in a direct fight pretty quickly. As such, he'll try to break off, planning to use his shapeshifting to either ambush Tavros at a later point or try and find more biomass.

Given his personality, Tavros is not going to hunt down and execute Mercer while he runs away. It would take a lot of pushing to get Tavros actually ready to kill somebody and he has no idea who Mercer even is. He doesn't kill and he barely even likes fighting in self defense. He'd simply watch in confusion as this weird slime tentacle thing scrambles into the vents to lick its wounds. Then he'd shrug in confusion before floating off to report back to Karkat, nervous about.... whatever he just encountered.

Mercer would survive, but it'd be a big wound to his pride to run off like that.

This Throwdown's Winner is....

Tavros Nitram!

Next Time...

Credits under the cut:

Resources:

[birlwrites]

do you have any recommendations for fics or other writers/artists that make Regulus-centric stuff that isn't jegulus?

I DO YES - i don't really know anything in the realm of fanart but if anyone does feel free to hop on!

first of all, some good places to look are in the ao3 collections for regulus black fest (it's a different collection every year). you can find a lot of info on the tumblr blog which i am not going to tag because i feel like their notifications are probably hellish but it's https://regulusblackfest.tumblr.com/ - the url is just regulusblackfest

and they also have artwork! so that's a good source for that as well if you haven't already looked

of course, there will undoubtedly be jegulus in there, but it won't ONLY be jegulus

as for my personal recommendations:

rosewater:

if you're looking for regulus/evan, i have a bookmark collection on ao3 of my favorites. it's a bit on the small side, and they're all one-shots right now, but i do check the tag pretty religiously (we're talking 5+ times per day) so i will add more new favorites as i find them!

and here is a link to xslytherclawx's works on ao3 (@xslytherclawx-writes on tumblr), already filtered down to just the works featuring regulus, of which there are QUITE a few

no romance:

these are some of my ABSOLUTE FAVES for regulus-centric fics! here goes:

leave no stone unturned (a series of standalones) by thedivinecomedian has a lot of great stuff - i haven't read the whole series, but i love blackpool, styx, and sabotage! please do mind the content warnings on all of those. (as the title of the series suggests, they're all standalone fics)

bindings, bindings by quietlemonhush isn't SOLELY regulus-centric - it focuses on regulus, sirius, remus, james, and lily - but regulus is one of the main characters, he has a pov, and i just love the fic in general agslhgjskdf. once again mind the warnings but it's less intense than, like, blackpool

through a glass, blackly by wheresmejumper is one that i just read fairly recently and became an INSTANT fave. it's just so well done GAHHHHHH my jaw was on the fLOOR when i got to the end, highly highly recommend, yet again do mind the warnings

some more no romance fics i found in my older bookmarks:

birthright and brotherhood - one-shot, regulus pov of sirius running away

to blow a gasket - one-shot, regulus using notable muggle inventions like duct tape and explosives to steal the horcrux

miscellaneous pairings:

smoke slow: a spy!regulus au - regulus/remus series, regulus is The Spy who ends up with the hogwarts teaching job. he's a runes professor, one of my favorite takes on the 'regulus was dumbledore's spy' premise, and regulus himself is just *chefs kiss* he's punched dumbledore in the face multiple times and i live in the hope of him getting another one in. the dialogue is EXCELLENT

midnight hues - bartylus one-shot, emotional hurt/comfort i guess? it's soft (it's in a series, but the series is more a collection of regulus fics than anything requiring continuity)

kindness blooms - regulus/petunia series, which is a WILD pairing but the author totally sold me on it - 'good petunia dursley' is a prominent tag in the series, it becomes more harry-centric as the series progresses but there's still a lot of regulus!

AND FINALLY........

technically this fic should go in the no romance section but it's just so glorious that i felt the need to give it its own section

regulus black and the way things changed: a not!fic - another take on regulus becoming a hogwarts professor, told in humorous bullet point style, and it's just delightfully unhinged the whole way through. regulus competes with gilderoy lockhart re: who is the most fabulous dresser at hogwarts. snuffles gets HEAVILY involved. it's absolutely wild. also they kill voldemort and whatnot

okay that's what i've got right now - if anyone else wants to add on more, including art, go for it!!

[cursedwithwords]

Sooooooo if jeddy were to get married who’s proposing to who how would the proposal go where would it be who’s taking who’s last name tell me everything, also jeddy moving in together how does that happen does one them ask or does it just happen gradually? And then them finding a house together do they build their own one or do they just buy one that’s already built? After Helena do they have more than one kid or no? Pets? Would jeddy be the type of couple where they would slow dance in the living room or kitchen to music or no music?(ugh I just find that so romantic) you know that quote “loving someone to the point of invention” or something like that does one of them do that?? Ugh I just need to know everything lol

I fucking love you omg. I've answered the proposal question before, but I am so so happy to answer it again just for you <3 Okay, so.

Just like their confession wasn't conventional, their proposal isn't either, because technically speaking there isn't a proposal, and they don't have a normal wedding. A few years into their relationship James is the one to go "what do you think of me changing my last name to Lupin?" by way of a proposal, and poor Teddy has to take a fuckin minute because he is exploding with shock and happiness. So they take Teddy's name, James is technically the one to propose. I think they'd want to elope, tbh, not make a big to-do about it.

At the time they decide it, they've been together so long already, and they've already talked about being together for their entire lives anyway, marriage is just an official piece of paper for other people's gratification, and being who they are a big wedding would just draw the papers and that's a whole big mess neither of them need. So they have a quiet ceremony, probably elope just to make it official. I think they already wear rings, so that's taken care of too. The main reason they do it is because James wants to take Teddy's name QwQ I think it would make sense for James to propose it after Helena because "well we gotta be an official family".

It's sort of like how JJ and Mel get married a few years after Joey is born, but anyway.

As for them moving in together, they technically are already living together. From here forward they're basically going to be following each other from place to place to stay together, though they spend most of their time in Fishguard with the Howell's, and in the future Fishguard is where they settle down to put down roots.

I really want them to buy a home in Fishguard that's already built, something with history. A really old cottage on the hill just outside of town overlooking the water, a short walk away from the Howell's. An old home that's been long abandoned so they buy it for a steal, and choose to fix it up instead of getting something brand new or building something from scratch. They build their own unique home on the bones of a house that had been loved before in the past and was merely waiting to be loved again.

They have two children <3 Helena was unplanned, but they consciously decided to have a second because they wanted her to have a sibling. Their second child is a son they name Dorian Lyall Lupin, he's a squib and his sister is very protective of him. I think they're a few years apart, but not hugely? Like 3-5 years apart.

They absolutely have pets. In addition to Moon and Snidge they have a cat named Cal (short for "Cat Albus" because he's an all black cat with green eyes and Jamie though it was very clever. Albus fucking hates it so much lmao), and I want them to have a dog but idk what breed or what his name is yet. Maybe an Irish Wolfhound because they are my personal favorite dog breed.

And yes they of course slow dance QwQ in the last chapter they slow danced to the sound of the ocean mixed with the muffled music from the parish, they don't need music at all. They just like being in each others arms.

Okay, so the loving someone to the point of invention thing. My headcanon is that James does an enormous amount of research regarding werewolves because of Teddy and Lyall. I don't think he finds a cure, obviously, but I think he invents a potion that works to curb the painful aftermath of their transformations to make their lives a little easier.

And I don't know if this counts, but Teddy gives his platinum ring to James in the future, but only after charming it with very powerful protection charms, so that when they're apart he can still be protected and safe. The charm is able to deflect certain spells and even hides James' presence from people (notably Caleb, which is why he doesn't know where James lives or works). James doesn't know the ring does that, he just thinks Teddy is being cute by giving it to him. It's also capable of making James throw up if he were to accidentally (or be tricked into) drinking something poisonous, can protect against curses, and probably does other cool stuff too.

Teddy is REALLY good at charms, though he utilizes other kinds of magic in order to charm it as well. I don't know if that counts? But he does it (and we get to see it in fic!).

Thank you so much for these asks, they were a fucking blast.

[spaceorphan18]

Glee Musical Retrospective : Highway to Hell (Hell-O)

Sung by: Jesse St. James w/Vocal Adrenaline Original Artist(s): AC/DC

Hey - we're focusing on the first syllable again. (Again - I can just picture the writers coming up with music ideas with this one and getting giggly when they could use the word 'hell'.)

I don't really love this one - mostly because it's over-the-top showy with the intention of looking intimidating but there's not much going on with what is literaly a snippet.

Story Analysis

The whole point of this song is to paint Jesse as a bad boy. (And sneak in a famous AC/DC song I suppose.) There's not really a point in breaking down any lyrics because it's not really about the lyrics -- or the meaning of the song. It's about what the song represents.

Highway to Hell is a much harsher sound than we're used to on the show (and honestly, the show rarely dips into heavier rock). But's all about the look -- about the black leather and intense looks and the fiery choreography. Vocal Adrenaline has already shown to be an intimidating group with their professional dancing and showy choreography - but now they have a front man -- Jesse -- who isn't fooling around.

This is villain coding -- it's like we're seeing Jesse in his lair (VA's auditorium) and the real Jesse is not a good guy. So we're on edge as Rachel gets closer to him. Compare Jesse's performance to Finn's earlier -- Finn's singing classic rock -- familiar, safe, charming.... But Jesse is singing hard rock -- he's on that highway to hell and loving every minute of it.

One can only take it so seriously, though. I mean, Glee is still trying to hold onto its satirical roots begun in the Front 13. Despite they angle their pushing for - Jesse (and really Jonathan Groff) doesn't really scream dangerous, misunderstood bad boy but I don't think he really is supposed to either. Sure, it's about an image Glee wants to sell -- but its under the lens of parody. At the end of the day - Jesse is still presented as wild card for Rachel and an antagonist for Finn, and that's really what Glee is going for.

Plus - taking the opportunity to show off Vocal Adrenaline as an intimidating foe.

Technical Thoughts

Okay. Time to peer behind the curtain. I think there's a lot going into this to make it look flashier and more hard core than it really is.

First of all - the lighting. There's not really fire but a projection of it, as well as the orange lighting on the steps making it look a blaze against the blue background. It's some great work here - and I feel like for a forty second clip, it's good at tricking the mind. And then there's the pyrotechnics. Which is hilariously over-the-top, but it works for what they're doing.

Then there's the costumes and choreography. The looks -- black leather with the hint of orange in them - are brilliant. And it's good to remind that one of the best selling points of Vocal Adrenaline is that they're using professional dancers as the 'students'. They're all jumping around the stage doing tricks and flips and visually it looks fantastic -- and nothing like our awkward protagonists who can't even hit a straight line together.

(I'd argue, as I always do, that good visuals do not equal great musicality; this isn't a dance competition but a singing one, but I digress...)

I don't love this song for Jesse. I don't think it necessarily fits his personality very well. And I don't think it really fits Jonathan Groff's strengths. But maybe that's coming from someone who has seen this show a thousand times and understands that the writers probably didn't know what kind of character they were fully making yet. I think there are other ways that you can create that discomforting -- possible villainous sound. But, as a reminder, this is Glee, where everything is big and bold and hitting a nail right squarely on the head. The writers wanted a bad boy for Rachel to fall in with, and they wanted to use a song that fit their theme, and this does exactly that.

The song is, if nothing else, dramatic -- and that does work for the introduction of Jesse as a lead. And it's a testament to Jonathan Groff's talent that he can physically portray the image they're trying to sell even if I'm not fully on board vocally.

Meanwhile -- the woman they have accompanying him is fantastic. Her voice fits this song wonderfully, and while I have no idea who she is -- I love her gritty sound.

So, a small detail I noticed because I had it paused -- when Will walks in the room, the word 'fire' can be seen three times -- as there's a fire alarm, fire hose, and fire extinguisher all in the same place. Was it intentional? I wonder.

vs. The Studio Version: So, it's the full song instead of just a small portion. It's a cleaner mix -- and you can definitely hear the back up singers better. Idk, I think I'm just not a fan overall that colors my judgment of this one a little.

vs. The Original Version: Oh wow - okay, the original version is way slower and lower in pitch -- which makes me wonder if they sped up the recording for show (instead of having them sing it at a faster/higher pace). No wonder the show one feels somewhat out of control and uncomfortable. I'm sure it's partly out of time constraints that they speed things up - but that might be why the track sounds a little weird. Huh.

Also - whenever Glee takes a song like this and turns into a showchoir song, it can't help but feel a little 'kidz bop' to me. There's a relaxed, grittiness to the song that is just lost in the frantic absurdity that is Vocal Adrenaline.

[the-white-soul]

*Flowey mutters, feeling mighty embarrassed now about his favorite stories being fairy tales. Every else sounds so cool!He mutters his answer so people can barely hear.* I like James and the tomato stalk…

*He speaks louder and with more excitement now that that’s over with, adding onto it to make himself sound cooler.*

Uh, but I gotta agree with 1984! The torture scenes are so good. And the inner party has so much power over everyone else! That would have been so perfect to try out in one of my runs while I had the resets, but I imagine it'd need to take years to get to that point. I don't have that patience.

*He glances at Chara for a moment, then back to Kara. He might take up their offer to leave and talk about his their interests.* Hey, Kara? Do you know how much time do we have left before we resume? I wasn't to know if I have enough time for something.

(Kara) "Flowey, your favorite book sounds amazing! I mean technically Harry Potter's a fairy tale just made by a jackass! Anyways this should start in 10 minutes! We have time for whatever you have."

(Noelle) "Hey, Chara. Want to go on a quick walk!"

(Chara) "Why?"

(Noelle) "I think we should really take a walk Chara! *Whispered* To get away from them for a second."

(Chara) "Ah, okay! We're going on a quick walk!"

(Noelle) "*They walk out fast and Chara and Noelle are alone* Will you ever tell them the secret?"

(Chara) "My real question is, why haven't you? If it's because you feel bad about hurting Flowey..."

(Noelle) "No, it's something I can't trust you or anyone with."

(Chara) "Come on, I promise not to tell!"

(Noelle) "A promise like that isn't worth making."

(Chara) "Please! It's been nagging at me for years!"

(Noelle) "I've only been here a couple months."

(Chara) "Well, it felt like a year. I swear on Asriel's soul I won't tell anyone."

(Noelle) "You mean that?"

(Chara) "There are very few people I love more than Asriel. Of course, I mean it."

(Noelle) "Alright, I want to trap humans under a barrier."

(Chara) "What?"

(Noelle) "I've learned after seeing the atrocities committed by Clover that humans and monsters can't coexist. I wanted them to and tried my best but it didn't work. I knew the original barrier wouldn't work because humans hate everyone. So I thought to give the humans a piece of their own medicine with a few exceptions. Kara can stay since they're half both and deserve to be friends with Flowey. I could never tell them I'm Noelle because I'd rather they think I was dead than this."

(Chara) "What the fuck?!"

(Noelle) "That's all I'm saying right now."

(Chara) "No. That's not all you're saying. You can't just tell me you want to segregate humans and monsters, in the end. You've opened Pandora's box!"

(Noelle) "*Laughs a bit* Once I tell you how I'll achieve my goal, I'll never achieve my goal. ;). Now let's go back to Kara and Flowey. Oh and if you tell anyone about this, I'll kill you. Now let's go."

(Chara) "Fine. *Grabs Noelle's hand and tightens their grip until Noelle is in such pain she almost screams. They whispered* Because I put this on Asriel I'm not going to tell anyone but don't threaten me. I never promised not to kill you."

(Noelle) "Let go!"

(Chara) "No, let's just stay here a bit. *Makes sure no one's around and bites down hard on Noelle. They let her bleed out for a full minute. While this is happening Noelle can only stay in horror pleading with them to stop the pain. It hurts like a stab wound and almost gets infected.

(Noelle) "Please you made your point just stop it."

(Chara) "Did I make my point? I'm not so sure yet. You know for times like this I get some salt. *Grabs it and puts it right on the wound.* Do you like that?"

(Noelle) "I'll do whatever you want just stop this torture or I'll tell Kara!"

(Chara) "I'll tell them about your little plan then."

(Noelle) "You swore not to."

(Chara) "Asriel believes that I should've lived. He made me promise him that I'd never die for something stupid a long time ago. *Bites again.* If you're threatening me, you must be pretty stupid. *She starts to cry but Chara punches her until they stop. Then they whisper their final warning* Don't fuck with me. Now, let's get back to that court room. Oh and here's a butts pie. *Forcefedd it down her throat.* Now no one will know. Right, Noelle?"

(Noelle) "No one will know. *They walk back into the room. There is still 5 minutes left.*"

[unitedbydevils]

Match Review: Manchester United U18s 3-0 Everton U18s

Something something the kids are alright mint.

An early goal from Chido Obi-Martin (4 in 2) and later contributions from Jim Thwaites (pictured above) and Bendito Mantato secured three points for United's U18s and continued another season's steamroll of the U18 Premier League.

Goal 1 was a sharp counter by United down the left with James Scanlon, played neatly into Obi-Martin for a first time finish.

Goal 2 was another Jim Thwaites free kick - a peach into the top right corner beyond Douglass Lukjanciks in the Everton goal.

Goal 3 came in the dying seconds for the deserving Mantato, who banged in near side past Lukjanciks after a penalty shout for United was waved away and the argumentative Everton defenders failed to react to United playing on. Poor from them, but a classy finish.

Everton didn't just give up and give in to United, but they were limited to hitting United on the break for the most part with the Red Devils comfortable in possession and razor sharp on the break to turnover Everton when they lost it.

For all I've extoled the virtues of Jim Thwaites in central midfield of late, this game was one to praise the wingers - James Scanlon and late goalscorer Mantato. Their wide play, creativity, sharp decision making, and willingness to take opponents on showed what is often missing in the First Team squad. This isn't to say they should be promoted and utilised (just yet) but it's promising to see that development and style and... ambition? Determination?

A big part of the success of these youngsters is that grit. United have technically gifted but athletic and robust players who aren't afraid to get stuck in with the battling as well as the flair play, and it's a delight to watch.

Next up: a rematch with Leeds following our 8-0 thrashing of them, but this time at home in the U18 Premier League Cup group stage. Here's hoping for another drubbing hehehehehehehehehe we all hate Leeds scum. UTFR.

[pall0r-mortis]

James was being stubborn on purpose and not saying something, which of course made Sid want to know more because he was just the type of person that hated not knowing things, he wasn't going to weasel the information out of James just yet apparently. He made a mental note to return to the topic later.

"Yeah, something like that," Sid trailed off, because James wasn't wrong and the fact that magic seems so stifled even there in that town was one of his biggest problems. It was a problem he had expected, but having never experienced it before it had thrown him off quite a bit.

"We have acid rain that you just have to learn to dodge or keep your cloak with you all the time unless you want scars," a fact that Sid had been taught early in life but sometimes he'd still chanced it and did indeed have a few scars to show for that, "It's probably about as tame as you would consider anywhere when you're living on top of a giant corpse."

Was it honestly that odd? Sid's brow furrowed; it wasn't, but it was likely going to be one of the reasons that he would never really fit in around that town. "Or, well, technically I lived in Bonesborough, which is one of the tamer areas; you get farther out into the forests and the limbs and it's more dangerous I guess. Less people and more animals, sentiment plants, that kind of thing." Ultimately that didn't really seem strange to Sid; the mainland seemed bizarre to him.

"It's not like I don't know what a lot of things around here are, I wasn't born there, my father has always talked about things off the Isles, but I had to get used to those things being real instead of just ideas." It had been something of a culture shock, it still was at times.

"Like your holidays; Halloween is the only one that seems even remotely familiar, and the limitations on magic here, or even the fact that everyone in this neighborhood looks like my house like it's something strange when it's probably the most exhaustingly mundane version of the idea we've ever lived in." And while he didn't want to say it outloud, and he wasn't going to, the conversation was just making him homesick. He lost most of the edge to his tone during the course of the conversation because the topic had his guard down a little.

"How about this; you ever decide to visit the Boiling Isles and I'm still on this side of living and I'll go show you around and let you make up your own mind how different it is or isn't." Sid trailed off; sure, why not, it wasn't very likely he was ever going to see home again anyway at the rate things were going, it was just as unlikely that James would ever go there.

@captainjamesjoneshook

@pall0r-mortis

The Boiling Isles, eh? Ingarian! That was interesting. It made James look at him again with this new lens framing his person and he frowned a little because...well he didn't really seem like the others who had come from there. At least, the ones that James knew of. Like The Great Sorcerer Howl Pendragon, who was all flourish and whimsy! Sid was more doom and gloom.

...maybe the Boiling Isles bred a different sort. It was supposed to be a flying island of a dead creature, wasn't it? Probably did make for the more Emo brand.

"Ah, no I did not! That was on purpose, but good catch," James said with a smile but offered no further explanation.

What? Like he wanted this guy to know he was being threatened and attacked by monsters of his dads' past? He wasn't here to compare their differing experiences of horrors, thanks.

"Anyway– think of it likes this. You're coming from a place where magic is free to wander as it pleases, right? People practice it, sell it, whatever. Here, Swynlake is the only place people can do that and even then, we've got red tape over the whole thing. So I imagine it all builds up somewhere, waiting to tip out eventually. It's bound to make things weird every now and then," he said. "Other than that, are we pretty tame in comparison to where you're from?"

[nonotnolan]

Cuerpo Inc: The Internship

It had taken him a few weeks, but Mark was finally getting used to the office culture at Cuerpo Inc, one of the leading manufacturers of body swapping technology. He hadn't really expected to make a career out of a product that seemed to be used only by the young and the perverted, but the pay was more than worth any sort of stigma that people still had about the relatively new field. Besides, the position had required a Master's in Accounting and a CPA license, and the work was as difficult as it was satisfying. The office culture was… weird, to say the least, but he took it in stride. He was still finishing up with a bitter divorce with his wife of three years, so it was nice to have something to distract him.

"Hey, James," he said, waving at the man standing in front of the bathroom sink. At least, he assumed it was James. It was James's body, at any rate, and it was polite to use the body's name regardless of who was in it. It was hard to tell who was who around the office, but since all of their work was tied to a username and password, it didn't really matter either.

"Hey Mark," came the reply. "How's it going? You excited for intern season? Sign-ups just dropped a half-hour ago. I'm so excited for this year's group."

Mark rolled his eyes. "I can't say I'm excited," he said. "It'll be two months of baby-sitting a bunch of wet-nosed college students who just want to pad their resume. I don't know how we'll be able to train them to do anything useful, since they won't even have a license, let alone a full degree."

James looked confused. "I mean, sure, they're just padding their resumes, but why would we… wait, this is your first intern season, isn't it?"

Now it was Mark's turn to be confused. "Well, sure, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Hah! No wonder," James said, slapping him on the shoulder. "Look, Cuerpo Inc is considered a really forward-thinking and prestigious company, and our internship slots are in high demand. We can set some pretty crazy demands, and we'll still have a bunch of kids clamoring for the spots. They have to give up their body for two whole months in order to work here."

Mark couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in disbelief. "I… two months? What do they even get out of a trade like that?"

"First hand experience," James said, with a wide smile. "It's a modified swap where they get to keep a temporary copy of your work and school knowledge, in addition to all of their own memories. The company doesn't lose any productivity because it's almost like you never left. The intern gets first hand experience having and using relevant industry skills. And you get a two month paid vacation in a body that's in peak physical condition."

"Really, even me? But I haven't even been here for three months yet." Mark couldn't help but bone up at the thought of having a hot, young body for the summer-- it seemed too good to be true.

James just shrugged. "I mean, why not? There isn't a shortage of applicants, and it's not like they're losing any money. During intern season, half your salary goes to the intern, and half your salary goes to you. I guess technically you could keep you paycheck if you opt out of having an intern's body, but… almost no one ever does. Having a hot, young body is totally with the temporary pay cut. My wife loves this time of year, it really helps spice things up in the bedroom. Plus it's nice go out on a weekend bender without having to worry about the Sunday hangover. Anyway, you should sign up before all the best ones get taken."

He finished washing his hands and left, leaving Mark alone to his thoughts. The timing was perfect. His marriage ended when he finally admitted to himself that he was gay, but coming out of the closet and entering the dating pool in his late 30s seemed beyond embarrassing. Getting some dating experience with a body in its early 20s, however…

--------------------------------------------------------------

It had only been two weeks, but Mark-- or rather, Tyrel-- was having a great time.

He was grateful for James's tip about checking the sign-ups early. The pool of body builders had gone quickly, and while it would be interesting to have a cute twink's body… he wanted something a bit more traditionally masculine for his first time. The thought of a hairless body just felt like too much of a change. It was weird enough choosing a body with a different heritage, but… well, what was the point in having a new body if you weren't going to rock the boat at least a little bit? Mark had thought looking down at his arms and seeing a new skin color would be the weirdest part of the body swap, but that had stopped surprising him after two days. Honestly, being a few inches taller inside of his home was the part that was throwing him off the most. All of the drawers and cabinets were now slightly lower than where he expected them to be, and it was screwing with his muscle memory.

Mark was surprised at how quickly he was getting used to seeing Tyrel's face in the mirror. It was serving him well on Grindr, too-- it was rare for him to have a night alone unless he wanted one for himself. Mark wasn't sure if Tyrel was gay before the internship, but with eight inches of uncut cock in his pants, it certainly made him popular amongst the local gays.

He normally avoided blank profiles even if they did message him a photo-- he could afford to be picky, after all-- but when he received a message from a blank profile named Mark, he couldn't help but be curious. Sure enough, the first message was a photo of his old body, wearing nothing but a jock strap, ass out toward the camera. "Your body has turned me into an insatiable bottom ;)" he typed. "I've been having bathroom sex after the workplace happy hours, but no one at the office can come close to satisfying this hungry hole. Can you help me, Tyrel? Fill me up with my own cock!"

Mark immediately felt himself getting hard at the thought of ravaging his own body with Tyrel's massive cock. "You got it, Mark. You're clearly begging for this dick. Who am I to deny Daddy what he wants?"

"That's my boy," Tyrel replied. "Bring lube, unless you want to go in raw ;) I've got rope. Room 734, see you soon."

Mark started to take deep breaths, lest he blow his load early. "Damn, and here I was worried Tyrel might not be gay-- dude clearly has way more experience than I do." The thought of having to find more hookups for the next six weeks suddenly looked a lot less appealing. "Hopefully tonight goes well. With any luck, I can just fuck myself for the rest of the internship."