#which is why I said sleep because double meaning- but I also couldn't think of anything else :|

[luna-loveboop]

If you ask the chain for their worst/ most annoying enemy

Time: redheads- I mean Redeads

Twilight: *stifling a laugh* Shadow beasts

Four: *deadpan* Gibdos

Legend: *can't think of anything challenging* I'm gonna say, umm... *shoots a teasing glance at Sky* Sleep

Wild: definitely Guardians

Sky: Demon lords with long tongues

Hyrule: *looks at Sky* not even gonna ask about that one, but Octorocks. They're everywhere in my world

Wind: I was gonna say Octorock too! But specifically Big Octo, those are the worst

Warriors: ...

Warriors: SO WHAT AM I THE ONLY ONE WHOS GONNA SAY GANON

[clemymimi]

GUESS WHO'S BACK IDWKEJ, *cautiously dips toe back into tumblr* have this hc to make up for my absence 😔 I missed everyone sm dknwr

yoriichi was blessed with immense power, michikatsu was blessed with a strong mind.

His mentality is the sole reason for his success. His mind is so strong, only further strengthened by his intense training as a samurai, the quote that fits him the most is: "I think therefore I am"

"I think therefore I am", a quote created by the Philosopher descartes (descartes began questioning reality so much that he sent himself off into an existential crisis. In the end the thing that pulled him back out of it was the fact: even if nothing is real, the mere fact that I am THINKING about everything not being real, is proof for my existence. Because if I couldn't have any thoughts, I truly wouldn't exist, but I THINK therefore I AM) this saying heavily relates to michikatsu. He is the second strongest human to ever live, and it was obvious that he was not instantly op like yoriichi was, at least not physically. Michikatsus greatest strength is his mentality. His sheer stubbornness. He thinks therefore he IS. He clings onto life with his mere will alone. He rose through the demon slayer ranks due to his will alone. His will is what motivates him to become stronger and to practice harder. His greatest strength is his own power of will, which even allowed him to grow his head back in Canon.

The point is: his mind / intelligence is a double edged sword.

Michikatsu is the type of person that really internalises his feelings and distances himself from others. He feels very disconnected from reality and sees patterns and scenarios that is lost to others.

Michikatsu is a genius when it comes to strategies. He usually prefers more direct approaches EXCEPT for when it comes to wars. He is GOOD at war, good at the fighting, good at the mental hoops, good at playing chess with the world to achieve victory. He enjoys swordsmanship, he enjoys the exhilarating feeling of victory. It's one of the reasons why he so easily said yes to muzans offer.

His mind comes with drawbacks however: because he has been lent a deeper understanding of the world and has no real outlet for his thoughts or anyone to share them with, he takes out his repressed despair on himself:

He doesn't sleep much, he doesn't eat much and he is very anxious in general. He takes care of his hygiene, and his hair and skin will always looked well-taken care of, but his hands are bruised and his eyes have bags underneath them. His hands are also more often shaky than not due to his anxiety and lack of nutrition.

This form of punishment is actually how samurai used to be trained when they were children to build up a certain tolerance towards starvation and sleep. In a way, this is michikatsu pushing his body towards its utmost boundaries because "it is supposed to handle it" and it's also a means to prove to himself how far he can push himself. It's a means to quiet the despair of the world around him, especially to quiet his feelings towards yoriichi because he knows he shouldn't feel this way about yoriichi, that yoriichi shouldn't affect his mental state so badly, yet he does.

[zapreportsblog]

❝lemme spoil you babygirl❞

✭ pairing : earth 42 miles morales x reader

✭ fandom : spiderman into the spiderverse

✭ summary : miles enjoys spoiling his girl with anything her heart desires, and whiles she may not always voice what she wants he can tell simply by her eyes. After all the eyes are the window to the soul right?

✭ authors note : don’t take offense to half the shit I said in this, I’m Black and half Asian on my grandfathers side. This is written in good fun if you can’t take a joke kindly fuck off :)

✭ spiderman into the spiderverse masterlist

The streets of Brooklyn buzzed with life as Miles swung effortlessly between the towering skyscrapers, and buildings. The city was his playground, his domain, and he couldn't have asked for a more thrilling existence.

But amidst the whirlwind of his double life as both a high school student and the enigmatic Prowler, there was one constant that grounded him, that gave him a reason to fight the good fight every day – you.

(Y/N) had been in his life for as long as he could remember, but it was only recently that they had taken their friendship to the next level. The two of you were inseparable, and Miles couldn't help but fall head over heels in love with you.

As the Prowler, he had the means to spoil you, and he did so with a actual genuine smile on his face. He didn't ask for much in return, only your radiant smile and the joy that being with you brought into his life.

One evening, Miles and you found yourselves on a quiet rooftop, away from the chaos of the city below. The night air was cool, and the stars twinkled above, as if they were celebrating your presence.

Miles wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer. "You know, I'd give you the moon if I could."

You chuckled, leaning into his warmth. "I'm happy with just you, Miles."

His uncle Aaron, who had become something of a mentor to Miles, had been watching from the shadows. He couldn't help but grin at the scene before him. He stepped out, causing both you and Miles to turn your heads in surprise.

"You treat that girl like she's your world, Miles," Aaron said with a teasing glint in his eye.

Miles laughed, his voice full of affection. "I got to, Uncle Aaron. Otherwise, some small-time punk's gonna come around thinking he can take what's mine."

Aaron chuckled, clapping Miles on the back. "You've got that right, nephew. But you know, it's good to see you happy."

Miles and Aaron shared a genuine laugh, the bond between them stronger than ever. The Prowler had a reputation to uphold, but he also had a heart that beat for the people he loved, especially for you, (Y/N).

As the night continued, you, Miles, and Miles uncle Aaron sat on that rooftop, sharing stories, laughter, and a love that could withstand even the most challenging of circumstances. In the heart of the city that never sleeps, this was a night to remember – a night that reminded Miles why he swung through the city, risking his life as the Prowler, because he had something worth fighting for, something worth protecting. And that something was you, his world.

It was another day, which meant another day of spoiling his girl. (Y/N) strolled through the bustling mall, her fingers interlaced with Miles'. The afternoon sun filtered through the large glass windows, casting a warm glow over the shoppers. Miles carried an array of designer shopping bags, each filled with luxurious items that he had picked out for her.

"You know you don't gotta buy me all these things, baby," (Y/N) said with a soft smile as she looked at the bags bearing the names Chanel and Balenciaga.

Miles grinned down at her, his eyes filled with affection. "I know, baby girl, but seeing your eyes light up when I get your pretty ass a gift just makes my day."

(Y/N) couldn't help but blush at his words. "That's so corny," she teased, though her heart swelled with warmth.

Miles chuckled, his deep voice resonating in the bustling mall. "Well, it's true, baby girl. Now, give a kiss."

(Y/N) rolled her eyes playfully but leaned in and planted a sweet peck on his cheek. It was moments like these that made her realize how lucky she was to have Miles in her life.

“Naw baby girl, give daddy a real kiss.”

With a roll of your eyes again, you leaned forward and gave miles an another kiss on his check this time just inches away from his luscious plump lips.

Miles wasn’t having that though and pulled you forward once more by your throat, his grip firm but still gentle enough to not hurt you. Your lips met, and for a moment, the bustling mall around you faded into oblivion. It was just the two of you, lost in each other's affection.

As he pulled away, a mischievous glint in his eyes, he whispered, "Don't go rolling those eyes at me, babygirl, otherwise, I'll give you a reason to be rolling them."

You chuckled, the warmth of his kiss still lingering on your lips. "You're impossible, Miles Morales."

He grinned, his love for you written all over his face as he continued to carry your shopping bags. "And you love me for it."

Hand in hand, you both continued your leisurely stroll through the mall, knowing that your love was the most precious gift of all, and the fancy bags filled with designer items were just a sweet bonus.

“Hurry your pretty ass up I wanna take you to get your nails done, it’ll go pretty with your next gifts.”

Miles and (Y/N) entered the nail salon nestled within the mall, the serene atmosphere a welcome contrast to the bustling shopping floors. Miles guided her to one of the plush salon chairs, and she settled in, eyeing the array of nail polish colors displayed before her.

"Go crazy, baby girl," Miles urged with a playful grin. His eyes danced with anticipation.

(Y/N) bit her lip, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension. "Don't you think you've spent enough today?" she asked, her gaze shifting to the designer bags still in his grasp.

Miles leaned in closer, his voice low and filled with affection. "For you? Never."

With that, he called over one of the salon workers, who approached them with a warm smile. Miles wasted no time. "Give her the whole spa treatment. I'm talking massages, a full set on both her nails and feet, and include that gel set you ling lings always be trying to sell your clients. Touch up the brows, and if she wants, wax her, too. I want her pampered and happy by the end of her session."

(Y/N) looked at Miles with wide eyes, a mixture of surprise and gratitude. "Miles, stop it, that's too much and definitely rude," she protested, her cheeks flushing.

Miles waved her off, his eyes filled with adoration. "It’s true though! And nonsense, baby. You deserve it all. Now, enjoy yourself."

The salon worker nodded though offended at the long long comment they ain’t take it too personal, they’ve been called worse, and with one final nod they began to prepare for what promised to be a luxurious pampering session for (Y/N) or in their eyes the dark skinned fellow sugar baby. As she settled into the chair, her heart swelled with appreciation for Miles and the love he showered upon her. She couldn't help but smile as she realized just how lucky she was to have him in her life.

(Y/N) and Miles left the nail salon with her feeling like a queen after her pampering session. She couldn't stop admiring her perfectly manicured and xl full set of nails and her silky smooth skin. Miles had a way of making every moment special, and today was no exception.

As they strolled through the mall, they made their way to Footlocker, a store that always got Miles excited. He was a sneakerhead, and (Y/N) knew he couldn't resist the lure of fresh kicks.

Inside the store, the scent of new sneakers and the sight of rows upon rows of colorful shoeboxes greeted them. Miles was like a kid in a candy store, and (Y/N) couldn't help but chuckle at his enthusiasm.

"Baby, what are you feeling today?" Miles asked as they browsed the selection of sneakers.

(Y/N) considered the options and then spotted a pair of sleek white Nikes that caught her eye. "I think these would look great," she said, holding them up for Miles to see.

Miles nodded in agreement, a smile spreading across his face. "Good choice, baby girl. Let's grab those."

They each picked out a pair of matching Nikes, and then Miles, with his discerning eye for style, spotted a pair of limited edition Jordans on display. He knew he had to have them.

"Check these out," Miles said, beckoning (Y/N) over to admire the Jordans.

(Y/N) couldn't deny that they were impressive. "Those are fire," she admitted.

Miles decided without hesitation. "We're getting them."

After some time spent trying on shoes, making their selections, and chatting with the friendly staff, (Y/N) and Miles left Footlocker with matching Nikes and the limited edition Jordans in hand. The excitement of getting new kicks and the shared experience of picking them out together added to the bond they shared.

As they walked hand in hand through the mall once again, Miles couldn't help but glance at (Y/N) with a loving smile. Every moment spent with her was a cherished memory, and he was grateful for the happiness she brought into his life.

“Now onto your final surprise before I take your pretty ass to get some food.”

Miles and (Y/N) ventured further into the mall, their bags all held in the strong hands of miles morales. The next stop on their shopping adventure was Pandora, a store known for its elegant jewelry. Miles had a mischievous glint in his eye as he led her inside.

Once they were surrounded by displays of intricate bracelets and shimmering charms, Miles gently took (Y/N)'s hand. "How about a little something special from Pandora?" he suggested with a warm smile.

(Y/N) was both surprised and delighted by the idea. She nodded eagerly, her curiosity piqued. "Fine, let's see what they have. But I’m only agreeing because i know you’ll drag my ass in here anyways.”

Miles guided her to the charm bangle bracelets section. Each bracelet had a unique design, and the charms ranged from adorable animals to elegant gemstones. He handed her a bangle bracelet adorned with a star charm and said, "For our shared love of Star Wars."

(Y/N) grinned as she accepted the bracelet. "I love it."

Miles then picked out a few more charms, each with its own meaning and significance to their relationship. He selected a heart charm, a symbol of their love, a travel-themed charm for their shared adventures, and a pair of intertwined rings as a symbol of their commitment to one another.

With each addition, (Y/N) was touched by Miles' thoughtfulness. However, as he handed her the last charm, which looked strikingly like an engagement ring, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Miles, this one looks like an engagement ring," she commented, her voice laced with amusement.

Miles chuckled and winked at her. "Well, until we're a bit older, it's just a promise ring," he said, slipping it onto her finger. "One day, though."

(Y/N) blushed at his words, the promise of a future together warming her heart. She accepted the charm bracelet and the promise ring, feeling grateful for the love and dedication Miles poured into their relationship. As they left Pandora, hand in hand, she couldn't help but smile, knowing that their journey together was just beginning.

[namleeea]

anything for you

Pairing: Mason Mount x Fem!reader

Sumary: You lose your wedding ring and think about how to properly present this news to your husband.

Word count: 1,4K

Author's note: I really appreciate your feedback on my previous works, it means so much to me. I really love writing, and thanks to you, I also get a huge support! Thank you! I hope you enjoy this fic. fluff fluff fluff again:3

•••

You were married for two years and it was the best two years of your life, full of love and support. Mason was amazing, you both valued this marriage and cherished each other. When, after 4 years of a relationship in which you went through all sorts of difficulties together, he knelt down with a ring in his hand, you knew that from now on you are his, and he is yours. The feeling that it is Mason that man who will make you the happiest person turned out to be true. So yes, being Mason Mount’s wife is nothing but a gift from above.

Mason always woke up before you because he had to go to training, but he never missed a chance to soak in bed with you for another 10 minutes before getting up, leaving kisses on your sleepy face, which frowned every time his lips touched the skin.

“Mase?” you muttered sleepily. “M?”

“Don't bother me sleeping” you grumbled just as gloomily, making him laugh. You turned away from him and buried your face in the pillow, filling up your well-deserved hours.

“Well, cruel Lady, I got you” Your husband whispered and finally got out of bed. “Since I'm not appreciated here, then I’m leaving” He said dramatically, leaving the room. “Love u, baby” You mumbled to him and, making sure that he heard (and he did, otherwise he wouldn’t have giggled with such tenderness), went back to sleep.

•••

Finally, you got out of bed only after three hours, immediately heading to the bathroom. You stand in front of the mirror and brush your teeth until your gaze finally falls on the finger on your hand. A finger without a ring. You frantically double-check your hand with the hope that you just imagined it, but no. There is no ring on it. “Fuck” You swear quietly and start looking at all sorts of shelves. There is nothing in the bathroom, as well as in the bedroom. And in a few other rooms that you've had time to inspect up and down in the last half hour. “No no no no no!” Panic gradually rises to the throat. “I couldn't lose it”.

So after two hours of long searching and complete acceptance of your failure, you wearily collapse onto the sofa in the living room and let grief to overcome you. The first thought that popped into your head was to tell Mason about it. You took out your phone, clicked on the desired number and waited for an answer, biting your lips nervously. Why were you so worried? You couldn't answer that question.

“Hey, love” Your husband replies with tenderness in his voice, picking up the phone. “Mase, are you busy right now?” your voice sounds plaintive enough to make him worry. “I am not, I can talk. What's wrong, Y/n? Are you okay?”

“Babe, I'm so sad and ashamed. I lost my ring” Silence for a few seconds seemed to you eternal. “Uuum…that’s fine? I mean it's just a ring, honey. You can find it, or at least you can by new one. What's ring it was?”

“I can’t by new one, Mase” You mustered up the courage to say the following: “It was an wedding ring”.

“…Ow”

“I’m so sorry” You didn’t know exactly why you felt so bad. But you were ashamed to lose something so highly valuable, as if you were careless about it, which, of course, was not true. But there was nothing you could do about that feeling. “Honey...you shouldn't be sorry”.

“I lost my wedding ring, i’m so fucking stupid, how can i lost it?”

“Y/n, love, everything is okay. It's could happen to anyone. Don't blame yourself okay? I love you, it's fine" You felt the tears coming up and a lump squeezing your throat. The way Mason spoke with care and warmth only finished you off even more. “I love you more, Masy”.

“I'll be home in two hours, darling. I will come to give you the strongest hugs and bring you hot chocolate. And then we'll sit down to watch a movie and kiss a lot. You know, I will do everything that all sorts of foolish thoughts do not climb into your lovely head” You smiled when you heard it and once again realized what a treasure you received as a gift from the universe. “Ok, I'm waiting for you”.

•••

You decided to do some cleaning to distract yourself before Mason arrives, but finished quickly enough and proceeded to dinner. While you were standing at the table peeling potatoes, the front door opened, but you were wearing headphones, so you didn’t hear it.

“Y/n!” Mason called you and, having received no answer, followed to the kitchen, where he found you. Mount smiled, mesmerized by you, came up from behind and hugged you, making you jump in surprise. “You scared me!” You put down your headphones and turned your head slightly to receive a welcoming kiss.

“I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to scare you, but you were so beautiful, I couldn't resist hugging you” You giggled into his lips and he pulled you into another gentle kiss. “I'm so glad to see you” You whispered, relaxing in his arms.

“I rushed to you with all my might” He said. You mumbled and leaned your head on his shoulder, allowing Mason to kiss your neck. “And I have a present for you”.

“What? Which present?”

“I didn't want you to be upset about the ring” He said. You squinted incomprehensibly, feeling how resentment for the ridiculous loss grabs you by the throat again. Mason takes something out of his pocket and holds it out in front of you, allowing you to finally see what he was hiding.

Velvet box.

“Don't tell me it's what I think”

“Depending on what you think” Grinned Mount. You glanced at your husband with displeasure and with trembling hands took the box from him, opening it.

Ring. Wedding ring.

Very similar to the one you lost, but not exactly the same.

Tears roll uncontrollably into your eyes and you sob softly before turning in Mason's arms and hiding your face on his chest.

“You are a real dumbass, you know that?”

“Lord, my love, and this is the first thing you say to me after such a gift?”

“I hate you. Why did you buy the ring?” You mumbled tearfully into his shoulder, answering his strong hugs. “Because you are my wife and I want you to wear your wedding ring”.

“But I did not deserve it ... I lost the last one”.

“What a nonsense, honey. Of course you deserve it. So put on this ring so everyone knows we love each other. Or maybe you don’t like the ring?”

“Of course I do. It’s wonderful” You looked at the ring in your hands with admiration. Mason, realizing that you are really pleased with it, took the ring from your hands and put it on your finger with trepidation.

“Every time I do this I get excited like the first time” He said with bright smile. “Maybe you should lose your rings more often? So then I can buy new ones every time and put them on your fingers” You lightly hit him on the shoulder, making him laugh.

“It’s not funny!”

“It is, actually” your husband wraps you in a tight hug, and you melt in his arms, inhaling the scent of his perfume. And in this intimate moment, while you are standing in the kitchen and hugging, the world stops. There is only you and him. And you know that it will be like this for an eternity.

“I love you, Mase” He gently kisses your temple and smiles. “I love you more, Y/n. More than anything”

The ring shines brightly in the light from the chandelier, and you look at it spellbound, gradually getting used to the new one.

“I like it very much, thank you”

“You don’t have to thank me. You know what’s better? Let’s lie down on the couch and turn on some movie”

“I also want ice cream” You mumbled into his neck. He chuckled, picked you up in his arms to carry you to the living room and gently place you on the sofa. “I got you, princess. I'll go get us ice cream and a blanket” He left a kiss on your cheek and went upstairs. You couldn't stop smiling while you waited for him, you sat and looked at the ring with burning eyes and squeaked into the pillow.

“I love you, Mase. I love you more than anything” Your whisper froze in the air and you held your breath, waiting for the soon return of your husband and his warm hugs.

[adaginy]

Xaarc was visiting a friend, Senna, as a guest in her quarters on another ship. They were waiting for her to wake up from "sleep" when they felt a strange vibration in the air. They turned their sensorium and 'saw' the distorted heat signature of a person, identifiable even through the wall as Senna's wife, thanks to her unusual warmth. Xaarc stepped around the corner to find Lisabeth scrubbing the cold food storage unit. "Human Lisabeth, what are you doing?"

Lisabeth stopped with an facial expression and stance the humans called "deer in head lights." Xaarc was very proud to have figured out the meaning of this phrase by themself: You see, only fish deep deep in the terrifying Earth ocean have lights on their heads, and deer are timid land animals. If a deer is being spotted by a creature with head lights, it knows it has made an error and done something it should not be doing. It was unclear in this context, however, what that might be.

"What mess cannot be cleaned by your cleaning robots and must be cleaned in the middle of your 'sleeping hours'?"

"I can smell garlic. Anywhere in the rooms, I can smell it. Senna says she can't. And I can't sleep right now. And I'm nesting," she finished with a sigh.

Garlic was a pungent human food. Eating it was a sign of loyalty to one's mate, because it warded off other suitors. It also warded off 'vampires' and Lisabeth worked in the hemoanalytics lab, which must be why it bothered her when it would usually be celebrated. And when humans say they "can't" sleep, it's not that they are physically unable to, it is only that they are unable to when they want to be doing it. Xaarc did not know about nesting, and it seemed to be important to this conversation now instead of something to figure out later.

"What is nesting, please?"

"Oh, you know. Baby is coming. Not due for two weeks but it might be coming any day now, if the nesting is right. Some humans get an urge to clean right before the baby arrives. Not always. My mom nested every winter, as soon as it started getting cold."

Interesting. Humans must need to keep their young cold? So the cold food storage unit doubled as a creche on a space station with no winter.

"Senna said I should visit before the baby arrives because you would not want guests after. Should I leave if it is soon?"

"No, no. Even if it comes early, you can stay for the rest of your visit if you'll help with cleaning and cooking. I won't make you do diapers."

Xaarc enjoyed cooking in a human style, even if the human foods they could eat were limited. Humans used science to transform foods and it was amazing. Xaarc did not know what diapers were, but if they were not doing it, it did not immediately matter.

"I helped detach a Y'chiri's offspring when the budding was completed, I have brought a Peprine refreshments when her pod was difficult to break open, and I have adjudicated a Talt division. If you would like me to be present and assist I would be honored."

"Uh. Xaarc, what do you know about human birth?"

"I have been told they grow from eggs, and that it's something between hatching and budding. And that they are brought to you by a creature similar to a very stretched-out Pfalot." "Okay, they aren't brought by a stork. That's a myth told to children. ... Xaarc, you know the baby is here, right?" She put both hands on her prodigious belly, hefting it up and down slightly. At Xaarc's look of shock, she continued, "What did you think this was??" "Human guides tell us not to remark on human bodies! They give us a very small list of things which are safe to compliment" (though they did warn that even these may be taken as attempts at courting) "or ask about but say everything else is too complicated to explain! So you have grown a bud for it to hatch out of??" Senna appeared, blinking in the doorway. "Couldn't sleep, hun? What are y'all yelling about?" "Senna, sweetheart, I'm going to try to go to bed. Could you please find Xaarc a video of... maybe not a human birth. Maybe start them on something like a goat?" Xaarc watched the goat video. Xaarc did not watch a human video. Xaarc asked to leave early and Senna understood.

[mariana-oconnor]

The Red Circle pt 1

What is the red circle? Who is the red circle? Why is the red circle?

“Well, Mrs. Warren, I cannot see that you have any particular cause for uneasiness, nor do I understand why I, whose time is of some value, should interfere in the matter. I really have other things to engage me.” So spoke Sherlock Holmes and turned back to the great scrapbook in which he was arranging and indexing some of his recent material.

I might be wrong, but I think this is the first time in the stories we've seen Holmes be dismissive and kind of rude to a client without having seen them give him a reason. And we can't even say that Mrs Warren hasn't given him a reason at this point, because the story starts in the middle of the conversation. She might have been a right arsehole prior to this.

But this story does start out with far more of the vibe of adaptations than I'm used to.

Scrapbooking is vitally important, though. Not to be interrupted.

But the landlady had the pertinacity and also the cunning of her sex.

Watson ensuring that we are reminded that sexism exists.

The following little speech Mrs Warren gives doesn't indicate that she was being terrible before this story started, so I guess Holmes really was just Like That here.

"Why, bless you, Mrs. Warren, if I were your lodger you often would not see me for weeks on end.” “No doubt, sir; but this is different. It frightens me, Mr. Holmes. I can't sleep for fright. To hear his quick step moving here and moving there from early morning to late at night, and yet never to catch so much as a glimpse of him—it's more than I can stand."

No, that's exactly what it would be like to have Holmes as a lodger. Only punctuated with strange people running up and down the stairs and with the occasional threat of violence against your property.

But maybe this guy is just a ghost. Ghosts deserve privacy, too.

“He asked my terms, sir. I said fifty shillings a week. There is a small sitting-room and bedroom, and all complete, at the top of the house.” “Well?” “He said, ‘I'll pay you five pounds a week if I can have it on my own terms.’

Alright, now I'm suspicious. 50 shillings a week is £250, roughly. And £5 is twice that. Anyone who is willing to pay double for something is automatically suspicious. He's just handing out the equivalent of £100 in cash every fortnight. It's like the Copper Beeches all over again.

“It was his particular direction that we should always, when he rang, leave his meal upon a chair, outside his door. Then he rings again when he has finished, and we take it down from the same chair. If he wants anything else he prints it on a slip of paper and leaves it.”

OK... I've got to assume at this point that the man in the rooms is not the man who rented the rooms. He went out, other guy came back. There's no other reason that no one would have seen him at all. Someone's hiding from something up there.

"What can it matter to him that his landlady should have a word of his writing? Still, it may be as you say. Then, again, why such laconic messages?”

Doesn't speak English and his first language is not written in the Roman alphabet, I'd guess. Single words mean not needing to construct sentences, printing would be easier for someone not used to the alphabet. This coupled with the title of the story makes me think Russia.

“But surely you or the girl enter his room of a morning?” “No, sir; he looks after himself entirely.” “Dear me! that is certainly remarkable."

What? A man who can look after himself?

The sexism, it cuts both ways!

"But, dear me! this cigarette stub is certainly remarkable. The gentleman was bearded and moustached, you say?” “Yes, sir.” “I don't understand that. I should say that only a clean-shaven man could have smoked this."

So it is a different man - or woman, I guess.

or he shaved.

"Why, Watson, even your modest moustache would have been singed.”

This feels like shade. Like something you'd say to your friend if he was doing Movember and couldn't grow a moustache to save his life, but you were actually a Victorian gentleman. It's just got such a tone of 'even your moustache, Watson. Even yours.'

Drag him, Sherlock.

"We have no excuse for an intrusion upon his privacy until we have some reason to think that there is a guilty reason for it."

What a revolutionary concept! I wonder if the modern world could learn anything from this. Probably not.

"I can imagine that the word was taken out of a dictionary, which would give the noun but not the plural."

Rubbish dictionary.

"‘Surely Jimmy will not break his mother's heart’—that appears to be irrelevant."

I beg to differ. I need to know if Jimmy broke his mother's heart. How could you Jimmy? You should be ashamed of yourself. Your poor mother worried half to death and you're out there requiring her to take out ads in the newspaper to try to reach you. Callus boy! Cruel boy!

"‘Be patient. Will find some sure means of communications. Meanwhile, this column. G.’"

That is significantly less cryptic than I thought it would be. Do these conspirators have no sense of style. Why doesn't the caged whale know nothing of the mighty deeps? Does the ill-built tower not tremble mightily at the butterfly's passage? Can no one say hooray hooray for the spinster's sister's daughter these days? Pathetic. Put some effort into your clandestine communications.

"‘The path is clearing. If I find chance signal message remember code agreed—One A, two B, and so on. You will hear soon. G.’"

Seriously, you're going to publish your code in the paper. Not that it even matters. You're doing a simple substitution encryption of numbers for letters, and you're not even offsetting the numbers at all. These people are very obviously not professional spies. I am ashamed for them.

Willing to bet there is a significant number of people in London who have been following these ads with glee like an Edwardian soap opera, eagerly awaiting the next instalment. There's no way no one has been paying attention to this.

"Mr. Warren is a timekeeper at Morton and Waylight's, in Tottenham Court Road. He has to be out of the house before seven. Well, this morning he had not gone ten paces down the road when two men came up behind him, threw a coat over his head, and bundled him into a cab that was beside the curb. They drove him an hour, and then opened the door and shot him out."

Did not expect the husband to be involved.

In Mystery Lodger's defence, there's nothing connecting them to this abduction. Although the coincidence seems unlikely. Why would they need the husband out of the way, though? Unless they thought the husband was the person hiding?

"What I did not foresee is that we should find a woman, and no ordinary woman, Watson.”

Gender prejudices causing problems again. I did foresee that, which is why I've been trying to use gender neutral terms for the replacement.

What does Holmes mean by 'no ordinary woman' though? I don't understand that.

Also, this makes the people mistaking Mr Warren for her even less believable. I doubt they look very alike, particularly given the fashions of the time and the stricter adherence to expected gender 'norms'.

"The printed messages, as is now evident, were to prevent her sex being discovered by her writing."

"The attack upon Mr. Warren further shows that the enemy, whoever they are, are themselves not aware of the substitution of the female lodger for the male."

Oh, we're actually addressing that? Thank you. It made no sense. But it does make things more convoluted. So only Holmes and Watson know that the woman has replaced the man.

“Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons with the greatest for the last."

Does he mean death? Is the implication that as you die you think 'well, this was an important lesson for me to learn. Now I know that if I do that, then I die. 😵"

Is she on the run from family? A cruel husband? A cruel would-be husband? A gang? A government?

"A single flash—that is A, surely. Now, then. How many did you make it? Twenty. Do did In. That should mean T."

The substitution cypher is with flashing lights?

That's a terrible idea. That's the worst idea I've ever seen. What if she blinks? What if she loses count? There are twenty six letters. If I had to sit and count twenty six flashes I would go mad. T is one of the most common letters and, as you said, that's 20. This is the least efficient way of doing anything. Morse code exists, and I bet you could get a little printed guide for it that the woman could have had. Or you could have written it down for her. And then you wouldn't have needed to spell it out in the newspaper.

This is the worst. I hate it.

They came more rapidly than before—so rapid that it was hard to follow them.

And by hard you mean fucking impossible. WORST CODE EVER.

P is already 16 flashes, and that's the first letter you've got. Then you've got an R in there? Why? This is torture. I bet the guy was cut off by someone who wanted to put him out of his misery. You know why he was cut off mid word? BECAUSE IT TOOK HIM FIFTEEN MINUTES TO SAY ONE WORD.

Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash [BREAK] Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash [BREAK] Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash [BREAK] Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash [BREAK] Flash-flash-flash [BREAK] Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash [BREAK] Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash [BREAK] Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash-flash

So for that one word, that's 93 flashes. I cannot be arsed counting that long. I'm sorry. I can't. Guess I'm just going to die or whatever then.

eta: just realised that the 'man who looks after himself? Impossible!' thing is a clue. Oh boy. Of course it's a woman, a man would never be able to cope on his own. 🙄

[acourtofthought]

what do you think about the veils of steam drifting from elain's shoulders being compared to az's shadows?

i'm anti elriel by the way. just geniunely curious what you think since this is the argument more elriels use

"Don't," Elain said flatly, starting once more into a walk, veils of steam drifting past her shoulders from the roasted rosemary potatoes in her hands, as if they were Azriel's shadows.

It's possible this line is simply SJMs way of being descriptive. If she wanted to create an image of how the steam looked, comparing it to Az's shadows is one that paints the picture well.

Because we have a similar line in SF:

"As if the first seventeen years of her life, spent in the darkness of the Hewn City, still lurked around her like Az's shadows."

Is the Mor example just a clever way of describing the darkness that hangs over Mor? Or are we supposed to read into it, like the darkness of the Hewn City and Az / his darkness are things that "lurk" around Mor and won't let go?

If the line has a double meaning then what could "Az's shadows" drifting past Elain's shoulders mean?

It doesn't necessarily come off as romantic but if we did want to try to spin it that way "drifting past" calls to mind that his shadows (but in this case Az), will hover near Elain for a time before moving on. Which checks out considering they did develop a flirtation and almost kissed but the culmination to that was Az telling her it was a mistake, him confirming to Rhys he hasn't thought of a future with her, Elain returning his present and they share no further interaction after Solstice.

Could it hint at "Elain the spy?"

In SF, Nesta wonders if Elain had been taking lessons in stealth from Az (confirmed to be inaccurate since he'd been avoiding her) or the wraiths (not proven / disproven at this point so we can't deny it could be a possibility). However, I tend to take a different approach to it.

The spy version that E/riels have is that she'd be a spy girl in black to match Az's spy guy in black, working in the shadows together because Rhys confirms, Az is not a courtier and works from the shadows. Cassian confirms Az likes his space (he also doesn't people well outside of the IC / priestesses). That doesn't line up with what we know of Elain though. She wants sunshine, sits in the sunniest windows, always takes a seat by the windows, black sucks the life out of her and cruelty bothers her.

Also, throughout the novella, Elain moved quickly and quietly to the point that Feyre was surprised by it. It happened again in SF with Nesta taking note of it. Feyre mentions Elain having Az beat for secret keeping and Elain is curious about changing forms, seeming really confused when Amren thinks she's talking about trying to become human again. Elain is also mentioned being up since Dawn on multiple occasions and sleepless.

I don't think Elain is training to be a spy, I do think it's possible she can shift into an owl (which ties up a whole bunch of loose ends, shifting is a Spring gift, it would solve why she "stepped out of the shadows" to stab the king (owls / cover of dark) and how she got there, her odd sleeping habits / early hours, it would give her advanced hearing and sight, it would answer how she can move so quietly (owls make no noise when they fly), and why she asked Amren about what form she picked.

That doesn't mean Elain couldn't still be a "spy" but my spy version of Elain is one where she's laughing in a beautiful ball gown, hosting a ball with all the important people (read, important people who you're trying to gather intel on), where she would use her super hearing (which does seem to be something we're meant to focus on, she not only heard all the way to the sea which Feyre says is impossible, but she somehow heard Nesta and Cassian were in trouble with the king, heard what the IC was talking about with the trove though she wasn't even in the room, and heard Lucien's heart beating through the stone though his room was far away from the sisters) to listen to other conversations while pretending to banter with guests. Rhys could also cash in on her being "part of this court - and would do whatever was needed" by sending her to keep an eye on Lucien in the Spring since Mor mentioned they don't know whether Lucien's reports are now biased due to his friendships with Vassa / Jurian.

Sorry, that was a bit wordy. To sum it up though, I think there was foreshadowing throughout the series to hint at something happening between Az and Elain, maybe the potato scene was one of them and maybe it wasn't. But, I think all that foreshadowing amounted to was an almost rebound between them, his first steps towards getting over Mor and her first steps towards moving on from Graysen. What I don't believe is that it adds up to an E/riel endgame considering all the other information SJM has given us about Elain and Az as individuals (their lack of compatibility) as well as how Az is with Gwyn, how Lucien has only done right by Elain and is a ridiculously compatible match for her. Not to mention we have never heard Elain confirm that she doesn't like Lucien for who he is which is much different than being opposed to a mating bond.

[hummingbee-lievable]

Song of the Day #23:

'Sparrow' by Big Thief (released 2022).

Mama the scream of the eagle

Threading my heart through the needle

Threading the blood through the apple

Eve sucked the juice from the apple

Nakedly running I saw her

Boy chasing after to stall her

I wish I'd have spoken to call her

Before she found fabric to shawl her

Breasts bound and burdened with fiber

Adam came trembling beside her

And he said, he said

"She has the poison inside her

She talks to snakes and they guide her"

Track #6 on 'Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You'.

Fun fact: Adrienne Lenker (singer/songwriter) created this album name as a mantra for herself and her bandmates, to remind them of the beauty of things in their lives. Indeed, often her songs tend to focus on something small and simple; they remind us of where magic really is.

'"The first song on the record, 'Change' has that has that line, 'Would you live forever never die while everything around passes?'. The last song on the record 'Blue Lightning' is 'I want to live forever till I die'. And then 'Spud Infinity': 'when I say infinity, I mean now'.'*

Personal blurb: Okay, I've surprised myself today because really this song:

This is the one that, upon first hearing it, reached me exactly the way I needed it to. Not sure why I chose 'Sparrow', but maybe it's what I needed. I'll be honest: I'm not religious. I have personal issues that prevent me from seeing the concept as anything other than a cult at an institutional level (but I have no issue with it on a personal level, when friends are believers, it's just the administration as a whole and how it operates). So the concept of Adam and Eve isn't reeeaaaallyyy something I buy into. (There's also the whole not-trusting-in-the-concept-of-a-diety thing, but that's another novella. And I believe enough in Something, for me.) But I love the visceral imagery of these lyrics, and the concept that by eating the apple, she has the poison inside her. That we all do, now.

Really makes you think about the conceptual influence of religion and the imposition of that onto gender norms today, and the treatment of people born with female anatomy as a result of this story. Anyway. I don't need to go into all of that. You have plenty of angry relatives to have that conversation with; this is a safe space to just be you, no matter what you believe in.

The whole album is lovely, although it took me a while to love it. (You know how some songs are just like that? It's only on the 5th listen that you really start to get into it.) My tops from the album are: 'Change', 'Time Escaping', of course 'Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You' (which I've apparently typed enough times that my phone recognises what's happening as soon as I type 'Dragon'), 'Sparrow' and 'Dried Roses'. I honestly think this album isn't done with me yet, though.

I love the lines 'I believe in you/ even if you need to/ recoil'. Especially lately, I have not wanted to be touched. I recoil from it, quite literally. I used to be a very affectionate person and there is a part of me that craves it, but I just can't. Every time I'm touched my whole body just shuts down. But the person I'm with has been so understanding of it. And it's nice to know that beyond the frustration and guilt and shame and everything else that I'm still believed in, even when I need to recoil.

I love both the song and the album cover for the same reason: they're reminiscent of the magic I don't feel capable of recognising anymore.

When I was a kid, I think it was less magic that I was surrounded by and more possibility: that I might walk through a gap in the trees and enter a faerie ring, that if I was quiet enough and alone enough, forest people would find me and take me in and I would become one with the first. I fell in love infinitely and desperately in a nightly basis because I couldn't sleep unless I could pretend that I was falling asleep in someone's arms that really cared, and wanted to hold me as much as I wanted to be held.

That was magic, wasn't it? The limitless possibilities. Now, it seems that those possibilities are confined by logic and the weight that tends to settle on those that live long enough and hard enough. This song feels like a little tingle of magic in our everyday world. And the lyrics are sprinkled with reminders of the things we see daily and are lucky enough to enjoy. Neil Gaiman said, upon being asked if he believed in magic:

'I can write down a few words and make people thousands of miles away, whom I have never met and will never meet, laugh tears of joy and cry tears of true sorrow for people who do not exist and have never existed and never will exist. If that isn't actual literal magic I don't know what is.'

The concept of things being 'limitless' makes me think of this song by Dodie, called 'In The Middle'. You don't have to listen to the whole song to enjoy the monologue at the end, and the monologue at the end is so good that I may just copy/paste it here:

'Have you tried the cake? It's good. Maybe you're thinking: 'I've already eaten' or 'I want to dance later and don't want to feel bloated'. Maybe you're thinking: 'I'm on a diet'. But then, how many times will you be offered a piece of cake as delicious as this?Perhaps, two or three times a year, if you're lucky. Over the course of your life, maybe two hundred times. And how many times will you refuse? How many times will you go skinny dipping in the moonlight? Maybe seven, if you're lucky. How many times will you lie on your back in the grass and watch the stars? How many times will you let yourself be completely overwhelmed by the great inconceivable expanse of the universe. There are only so many chances to take. And of course, you don't know when it will end. So it all feels... limitless.'

We're surrounded by magic. We just have to look for it. What magic have you seen today?

Oh look! Squirrel! Hehe. For you, Guacker-Snacker. (Oh my gosh, because you eat guacamole, this is so accurate hehe. Your nickname just reached new levels.)

*Reference:

[artemisandhersilverbow]

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

I've not been in the business of paternity testing TTPD because it's led to a much richer experience without it. I've been particularly moved/saddened by religious trauma as theme throughout. To me, if there's a relationship at the center of TTPD it's her most enduring, and traumatic, one with fame. Also, I just don't think any of these songs are inspired by a single "muse." Or really any of her adult work. Maybe some songs of hers are one thing on the surface and many other things underneath... maybe all of them can be true. Maybe none of them are. Her mind is just that good.

I say this because I was really struck by a line in "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived": But you are what you did. Which finally reminded me of the song "Innocent"... which was (allegedly?) written about K****.

Opposite sentiments, sure. But it made me wonder what that experience of rerecording it for Speak Now must have been like. That song certainly doesn't ring true for her anymore, but she rerecorded it faithfully. And then... I replayed TSMWEL and that (truly top tier) bridge hit a little different:

Were you sent by someone who wanted me dead? Did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed Were you were writing a book? Were you a sleeper cell spy? In 50 years will this all be declassified? You'll confess what you did And I'll say good riddance ‘Cause it wasn't sexy once it wasn’t forbidden I would've died for your sins Instead, I just died inside And you deserve prison, but you won’t get time You'll slide into inboxes and slip through the bars You crashed my party and your rental car You said normal girls were boring But you were gone by the morning You kicked out the stage lights but you're still performing And in plain sight, you hid But you are what you did And I'll forget you but I'll never forgive The smallest man who ever lived

She's used the "crash my party" idea in "This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things," and could refer to the VMAs moment or the Bleachella era for ex. And the first thing that really made the alarms go off was the crash of the rental car mention. K**** talks about his near fatal car crash (resulting in having his jaw wired shut/facial damage) of his rental Lexus in his music and documentary.

As for the fateful recording leak, even Tree Paine clapped back about it once the full clip came out saying what they did was illegal. But that's certainly not the only problematic thing that's come out about him in recent years.

Slip through the bars could be working double/triple time - slipping through bars of prison, his own lyrics/performing, her own songs about him.

I remember that interview of young Taylor in Miss Americana being asked if she was a K**** fan after that famous interruption and she replies something like, "Yeah, I mean it's K****." That artist who would one day become Y**zus. But I imagine that devastating line about dying for your sins carries far deeper weight than just this simple reading. And I fully think this song is inspired by more than one bad man/system and the same lines apply to any matter of sin.

The "kicked out the stage lights, but you're still performing" feels pretty self explanatory with what he's up to these days (not performing massive world tours). But I do think the "In plain sight, you hid" is pretty powerful because obviously the phone call moment was shared by him/his wife and presented as the full truth (it wasn't). And they rode that controversy for all they could get out of it.

The sexy/forbidden line is hard for me to even express in a way that feels ok to talk about in a wildly speculative way (which is what I'm doing). But there's the surface level/romantic lead of "oh we couldn't be together and once we could be you weren't interested anymore." But if we read it, knowing how K**** (grossly) capitalized on this moment, as a call out about the consent of that entire situation I read it as far more bone chilling.

Anyway, in the days after TTPD release and Taylor herself sharing articles that focus on how we should not be classifying each song as being about [insert name here] lover and an album that seems to constantly tell us "you don't know me, but if you looked closer you might find something bigger," it would be fairly genius to cloak a song about an abusive industry as a truly spectacular break up song. And for us, it can be that if we want.

One last thought... while this was an interesting puzzle to connect, and get off my chest, it's true that it really doesn't matter. I don't think there's a way to know the documentary-level truth about any of this music (unless you're her). She knows her own mythology looms too tall and I wonder what else I'll learn (more universally) while practicing forgetting as I replay and replay and replay.

[hard-core-super-star]

It's okay, by now you probably know that I don't mind that and that taking your own time is more important, so you don't need to apologize for these things, I hope you're better now tho. I mean, totally, but if you look at the essays we write, we reply quite quickly. it probably was, but yes, at that moment I was already sleeping peacefully lmao. It's funny to see me admitting that you're right? 🤨 wHaTt?? kdhwkkwka is this chance in the room with us???? I don't know how I could expand on this- 😶

OH??? so you first call the characters from legends of tomorrow (I already forgot their names) irrelevant and now you say that my party theme is boring???? I don't know if you should be invited after that words actually 🤨 OKAY KSHSJWAK I woke up being attacked today, I see. well, as I said “less” I will still continue to be at least 0.00001% a brat. stfu asgwjwk it was not convincing! I mean, you can watch movies on this app... with more than one person... and since you were thinking about watching the amazing spider-man and it's been a while since I watched it this idea appeared in my mind so- 😶 oh yeah? Is it a win for me that I'm seeing? (saying caso cerrado and caso encerrado seems to have more emotion, I should have written that). both, lmao. I can't say, it's literally a state secret. we should make a duo 🤔

I thought you said you weren't an analyst??? you're welcome, it took me a few minutes staring at the wall and reflecting on life before and after I wrote this. yeah, but still!! i- heiwkjekq WELL, I guess I have no option but to leave this aside for now- you are (sometimes), but you won't see me complaining 👀 yup, that's not why my mind stops working on these messages, which gives yet another reason for the delay in replying.

sorry but I didn't laugh at that at all, I was completely serious. I won't say I was as confused as you reading this again and I admire that you have understood my sleepy messages so far. well, if this new follower has miles' pfp and a totally not sus name... it's not me. and I'm definitely not interested in you giving me your Instagram. I'm not quite sure of what you didn't double-checked 😶 I'm not excited either and I'm not laughing at the fact that it's been a day or two (I think) since this idea came up and we still haven't managed to make it happen kwhsjak

lmao, yes 😭😭 should I tell you if this happens?

that's why synonyms are sometimes our greatest allies on this journey 🙏 HEY! you made them so dirty but I bet even they couldn't stand grammar. now, if you told me that a person who likes grammar runs over old people on the street, I would completely agree. you just try to avoid grammar at all costs, don't you? lmao. You can trust my word, as I like to say: só confia, tá comigo tá, com deus. I don't know?? but it was literally as clear as day what you meant, I don't know why you thought it didn't make sense ksshjskajwjk also, my teacher used to say the same thing to me about the places she traveled. oh jshsjakakk the hole is deeper then- I recommend 😶 you brought up a good question because it's something I like to think about sometimes. soooo.... yes? in my humble and pure opinion, she has ADHD (Robin having ADHD is also a hc, and as I see them as practically the same person but in different fonts this plays a role in me thinking about it for kate too). you just dropped the greatest act of love in the entire world- it's literally impossible for any human being to hide a +4 to let the other person get revenge, that's cute 😔 not the feigning shock jahskaaksjk kate would notice it?

– 🌟

remember a while ago when you said you were fighting the urge to apologize for apologizing? that's me rn. starting to realize my tendency to overexplain myself comes from the awful friend choices i've made in the past but that's another topic. that's a good point, once again, we've proven that we are in fact incredibly fast when it comes to writing these essays. i don't know what we're going to do with this information but i'm glad we have it now. yes, although i think entertaining is a better word. adflhgadsgkl it's long gone by now but it stuck around as long as it could. ...fine, we can let it go for now unless there's something more you'd like to say 👀

OH MY GOD, when are you going to let that go??? i already apologized like three times, smh. i would say i didn't mean it like that but no, i did mean it. i just couldn't figure out what kind of decorations a party with a theme like that would have, maybe if i was invited i could help you figure it out but fine 😑 does it really count as being attacked if i'm completely right? i would be upset about that if i didn't find your brattiness endearing. damn, that sucks, i tried my best to make it convincing as possible for you. i can't believe you still found a way to leave your sentence unfinished, smh. i'm definitely not saying your idea intrigues me but i'm certainly thinking about it. i think this win is half-and-half but whatever floats your boat, darling. look at you finally answering a question, good job, i'll take it as a compliment. i agree, we'd be very successful 'cause we're hilarious. [we can even ask the audience, i'm sure at least one person will agree with us]

again, i'm an overthinker, not an analyst but if you say so 🤷 well, i'm glad your reflections didn't make you delete it because i loved reading it. but still what??? you just don't want to let me win, huh? look at that, i won again, i'm starting to feel a little bad but then again, you make it very easy. well, as long as you're not complaining, i guess i have no choice but to keep being as obvious as possible. just so that you don't get confused, of course, no other reason. yeah, definitely not. i also won't admit that you've had the same effect on me more than once 😶

i don't know why but i'm having a hard time believing that 🤨 i won't say i'm glad to hear you admit it because i certainly wasn't worried that i was being dumb. well, i certainly didn't forget to follow this person back last night which means i certainly didn't just follow them back right now. well since you're not interested, i won't give you another math problem to find me. take the 11th letter of the alphabet, add a . and then add my nickname. [if anyone else is doing this to stalk me, you're legally obligated to like my two most recent pictures, i don't make the rules 🤷] well, i won't say that i haven't given you all my cards and now it's not up to you how to proceed. you certainly don't have both my tktk and my insta and i'm not waiting for a message from you at all.

definitely lmao

i agree, they also help make things less repetitive. sdghjsjh yeah, yeah, okay, i like your version better. listen, i know grammar exist for a reason but i would prefer it if it stayed away from my long and pretty sentences. i'm very proud to say that i think i understood that and i DIDN'T have to use google translate for it. [but please don't test my understanding because i will probably end up looking stupid] i'm still convinced you have some sort of superpower because you understand basically all of my incoherent sentences. i don't even understand what i mean most of the time lmao. it certainly is and it's never-ending lmao. i'll think about it 🤘 i think so too, tbh. she's like a heavy mix of ADHD and anxiety in my book. which is why a lot of her "quirks" in my fics are really just subtle signs of anxiety or hyperactivity. are they cute? yes. should we be a little worried about her? also yes. and yes, well, yelena isn't just any human. she has to go above and beyond while also being sneaky af because if she's not, kate will not let it go lmao. honestly, i think kate would 100% notice but she'd be far too excited to question yelena about it...which would probably lead to yelena actually becoming interested in the conversation.

[magical-glimpse]

Hi Miaro! Hope you're feeling well. I was wondering about a dream I had a while ago and if you could tell me if it means something. I had it on a journal log, so it is as detailed as it can get(I apologize for the length 😭) :

I remember something about me driving to school, but I didn't have a license, so I was trying to convince a couple of my childhood classmates. (Harold and Carlos) to go with me. Harold knew how to drive, but his bitch ass didn't want to drive us 😒.

In the end, something happened. A lot of people were outside my house, which looked sometimes like the one in my home country, but sometimes it morphed into something else.

It seems that my dad was a werewolf. Carlos said something about right and left, that it was important, and he drew the faces of 2 women on paper at the right and left borders of a circle. He had some coins, too. Probably was gonna use it for some magic. In the end, I went to find my dad because we thought he was the werewolf. I found him in the garage. The garage was made of clear wood and cristal, so idk what house we were. He was hiding, and I went back thinking the werewolf was my mom since my dad wasn't transformed. It seems I opened the door of the garage because while running, I looked back and saw my dad holding the neck of someone between his jaws ( this was on the street adjacent to my street in my home country, the corner of the farmers market, it's walls were green blue.) I saw my mom and a bunch of people running towards the Avenue near by. I thought that maybe I wouldn't have time to run if I was on my dad's line of vision, so I thought of running in the direction of the house. It didn't matter. Some people got in the middle. And I scape.

Blur...

After that we were on an island, some sort of vacationing house. It was full of people hiding. I think my dad was there somewhere but I'm jot sure. My mom told me to go in to the bedroom and to sleep there.

Everything is a blur there too. I remember someone saying I was a good boy. A pale woman with short black hair. But I don't remember the context.

Then I was standing in front of a foyer and looking at the floor of the living room and my surroundings. I became lucid. I thought this is a dream. The person who called me a good boy was there. She saw me rise from the floor when I thought about flying.

I reflected on why I always flew on my lucid dreams, but it seems that my mobility was easy enough for me to dismiss it. I told the girl I was going to find (insert name of the person i love the most). But even when my mind tried, I couldn't find it.

So I thought about something interesting that I heard before, about people of your dreams becoming hostile when you let them know they were part of a dream. So I flew in front of a group of people and told them "this is a dream, and y'all are not real." They ignored me first and then walked through me. I realized they couldn't see me. I tried on another group of people who were sitting on something like a pier and they didn't care.

I lost lucidity after that.

Sorry it's so long. Could you tell me what it means if it's not too much bother.

The werewold thing makes me think about something about your dad which could make you feel or others feel unsafe around him, as if he could be a danger, or double faced/ an hypocrite.

The message about left and right and the women is very stranger though. It looks like a balance or a choice Are you currently in a phase of hesitations, where you struggle to make decisions or how to make them ?

Also, it seems a part of you is trying to leave that confusion at whatever cost.

[moonchild-in-blue]

Okay this is a very interesting question! I tried to keep it in the tags but I think it got a bit confusing so, I'm adding here!

(cut because long again)

So, if we go by the og band lore, that the name "Sleep" is merely a crude translation of Their name, as Their language is not recognisable by any human entity, it's safe to assume it would be a similar case with Their voice. I like to think that, to our ears, Sleep's voice is a mesh of melodies and musical tones and sounds unlike anything we've ever heard.

In particular, this reminds me a bit of Arabic and Indian traditional music (there are more but these are what came to mind, and are a bit more widely recognisable!). Both of these have some super interesting particularities, as they both have their own unique modes of music, using a lot of microtones and complex modulations, far more complete and diverse than the well-known scales and modes. Both in instruments and in singing, which is just insane, as it requires a very specific kind of knowledge and control. It's incredibly difficult to reproduce all the little sounds and variations they sing with. Even more if you consider a lot of these are made for, or through, improvisation.

Here is a convenient link to the wiki page of maqam, the Arabic melodic system, used in improvisation, among others, and for the Indian classical music page. Both very interesting reads!

And these are ancient techniques, thoroughly ingrained in their culture and various religions and traditions. Also important to notice both of these cultures still use music as a storytelling-device, in addition to the spiritual connotations (i'm saying this in comparison to western cultures in general, where this tradition isn't as prevalent or significant today).

Why is this relevant at all? Because these styles of traditional music are pretty much the closest thing we have to a melodic speech, so to say. It has structures and rules and meanings, but it is wildly more complex and beautiful than "simple" spoken language as we know. I think that Sleep, an ancient deity who seems to have some sort of connection to music, would probably speak and sing like that. Just pure melody and sound. (Also I think it could be an interesting connection to the location-songs of Two, and the artwork in general.)

And for a being who uses music to communicate, I think it may be possible for each song, each token, be a double message to Sleep. Obviously we have the lyrics and normal music structure (by human standards), that form a story, a conversation. But, like you said, maybe each note, each tone (the ones we know and hear, and the ones we don't) form a whole other layer of dialogue. A letter written in invisible ink, for Sleep's eyes alone.

Maybe the vessels have learned what certain patterns, rhythms and modulations mean - alone or combined, as if each chord and beat were a phrase of their own. Because to human ears, whatever language Sleep talks and sings, will always sound like divine melody.

I don't think they would take center stage, but not quite accompany Vessel like the Choir does. I think they would simply blend together, as if Sleep is but a voice existing within Vessel, and somehow the two voices would merge. Same for the other vessels, I think they would just have this moment where their bodies weren't just their own - it's Them and Sleep simultaneously.

[ Kinda like in the Pixar movie Soul, when they have that astral-projection moment while performing, or in The Phantom of The Opera - "I am the mask you wear / It's me they hear / Your (my) spirit and my (your) voice in one combined" ]

As for what timbre Sleep would have, that I couldn't tell. I think that it would change constantly, depending on Their mood, the tone of conversation, Their intention. Or whatever form they are taking. Either way, I think it would simply sound like pure music. Like those moments when you're listening to a song, and a there's this big crescendo, and you get goose-bumps all over. A shiver; a whisper; a crystalline whistle; a low rumble - whatever it may sound like, I don't think Their presence would go unnoticed.

my own connection and thoughts on music aside, now i'm thinking about sleep and the overall concept of music and song as offerings and worship.

it brings me back to the question of what a full-on conlang for sleep token's lore would look and most importantly sound like, the kind of phonetics and intonation that sleep could have, if he can create speech of his own at all. sibilants and vowel positioning and aspiration of consonants aside, clearly music and song seem to speak to him. they're suitable offerings, preferable even, expressions of undiluted and pure emotion through chords and crescendos and sobs and tears, from solemn piano numbers to the most hectic breakdowns, from whispers to screams. so how does sleep respond to this? what kind of dialogue can be had between sleep and the rest of the vessels, to everyone? is it purely through thought? what kind of voice does he have, when he speaks through your mind, if not through fully audible speech? does he sing, too? what kind of melody does he prefer, how many notes can he hit, does he sing with one voice or many, is it rich and full or is it electronic and generated through inorganic means? if sleep can truly sing, what kinds of tunings would he prefer, what kind of chords would he make? would he compliment vessel as a background voice like the vesselites with the periodic highlight, or would he prefer to be front and center, or going back and forth between lead and support? when vessel calls for him, what does it sound like when he responds, and when he calls in return?

[ddaz3d-and-cc0nfused]

༉‧₊˚. 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛 || 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐝

― pairing: spencer reid x plus size!reader

― summary: after a case involving an old childhood bully, you began to question everything you've ever worked for, but that's nothing a little reassurance from the good doctor can't fix.

― warnings: oral sex (fem rec.), vaginal fingering, exhibitionism, head in the jet bathrooms (lord), spencer has long hair, man ponytail spence, quiet "sex." hurt/comfort, mentions of kidnapping, murder, violence, bullying, hostage situations, and weapons.

― wc: 2403

⋆ a/n: this is the first ever fanfiction i wrote and uploaded to ao3. i don't know why i made it so long lmfao. yeah, i googled the term whiplash, sue me. this has already been posted to ao3.

masterlist | AO3

You wish what you wanted wasn't inappropriate. That it didn't totally go against everything that you stood for as a person. Morally, you were always correct, but in this certain situation, the lines began to get blurred between your self-control and your burning desire for the genius on your team.

Your body bursts into flames whenever you saw him; when he had his glasses perched onto his nose, a file in his hand as his long and delicate fingers skimmed over the words, lighting grazing them. Even when the others thought his constant spewing of facts were annoying, you actually found it endearing, and quite the turn on. It was embarrassing really, how this man could simply just exist and you were ready to jump his bones.

Of course you doubted that he had held any sort of attraction for you. He's probably the most oblivious person you've ever met dispite his IQ of 187.

It was another case that was just as exhausting as the other, and not only that, it took place in your hometown. What made it worse was that you actually knew the person that was the murderer, which made you vital to the case. You could sense that everyone besides the team was side eyeing you, and you couldn't help but feel like an outcast. You were frustrated and tense, wanting nothing more than to have sleep swallow you whole.

The jet was quiet, almost everyone still asleep as you counted the stars in the dark sky that you could see from your window. The whole situation was overwhelming, no matter how many sympathetic words and tight hugs you had received, you were still bothered to no end. Eric was a part of your close friend group in highschool, but after a falling out, you were the only one that left. You had no idea that he and the others stayed close until you were called down to solve a double homicide and stalking situation.

You figured out that he still harbored feelings for your long time friend, Stacy. Of course as fate would have it —and highschool cliches— she got with the jock of your friend group, Ryan. They got married, but Eric was still as jealous and bitter as he was when he was seventeen. He chose to kill the couple and be on his way to kill the others that were left. You couldn't help but think about what if you were still friends with them, would he be after you too? You shifted uncomfortably in your seat, throwing the blanket that you had draped over you onto it as you made your way to the bathroom.

When you had gotten inside, you shut the door behind you, pressing your hands onto the cool counter in an attempt to ground yourself. You stared into the mirror to take in your disheveled form.

You watched as your highschool self formed right in front of your very eyes; your frizzy hair, pimpled face and braced teeth had all of a sudden reappeared, like a dream like fog. You still looked as tired as you did then, your eyes clouding with tears. Not only were you devastated about your old friends deaths, but it was also what Eric had said when he held another friend, Amanda, at gun point.

"Just because you got a fancy badge and gun doesn't mean you're still not the same brace face that nobody wanted."

You were embarrassed in front of your team, the media, as well as the other police officers at the scene.

As Eric was brought down to his knees and handcuffed, he walked past your glaring gaze with a smirk. You could've sworn that your finger that was pressed against the trigger twitched. You were the first one to have left, your skin burning in shame and your gut twisting in the most painful way possible. It hurt really, and now the after effects were sticking to you like glue. As if the insults that you get for being a bigger FBI was enough as it is, this was just the icing on the cake. You had worked so hard to move on from your past, but alas, it would always seem to find you.

Tears dripped down your face as a silent sob ripped through you. You just wanted to disappear. As your self wallowing continued, the bathroom door was opened scaring you and the person on the other side.

"Sorry!" Spencer squeaked, closing the door back up. "It's fine," You chuckled, "I wasn't doing anything anyway." You wiped your tears hastily before the man re-entered.

His faced quickly crumpled in concern, his eyebrows furrowing at the sight of your saddened facial features. "Why are you crying?" You waved your hand in an attempt to dismiss his question. He hesitated before speaking."Is this— is this about what happened earlier?" You let out a sigh. "Shut the door." And he did, closing it quietly behind him as he looked at you worriedly.

"It wasn't about the "brace face" comment. It was the fact that I had allowed myself to let him make me feel small. I worked so hard to get where I am, and it was like one word from him and all of it just came crumbling down." You ranted, tears threatening to come down once more.

In all of your years as an FBI agent, you had learned to not let such crude words get to you knowing that it was a part of your job that wasn't going to go away anytime soon. Everyone on your team has heard their fair share of insults from bitter UnSubs, and they're always just ignored and not thought twice about until it included someone close to them.

"You know that everything he said wasn't true, right?" Spencer asked, his tone soft and reassuring. Even though he phrased it like a question, it was more like he was telling you, causing your stomach to twist around with butterflies. "I know, I just—" You groaned, your back against the counter where the sink was at, your face held in your hands. You felt him step in front of you, soft but skinny hands placing themselves on your wrist to stop them from covering your face.

"If it's it uh—" He cleared his throat, "If it's any consolation, I think you're absolutely gorgeous." He said bravely, his voice holding unforseen confidence. You blinked rapidly, swallowing your spit nervously as he leaned closer to you. You could see it in his eyes that he was afraid that he read the room wrong, but you didn't hesitate, grabbing him by his orange tie and pulling him closer against you.

He was now gripping the counter, his head tilted to the side as his lips barely brushed again yours.

"You mean it?" You asked, staring up at him. It was his turn to be rendered speechless, but he nodded his head. You smiled sweetly, raising a hand up to tuck some of his long hair behind his ear. He trembled slightly at your touch, the skin of his ears and the back of his neck flushing a deep red. You held him in a strong gaze as you made your demand.

"Lock the door."

All he had to do was lean over and the locked snapped, signaling that you were both now in here together. You locked your fingers in his hair and pulled him into a kiss, Spencer cradling your face. He was an excellent kisser even though he was slightly hesitant, being a gentleman as always. His hands were respectful even though you can tell they wanted to explore more of your curvaceous body that were filled in all the right places.

You took his hands off of your face and placed them on your ass, your hands giving him an encouraging squeeze around the fat. He groaned in surprise, but opting to throw all caution to the wind once you had took the initiative to show him that it was okay. Your threaded your digits through his luscious locks until he bent downward a bit, his lips separating from yours for only a split second to haul you onto the marble. You let out a quiet squeak that he only chuckled at.

He kissed down your neck, hands touching all over you until they reached your spread thighs, opening them wider so he could step in between them. He wrapped them around his tiny waist, his lips continuing their assault.

"Spence. . ." You breathed. "Yeah?" He mumbled, lips kissing down to your breast. His voice was muffled by the fabric of your shirt but he was still alert. "Are you sure you want to do this here?" You asked. With the way his needy hands were going and the fact that the belt on your dress pants were undone , it was looking like he was about to finger you at the least. He looked up at you, holding your face in his hands again.

"I want to show you how beautiful you are to me, but if you'd rather wait, maybe until I take you on a date—" You cut off his rambling with a peck, "No need, just make sure to be quiet." You winked at him. He smiled sheepishly shrugging off his grey vest before falling to his knees so that he was faced with your clothed crotch. Your body was keening at the sight of the tall man in front of you, the supposed genius now reduced to nothing more than a mouth. It was hot how he looked at you with so much admiration, like you were his goddess to worship.

You stared down at him, running your fingers through his long hair, biting your lip.

"Can you—" He gulped. "Can you please lift your hips?" His shaky fingers were tucked into the band of your pants, pupils blown out and and pleading. You did as he asked to make the process of him stripping you of your lower half easier. You were now bare and open to him, legs spread with your glistening sex clenching around nothing. He gulped at the sight of your drenched cunt, his tongue peeking out to wet his lips before leaned forward, his tongue licking a bold stripe up your folds that caused you to bite your lip.

"Wait." You paused. "What?" He asked, his voice gravelly as he watched you reach up into your hair to pull out your hair tie. Even though your locks fell around your face, you gestured for him to lean up a bit. "C'mere," You beckoned. You then went around his head, collecting his hair gently before tying it back so that none of it got in his way.

"There you go." You said, sounding pleased with yourself. "Thank you." He blushed. His gratitude was short lived as he leaned forward once more, throwing both of your legs over his shoulders so that he was suffocated by your large thighs. You held onto his ponytail, trying your best not to tug on the thing too hard. As he suckled on your clit, he watched as you slapped a hand over your mouth, harsh breaths coming out of you as your legs tightened around his head.

Your chest was heaving as Spencer's nails dug into the skin of your thighs in an attempt to keep himself grounded. You were barely holding on, his inexperienced tongue searching desperately to see what you liked, what got you off, his dough eye's peering up at you to study your reactions. He mentally took notes of what made you twitch and gasp, what made you tremble and tighten as your hand clamped harder around your mouth in an attempt to keep yourself from being too loud.

You almost screamed when one of his fingers joined his attack, his middle finger curling against the spongy padding of your g-spot. You began to shake, your juices dripping down his chin, almost soaking the collar of his dress shirt as he brought you closer to a mind blowing orgasm. It didn't take long for you to cum once his ring finger breached you as well.

Your jaw went slack, your back arching and your hand slipped from off of your mouth. He pulled away from your now weeping opening, his chest heaving and strands of his hair sticking out from under the elastic of the band. He looked more destroyed than you in a humorous way.

"Wow..." You giggled, sitting up in order to stretch your back. He shakily got up, his knees slightly aching from sitting on them for so long. You pulled him into you, releasing his hair from the band and massaging his scalp. His hands placed themselves onto your naked and splayed out thighs, hands warming at the feeling of your soft skin.

"Did I— did I do good?" Even though he whispered it, it still made you smile endearingly. "You did great, Doctor." You teased as he smiled softly. Embarrassingly enough, he reached over a bit to grab some toilet paper in order to wipe his mouth from your release. Your face flushed as he dropped the soiled paper into the toilet next to the both of you.

"We should get out of here, don't you think?" You brought up, which prompted him to grab your pants and underwear in a hurry. "Right, right." He agreed, helping you off the counter and assisting you in getting your clothes on.

Before you two left, he pulled you into him by your waist.

"Would like to go on a date?" There was that same confidence again. "Of course, Spence. And what's with you and this duality? It's giving me whiplash." You chuckled, throwing your arms around his neck. "Actually, whiplash is an injury caused by a severe jerk to the head, typically in a motor-vehicle accident—" You cut him off with a peck, "I know, I was being sarcastic." You sighed, but there was no irritation behind it. He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry."

He made sure to sneak you out first, flushing the toilet to ensure his ruse. You found yourself chuckling at his extremities, but nonetheless was satisfied as he took a seat next to you. He pulled the blanket over the both of you as his hand met yours, interlacing your fingers together before dozing off on your shoulder.

[octo-cutie]

Can you do a part 2 for "Karasuno Boys with a Taller Girlfriend" but with Aoba Johsai

Hello! I'm so sorry it took me a while to get around to this but I have these headcanons! I'm sorry I couldn't write for Watari but I really couldn't think of anything for him...

Presenting Aoba Johsai x Tall girl!Reader

Warning: Suggestive in Iwaizumi's part and Hanamaki's part

Oikawa Tooru

Let’s start with the resident pretty boy

Ok this man is like 6’6 he’s tall as hell

BUT YOU’RE 6’9! (:D)

He would most absolutely be whiny about the 3 inches because it’s Oikawa and he’s a dramatic drama king

Iwaizumi is absolutely losing his shit as Oikawa follows you around like a love struck puppy since usually he is the butt of the jokes relating to height 

Oikawa has once tried to sic you on Ushijima but instead you just made friends with him

Oikawa had a whole temper tantrum at this

You picked him up like a small kitten and carted him off while Makki and Mattsun videoed this for later blackmail

But when you guys are alone, he absolutely loves being able to look up at someone after so many years of looking down on everyone

You are his queen and he is your king  (I HAD TO :D)

Iwaizumi Hajime

Ah yes, Hajime

In all his 5’10 glory

When you join the group of over 6’0-ters he is immediately referred to herein as “Y/N’s grumpy little troll” 

But only in the separate Group Chats and when he’s asleep

Iwaizumi likes to take naps on your chest because he’s right at the height where your hugs have him pressed into your *ahem* boobies as he calls them

Big or little breasts it doesn’t matter because that’s where his height stops and when you cuddle at night, he’s pressed up against you because that's just where he fits

And he doesn’t feel the need to move

BUT HE’S ALWAYS SO SWEATY LIKE GOOD LORD WHY IS HE DAMP ALL THE TIME?!

You’re not sure but you suspect that he sweats so that he can sleep shirtless and that YOU can sleep shirtless and- well you see where he’s going here.

When he does piss you off you can easily hide his stuff in places he can’t reach.

The team finds this hilarious as he tries to scale you like a tree to get his stuff back

Cue the Monkey-In-the-Middle games

Matsukawa Issei

He’s not as tall as you, you’ve got a full 7 inches on him

But he’s got a full 7 inches somewhere else :D

He thinks it’s chill, I mean you can’t control height it just happens

You guys have the sickest high-fives though

I’m talking full choreographed routines that happen every time you two pass in the hall

When you guys hang out he fully expects YOU to be the “man” of the relationship

“Where’s your varsity jacket babe?”

“Because you’re taller” 

“To fucking bad gimme your jacket”

He likes to take baths with you even though neither of you can fit in a bath anyway

When you wear thigh highs this man DIES

Like full on wants to kiss you up your legs and all over your body

Y’all had to upgrade to a double king bed

Hanamaki Takahiro

This Bi-king has once asked you and Mattsun to squish him between you

When you told him your height all he said was “nice, wanna try it?” 

Earned himself a smack from you which only egged him on more

He also steals your jackets 

Claims you don’t even fit in them and wears your baggy sweaters and jackets but will proudly wear them around your house and his with his shorts

Has requested piggyback rides

Has offered piggyback rides

Cannot actually provide piggyback rides

He appreciates the fact that Oikawa is kind of scared to flirt with you because it really raises his self esteem

Yahaba Shigeru

Your relationship is very different from what he imagined

He thought he’d be holding you, with his arm on your shoulders

But instead you’re holding him and its always your arm wrapped around his shoulder

It may have been uncomfortable for him at first but after he had his little moment with Kyotani (you know what I’m talking about) he immediately became confident

Short king and wears it proudly

(But has thought about wearing lifts in his shoes to make him just a bit taller)

Kyotani Kentaro

He doesn't give a shit if you’re taller than him

It gives a whole new vibe to the “Opposite Attracts” meaning

Short angry BF with Tall sweetheart GF

He’s not as big on cuddling but when he does he will always ask you very very embarrassedly if he can still big spoon you

Of course you say yes and he tries so hard to pretend to be taller than you

But he has threatened to break up with you if you tell anyone that he wants to be the big spoon

Kunimi Akira

Sleepy little man just wants to cuddle 

But also he doesn’t care 

You still have to cuddle him though

He absolutely loves to be babied and held by you

You two take the cutest selfies and he has like four of them in his wallet/phone case

You guys watch a lot of anime and you dressed up as Panda and Toge Inumaki for Halloween and he was so happy that you did his makeup

You had to hold his face and he loved it

Kindaichi Yūtarō

He was so excited that he has a tall girlfriend! He could practice volleyball with you and show you off

If you play a sport he is your biggest cheerleader

“That tall one? No the REALLY tall one! That’s my girl!” 

He always complains about Oikawa trying to steal you away though

But you always promise him that hes the only man for you

Showing you off at his games is also just such a thrill for him

Please consider filling out my google form about what you want to see next on this blog!

[divinesouldariax]

26 and/or 70 from the random dialogue prompts for ashton!

I wrote this before last night's episode had some excellent Ashton and Laudna bonding moments, so like, i'm extremely ;-; abt their friendship right now. Hope you like it!

Send me prompts? Or these ones? (pls specify!)

Content warning for chronic migraines and health issues that come along with them

26. "Yeah, like I haven’t heard that one before." and/or 70. “You know what? Never-mind, you’ll know I’m lying to you anyway.”

“Are you alright?”

It was only by virtue of Ashton’s unflappable nature (ha) and the fact that they’ve gotten a little bit used to Laudna’s Whole Deal that he didn’t jump and yelp at the voice whispering into his head in the dim room. They were staying in a tiny inn with tiny rooms and tiny beds mostly built for dwarves and similarly sized folk, in a small mining town on the way to the Heartmoor. The whole group had been getting more comfortable sharing a living space (which was fucking weird, but not unwelcome), but even Fearne had been forced to admit that they wouldn't all fit in one room here. She and Orym and Imogen and Laudna had claimed one room, sleeping two by two in the little beds, which left Ashton, Chetney, and Fresh Cut Grass in the second room.

Most everyone was still downstairs getting food, though, which was why Ashton was startled to hear Laudna whispering from the other side of the wall. They debated pretending to already be asleep.

"Aaaaashton," Laudna continued.

"Fuck. What?" Ashton demanded. They sat down on their bed, rubbing at an aching, dark green bruise on his arm.

"I said, are you alright?"

"Why the fuck wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I don't know, but you don't usually skip out on the food and drinks part of the evening. And you took a few pretty gnarly hits out on the road today from that animated tree," Laudna said.

"I've had worse," Ashton stated.

"We know. You were also pinching the bridge of your nose and closing your eyes an awful lot," added Laudna. "Do you have a headache?"

Ashton almost laughed. When don't I? "Nah. Just tired."

"Yeah, like I haven’t heard that one before," scoffed Laudna. "Come on, now, I've been with Imogen for two years. I know what a migraine looks like."

They made a face and tried to send a message back that was just an irritated groan.

It must have worked, because Laudna replied, "I can leave you alone if you want, I don't mean to bother you. But I have some tea that I was making Imogen anyway. She also has a headache coming on. Would you like some? I know they're not caused by the same thing, but...a hot drink never hurt anyone."

"Unless it's poisoned, or you spill it," Ashton retorted quickly.

Laudna's appreciative grin was audible. "Truer words."

"Sure. Why the fuck not?" They didn't actually know why they were agreeing to this. He doubted the tea would actually help stop the tide of pain coming in behind his left eye, the dizziness and weird double vision tinged with color outlines that he could swear were making things move at the wrong speed, the way they sometimes felt like the ground beneath them was taking them forcefully by the glass and gold in his head and squeezing, pulling him downwards with irresistible weight. Sometimes, when they were especially beat up or exhausted, they just didn't have the strength to resist the pull and ended up laying facedown on the ground until sleep claimed him.

"May I come over?" Laudna asked.

Ashton nodded, winced as the shifting caused a slight grinding sound in his neck and a spike of burning pain through his head, and then remembered that Laudna couldn't see them. "Fuck. Yeah, sure." Today would definitely be one of the days that ended in total collapse. He could already feel the heightened gravity pulling at his head and limbs. They felt a little nauseous.

"On my way!" Laudna said in a sing-song voice. About thirty seconds later, there was a knock at the door.

"I don't think I locked it!" Ashton called. He hoped he hadn't. They really didn't want to try standing up at the moment. Seemed like it would go poorly.

The door opened and shut behind Laudna quietly, like she was trying not to make a lot of noise. "Here," she whispered (not in the creepy magic way this time, just the normal way). She held out a mug. "I'm honestly not sure what exactly is in this one, but Imogen says it helps."

Ashton took the mug and sniffed the liquid curiously. It smelled sharp, definitely herbal, a little minty. Not bad. Not his first choice for an evening drink, but not bad. They took a sip. "Not bad," they confirmed out loud. "And you don't have to fuckin' whisper around me, I won't shatter if you talk loudly."

"Noise doesn't make it worse? It does for Imogen, I suppose I was just being cautious," Laudna said.

Ashton shrugged and winced.

"But moving does make it worse," Laudna observed.

Technically, they hadn't confirmed Laudna's migraine theory at all. Maybe if he just stayed really still, she would go away and stop asking questions. They gave it a shot.

Nope. "Are you in a lot of pain?" Laudna asked after just a few seconds, with all the lack of tact and boundary awareness that Ashton actually admired about her.

"Hm. You know what? Never mind, you’ll know I’m lying to you anyway," Ashton said. He took another drink of the tea. It was a little numbing as it hit the back of their throat--not quite like alcohol or other drugs, more like ice on a bruise. It didn't fix anything, but it felt...alright. "Yeah, fuckin' hurts. Weird magic shit Milo poured in there to make it work again--" He reached up and tapped the glass lightly with one finger (and still gritted his teeth when it sent a reverberation through their broken skull). "Fucks me up sometimes. After it does shit in a fight, especially."

"Does anything help?" Laudna asked, leaning forward and propping her chin up on her hands.

"Just...sleep, usually. Lots of it." They paused, taking another swig of the tea. "But this isn't bad," he repeated.

She smiled, wide and unsettling. "Good." Another minute of silence. "Why hadn't you told us about the headaches before?"

"None of anyone's fuckin' business," Ashton said amicably.

"That's fair!"

“I mean, ‘m not hiding it. Been with you all long enough, it might come up. Is coming up. Probably should tell you all--” Ashton's vision blurred and shifted and cast the whole room in outlines of blue and red. He must have swayed visibly, because Laudna reached out and grabbed his mug right before he could drop it. Breathing heavily, too distracted to even care about Laudna watching this happen, they closed their eyes. Inhaled. Let their arms go limp. Exhaled. Felt the weight, the incessant weight, swirl in his brain as bright colors exploded with pain behind his left eyelid. They let the wave break over them, losing contact with their body for a second or two. Or five. Or...sixty. Who knew?

"Forty-three, forty-four, forty-five," Laudna was counting quietly.

"Fuck," Ashton groaned.

"Are you back with me?"

"Think so. Fuck, were you counting how long I was out?" That was a wild concept.

"Mm, I was taught that it was important to know how long if someone blacked out like that. Call it old-fashioned."

They had fallen backwards onto the bed. They didn't try to sit back up. "You said like, forty-something seconds?"

"That's what it seemed like. Was that normal, or would you like me to get Fresh Cut Grass?" said Laudna.

"Fuck, no. I mean, don't bother them, they can't help anyway. They've tried." Cautiously, Ashton moved his hand up and rubbed his eyes. The tensing of muscles in their shoulder to move made everything swirl and spin again, and it felt for a few seconds like gravity got less intense, causing a drop in the pit of their stomach and a quiet gasp before things settled again. They tried not to whimper.

"Time to go to sleep?" Laudna suggested.

"Mm-hmm," Ashton managed.

"Need help with anything, since I'm here?" she said.

Painfully, they pulled their legs up onto the bed and curled up on their side. The weird starfield in his vision intensified, threatening to make him pass out again, and they breathed shallowly. "Nah. I'll be fine tomorrow. No guarantee how late I'll sleep, and if any of you fuckers wake me up before like, noon, expect a punch in the face and for me to be completely useless all day."

"Understandable." Laudna wasn't walking away.

"Goodnight," Ashton said pointedly.

“Do you want me to leave?” she asked.

“I don’t give a shit, but I do want to sleep and I’m not gonna talk to you anymore.” He grabbed the pillow and kind of buried his face in it. “Too fucking tired to be social.”

"Ahh. Goodnight, then," Laudna told them.

They mumbled something indistinct in response and was asleep before she left the room.

[new-kit-on-the-block]

The Hidden Kingdom:

This is the first of the Wings of Fire books that I'm reading in its original text form, rather than a graphic novel as I've read the first two. I was initially a bit worried about the possibility that the graphic novels might've added some extra personality that the books lacked. Thankfully, the book form is also as hilarious and charming as ever. I've tricked my mind into being invested in Wings of Fire with the pretty drawings of the graphic novels, so I can now start reading the original book forms as intended moving forward.

IMMEDIATELY in love with the replacement dragonets, namely Squid and Fatespeaker.

I didn't expect to give even a passing shit about the fake dragonets storyline, but I suppose I need to stop underestimating Tui T. Sutherland.

Absolutely hilarious that the canonical explanation for why Glory has constantly been so grumpy and sassy is that she hasn't been getting enough vitamin D this whole time. Almost as hilarious as the notion that we even needed a canonical explanation.

Glory having complicated feelings about Scarlet's treatment of her because Scarlet was almost nice to her compared to the things the guardians did to her the first 6 years of her life :(

With how consistently Glory's thoughts end up drifting to Scarlet, it seems only right that Scarlet apparently thinks about Glory a great deal as well. I wonder if this dynamic is gonna evolve once we see Scarlet in the flesh again.

Clay having common sense in this one. "Glory, don't jump into that mysterious portal in the middle of the night by yourself. You'll die." "Glory, I will literally sit on top of you if you don't go to sleep right fucking now." "Glory, don't refuse someone's help when you're literally tied up and about to be tortured by the Nightwings." He's really growing into his role as their bigwings.

Sunny seems to be getting gradually angrier with every book. Can't wait to see the levels she reaches in book 5.

I love that they didn't even try with the potential drama of Starflight being a double agent. He just casually said "Morrowseer told me to trick you guys into picking Blister." and they were all like "Yeah, that makes sense." I couldn't have been more wrong if I tried.

Okay...this is awkward. I've been calling the dragonets siblings this entire time because at the end of the first book Clay was called their bigwings, which is apparently their word for eldest sibling. But Starflight was revealed to have had a lifelong crush on Sunny, so...I will proceed with caution. However, that doesn't mean the rest of them can't have a sibling-like relationship. After all, the entire point of found family is that they don't have to fit into the conventional family roles.

I was worried that Jambu would be Glory's obligatory romance partner, but thankfully he was her biological brother.

Speaking of biological family: Damn, everyone's a long-lost heir now. I'm half-expecting Starflight to be the Nightwing Queen's secret son or something.

Also on the topic of obligatory romance partners, Glory did get one. Honestly though, falling in love with your would-be killer even though he technically never stopped trying to kill you is something I can totally vibe with. (Even though I would've preferred for Deathbringer to be a girl. It would've changed nothing and it would've changed everything.)

Deathbringer definitely knew who Glory was when they first met and was just playing with his food.

I'm really loving this recurring theme of the dragonets fighting in ways that are unusual for their species and just completely blindsiding their opponent, drawing inspiration from all the times they wrestled with each other.

Glory and Tsunami having a petty rivalry over who's gonna become a queen first. (Spoilers: It was Glory.)

That time I called Glory my queen is aging like wine.

Also, Glory just not even giving a shit that she's directly related to the first line of Rain Queens.

"Take that, prophecy. You're not about me? Well, I'm not about you either." FUCK YEEEAAAAAAHHHH

I'm really gonna miss Glory's perspective. At all times, she's like 2 layers of self-control away from smacking a bitch.

I see we're ending this one on a cliffhanger. Usually, that's reserved for the epilogue.

Yep. The fake dragonets are still as adorable and hilarious as ever.

"I want to die." "I want you to die, too." Ha! What a hilarious and witty line! This epilogue isn't nearly as emotionally devastating as the last two :)

STARFLIGHT NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

I'm gonna kill Morrowseer in Real Life.

Spoilers for The Dragonet Prophecy

I've decided to get into Wings of Fire, starting with a graphic novel version of the first book that I found at Barnes & Noble.

I just finished reading it, and I've also decided to catalog all of the thoughts I have about each book right after I read them. I'm gonna do it all in this post, one reblog at a time.

Here we go.

The Dragonet Prophecy:

I really like Clay's flat arc. The fact that, in the first book, the first thing we learn about him and the last thing we learn about him is the same piece of information twice, just framed under a different context will drive me insane for the rest of my life.

Seriously, there are 13 fucking books left for me to read, I cannot be getting so hung up over a single detail in book number one(1).

I wanted to see Tsunami beat up more dragons, but alas. From what I can glean, the second book will focus more on her. So maybe I'll get my wish after all.

Welp. Starflight's a double agent now. And I get the feeling that they're going to get a lot of mileage out of that when it comes to internal conflict. It's a pity that I didn't find him too interesting in this one, but I'll just have to assume they're saving all of that for a bit later in the series. We're still only in the world-building phase, after all.

Sunny's cute. Wish she was given more time to shine.

Same with Glory. But at least she got to kill someone.

It really seems like they were banking on the hopes that they would be able to publish a lot of books and would have plenty of time to flesh out the five dragonets later. Fortunately, like I said, there are 13 books left. And that's just the main series.

Hoping to see everyone get plenty of chances to shine. (Please please please tell me that they do. Please don't let this age poorly.)

The only name I knew going into this was Scarlet, who I've heard is just an absolute monster throughout the series. Excited to see how much more they can make me hate her.

Jesus fucking Christ that dude just fucking killed himself by hugging Peril. That shit was brutal.

Anyway, I really like Peril. Once again, wanted to see a lot more of her.

I also like the obvious parallels already being drawn between Peril and Clay. They were both introduced as having killed/tried to kill their sibling when they hatched. And then within the same book, both of those things were proven to be untrue.

It's pretty obvious they're setting up a ship between them, but it's a damn cute ship, so that's fine by me.

I really really like that the four of them keep consistently reminding Glory that they think she's pretty, as well as constantly reassuring her that they don't think she's lazy or stupid. Love me some siblings being collectively supportive of their extremely self-deprecating sister. I think she's shaping up to be my favorite of the five. With Tsunami being a close second. Make no mistake: I love them all.

Also, Tsunami coming from the Seawing Queen's hatchery is the funniest shit ever. She spends the whole book making jokes like "Maybe I'm the lost Seawing Princess or something Xp" and then right at the end Kestrel's just like "Yeah, no, you totally are." AND THEN SHE JUST FUCKING LEAVES

"Definitely our bigwings." Aww~ What a cute way to close off the first book :)

KESTREL'S DEAD?????

Anyway, great book. Can't wait to get my hands on the second one.