#and in this moment when he has effectively just put 2 of the people closest to him in the hospital

[mstrchu]

can someone else please please look at this set of images before i go insane

#nezha reborn #LOOK AT HIM he is literally just... a kid...... looking for some comfort from his dad............ #it's about to be 0 days since our last nonsensical overly emotional post about li yunxiang #it was never that lyx didn't care about what his father thought or didn't want for his approval because he does want it. he does care. #it was just something he accepted he wouldn't have as long as he continue to choose to do what he thought was the right thing #and the 'right thing' was important enough to him to give up on his dad's support #which says something about how important the 'right thing' is to lyx #and up till now it was fine because it affected no one but him #(and if you think about it it is kind of a very immature and idealistic mindset #because if he had gotten caught doing his little smuggling and property destruction it 100% would have affected his family #but i like that i think it's part of his character.. anyway....) #but now his refusal to do what his dad wanted him to do - get a normal job and keep his head down - is like. actively hurting his family #and altho it was the right thing and he couldn't have predicted that ao bing would go completely nuclear #or that the de group would send assassins after him because of the whole reincarnation business #you could say that kasha and li jinxiang's injuries are a direct result of him refusing to just roll over and sell ao bing his motorcycle #(which i think is exactly what ljx was gonna say before he got bodied by that monster truck lol) #and in this moment when he has effectively just put 2 of the people closest to him in the hospital #i think he can't help but look for a little comfort from his dad because he feels so so guilty and confused and upset #but he gets that door shut in his face and he's reminded that he had chosen to not have that #that he had made choices that led to this being the reality of his relationship with his dad. and he is supposed to be ok with that #and then he falls back on his anger and the moment is sort of over but like #bro... at this point li yunxiang has no one bro.... #L + ratio + kasha and brother in the hospital + dad can't even look at you + dead mom + separated from extended family when you fled the wa #+ no close friends your own age #and it makes me sad because lyx must have been pretty close to his dad when he was little #i think this + the moment where he's outside the door listening to his dad talk #just fuels the miasma of guilt #guilt over his own actions. guilt over nezha's actions. questioning if he is or ever was making the right choices #but also it's not about any of that it's just about how huge and wet his eyes look here amen

[easy-revenge]

its been over 2 years since i read volume 9 of chainsaw man and it still apparently has the power to make me sob uncontrollably when i think about it so im going to talk a bit about aki and denji being shown as children during the snowball fight and why it's currently making me wanna rip my hair out :)

aki is already gone during this scene for all intents and purposes, having very little comprehension of the events his body is in and just waiting to be set free. his mind reverting back to the moment he lost his family is not surprising, since that's when his life permanently changed trajectory.

he's not to blame for being stuck in this moment, as it would make sense for any kid his age. however, he didn't put himself on the path towards revenge, which inevitably made him unable to let go. that was makima. she took him by the hand and gave him this "purpose", something she very well knew he was never going to achieve anyway. she trapped him in this predicament and made sure he stayed there till there were no options left for him.

to the very end, aki's life was never his own, but planned for him. aki never left that snowy forest. he wasn't allowed to.

as a result, the essence of aki that remained within the gun fiend after his death materialized as the last genuine version of aki that ever was. a kid playing in front of his house.

moving over to denji, who is the one that got me crying today. his appearance as a child in aki's mind is partly to parallel the bond they shared and the bond between aki and his little brother, whom he lost that day. of course. however i think there's a lot of significance to this choice for denji's character as well.

denji grew up remote and very disconnected from society. he never got the chance to learn how to navigate his feelings and relationships with other people. he had to figure it all out as he went, first with pochita, whom he got attached to and later with aki and power. even with makima.

makima was the first person to ever give him attention and affection, to give him the things he always wanted, but she never treated him like a person. she never helped him get any closer to learning how to be one. he was used, much like aki was, and was given a purpose that was never going to be for his own benefit.

as a result, denji took a while to go through the motions of being surrounded by humans and being taught by them. the first time we saw him face the concept of loss was with pochita, an event that didn't really give him much in terms of experience considering all the implications and how suddenly it changed his life. in its nature, it wasn't a type of loss he would've been able to navigate as a human.

im not going to go into the situation with his father since we saw very explicitly how incapable he was to handle it to the point of blocking it out and having it haunt him till the end of part one. he surely didn't get much data out of that experience either, or the abuse he went through before it.

the first real time he got to see loss occur very close to him was himeno's death. he had no emotional reaction to it, which confused him since he was able to observe its effect on aki and other people around him. he questioned his own humanity for the first time and it upset him, if only momentarily. it gave him a hint of perspective.

sadly, he was going to find out what loss meant the hard way.

with makima still treating him like an animal and the circumstances forcing him to still rely on his instincts, denji's emotional maturity wasn't really prioritized. he did inevitably grow closer to aki and power, without necessarily being able to recognize those feelings for what they were. again he just had to go through the motions.

fast forward to the gun devil arc. he's told by makima on the phone to not think, to just fight aki without thinking about it. we see the progress that's been made in how clearly unable denji is to follow that order, aki being the closest thing to family he's ever had by this point.

he fights his best friend, not even thinking about himself, but of how aki would feel if he were conscious of how much destruction he was causing. still up to this point, denji doesn't know that he loves aki. it hasn't computed to him as a piece of info, only as an experience.

him being shown as a child in the snow, a contrast to the violent reality that his body is in, has as much significance as it does for aki.

denji never really grew up, he never got past his father's death or anything that happened to him before and after that. he was kept from it by his life and makima herself, once again. his ineptitude was weaponized and he was nowhere near being aware of it. he was also stuck.

in that scene, denji experiences real loss. he loses someone he loves and someone who loves him back. someone who thought himself unable to do so but was the first to love him like a human.

he was just a kid, losing his family by his own hand again, only this time he had been loved.

it's highlighted in the next chapter, where he appears unable to grieve and looks kind of numb instead. then we have the ice cream scene, where he thinks the words for the first time and throws up immediately.

his confusion after it happens, him being unable to fathom why his body would have such a reaction, breaks my heart almost more than the entirety of the snowball fight itself, from denji's pov.

im not going to talk about what happens directly after that and its implications bc im gonna end up talking forever, but his behavior throughout the next chapters very much shows how out of his depth he is when it comes to loss and grief and how lost and helpless he is in makima's hands.

my point is, both aki and denji were used, weaponised and kept from growing up while also having to deal with the world and its cruelty at the same time. even the closeness they achieved was planned and used against them both. this is only one of many angles of the snowball fight scene that can be looked at and interpreted in different ways. but it was the one that made me ugly cry today :)

#oof #this was inspired by a tiktok i saw with panels from that scene #and i went from fine to snot running down my face in the span of a singular minute #:))) #chainsaw man #aki hayakawa #chainsaw man denji #denji #hayakawa family #csm #chainsaw man manga #chainsaw man manga spoilers #chainsaw man analysis #makima

[disfrutalakia]

I'm still too head in hands crying about the 4halo situation to make a post about them that is not "I want them to crash and burn" so Instead I will analyze Forever and why he said that he was happy somewhat that the feds drugged him. Under the cut as always <3

First, I don't think it's easy to understand how truly angry Forever was the day the eggs got taken, cause from other povs he looked collected, he had to be after all, he is the president, he was the only one with enough power to question about the eggs, he had to be the one to resolve the situation, right?

And of course people asked him or help, begged him for answers he didn't have and on that day the only thing he could answer was "I don't know, I'm sorry" and he was sorry, he wanted to help, he wanted to see his friends smiling, he wanted to see the eggs. He wanted his son back.

He didn't break down when he saw Richas shirt, he didn't break down when he saw the other beds. But what broke him for real was the lack of answers from Cucurucho. He begged for a meeting, for answers. And as the hours passed he lost more o himself, the anger slowly consuming him and the clock becoming louder in his head, until he started making bombs.

Now, it's important to note that Forever had never made a mine before that moment, he doesn't like them and he hates that they could harm the eggs, he doesn't think they are fun. But still he made a bunch of them, created a slingshot so he could throw the mines better and then he went off, stayed at his office for 2 hours, without moving just waiting.

And like it was not a in character time skip, he actually spent 2 hours without moving on stream just letting his camera show the day passing behind him, and the clock would only get louder and louder.

Finally cucurucho appeared, met with him and all it did? Told him he could now have a gun and about the prison, Forever could only laugh maniacally, asking for answers o his son. And then he ran off, building a tnt plane to explode the whole island, ready to force them to turn the island back in time until the eggs were back.

The stream closed after the meeting with cucurucho, and then the next day Forever was there with the big smile and the pills in hands, it was scary to watch. But we all know how the arc end.

I want ti truly talk about why Forever appears grateful for what happened to him, he was out of control, the anger was taking over every single part of his brain and we know that, and he knew that. But people don't know that, they didn't see how angry he was, they thought the clock and the anger was only the effect of the pills.

The closest someone from the outside got to seeing the anger that was bubbling on Forever beneath the drugs was Bad, when he found that book on a sleepwalking Forever, and yeah he couldn't immediately pierce together but we could, the book showed how afraid Forever was, how much he hated the kind of violence he could bring to the island.

He hates that anger, more than he could ever hate the pills, cause in a way the pills pacified the monster inside him. Forever sees himself as a monster who needed to be put down, and in a way that's why he s trying to help Bad, he believes the same thing is happening to Bad, because he knows that if the pills hadn't happened he could be in the same state right now. Don't get me wrong, he cares for Bad and wants to see his friend truly well, but in a way, saving Bad is a way of saving himself, of proving that the monster inside him can be stopped.

Forever feels a lot and he feels deeply, but he also has the tendency to hide what he is feeling and thinking until things become too much and he explodes, which is what happened after the eggs disappeared, all his anger exploded. And it's something that will happen again, Forever feels alone, like nobody is there for him (and yes I know he doesn't always help with the prison thing, but that's another can of worms that I don't want to get into right now) he is more and more frustrated currently, wanting to be good, wanting to be helpful. But nothing he does feels like enough for him or others, at least in his mind of course.

He is a very caring person, and has a big heart but he is still mourning and that together with the weight of the whole island on his back? Someday it will be too much.

#qsmp #qsmp forever #character analysis #Here get the wall of text #It's a lot of rambling but I needed to get the words out before I went crazy

[regularponyfan]

Thoughts on The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday Part 2

“Christmas is officially back on!” And apparently, a city news reporter like yourself has the power to declare a holiday uncanceled. Why is Diane not in this again?

The others’ reactions to Snake getting all touchy-feely 🥹. OMG I WANNA HUG HIM SO BAD!!! (At the same time though, the close-ups on his face during this scene are so off-putting that it kinda ruins the moment for me.)

“That vortex is about to suck in the whole city, we don’t have time to be mad at me.” Sure, Wolf. Act like endangering your only friends isn’t worth getting angry over. You’ve really disappointed me this time. 😔

In all fairness though, at least he does apologize and admits how much the others mean to him. And I love how the other guys pretend to be disgusted but at the same time are moved to tears, while Snake is just like, “Yeah, whatever 😒.” (Even though we all know he’s bawling on the inside.)

The scene right after Shark is tossed out of the vortex without his shirt…the characters look like they’re literally floating off the ground…

That one random guy getting sucked into the vortex is actually pretty funny…in a “WTF is this animation?” kind of way.

“Are you seeing this?” No, Tiffany, all I see is your badly-animated face. Now please get it out of mine. XD

Aww, that’s adorable how the Bad Guys try to save each other from the vortex 😊…Now can we talk about the fact that the animators clearly just took still images of Piranha and Tarantula and moved them around?

How did Shark get his shirt back after all that?

Wolf’s motions as he’s falling out of the Santa bot…again, what is this, the Looney Tunes? Oh and nice dust effect when he lands by the way. I feel like this was made for a PlayStation 2 game, not Netflix.

Wait…so, the promo for this special clearly showed Shark in a Santa suit…but the closest we get to him cosplaying as Santa is him doing a voice. What. 😐

Oh, and since the Bad Guys were exposed to potentially-lethal, freezing temperatures, they all end up sick on Christmas. And Wolf has the gall to complain despite being the reason it happened. Just be thankful it’s only a cold and not frostbite, buddy.

In all seriousness though, I feel bad for them. Like, I wanna make them all better, but mostly Snake. He looks soooo miserable and I can only imagine how as a kid he must have had no one to take care of him when he was sick. That is so heartbreaking. And when he says “Bah humbug” in the middle of sneezing? Awww, poor baby! 🥺

Apparently, Santa really does exist in this universe and the Bad Guys are miffed that they ended up on his Nice List. Which…kinda seems out of character in all honesty. Like…wasn’t them being treated as something other than criminals the reason they turned good in the movie? They’re not disgusted by the concept of good (except maybe Snake); They just don’t understand it. Now I see why people had a problem with this being set before the movie.

And we end with the Bad Guys planning to heist the North Pole…which would have made a much better, much more interesting holiday special. If this does become a series, I hope they make an episode out of that.

And before we get to my final thoughts, let’s see which of my predictions for the special came true:

There will be at least one reference to the Grinch-✅ Yep! And a Die Hard reference, too, surprisingly.

The gang will have a Christmas tree with stolen jewels for ornaments-❌ Nope. I don’t think they had any decorations in their hideout or at least none I could see.

Wolf will get a good tingle from saving everyone’s Christmas-❌ Nope. The opposite happened. He apparently hates the idea of being seen as good now. 🤨

Shark will be a mall Santa-❌ We don’t see him in a mall and the only likeness to the man in red he gives is his voice, so I’m gonna say no.

Piranha will have a holiday-themed musical number-✅ Got that one!

Someone will call Snake a “Scrooge”-❌ Nope. He acts like him and even says “Bah humbug,” but no one outright calls him that.

Also, Snake will secretly hate Christmas because of some past trauma-❌ They don’t say or even imply it, but let’s be honest: we know he has some form of trauma from Christmas.

Diane will only have a cameo-❌ Sadly, no. They were determined to keep her out of this special, apparently.

Luggins and Tiffany will return-Well, this one is half right.

The Bad Guys will have a gift exchange with stolen goods-❌ Nope. Go to luonnonvalinnat for that one ‘cause you ain’t gonna find it here.

Final score: 2.5/10. Wow. Either I don’t know the Bad Guys as well as I thought, or the creators of this potential series don’t know how to write them. Eh. I’m going with the latter.

As for the special itself? It's a 5/10 for me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we got to see the gang again and I'm even more glad we might get to see their shenanigans in a spinoff series some day. And even though it was kinda dumb and there was potential for it to be even better, I didn't mind the story that much. The voice acting is good enough, even if I don't recognize anyone's name except Grey DeLisle. It's the ANIMATION that really kills this thing for me. My god, what a trainwreck. Like, no joke, there were several times throughout this thing where I just wanted to look away because the characters were just...so ugly! I get that this is the result of a low budget, and they couldn't make it as fluid as the movie's animation. The problem, of course, is that the animation in the Bad Guys movie is SO beautifully fluid, even removing like 1% of its fluidity makes it look terrible. They probably should have done what Captain Underpants did and just made the whole thing 2D. At least then it would have looked somewhat appealing.

I don't know, if you haven't seen this special yet and are curious about it, I say just buy the novelization instead, because this alone is not worth a subscription to Netflix. Plus, the novelization includes a bonus chapter of the Bad Guys on New Year's, so there's that. And if you have seen the special, let me know what you guys thought about it. Did you agree with my points? Is there anything I didn't comment on? Let me know that, too.

#the bad guys #dreamworks #mr shark #mr piranha #mr snake #mr wolf #ms tarantula #tiffany fluffit #netflix #netflix series #holiday special #a very bad holiday

[if-one-of-us-falls]

reverse unpopular opinion meme abt the knife of never letting gooo specifically the first book. or you know what pick any one of the three books

We're going to be here a while 😅

The Knife of Never Letting Go was a revolutionary book for me in many ways. I read it for the first time when I was 12, and ten years later at 22 I still love it just as much, and still feel the influence it had on my tastes and standards in media and on my own writing.

These are the reasons I come up with when I try to break down why it had such a lasting effect:

1. It's incredibly gripping.

I remember picking it up at a convention, spending the rest of that con reading it on the stairs, almost missing the train home because I was reading it on the floor of the platform, getting home and reading until I cried myself to sleep after that scene, then reaching for the book as soon as I woke up. No book has ever gripped me this way. The book that came the closest at this point was The Hunger Games, but Chaos Walking felt like a whole different level. The Ask and the Answer was the first book I ever read in English, because I couldn't bear waiting for the translation.

Knife is so un-put-down-able for 2 main reasons: the writing style, which I'll cover next, and the perfectly paced plot. It's cliffhanger after cliffhanger but never in a cheap way. Todd never gets a break and neither does the reader, and that makes the few quiet moments even more powerful. This relentless plot structure that literally never stops running works because with all of Todd's faults, you can't help but sympathise and become emotionally invested in him. He is just as confused and overwhelmed as you are.

2. The writing style is so unique

A lot of people say it took them some time to get used to the writing style, and I get why, but for me it was love at first sight.

Patrick Ness intentionally and masterfully broke every rule he could. By doing that, he tailored the perfect writing voice for the character and story he was trying to tell. It's chaos and it's poetry. It's a big overwhelming mess but every coma is exactly where it's supposed to be. I still get blown away by how beautiful the writing is in every reread I do.

The... Creative use of different fonts looks like a gimmick at first glance, but it conveys the concept of Noise very effectively. And I love the way Ness uses em-dashes —

And keeps using them —

And uses them until you're out of breath—

(and even parentheses sometimes.)

(shut up.)

It's like he invented a whole new language designed to keep you exactly in pace with Todd's consciousness as he experiences the story. It's an amplified version of the first person present tense that was so popular in YA when Knife came out, utilised to the maximum.

This sense of immediacy in conjunction with Todd's voice, complete with the intentionally misspelled words and the simplicity and honesty of the way he speaks and thinks, and the layers of vulnerability that show through his facade of trying to be a "man" — I don't think I've ever read a book that accomplishes so much just with prose. I feel like I could study it forever.

3. This book gets what it's like to be a teenager.

Or a young person, for that matter. It's about discovering the horrors of the world, and the good of it. It's about finding out there's more to the picture than the little bubble you grew up in lead you to believe and how hard it is to accept and how vulnerable and overwhelmed and watched it makes you feel. It's about feeling everything all the time even when you just want to disappear and stop caring.

It's about the power of caring anyway.

4. It doesn't shy away from complexity

No one is completely innocent, not even the "good guys", not even Todd. There are consequences to being raised with hateful ideology and toxic masculinity shoved at you from every direction, and the book is not afraid to show it.

5. Todd

Despite all of it, Todd is a character I just can't help but to love. He has his problems, but in his core he is a good person. He was raised with kindness in a place where kindness is a weakness. He is naive, overwhelmed, rude, sometimes selfish, but deep inside he cares and wants to do the right thing. He makes mistakes. He makes choices that are stupid and mislead and brave and kind and cowardly. He is so, so human. And he is one of my favorite characters of all time.

6. Themes ahead of its time

I feel like I could keep babbling forever but these are the main points of why I think Chaos Walking is incredible and everyone should read it. Sorry for the long post but tbh I can't talk about this series without turning it into an essay 😅 thanks for giving me an excuse to gush! 💜

Maybe I was just a little under-read, but at least for me Knife and all of Chaos Walking were the first books I read that tackled these themes so head on, especially in YA: toxic masculinity, misogyny, the dangers of the overload of unfiltered information (that's a big one. The internet today resembles the Noise even more than it did back in 2008), propaganda and herd behaviour and how it drives ordinary people to commit atrocities. I'm sure other books addressed these issues, but Knife does so in an unflinching way without resorting to mere shock value. It deals very well with complex, painful, sensitive issues. Especially for a YA book.

#chaos walking #the knife of never letting go #chaos walking books #'i love my comfort series' she said clutching books about kids expriencing horrors and getting traumatized on the terrible tragedy planet #i could say a lot more about other characters and worldbuilding etc

[cchapsticck]

15 questions. Stuff bout me! Thanks for tagging me @greenlikethesea!

1. are you named after anyone?

Okay kind of a funny story. When it comes to my deadname the story goes my parents were so sick of fighting over what to call me that that name was like a hands in the air okay fine concession between the two of them and neither of them actually liked it all that much. The name (and variations on it) I go by these days I am, without meaning to, named after two people. I share a deadname with one of my closest and oldest friends, and a mutual friend of ours has a condition that makes it difficult for him to distinguish faces - and we both have a similar vocal quality so we were particularly difficult for him to distinguish without someone having identified who was who in conversation. So he started calling her "Senior" and me "Junior" because calling us by the same name was just an additional complication for him keeping us distinctive and Junior stuck hard. My father's middle name is just the letter J, which someone at work started calling me and now everyone does. And I work a lot. So I am called it a lot. So that happened on accident.

2. when was the last time you cried?

I think it was before I had surgery, which was. Two months ago? Three? I forget how time works. I was scaredexcited. I'm not really a big crier, but I definitely have watershed moments of "cry a lot now" a couple times a year.

3. do you have kids?

I do not and I don't think that I will. I have a lot of respect for people who have and raise children, I just don't think I'm well suited to be a parent for a real smorgasbord of reasons. I like kids just fine though! My friend's kids are super cool and I always enjoy my time with them.

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

I guess occasionally? I think when I do its this very intentionally hyperbolic version of it so as to not be misconstrued when I'm joking. If I'm ever going to be sassy about something I think I'd say my "style" in that arena is a bit more deadpan, but still very unserious. I tend to be a very earnest person so things like sarcasm are pretty much always employed as a joke.

5. what sports do you play/have you played?

/john mayer voice My Body Is A Garbage Can 🎶 my ramshackle horrible body is not cut out for sports, but in my youth I played hockey and figure skated. (midwest baybeeeee) I skipped out on my physical education requirement in high school by being in marching band for 4 years.

6. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

So I am deaf and I spend a lot of time looking at people's mouths, I read lips to fill in some lost information that my hearing aids don't reliably provide me with so it usually takes me a few encounters with a person before I start to notice other details about them beyond the lower third of their face. Sometimes I'll notice people's eyebrows, or if they have glasses or freckles but the specifics of their features don't always sink in right away.

7. what’s your eye colour?

Green!

8. scary movies or happy endings?

For my own personal enjoyment? Always always always a scary movie. I love a scary movie. Good, bad, doesn't matter, I want to watch it. A friend of mine and I spend entire weekends just watching the Shudder back catalogue and we've found some incredible films. (Please watch Death Spa I'm so not even kidding) I am a whole sucker for a practical effect. I also love a scary movie with a happy ending!

9. any special talents?

I always know where the car is parked.

10. where were you born?

American Midwest. Round the lakes. Y'know. The big ones.

11. what are your hobbies?

I'm one of those suckers who made their hobby their job so I genuinely enjoy garment construction and costume crafts. I also like to write and garden and live music.

12. do you have pets?

No not anymore. I had cats in high school (I am so deeply allergic) and we have had to put two of them down over the last few years and our last remaining guy lives with my mom. My partner and I raise carnivorous plants though and we've named all of them and talk about them like they're essentially pets.

13. how tall are you?

5'6"

14. favourite subject at school?

I always loved my English classes, far and away the classes I put the most work into and excelled at. I also took a radical dramaturgy class in grad school that changed the way my brain functions. Which is probably an extension of an English class tbh. While not a favorite: I'm good at math, but I don't actually like math. I often joke that I'm good at math against my will - I had a lot of math tutoring as a kid so now I can like. Do long division in my head and shit.

15. dream job?

Y'know, I'm not sure I have a dream job. I really like what I do, I work in the arts - live theater and I wear a lot of hats at the regional theater I spend most of my time at. I've put a lot of time and effort and lost sleep into trying to make a living doing something that feels worthwhile to me personally as an artist and important to the community I'm in and making that art accessible to that community but I'm also happy to go home at the end of the day, its easy for me not to think about work when I'm not at work.

So I think the dream is more to have a job that I like, that I want to be at most days, that feels worthwhile, but also to have a healthy work/life balance with that job. Y'know?

#about cchapsticck

[qwanderer]

OK I did it I watched the Loki S2 finale! Loved it and the season as a whole! My optimism about how S1 could be made to pay off really proved fully justified.

There were a lot of emotional dynamics present in S1 that I pulled out and extrapolated in my fics that were then very much confirmed in s2 (albeit with a totally different plot). I thought they were what made sense and happily the writers agreed!

For example: it makes total sense for Sylvie's greatest needs after S1 to be stability and continuity, and for Agent Loki's greatest needs to be to prove himself as a hero and to do his best for his friends, and given the way it's set up it makes sense for that to involve a fresh start with a new incarnation of the TVA. That logically led me to conclude that they would choose different paths, but I hoped they would remain friends and I think this counts.

I also thought I perceived some UST between Loki and Mobius but wrote it as staying unresolved, for a lot of reasons given their personalities and how the two of them started out in their partnership. The show writers chose the same.

I also think O.B. and his lab and the team that came together to fix the loom really serve a lot of the same purposes in the show as Stark Fortress did in my fic, a place to come back to to fiddle with the technicalities involved in saving the multiverse. (Although that does in fact make it even creepier that O.B. sounds so much like Obie.)

Okay I want to talk a little bit about S2E4 and S2E5 and how I felt watching them! How I understood the plot and what it led me to expect.

The moment Victor Timely walked down those stairs I was like "No! This makes no sense! This is not going to work! Obviously Loki should be the person going out there! You put a human out there with the Loom and they die from being blasted with Time Waves or whatever! They age! You put Loki out there and the worst thing that happens to him is he has to be played by Richard E. Grant!"

So of course I was not all that shocked when Timely died, but it was something of a jumpscare. I appreciated the execution.

Then when Loki was collecting all his friends from their various branches, and that included Sylvie, I was like, this makes no sense as a way to regain a moment in time, because either one of two things is true:

1) any variant of a person will have the same vibration [because these are the versions of his friends that are just hanging around on the timeline, they have no memory of the TVA and are effectively just variants of the people Loki knows] and therefore Loki doesn't actually need Sylvie here because for these purposes they are the Same Damn Person!

2) this isn't going to work because he needs the specific version of these people that remember working at the TVA with him!

so catch me yelling at the screen "You are the same damn person!"

and then Loki goes "it's about the who" and I'm like "Oh okay damn so it's about Loki having Emotions I guess it does make sense!" A Loki's magic really seems to be driven by what they need it to be in the moment and Loki needs his friends. These are the closest versions. It works.

So then the finale. Wow.

I love time loop stories with Loki in them, I have at least a couple of those in my AO3 bookmarks. I saw it coming in the best way, said to the screen like "ooh get ready, it's time loop time!"

Centuries later and he knows so much weird comic book physics (catch me giggling about what a setup for frostiron THAT is)

and Timely is dying a thousand deaths and then he doesn't die and I'm like... hmm...

and then they hit us with TIME LOOP TAKE 2: DOUBLE THE LOKI DOUBLE THE TIME LOOP and he has to fight Sylvie so many times and it's so great and so SAD

and then Loki goes down the stairs and I am straight up like YES WHAT DID I TELL YOU I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR TWO WHOLE EPISODES

And we get alllllllll the power we've been wanting to see. And we get the AoA GoS transformation, sacrifice, holding the cosmos in trust like a bauble.

And I'm watching sad Mobius in the aftermath, and I'm like "aww your girlfriend turned into the moon... that's rough buddy"

(seriously very Princess Yue of you, Loki)

Anyway

Yeah it's good.

#the loki show #loki #loki season 2 #loki spoilers #meta

[themichelleshow]

The Memz

I’m currently crying my eyes out after having finished reading the most heart-wrenching story about this girl who finds out she’s got this dementia disease and starts writing down all her memories and just wanted to pen some thoughts down too.

LL & BJS: Saw this quote and sums up exactly how I feel about these guys. They came over the other day and when my cousin asked about how long we’d known each other, also despite me being well aware of the answer, it still made me start when they answered “2-3 years”. It feels so much longer and deeper than that and l feel like one of the side effects of the pandemic was that time slowed down and allowed us to make more meaningful connections.

LL: the little brother I always wished to have, you are the brightest, most accomplished current and future star who literally excels at anything you put your mind to but best of all are the most loyal and caring friend anyone would wish to have in their lives (and there is a whole queue of people to prove it lol). I always say that I instantly warmed to you as soon as I saw your face because you looked (and felt) like family, despite your attempts to thwart my friendship advances 😂 I literally have heart eyes when I see you, bursting with pride at how amazing of a human you are despite all the obstacles life tries to throw your way. You take on so much for so many and as much as it pains me when you bear the inevitable consequences, I always have to remind myself that you’re being authentic to your own self, I just wish that instead of taking care of everyone else so much you would prioritise your self above everyone at least from #2 onwards in the queue 😊 You mention time to time about how you think nobody on this earth really needs you and if you left it wouldn’t make much of an impact, but that is so untrue. You bring so much joy, love and laughter to me and also to many many others and the world would be a lesser place without you.

BJS: I’ll always remember first meeting you over zoom, that contagious smile and laugh and feeling like we were friends from the get-go 😊 It took me a while to maybe properly rely on you for friendship beyond that of a colleague because I didn’t want to come on too strong, even though that’s how the connection already felt to me. I would be asking LL to do stuff with me and he’d be like, I’m busy but you should ask B he would go with you and I’d be like ewww no, nervous you’d think I was being too forward 😬 Nekminit you’ve become one of my closest confidantes and bestie that is always up for all my requested shenanigans (except for influencer parties or a specific numbered musical 😅) I never get tired of being around you, like a constant renewable energy source and I’m endlessly fascinated by all your stories and experiences and despite the many hours we’ve spent together and conversed, you still come up with tales that surprise me. If I describe LL as a bright shining star, he would be the sun, always close with his warmth and rays, but you B, I’ve always considered more like a shooting star, so bright and beautiful yet fleeting. The past few years of knowing you has felt like we’ve been on a limited uncertain time frame and I’ve tried to obtain and appreciate every available moment with you. It’s funny though now that things may be less uncertain, it doesn’t make me feel any less like you’re making your way to another galaxy with a different set of constellations. I still appreciate the moments I get, although I probably shoot myself in the foot trying to pre-distance myself to build up resistance to bearing the pain of the inevitable void of your expected parting. Regardless of where we all end up, you and your friendship have had a major impact on me, pulled me from the orbit I was on and I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

[amporella]

Top 5 moment of Cartman being the fucking worst to Kyle

Oh, anon. How am I supposed to pick five??? I had to consult some of my fellow Kyle Experts to come up with this list, and here's what we came up with. I had serious trouble ordering these, so just assume that all of them are horrible, because they are.

1 - Repeatedly trying to sexually assault Kyle in the Imaginationland trilogy, and then proceeding to humiliate him in front of everyone, including his closest friends. You can really tell how horrified and disgusted Kyle is in his tone when rewatching the end of episode III, and rightfully so, because this really is one of the top truly disgusting Cartman moments.

2 - When Cartman manipulates Kyle in the Passion of the Jew into thinking that he (and the rest of the Jewish community) have to apologize for killing Jesus. And Kyle feels so guilty about this that he feels the need to apologize on the behalf of his entire synagogue, in front of them - it's horrifying, absolutely humiliating, and really representative of the negative effect Cartman's had on Kyle's pride in his Jewish identity.

3 - Ginger Cow; relatively self explanatory, and other people have gone over how horrible Cartman is to Kyle in this episode better than I could, but like... yeah. Just another example of Cartman relishing in Kyle's humiliation in the most disgusting way possible.

4 - The entirety of Post-Covid, tbh. It's already obvious that Cartman is not reformed (rotem has a must-read post about this here), and while his taunting behavior towards Kyle is obvious even while under the false impression that he's reformed, it's ten times more poignant when you realize that he truly hasn't, and that all of his behavior throughout the specials exists just to humiliate and taunt Kyle. He spends the entire special mocking Judaism while pretending to take it seriously, and he goes so far as to liken his family to Holocaust survivors in front of Kyle - which, obviously don't need to explain how horrific that is. He reinforces his children's behavior whenever they degrade Judaism (especially in the presence of Kyle), and it's made clear that he's spent a long time manipulating his wife into believing that Kyle is the bad guy - all without a genuine apology. Cartman has always been the fucking worst to Kyle, and it's very clear that doesn't change 40 years in the future.

5 - Cartman giving Kyle AIDS in Tonsil Trouble, which is yet another example of him going extremely over the top in response to Kyle's behavior - it almost reminds me of the takes I see occasionally in which Kyle turned Cartman into what he is via fatshaming in the first few seasons, and yeah, sure, Kyle wasn't very nice when he called Cartman fat. But that in no way makes Cartman's viciously antisemitic actions justifiable, nor does it put them on the same level as calling another kid fat? Kyle should never be blamed for Cartman's actions, because he's ALWAYS going to respond with something 100 times more severe and inexcusable. Anyway, all this to say that Kyle laughing is not an excuse for Cartman to give him fucking AIDS, and Cartman's behavior was still inexcusable - it literally doesn't matter what Kyle did, because no matter how he behaved, Cartman would have still responded in the same extreme manner.

Honorable mention to Jewpacabra, specifically for the blood libel, and probably around 95% of other episodes in which Cartman has interacted with Kyle.

Thank you for the ask!

#thank you for the ask anon!! #south park #eric cartman #kyle broflovski #asks #ship what u want idc. but use any of these episodes as ship fuel and meet me in the ring

[4joonkookie]

Mirror, Mirror.

➹ Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

➹ Words: 3K

➹ Summary:

(smutty) You tell Jungkook that you don’t want to talk. He makes sure to keep you quiet. OR

(Angsty) Your established, long-distance relationship with Jungkook has reached an impasse. OR

(Angsty & Smutty) Jungkook makes you take a long, hard look at yourself.

➹ Tags/Warnings:

SMUT, Established Relationship, Long Distance Relationship, Public Sex, Car Sex, Clothed Sex, Rushed Sex, Mirror Sex, Unprotected Sex, Creampie, Dubious Consent, Blowjob, Cunnilingus, Oral Sex, (Jungkook literally pulls up a chair to eat you out), Fingering, Rough Sex, Mouth Covering, Shoving, Angry Sex, Drinking, Embarrassment, Spanking, ANGST, Failure to Communicate, Commitment Issues, Avoidant Behavior, Female Character with Fuckboi!Tendancies, Petty!Jungkook, Unresolved Ending, Ending up to Reader Interpretation, Easter Eggs?

**

You’re late on purpose.

You told Jungkook you couldn’t make it until just about when the cars would be leaving to take the boys and their group to the event.

He greets you with a kiss at the door when you rush in, dressed and ready to the hotel room everyone gathers in. You eagerly greet and catch up with the others. Jungkook knowingly raises his eyebrow at you.

He doesn’t deserve this and you’re not proud of it but you aren’t ready to talk about it. Everything was left in the air last you saw each other and there’s a lot to discuss. You managed to get away from work for just 1 night, so, you plan on avoiding it until your next visit, maybe another 2 weeks.

That would give you enough time to think about it, about what you would say. It might give you time to come up with a good reason why he’s completely wrong about this.

So, you settle for getting ready for a formal event in the airport bathroom. That’s how badly you don’t want to talk about it.

A voice announces that the cars are here and people fuss at themselves in the full length mirror before corralling out the door. Soon, it’s just you left, touching up your red lipstick. You almost never wear it but hope It hides your total cowardice.

Jungkook approaches you from behind in the mirror.

Can we talk about it?”, he asks your reflection.

“I’m not sure now is a good time”, you say as casually as possible.

“Well, will there be a good time before you leave tomorrow morning? We never finished talking...”

“We weren’t talking, we were arguing.”, you interrupt and pull his arms around you from behind, hands laced at your waist. “Look, we have one night. And I have to leave for the airport by 7:30 tomorrow.”

He pauses before he speaks. “No you don’t.”, he says plainly. Silence hangs heavy in the air.

You take a breath. “But I will.” You shrug and sigh, still in his arms.

“So, the answer to my question is ‘no’, you plan on avoiding the topic until….”

“...until I come back.”, you finish, trying to sound optimistic.

He pulls his hands from around you and steps away from you.. “In 2 weeks.”, he scoffs. “So, what, you’re here to get fucked and leave?”

You turn to face him and tell the truth. “I miss you, baby.” You plant a soft, closed kiss on his lips. “I'm here to see you.”, you inspect his mouth for any trace of lipstick. “Besides….would it be the worst thing if I came for one night just to get fucked?”, you tease, turning to the mirror again.

He snickers, “...no”. He kisses your neck and shifts his crotch against your ass. “I just worry you think this problem won’t be here when you get back.”

“Please, Jungkook, I just want to be with you, I don’t want to fight. There’s no chance we could solve this in a night anyway.”

Jimin renters the room to gather you. “We need to go_”, he stops when he sees Jungkook’s worried reflection. “Everything ok?”

Jungkook abruptly drops his arms from you. “We’re having an argument,'' he announces. “but we’re not talking about it.” He moves to hold the door open and gestures for you and Jimin to exit before him.

Ugh. Brat.

The back of the private car is your proverbial doghouse as you both sip your cocktails in silence, Jungkook obviously agitated. You sit next to each other, such a big space for just 2 people. A small gap between you feels wider than ever.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not ready”, you finally say, lamely.

“It’s fine,'' he replies quickly. “You don’t want to talk, we won’t.” He finishes one drink and pours another.

You stay quiet, still without the right words. He looks at you and thinks for a long time. You almost ask if he’s ok when he finally speaks.

“You look really good.”, he abruptly spits out and laughs as if he’s missed something that had been in front of him the whole time. “I’m sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I wanted to tell you in the mirror.“

You’re relieved with his light-heartedness and grateful for the effects of alcohol as you close the gap between you, placing your hand on his closest thigh.

The cabin is dimly lit with a bluish light. Jungkook brings his face so close to yours, tingles go down your spine. He smells like a mixture of cologne and liquor.

“I like your pretty red lips.”, he hums, voice deep and low. His eyes, dark in the dim light. “And if you’re not going to use them to talk...”, tracing his thumb over your bottom lip and leaning in to whisper, “...I want them wrapped around my cock.” He moves his hand back and tugs at your hair.

You waste no time. The area of the car is spacious enough that you can get to your knees below him. You work together to pull his trousers down far enough to expose his pretty leaking cock.

You start a long lick with a flat tongue at the base of his shaft and up to the tip. You hollow your cheeks and fully engulf him on the way back down, knowing it’s just a matter of time before you arrive.

He guides your head as you diligently slide up and down, slurping and occasionally stopping to hold the tip at the back of your throat. Soon, his hips lift on every trip down, squirming and unable to hold back the prettiest whines.

“Look at me”, Jungkook urges. You turn your head to the side to look up and run your tongue up a vein on the side of his shaft.

“So good, noona.”, he says with his eyes rolling backward with a smirk. He pushes your head down harder, driving you to increase the pace.

He fills your mouth with a groan. You swallow, eager to take whatever he gives you.

The car comes to a stop and you pull yourself together enough to get to the bathroom inside to check your lipstick.

***

Wherever you are, it’s huge. A massive hall with doors that seemed to go on forever. The party and guests, relegated to one (very big) room.

As the guests and your group get toasted and social, it becomes easier to step away from your unresolved issues than you thought. Jungkook and the boys are laughing and enjoying themselves. Everyone’s guard is down, including you.

That’s why you love these types of events. The ones with no cameras or staff, where boys can bring dates or just be themselves. There’s so many of these things you CAN'T go to; another point of contention between you and Jungkook.

Here, when everyone can just be together without a camera, it seems easy. The last moments of your previous visit begin to replay in your mind, as you watch Jungkook charm the room.

“What are you so afraid of?”, his voice echoes in your mind. Suddenly, the mellow tone of the room fades and it feels stifling and small, heat flooding to your chest.

You make your way to the entry doors. Maybe to get some air, or make an escape, you’re not sure. You calmly peek outside the big room to the empty big hall with endless doors. Before the door can close behind you, Jungkook peeks out, whispering and smiling. “Where are you going?”, worries obviously set aside. His face is comforting and makes it feel like you can breathe again.

“Exploring.”, you whisper back with a wink and extend your hand. He offers a cheeky smile and accepts.

You tipsily giggle down the hall into an empty room. It’s identical to the room the party is in, only this one is empty and one wall is made of full mirrors, like some kind of performance and rehearsal room.

You kiss and stumble into a corner. He takes both of your drink glasses and places them on the floor. He grabs your body so you face away and you’re looking at your reflections again.

“We were like this.” his lips are on your neck again and a hand sneaks up the slit in your dress and inside your thigh. “...when I saw how you looked in the mirror at the hotel.” He lets out a gratified sigh and slips his fingers effortlessly into you.

“Jungkook!”, you scold, doing your best not to sink into his sensation but it’s too late now. Your body is a step ahead of your mind and you’re moving your hips in time with his fingers. You place both hands on the mirror in front of you to brace yourself.

“What?”, he says innocently, still speaking to the mirror. You came here to get fucked and leave right? ”, pushing fingers in and out of your entrance. “Anyway”, he continues, “You know better. You should’ve showed up earlier so I could fuck you before we had to leave. You knew we’d end up like this.”

His skilled fingers stir inside you so delightfully that you close your eyes. He puts a squeezing hand on your shoulder to alert you.

“Keep your eyes on the mirror, baby. I want you to see what I see.” You make an effort to keep your eyes on the mirror but shriek when he lays a hard spank on you, cold rings intensifying the sting. He quickly removes his fingers to unbutton himself, lowering his pants again.

“Jungkook...”, you start, fussing to pull your dress down and yammering in panic about how you ‘can’t do this here’ and ‘what happens if we get caught?’.

He grins arrogantly and uses a hand to cover your mouth and pushes at the small of your back with the other so you're bent in front of him again, your hands propped against the glass. Your heart races when he lines his tip to your core.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He thrusts himself into without warning. You let out a shocked moan. “Maybe we can talk about it when you come back in 2 weeks”, he taunts as he sets his rhythm.

Petty brat.

All thoughts wash away as you watch him take you in the mirror with punishing thrusts, so heavy, your eyes are closing again as you feel the brunt. He digs his nails into your shoulder.

“Eyes Open.”, he reminds, never breaking stride. Your bodies echo lewdly in the empty room. “You flew a long way for this, I want you to see everything.” His hand is pressed tight to your mouth and using his free hand on your shoulder to steady you, exhibiting you in the mirror.

Your eyes are open but they’re watching Jungkook. Sweat runs down his neck. You’re terrified to be caught but relish watching him take your body for himself, happy to shut up and watch.

“I could fuck you like this everyday if you wanted, noona.”, he menaces. You whimper behind his gripped hand. “Wouldn’t you like it if I could spoil this pussy everyday?”.

You can only nod in the mirror.

“I wish I could do it every day, baby.” Hand tight on your mouth, he pulls back on your body so his teeth can reach your neck. Arms off the mirror, Jungkook marks you.

When he releases your neck, he directs: “Touch yourself, baby. I want you to watch yourself come with my hand wrapped around your pretty mouth.”

You collect the abundant slick from around Jungkook’s cock at your opening to run your fingers to your clit. The other hand props yourself up against the mirror, back arched. You fight to stay focused on the mirror, the sensation on your clit making your legs buckle. Your whimpers are stifled behind his palm.

“That’s it, baby, that’s so good. His eyes are glued at your moving fingers, eyes egging you on. The warmth building at your center takes over you when he whispers.

“I'm gonna make you walk back into that room with my cum still dripping out of you.”

You gasp when he releases his grip on your face to replace your hand and continues to circle fingers around your clit while he thrusts deeper into you, and both of your moans resounding off the walls.

He grunts, slows, and lets himself fall out of you . Cum, already dripping down your thighs.

“I’ll see you in there.” He quickly buttons himself and leaves, his footsteps echoing through the empty room until the door closes.

His intentional coldness hurts but you can’t help

but feel that you deserve it. You clean up as best you can before rejoining the group.

***

You casually approach the group in the full room hoping you appear somewhat put together.

They stand in a circle and Hoseok looks at you from across. One arm around his date, he dabs a finger from the other hand underneath his bottom lip. “You’ve got a little…”

“...lipstick.”,Jimin pipes in from beside you and uses his own thumb to wipe the smeared lipstick.

“And a little…” Yoongi starts and dabs a finger in the same motion as Hoseok, only on the side of his neck.

Jimin pulls long strands of hair over your shoulder to cover the fresh bruise Jungkook marked into your neck.

Taehyung turns to Jungkook who has a shit-eating grin on his face. A few in the crew exchange glances and soon a knowing giggle ripples through the group. Blood hits your cheeks.

“What did I miss?” Seokjin says, looking at Jimin.

“They were fighting but now they’ve made up. Now You’re all caught up.”, Jimin chides.

“We didn’t make up.”, Jungkook corrects, his cheery disposition quickly fading. “She said she’s here for a night to get laid. I’m just making sure she gets what she came for.”

He walks away and leaves you to deal with the silence.

Namjoon expertly changes the attention and subject by asking about your job. He must know it’s your preferred way to avoid any real conversation.

The party winds down, the room slowly empties and guests make their way back to their cars.

The car ride home is silent, buzzes fading and exhaustion setting in. You make it back to his room when Jungkook finally speaks.

“You don’t get to be mad at me, you know.”

“Yes, I do.”, you snap back. “I just know I deserve it.”

“No, you don’t.”, he says, a flash of guilt passing over his face. “I just want you to talk to me. And we don't even need to solve any_.”

You’re relieved when he abruptly stops himself and raises 2 surrendering hands in the air. He mimics zipping his lips and winks.

No talking.

He shoves you so you fall back on the bed and pulls up a nearby chair to the edge, looking more determined than ever. He crawls above you and pushes your long dress up over your hips and opts to keep himself quiet instead of you. Diving in right away, he uses 2 fingers to spread your lips apart to give a straight licks before attaching to your exposed clit. He moans while he sucks, sending little vibrations through your center. He laps at you like he can’t get enough.

You start to squirm so he hooks an arm around one of your thighs in the air and the other hand to pin your 2nd thigh flat to the bed.

Hunched over, he continues work on you. You cover your own mouth with your hands while he flicks and sucks furiously on your clit, refusing to let up until your legs shake and he fights your thighs, eager to clamp shut around him.

Your hands drop from your face and shamelessly scream when you come, hands gripping the sheets.

He crawls up to kiss you, tasting him and yourself. He lays his head on your chest and squeezes your body tight. You stroke his head until he falls asleep. You close your eyes too, and when you open them again, the sun shines through the window and it’s time to leave.

You fuss in the bathroom mirror. Sleepy face Jungkook slides behind you and groans, voice still rough with sleep. He buries his face in your neck then lifts to look at your reflections. You both smile at the familiar position. He takes steps to turn on the shower and finds his way to you again.

He begins: “I know we’re not talking about it now….”, you flinch from his touch at the mention. He gets closer to you anyway, happy to press up against your thorny exterior. He continues, “but in 2 weeks, I’m going to ask you again. He presses his forehead against your temple and you listen, watching the mirror.

“Quit your stupid job. Please. Stay with me. And you don’t need to have an answer. But we have to talk about it.”

You nearly made it through this unscathed but two strokes to midnight, you finally snap.

“And talk about what, Jungkook? How you’ll be gone months at a time?, eyes on your own terrored expression in the mirror. “How I should uproot my life so I can live in random hotels basically alo_”. He turns you to face him and places his index finger over your running lips before you can finish.

“It’s 7:30. You need to leave if you’re going to catch your flight.” He moves his finger to kiss your lips.

He enters the shower without a word, confident you’ll be gone when he gets out.

PART 2/4 HERE

#jungkook x y/n #jungkook thirst #bts smut #jungkook smut #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook drabble #jungkook oneshot #bts drabble #bts oneshot #jungkook reader insert

[skipps-writes-for-gojo-satoru]

A lot of people say Gojo is a narcissist, faking being annoying, or incapable of feeling emotions/pretending he has emotions- it's really an incredible misinterpretation of his character to call him a sociopath/psychopath when he's actually just an ENTP. He's the most ENTP ENTP any ENTP has ever seen.

Just a little info: people with the ENTP personality type are extremely charismatic. They are often the center of attention with their quick wit and on point humour. You can see this with Gojo's antics and in your face behavior. However, ENTPs lack emotional sensitivity and are not afraid of expressing their disdain for topics such as tradition, which they discard quickly and easily, or any loose ideas they decide to debate on, which can leave people feeling offended or offput. They are Thinkers, with an underdeveloped feeling function (they are enTp not enFp) and are more likely to use logical reasoning when facing circumstances rather than their intuition or senses.

When it comes to friendships, ENTPs often enjoy people who can match their quick-witted nature. They need someone who can hold their ground during arguments and debates against him for mental stimulation. This makes ENTPs effective communicators, but many would find them to be extremely annoying or tiring to be around, especially because they are often unself-aware of how their words affect others. It's their natural tendency to argue and rebel against set ideas, whether it be for attention or to cure their own boredom that they express such so openly. They are confident even while speaking of their natural inclination to discard existing systems in society, leaving many infatuated with an ENTP's way with words. ENTP's just can't stand willful ignorance and tradition. However, many see this as pretentious of them. However, ENTPs don't argue for pleasure- it's simply the truth and they only ever debate ideas based on facts. Many people misunderstand this as egotism. We can see this when Gojo is constantly verbalizing his distate for the higher ups- he may act high and mighty, but his goal is always to prove his point and send a message across, which is that he cannot stand their archaic, inefficient way of handling things and if pushed, he will fight back. It's not him acting superior, he's simply stating fact, even if it offends the other person. As an ENTP, he simply has an undeveloped feeling function that prevents him from understanding his and others' emotions. Therefore, even if others are annoyed at what he has said, it's fine because it's only the truth, right? That explains why when Gojo had to ask his students if they would continue the exchange event even tho people had died, he was so nonchalant. See how him and ENTPs are so similar?

That said, when it comes to emotions, ENTPs are inclined to suppress their feelings. They're not known for their sensitivity no matter how much they understand the other person's position. When put in an emotional situation, despite being able to argue both sides of a topic, they are remarkably bad at putting themselves in other people's shoes. They also often misjudge others' feelings and push situations way past others' tolerance levels. We can tell Gojo is someone that most people cannot understand and vice versa- he was raised as the strongest, with many fearing his very existence. Therefore, he is even less inclined to be able to understand the emotional needs of other people. That is why he doesn't even realize Utahime hates him. He only thinks her bad attitude towards him is a joke (as said in Gege's fanbook. Shiro on Twitter has the translation). Most ENTPs don't even realize they're annoying to other people. They're just being themselves. Most people just struggle to handle such a person. This doesn't make Gojo an emotionless person- rather, he has feelings, but his natural tendency to suppress them in order to find a logical solution rather than put himself in another's shoes- something he's inherently bad at- infringes in his ability to understand other people.

Therefore, Gojo Satoru is not some emotionless psychopath or sociopath who's manipulative and narcissistic. He simply falls under a commonly misunderstood personality type called the ENTP, an mbti personality type. ENTPs only make up 3% of the population, making them one of the rarer personalities, which is why so many people can easily create misconceptions on his character. His enthusiasm and confidence in expressing his beliefs and attitude even if it annoys people is something many people can't stand, yes. He has a hard time understanding other people's emotions because he's more rational than intuitive, sure. But that doesn't make him a bad person. He's just one of a small group people on the planet who are dominated by logical thinking and debate, along with personalities like the INTP (Albert Enstein, for example) and the INTJ (Isaac Newton).

Gojo Satoru is a regular human being just like the rest of us, and he's not some philanderer who manipulates women and would cheat on them. ENTPs definitely struggle with commitment, but that's only because most people can't keep up with their constant need for intellectual stimulation rather than emotional. While they may find people who are incredibly emotionally sensitive to be intriguing at first, those relationships usually end with the ENTP realizing they would rather have an intellectual equal, like the INTP. They want to feel understood. However, the INTP's personality type only makes up for 3-5% of the population, which makes them, like the ENTP, misunderstood and commonly left feeling alone in the world. Similarly, Geto, the person who got the closest to Gojo, has the INTJ personality type, a thinking type that gets along most with the ENTP and only makes up 2% of the population, even less than the ENTP or INTP's rarity. Just from that, the person that would match Gojo's personality type is rare even statistically. Even so, Gojo himself doesn't even have time for sleeping around. The man hardly even sleeps much himself, he's so busy.

Source: a bunch of ENTP articles, threads, experiences, and other people's experiences.

Just wanted to clear that up, got tired of this Gojo slander lol 😖 Thanks for reading! Would love to hear any thoughts on this 💙 - 🤔 anon

OH MY GOLLY MOLLY 🤔 anon you are out educating the people YES YES I ABSOLUTELY AGREE wow reading this was such a learning experience yeet the people who think gojo is a psychopath. Gojo is just a really complex character and its understandable that some people don't understand trust me even I have my moments when writing when I struggle to keep him in character. I want to explore more sides to him yes the happy bubbly gojo but also the more emotionally oppressed gojo and other sides to him. I definitely agree he drives on logical thinking the dude literally wanted to have a debate on the separation of the state for fun. I am absolutely loving this and yes I am so tired of the gojo slander people don't judge a book by its cover 😤 that goes for other characters as well ☝️ really sorry for the late reply I LOVE YOU 🤔 ANON thank you so much for taking the time to explain 💙💙💙 virtual hugs 💗

#gojou satoru #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen gojo #jjk gojo #jujutsu kaisen x reader #gojo satoru #jjk imagines #gojou satoru x reader #gojo satoru x reader #skipps chat

[shycoconutt]

I Found My Light (Kakashi x Reader)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

A/n: Sound the alarms! It’s my first ever writing post! I’ve had this written for a while tbh, and I feel like I’m ready to start getting into this.

Summary: A late-night walk turns into a rekindled friendship.

Word Count: 2300

Warnings: fem!reader, SFW (but might not be later lol)

You opened your eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time tonight. Staring at the white ceiling, you sighed. Sleep seemed to evade you recently, a side effect of the recent dreariness of your life. You found yourself living the same days over and over again. Because of this, the line between day and night started to fade.

The moon was full tonight, you noticed as it shined brightly through your open window. It was the perfect temperature out, warm but chilly enough to feel comfortable wrapped in your blankets. You love listening to the occasional sounds that occurred outside, the noise of leaves rustling in the wind being your favorite.

Your gaze left the moon and landed back on your ceiling. Why is something as simple as sleeping so hard? Gods, all you wanted was an escape. With a huff, you pushed the covers off of you and sat up from your lying position. Trying to force yourself to sleep would do more harm than good right now.

You make your way to your dresser and pull out your favorite pair of black joggers. You love them because they are tight on your ankles, loose on your legs, and have a cinched band at the waist. They are perfect for any lazy day. You slip them on over your underwear, you never go to bed with pants on, and exchange your sleep shirt for a cropped black hoodie made from the same soft, elastic material as your pants.

You turn to face your large standing mirror in the corner of the room to assess your appearance. The all-black look was your favorite, especially since it will help you blend into the night. Your hair was a mess, so you decided to put it up in a loose bun on the top of your head and pull out some strands to frame your face. It felt good to not look so polished and put together. Your jonin uniform was not the most comfortable piece of clothing, especially with the way it hit your figure.

You walked out of your bedroom and across the kitchen to the front door of your apartment. One foot after the other, you slide into your sandals and grab the key to your apartment hanging on the hook next to you. With that, you leave your apartment and head out into the night.

You walked the streets of Konoha at a gingerly pace. It was probably around 3 a.m. at this point, and there wasn’t a single soul on the street with you. You make your way past the line of shops on the main street, including your favorite bakery where you'd treat yourself to a lemon square after coming back from a long mission. You thought about that lemon square a lot when you were out risking your life, embarrassingly enough.

A couple of turns later and you found yourself heading towards your favorite place in all of Konoha, a little area of woods towards the perimeter that contained this amazing koi pond. Although it was nighttime and the fish wouldn’t be as active, you still want to check to see if you can watch any. To your surprise, your favorite koi, who you nicknamed “Nishi'', was out and swimming around by himself. You sit criss-cross in the grass and watch as he glides through the calm water, almost putting you in trance. Nishi didn’t look or act like the others; He was black with white, almost silver-looking spots and he was less frantic in nature. You sway from side to side as you watch him, thinking to yourself about how you would like to be more like Nishi.

“You look cute watching the koi.” You heard a soft, yet unwavering voice declare behind you.

“Holy sh-” You almost jump out of your pants at the unexpected presence. Surprised, you quickly turn your head around to see who’s voice that could possibly be. To your disbelief, there lies a figure perched up by a tree a couple yards away from you. Their feet were crossed, legs extended, one hand in the pocket of their pants, the other holding up what looks like a copy of Icha-Icha, head turned towards you, and wild hair moving with each passing breeze. How did I not notice him?

“Oh I’m sorry (y/n), I didn’t mean to startle you. I figured you knew I was here because you walked right past me.” He brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head and let out a small chuckle. “Guess I should have made my presence known right away.”

Still in disbelief, you get up and slowly make your way towards the figure, stepping into the shadow of the tree to see him more clearly. As you approached you immediately recognized the silver-haired jonin.

“Kakashi?” You say confused. “What are you doing out here? It’s late.”

“I could ask you the same thing.” He states, closing his book and setting it down next to him on the grass. He looked different. He looked… quite hot actually. The jonin uniform you usually saw him in was traded for a pair of comfortable-looking grey sweatpants and a tight, black tank top that connected to his mask. He wasn’t wearing his headband either, just keeping his left sharingan eye shut in a permanent wink. As you observed him, you couldn’t help but notice that he was doing the same to you.

“I suppose you're right.” You smirk and let out a small chuckle. “I couldn’t sleep so I figured that if I was up I should take a walk around the village to clear my head. This is my favorite spot, so I guess I just naturally ended up here.” You exclaimed, still standing in front of him.

“It looks like you and I are having the same issue,” he states plainly, “I came out here a little while ago after tossing in my bed for an hour. I hate trying to force myself to sleep; It’s a battle I never seem to win.” His eyes averted your gaze and moved to his now empty hands in his lap. You couldn’t help but notice a hint of pain in his voice and it tugged at your heartstrings.

You know about the things Kakashi has been through, as it was pretty common knowledge to all jonin in your mutual age group. You were pretty close with his friends, Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma, but Kakashi always seemed to keep everyone at an arm’s length. He also was an Anbu for ten years, which didn’t help the disconnect either. Fortunately, he was relieved from his Anbu position a couple weeks ago, and gradually you have been seeing him a bit more here and there. Though, this is the first time you are able to have a conversation with him in what seems like forever.

“Well,” you sighed, “I guess we have lost the battle together. We must be pretty shitty jonin.” You stated flatly.

Kakashi squinted his eyes and you both laughed. You couldn’t help but take a mental picture of his face at this moment. You really enjoy seeing him happy, as it makes you happy too.

You can’t kid yourself, having a chance to talk with Kakashi alone feels like such a treat. Little genin (y/n) would be ecstatic right now. Of course you had a crush on him back then, who didn’t?

“You’ve always had a natural talent for connecting with people,” Kakashi mused, “I haven’t talked to you since we were teenagers, and here I am laughing with you like we’re long-time friends.”

You could feel your eyebrows furrow at that statement. Yeah sure, you weren’t at his apartment every week for Sunday brunch, but you did have a history.

“Kakashi,” you started, “You are my long-time friend. Just because we drifted apart doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. To be honest, I was relieved when I found out you were no longer going to be a member of the Anbu. It wasn’t good for you.” You stepped closer and sat down next to him, leaning back on the tree stump. The grass felt cool under you, sending a small shiver up your body.

“I suppose you’re right,” Kakashi stated, quoting your words from earlier. “It amazes me that none of you gave up on me. I feel like I am undeserving of everyone’s effort.” You were baffled by his honesty; Kakashi wasn’t known to be much of an open book. It upsets you so much that he feels this way as you couldn’t imagine not caring about him or any of your other comrades in the village. The faces of your closest friends flashed through your mind and you grimaced at the thought of losing them.

Not knowing if you should, you felt compelled to reach over and hold Kakashi’s hand in yours. It's cold compared to the warmth spreading from your fingertips. Hmm, I wonder how long he has been out here. Giving his hand a small squeeze, you look at him in his onyx eye. “Trust me, Kakashi. You are deserving. You are deserving of a great life and people who care about you. I know the world may seem dark, but I promise that a light is always glowing. No matter how small or dim, it’s there.”

You stare at each other in silence for a moment before he changes the position of his hand and intertwines his fingers in yours. The change was small, but it ignites a feeling in your stomach you couldn’t describe. Slowly, you felt your cheeks flush and you turned your face to look towards the sky in hopes he wouldn’t notice. You knew this action was him telling you that he accepts your words, and thanks you for them.

You spent the next hour sitting under the tree together, you looking up at the stars and him looking at you. Your intertwined hands fell between your bodies, resting on the cool grass. You felt him start to graze the back of your hand with his thumb, sending a tingling sensation up your arm. It felt so good to be touched by him, even in such an innocent manner.

A strong breeze ran through the air and hit you suddenly. You began to shiver at the quick change in temperature, realizing that you should have dressed warmer if you were going to be out this long. Yet, you couldn’t have anticipated the situation you are currently in.

“Are you cold?” Kakashi questioned with a hint of concern.

“Yeah a little bit,” you answered honestly, “but I don’t want to go back home. I’m not really tired yet.” Truthfully, you didn’t want this little moment of shared bliss to end. You started to feel like you found your escape, and you refused to be torn away from it so soon.

“Neither do I,” he confessed, “Come here.” He released his hand from yours and slid his position higher up on the side of the tree. He then spread his legs and patted the ground in between, inviting you to sit.

You felt your face get hot again, as the position he was offering you was a very intimate gesture. There was absolutely no way you could refuse his offer. One, because you were freezing and, two, young (y/n) would never forgive you.

You got up and sat down carefully between his thighs, leaning until your back met his chest. He then wrapped both of his arms around you, one around your shoulders and the other around your waist with his hand resting on your stomach. The outsides of your legs met the insides of his and you felt an immediate warmth there. Lastly, your head tilted back and rested upon his left shoulder, with his face nuzzled against your temple. You both fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, no part of you feeling any discomfort against his strong body. Engulfed in his smell and warmth, for the first time in a while you felt completely relaxed.

“Thank you, Kakashi.” You looked up at him with a warm smile.

“Anytime.” He breathed, voice muffled by your hair. You wondered if he truly meant that. I mean, after all, this is the first time you have interacted in a while. Yet, the connection you felt towards him was unquestionable.

Does he feel the way I feel?

“Hey,” you began, “are you tired at all?”

He flexed his arms and held you closer to his chest. “Not really,” he answered, “I’m enjoying this moment too much to be tired.” You smiled, and there was a pause.

“Isn’t this odd?” you questioned again.

“What? You and I snuggled under a tree in a random corner of the village alone at 4 a.m. after we haven’t interacted with each other in years?” he questioned sarcastically, “Not at all.”

“Kakashi!,” you laughed, gently nudging your elbow into his ribs as he laughed along with you.

“Yeah it’s a little odd,” he answered honestly, “but I’m not going to question it. I found my light, and now I’m enjoying it.” He nuzzled his face into your hair and breathed deeply.

Completely and utterly relaxed, you let yourself succumb to the heaviness of your eyelids. Truthfully, this has felt like the longest day in the world and you are happy to end it this way. The sound of Kakashi’s breathing and the rise and fall of his chest acted as your personal sleep machine. It’s priceless.

Before you completely drift off, you swear you could feel the soft, pillowiness of Kakashi’s lips graze the skin of your temple, a soft hum escaping from them.

“Goodnight, (y/n)”

~~~

Queue Hilary Duff’s “What Dreams Are Made Of”. This kind of feels like the beginning of something. Should I continue? Idk if my writing is even good. If you read this, PLEASE let me know if you have any feedback. Again, this is my first story and I would greatly appreciate any feedback, advice, suggestions, etc.! I can’t believe I’m uploading, ah! - Klara

#kakashi #kakashi hatake #kakashi fanfic #kakashi fanfiction #kakashi x reader #hatake kakashi #kakashi fluff #kakashi imagine #naruto fanfiction #kakashi x you #kakashi x y/n #kakashi one shot #kakashi x yn #kakashi sensei #i found my light

[un1c0]

I do not own Scattered AU, it is from @hermitcraftheadcanons.

Here is probably a multi-chapter fic about Xisuma having a rough time in the Deep Dark. I don't have anywhere to put this so it's going on Tumblr. (This is my first time writing something and posting it somewhere.)

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

-----

Scattered AU - Xisuma in the Deep Dark

Includes: Xisuma, the Warden

Possible triggers: Blindness

Words: 614

Xisuma stood in front of the un-open portal to start the new season. He looked over his shoulder at his fellow hermits, all excited to start exploring the new terrain. He himself was excited to explore.

Xisuma looked down at the admin screens one last time to make sure everything was right. After the final look through, he pressed the button to boot up the server.

The hermits all cheered, ready to run through the portal, get the introductions all over with, and start finding the perfect place for a mega base.

The admin, being the closest to the portal, walked through with the others following close behind. They're all chatting about their plans, making jokes, or general things.

Once through the portal, everything went silent. No chatter, no giggling, no breathing but his own. As if the others just disappeared. Xisuma opened his eyes to see what happened but is shocked that he is deep underground in one of the abandoned cities. Those aren't supposed to spawn…

Something has went terribly wrong.

Looking around, he's alone. The admin took quiet footsteps to see what this environment has to offer. He quickly finds what seems like an alter with candles, some of them are lit. He doesn't question how and just takes a lit candle to help with seeing. Even though his helmet provides some light, it's not enough for this dark of an area.

With a candle in hand, he walks on the wool flooring that's in the ruins. X made his way to the end of the stretch of carpet, now he has to really focus on where he places his foot. Passing some skulk, he quietly tries navigating out.

"Why must there be so many skulk?" Xisuma muttered under his breath, quiet enough it wouldn't activate the sensors. He spots a skulk screecher. From what he's heard, they are not fun when activated. He also spots a nearby chest, it could have some pretty valuable loot.

He looks between the screecher and chest, deciding if it's worth it. "If I open up the chest, it could have some tools or something but that would mean the screecher would activate. Hmm.." He said quietly in thought.

After a quick moment of deciding, Xisuma went to open up the chest. The chest was obnoxiously loud in these ruins. Why must it be so loud? The nearby skulk have activated, activating the screecher. It made an awful ear splitting screech and darkness started to surround his vision. 

One.

All he needs to do is see what's inside and he can find somewhere more safe. 

He can make out the vague shape of a pickaxe. "Score!" Xisuma said in excitement, forgetting about how any noise can mean his demise. He closed the chest, and immediately his vision is filled with darkness.

Two.

He can't see anything, the candle light was just barely there.

The admin grabbed hold of the pickaxe in one hand, and the candle in the other. He used the pickaxe like one of those sticks blind people use to help get around. Xisuma wished he can look at his communicator to see how much longer the darkness effect will last. Wait… his communicator! Why hadn't he used it to check chat? He's such a derp!

While walking through the halls, his pickaxe hits something. That something had made a noise which lead to more noises and.. a screech.

Three.

Everything became pitch black, the candle light is no longer visible. It's like being in a black infinity room but worse.

Behind him sounded like something breaking, being crushed, then a loud roar from a creature he doesn't want to encounter.

The Warden.

#scattered au #hermitcraft au #hermitcraft #xisuma #xisumavoid #wow un1c0 wrote something? #the start of xisuma not having a great time #don't be harsh on me ok? #i'm trying #un1c0 writes

[littlegodzilla]

Howl TWD AU. Daryl Dixon x OFC 13/15.

New day, new chapter!

We are almost at the end of the series, just two more chapters and we'll know the destiny of Daryl and Ixeia and the people of Woodbury.

What's going to happen with Merle too?

We'll see!!

Enjoy!!

Howl

Daryl Dixon x OFC.

Warnings(For the all series); AU. M, Smut, +18, hurt/comfrot, blood, violence, bad language, war plans, ABO references, Knot thing, a lot of references about werewolves mixed with my own imagination.

Warnings chapter: War. Blood. Toxic inffections. Merle being Merle. A lot action scenes.

Outside Narrator.

Words: 5050

N/A: Yes, I know, I use Woodbury a lot in my stories, but Seasons 2 and 3 are my favorites and they can’t live in a prison…. Woodbury is the closest thing… and yes, Rick and Michonne are together because I love them and I miss them a lot, sorry if someone is unhappy about this.

Taglist: @phoenixblack89 @browneyes528 @pncnsc @purple-serenity @ruinedbythehobbit @lilythemadqueen @srhxpci @twdeadfanfic

Part 13.

Daryl wastes time for a couple more days talking to Merle. He wastes time because his brother doesn't tell him anything new about the pack that accompanied him. He tries to make him see, to understand, that they have left him behind, that they aren’t coming back for him, but the man pays no attention, he seems determined that his people will come back for him at some point.

"When that happens, ya'll have to be prepared, little brother, ‘cause this little town will burn to the ground." He assures him with a smirk.

"Not if I can help it." He growls back walking out of the cell with a scowl.

It's been a rough few days in Woodbury, Negan's people have been tracking the scouting party that Merle showed up in town with. They've been confronted by several more groups throughout the week, small units of wolves trying to get through Daryl's territory encountering Negan's wolves ready to set their teeth on them. Daryl doesn't understand why they are sending small packs of wolves out there. If the purpose is to retrieve Merle it would be more effective with a much larger formation, on the other hand if they are just doing it to find out how many there are and prepare for a more powerful attack...

Daryl doesn't like to think about it, it means there are too many of them and they could be at a serious disadvantage.

The Alpha tries to bring his brother to his own side, get him on their side to get an extra set of hands to help them fight, but the trust he has in these people won't budge. It's really frustrating. On the other hand they continue without letting their guard down. The patrols are doing their job well, they have managed to capture some of the wolves that have reached the forest, but when they try to interrogate them the incoherent babbling shows that this so called "Governor" is looking for easy and fickle minds to manipulate them and use them as cannon fodder. That pisses them off even more. The packs are always strict and somewhat reserved with the pups born with difficulties and with the Metis, but within the pack itself there is always a balance of respect and care, they help those weaker wolves to move forward. There are cases where packs of very pure lineages disown all those who cannot be useful to their cause and the Governor is acting exactly the same with these werewolves.

So they know pretty much the same as they did from the first moment they started.

Nothing.

But the atmosphere is charged, heavy. In the air feels something wild, something dangerous, they're not far from Woodbury, Daryl knows they're getting closer, slowly but surely, that it won't be long before they're peeking through the gates of their territory trying to claim what they think belongs to them. It will be cruel and bloody. Everyone is aware of this. The Governor will seek out the best and try to put them at his mercy as well as those he believes he can manipulate, he will try to take as many females as possible to help him increase his herd, he will kill all the Alphas that are linked to his Omegas and he will also take care of the humans living in Woodbury.

Merle has repeated this to him ad nauseam.

"Stop worrying" Carol tells him that morning as the woman walks up to Ixeia's house, the two of them now sharing the nest the she-wolf had once made. Daryl's cabin was crowded, so it was a good excuse to stay close to his she-wolf.

"I can't stop worryin’, Carol... I feel like we're missin’ somethin’ important and it's gonna blow up in our faces..."

"You've covered all the flanks that could be vulnerable, the boys are still on their guards, we're all careful in town, you've managed to join forces with a pack that seems to be just as eager as we are to stop these individuals from doing harm... I think that's quite an accomplishment."

"What happens when it's all over? do ya think they'll just go away?" He looks sideways at her, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"You mean because of Negan? He does seem a little conflicted, but his wife has him on a tight leash." She can't help but laugh. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." She mumbles but sees Daryl smirk in amusement as well.

"No, I get yer point, she seems to be the one wearing the pants in the pack... I guess as long as nothin’ happens to her..." He shrugs and Carol strokes his hair lovingly, the wolf lays his head against her touch and closes his eyes from the caresses.

"How are you doing? Out of all this, you know what I mean."

"Fine, I think..." He groans and bites the inside of his cheeks. "Adjustin’ to myself... My Alpha status is shot, there are too many people around me right now and I have this stupid need to be on my toes all the time..." He sighs because he doesn't like the role of controlling leader. Nor of leader. "I used to live more peacefully as a vulgar Metis." He jokes feeling Carol nudge him a little and smiles.

"You aren’t vulgar, don't say such things." He smiles knowing what the Ranger was referring to. "I'm glad you met all these wolves, I think... Your condition isn't well regarded, from what you told me, from how I see you move around them, and they don't seem to care. They even seem surprised by your true status as an Alpha, I think that's a positive thing for you."

"I guess..." He shrugs again, it's a customary gesture for him. He scratches his head, hesitating. "I have to admit, I'm surprised no one from the Council came lookin’ for me or to talk to Merle when Merle was out there wanderin’ around on his own... I guess we ain’t as important as he thinks we are."

"And there we are again." Carol rolls her eyes knowing she can't change her friend's personality and rises from her seat. "You may not be important to them, but you are to a lot of other people, Daryl Dixon, so stop making that face, you hear me?"

Daryl gives her a sidelong glance and a soft smile tugs at his mouth, shakes his head in a gesture that should be a nod and lowers his gaze again, fiddling nervously with his own hands. He's never been good at accepting compliments from anyone. Although Carol has always tried since they've known each other, but it's still difficult for the Metis. The pleasant conversation is nipped in the bud when a rumble makes them both flinch.

What is happening now?

Daryl gets up in a hurry, opens the door of the house and the two of them observe from afar that the police station is on fire. The breath catches in his throat as his eyes widen in horror, people are running in panic from one side to the other trying to save themselves from the flames, to find something to put out the fire. Carol puts one hand to her chest and the other to her mouth to quell the gasp of panic at what she is seeing. A huge wolf transformed into its hybrid form appears in the two's field of vision and knocks over several cars while hitting people passing by, knocking them out.

The Alpha roars in desperation rushing down the stairs, but stops when he senses Carol following him. He turns to her, hurriedly, his gesture serious, his brow tightly furrowed, his jaw clenched, his fangs growing out of the corners of his lips. The woman takes a step back at his gaze full of rage; lethal and dangerous. She nods her head stopping at the stairs and Daryl howls to gather his own as his body abruptly transforms into his hybrid form. To his surprise, his mind is still semi-conscious like last time, but his bones didn't hurt as much when he took his form. He shakes his head and flexes his hind legs running at full speed towards that wolf that is heading straight towards the flames of the police station.

Before he can get there and stop it, he sees his brother appear in his hybrid form among the fire. The other wolf stops and they shake hands, glad to see each other. Anger swirls in Daryl's chest and he feels his consciousness weaken a little more. He growls and clenches his fists, he has to calm down if he wants to remain able to control himself and not become a Berserker again. He howls with all his might, listening in the distance to his people answering his call. He leans his body forward, his long nails digging into the asphalt. The two wolves sense his presence and turn to face him, yet he sees a crooked smile in the grimace Merle makes in his hybrid form. The wolf that has gone in search of his brother lunges for him as the Metis moves off in another direction.

No, he isn’t going to let it hurt anyone else.

His body lunges in his direction, but the other hybrid gets in his way, its massive head slams into his side, pressing into his ribs, knocking the wind out of him as it throws him a few feet away. Daryl digs his nails into the ground to break his fall and turns towards it. He's a young wolf, his form smaller but perfect, a Hominid who hasn't long experienced his First Shift, which tells Daryl he's just a kid. He mentally mumbles. He doesn't want to kill a child. He roars and barks in threat, the little hair covering his form bristling warning that he's in danger, but the Hominid doesn't budge. It howls and runs towards him, leaps up several meters in the air ready to fall on the Metis. Daryl waits for it, but never manages to hit its body.

Another wolf throws itself on the young man, both fall several meters away from Daryl, roll on the ground, lifting the asphalt with them, collide with a car that sinks under the weight of the body of both wolves, but stops their advance. The wolf also incorporates into a hybrid form, black and gray fur, his huge paws holding a bat that he doesn't hesitate to unload against the other hybrid's jaw when it tries to move, knocking him unconscious against the car. He turns to Daryl, his blue eyes flashing for a second before nodding his head.

The Alpha doesn't hesitate, grunting in thanks before bolting after his brother. He doesn't know where he's gone, but it can't be good, if he's escaped it will be the best of news, but when he sees several wolves and hybrids appear through the forest he knows this has only just begun. He mentally curses running at full speed. He has to get his people to safety no matter what.

Negan meets Lucille, walking calmly on his two hind legs, the bat against his shoulder. The woman rips her nails from the body of a wolf she has stopped before it enters the town and shakes the blood over them. Her gaze connects with her husband's and he growls low.

"They're coming." He says in the woman's head, one of her Gifts is beast communication, allowing her to talk to wolves and any animal. "We must prepare."

"I will send our people to cover the wounded, we should gather them all at the Greene's farm." Replies the woman and the male wolf rolls his eyes.

"Why do we have to risk the lives of our own for some humans?"

"Because it was part of the deal when we allied with Dixon. It's not our territory, Negan, we have to adapt to their laws." He explains to her with weariness. "This is not the time for this, gather your men and explain the situation to them." Lucille orders him before howling, several wolves reach her and together they move away up the street to stop the wolves that have entered Woodbury.

Negan growls once again in disagreement with his wife, but does not disobey. He looks to his best men for this mission, he knows he must or Daryl and Lucille could give him trouble, even though she is his wife she has more power than he does, he knows she can overpower him with a simple look and he is too proud a man for everyone to witness something like that.

"Dwight, Simon, Laura." He calls to his wolves and they come up to him in their hybrid form. "Help the wounded, find the humans and take them to Hershel's farm." The wolves growl and nod, but Simon doesn't seem very cooperative. "These are fucking orders from your Alpha, from Lucille, so take that fucking face off and do as you're ordered. Protect them, don't let any of those fucking wolves get close."

"Yes, Negan." They bark at the same time before speeding away from there.

"Alright, the rest of you, let's teach those fucking dogs some manners!" He barks loudly and his people howl in agreement running through the various streets of Woodbury in search of the intruders.

Jesus is helping Rick get the car ready with the baby and Judith's things when they see a huge wolf run past followed by another that is almost devoid of fur. He freezes for a second when he detects Daryl's scent on one of them.

"Shit, Rick!" He calls out to the Sheriff who has entered the house in search of the children.

"I saw him, go!"

"We need to get to Hershel's farm first!"

"I'll take care of that, come on, Daryl needs you!" shouts the Sheriff again, but Jesus shakes his head.

"No! We all have our mission!"

"We got this!" appears Laura in her Hybrid form, she as a hominid can talk to humans and beasts in either form. "We're helping people get to Hershel's farm, you take care of your own!" The young woman says to Jesus who looks hesitant, but she gingerly picks Judith up and hoists her onto her massive shoulder. Rick also looks frightened, but the girl laughs and clings tightly to the young girl's fur.

Laura falls onto her front legs taking a curved stance, protecting with her body the car where they were storing everything they needed. Michonne stands frozen in the doorway of the house with RJ in her arms, not knowing whether or not to leave, that wolf doesn't know him. Carl behind her pats her shoulders wanting to relax her and gestures for her to be calm. Dwight then appears in his wolf form, when everyone is inside the car, the wolf gets in front to lead the way. Laura barks gratefully and walks away to help at another house. Jesus walks up to Rick's window and Rick nods.

"Go, Daryl is using that form a lot, we don't know how long he'll be able to control it." Rick asks him and Jesus nods in understanding.

"Be very careful." He asks them and Dwight attacks several wolves approaching down the same street. Rick puts the car in gear and they drive away being escorted by several wolves.

Abraham and Aaron reach Jesus at that moment, the black wolf transforms into his hybrid form being mimicked by his companions, they howl to know Daryl's position and when he responds, they run after him.

Daryl crushes the body of his brother when he intercepts him between two streets, pushes his body violently making him lose his balance and falls on the facade of one of the houses knocking it down. The Metis wishes there was no one inside. He clenches his fists tightly and bares his teeth at Merle, in a mute threat not to try to get up. But the Dixons have a particular characteristic, and that is that they are stubborn as hell, so the man does not intend to give up without a fight. He joins in and roars against his brother, raising his shoulders, squaring his body to make himself bigger, but Daryl is not intimidated, he knows his brother, they fought together when they were puppies to develop their skills. True, the better Dixon has never managed to beat his brother, but that's not going to stop his desire to try.

Their bodies collide again, the clash is brutal, the sound of their bones echoes in the deserted street, Merle surrounds his neck with his deformed arm and with his left fist hits him in the face repeatedly making Daryl dizzy. Daryl manages to break free of his grip by grabbing him by the back of the neck and throws him to the ground, he tries to hold him back, but Merle is quicker and hits him again to get him off his body. He grunts and shakes his head, they are not going to get him as easily as last time. One of the hybrids in his pack appears giving him what looks like a metal arm that fits perfectly on his deformed stump. It's not an arm, it's the edge of a sword that whistles through the air as he waves both arms and gestures for Daryl to come closer.

He's screwed.

Ixeia makes sure that the people are safe, all those that they have been able to save until they get there, heals the wounds of some of them, tries to calm the fear that is reflected in their eyes and in their trembling bodies, many of them are confused and disoriented. You don't understand what is happening. You discover with relief that Derek is alive, but the man does not allow her to approach him. She is hurt by his rejection, but she understands.

She suddenly feels a sharp stab in her chest that leaves her breathless. The pain that increases, churns in her stomach and spreads throughout her body to her head. She gasps in pain, holding her head with both hands. Her heart beats a mile a minute. Something is not right. Something bad is happening to Daryl.

"Ixeia? What's wrong?" Maggie asks her as she sees her writhing in pain.

"I have to get back to town; Daryl needs me." She looks at her with her eyes full of fear and her voice cracking. Maggie looks at her just as scared and nods her head.

"Go, we'll take care of helping people."

"Thank you, Negan's people won't be long in coming to help." She promises her and hurriedly runs out of the barn.

As she walks away she sees several wolves appear, transforming into people, grabbing their weapons, clothes Beth hands them and positioning themselves around the barn and farm to make sure nothing and no one gets through the perimeter, others stay in their hybrid form to make the defense more powerful. She mentally thanks the help everyone is displaying and transforming as she runs she heads towards where his Alpha is, she can smell him, but he is getting weaker and weaker and it makes her chest tighten.

The image before her eyes shakes her. She stands frozen in her position not knowing what she can do. Daryl and Merle are locked in a brutal fight. The older brother has the little against the ground, one of his powerful, strong knees pressing his body into the asphalt as his fist is raised in the air, his teeth clenched tightly, a growl of menace clawing at his throat every time Daryl tries to get up. Merle doesn't want to keep hitting his brother, but next to them, observing the situation, are two more werewolves, waiting for Merle to finish what he has started.

Ixeia at once understands that this is the leader of the pack Merle has joined to overthrow the Council and next to him, there is a woman who lacks hair on her head, deep gaze, marked by huge black circles under her eyes, there is a sinister smile on her mouth and her fists are clenched, wishing Merle to continue with the fight. The "Governor" also doesn’t have a much warmer look than the woman, there is a crooked smile on his face, he oozes superiority and arrogance, he is an Alpha of the old school, of those who believe they are above everything and everyone, those who still think that Gaia chose them for a much more ambitious destiny than the others. Ixeia understands now why they are doing all that.

It is only pride of a clan that is dying out and they cannot accept it.

Rage begins to take hold of her, she growls low and stirs in her seat. Merle punches Daryl again and she lunges for the Metis. She's not going to let them continue to harm her Alpha. She lunges at the one-armed wolf, jaws open, her mouth snaps against the metal arm, digs her nails into the ground and using all her strength throws Merle several meters away from where he is. His huge body impacts against the trees at the beginning of the forest, he howls in pain, but she doesn't care. She stands over Daryl protecting him, she hears him moaning low as he slowly tries to get up. Ixeya steps aside as she feels Daryl's human hand on her fur, she looks at him for a moment before shifting her form herself and with a mute question on her face, he smiles and nods.

"I've been worse." He assures in a hoarse voice.

"So you two are Gaia's chosen ones." The woman speaks, in a soft, whispery voice, with a tone of madness tinging her words that gets goosebumps on both of them.

"We were eager to meet you, all this would not have been necessary if you had come with us from the first moment." Speaks the "Governor" still with his crooked smile on his mouth.

"We don't have to go anywhere with anyone. This is our territory, our home." Speaks Daryl taking a step forward. "Ya people have come here eager to fight and spill blood. Ya ain’t welcome."

"Not welcome? Do you really think we care about laws? No, we are here to change our whole world, to make it better." The woman speaks again, smiling, showing a row of black, rotten teeth.

"We've tried to be nice to you, to make you understand the situation nicely, but you clearly need punishment." The two advance towards the pair and they instinctively back away. "That Omega will be mine and you and your brother will be left as a failed mistake." Spits the roaring man, slowly transforming.

Daryl growls as well, but grabs Ixeia by the arm and pulls her behind his body. There is something not right about those two wolves. Their transformation into wolves is mindless, misshapen, incomplete, but they are not Metis, Daryl can sense that they are both descended from a pure lineage, but there is something not right with them. The woman's eyes are completely black, thick black saliva drips from her mouth, the Governor oozes a viscous reddish liquid from his fur, his nails drip the same black liquid that falls from the werewolf woman's mouth. They are both cursed, something dark and corrupt runs through their blood. Daryl shudders harder as he smells it.

"Stay away." He says to Ixeia. "They’re consumed by Darkness, they have been overcome by Dark forces."

"I can purify them, Daryl, maybe..." She tries to help, but he shakes his head.

"It won't do any good, they have chosen...!" But he can't finish the sentence, the woman grabs him with her huge paw and throws him several meters away, Daryl's body impacts against a lamppost, bending it in half.

"Daryl!" Omega howls and glares at the other she-wolf with hatred.

She transforms to face the woman, her teeth clench around the consumed woman's neck and throws her against the ground in several blows. She barks in pain as she feels her nails dig into her skin, the dark venom burning her skin. She quickly releases her and rests her hands on the ground feeling suddenly weak. She shakes her head hard trying to recover to attack again, but this time it is the Governor that lunges at her. His jaws tighten on her back, he lifts her up in the air and throws her back against the ground, her whole body suffers from the pain, she tries to let go, but the man's strength is far superior, the Dark magic is giving her an uncontrollable strength, which doesn't mean it's good for the bearer either.

Daryl tries to go to his she-wolf's aid, but the wolf-woman intervenes by punching him in the stomach, Daryl is left breathless for a few seconds before receiving the cut of a dagger in his arm. He needs to take several steps back, holding the wound, which burns, it stings, gnawing the skin where the blade has touched. The corrosive poison given off by his weapons and his own body is extremely dangerous, if they are exposed to them for too long they could die, or worse, be consumed by it and become servants of the Darkness like the Governor and the other she-wolf.

"Found you motherfucker!" They hear a war cry coming from a female voice.

The two see falling on the cursed werewolf woman another she-wolf, who hits her snout with a bat with all her might. The bat flies being picked up by Negan who uses it to deliver a hard blow to the ribs to the Governor and get him to release Ixeia. Lucille unloads her fists on the she-wolf who tries to get loose. She grabs one of his arms and twists it, breaking it. The woman screams in pain and the black liquid that was oozing becomes much thicker. Her eyes are devoid of any life and all her hair stands on end.

"Lucille!" Negan shouts as he feels the dark wave coming from the woman.

"You're crazy, Alpha!" She yells at the she-wolf who won't stop convulsing, falling prey to the toxin enveloping her and taking over more and more of her body.

"Stay away from them, don't fucking let them touch you!" shouts Negan once again warning his people who quickly take a step back.

Daryl runs to Ixeya to help her up, they are both injured from the poison, but their bodies are slowly recovering. The Omega tries to heal him with her power, but the hunter gives her a strong look to stop, they are both exhausted from the fight, he doesn't want her to overdo it. He holds her very carefully, returning to his human form once more and leads her away from the battlefield by sitting her down on the steps of one of the houses on the street where they meet. Ixeia resists, she wants to keep fighting, but Daryl stops her once again.

"It's dangerous!"

"I don't care! When are you going to understand that they are my people too! I have the right to protect them too!"

"Yer my Omega, I ain’t gonna let ya die!"

"And you're my Alpha and I have to accept you sacrificing yourself?!" She shoves him angrily. "I can fight, damn it! You all are doing your part to help! We should be with them!"

"Ya dun know how this is gonna end! Those two lunatics are consumed by Darkness!"

"You think I didn't see that!?" She roars fed up with Daryl's denials.

"Hey, couple! This isn't the best time for this!" Negan calls out to them and walks up to them, he has put barbed wire around the bat and hands it to Ixeia. "Use your fucking Gift, I'll hit them with this, the bullets, the knives, go back to strengthening them, now we need you to use all your power on them."

"Yes... I need you to distract them during the ritual." She asks Negan who hands her the bat and smiles broadly, that mischief shining in his eyes.

"Come on, Alpha, let's go play with them a little." He tells Daryl, Daryl hesitates for a moment but transforms back.

"Be careful." Ixeia asks him before he shakes it off and runs after Negan back into the fray.

Lucille and Aaron appear in Ixeia's field of vision as she continues to look worriedly at where Daryl is walking away, the two of them drop several chargers full of silver bullets, knives and the bolts from Daryl's crossbow at her feet. She startles at the metallic sound as an orthopedic arm with a sword blade as a hand falls on top of the rest of the weapons. She looks up to find Merle staring at her with bated breath, sweating profusely and returning to his human form, a trickle of black liquid slips from the corners of his lips and Ixeia is startled. She tries to get up to help him, but he stops her.

"Take care of that, my brother needs everythin’ ya've got to save this fuckin’ town." He snarls and spits angrily, then reverts back to his hybrid form and goes to Daryl and Negan's aid. She hesitates for a moment, she wants to help Merle, it is clear that the wolf had fallen for a lie, like many of those who had followed the Governor and Alpha, surely, who had cursed them with the toxin in order to control them, she was still in time to be able to cure him. Lucille gestures to her grabbing her shoulder.

"He has chosen, you must take care of this, then there will be time to heal the wounds." The Alpha tells her and the she-wolf nods, it hurts, but she has to take her own path in this war.

She kneels in front of all the weapons and lets a greenish aura envelop her before placing her hands and beginning the ritual, it would strengthen and give them the ability to purify, thus making them more effective against those most consumed by the Darkness.

To be continued...

next chapter.

previous chapter.

I hope you enjoyed it!!

I'll see you in the next chapter!!

#norman reedus #normanreedus #daryldixon #the walking dead #daryl dixon #ofc fanfiction #werewolves #twdfanfiction #twd daryl #series #howl series #daryldixonxofc #twd fanfiction

[no-reply95]

So I listened to the Something About the Beatles (SATB) latest podcast today, titled “Dear Friend” with the topic of conversation John and Paul’s relationship in the 1970s. So I was thinking that this would be great because I feel like the primary things talked about when the John/Paul 1970s dynamic is discussed is Lennon Remembers, How Do You Sleep and the PlayBoy interview, maybe they’ll throw in the Lost Weekend for balance if they’re feeling so inclined... I’m obviously exaggerating here but... Firstly, before I start my rant, SATB is a good podcast, they usually have great guests (Erin Torkelson Weber the MVP of course), cover interesting topics and Robert Rodriguez is a good host who’s good at challenging things in the story that don’t ring true.

However, I feel like throughout the Beatles active years and into the post break-up years there’s a narrative that has been established that so many people are wedded to, to the point that it’s part of the orthodoxy of the band. In my opinion the narrative is that from first meeting up until the moment that John died Paul was always doing everything to be John’s BFF, he was always trying to be closest to John, no matter what John said or did, Paul would always be the one to try and mend fences and throughout the 70s he was doing whatever he could to end up back working with John. I don’t think this narrative is completely wrong but I think it’s uneven mainly because, in all this, Paul’s importance to John is completely glossed over and John’s manoeuvring to ensure that he was the most important person in Paul’s life is completely missed. So, I just want to highlight some of the instances off the top of my head where I feel that John showed how much he needed to be prioritised in Paul’s life and how much he wanted to mend fences post break-up, that I feel don’t get talked about often enough:

1) John’s competition with Jim McCartney: There’s a lot of stock put into the John-Paul-Stu triangle but that obscures a weird triangle that, maybe Paul wasn’t even aware of, but I think definitely existed which is John-Paul-Jim. By all accounts Jim didn’t want John around and was against John and Paul’s friendship. Jim had a lot of influence over Paul and had a lot of sway as his sole parent once Mary died and I think John was resentful of that. We all know about the ultimatum John gave Paul when he took the job (that Jim implored him to get) which jeopardised his commitment to the band. In John’s eyes and own words, Paul choosing to quit his job to commit fully to the band was Paul choosing John over his dad. No one (in books I’ve only seen Joshua Wolf Shenk discuss this) discusses how Jim was effectively John’s Stu, someone that obstructed his closeness and ability to influence Paul to the point that over a decade later, post break up, John saw Paul focusing on the band as a victory over his dad. John had a jealously of Paul’s closeness and prioritisation of his family that would rear its head further down the road but, by and large, I rarely see this discussed.

2) John’s jealousy of Paul’s other close friendships: On this front, we hear ad nauseam, about Paul’s jealousy of Stu, which is fine because, even without Paul acknowledging it, it’s obvious from space that Paul was jealous of Stu’s closeness to John but we never hear about John’s jealousy of Paul’s other close friendships. All the Beatles were close to Mal Evans but I think Paul was especially close to him (he was the first Beatle to befriend Mal, Mal lived with him at Cavendish for some time, Mal helped Paul write some songs etc.) which got to John. In John’s own words when discussing Magical Mystery Tour he was “choked” when he found out that Paul had come up with the idea with Mal and Mal’s widow has said that Yoko told her that John had told her (whew Chinese whispers time) that he was jealous of Mal’s friendship with Paul... Then there’s Tara Browne, it’s interesting that despite Tara apparently being really friendly and outgoing John never took to him. Maybe it was because Tara was upper class. Maybe it was because after pestering him for months, Paul chose to do LSD with Tara instead of with John and the rest of the band. Maybe it was because Paul invited Tara up to Liverpool, right after Christmas, to hang out with his family resulting in the infamous moped crash. If I put my tin foil hat on, in “A Day in the Life” when John’s reaction to the death of a man in a car crash is “to laugh” is that meaningful? The song is thought to reference Tara but does that passage give us a glimpse into how John saw Tara? If he’s laughing about Tara dying then it sounds like he really didn’t like him, possibly due to his close friendship with Paul.

3) John’s resentment of Paul’s romantic partners: So this one is interesting... There are quite a few examples to walk through so here goes. We have the incident in Hamburg where Paul is in bed with a woman and John (in the aftermath of Stu’s death and probably high on prellies) comes charging in attacking the girl, cutting up her clothes and basically scares her out of the room, maybe that was just the prellies but there seems to be too much of a pattern to ignore. Then there’s Jane of course, we don’t know a ton about John’s interactions with Jane over the years but it’s interesting that he makes a terrible first impression with her (asking her to describe how girls masturbate) and it seems that their relationship is cordial at best going forward (note how Jane and Paul never go on holiday alone with John and Cynthia in the same way George and Ringo did with their respective partners). Peggy Lipton also tells the story about how when she came to hang out with Paul in 1965, John was really rude to her out of nowhere and asked “what she was doing there” and she seemed to think that John couldn’t understand why Paul wanted to take her to dinner if all he was going to do was fuck her. Then, there’s Linda... John consistently gives interviews in the early 70s when he talks about how in a few years Paul will wake up and leave Linda, according to Ray Connolly John couldn’t believe that Paul was staying faithful to Linda and then there’s other weird occurrences in that late 60s/early 70s period. There’s the fan who claims seeing John about to hit a pregnant Linda before Paul stepped in, there’s John rushing to get married as soon as Paul does (8 days later I think which is WILD to me), there’s John describing Paul’s wedding as a “funeral” in ‘71... What does all this tell us? That John was too busy replacing Paul with Yoko to care about Paul anymore? In my book, it’s John’s fears being realised that Paul would always prioritise his family over him when push came to shove, in John’s mind he had won when he was competing with Jim for Paul but once Linda came into the picture and gave Paul the family he always wanted, I think in John’s mind, it was game over. Maybe if Paul had divorced Linda in the 70s (like John predicted) they would have worked together more, we’ll never know, but in a similar way to Yoko, Linda was a wedge in John’s relationship to Paul.

4) John’s attempts post break-up to reach out to Paul: We hear a lot about Paul reaching out to John in the 70s and not engaging with the feuding anymore, it’s Paul that decides not to respond in kind to HDYS, it’s Paul that invites John to the Venus and Mars sessions, it’s Paul going to the Dakota to see/try to see John, it’s always Paul seemingly who misses John and wants to reestablish their relationship. However, according to May Pang, John was happy to do Bangladesh if Paul was doing it too. According to Ray Connolly, John gave him a letter to give to Paul, in the hopes that Paul would call him. According to Paul and other people involved in the One to One concert, John asked Paul to appear with him during his performance in ‘72. And in the face of the backlash from HDYS, John’s the one going around calling Paul his best friend ,other than Yoko, and sending him Beatles bootlegs for Christmas.

All this is to say that John and Paul did not have this one sided relationship where only Paul cared and wanted them to repair things or where only Paul was looking to manoeuvre a situation so he was closest to John, John also wanted to be the closest person in Paul’s life, he was jealously protective of their partnership (see his angry reaction to Paul not coming to him and only him to help with Eleanor Rigby) he also seemed to fear losing Paul to his family which may have happened in his mind, who knows. Because John’s most famous post Beatles interviews have him bashing Paul and Paul’s had 40 years to talk about how much he loved John, there’s this view that Paul loved John more than John loved Paul or that John loved Paul until Yoko came in the picture, at which point Paul was no longer relevant. If Paul meant nothing to John anymore, why did he even bother writing HDYS, if he was so tuned out he wouldn’t have been bothered by Ram, none of the critics were so why was John all over that album more than a Paul is Dead truther?! Why did Yoko block Paul’s calls to John, they were happy to hang out with Ringo, what was so threatening about Paul? Why, according to Robert Rosen, were John’s diaries full of his obsessions about Paul?? We’ll never know a lot of the answers to these questions but I would love it if more podcasts even acknowledged that these questions exist and acknowledged that Paul was such a huge part of John’s life till his dying day: “we have our ups and downs but I would do anything for Paul and I think he would do anything for me” John Lennon December 8 1980.

Apologies for the rant it seems listening to Beatles podcasts always seems to set me off! But SATB is a good podcast, just feel that there are so many interesting conversations that get missed in favour of the usual narrative time and time again, so close but no cigar!

Thanks to @onesweetdreampodcast and @anotherkindofmindpod for being the only podcast I’ve heard to date brave enough to discuss these questions, I think doing that will give us a much better understanding of the Beatles and how their story unfolded.

By the way most of what I referenced above can be found in @amoralto incredible blog, have fun!

#the beatles #john lennon #paul mccartney #john and paul #something about the beatles #dear friend #jealous guy #complex relationships #thoughts #my rants

[pen-observing]

This might be dumb, but could you do like a modern coffee shop (or bar) AU of you training Zhongli and having a whole "coworkers to lovers" vibe? It's time for Zhongli to get a job 😤 Also I can't my mind off Zhongli struggling to work the cashier or proudly showing off making a drink correctly.

i say i am a kaeya main but in reality zhongli is the only character tripple crowned so ofc i can try to do this

how does this come about? venti and zhongli are actually roommates and renting a suburban place because everyone knows zhongli has high standards.

however, zhongli has no job nor is he able to get one that easily.

venti was fine paying for everything for the first 3 months but after he did the math and realised that he will never again drink high quality wine if this continues - he demanded that zhongli gets a job

in reality, zhongli knows a lot but the knowledge is rarely of practical necessity so when he sets out to look for a job - he is really looking for anything at all

luckily for him, your manager always talks about how it would be a blessing if 'someone with the highest coffee shop aesthetic' worked here. 'the business would blossom!'

you thought it was silly. what even is a coffee shop aesthetic?

all your doubts were immediately dismissed when your manager rushed into the shop at 9am while dragging a man by his arm inside

he was beautiful, and the colors inside the shop only made him appear even more mesmerising

it seemed like he belonged inside this space

yes, he was slightly confused why someone had to drag him inside in that manner but he did not mind since on the street, the person already promised him a job. now venti had nothing to be mad about, right?

venti did not. you however did.

when your manager asked him to make coffee for 3 he confidently walked up to you, brushed past you to get closer to the machine.

but nothing happened.

he just stood there.

you looked up at him and his chin was in his hand. never has anyone stared down the coffee machine like this.

he was an expert at making tea but this was just so different.

zhongli turned his head to look at you.

'excuse me, but what is it exactly that i am supposed to do now?'

your manager laughed but you knew he was serious about the question.

'you need to press in the order you want. and then make it using this machine.'

'ah, i see.'

and he still did nothing.

it irked you that despite this he got the job as just a waiter.

your manager was reluctant to let him go after all.

when zhongli got home he told venti about his job and what happened. venti knew how much trouble a clueless zhongli really is so he made him play papa's freezeria on the computer to get a sense of his new job.

zhongli came the next day. completely composed and seemingly prepared. in his wishes to be on time, he came early and since his key was not made yet the first sight that greeted you was not the usual door with the closed sign - it was him leaning against it with his coat and his nose slightly red from the cold.

'i am glad to see that you are here.' his voice touched you at that moment, and he was more comforting to see than the lonely.

'could you please unlock the shop?'

and you did.

when the two of you walked in, he took both of your coats and hanged them on the rack.

he seemed gentle enough and careful enough not to mess up on his first day.

zhongli dedicates himself to everything he sets his mind to. and he was flawless as a waiter. polite words and smiles; he always remembered the order correctly and his presence did draw in a few more customers.

you were still the one who worked the register and made the actual orders tho.

at the end - he made sure to help with cleaning but when the two of you were putting on the coats he said: 'it is a shame.'

you simply asked what he was referring to because his look held some regret.

'oh, my roommate made me play a game so i get familiar with the register. i just thought it was a shame i didn't get to use it today.'

how can someone feel regret about such a thing? and why did it seem so serious all of a sudden?

'if you want, i can show you how to use it tomorrow morning before the customers come?'

'i would appreciate it.'

his smile at that moment was enough to make you smile too.

and you did show him. when there was free time; it was dedicated to helping him learn how to use the register or how to make simple orders.

really, the early mornings spent with him in which you watched his hands shake to becoming steady were so ordinary but so magical.

he was always glad to learn something new.

he was a quick learner but both of you worried that he would make a mistake during official work hours so he never had a chance to use it seriously.

but, after a week and a half, you caught a small cold and zhongli was left to fight all by himself.

for those 2 days your mind was filled with worry for him. 'is he going to be okay? how will he manage the new people and the more complicated orders? will he be able to do latte art? maybe the manager will help him more now and come to the shop more often while i am out sick?'

this made you realise he was somehow an important part of your day.

after the cold, you rushed to the shop faster than ever.

he had already unlocked it and what greeted you was zhongli behind the open register.

he gave you a smile before walking over.

' i am glad to see you are here again.'

'oh no.' zhongli held your shoulders. 'you are all out of breath. is this a side effect from the cold?'

he did not even give enough time to answer and already seated you down to the closest table.

'please wait here.'

how embarrassing! you rushed here to fast just thinking about him and even ran out of breath on the way here! thank god zhongli is so dense he did not question you more or teased you.

'here.'

he slid a coffee cup towards you and you immediately smiled.

he had made a heart latte! for you!

'i actually wanted to come and visit you but this place was so busy and i did not know your address. it would have been inappropriate. but, i finally used the things you taught me.'

and as zhongli sits down across from you; he is so happy to share what happened and all the things he did thanks to you.

sure, the business bloomed in this place but it seems like love has started to bloom as well.

(venti doesn't have to worry about his wine anymore and your manager is definitely calling themselves cupid.)

#genshin impact #genshin impact headcanons #for real i could have just turned this into a fic but i asked for headcanon requests sooo #this is like half half #genshin zhongli #genshin impact x reader #zhongli x reader #obviously gender neutral #not obey me