#credit to the op for the fantastic idea

[ninyard]

Nora shared a thread on Twitter of in-universe memes and I had to join in

#aftg #tfc #credit to the op for the fantastic idea #I do realistically believe there would not be many stabs for anyone other than the perfect court #but I also don’t really understand how big or not big college sports are over the US #Kevin day #Riko moriyama #Neil josten #*stans

[corazondebeskar-reads]

well it's love, make it hurt - chapter three

well it's love, make it hurt series

three: well it's love, make it hurt

series masterlist | prev chapter | next chapter

dom!Din Djarin x sub!f!reader

Word count: 4k

Summary: You mess up a hunt and lose the bounty. You panic, afraid you've ruined the tenuous work partnership and blossoming, if unconventional, relationship between you and the Mandalorian.

Warnings: bdsm, bad bdsm etiquette, miscommunication, good intentions, dom!Mando and sub!reader, slightly brat tamer!Mando and brat!reader, protective!Mando, d/s relationship, d/s dynamics, blurred lines, power imbalance if you squint, reader is a badass bounty hunter, pre-purge (and slightly ooc mando), spanking, punishment, discipline, canon-typical violence, wounds, oral (f receiving), explicit consent, aftercare, Din Djarin takes the helmet off but does not reveal his face, playing fast and loose with the Creed

Originally written for Kinktober Day 5 - Body Worship / Facesitting. Inspired by this prompt list from @absurdthirst

also on ao3

3 ABY - Fall

The intel was bad.

You’d been made the minute you entered the cantina, and they even had the smarts not to show it. Playing along, letting you flirt and sweet talk your way to a private room.

The bounty, Skaad Droff, was supposed to be an easy target. A low level spicelord who gambled too much of his profits and got on a few bad ledgers. It was an okay payout, if a bit insulting to a team like you and Mando. You had only accepted it because there were two other bounties here on Kijimi, and it was going to be an in-and-out op. Extra credits for little effort. 

It had been your idea to take the puck. The others were enough to pay your way, but if you were going to keep this deal with Mando, you wanted to buy a hammock instead of sleeping on a shitty bedroll on crates in the hull. To Mando’s credit, he had offered you the bunk on the first night, but neither of you had really expected to continue to work together. 

But you made a good team. And having the Crest was nice. (And the… other part of your partnership was fantastic). 

So. You stuck around.

Droff, like most of the slimeballs you’d met, had a weakness for a sure thing. Mando hadn’t loved the idea but had been willing to defer to you. 

Maker, he was going to be so kriffing unbearable if you messed this up.

Which, given how the two bodyguards hidden inside the room had gotten your primary blaster and commlink, seemed likely. You had already missed one check-in, but that was the nature of undercover ops. Mando wouldn’t be worried yet (would he worry at all?), so you still had time to pull this off. 

So, three to one in a locked room. They make quick work of patting you down and find your other blaster and explosives. They even take your boots off and find your knife. They do not put your boots back on, which maybe pisses you off more than losing your weapons.

One of the guards is trying to pull your arms behind your back, and look, maybe you hadn’t been trained from birth to be a killing machine, and maybe you didn’t have impenetrable armor, but you still knew how to brawl.

And also bite—something dickhead #2 learned very quickly when he went to wrap a hand around your throat. 

Biting really only works the once. It catches them off guard, especially when you have no reservations about going for a chunk of flesh. That’s okay. Once is all you need.

The momentary commotion gives you the opening to yank one arm free, pull the pin out of your hair, and slam it into the guard’s other wrist so he releases you. There's a spray of hot blood when you pull it out. 

Okay, where the fuck is Mando? It has to be extraction time.

You scramble to snag your blaster off the long table in the center of the room, but the second guard had recovered his wits and seemed a little mad about the weeping teeth marks around his forearm. He tackles you, and the compact pistol skitters across the table and onto the floor on the other side. 

Kriff. 

Fine, whatever. 

You have bigger issues now, like the man who has you pinned to the stained carpet, one hand over your mouth and the other around your neck. And then you see it—your comm, having rolled off the table in the scuffle but just centimeters from where your arm is awkwardly bent under the guard’s weight. 

Rather than trying to conserve your strength for a better moment, you seize your whole body against his and manage to wiggle just enough to wrap your fingers around it. The edges of your vision are boxing in. You had gotten the comm, but now what? The buzzing in your brain drowns your thoughts, the last of the air in your lungs punched out in your fight to get the comm. 

If I die here, you think, he’s going to be so mad at me. 

“What’s that noise?” Droff snaps.

The guard looks around, easing just a fraction off you. 

The static isn’t inside your brain. 

It was coming from the comm. In your struggle to breathe, you had tensed, holding down the button and opening the line to Mando. 

A detonator shatters the exterior wall, sending debris and chunks of stone into the air. The guard leaps back, abandoning you, and you roll to your feet. From the new, more convenient entrance, Mando has his rifle aimed at the guard but hesitates. You were in his only line of fire. 

It didn’t matter. You reach the other pin at the top of your braid and lodge it solidly into the man’s throat. He sputters and chokes before joining his peer on the floor as they bled out. 

“Why didn’t you check in?” he snaps. 

“I had it handled, didn’t I?” you rsay, turning around—not to look at Mando, but to grab Droff. He was already halfway through the door, fleeing for the crowded cantina. 

You lunge but catch your bare foot on a chunk of debris and go down. Hard. Your hand, rather than stopping your fall, gets caught between your body and the debris with a sickening crunch. 

It doesn’t hurt, so you push back up, but before you stand, Mando scoops you by the waist and tosses you over his shoulder like a dead womp rat. 

“What are you doing? Why didn’t you go after him?” 

“Why didn’t you follow protocol?” His voice is sharp and acidic. 

Neither of you speak again. You fume, hot tears of humiliation pricking at your eyes. He lowers you only to plop you down on the speeder, sliding in behind you and locking you in place with his thick, armored thighs. He reaches up around you and grabs the handles. 

By the time you had woven in and out of the tiny alleys and out of the city to the Crest, your rage had waned. The wind whipping at your face had graciously allowed your tears to disappear, and the few errant sniffles were lost in the rush. He dismounts and doesn’t allow you a moment to do so yourself before swinging you up over his shoulder and stomping up the ramp. 

He sets you down on your crate-bed and goes about closing up the ship for the night. You wanted to slink into the fresher and hide until he went to sleep, but now that everything has settled, now that the adrenaline has seeped out and left you shaking, the pain is making itself known.

Your throat is definitely bruised, possibly damaged. You taste blood, but your teeth are all accounted for, and while scraped and bleeding, both of your feet are fine. Your left cheekbone aches from hitting the ground, and a few ribs are sore but not broken. 

Your wrist definitely is, though. 

Bile burns up your aching throat. This was it, then. You fucked up a hunt, and now you're useless. The thought of being alone again, without a ship, scraping up whatever bounties were available on the same planet just to eat and sleep, sends your heart racing. 

Being alone had never bothered you before Mando. It had been such a mistake to get comfortable. 

Attached. 

Mando jumps back down from the cockpit and stalks over, still burning and ready to yell about it. But when he sees you trembling, staring at the floor with blank eyes, and cradling your wrist, the fight slips out of him. 

Medpack in hand, he kneels before you and pries your fingers away from your injured hand. You hiss through clenched teeth as he carefully evaluates the damage. 

“It’s a clean break,” he says, reaching down for a bacta patch. 

You twitch but held back from protesting. He adheres the patch around your wrist and wraps it with gauze before applying the spray that would harden the bandage into a cast. 

“Should only be a day,” he says. 

You still don’t look at him, don’t speak. 

“Where else are you injured?” 

“‘M fine,” you say to the floor. 

He narrows his eyes behind the shelter of the helmet at the croak in your voice. “Lift your head up so I can check, please.”

“I said I’m fine.” What you meant to be a frustrated snap breaks and squeaks, setting your lip twitching into a sneer. 

“I didn’t ask. Lift your head.” 

Somehow still defiant when cooperating, you jerk your head up and to the side, exposing the blossoming black and purple around your throat. He hisses, reaching a gloved hand up to brush against it, but you flinch away. 

“Stop moving. You need more bacta.” 

You want so, so badly to argue. Like a dying loth-cat, you want to scratch and bite and snarl. But it hurts to breathe, to swallow, let alone to pick a fight. So you hold still, looking anywhere but him, as he applies the spray. 

His eyes rove over your body, noting the other scrapes and cuts, cataloging them to check on later, but not pushing you to treat them now. 

Leaving you be for a moment, he moves around the hull to store his weapons. He mixes a bowl of hot water from the steamer with a packet of powder, stirring it into a thick stew, and brings it to you with a spoon. 

“No thanks,” you say. 

“Fine, then we can start talking about what happened.” 

Finally, finally looking up at him, you take the soup. You're glowering, but he takes the win anyway. 

He sits beside you on the stack of crates and waits patiently until you finish eating.

“We have rules—protocols, for a reason,” he says after you set the bowl to the side.

“The rules don’t apply out there.”

“You know what I meant. We have protocols for hunts. Not orders, not rules, but a system. It’s for safety—for both of us. We check in. We call for backup. We bail if the situation is out of control.”

“I had it handled.”

“You gonna keep lying, digging yourself into that hole?” 

A sigh. “No.” 

“Good. Why didn’t you call? Or leave?”

“I thought I could handle it,” you whisper. 

“Why was this bounty so important to you? We’ve bailed on bigger payouts before.”

Your heart sinks, self-disgust bubbling over. You used two bacta units. The cost of that alone was more than the bounty would have paid. “Doesn’t matter now.” 

“Hey,” he snaps, fed up. He grabs your chin between his fingers and forces you to look at him. At the helmet, at least. “None of this works—not out there, not in here—if you don’t talk to me.”

“Fine. I know. It doesn’t work. Will you at least drop me back on Cantonica since you’ll get the full payout?” 

It was his turn to sit in silence, head spinning. The conversation had gotten away from him very quickly. “You want to leave,” he says flatly after a minute. 

“Oh yeah, sure. I want to leave. That’s why I was trying to save for a real fucking bed.”

“That’s what this was all about? Why didn’t you just ask?” He's furious all over again. “We could have just taken that out of the maintenance budget. Why wouldn’t you tell me you were uncomfortable?”

You wrench your face from his hand, refusing to openly cry, blinking hard at the floor. “Dunno.”

“Stop lying to me.”

“Fine! I didn’t want you to say no. I didn’t want you to say there was no point wasting credits, that I couldn't stay. Okay?”

He clenches and unclenches his hands, gloves creaking, and takes a deep breath. “Okay,” he says, voice softer. Sadder. “This is my fault.”

“Ugh, Mando, that is not—”

“No, it is. I thought I had made myself clear with you, but obviously, I haven’t.” He peels off the gloves, throwing them to the floor before reaching up to unhook his armor, piece by piece dropping. 

You track each one with wide eyes. When he's down to his flight suit and helmet, he hops off your bed and makes room for himself to stand between your legs. 

“Do you think I’d do this with just anyone? You think I take my armor off every time I fuck someone?” He cups your face, sending a full-body shudder through you. “You think I take care of someone else like this?”

“I don’t know,” you whisper, sniffling. It wasn’t a lie, but a deflection this time. 

“Cyar’ika. I told you the only way this was going to work was if you trusted me. I’m sorry I didn’t show you that it went both ways.”

Whatever you were about to say dies between your lips as he lifts you and moves you over, and begins to peel your blood-stained clothes away, seeking the warmth underneath. You raise your arms obediently and bite your lip at how gently he extracts your injured arm from its sleeve. A firm hand pushes on your shoulder until you lie back on the bed, and you lift your hips when he hooks his fingers into your waistband, yanking your trousers and panties off together. 

“I need to know if you trust me,” he say. 

You nod.

“I need to hear you say it.”

You look up at him where he hovers. "I trust you."

“And I trust you,” he said, pulling the roll of gauze back out of the medpack. You hold still, confused, but compliant as he wraps it around your head, closing your eyes as he covers them. “I trust you to leave that on until I say you can remove it.” 

“Yes, sir,” you say, and flinch at a strange hissing sound. You exhale slowly, willing yourself to stay still and good for whatever he’s decided your punishment for all this must be. 

And then he kisses you.

You gasp, but it’s swallowed by his warm, wet mouth, his tongue that doesn’t wait for permission to seek you out. It’s rough and messy, and you reach up to wrap your arms around his neck but get distracted by hair. It’s shaggy, curly, and a little coarse. Your fingers rake through it and he moans into your mouth. 

“Wait,” you pant, but he presses forward for another kiss anyway, “no, wait, wait.” 

He reels back. “Sorry, I should have—I should have asked.” He sounds out of breath and a little broken.

“No, I... it’s just… your Creed—”

“Can you see me?” he asks rhetorically. He knows you haven’t even tried.

“No, I wouldn’t, I—”

“Exactly. Cyar’ika, the gauze isn’t there because I think you’ll look. It’s so you don’t have to worry about it when I’m making you cum.”

Your hips jerk against his where he straddles you. He takes that as an opportunity to dive back, aching for more. He kisses your lips again and moves down your neck, grinning against your breast as you convulse a little when his breath fans over your nipple. 

He takes it in his mouth, practically salivating to taste you, to make you cry for him. The moan that punches out of you when he sucks hard on the bud goes straight to his cock, and you can feel it grow against your bare cunt. 

He laves attention to your tits, alternating bites and kisses and murmurs of affection. “You’re perfect, cyar’ika; how could I not want you? Look at you; so sweet for me.”

His words and his mouth make you cry out. He kisses down your stomach and hips. 

Then he abruptly stands. “Sit up, sweetheart.” 

You do, cautiously, fumbling to hold on the edge of the crate. He helps you to your feet and makes quick work of his flight suit before hopping up on the bedroll and laying down. His hands tug at your uninjured wrist, pulling you over until he can lift you by the waist.  You scramble to slide your legs over him and move to grab his cock, beyond ready to welcome him inside you. 

“No,” he growls. He grabs your hips and tugs, lurching you forward. “Come here.”

“What?” 

“Get up here and give me your cunt. Now.” 

You hesitate, and he cracks a hand over your ass, albeit softly. You yelp and scoot forward, balancing precariously. He puts one hand firmly on your hip to help you stay steady. 

“Listen to me,” he orders. 

You hum, setting your hand against his chest to feel the rumble of his uninhibited voice. 

“I want you to stay. I want you to stay and be mine. But if that’s going to happen, I need you to be sure. And if we’re going to forgive each other, if you’re going to forgive yourself, then two things are going to have to happen.”

“I want to,” you cry immediately, “please, I don’t want to leave.”

“Good. Then here’s how this is going to go. You know you need to be punished.”

“Yes, sir.” The sob behind your answer threatens to waver his decision, but no. He has to, or you’ll hold this doubt in your heart forever.

“Why do you need to be punished?” 

“B-because I didn’t do what you said.”

“No, sweetheart. Hey.” He reaches up and strokes your cheek. “I promise. Nothing—ever—outside will affect you here. But if, and only if, you really want to be mine like this, then I have to punish you for lying.”

“O-okay."

“Why do you need to be punished?” he asks again, soft. 

“I lied to you about being hurt and upset.” It’s barely a whisper, but warm pride brings a smile to his face.

“Good girl.” He rewards you by pulling your hand to his lips for a kiss. You shudder again. 

“It’s been a hard day. So what I’m going to do is give you your punishment and reward at the same time. You’re going to scoot over here and let me eat your cunt. You remember your words, if you need me to stop?”

“Yes, sir.” 

He takes a moment to look at you, really look at you, bare before him for the first time with no visor in between. Your hair is a mess, half your braid fallen out with the loss of your pins. Your cheeks are splotchy and swollen from crying. “You’re so beautiful, sweet girl. You going to let me take care of you now?”

You nod, and he grasps both hips to settle you over his mouth. He can’t help but lick up into you right away, relieved to find you dripping. You cry out and waver, so he wraps one hand back around your hip and holds tight. 

He dives back in. You know he’s never done this before, and he’s certainly sloppy and fumbling, but the voraciousness of his tongue and the almost desperate way he digs in more than make up for it. It’s better than any of the men who’ve bothered to try before. 

He keeps going, licking, sucking, nipping at your thighs and lips, and though you’re tense with apprehension, waiting for the first strike, you find yourself on the edge of an orgasm very quickly. 

“Please,” you whisper.

You feel his lips curl into a smile, and he breaks away only long enough to grant permission before he’s wrapped back around your clit, sucking hard enough that you see stars as you fall apart. He moans, sinfully loud, and it pushes you into a second, smaller orgasm in quick succession. 

His licks get softer, backing off to let you breathe. When you’ve come down, pleasure warming your whole body, he pulls away.

“How many times did you lie to me tonight?”

You try to think through the haze. “Um.” You don’t want to be bad; you want to suffer for your sins and be redeemed through his will. You especially don’t want him to think you’re trying to lessen your punishment. “Um. Maybe six? Or seven? I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

His thumb rubs soothing circles on your hip, and he raises his other hand to cup your cheek. “That’s okay, cyar'ika. Thank you for trying.” He strokes your cheek. “It was five.” 

“I’m so sorry.” You don’t want to cry yet; you know it’ll be harder if you do. You’ll cry in the end, anyway. But you want to be brave.

“I’m going to give you five for each. You know the rules.” 

You nod, and he pulls his hand from your face to cup your ass. You jolt in surprise when you feel his tongue again instead. As he licks deep into you, he pulls his hand away and lands a firm spank. 

“One,” you gasp. It wasn’t a hard hit, just past tingling, and the combination with his ministrations is making you dizzy. 

The next one is harder, as is each subsequent strike. You count, none of the hits reaching the point of real pain yet. 

He cups your ass and rubs it soothingly. “Cum, baby,” he murmurs before sinking his teeth in around your clit. 

“Fuck, oh fuck.” Your hips jerk against his mouth and he chuckles, kissing and licking you through it. 

“Good girl,” he croons into your cunt and brings his hand down hard on your ass. 

“S-six,” you sob a little. It definitely stung more, but then immediately, he’s drawing cries of pleasure from you. 

He pauses again after the next four, soothing you and bringing you to the edge. He teases a little this time, withholding permission while you squirm, before telling you to cum. 

The next hit hurts. You choke back a sob, trying to spit out “eleven.” He delivers the next four rapidly, not allowing each hit to sink in before the next one. When he pauses again and refocuses on your clit, you realize what he’s doing.

It’s working. You’re so dazed from the pain bleeding into pleasure, you’ve started to moan with each strike. The way you burn from each slap makes the orgasm he rips from you more intense than you’ve had before. 

It makes you start to cry in earnest. You’re bawling and he freezes. 

“Check in, please. Are you okay?”

You nod frantically. “Yes, please, I’m okay, I can take it. Please.” You don’t have the words to tell him you’re only crying because you have no room left in your chest for your feelings. 

Later, you’ll ask him if you’re broken. If you shouldn’t feel so safe, so cared for, when he hurts you. He’ll tell you he doesn’t know, but then he must be broken too, since the way you cried for him, the way you gave yourself over and trusted him to catch you, is how he feels safe, too. 

The last two sets, the last two orgasms, are a blur. You feel faint, and delirious, like you’re floating away but also being held down tight. Anchored.

When it’s all over, he carefully slips out from under you and lifts you up, setting you up on your knees with your hand against the wall for support. He checks you over to make sure he didn’t go too far, that none of your wounds have reopened. When he goes to get a cream to ease the burn, you whimper.

“Don’t, please. I wanna feel it.” 

He hesitates. He just wants to take it all away. “Cyar’ika, you don’t need to punish yourself further. You took it so well; you’re such a good girl.” 

You sniffle but nod, and hold still while he takes care of you. He digs around and finds himself clothes, slipping the helmet back on, before gently tugging one of his tunics over your head, mindful of your wrist, and peeling the gauze from your face . Then, he helps you to your feet and opens the ramp.

You open blurry eyes, looking up at him. “What’re you doing?”

“We’re going to get a room for the night,” he says firmly, brooking no argument even though you know it’s not in the budget. “And tomorrow, we’ll go to the market before we leave and look for a bigger bed for the bunk. If you’d like.”

You can’t think of anything you’d like more.

*title from "Bonus Mosh, pt. II" by Taking Back Sunday.

#din djarin x reader #the mandalorian x reader #mando x reader #the mandalorian fic #din djarin x f!reader #kinktober 2023 #din djarin fic #corazondebeskar-reads and writes #make it hurt verse

[stormbreaker101]

Wizard101 Power Leveling Guide (Spring 2024)

This post is heavily inspired by the far more well-known Teleportable Dungeons guide on Reddit, so of course credit for the idea and MUCH of the information to the OP there. However, that guide was written in early 2020, and since then we've had a whole new arc, as well as some other changes. This guide aims to correct for those changes.

Along with teleportable instances and quests that either only require level progression or have no prerequisites, this guide includes every reusable housing gauntlet currently available. If you want to use this guide to its fullest but don't have a gauntlet yourself, you can message my acquaintance stormclouds_ on Discord, who can provide free and constant access to every gauntlet. (She gave me permission to cite her 👍)

The instances are listed in order of giving least to most XP. In the case of a dungeon providing multiple quests, it's ordered by the quest that gives maximum XP. Occasionally, I'll have notes in square brackets.

If a dungeon has both a Standard and Challenge mode, then I am strictly referring to Standard mode. You can't port into Challenge mode instances.

Accursed Play (Tier 1): 100 [If lowest wizard is Level 1-19]

Great Clock Tower (Tier 1): 100 [If lowest wizard is Level 1-19]

Accursed Play (Tier 2): 200 [If lowest wizard is Level 20-39]

Sinbad and the Iron Sultan (Tier 1): 200 [If lowest wizard is Level 1-25]

Great Clock Tower (Tier 2): 200 [If lowest wizard is Level 20-39]

Sunken City (Nightside, WC): 75 230 195 250 275

Accursed Play (Tier 3): 300 [If lowest wizard is Level 40-59]

Accursed Play (Tier 4): 300 [If lowest wizard is Level 60-79]

Sinbad and the Iron Sultan (Tier 2): 300 [If lowest wizard is Level 26-50]

Great Clock Tower (Tier 3): 300 [If lowest wizard is Level 40-59]

Great Clock Tower (Tier 4): 300 [If lowest wizard is Level 60-79]

Frostholm (Vigrid Roughland, GH): 320 320 320

Accursed Play (Tier 5): 500 [If lowest wizard is Level 80-99]

Great Clock Tower (Tier 5): 500 [If lowest wizard is Level 80-99]

Throne Room of Fire (Palace of Fire, KT): 600 645 205

Accursed Play (Tier 6): 700 [If lowest wizard is 100+]

Sinbad and the Iron Sultan (Tier 5): 700 [If lowest wizard is Level 101+]

Great Clock Tower (Tier 6): 700 [If lowest wizard is 100+]

Vault of Ice (Entrance Hall, KT): 735

Midnight Sun Pagoda (Tier 1): 779 [If lowest wizard is Level 1-19]

Emperor's Retreat (Entrance Hall, KT): 785 585 785 845

Karanahn Palace (Karanahn Barracks, KT): 915

Tomb of the Beguiler (Well of Spirits, KT): 685 785 895 960

Temple of Storms (Well of Spirits, KT): 960 960

Ironworks (Digmoore Station, MB): 1,005 1,360 400 435 1,430

Counterweight East (Royal Museum, MB): 1,480

Counterweight West (Royal Museum, MB): 1,520

Katzenstein's Lab (Scotland Yard Roof, MB): 1,480 1,480 1,520 475 485

The Stellarium (District of the Stars, CL): 1,595

Manticore's Madness (Nucleus Gallery, NV): 1,600 [Not recommended. This fight takes a LONG time for so little XP]

Kesington Park (Digmoore Station, MB): 1,565 1,580 1,640

Crimson Fields (Hametsu Village, MS): 335 665 665 2,085 335 2,085 2,095 1,675 2,095

The Grand Chasm Past (The Grand Chasm, DS): 715 2,230

Shirataki Temple (Shoshun Village, MS): 1,880 2,410

The Labyrinth (The Necropolis, DS): 830 2,580 2,580 2,580 2,580 2,580

Tree of Life (Yoshihito Temple, MS): 450 2,840 2,840

Spiral Cup Gauntlet (Tier 1): 3,175 [If lowest wizard is Level 1-19]

Grand Tourney Arena (Tier 1): 3,300 [If lowest wizard is Level 1-19]

Fantastic Voyage (Tier 1): 3,300 [If lowest wizard is Level 1-29]

Winterbane Hall (Tier 1): 3,375 [If lowest wizard is Level 1-19]

Kembaalung (begins in The Oasis, KT): 230 230 580 3,180 4,230 1,920 [Minimum level of 25 is required. Only the 3k and 4k figures are from dungeons, the rest are from quests that only require dialogue.]

Midnight Sun Pagoda (Tier 2): 4,650 [If lowest wizard is Level 20-39]

Loremaster (The Atheneum, DS): 7,300 [Though not a typical dungeon, wizards can accept her quest at any level and with no story progression necessary.]

Barkingham Palace (begins in Wolfminster Abbey, MB): 340 680 6,800 680 6,800 680 7,905 2,040 [Minimum level of 40 required. The 7k and 8k quests are from the dungeons themselves.]

Mount Olympus (Aquila): 8,670 [Players can only teleport into Gladiator Dimacherus's room. Additionally, Aquila's other dungeons appear to be locked behind story progression as well as/instead of level now.]

Nastrond (Hrundle Fjord, GH): 5,375 8,955 10,075 5,375 10,075 9,850

Spiral Cup Gauntlet (Tier 2): 12,150 [If lowest wizard is Level 20-39]

Grand Tourney Arena (Tier 2): 12,675 [If lowest wizard is Level 20-39]

Fantastic Voyage (Tier 2): 12,675 [If lowest wizard is Level 30-59]

Winterbane Hall (Tier 2): 12,900 [If lowest wizard is Level 20-39]

Midnight Sun Pagoda (Tier 3): 14,730 [If lowest wizard is Level 40-59]

The Portico (Celestia Base Camp, CL): 21,125 17,420

The Chancel (Celestia Base Camp, CL): 3,040 10,345 23,375

Trial of the Spheres (Celestia Base Camp, CL): 25,000

Grand Tourney Arena (Tier 3): 31,085 [If lowest wizard is Level 40-59]

Zigazag (begins in Balance School, KT): 2,010 1,005 33,480 9,315 39,510 9,130 [Minimum level of 60 required. Dungeons award the 2 >30k quests.]

Spiral Cup Gauntlet (Tier 3): 38,480 [If lowest wizard is Level 40-59]

Winterbane Hall (Tier 3): 39,975 [If lowest wizard is Level 40-59]

Fantastic Voyage (Tier 3) : 40,150 [If lowest wizard is Level 60-89]

Hall of Heroes (Telos, LM): 40,300

Control Room (Nimbus Citadel, EM): 40,584

Castle Gobbsmack (Gobblerton, KM): 44,150 [Personally not recommended. This dungeon is agony even at max level.]

Midnight Sun Pagoda (Tier 4): 47,620 [If lowest wizard is Level 60-79]

Midnight Sun Pagoda (Tier 5): 50,090 [If lowest wizard is Level 80+]

Aeroship (Nimbus Citadel, EM): 51,177

Storm Titan's Wake (Husk, EM): 51,177 [Easier nowadays thanks to Standard Mode. If you put a Balance Dispel on the Trident then change the bubble, the Dispel keeps it from replacing the damage cap bubble, allowing you to one-shot it]

Guest Quarters (Sky City, LM): 56,420

Spiritual Grove (Husk, EM): 61,770

Dream Shrine (Nexus, EM): 69,361

Deepest Mine (Cenote, AZ): 69,375

Freddie's Domain (Dreaming, WL): 69,720

Logging Warehouse (Black Licorice Forest, KM): 79,448

Cistern (Inner Athanor, EM): 83,481

Pipeline Cave (Gumdrop Forest, KM): 88,276

Ancient Shrine (Mandoria, LM): 88,660

Temple of Mother Moon (Pitch Black Lake, AZ): 92,760

Monquistan Fortress (Puerto Nuovo, NV): 96,495

Headquarters (Sepidious, EM): 96,540

Shadow House (Zanadu, EM): 96,540

Charging Station (Zanadu Sewers, EM): 96,540

Ink Spillway (Sepidious, EM): 96,540

Honeybee Diner (Heap, LM): 96,720

Wellspring (Heap, LM): 96,720

Golden Lion's Mind (Heap, LM): 96,720

Humongishfrog Battleplain (Northeast Aero Plains, EM): 102,354

Keep of Ganelon (Outer Yard, AV): 105,030 [Players can only teleport into the final room, with the Black and White dragons]

Temple of Light (Inner Athanor, EM): 108,927

Cafe Melee (La Ville Rose, NV): 110,280

Manticore's Plan (Nucleus Gallery, NV): 110,280

Solomon Crane's House (Night Forest, LM): 112,840

Atrium (Mandoria, LM): 112,840

Lab Entrance (Mandoria, LM): 112,840

Spiral Cup Gauntlet (Tier 4): 123,490 [If lowest wizard is Level 60-79]

Grand Tourney Arena (Tier 4): 128,824 [If lowest wizard is Level 60-79]

Fantastic Voyage (Tier 4): 128,850 [If lowest wizard is Level 90-120]

Winterbane Hall (Tier 4): 131,110 [If lowest wizard is Level 60-79]

Rosina's House (Black Licorice Forest, KM): 136,828

Bank (Hope Springs, WL): 139,440

Sandiago's Dream (Dreaming, WL): 139,440

Beacon of Hope (Zanadu, EM): 139,882

Aethyrium (Zanadu, EM): 144,810

Palace (Zanadu, EM): 144,810

Runoff Drain (Zanadu Sewers, EM): 144,810

Right Ocular Vein (Sepidious, EM): 144,810

Left Ocular Vein (Sepidious, EM): 144,810

Heart Sector (Sepidious, EM): 144,810

Four Points (Aggrobah, MR): 145,000

Lock Up (Heap, LM): 153,140

Bass Chamber (Telos, LM): 153,140

Treble Chamber (Telos, LM): 153,140

Military Training Grounds (Nimbus Citadel, EM): 153,531

Rear Courtyard (Nimbus Citadel, EM): 153,531

Private Wing (Nimbus Citadel, EM): 153,531

Audience Chamber (Nimbus Citadel, EM): 153,531

Astral Grove (Husk, EM): 153,531

Elemental Grove (Husk, EM): 153,531

Gingerbread Room Academy (Karamelle City, KM): 167,725

Temple of Truth (Wildlands, LM): 169,260

Volcano Path (Ursai Village, LM): 169,260

Killawahoo (Ursai Village, LM): 169,260

Tomb of He-Mander (Mandoria, LM): 169,260

Jailor's Office (Mandoria, LM): 169,260

Krull's Tent (Mandoria, LM): 169,260

Guard Complex (Sky City, LM): 169,260

Water Purification Plant (Sky City, LM): 169,260

Morg Fortress (Sky City, LM): 169,260

North Time Dunes (Chronoverge, MR): 169,500

Lower Passage (Stone of Heaven, NV): 174,610

Booth's Lair (Conatus, NV): 174,610

Cabal Base (La Ville Rose, NV): 174,610

Barn Division (Candy Corn Farm, KM): 184,883

Glockenspiel (Karamelle City, KM): 185,379

Gobbler Cave (Gumdrop Forest, LM): 185,379

Mining Tunnel B (Nibbleheim Mines, KM): 185,380

Silo (Candy Corn Farm, KM): 185,379

Dueling Space (Nucleus Gallery, NV): 192,990

Cliffside Nest (Puerto Nuovo, NV): 192,990

Saboteur Cave (Puerto Nuovo, NV): 192,990

Secret Tunnel (Aeriel Jungle, EM): 195,777

Dundara's Tunnel (Hope Springs, WL): 209,160

Lost King's Mine (Kingsland, WL): 209,160

Rebel Mine (Outback, WL): 209,160

Pink Lake (Eucalyptus Forest, WL): 209,160

Furryosa's Dream (Dreaming, WL): 209,160

Dark Cloud Base (Southwest Aero Plains): 214,507

Beastman Tunnels (Aeriel Jungle, EM): 215,232

Dead Archive (Arcanum): 217,620

Darkmoor (begins in Nightside, WC): 19,560 19,560 48,905 146,725 39,125 23,965 19,560 220,090 80,700 [Minimum level of 100 is required. The 147k, 24k, and 220k quests are from the 3 dungeons. To my knowledge it's not yet possible to power level someone to 100 without any questing, so including this in the list is likely impractical. Still, I intend to be thorough.]

Lagoon Pipeline (Billabong Resort, WL): 229,080

Spiral Cup Gauntlet (Tier 5): 234,500 [If lowest wizard is Level 80+]

Winterbane Hall (Tier 5): 248,980 [If lowest wizard is Level 80+]

Matheus' House (La Ville Rose, NV): 257,320

Financial Department (Karamelle City, KM): 264,828

Hot House Silo (Candy Corn Farm, KM): 275,521

Cell Block B (Basstille & Forlorn Tayg, PL): 112,000 336,000 71,910 [This is 2 quests and a dungeon given by Reddin. The 1st quest is 336k, the dungeon is the 112k, and the 2nd quest is 72k]

Overlord's Ossuary (Alkali Barrows, MR): 412,000

Grand Tourney Arena (Tier 5): 413,280 [If lowest wizard is Level 80+]

Fantastic Voyage (Tier 5): 413,280 [If lowest wizard is Level 120+]

Steam Plant (Inner Athanor, EM): 419,901

Breathing Cave (Borealis Peaks, PL): 437,040 125,680 [This is the 2nd dungeon and 3rd quest given by Reddin, and cannot be started unless you complete the previous 2 quests. 437k is the dungeon, 126k is the quest]

Kalamar Clearing (Chaos Jungle, EM): 499,369

Dream Hive (Nexus, EM): 571,732

Kalypso (Kalypso Dock, PL): 741,320

#wizard101 #w101

[kirby-the-gorb]

reply roundup!

would you believe I was actually planning to do this the very morning the [licorice gorb] got blazed (obviously it was a better idea to put it off until after it was over)

also someone reblogged it with a screencap where it says "blazed by notpikaman" under my username and tbh I am so glad I'm not the only one burdened by that information XD and thank you to everyone who said "good blaze op" or some variant thereof, a high compliment

anyway welcome all you new followers and also folks who just wanted to reblog the one thing and be on your merry way, I do this occasionally so that I actually get to reply to y'all's tags n such <3 (without making a lot of blog clutter)

we also have a couple new image descriptions! thank you to @cherrycreamsicle for the image description on [suitcase] and @istherewifiinhell for the image description on [kirbear]! both have been added as alt text to the original posts, with credit.

on [the last roundup] @cherrycreamsicle said: Hey no worries! Any accessibility is good accessibility! I'm always happy to help! Hope you and your wife are doing well ^_^

thank you! I felt like it was important to acknowledge that putting it in alt text is not as good for some people as putting it in the body of the post, but it is still definitely better to have. (and thank you! she's doing much better now.)

on [watch] @ceylonsilvergirl said: Do it!! Watch repairs!! Those skills are so niche and needed And especially good for people inclined to pay attention to the details

it just seems really fun! I love little mechanical things and building miniatures and stuff like that so it feels like something I'm capable of! (also I can do it at home for only a couple hours at a time and possibly still make money lol)

on [watch] @macro-microcosm said: i hope you guys make big bucks in a lil watch biz some day

thanks! I'm sure I'd badger my beige-loving partner into letting me make at least one of them my signature kirby-pink lol

on [eggroll] @ceylonsilvergirl said: You felt good enough to go out without mobility aids!! You felt that good! That’s fantastic news! Of course use them when you need them, they’re good! But your body was doing well! That’s whats important

yeah!! it's important to me to emphasize to others that it's not the not using the aids it's the feeling well enough to not need to, cuz it's a mistake that's like. pretty common and even popular. (consider "wow this wheelchair user walked the stage at their graduation and was clearly in pain the whole time" type of stuff. the ubiquity of that type of "inspiration porn" has a huge impact on the disabled community, especially because a significant portion of us are exposed to that first rather than the realities of being disabled.) but feeling well even for one day means my body is still capable of feeling well under the right circumstances, and that matters!

on [kirbear] @hobgirl told a nice story I feel weird about copy/pasting directly but yknow it's there in the tags as long as they choose to leave it up

stuff like that is scary, and the doctors and veteran patients know that! I'm glad you had something comforting with you, and that it was able to lead to even more support than just what it carried by itself.

on [printer] @angst-and-fajitas said: every time I've ever interacted with a printer it has always felt like this and @ceylonsilvergirl said: I have yet to meet a printer that will just friggin’ work

honestly like 90% of the time printers work fine and I don't even think about it, but that last 10% of the time feels like Such A Trial that it really dominates the conversation lol

anonymous asked: Happy kirby day mx gorb :>

thank you! this is what reminded me to actually draw kirby a little cake so it was helpful lol

on [licorice] @ceylonsilvergirl added the [link] for the exact candy I was thinking of

so glad they still exist tbh. don't even remember if I've ever had one I'm just glad they exist!

on [meds] @queenhippolyta said: Do you find that the cromolyn helps you? I started it maybe two months ago but haven’t really noticed a difference yet

it seemed helpful for me when recovering/restabilizing from my covid vaccine, which laid me out for months, but there was a lot of other stuff going on and it was more of a, well, stabilizer than an actual boost. I really don't know if it's doing anything for me now as high vs low compliance really doesn't seem to make a causative difference. (there is a correlation, because on bad days it's harder to get up and take it in the middle of the day, but that's like. definitely not causative.) it might be that different dosing would work better for you, or it might be that it just doesn't really help you! mcas is a tricky beast, as we all know. (I hope you actually find this buried in the roundup >n< )

on [corner] @ceylonsilvergirl said: dang kirbo’s on the ceiling again, grab the broom

this one just made me laugh

on [licorice] @thesleepingnini said: hay wanna draw some silly stuff like this again, baka may sponsor ng ipad diyan

good news, I will continue to draw silly stuff again whether I'm paid or not! additional good news, for those who want more specific silly stuff drawn commissions are open on [kofi] for a few more hours (~6 probably depending how long this post takes me to finish)

@sonisis asked: iEs El Kirbo!

it sure is!

on [licorice] @jenjensd said: It’s a good thing they clarified it’s red liquorice because I legit thought they just gave Kirby a super long tongue for some reason

I wouldn't put it past me tbh (which is why I specified XD )

anonymous asked: Hi your Kirbys are very nice

thank you! I love to draw a Little Guy

on [crowd] @ceylonsilvergirl said: Like when you’re singing to yourself, and then realize people can see you

whoops you've activated one of my fun facts! whenever I am Out And About by myself (which is very very rare these days What With The Illness), I am almost always singing. I am completely comfortable singing at full volume at any time and any place (aside from general noise decorum such as "not in the library" and "not while my wife is sleeping"). so I have not had this specific version of this problem in my lifetime lol

anonymous asked: “Art” that a four year old could do? Don’t quit that day job at target.

look ma, my first anon hate! I'm big time now!

for real though, like, I wanna answer this one kinda seriously even though I'm sure this was just a driveby, because I know it's a common insecurity. why are you upset? if anyone can do it, why shouldn't I? why aren't you?

I make very very very little money from this blog (I even looked up the numbers, in the nearly 5 years I've been doing this I've made a total of ~$1650 to date), but that's because I'm really not putting in effort to make it ~profitable~. my patreon is has no rewards and my commissions are closed (except for literally right now), I only put very rare purposefully designed products on my print-on-demand stores and I haven't made my own stickers to sell in over a year. so if you're mad about people giving me money, don't be. even if you very very conservatively assume only 10 minutes per drawing and also zero other time put into running this blog, that's bare minimum 295 hours I've put into this. in reality it's going to be way way higher than that, but even if you assume I'm only drawing 10 minutes a day for 1771 days and I'm only drawing with no other admin etc, that's only $5.50 an hour, or about $0.93 per drawing.

part of why I don't put in the effort to make it ~profitable~ is because I can't. when my patreon had actual rewards and my commissions were always open and I was still making stickers, that took a ton of energy, and yes it made me a little more money than I'm getting right now, those two years are the period of time the majority of it came from, but it was energy I don't have. I'm disabled, severely chronically ill, and very vocal about it. I don't have a day job to quit because I physically can't do that. but that's also why I can't put in the energy to make this blog a ~business~, and even when I was putting in more energy than I actually had, it was not exactly big returns. I think the biggest most profitable year was like. $800. for the whole year. I made 5 times that doing data entry for a couple hours a week before that company shut down the same year, and the data entry was easier.

so okay, I'm not doing it for the money. (money sure would be nice to have, and I appreciate the patrons who stick around just cuz and the commissions that got picked up this week, but clearly that's not my motivation because there's not much money in running this blog.) then why should I bother?

because making stuff is fun. I get to draw silly little things that make me happy and sometimes other people like them too. that's it. what's the harm in that?

#text #title text #reply roundup #asks answered #long post #readmore #cherrycreamsicle #istherewifiinhell #ceylonsilvergirl #macro-microcosm #hobgirl #angst-and-fajitas #anonymous #queenhippolyta #thesleepingnini #sonisis #jenjensd

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Biweekly Media Roundup

- Across the Spider Verse (Movie) - I pretty much already knew this movie was going to be amazing given how Industry-changingly Incredible the first one was, but wow man-What a spectacle. Visually I think it’s even more impressive than it’s predecessor and honestly the best looking thing I’ve seen all year, with the different animation styles for each character and dimension being a joy to behold every time. Gwen’s watercolor dimension was my favorite location and I loved how the colors would shift with the characters emotions and bleed down the screen. Spider-Punk was a standout as well with his paper-craft style and fantastic design making him steal every scene that he was in. I also really liked Miles as a protagonist in this one, he really got to shine here. I don’t really have a lot to complain about, the writing was tight, both villains where fantastic, the soundtrack slapped, the only thing I’m mad about is that I have to wait a year to see the story resolved-but that’s a feature, not a complaint.  As a side note I do find it pretty funny how horny everyone is for Miguel btw, like don’t get me wrong I get it, he’s a big tiddied well designed tragic backstory vampire cringe fail DILF, he’s lab tested to be popular on the internet, it’s just pretty funny that I can’t scroll for 5 minutes without seeing his thiqq ass plastered on my screen, y’all are thirsty. 

- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Video Game) - Progressing a bit slowly due to some other stuff I’ve got going on, but still greatly enjoying it! I beat the water temple and now ghost Sidon follows me everywhere which is cute, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the memories play out. I wish it was a bit easier to make money given how much I spend, but maybe that’ll change once I do more story stuff or spend more time in the Abyss, we’ll see. 

- Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Movie) - I’m surprised with how much I enjoyed this, given how little I’ve heard about it. It’s a really cute and fun little found family story in a classic fantasy world. The movie is accessible to any audience (As my parents loved it with no knowledge of DnD), but you can tell that the creators had a lot of love for the game in how the characters and dynamics are depicted. I love that the two main characters are a completely platonic male female pair who are best friends and raise a child together without any hint of romance? Incredible. I love how there’s a character with huge “OP NPC the DM created for lore purposes who despite the players protests the DM won’t let join the party because that would make the game to easy” vibes. There’s a lot of creative and funny scenes, and while I wish there were more explicitly queer characters, it’s nice to see familiar DnD conventions in a well-made product. I would love if they made more of these and would recommend it to basically anyone as a fun family film. 

- Stalker (Movie) - My dad wanted to watch this old indie Russian film after reading an article about it being a formative sci fi film, so we watched it and. well. It certainly was a film. I will give it credit in that the idea of a location that miraculously grants ones deepest desires being portrayed as sinister not due to a monkey’s paw style twisting of how the wish is granted but due to the self-reflective horror of having to face what your deepest desire truly is and what that says about you as a person is pretty rad, but outside of that cool idea this movie was kind of a mess. There were a lot of self indulgent “Auter” style rants on art criticism and faith which honestly just came off as more complaining than anything else, and while I can respect the unique shots they were able to get the majority of the time I was just thinking “Man, it looks like they are straight up filming at an worn out/ abandoned sewage tunnel, it can’t possible be safe to have the actors crawling around in all this rancid water can it?”. Turns out I was even more right than I thought as they were in fact filming on an abandoned nuclear waste facility and just a few years after this film the director, his wife, and several members of the crew died from cancer that was heavily speculated to be the result of the radiation poisoning from filming this movie. Insane. Anyway my main take away from this film is thank god we have OSHA now.

- Kill the Lights (Webcomic) - Read this as a quick self indulgent relaxing one, and I enjoyed it for what it was. I have a soft spot for Skip Beat! style actor-based narratives where you get to see the actors thought process on how to enhance/ play out a scene, so that aspect was fun. Actually, I kind of wish the story was way more about that, I was getting into those scenes and found myself disappointed whenever it switched back to the romance stuff, despite that being the reason I came here in the first place. Aw well, I wouldn’t exactly say this is memorable enough to recommend to anyone outside the BL genre, but I liked the protagonist, side characters, and art. Also, how weird is it that with this, Mo Dao Zu Shi, and End of the Road, there are 3 completely unrelated stories in which an asian man who’s ruffian background made him adept at combat dies young and is then reincarnated into the existing body of a rich twink with a reputation for sleeping around who then runs into an even richer man from their past who turns out to have secretly been harboring a borderline obsessive crush on the protagonist and is now the sole person able to recognize them in their new body? Like, 3 isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened thrice right?

- Heavenly Delusion (Anime) - Genuinely impressed by how often this mystery show will pull the rug out from under you, lulling you into a false sense of security in which you think you have the plot figured out and then hitting you with a reveal that leaves you with more questions than answers - Good work.

- Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies (Video Game) - I think I took a long enough break, I’m ready to finish the Ace Attorney series now. The Dual Destinies DLC case was too long for my liking but at least had decent characters, and I do like both Athena and Blackquill, I wish they didn't have to share time with the previous leads and just got to do their own thing though. 

- Crazy Ex Girlfriend (TV) - How does this show have so many straight up bangers. My Spotify playlist is wrecked now. 

- The S Classes That I Raised (Webcomic) - Some interesting revelations in recent chapters that shed Han Yoohyun’s motivations in a new light. I’ll admit, while I did quite like him as a character, this new information is helping to retroactively fix some of my complaints about his actions towards Han Yoojin in the first timeline, making me like him even more- The brothers are just very cute honestly I love how much they care about each other. Also adding a Yoo Myeongwoo photo here because I miss him. 

Listening to: A bunch of Crazy Ex Girlfriend songs, including After Everything You Made Me Do, A Diagnosis, and Remember That We Suffered, Eat Your Young by Hozier, LosT by Bring Me the Horizon, Let’s Get This Over With by They Might Be Giants, Read Between the Lines and Hey I Don’t Work Here by Tom Cardy, That’s What I Want by Lil Nas X, He Mele No Lilo by Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu, Stalkers Tango and Lent by Autoheart, Across the Spiderverse OST.

#weekly roundup #My posts

[lutzlomholt24]

The Q0 Best Minecraft Memes From Reddit - IGN

With more than 3.3 million active players on the internet when this article was written (according to PlayerCounter) It's no wonder Minecraft is one of the most played games ever. (Did you know that the Minecraft China edition has been downloaded 500 million times?)

As a game with infinite possibilities, it has infinite possibilities for hilarious and spicy memes. The Minecraft community has been creating great memes for a long time, from clean to dirty simple to extremely creative, and even around the delay of the Minecraft movie itself: Minecraft fans celebrate the movie's indefinite delay with memes.

The real Minecraft film was about the friends we made over the years

There's always something players can relate to, no matter how many hours they spend playing. This is perfectly displayed in memes. As a player, I've come across a variety of memes and have collected my top, most hilarious Minecraft memes found on Reddit for your viewing pleasure!

Our top Minecraft memes on Reddit right now:

1. Vicious Cycle Minecraft Meme

Credit: u/WhiteDay_20, /OpenTower291 and via Reddit.com

We've all been there; hours of endless play, thinking about your blocky world at night and day, and longing to continue the adventure. You finish the one thing you've set for yourself; a massive accomplishment. You then get bored. While you may be able to quit the game for a few minutes, it's not difficult to become bored.

2. Creeper Panik Minecraft Meme

Credit: u/EnoughDig9 through Reddit.com

Maybe you're in the depths and discover an ender dungeon or mineshaft; or maybe you're far from home and you discover an unfamiliar structure or biome that you'd like to move there. But wait! But wait! You panic and throw the bed down to save your place, then boom! That's a lot, eh?

3. Faster Than Light Minecraft Meme

u/NASCARBigFan-200 via Reddit.com

With parkour maps being popular, and the potions that enhance your speed being easily made, you'd think there could be nothing and/or no one who could keep up with you. The Baby Zombie, that cheeky little ankle-biter ...., laughs at you.

4. Stonks Minecraft Meme

u/One-Introduction-472 via Reddit.com

*villager noises* STONKS *villager noises*.

5. Loki Mining Minecraft Meme

Credit: u/st0p_th1s, via Reddit.com

Pain. Nothing is more unpleasant than mining for hours and having nothing other than Cobblestone and Dirt to show for it. There's always the chance that you'll find a Diamond right behind the next block.

6. Leather Armor Minecraft Meme

Credit: u/Cybertron3oo via Reddit.com

There's nothing that frightens my. That is the thing. Who are the ones who create leather armor first? They scare me. Why would you do this? !

7. Pollution Minecraft Meme

Credit: u/Poporc_DuGroin via Reddit.com

Everything was natural and beautiful, and we could have preserved it. Are we... the bad guys? Don't think about it too hard ....

8. Taking Inventory Minecraft Meme

Credit: u/Mrman42069 via Reddit.com

There are things in this world that aren’t meant to be known. What happens when 16.2 percent of players haven't opened their inventory whilst playing Minecraft is one of them. Minecraft servers

9. Bow Decisions Minecraft Meme

Credit: u/IdontspeakEnglish44 via Reddit.com

Of all the things that you can limit in Minecraft, having to choose between OP spells is a terrible one. Why?! What should I decide? !

10. Elytra Fail Minecraft Meme

A problem for those of us who have outdated hardware, that split-second freeze while the world chunks update can be a life-or-death situation. We're just looking to move around with ease! *cries in old laptop sounds*

Can't get enough Minecraft content? Take a look at our guide for what to create in Minecraft and also this list of fantastic Minecraft home ideas.

Samuel Heaney is a freelance writer with a specialization in gaming guides and all things Minecraft. You can follow him on Twitter.

#Minecraft Server List #Minecraft servers

[hexonthepeach]

ok but imagine y/n & johnny being assigned to some suburb as husband and wife to gather? idk something about surveilling a suspects home life etc. and just the mr & mrs smith vibes of it all. trying to fit in with the neighbors. setting down some sort of roots. trying to cozy up to the suspects family. maybe even jaehyun coming to visit every so often as johnny's "step brother" and just the potential chaos of a neighbor maybe seeing y/n and jaehyun through a window and being scandalized.

i'm genuinely dying rn because while this scenario did not come up in what i currently am writing for the d&s crew it is absolutely perfectly aligned with it. like this is scarily perfect to the point that i need to know if we've synced brain waves?

thank you for planting this seed i hope you don't mind me using it in the future [lemme know if i can give you credit even if you just want to pick an anon emoji]

i'm on my first ever watch through of The Americans and spy power couple in suburbia is such a fantastic trope, i love the tension of persona vs identity. Don't Worry Darling was a disappointment but it got me thinking about how the dark suburbia cliches used could be done more meaningfully. also dating myself here but my life was inexorably changed by The X-Files s6 ep 15 Arcadia (the real monster of the week are HOAs) and Scully's constant exasperation at Mulder's in-jokes--which is something Johnny would be relentless at, so he's the perfect suggestion for this

as always with this trio it would have to be sex comedy with dark elements and maybe a little more weird? it would be incredibly funny to have the whole thing go sideways on multiple levels including an increasing escalation of violence

here's how i imagine this playing out (under the cut for spoilers):

this is a long-term assignment/infiltration and one of director lee's "special projects" i.e. team-building exercise for the throuple. unbeknownst to them the agency has a secret betting pool on how badly this can go (the winner is someone who put a worst case scenario so outlandish it was supposed to be a joke)

johnny and y/n are currently in the middle of a minor disagreement on their approach for this op--maybe someone wanted to "borrow" a kid to make it legitimate and the other put a kibosh on that based on the stakes being higher. or we're just dealing with a petty argument about the level of lethality involved. (i have another idea but don't want to spoil current wip). they're bickering behind closed doors and duking it out in subtext every time they're forced to play their roles

jaehyun is running surveillance and infiltrating houses. for validity of him being in the neighborhood from time-to-time, he's brought in at the "Johnson's" housewarming party/backyard BBQ as the blue collar handyman brother-in-law. they can get into more homes now, but he's also finding that every sink repair or ceiling fan light bulb replacement has him dealing with escalating attempts at being seduced. our best boy is now the unwilling target for every future divorcee on the block

johnny ends up forced to participate in a variety of Stepford Husband-like activities to get access to more information/be inducted into some kind of club, leaving y/n frequently at home pretending to be a housewife and growing increasingly more sick of the assignment. and also maybe just a little (a lot) jealous when she hears the gossip about/is questioned about her "brother-in-law" by the other wives at the hair salon, grocery store, etc

cue y/n inviting jaehyun to do some household repairs and initiating a little role-playing scenario straight out of a bad porno. unbeknownst to them of course (or maybe knownst!) they are caught in a very lurid scene by one of jaehyun's new fans peeking through the window. (i'd absolutely have to write this from the POV of the nosy neighbor--it would be too funny to pass up)

gossip spreads, suddenly its common knowledge. but--here's the kicker--johnny gets into the good old boy's club where it's revealed that they're one of *those* communities where cuckolding and exhibitionism are a bit of a collective turn-on. a little bit eyes wide shut/bohemian grove/society type escalation of weird beyond sex stuff

now it's the three of them versus a neighborhood--a little public shunning of course, but mostly under siege from those who want to get them to participate in some kind of bacchanalian ritual. a perfect opportunity to get into the head honchos' house but also a perfect set-up for things to go absolutely and horribly wrong . . .

we're talking actual violence and maybe a little murder and mayhem under the cover of whatever anonymity those ritual masks provide. all of it conveniently walked away from by the fact that this can't become public information although it will certainly add to conspiracy theory fodder

the morning after has them pretending to be moving out/getting a divorce. definitely will need to end on the agreement that they're never setting foot in a planned community ever again

#hex peach answers #nct smut #dark&stormy scenario #future wips

[richardcommins]

Cash-Strapped Students Now Have an App That Could Get Them Home

The Project Dash (Driving All Students Home) was created in collaboration with NUI Galway students. It lets students take taxis, even if they have no money, credit card, or mobile. A large number of students from colleges as well as taxi companies have registered to use services since the program was first introduced at the time of Galway in Galway and Carlow.

Richie Commins, a final year student in business information systems in NUI Galway who led the creation of the initiative, was present at UCC today as part of the roll-out of the project.

He explained that Dash was started as a college assignment to solve the student's problem.

"After thorough research into the tragic events that took place in the past, it was found that the majority of them occur late at night when students travel by the streets," he said.

"We have spent a lot of time designing, testing, and evaluating the system prior to its official launch.

"This campaign aims to crowd colleges and help make taxis accessible to students, no matter where they are located in the country, and especially in dire situations."

Students can sign up for a free account on www.projectdash.ie Upload an ID picture of themselves, upload the bank account to pay for emergency taxis, and then create a four-digit pin.

The students simply inform their names and dash pins to the driver which permits the driver to verify their accounts on the driver's app. The driver then utilizes the picture to confirm the fare prior to the app processing the payment when they arrive at the location. "It was amazing to receive the support and assistance from all the people within Cork," Mr. Richard Commins said.

"We received a fantastic response from taxi companies and are thrilled to launch our idea in Ireland. Students in Cork will be able to utilize Dash here, and within the next few months, anywhere across the country," he said.

Cork Taxi Co-op and ABC Taxis have joined forces.

Cork Taxi Cooperative's Colin O'Mara said: "We are extremely pleased to partner together with Richie along with Project Dash to ensure the students at UCC get home safely and in good hands."

Despite having no money or programming expertise, Richard Commins' creativity and the tools he employed to develop the app made it easy for him. He was able to develop an original, downloadable application and is already receiving downloads through the App Store. App Store.

When asked about the concept behind the app Richard explained that he was looking to "try to create an app that addressed certain current issues in Ireland without burdening people with excessive economics or politics."

#Richard Commins

[hiccanna-tidbits]

WHAT UP @ohlooksheswriting HAVE AN INDIRECT CONTRIBUTION TO HICCUNZEL MONTH

SO I think my main reservation about shipping romantic Hiccunzel has always been the fact that I stan Hiccanna and Jackunzel so hard, like. I simply cannot look at Rapunzel x Hiccup and NOT go “but what of Jack and Anna??? Are they now fated to not find true love??? They’re gonna be so sad D:”

So the obvious solution all along was to have Hiccup and Rapunzel date Anna, Jack, AND each other, EZ

And HiJack and Annunzel are pretty solid gay ships, so like??? It kinda WORKS???

And thus the RotBTD discord came up with Hijannunzel, which might well be the most blursed ship in existence XD Legit poly ships are too powerful. Once you start shipping them, it’s like “oh, this solves SO many problems??? And also if they all got married and got a tax break they’d be OP as hell??? And having a 3-way support system of awesome people to kiss and cuddle and hang out with would be SICK???”

ANYWAYS! I decided to style this so that I put a thing I think each pair would bond over between their pictures because I think it’d be neat!!!

Rapunzel & Hiccup: Art!!! He sketches, she paints, and they definitely draw each other and nerd out over different art styles together!!! Catch them on an art museum date any day. They’ve also definitely made art of each other, and the rest of the polycule. Rapunzel & Jack: Outdoorsy winter fun!!! Like Rapunzel is literally ALWAYS down for a gigantic, Extra snowball fight and you can’t change my mind. Punz just really likes being outside (I mean, she was locked inside for years, can you blame her???) and appreciates all the seasons, but like...overappreciates winter because she figures it could use the love XD Anna & Jack: Sweets!!! I am 1000% convinced both these kids are sugar junkies. Anna has a preference for chocolate obviously, but Jack will devour anything with a sugar content Tooth would absolutely not approve of. They also both adore hot cocoa, and you can’t change my mind. Anna & Hiccup: Dragons/animals in general!!! Anna’s such an animal whisperer in Frozen 1, like. She gets three ducklings to jump into her hands, befriends Hans’ horse, vents to her own horse, and sees a guy talking to his reindeer like a buddy and just immediately starts doing the same thing. Ain’t no one convincing me Anna wouldn’t think dragons were the coolest shit ever, and she would try to (perhaps unwisely) befriend every single one.

Couldn’t include in this one, BUT ALSO:

Jack & Hiccup: Flying and thrill-seeking!!! Like they both seem to be hardcore adrenaline junkies, if Jack letting the wind blow him around every which way and Hiccup literally inventing a funky winged device so he can fly with Toothless is anything to go by. These two would really love flying and exploring together! The adventures AND the poor decisions would be unparalleled XD Rapunzel & Anna: Flower appreciation!!! They both dun got big springtime vibes, and would probably be constantly picking wildflower bouquets for each other. I feel like they’d get into gardening, and try to befriend all the pollinator bugs--even the scary ones XD Love that they both have floral motifs, and Anna’s is a sunflower while Rapunzel’s is...a literal sun flower XD Also love the idea of them bonding over girly stuff in general, and doing things like dress-shopping and meadow-frolicking together :D

Anyways, they all share an apartment and have movie and video game nights where they all get into a cuddle pile on the couch and it’s wholesome and fantastic. They also like to crash fancy parties paired off and then stage dramatic “reveals” where they get caught cheating on each other and make a whole production out of it, solely to be chaotic. Also to snack on fancy little cheese blocks on toothpicks and crostini. Have a great rest of your night.

Pic credits available upon request!

#hijannunzel #hiccunzel #janna #jackanna #hiccanna #jackunzel #hijack #frostcup #annunzel #rapsanna #aesthetic #moodboard #disney femslash #hiccup #rapunzel #jack frost #anna #rotbtd #rise of the brave tangled dragons #the big four #rotbtfd #anna x hiccup x rapunzel x jack

[malecdiscordserver]

We’ve officially come to the end of the Shadowhunters Mini Bang 2021 presented by the Malec Discord Server. We had a fantastic turnout with 36 writers, 24 artists, and 22 betas making it across the finish line. I hope you’ll join us in giving everyone a huge round of congratulations for this fantastic content.

Take a look at the AO3 collection here! All fics have been completed!

Without further ado, here is a masterpost of all submitted pieces for this event. Please be sure to give all of these fantastic creators the credit they deserve for these amazing stories and incredible pieces of art.

Here, Next to My Heart by alistoney (@lightwormsiblings) and beta read by Mau (@ispeakmorelanguagesthanyou)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Isabelle Lightwood & Clary Fray (platonic) Summary: “What if I don’t want to share my soul with anybody?”

Alec tilts his head so it rests on top of Izzy’s, “That’s okay, there are lots of Shadowhunters without parabatai.”

Izzy nods to herself.

“Good.”

Izzy has never wanted nor needed a parabatai. That is, until she meets Clary Fray.

Or Izzy’s weird and confusing relationship with the idea of having a parabatai.

A Symbol to Last a Lifetime by hmweasley (@hmweasley) and beta read by MoonlightBreeze (@moonlight-breeze-44)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Leading up to their wedding, Magnus and Alec have to make a number of less-than-traditional decisions. One of those is how to symbolize their love when Magnus can't take any runes.

Differently Than Anyone I've Ever Known by lillytalons (@lillytalons) and beta read by MoonlightBreeze (@moonlight-breeze-44) 

Rating: General Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Alec gulped nervously and perched on the edge of the couch cushions. “You’re supposed to marry my sister, Isabelle Lightwood.”

“Yes, I am aware."

“What about me?” Alec offered.

“What about you?” An elegant eyebrow raised in question.

“Let me take her place. That would fulfill the oath right? If we got married.”

“Surely your Clave would not approve.”

“I’m not doing this for them. I’m doing it for Isabelle.”

-or Alec and Magnus get married to fulfill a magic oath and try to keep the Shadow World together as the Circle starts rising again, but of course Magnus hates and mistrusts all shadowhunters.

Kissing In The Rain by suchawannabe56 and beta read by SomeSleepySloth 

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Alec meets Magnus on a work trip to London. The two hit it off, but after spending time together, life gets in the way taking Alec back to New York, having forgotten to ask Magnus for his number. After months, Alec looks up and sees the last person he expected it see.

So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth by new_mexicunt and beta read by Kai (@kyaresrevala)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Set between season one and season two.

With Jace gone and Valentine's forces on the rise, Alec has been working nonstop. This means that he and Magnus haven't seen each other since the wedding. Finally, Magnus decides that, if they can't have their first date outside the Institute, he'll simply have to bring the date to Alec.

Featuring: picnics in the Ops Center, ignoring late-night surveillance cameras, and improvised stargazing.

Bloody Petals by Jevan and beta read by Echele78

Rating: General Pairing: Lorenzo Rey/Andrew Underhill, Mycroft Holmes/Greg Lestrade, Asmodeus/Greg Lestarde, Asmodeus/Jace Wayland Summary: Unusual demonic activity is causing such a stir on the streets of London that the London Shadowhunters ask their colleagues from New York for help. Jace Herondale and Andrew Underhill, along with warlock Lorenzo Rey, travel to the British capital to get to the bottom of the case with London police officer Greg Lestrade. And what does Mycroft Holmes have to do with the case?

The Double Date by skylar102 (@skylar102) and beta read by thatnerdemryn (@thatnerdemryn)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood and Original Female Characters Summary: "You are the one who planned this, Naomi," her girlfriend points out.

"Yeah well, my brain is now catching up to the fact that I asked my boss and his boyfriend, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, on a double date." To be honest, she didn't think that Alec would say yes to the idea. With everything going on in the world, the Head of the New York Institute and the High Warlock of Brooklyn have more important things to do than go on a double date.

Born of Ash by sivan325 (@sivan325) and beta read by myblackeyedboy (@myblackeyedboy) 

Born of Ash Art by Jax (@livinglifebehindthemask)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: The cult “Circle” brings chaos everywhere they go, the leader Valentine ruled them with hard discipline.

Then there was Alec, the boy who seemed an outcast, because he has crushes on other boys and he wants to save as many as possible the people that the cult wants to kill.

Magnus Bane and Catarina Loss will join the cult as married couple, will they succeed or they fall like the other undercover officers that were sent before them?

The odds for Alec to live, are not in his favor.

Match made in heaven by Astrollnut and beta read by JeanBoulet (@jeanboulet)

Match made in heaven Art by silver-lily-louise (@silver-lily-louise) 

Rating: Teen  Pairing: Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland Summary: The mundane life with Simon is nothing but hearty and soft. But there’s a gloomy cloud looming over the perfect domestic paradise. Could he find his happiness again, when everything fell apart, or it is his fate to be alone?

Never make a mess when a total catastrophe will do by Rhosyn_Du (@rhosyn-du) and beta read by all-thestories-aretrue (@all-thestories-aretrue)

Never make a mess when a total catastrophe will do Art #1 by Cor321 (@cor321)  Never make a mess when a total catastrophe will do Art #2 by Cor321 (@cor321) 

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland Summary: What do you do when you find out your sister is not only dating your ex and love-of-your-high-school-life but is also bringing her home for Christmas? Bring your annoying, hot, annoyingly-hot roommate as your fake boyfriend to show them you're totally fine with it, obviously! There's no possible way this could backfire.

Common Buffleheads by SchrodingersHalfling and beta read by Kai (@kyaresrevala) 

Common Buffleheads Art by lillytalons (@lillytalons)

Rating: General Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: “I hate all of it,” Max yells, red faced and crying in anger. “I hate being dragged from Institute to Institute behind mom and dad. Being forgotten until they decide to use me as a pawn in their arguments. I hate never being able to see you and Jace and Izzy; and now Jace is dead and Izzy’s gone and you’re leaving as well. I want to make friends I won’t have to leave behind in a month. I want to be able to read comics and learn things that aren’t fighting and politics. I don’t want to be a Shadowhunter. I wish I’d been born mundane.”

(In a world where Jace never comes back from the World Inverted, Izzy gets exiled. Alec gets himself deruned and Max throws himself along for the ride. A story of Alec stealing back the steering wheel of his life.)

A Losing Game by Noteventhat (@facialteeth) and beta read by T (@bamf-alec)

A Losing Game Art by Hika (@thelightofthebane) 

Rating: Mature Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Magnus and Alec fell in love far too young to really know that what they had was special, until they'd already lost it. Years later, Magnus finds himself raiding a building where his ex-boyfriend just happens to be working security. Not knowing what else to do, Magnus kidnaps him - putting he and Alec both in a very awkward situation.

Like a Lily In a Flood by Shergar (@vaguelyrotten) and beta read by Molly_Jae (@another-random-stranger) 

Like a Lily In a Flood Art by Myulalie (@myulalie)

Rating:  Mature Pairing:  Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary:  Alec returns home to find his town plagued by a mysterious illness. Unable to find a cure, he ventures into the woods to seek help from an unlikely source.

We must not look at goblin men...

All Things By A Law Divine by GideonGraystairs (@bamf-alec) and beta read by JeanBoulet (@jeanboulet)

All Things by A Law Divine Art by LadyKoalart

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Magnus had waited a long time for his soulmate to be born. Fate must have had a sick sense of humour, though, because after all these centuries, it had handed him a shadowhunter. Magnus didn’t know who this shadowhunter was, or how they could possibly be meant for each other, but he did know that this story wouldn't have a happy ending.

Alec also knew all about fate's sense of humour. He had known this his whole life. But the ground was coming up from under him and everything he knew was being turned on its head, systematically picked up and pulled apart and handed back to him looking nothing like it did before. Valentine was alive. His own parents had been members of the Circle. The Lightwoods’ grip on the Institute was slipping. And, through all this, his siblings had found their soulmates.

Alec had found Magnus. But that didn’t mean anything, did it?

You Can't Keep Safe What Wants to Break by ByTheAngell (@bytheangell)

You Can't Keep Safe What Wants to Break Art by Janusa (@janusa)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Clary Fray/Jace Wayland Summary: “I can’t lose her again.”

Jace doesn’t know what to do anymore.

No, that isn’t quite right.

He knows exactly what to do, except he isn’t sure he can do it. He isn’t sure he’s strong enough to be not just the person he wants to be for himself, but for Clary, too.

---Or, a post-finale canon continuation of Jace’s decision to leave the Shadow World to be with Clary.

(Call me Monster, Call me Fiend, but) Do Not Call Me Beloved by Miss_Shiva_Adler (@miss-shiva-adler) and beta read by Rhosyn_Du (@rhosyn-du)

(Call me Monster, Call me Fiend, but) Do Not Call Me Beloved Art by Better_t_Cocain

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Jonathan Morgenstern/Sebastian Verlac Summary: Jonathan Morgenstern is transferred to the Paris institute after rumours of Jocelyn Fairchild resurfacing. He gets more than what he ever bargains for when he meets Sebastian Verlac the scion of the Verlac family, the worst isn’t that they are now teammates, but that Jonathan doesn’t seem to be able to get Sebastian out of his head.

Fear Thou Not by SolarisRasa and beta read by alistoney (@lightwormsiblings)

Fear Thou Not Art by Hika (@thelightofthebane)

Rating: Mature Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Reverse!Verse Malec. High Warlock Alec Lightwood is being held by the New York Institute after his arrival to investigate the death of one of his mundane, younger half-brother (Max)'s descendants. Already chafing under the prejudice of the Clave and with help from his Parabatai and best friends, Magnus Bane breaks Lightwood out...and directly into the seelie realm. Queen Jocelyn agrees to help so long as they all stay in her realm for a time. With the glamour-stripping power of the realm, Magnus' terrible flirting, and the Reverse!Gang trying to get answers and help the Shadowhunters reveal a corruption in the Clave Alec finds himself gaining more than he ever bargained for.

Let Them See (Me) by Molly_Jae ( @another-random-stranger) and beta read by all-thestories-aretrue (@all-thestories-aretrue)

Let Them See (Me) Art by Echo_Bleu (@echo-bleu)

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Magnus leaves New York after being sent away from the Branwell-Lightwood wedding, only to return a week later with a dark-haired companion and plans to change the world as they know it.And Alec?Alec toes the line of helping that change without risking his new position as Head of the New York Institute.

i knew you before we met (and i don't even know you yet) by violetrenagade and beta read by Echele78

I knew you before we met (and i don’t even know you yet) Art by Kai (@kyaresrevala)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Soul creatures were old magic, and for all the years of study, still not well understood. They were reflections of souls cast across time and space, and the only thing everyone agreed on was that they protected their soulmate, keeping them safe until the two could meet.

Magnus had lived lifetimes watching the large black wolf come and go, holding his breath until the moment he could stay.

Alec can't remember life without the cat, his truest ally and his port in the storm through every hardship he'd weathered.

When they are both captured by Valentine's men, it feels like the end of everything, but it could be just the beginning.

love, i’ll find you by ColorfulWarlock (@thelightofthebane​) and beta read by Skylar102 (@skylar102​)

love, i’ll find you Art by silver-lily-louise (@silver-lily-louise​)

Rating: Mature Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Welcome to the other side – home of ghosts. It’s not Halloween yet, but like many things in the Shadow World, all the stories are true. Divided into two independent stories, you’re going to read two different tales having a ghost as the main theme.

1st story – Magnus Bane has dealt with many things in his life, but housing a ghost is a novelty. An amnesiac one to top. It should be amusing, and it is. Until he realizes he is falling in love with the dark, tall and handsome ghost.

2nd story – Magnus is determined to reform an old mansion for a charity purpose. Not all things go accordingly, especially when a group of troublemaker ghosts try to meddle with his work.

It’s a sad song (but we sing it anyway) by notquiteascrazy (@notquiteascrazy​) and beta read by Essie (@essyfangirl​) 

It’s a sad song (but we sing it anyway) Art by Killiarious (@killiarious​)

Rating: General Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: When Alec sacrifices himself to return Magnus’ magic to him, Magnus must go up against not only his Father’s cruelty but also his own self doubt.

One wrong move, and he loses Alexander forever.

Or does he?

A season 3 canon divergence: Shadowhunters meets the tale of Orpheus & Eurydice.

17 Suits by Myulalie (@myulalie​) and beta read by darknutmeg (@darknutmeg​)

17 Suits Art by Killiarious (@killiarious​)

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Magnus Bane, a sworn bachelor, receives his fair share of wedding invitations on a regular basis and makes sure his friends get through their weddings unscathed.

One dark, wounded and mysterious Alec Lightwood is not going to rain on Magnus’ parade as he celebrates the best day of his loved ones’ lives.

When his brother crashes at his place however, and starts dating the woman Magnus has been pining for since he graduated college; Magnus is faced with a choice: either he relies on others and accepts their help like never before, or he holds onto the past at the cost of his own happiness.

What will it be?

Revenant by bidness (@bidnezz​) and beta read by SchrodingersHalfling

Revenant Art by abby0007 (@abby0007​) 

Rating: Mature Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Alec has heard the legends of Magnus Bane. He knows all the tales and he’s read all the records of his downfall. The High Warlock of Brooklyn who became so hungry for power that he began to mistreat the very warlocks who sought his help. It’s been a hundred years since then, and when a sudden rift opening between realms brings an onslaught of lesser demons, so too does it bring Magnus Bane, insatiable and vengeful for the power and people that locked him away in Edom. As newly appointed Head of the New York Institute, it’s Alec’s job to protect the residents of New York from one of the greatest Demons he’s ever faced. Only, he has no idea how, and maybe things aren't what they seem.

The Road Not Taken (Looks Real Good Now) by notcrypticbutcoy (@notcrypticbutcoy) and beta read by Echele78

The Road Not Taken (Looks Real Good Now) Art by Myulalie (@myulalie​)

Rating: Mature Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Being recognised is the last thing Magnus wants when he returns to his small, beachy hometown, hoping to make peace with the past he's tried so hard to forget. The universe is clearly playing some kind of cosmic joke, he thinks, when he runs into an old flame working behind the same counter he did at age eighteen.

As Magnus tries to move on from his past, there's something that keeps tugging his gaze over his shoulder. What is Alec Lightwood doing stuck in the sluggish pace of small town life?

Or: in which Magnus despises small towns, everyone has a tragic backstory, and Magnus and Alec learn that choosing themselves brings good things.

everything that i want (but didn't think i'd find) by thatnerdemryn (@thatnerdemryn) and beta read by SolarisRasa

everything that i want (but didn't think i'd find) Art by AceOnIce (@aceon-ice)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood Summary: Combat medic, Izzy, worked side by side with her pilot brother, Alec, to ensure the safety of the country and the most important people in their lives; their family.

Alec was starting a family with Magnus—a man Izzy never imagined her brother ending up with—and when the opportunity for them to get married on short notice during Izzy and Alec's summer block leave, Izzy couldn't have been happier for them. Izzy and Alec would make their way home to celebrate the momentous occasion and Izzy could leave everything behind without a second thought like she had when she was eighteen.

Falling in love with Magnus' sister, Clary, was never part of her plan and that threw her off kilter.

Learning To Be by Teal_The_Baker (@teal-the-baker​) and beta read by Tinerrrr

Learning To Be Art by brightasstars (@brightasstars​)

Rating: Mature Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Clary took the moment between confessions to lean toward Magnus and whisper, “So how ‘bout it, Mags? Got any secrets you want to share with the world?”

Magnus knew Clary was joking, but as he watched Alec walk away from the microphone with his arm still around his sister’s shoulders, he had a brief moment of uncertainty that he might be hiding a secret even from himself.

Or the Human AU - A year in the life of one graduate student Magnus Bane as he learns new facets of himself when an undergraduate by the name of Alexander Lightwood is pulled into his orbit.

The Chosen by theweird1 and beta read by myblackeyedboy (@myblackeyedboy​)

The Chosen Art by Flynn (@flynnifox​)

Rating: Mature Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Based on the book The Selection by Kiera Cass.

In a land where your place in society was decided long before you are born, Alec Lightwood spends his day as a farm hand for a local family. His family is just above the poorest in the country. The most he can expect in life is to die early from stress like his grandfather before him.

But this year everything will change.

The only son of the King of Edom has come of age. There will soon be a lottery between the counties and twenty-three young women will be picked to try and win over the heart of the beloved prince. However, this year will be different, for the first time ever men are allowed to enter as well. Will Alec risk the shame of coming out for a chance to meet his childhood crush, that is if he is chosen.

Van Lyfe by Cor321 (@cor321​) and beta read by PassionObsessed

Van Lyfe Art by Molly_Jae (@another-random-stranger​)

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland Summary: When Jace tells Simon about his crazy idea of turning a sprinter van into his own custom RV, Simon has no idea what's in store. Simon's world comes crashing down when he realizes the depth of his feelings for his roommate and best friend just before he leaves on the adventure of a lifetime. Now he must juggle his feelings with working an office job, helping Jace and finding a new place to live.

Can Simon have it all?

Whilst My World's Crashing Down by magique_lightbane and beta read by MoonlightBreeze (@moonlight-breeze-44​)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: "I can't go against the deal, Alec. It was to finish my loose ends and return immediately." Five more minutes, bellowed the eerie voice he'd been well-acquainted with recently, more impatient than ever. "I knew I couldn't leave you, not again, but if it was between that or never seeing you again," He untwined one of his hands to cup Alec's cheek, the plush material of velvet meeting silky smooth skin. "You know what my choice will always be."

Losing one another had always been a caveat of their relationship, Alec just never expected he would be the one to bear the repercussions. Moving on was a 'never' option, but since Magnus took it upon himself to be his husband's wingman, could there be a new love in his horizon?

Or did Magnus underestimate Alec's love and the pain he would feel of seeing Alec with another?

Only The Wind Knows (Where It Will Carry Our Dandelion Souls) by AceOnIce (@aceon-ice​) and beta read by PassionObsessed

Only The Wind Knows (Where It Will Carry Our Dandelion Souls) Art by Kai (@kyaresrevala​)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood/Meliorn Summary: When Alec finds out Magnus Bane and Meliorn used to date, and one of their letters was intercepted by the Clave, he does his best to reunite them and return the letter. But setting them up turns to falling in love with them and Alec scrambles to deal with his, potentially requited, feelings. Can he have everything he's dreamed of? Or is this just another thing he'll have to give up to keep his life from falling apart?

A Desperate Proposal by PassionObsessed and beta read by AceOnIce (@aceon-ice​)

A Desperate Proposal Art by Skylar102 (@skylar102​)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Simon Lewis/Jace Wayland Summary: A threat has been brewing in the Shadow World: silent, insidious, deadly.

When the Shadowhunters and the Downworld finally acknowledge the danger their world is in, they come to a desperate arrangement, proposing a series of marriage alliances that will unify their peoples. The Downworld and the Shadowhunters must rely on each other to find and eliminate who, or what, is killing them before it is too late.

Jace Lightwood and Simon Lewis will be at the forefront of that battle, whether they like it or not.

Right Here All Along by brightasstars (@brightasstars​)

Right Here All Along Art by Nhixxie

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Alec and Baz have met at university and got married. Overall they have been together for 8 years so far and both work at a community center as psychotherapists. They live a happy life even if Alec sometimes wonders if there is something that he's missing. Until one day a man shows up at the center bringing a boy with him and asking for Baz's help. As soon as the door closes behind them Alec finds out that the man he has fallen in love with is actually someone else. A journey into trust and hurt, in the search of truth and identity, through silence and communication.

Fallen Angel by cuubism (@cuubism​)

Fallen Angel Art by darknutmeg (@darknutmeg​)

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: “What do you think you could do,” Alec says, “with angelic power?”

Alec and Asmodeus make a different deal.

(will you be) my beginning, my middle, my end by villiageidiot (@villiageidiot​) and beta read by notquiteascrazy (@notquiteascrazy​)

(will you be) my beginning, my middle, my end Art by Jax (@livinglifebehindthemask​)

Rating: Mature Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: “I. Alec Lightwood is a straight-laced Shadowhunter who falls in love with the kind-hearted High Warlock of Brooklyn.

II. Alec Lightwood is also a small-town bar owner who's still in love with his high school sweetheart.

III. Alec Lightwood is a surly monster hunter who is definitely, absolutely, most certainly not in love with his aggressively charismatic rival.

IV. And Alec Lightwood is also a confident event planner who falls in love with an enigmatic tarot card reader.

Every universe has an Alec Lightwood and a Magnus Bane, and they find their way to each other in each of them.

As Darkness Descends by NikiAlex03

As Darkness Descends Art by kuro​_thesoft

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: Alec Lightwood, heir to the throne of Idris, has been taught his entire life to stay clear of Brocelind Woods. But he’s convinced that magic is nothing but the stuff of old legends, and he’s reluctant to give up his relationship with Magnus Bane -who is as enigmatic as he is beautiful- to adhere to such warnings.

Magnus Bane grew up under the tutelage of his estranged but powerful father. Magnus knows how Idris feels about the magic that runs through his veins, and when Asmodeus disappears without a trace and leaves Magnus to Idris' mercy in his place, the very last thing Magnus needs is to be faced with answering to their Prince, his lover, who has now become his greatest enemy.

Magnus knows that his father will not stop until he gets Magnus by his side and Magnus has more than enough reasons to go to him, but is he willing to pay the price his father demands?

And is the throne Alec has spent his life coveting, and the respect of his family and his kingdom, enough for him to sacrifice Magnus, who, despite his betrayal, Alec still feels an inexplicable draw towards?

From the Darkness by pinstripedJackalope (@a-ghost-named-k) and beta read by theprophetlemonade (@theprophetlemonade)

From the Darkness Art by LadyKoalart

Rating: Teen Pairing: Magnus Bane/Alexander Lightwood Summary: In 1723, a witch named Magnus casts a spell that accidentally traps him in the form of a fungus. Three hundred years later he is finally freed from his mycopial prison--and dropped into the modern world, where he must find his way, though with the guidance of one Alexander Lightwood.

Aka a fungal fable about life, love, and laughter. Part one of two.

#malec #jimon #clizzy #magic #jonseb #clace #shadowhunters #writing event #shmb2021 #shmb2021 masterpost #masterpost #malec discord server #MDSEvent

[marshmallowgoop]

#bbbbbb OP i am very interested in reading ur thoughts on ep36 bc i have WORDS for that one too via @hexfloog​​

So, the thing is, I’ve actually been intending to post these seasonal write-ups on Detective Conan, and the “essay for another day” that I mentioned was gonna be a part of that project.

But to be honest, given that this idea’s been marinating basically since 2020 turned into 2021, and that I haven’t gotten any further than just composing the planned analyses in my head, I kinda got the feeling that it’s a project that’s not gonna come to fruition.

Which is maybe for the better! ‘Cause with how long this ended up, a whole season’s worth of my thoughts would probably be, like, the size of a dang novel. And I think I do better with more focused things, anyway.

Long story short, I would love to share my thoughts on Episode 36, “The Monday, 7:30 P.M. Murder Case.” Thank you for giving me an excuse to ramble!

Huge post below. And major spoilers for the whole case. And perhaps minor spoilers for some others.

[Image description: A screenshot of the title card for Episode 36 of Detective Conan/Case Closed. The name of the episode is written in Japanese in a rough-looking font, and subtitles translate this into English as, “The Monday, 7:30 P.M. Murder Case.” End image description.]

THE WRITING

First things first, while I am quite fond of this anime-only filler personally, I do recognize that it’s probably not exactly a fan favorite. And I can get that, because I’m sure most folks tune into this long-running mystery anime for, y’know, the mysteries. 

But me? I wouldn’t consider myself a mystery fan at all. (Yes, I know.) What attracts me to Detective Conan isn’t how clever the murder tricks are or how well a case adheres to “the rules of good detective fiction.” Rather, I’m interested in characters. Emotions. Interactions. What does the situation reveal about our cast? How does the experience change them? That’s what gets me watching.

So, maybe it’s no wonder that I like Episode 36 so much. It’s written by the late Kazunari Kouchi, whose work I’ve definitely described—as if I know what I’m talking about—with sentences like, “The mystery’s not very good, but....”

Because Kouchi, who’s credited as the main writer for 36 filler cases, 14 of the films (1-5, 7-9, 12-16, and 18), all of the OVAs (though some are Magic Kaito adaptations), and every original Magic/Bonus File, practically always, far as I have seen, has a strong focus on character in his stories.

For reference, Kouchi wrote the universally beloved Kogoro character study that is “The Truth About the Car Explosion Case,” Episodes 150-151, which is often cited as the best anime-original scenario in the entire series because of what it does for Kogoro. Perhaps in a similar vein, “The Invisible Weapon, Ran’s First Investigation,” Episode 196, is his work, too—and in many ways, I genuinely prefer it to the canonical case in which Ran finally gets to take the stage and be the detective (“The Convenience Store Trap,” Episodes 343-344). He’s also the writer behind “The 14th Round of the Matsue Tamatsukuri Linked Verse Contest,” Episodes 255-256, which I was utterly convinced was a manga adaptation because of this specific scene that delves into Shinichi’s relationship with Ran.

[Image description: A screenshot from Episode 255 of Detective Conan. Shinichi, with a troubled expression on his face, thinks to himself, “Ran, I don’t know how the gods will answer you, but I....” End image description.]

I won’t say that all of Kouchi’s episodes are homeruns, but even the ones that I’m not particularly fond of, like “The Elevator Murder Case,” Episode 19, or “John the Dog’s Murder Case,” Episode 26, stick to this pattern. In 19, we get a bit more insight into Ran by exploring a potential interest of hers, modeling. In 26, there’s this fantastic idea presented that a dog Shinichi knew growing up continues to recognize him as Conan, and I am so bummed that not much more is done with the concept. I’ve witnessed heartstring-tugging accounts of dogs not immediately recognizing their human friends after a drastic change in appearance but becoming absolutely jubilant when they finally realize who’s there. I would have loved something like that in Conan. And I’m not even a dog person.

[Image description: A screenshot from Episode 26 of Detective Conan. Ran recounts a childhood memory, saying, with a smile, “He [Shinichi] would save some bread from lunch and then give it to the dog!” As she says this, there is a flashback image of little Shinichi doing just that, with little Ran beside him. End image description.]

Tangent aside, to put it simply, Kouchi’s scenarios tend to hit at exactly what I’m looking for in this series. I don’t think I’d describe the actual mystery of Episode 36 as anything to write home about, but I love this case because of its characterization and message.

THE DETECTIVE BOYS

Here’s another thing: I don’t hate the Detective Boys.

As stated in the post that I’m... kind of? writing this as a response to, I’m attracted to “monster” stories—where a character is “different” but finds a sense of comfort and belonging with someone(s). In many respects, Detective Conan doesn’t fit my niche—there aren’t any space aliens or apparently even witches, after all—but it does have arguably the most important piece. Just as the lonely, closed-off Ryuko comes to feel safe being herself in the presence of her reviled “monster” friend in Kill la Kill, Shinichi, over the course of the series, comes to feel safe being himself, even while trapped in a body that he does not consider his, in the presence of the friends he’s made along the way.

Now, of course, Conan can’t fully be Shinichi in front of Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta. There’s no way that he would willingly burden the kids with that truth. (Though, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want them to figure it out.) But there’s often such a calculated deceit in Shinichi’s Conan persona—the high-pitched tone, the childish vocabulary, the technically inappropriate honorifics that become mandatory. When in the company of people like Kogoro or Ran or Inspector Megure, Shinichi wholeheartedly believes that he cannot let his guard down. He can’t say too much, he can’t seem too smart, he can’t be him.

[Image description: A screenshot from Episode 96 of Detective Conan. Ran, with a frustrated expression on her face, says, “It’s too odd for a grade-schooler to be so good at figuring things out!” End image description.]

And yet, with the Detective Boys, Shinichi doesn’t conceal his intelligence. He doesn’t speak with his juvenile register. In fact, these kids are pointedly bothered by Conan’s babyish façade:

[Image descriptions: Screenshots from Episode 313 of Detective Conan. Mitsuhiko says to Conan, “I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why do you always talk childish only when you talk to adults? It’s as if you’re fawning on them or something.” Conan responds, “O-oh yeah?”, while Genta adds, “Rather, you give me the creeps.” End image descriptions.]

Well, Mitsuhiko and Genta are disturbed by the act, in any case. But Ayumi definitely notices as well.

I also can’t get over how Conan literally spills the beans about his situation to his classmates in Ai’s introduction episode....

[Image descriptions: Screenshots from Episode 129 of Detective Conan. Conan says, “I can’t say that man is it right now. But, just maybe, he was with those men in black who shrunk my body with their drugs....” As he says this, there’s an image of Shinichi behind him. Then, the camera pans to show Gin and Vodka in the background as well. End image descriptions.]

But anyway, all of this is to say that I tend to favor Detective Boys fillers because it’s nice to see Shinichi behave in a more relaxed and honest manner than “Mori fieldtrip” anime-onlys typically allow him to, and I also find the relationship development sweet. I hesitate to place Shinichi into a “parental” role when it comes to the DB; even without the Conan shenanigans, and despite his claims in episode intros about having “the appearance of a child but the mind of an adult,” Shinichi is still very much a kid, too. But I do like how he comes to sincerely care for the Detective Boys, and how he encourages and guides them much like a parental figure would. Heck, you could say he does a better job in some respects than their actual parents, but more on that later.

In short, Episode 36, being somewhat of a Detective Boys-focused filler, wins easy points from me for just that alone. But it’s also quite the charming example!

THE ACTUAL EPISODE (lol)

At this point, I’ve probably rambled, like, a thousand words, and I still haven’t offered even a basic synopsis of 36. 

Maybe I should do that.

So, “Monday, 7:30 P.M. Murder Case” is perhaps ultimately the story of Ayumi (and Genta’s) dentist, Dr. Yoko Sawaki, a woman whose nine-year-old brother was kidnapped and murdered by a man she saw and identified 26 years prior... but who got away with the crime because her testimony, being that of a seven-year-old child’s, was not considered evidence enough to convict him. 

Unlike other Kazunari Kouchi cases (such as Episode 37, directly following this one), there is a strong mystery-solving element to this story, but it isn’t a complex riddle with lots of moving parts. When the aforementioned man winds up dead, Dr. Sawaki is really the only suspect, and the goal is to identify how she did it in spite of her airtight alibi. In this way, we get a much more character-focused experience, as time that might have been otherwise devoted to introducing multiple potential culprits is instead used to expand upon Dr. Sawaki and the Detective Boys.

I think it’s also worth noting that the setup does make this episode more deeply personal than other cases might be. The perpetrator isn’t a random nobody whom the characters are meeting for the first time; Dr. Sawaki is a dentist adored by both Ayumi and Genta—and given that she has a booked schedule, she’s certainly not hated by the community, either:

[Image descriptions: Screenshots from Episode 36 of Detective Conan. Genta says, “That dentist’s mega pretty and nice!” Ayumi then agrees, saying, “Yeah!” She adds, “Dr. Yoko’s schedule was full for a whole week....” End image descriptions.]

And I can’t speak for anyone else, of course, but Dr. Sawaki’s connection to the main cast does make the case far more intriguing for me. It’s not explored too deeply, and maybe it’s all rather contrived, but someone you know being the culprit does pack much more of an emotional punch than it being a stranger, and that’s the kind of thing I watch this series for. 

(Though, I do have to feel bad for Ayumi. Her dentist kills a guy, and then, in another Kazunari Kouchi filler (“The Disappearing Weapon Search Case,” Episode 135), her hairdresser gets murdered. This poor girl!)

The fact that it’s Ayumi’s dentist also adds some... food for thought, when you think about Conan’s predicament. Considering that he’s actually 16 or 17 years old, he presumably shouldn’t have any baby teeth like the one Ayumi’s getting pulled... right?

[Image descriptions: Screenshots from Episode 36. Conan thinks to himself, with a smile and a sweat drop, “Masked Yaiba and baby teeth... I’ve really fallen into a grade-schooler’s life....” End image descriptions.]

We sadly only get this one comment from Shinichi on the subject—though FUNimation’s English dub does add a line from Ayumi where she says that “[Conan’s] teeth are fine”—and admittedly, I wouldn’t really expect a filler episode to tackle the question of APTX 4869 victims’ teeth. But it certainly prompts some thinking. At least for me.

I’m quickly reminded of Basser’s Detective Conan and House, M.D. crossover fic Casework, which I remember reading years and years ago when I first started watching DetCo. And—spoilers for the story, so feel free to skip to the next paragraph if you don’t wanna know—House ends up deducing that Conan is not as young as he seems because of his teeth. The scene has remained so vividly stuck in my head, even after all this time.

And I wouldn’t at all be opposed to canon exploring this avenue, too. It’s really beyond the scope of the episode, but I would have been so interested if Dr. Sawaki, being a dentist, would have noticed something off about Conan’s teeth when he accompanied Ayumi to her office and gotten concerned.

I don’t know. Just... food for thought.

But speaking of Conan going to the dentist with Ayumi, while I don’t really have anything super deep to say about it, I feel a need to point out that this episode’s also just cute? Shinichi starts the series considering the Detective Boys a total nuisance, but episodes like these show that he has grown to be protective of them and honestly concerned for their wellbeing. The whole conversation about Dr. Sawaki only begins because Conan notices that Ayumi looks upset:

[Image descriptions: Screenshots from Episode 36. In the first image, offscreen, Mitsuhiko tells Genta, “I get excited just thinking about it [tonight’s episode of Kamen Yaiba]!” On screen, Conan looks to Ayumi, who stares out the window with a sad expression on her face. He asks, “What’s wrong, Ayumi-chan? You don’t seem happy....” End image descriptions.]

And he later literally plays the role of her parent by taking her to the dentist and planning on walking her home:

[Image descriptions: Screenshots from Episode 36. In the first image, Ayumi says, “He [Conan] came because he was worried about me!” In the second image, Conan says, “Oh, I was going to wait until Ayumi-chan was done” after Dr. Sawaki tells him to “be careful on [his] way home!” End image descriptions.]

Because she is six or seven years old. I don’t know what season it’s supposed to be here, so maybe it’s not that dark around 7:30 P.M., but also, Dr. Sawaki specifically tells Conan to “get home before it gets dark out,” and also also, why are Ayumi’s parents letting her walk home from the dentist without them in the first place? Even without factoring in the whole darkness thing, undergoing a dental procedure can easily make your head fuzzy. That’s putting it lightly.

Thank you, Conan, for actually caring about Ayumi’s safety here, yeesh. Maybe he has reason to worry when it’s apparently normal for this girl to go grocery shopping all alone in the dark during a thunderstorm.

[Image description: A screenshot from Episode 20 of Detective Conan. Ayumi stands in the dark and rain with a pink umbrella, a bag holding bread on her arm. End image description.]

I’m a grown adult, Ayumi, and people tell me that I should maybe avoid doing stuff like this.

THE MESSAGE

Anyway, that’s probably about as good of a segue as I’m gonna get to the real meat of 36—that is, how the episode expands on Shinichi’s struggle to be taken seriously while stuck in the body of a young child.

It’s an ever-present obstacle for our protagonist, though its severity drastically diminishes throughout the series’ run. And maybe it’s a bit against the grain, but I personally consider that to be a good thing. It’s good, to me, that while Shinichi falls into this hopeless, helpless place, as he gains more friends and allies, he also gains more security and stability. It’s good that he comes to know people who will take him seriously, even if they see him only as Conan Edogawa and nobody else. It’s good that he doesn’t have to stay in that desperate, lonely pit forever.

But the start of the story is certainly dire, and Episode 36 is no exception. At this point, the creation of an antidote for Shinichi’s condition is little more than an impossible dream; as far as the anime is concerned, there hasn’t been a single lead on the organization that poisoned him. And Shinichi’s learned—the hard way—that his small body is incapable of protecting him against dangerous threats, all while his words are ignored, tossed aside, and ridiculed. Ran has to save him from a criminal in Episode 2, Episode 3 has him imitating a baritone-voiced adult just to be listened to, and perhaps most relevantly and obviously, Episode 5 flat-out argues, in no indirect terms, that “nobody’ll believe [Conan] because [he’s] a kid!”

[Image description: A screenshot from Episode 5 of Detective Conan. Conan frowns, thinking, “But nobody’ll believe me because I’m a kid!” End image description.]

So, Dr. Sawaki’s motivation in Episode 36—that she takes matters into her own hands because her testimony wasn’t trusted as a child—is the kind of motivation that Shinichi is painfully familiar with.

And I do think that Conan’s recognition and understanding of Dr. Sawaki’s plight affects how he handles the case. It’s of course not outlandishly out of character for him to confront a culprit alone (in fact, it’s one of my most oft-quoted Conan memes), but this is the kind of scenario where he could have easily told Kogoro or the police what he knew and had them solve the crime themselves.

But he doesn’t. And to me, this is, at least in part, because it’s absolutely crucial to him that Conan Edogawa solves this one—that he proves to Yoko Sawaki that she’s been right all along. That he shows her that children are capable and can be trusted with delivering the truth, just as she’s always known. The episode’s epilogue takes special care to emphasize this point:

[Image descriptions: Screenshots from Episode 36. In the first image, Kogoro asks, “You’re saying she [Dr. Sawaki] wanted me to find proof [of her crime]?” In the last images, Conan thinks to himself, “That, or the Sawaki Yoko-san from twenty-six years ago wanted me to.” As he thinks this, there are images of Yoko Sawaki and her seven-year-old self in the background. End image descriptions.]

To a certain extent, “The Monday, 7:30 P.M. Murder Case” reminds me of the classic “The Piano Sonata ‘Moonlight’ Murders,” Episode 11. Both culprits are among Conan’s most sympathetic, as both are portrayed as repentant killers, and just as Conan argues in the conclusion of “Moonlight” that the murderer wanted to be stopped from committing the crimes in the first place, he perhaps similarly argues in 36 that a part of Dr. Sawaki wanted to be caught all along. 

Personally, both endings also get me teary eyed.

However, there is a marked difference in how the series handles Dr. Sawaki because Conan’s confrontation with her poses, visibly, a real, tangible threat for his safety. Much like in the meme I linked, the narrative deliberately tricks the viewer into thinking that this woman is going to kill Conan, too. The music is unsettling, her hands reach for him...

[Image descriptions: Screenshots from Episode 36. The first image is a shot of Dr. Sawaki’s hand. The second is a shot of Conan, standing with a frown on his face. The third is a shot of both of Dr. Sawaki’s hands, reaching out. End image descriptions.]

But she ends up only opening the curtains that gave her trick away:

[Image description: A screenshot from Episode 36. Dr. Sawaki opens the curtains of her window while Conan stands, unharmed, in front of her table that holds the evidence (a playing card with Ayumi’s fingerprints) that proves her guilt. End image description.]

When I first rewatched this case several months back, the wiki noted the difference between Dr. Sawaki and the previous case’s culprit in Episodes 34-35, “The Mountain Lodge Bandage Man Murder Case,” arguing that unlike them, Dr. Sawaki pointedly refuses to hurt an innocent person in order to conceal her crime and protect herself. This trivia section has since been removed for being assumptive, and I can agree to that, especially given the interpretive reasoning listed there about why Conan chooses to solve the case on his own, without confiding in anyone.

But I found the comment thought provoking and something that I hadn’t—and likely wouldn’t—have considered myself. Conan is remarkably calm when offering his deduction to Dr. Sawaki. Was he trying to test her, as the wiki concludes, to see if she would harm a child who had done nothing but uncover her guilt? Or was he really testing his own judgment, since his awareness and understanding of her dilemma and motive led him to believe that she would never lay a finger on him?

I don’t know, but I do find it... interesting, that Dr. Sawaki intentionally uses a child, Ayumi, for her alibi. In a way, you could say that it’s a cruelty that goes entirely against the reasoning behind her crime. Why would Dr. Sawaki want to involve a young girl in a situation where her testimony could be questioned on the grounds of her age? Why would she ever want anyone else to feel that pain?

The text itself supplies that Dr. Sawaki picks Ayumi because in her visits, she’s spoken often of Conan and the detective he lives with, and ultimately, the doctor wanted her crime to be discovered. But the similarity between little Yoko and Ayumi is just too strong. There’s something strikingly sad here—that maybe another part of Dr. Sawaki wanted to prove to herself that nothing’s changed since she was Ayumi’s age. Maybe she wanted to witness another testimony go unheard because it came from someone too young. Maybe she wanted proof that the world is just as cold and dark and heartless as she’s known it to be since she herself was seven years old.

Or, maybe, much like Conan asserts, what she really wanted was to be wrong in all this. She wanted to see that there is hope out there, and that children don’t deserve to be automatically discounted. This is why, though she could have destroyed the evidence, she turns herself in. She got what she was looking for, and she won’t continue to put children through what she herself had to endure.

Orrrr I’m just thinking way too hard about a filler episode.

[Image description: A screenshot from Episode 36. It’s an image of Conan, his hand on his chin as he deeply contemplates the case. End image description.]

But regardless of intentions, I’m really fond of this one. I find its message to be incredibly hard hitting, especially in the context of the rest of this series, because for as much as I’ve expressed my fondness for Conan’s relationship with the Detective Boys, it’s episodes like these that underline a certain tragedy to it, too. Shinichi feels comfortable being mostly himself around the kids because, as he knows all too well, children are constantly not taken seriously. If the Detective Boys were to deduce the truth about him, it’s likely that no adults would listen. 

The conflict that culminates with Dr. Sawaki’s crime isn’t something that goes away overnight, and while Conan isn’t exactly seven years old himself, I do like that he provides her with hope.

I don’t know. It’s just a case that Gets to me. Evidently! And I’d love to hear what anyone else has to say about it!

FURTHER READING

As a final note, I often get lost in the more complicated murders of this children’s mystery anime, so I can’t say that I super, uh, comprehend this academic article about said children’s mystery anime. But I feel that Tsugumi Okabe’s “Combating Youth Violence: The Emergence of Boy Sleuths in Japan's Lost Decade” is worth bringing up in relation to this discussion. From what I do understand, a large part of the argument is that series such as Detective Conan work to empower children, and while I can’t say I totally agree with everything that I can grasp from the paper, it does provide good historical context. If you’re into this kind of thing (and if you’ve read this far, I’m guessing that you are), I’d recommend giving it a look if you haven’t already.

#detective conan #case closed #episode 36 #conan edogawa #shinichi kudo #yoko sawaki #the detective boys #ayumi yoshida #ramblings #analysis #long post #really long post... #did i just write a 20-page essay and 4000 words about a filler episode from 1996 in the year 2021? #yes... yes i did.... #anyway those are my feelings! would love to hear more!

[decepti-thots]

Thoughts on Optimus?

Ooooh.

Franchise wide, I can find Optimus kind of... frustrating? Because over time, the role they've allowed him to play has felt like it's been constantly fighting against Iconic Pop Culture status slash a kind of official flanderization. It's not a new observation to observe that since his original movie death, there's been a tendency to cast him in the role of infallible but shallow Hero TM in a way that can be very limiting and dull.

On the other hand, I think more incarnations have at least attempted to push back against that than people (me 100% included) always give credit for. TBH, I think the fact the TFP version of the character went so hard on that and was for so long the 'default' modern fandom for TF kind of gave a skewed interpretation of it. With more distance and TFP no longer being 'the' TF continuity we all default to, I think it seems less egregious than it once did.

Anyway. Here are some completely and absolutely subjective and deeply biased opinions on various Optimi across the board:

G1 cartoon s1 and s2: extremely fun. Absolutely Dad energy in the actual sense of Dads Are Fun To Be Around. We all know this, the man has sick dunks, etc etc.

G1 Marvel: I know very little Marvel. Furman's take always seemed kinda bland tho. Like the State Games backstory in that one prose story that wound up inspiring all the later Gladiator stuff however, that's interesting, I would love to see that come back for OP some time as well as the influence it's had on Megs tbh.

Unicron Trilogy, by which I mean Armada bc I don't care about the other two as much: kind of my favourite 'post movie Hero TM' OP take. He's nice. I would hug that guy.

TFA: my favourite Optimus, easy. Genuinely think TFA's pushback on the above is the most inspired take the franchise ever had. He's great because as just his own character in this show in isolation, he's a really appealing archetype that fits the tone TFA goes for fantastically and who is played off in a really fun way, with David Kaye giving a great performance. But even better in the context of being a big ol' TF nerd because the underlying concept if you know to look for it being 'what if Orion Pax never became Optimus Prime, conceptually speaking, but he was still the main character' is just a GREAT idea for a reimagining.

Bayverse: would be way more interesting if the movies acknowledged what a terrifying bastard he winds up.

TFP: fun to take an alternative reading on in a fandom context, but IMO the worst offender re: the above in the actual canon. I like playing around with him being 100% Serious All The Time Bc Prime in terms of like, why he's like that as a person, but in the actual show, it's played basically completely straight and I find it really ehhh. Feels like they were building to an arc in s2 I suspect was cut off by behind the scenes meddling for s3, which is a shame. Wish they'd done more with the Orion Pax arc in particular.

IDW: starts off an absolute infamous mess for ages in the sense that it's the worst possible take on Big Damn Hero TM Optimus imo: a take that looks at it through a really immature and narrow idea of what a Big Damn Hero should be. Kind of like Bayverse in that it makes a lot of underlying assumptions about what makes a big action hero character appealing that turn out to actually mostly make him come across as just an asshole. However, phase 2 made the ballsy decision to not try and soft retcon that out and just write him 'better' but instead take all that at-face-value stuff and actually make it into something you could examine and do something with, and I am forever impressed that they somehow actually just about succeeded at that. That was a much riskier decision than just 'fixing' the dumb bits of phase 1, and while it's not always 100%, it paid off IMO, in ways that resulted in storytelling opportunities that I don't think will ever crop up in the franchise again.

Cyberverse: I like him a lot. A very good compromise of the now-iconic stoic hero characterisation with the idea he should still be appealing by making him not necessarily the original G1 style OP, but instead layering on him being earnest and a little awkward underneath the speeches, so it's less pure noble stoicism and more being kind of a nerd when he's not in leader mode. Deserved that happy ending.

#ask meme

[sanjithesimp]

Oh hello I am also new to OP but I have grown to have a crush on Sanji 👉👈 My little request/suggestion is simple. Just Sanji x fem reader where the reader holds his hand for comfort when she is scared 👉👈

A/n: Hello my dear, thank you for requesting I really appreciate it, and yessss omg I am relatively new to OP (although when I was like 6 years old I used to watch it sometimes), but yeah the first character I fell in love was Sanji too, and well you can also see it because of my username. And omg this is such a sweet idea, I loved it. Hope you like it <333

This image represents me. (Also credits to the person who made this)

Sanji x Fem! Reader

WARNING: no warning

You had studied for a whole week nonstop for your exam to apply to university, and it was time to take it. As you were getting ready you tried to breathe a little and motivate yourself, but deep inside you were very nervous.

Sanji promised that he would wait for you after your exam and he would make some fantastic meal especially for you. He was such a sweetheart, always giving you all his love and affection. Never leaving your side.

After taking the exam you felt terrible, and your anxiety wasn’t helping a lot, all you wanted to do was cry. You felt you did terrible and that you definitely failed the exam. The results would be ready later at night. You couldn’t stop thinking and making terrible scenarios in your head.

As soon as you were out of the building where you took your exam, you saw your boyfriend waiting for you with a bouquet of flowers, the smile he had drawn across his face quickly changed to worried by seeing you.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” He asked as he embraced you while you cried on his arms.

You sobbed and tried speaking but nothing would come out.

“I- I definitely failed” You said as you had calmed down a bit. Your boyfriend gave you a smile and cleaned the tears off your face gently.

He cupped your face with both of his hands, while you held the flower bouquet he had brought you. “Would treating you with some delicious food would make you feel better?” He looked at you, his kind eyes trying to comfort you.

He then peppered your face with kisses, and held your hand in order to walk back to his car. The drive to his apartment made you feel so much better as he played your favorite playlist and sang with you, told you about his day and made you laugh. He knew exactly how to cheer you up, and you loved him so much for that.

When you got there, he sat you down on the dining room.

“I will be back in less than 5 minutes” He said and then he went in the kitchen.

And as he promised, he came back with too many plates in his hands, more than he could take so you helped him to place them on the table.

“Oh baby, this is more than just some food, I will probably not eat for the rest of the month” He laughed and went back to the kitchen to bring some plates for both of you.

Everything looked delicious, you couldn’t decide what to try first. He had made all of the foods that you liked.

You decided to have some pasta first, then some salmon, and one after another until you tried every single dish he made for you.

“How was it Y/n?” He asked smiling.

“It was delicious, I- I can’t even begin to thank you but also...you’ll have to roll me out of here after all this food” You said, and suddenly you realized that since you got to the car to that moment you hadn’t thought about your exam, and you were no longer worried about it.

You then decided to go for a walk, it was a nice afternoon and you loved taking walks with Sanji. He would talk about all of his adventures, how he loved cooking so much, and he would make you laugh always.

The sun was starting to set so you decided to walk to the park, were you could go to your special place and watch it from there. The sky was tainted with shades of pink and orange, almost making it look like cotton candy.

“The sky looks beautiful” You said staring at it, thinking that sharing this little moments with Sanji were the best.

“It does” Sanji said facing you, his eyes staring at you the whole time making you blush.

You stayed until the last beam of the sun left the sky. Once it was starting to get dark you decided to go back home, when suddenly you received a call. It was from the results, and you did great, almost a perfect score.

You couldn’t believe it. You were completely speechless.

“I knew you could do it, baby” Sanji was so excited he carried you and spun you around, and as he lowered you he kissed you.

“I love you ” You said to him.

“I love you too, Y/n” Sanji held your hand to continue walking.

#sanji x y/n #sanji vinsmoke #sanji simp #vinsmoke sanji #vinsmoke #sanji #sanji x you #op icons #one piece #one piece fics #one piece drabble #requests

[redxblueihateloveyou]

Hi...just want to say, thanks for your blog...because of you, I start watching anime series, free and knb....😁 and your videos are amazing.....🤩

Can I ask your favorite OPs and EDs for free and knb? And why you like them?

Sorry if you already answer this ask before....Thanks again....

hi!!! <3 awwws thank you so much! ahhhh I'm always so happy when I get ppl into free and knb!

Despite rinharu mook being my weakness getting to see a merman Haru and the whole Rin's stripper hey mr policeman dance (xDD) that is iconic my fav free! ending is still "splash free". As I've said before firstly I just absolutely adore the song, it makes me smile since forever and we clap in needed places, when we rewatch with my family lol But mainly cause of the whole idea and message behind the thing. I will never get over them openly showing that Haru is thirsty only for Rin and Rin is his oasis and his water and how he runs to him when he sees him naked luring him in... it's just.. its perfect.

Opening, 100% s1 also. "Rage On" as soon as it starts playing, I get this feeling in my chest, you know this nostalgic awesome one, it just brings all the emotions back in seconds. It's my favorite season too and also the best credits for sure, it's just too cool, you gotta agree, I mean Rin crying in fire next to the fence was so iconic other animes even stole it for their opening lmao.

My fav KNB opening is the Teiko one, Kensho Ono's - Zero, you know its my fav time, but also it's the most gorgeous opening, like the scene when Kuroko's shadow passes the ball is too awesome. And my fav ending is "Fantastic Tune" (also... by Kensho Ono, I think :) I just love it :)

#answered #dnana-2809-blog #knb #free! #free! iwatobi swim club #anime #kuroko no basuke #kuroko's basketball

[melyzard]

First Line Thoughts

Tried that game where you list the first sentence of your 20 most popular stories to see if there are patterns. No one tagged me, I just wanted to see if there was anything noticeable in my writing...and I honestly have no idea.

1. you give me something: Someone was watching her.

2. your words are mine to keep: (*does this count as a first line? It’s a digital epistolary work that starts with a log-in...)

Encryption Key: *********

Key Accepted

Decoding…

INBOX: 46 New

3. A Love Song: “Damn it, Draven, he always brings the girl in with him. What's he up to, leaving her out here this time?"

4. REBEL Y/N?:  (*again, another digital epistolary work, so this is kinda the first line?) Andor [0913]: Is this training or punishment?

5. I might know my heart (*sequel to ‘you give me something’): Someone was watching him.

6. love is a verb: On Fest, stories do not begin with ‘once upon a time,’ and they certainly don’t end with ‘happily ever after.’

7. truth and trust: When Cassian is five years old, his uncle calls all his siblings and cousins in to the main house for a special Festival of Light treat, and tells stories about the fantastic people of the galaxy that he met on his merchant travels (before the big war with the droids and the Jedi took his leg and his eye and made his smile so nervous).

8. The Nakadia Job: The heavy smack of flesh on flesh echoes through the posh office of Ambassador Tichinde Bonu, followed by the tinkling of broken glasses and the thud of a body hitting the richly carpeted floor.

9. Time Sensitive: “Brace yourself,” Cassian told Jyn as she settled into the co-pilot seat next to him, the lights of the cockpit glinting on her heavily-gelled hair. “We’re about to hit the gravity field.”

10. between your bones and your soul: Cassian, Jyn knows, is a liar.

11. Cold Comfort: It’s probably going to be a shit day.

12.  A Light To You In Dark Places: Something was wrong with Bodhi and Cassian, and Jyn didn’t know what.

13.  A Thousand Times Between Our Eyes: “Objective achieved!” Alban crows in Cassian’s earpiece, his grin obvious in his voice.

14.   She Ain’t Mrs. Robinson: There were a lot of reasons a low-tier soldier might get called up to the Alliance Command center, Lenny knew.

15.   lions in her heart, fire in her soul:  It takes Jyn exactly three days after officially joining the Alliance to get in her first brawl, and honestly, she’s not sure why anyone is surprised.

16. lift your open hand:  For once, Jyn is up before Cassian; she pops awake about an hour before day shift is scheduled to start, gets in a quick breakfast, a light workout, and a five-minute sonic shower before Cassian even starts to pulls himself out of the bunk.

17.  the heart is hard to translate: “What,” Jyn demanded suddenly into the comfortable silence of the U-wing, “does ‘lave’ mean?”

18. These Days of Joy and Pain: “Camera, second column on your left, three meters high,” Cassian said quietly into his cocktail, one arm folded casually over the balcony railing of the casino’s upper level.

19. the fundamental things apply: Jyn was a better liar than most people seemed willing to credit her, kept alive by years of both running deception ops for Saw and then surviving among the smugglers, grifters, and conmen of the galaxy’s seediest underworlds.

20. the waiting’s been so long (so long): Cassian is exhausted, and it’s partially Jyn Erso’s fault.

No seriously, I don’t see a pattern. Maybe I’m just too close to the subject matter? Well anyway, this was fun.

#writing #man I need to start doing this again #patterns?

[writefightandflightclub]

Arrivals

What is this? 6 of 14 prompt requests for my follower celebration! See OP + prompt list credits here.

What is the prompt? “Painting the house which ends in a paint fight and giggles.” with Modern!Poe and Pregnant!Reader. Thanks anon for the request!

Author’s note: I’ve never written Modern!Poe before and I’m not sure I would’ve without the request. So here goes. Thanks for the chance to try something new, anon! I think it turned out pretty cute? Let me know what YOU think!

Word count: A mere 2634, OOPS.

Warnings: pregnancy. Other than that it’s pure fluff and typos. Enjoy!

GIF credit: here

You hear your husband enter the room with a contented sigh, bare feet padding softly across the exposed floorboards. The patter of Beebs’ paws shortly follows. Your heart melts as he greets the dog with a sleepy “Morning, buddy.”, evidently stooping down to pet him as you hear Beebs’ soft pants and the happy beat of his tail against something or other in the room. “Happy beats, huh?” Poe says softly.

Then, he grants you his full attention.

“Oh oh, it’s happened again. I love you. Even more than I did yesterday.” he announces, sliding gently up behind you, pressing his warm chest into your back and wrapping his arms delicately around the pronounced curve of your belly, splaying his fingers to caress more of your bump. His head settles into the crook of your neck, his wild, bedhead curls tickling against the apple of your cheek as his arrival draws a wide, easy smile from you. He unconsciously begins swaying his hips in time with the easy-listening playlist you have muted in the background, his gorgeous voice a soft rumble against your ear as he starts to sing along.

The warmth -the sturdiness of him- is effortlessly reassuring, the shape and contours of him familiar even as he slots himself around your changing body. You don’t return his affections immediately though. Instead, you furrow your brow and stick your tongue out as you concentrate on some particularly intricate brush strokes on the wall ahead of you.

“I love you too, Poe, but if you knock me while I’m painting, I’m gonna have to kill you.”

You can tell that the goofball freezes then, as if he’s taking you completely literally. If you could see his expression as he perched his head on your shoulder you just know he would be emphatically statuesque.

“When you commit, you commit.” you smile.

“I’m sure you’re thankful that your husband has that quality, no?” he teases.

You’ll give him that one.

You chuckle at the thought of him, frozen there, trying to keep your brush steady as you do so. But then he’s still frozen and the wobble of your shoulders becomes more pronounced as you shake with gentle laughter. You hear him scoff by your ear, in return.

“Stop it, Poe!” You scold good-naturedly as your giggles intensify, the sound chiming musically around the empty-ish, in-progress room.

“I’m not doing a thing, sweetheart, it’s you who’s moving!” His voice has that wonderful playful edge, and you can hear the smile in it, can imagine that slight crinkle in his nose.

You get a handle on yourself for just about long enough to finish off the detail of the mural section you’d been working on. You have added incentive to get it done now, as you are desperate to turn around and get yourself a good look at that handsome face for the first time today. You down your tools and twirl towards Poe, his broad, gentle hands never breaking contact with your belly. His body navigates your bump to lean in for a sweet and loving kiss to your lips.

“Hmm. Morning, handsome.” You purr, blissed out from that kiss as your hand winds into his thick, dishevelled curls, his Sunday stubble grazing your skin.

His eyes glow as he looks back at you. “Morning, sweetheart.” As is tradition, he dips to plant a sweet kiss to your midsection. “Morning, Kiddo.” 

He gives you the once-over with his eyes, checking for any sign of new symptoms or discomfort. “You couldn’t lie-in, huh? You should have woken me.”

“I’m fine, Poe.” You dismiss -he does tend to fuss, for which you are thankful- and you nod back towards your progress with the mural, excitement flashing in your eyes. “What do you think of my progress?”

You both turn to regard it, and he resumes his original position, warm and sturdy at your back once again.

“Don’t tell me. It’s an... elephant?”

You’d been bouncing around ideas for the mural for weeks now. Since you’d officially stopped working, it had become a rather consuming passion project of yours. You’d suggested cute little airplanes and clouds to reflect Poe and his career as a pilot. But he’d said he hadn’t wanted to push his dreams on to the kid, and had proceeded to go down rabbit hole about how he just wanted them to be happy. You’d fallen even more in love with him, and then asked him to pick something that made him happy. Predictably, he’d said you. Of course. And Beebs. Then, out of nowhere, he’d gone straight to: “Monkeys. Monkeys make me happy. The one I saw on my last humanitarian mission - did I tell you about that one yet?”. So, here you were, with a beautiful jungle scene beginning to snake its way across the wall.

With a soft smile at the corners of your lips, you glance back at what is quite evidently a tiger. It’s a good job you’re secure in your abilities, and therefore confident that he’s teasing. “An elephant, you say? Poe, you’ll have to get much better at deciphering paintings before Kiddo learns how to hold crayons.” You lean your head back against him, resting your hands over his atop the globe of your belly. “Also, please don’t offend Sir Growlington; he’s a very sensitive tiger.”, you pout.

Poe peppers a few loving kisses on to your cheek and hairline and really, wherever his mouth can reach. “It’s amazing, sweetie, you’re so fucking talented.” He says genuinely. “But… don’t think I’m just going to brush past this... You named the tiger?”

“I did name the tiger.” you intone, hinting that maybe that’s not all.

He twirls you back to him so he can look you in the face again.

“Wait. Did you name all the animals?”

“No. Of course not. Would I be so silly?” you singsong sarcastically as you lean yourself up against the edge of the painting table. 

“Oh ok.” he says plainly with a nod of his head, a brush of his hand over his stubbled jaw. You love when he pretends to be serious and when he’s just so damn bad at pretending. “So you won’t mind if I call this bird... Sandra then?”

You suck in air through your teeth. “Sorry, that’s Porg. But that’s the only other one I named, honest.”

He folds his arms and raises his eyebrows to you, an easy smirk on his lips as he mirrors your position and leans against the pair of wooden ladders behind him. “Come on, let me have them all; monkey, giraffe, sloth - hit me.”

He makes a “bring it on” gesture with his fingers, and you blurt them out. “Peanut, Jungle Gump, and Mademoiselle Sleepyhead.”

He smiles in amusement and pads towards you, settling himself into your side, his eyes soft as they wander over the familiar details of your face. His voice is low in his throat. “Goddamn, you’re adorable.” You shrug and flutter your eyelashes in casual agreement. “Unless... Honey, should I be concerned?” He juts his hip and you can’t wait to hear what he’s going to come out with next. “Is this a subtle way of telling me you want to name our baby Jungle Gump?”

 “No!” You burst into laughter and bat him playfully on the chest. “But… now that you mention it? Jungle Dameron does sound kinda cool.” You’re actually only half-joking.

He sighs in mock defeat, waving his hand around in the air. “Fine, Jungle if they’re a girl, Sir Growlington if they’re a boy, and Peanut as a gender-neutral option.”

“Shake on it. Deal done.”

You place your hands on his chest, nodding back towards the wall again. “Did you see I left a space? I think you should paint something, Poe.”

“Honey, you know I can’t paint.” he argues, massaging little circles into your shoulder, your hip, your elbows. Anywhere you’ve complained of being sore. You love this man.

“You can paint. Everyone can paint.”

“Why would you want me to ruin your great work?”

You throw your arms around his shoulders, twining your fingers together at the back of his neck. “Because it’s our mural for our baby, and it’s about making something happy, yes? Well, I’m having fun creating this but you’re not in the room with me. And that’s the fun memory I want us to think about when we put our baby-”

“Jungle” he interjects.

“-Jungle,“ you nod, “to sleep. So, stay with me. Paint a crappy, fantastical animal of your choosing.” You gesture towards the paint selection on the table behind you with a sweep of your arm.

“You sure?” he asks, even though he’s already started to rifle through the supplies.

“I’m sure. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!”

A perfect, broad smile works its way across his face. His pretty, dark eyes flick over to yours, his voice deepening and becoming even richer and more robust as it infuses with meaning. “You’re incredible. I can’t wait to do this with you.”

You know he’s talking about far more than the mural. And you couldn’t agree more.

“First though...” he begins, that playfulness immediately back again. “Paint fight!” He picks up the nearest brush and dips it in your paint pot, before swiping a black streak across your cheek. 

You squeal in shock and he adopts a fighting stance, primed for your reaction. Before you can do a thing he manages to paint another stripe to your forearm with a quick, targeted swipe of his brush. You think he’s probably trying to make you look like Lady Growlington.

He torments you like this until you grab for your own brush, which you load, preparing to coat him. You assess the status of his sleep shirt. It’s old, you decide, and you land a splash of sky blue down his neck with a dramatic “A-ha”, a sound not unlike a swashbuckling pirate.

“Oh, you’re in for it now.” he warns with a grin, planting his whole palm in a pot of green and -gently, ever so gently, and avoiding your belly- chasing you around the room until he has covered your face and arms in his handprints. Then, when he’s had his fun he pulls you in for a giggly, breathless kiss.

“Are you trying to ruin my clothes, Poe Dameron?”

“Honestly? I’m trying to get you in the shower, gorgeous.” He pumps his eyebrows suggestively. “What do you say, wanna make love to me?”

He smiles, grabbing you hand with his own, paint-smeared one and giving you a light tug.

“If you think we can both still fit in the cubicle!”

“We’ll just have to get super close; that doesn’t sound like the worst thing, honey” 

All morning should start this way, you think. How could anything be better?

***

Months later, you are settling your precious baby for sleep. Poe is already passed out and lightly snoring on the couch, an array of blankets and bottles strewn around him. You allow yourself a moment to take him in. He looks so Goddamn beautiful when he’s sleeping. You feel so much love for him, for your new baby. More than you could have ever thought possible. It’s hard and it’s scary, but you are so happy you are doing this with him. Already, he is the most wonderful husband and father you could have dreamed of. 

Careful not to wake either him or the tiny sleeping bundle in your arms, you tread softly upstairs, Beebs -who rarely ever leaves your side since the new arrival- padding quietly along with you. When you get to the nursery you rock your baby in your arms a few moments more, humming lullabies softly into the cool night air.

Your eyes sweeping the room, the wonderful, perfect mural on the wall catches your attention. The mural with one animal that doesn’t look quite like the rest. Honestly, it doesn’t really look like any existing animal, so Poe has named it a “blurrg” instead. It makes you chuckle every single time, without fail. You wouldn’t change it for a thing. You wouldn’t change any of this.

You set your baby down in their basket before your laughter wakes them. Then, of course, you linger a moment longer to just stare at that adorable little face before clasping the door shut behind you.

Returning downstairs you smile at Poe. “You’re awake!”

“Yeah, I am.” You move to meet him on the couch and he drags you down into his lap. “And I heard you on the baby monitor, laughing at my blurrg! Again!”

You caress his curls, even though you know he’s not genuinely offended.

You smile so broadly your cheeks hurt. “I love it Poe. It makes me so happy every time. I’m so glad we created it together.”

His eyes meet yours, soft and warm, like the rest of him. “I sure as hell know that feeling.”

Oh boy. How does he make happiness swell in your chest like this? How is it possible to be this happy?

“Let’s... keep creating together, ok?”

He looks up at you in shock as he catches the full meaning of your words. “Are you... are you asking me to have another baby with you? Already?”

“Jungle’s gonna need a sibling.” you bite your lip, slightly nervous of how he might react. “Also, we really need to stop calling her that and settle on an actual name.”, you deflect.

“Baby,” he says gently, taking your hand in his. “I’d like Jungle to have siblings. I’m not sure she needs one just yet...” his tone switches, and it’s subtle but you know him too well to miss it. “...but as soon as you feel ready I’m very willing to start practising again.”

“You know, I think… I think I’m ready to start… practising.”

He swallows thickly, and you can see he’s holding himself back a little, for your benefit. He even backtracks a little. “You know I would never want to rush you, baby.”

“I know, Poe. So, what do you say, wanna make love?”

With unfortunate timing, the baby monitor crackles, transmitting a light cry from your daughter’s room.

“I’ll go check her.” Poe offers, patting your thighs for you to stand up and let him out from under you.

“You just want to smell her head again.”

“It’s the best smell, can you blame me?”

You smile to yourself. You love how soft and goofy and wonderful this man is. Every night should be like this, you think. How could anything be better?

***

When Poe does come back down to the living room you are already fast asleep, an open sketching pad nestled on to your chest. He thinks his heart might burst as he lifts it up for safe-keeping and notices you’ve drawn an adorable blurrg in there.

He casts his eyes over your sleeping form with nothing but love. He thinks you look so beautiful when you’re sleeping. He knows he couldn’t paint a prettier picture if he tried. No really, not with his skills. You’d agree; you’ve seen that blurrg, after all.  

He stoops, planting a gentle kiss to your forehead. He could swear that, impossibly, that he loves you even more than he did yesterday.

He stoops to pet Beebs as the corgi presses up against his ankles, giving him some well-deserved belly scritches. “Come on then big bro,” he whispers. “Let’s clear this mess up for Mama.”

Before he scoots around to collect up all the bottles and paraphernalia, he sets your sketchpad safely down on the coffee table. He can’t help but smile again. He knows what makes him happy. Happier than he ever thought he could be.

God knows why he said “monkeys”.

THE END

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#poe dameron x reader #poe dameron fluff #poe dameron au #modern!poe #poe x you #poe dameron fic #star wars x reader #poe dameron imagine #star wars imagine #star wars fluff #poe x reader #sw #poe dameron x reader fluff #dad!poe #husband!poe