#i'm not tagging this with his name because i presume there must be people who actually do like his books because they keep selling somehow

[tathrin]

#yeah kiss my entire ass cormac mccarthy What's up with Cormac Mccarthy? I've only seen some of the movies based on his books. Are his westerns hollow or something?

Ohhh ha ha ha so. This may not even be entirely his fault? I don't actually know enough about him and his writing to say for sure, because the one book of his that I did read filled me with so much rage that I would sooner set myself on fire than read another.

I was in college (art school, majoring in comic books) and I took all the writing classes that I could squeeze into my schedule because I love writing too (storytelling is where my heart lies, and I thought I would do that with pictures at first, but turns out I actually like writing prose more, oops). Well, my Creative Writing professor had clearly ended up at the wrong school somehow and was deeply frustrated about it — because let us just say that most of the kids at this school were not in my boat re: love of writing, and they only took classes like these because they needed a few non-art credits to graduate.

So the level of interest/talent he got out of his students was mediocre at best. (They weren't there to write, they were there to draw or sculpt or design. Of course 98% of them were half-assing or less their non-art classes.) So he was really excited to have someone who liked writing and was good at it and was excited to be there...!

But. he liked Literature. And only Literature. And I used the Capital L there on purpose, because he was one of those folks where you can just HEAR the sneer when he says "gen-re fic-tion," you know? Looked waaaaaay down his nose at all the stuff that I would consider actually good and interesting books in favor of Boring Person In Boring Life Does Boring Thing That Changes Nothing About Boring World, Wow What A Commentary On The Human Condition That Was! So Deep! Much Thought! etc type books.

(So you can see what I thought of the stuff he liked, too.)

So here I am, turning in all these stories with spaceships and witches and robots and shit and it's the best writing he's gotten from one of his students in years. He's thrilled! ...and so distressed because Why Won't I Write Real Stories? I could be Such A Great Writer if I would just get over my interest in this Genre Stuff! Woe! Alas! Weeping! etc. Someday I'll Grow Out Of It, Surely, Because I'm So Talented! All that jazz.

He wasn't a dick about it; he was actually a very nice fellow. We were COMPLETELY incompatible, but he was nice and so I tried to be nice in turn even as I gave my very honest opinions about all the boring-af shit he had us reading lmao.

So, I'm being A Good Sport about it every time he assigns his Boring-AF Projects where I'm not allowed to put in rayguns and magic swords and alien species and all the stuff that makes writing fun. But I still put in effort, and turn in good (if boring-af) pieces, and participate in class (and argue very politely for The Merits Of Genre Fiction), etc etc. He's delighted to have me, and I have no doubt that I was one of his favorite students ever, even though I had Shit Taste In Books. So he decides he's going to give me a treat! He's going to make our next assigned book a Genre Book! I'm going to be Delighted!

He assigns us Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I don't know if you've ever read it, but: don't. It was intolerable. Second-worst book I've ever read. It's a Post-Apocalypse story about some dude and his kid walking across the world to...idk. Walk? Be a Metaphor? I don't fucking know. Nobody has a name because That's Deep. And because we're being extra deep, we're going to Write Badly On Purpose because it symbolizes the Breakdown Of Society!

And by "written badly on purpose," I mean we're throwing out the entire concept of Writing So Your Shit Can Be Read By Human Eyes.

Apostrophes no longer exist! Commas hardly do either! Or sentences! Or quote marks! Or any form of useful punctuation whatsoever! Just a bunch of either fragments or endless run-ons trudging away into the abyss until you're ready to throw your soul down there with them just to fucking escape. Paragraph breaks only happen when a scene changes! Your eyes skitter-off the page as though it was coated with teflon, your energy sinking into a bleak grey misery that isn't even alert enough to qualify as despair. Every section leaves you a little less alive than before. This is drudgery, the very concept of dullness distilled into ink and printed out for all to read and suffer. I give you an except, but I don't suggest you actually read it because I'm not that cruel:

Oh my gods it was unreadable. I think my eyes actually bled. And to make it even more of a slog, it was clearly written by some dumb-fuck who'd never actually read any post-apocalyptic stories, and thought that he was Far Too Clever to need to do any actual research on the genre that he was "elevating" with his "literary style" or what-the-fuck-ever, because every character in it was so bum-fucking stupid that there was NO WAY any of them would have lived five minutes in an actual fucking wasteland. Also every single Wasteland Cliche that you can imagine, without a drop of originality or subversion or even lampshading or clever commentary or anything. It was all just...there. In the shallowest, blandest way possible.

(He also never actually defined or even hinted at What Happened, I presume because he was too dumb to figure out a backstory this was Literature and not Genre and thus Proper World Building Wasn't Necessary Because This Was A Metaphor Or Something idk fuck it. Like...sometimes there were gas-masks? but also people didn't need them? and there didn't seem to be radiation in a way that hurt anybody, but there also seemed to be Radiation Aesthetics going on...? It was just. so badly done.)

And our protagonists were SO stupidly incompetent. Just, complete idiocy, countered with Incredibly Convenient Random Happenstances (you would not believe how many Untouched But Easily Accessible Stashes Of Food these fuckers stumbled over oh my gods) to save their asses from their self-inflicted imminent death over and over and over again. An absolute travesty of a book, written in the worst fashion possible.

Needless to say, the essay I turned in on the book tore it about seven new ones. I SHREDDED it from first word to closing paragraph. Did not find one single redeeming or enjoyable thing about that clusterfuck of a "story" (and I use the term loosely) and I made sure everyone knew it. I wasn't shy about my opinion of the arrogant asshole who wrote it, either, and what I thought of the choices he'd made in writing that way, and the lack of talent and intelligence he'd demonstrated throughout.

My poor professor was devastated. He'd thought this would be my favorite book of the whole class! He picked it especially for me, as a treat! And I LOATHED it. (I hadn't realized it was supposed to be a gift to before I wrote the essay, or I probably would have been gentler in my disassembling of it. But I only discovered that when he handed the essay back. Poor man. I did feel a little bad about that. But oh my gods the book was horrible.)

So I have no idea what kind of author Cormac McCarthy is in general, or whether he's more tolerable (or even hypothetically enjoyable, I suppose) when he's writing whatever he does usually. This may be a complete outlier: an attempt to try something new (that failed abysmally) from a guy who normally writes Just Fine. I don't know! And I'm not interested in finding out, because to me he will always be the egotistical shithead who wrote the most spirit-draining, eye-torturing travesty of a book ever printed called The Road and he will not be forgiven for that crime.

#rants #i'm not tagging this with his name because i presume there must be people who actually do like his books because they keep selling somehow #and so i presume that whoever is in the cormac mccarthy tag doesn't want to read me shitting all over im so we'll just once again go with: #yeah kiss my entire ass cormac mccarthy #which frankly feels like the only tag i'll ever need to have on my blog for navigation purposes involving him tbh #least favorite books #me

[sidekick-hero]

I'm a fool (for you)

Written for the Stranger Things Writers Guild daily drabble, prompt was 'meet ugly'. I don't know what happened here. warnings: implied cheating (not steddie) | tags: meet ugly, hurt Eddie, emotional hurt/comfort, love at first sight with the worst timing, hopeful ending | 1.2k | AO3

April is Eddie's favorite month.

Winter is finally over and spring is breathing life back into the world. With the colors of spring, happiness seeped back into people's hearts.

As Eddie walks home from work, whistling his favorite tune, his heart swells with it. The sun still shines brightly, a gentle breeze carries the scent of cherry blossoms from the nearby park, and tucked in his pocket is his very first bonus check. He can't wait to tell David, the exhilaration of a beautiful day gives him hope that maybe they can have a nice evening with some wine and dinner before falling into bed together. It's been a while, and he knows it's partly because he works so much, but lately he feels like he and David are drifting apart.

Determined to surprise David with some quality time together, Eddie plans to come home early. Perhaps they could even use the extra money for a vacation, he thinks with a smile on his face.

Filled with hope and happiness, Eddie opens the door to their apartment, only to be greeted by a sight that shatters both.

A stranger, clad in nothing but black boxer briefs, stands in their bedroom doorway.

"I'm such a fool," Eddie murmurs, blinking at the unexpected sight of an almost-naked Adonis standing in the doorway to the room he shares with the man Eddie thought loved him.

The stranger mirrors his shock. "You're not David.”

A mirthless laugh escapes Eddie's lips. "No, I'm Eddie. His boyfriend. Or rather, ex-boyfriend. Guess he forgot to mention me, huh?"

When the man just buries his face in his hands and groans, "I'm such a fucking fool," Eddie almost feels sorry for him.

Almost, because it's his heart that's just been broken.

"Looks like we both are," he agrees with the stranger. He really is beautiful. Eddie can see why David went for him, he just wishes he hadn't.

"I swear, I had no idea David had a boyfriend or I never would have gone home with him. I'm so, so sorry."

The guy looks sincere and Eddie believes him. After all, it was David who decided to trample on their relationship. It must suck to be drawn into the drama of Eddie's imploding relationship, less cause and more casualty.

Closing the door behind him, Eddie steps fully into the apartment. "I believe you -" he pauses here, waiting for the man to tell him his name.

"Steve."

"I believe you, Steve. Where's David, by the way?"

"Buying condoms," he admits sheepishly, and Eddie rubs his hands over his face.

"Of course. How awfully considerate of him." Steve winces at Eddie's tone, but he's too tired to care. He takes a moment to think about what to do next. "I think it's best if you get dressed and leave now, I doubt you'll want to be here when David gets back. To be honest, I don't want to either, but I guess there's not much of a choice."

Steve looks at him silently for a second before turning and going back into the bedroom, presumably to get dressed. Eddie sighs and heads over to the kitchen to make himself some coffee. He's going to need it.

He's thinking about where he could stay tonight when Steve comes into the kitchen, now dressed in tight, light-washed Levi's and a white shirt that looks painted on. Eddie can even see the dark chest hair through it.

It's hard not to hate Steve for making Eddie feel even more inadequate.

"I know you want me to go, but if it's okay with you, I'd rather stay? Just to make sure you're okay. I've been cheated on before and I know what it's like to feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you. You shouldn't have to deal with it alone."

It's hard to hate Steve when he's so kind to Eddie.

"Do I look so pathetic that I need the man my boyfriend cheated on me with to comfort me?" He spits, more out of self-preservation than anything else. Anger is so much easier to deal with than heartbreak.

Steve's response, however, is gentle. "You look like someone just broke your heart and you could use a friend. It doesn't have to be me, I can take you to one of your friends. I just don't think you should be alone right now." With that, Steve walks over to the coffee machine and pours out a cup. "Sugar? Cream?"

Eddie plops down on one of the kitchen chairs in defeat. "Both. More sugar."

Steve prepares their coffee and then they wait for David to get back. When he does, clearly shocked to find his boyfriend and his hookup in the same room, they both confront him. Steve has Eddie's back the whole time and gets downright mean to David, while Eddie is mostly tired and disappointed. After their confrontation, Steve waits for Eddie to pack some of his things and, as promised, drives Eddie over to Chrissy's apartment.

They park in front of her building and Eddie thanks Steve for everything he's done for him, but before he can get out, Steve takes Eddie's hand and squeezes it.

"I'm really sorry, Eddie. Nobody deserves to get cheated on and I hate that it happened to you. I can understand if you want to be mad at me or forget I even exist, but if you ever need to talk, even if it's just about how small David's dick is, I'm here, okay?"

In the palm of his hand, Eddie feels a piece of paper, and he's pretty sure it's Steve's number.

"Why?"

Steve reaches over and tucks a lock of Eddie's hair behind his ear. "You'll probably think I'm weird, but I feel like I almost know you. It sounds crazy, I know, I know. I can’t explain it. I just want you to be happy, and I can't help but want to be the person who makes that happen."

At Eddie's stunned silence, he hastily adds, "Oh God, I sound like a crazy person. Or worse, a psycho stalker. I promise, I'm neither. And that's exactly what a psycho stalker would say, for Christ's sake. Please say something before I put my foot any further in my mouth."

This makes Eddie laugh again, and this time it doesn't sound bitter. Just a little confused, but mostly fond.

"Thank you, Steve. Really. I appreciate it. You... I have no idea what I'm feeling right now, or what I'm going to do, but you've made this totally fucked up evening suck less, and for that alone I don't want to forget that you exist or be mad at you. I just need some time, y'know?"

Steve's smile is warm, if a little sad. "I do. You should. Take your time, I mean. I really wish we'd met differently."

"Me too. Believe me."

Eddie starts to get out of the car again, and this time Steve doesn't stop him. Just watches him, his hazel eyes shining brightly in the light of the street lamp.

"Take care, Eddie."

"You too, Steve."

As Eddie climbs the stairs to Chrissy's apartment, he saves Steve's number in his phone.

#steddie #steddie fanfiction #stranger things fanfiction #stwgdailyprompt #cw: cheating #(it's not between steddie and it's only implied/referenced) #my writing #I have no idea what this is I wanted to write something cute and funny but this is not that #I am sorry

[eridanidreams]

Snippet Sunday

Tagging: @bearlytolerant, @silurisanguine, @aro-pancake, @fangbangerghoul, @atonalginger, @aislingdmdt, @fshenkoescape, @ninjaofnaps, @lisa-and-shadow, @a-cosmic-elf, @thatsgoodsquishy0, @hockeydemon42, @fomagranfalloon@violenceandviolets, and @artemis-crimson

from stars through my fingers like grains of sand

Sam was already at the Rock when Cait got there; he was deep in conversation with the dark-haired senior Ranger she'd passed a few times. She didn't interrupt, just headed up the stairs to the Marshal's office. He wasn't one to waste words or time. "Welcome back. Any luck finding out who stole the ship from HopeTech?"

Blake's crisp efficiency cut through any lingering haze from the morning, and Cait could almost feel her spine straighten a bit more in reaction. "With Ranger Pryce's help, we tracked it back to a known ship-jacker name of Grace Early. From what she said, I still think it was an inside job, but I've asked Ranger Kalu for assistance with that aspect. She's better positioned to follow up in HopeTech itself. She had some physical evidence—an encrypted slate—which I've handed over to Ranger Hadid. He's asked me to keep an eye out for more of them."

"Good," he said. "I'm glad to see you know how to work as part of a team. And, it sounds like you're making real progress."

"Not as much as I'd like," she said grimly. "I have a couple names, but shutting down the First won't help unless we can get a tie to whoever hired them." Blake nodded, and she sensed agreement and approval in his tightly-controlled emotions. "Since you have personal knowledge of the First, sir, I was hoping you could give me some intel on these names: Maya Cruz and Marco… something. Marco's a money man. Cruz was the go-between."

Blake grunted. "I served with Maya Cruz. Technical genius and expert hacker. Arrogant. Not a people person. Marco… about the time he got out of jail, we started hearing his name in connection with a smuggling racket. Based on what you've learned, I'd presume he's funneling his ill-gotten gains to the First. Autumn MacMillan's looking into that operation out at the Red Mile, but…" He frowned. "He runs a tight ship, but one of his suppliers isn't quite as careful. Sonny di Falco. He's got a little estate on Maheo I. If you want my advice, I'd follow up there first before jogging Autumn's elbow."

Cait nodded. "As for Cruz, she was suffering from some kind of serious illness; I thought I'd start looking at the Clinic."

"Best medical services money can buy," Blake nodded again. "Good call. With their privacy guarantees, it's ideal for someone trying to keep a low profile. Ranger Ben Armistead is posted there; I'll send him an update on the situation. He'll be expecting you."

"Thank you, sir," she said.

"You're welcome. Just remember, your priority is to gather more intel on the First. What are they planning? Who are they working for? Where are they headquartered?" Blake fired out the questions like bullets.

"Whatever they're planning," she replied, "it's going to be something meant to hurt the Collective. They believe that the Collective betrayed them."

"That's right," he agreed. "Your targets were locked up because they were loyal to their unit and Major Hull. They won't take kindly to you sticking your nose in, so watch your back." He gave her a stiff nod of dismissal. "Good hunting, Deputy."

Cait echoed his nod and made her way back downstairs, thinking hard. All in all, she was inclined to take the Marshal's advice, start with the easiest nut to crack. Sam was sipping a Boom!Pop while chatting with Helga; he gave Cait a casual little wave of acknowledgment when she entered the bar. Despite her best efforts to keep his feelings at bay, she couldn't help but pick up fragments of his good mood. Cora's visit must have gone well, then. She paused a moment at the jobs console, giving Sam time to wrap up his conversation.

He caught up with her just outside the Rock. "Mornin'," he said cheerfully, handing her a Boom!Pop Cherry. "Sleep well?"

The question made her damn near fall on her face—How could he know?!—before she realized how impossible it was that he'd be referring to—that. "Fine," she said hurriedly, trying to fight down the flush she felt creeping up her neck. "Just fine, thanks." She took a deep, determined breath. "Um. You?"

"Oh," he chuckled, "I slept juuuuuuuuust fine." Cait didn't have to see Sam's grin to know it was there, an air of lazy satisfaction that thrummed down that weird little connection she had to him, sent a tingle down her spine and made her insides tighten. With an effort, she shoved it down, but she couldn't help but be hyper-aware of his presence next to her, warm and solid, and all she had to do was turn around and bring her lips to his—

Dammit! What the hell was wrong with her? She shivered, running her hands up and down her arms. Sam—of course—noticed, but fortunately he chalked it up to the cool of the morning. "You know," he said affectionately, "you wouldn't be so cold if you grabbed a jacket. Why don't you take mine until we reach the ship?"

He was already starting to shrug out of it when she blurted, "No—!" That no was the hardest thing she'd ever had to say; she desperately wanted to say yes, to surround herself in his warmth and his scent… and she was terrified of what might happen if she did. Had to remind herself that they were just friends. That he loved someone else. "No," she managed to repeat more normally, even smiling a little to soften it. "I appreciate the offer, but a little cool won't kill me."

"A'right," Sam said, settling it back on his shoulders. "So what's the plan?" He seemed different today—his emotions seemed more—muted—than usual, like he was holding something in. Cait should have been happy about that, given the trouble she'd been having tuning him out—but instead she felt bereft. Again—what the hell was wrong with her? "Cait—?" He sounded concerned, and she shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Sorry." She gave him an apologetic smile. "Um, Maheo I. Marco's got a smuggling contact by the name of Sonny di Falco; he's got an estate there. Marshal thinks we're more likely to be able to squeeze something out of him." Sam's emotions flared cold hatred, and when Cait chanced a look at him, his face was set in stone.

"I know him," he said, and his voice was as flat and hard as his expression. "He's a slimy bastard. Big shot on Neon, 'til he did something to cross Ben Bayu. Couldn't have been too bad—he got out with his skin in one piece—and he's still got his fingers in a lot of pies. If he's working with Marco, that's bad news all around." He looked at her, a strange, almost desperate intensity in his gaze. "You watch yourself with him. He has a lot of charm, he knows how to use it, and he's good at getting his hooks into the innocent and naive and—twisting them all up."

"And which am I?" she asked sarcastically.

He exhaled harshly. "That first one. Cait—" he held up a hand to forestall her protests "—when it comes to dealing with people like him… you are. He likes to think of himself as a collector of people, and you? You're—you're unique. He's gonna take one look at you and—" He shook his head, and something dark and savage surfaced for a moment in his eyes. "Just trust me on this one, okay? Do not agree to anything. Do not take anything he offers. 'Specially not Aurora. He'll get you hooked on that shit faster than a grav jump to nowhere." He was holding in his feelings so hard it had to hurt—all she got was a vague sense of mingled anger, hatred, and fear that burned like acid.

"I trust you," she told him softly. "If you say he's bad news, I will be extra careful." She hesitated. "Are you going to be okay going in there with me?"

"Don't even think of going in with someone else," Sam growled, shifting his rifle a little on his back.

"Okay." Cait didn't hesitate to give him her agreement. "I'll make sure you're carrying a couple extra junk flushes, then. I… don't react well to Aurora, so if he does manage to slip me some, you might need it."

"If he does, he's dead." Sam's voice cracked like a gunshot. Mood he was in, she wasn't going to argue.

#snippet sunday #sam coe #fanfic #eridani writes #starfield #caitlyn lynch #stars through my fingers like grains of sand #coemancer

[lovecatsys]

Tag/Brian Cruz Appreciation Post

Brian is the only Academy X character from the main two squads who never got any real character work in the main title, he remains pretty strictly a background character in Weir/DeFilippis and is quickly killed off in Kyle/Yost. But it's clear that before they were kicked off the book, Weir/DeFilippis were going places with him, and we can see it in the New X-Men: Hellions mini and in House of M.

(more under the cut)

In this miniseries, the Hellions squad are all granted wishes by a villain named the Kingmaker. Julian's wish was for fame and glory, and pretty quickly his wish was granted when he stops the assassination of a governor, and the press is immediately all over him. It's later revealed that the journalist who spoke to him also works for the Kingmaker, and Brian was in on this and helped him out by directing the questions to her so that Julian could look good to the public.

Later on, Brian is acting as an agent for Rockslide, who's wish was to become a pro wrestler. He reveals that his wish was simply to help his friends with their own wishes, and doesn't seem to have any problem with this at all. We know that his original wish the Kingmaker thought was dumb, so he changed it to this, which Julian is a bit bewildered by.

Brian is clearly a very selfless person, he is committed to getting his friends what they want and doesn't seem to care that much about what he wants for himself. I'm very curious what his original wish was, presumably it was something that he actually wanted for himself, but was okay with giving it up.

Weir/DeFilippis have talked about the direction they were taking Brian on their blog, where they stated that he had no sense of self outside of his friends. (x) This is definitely what I have analyzed from this mini as well.

We can also think about the fact hat Brian's powers are really specific and not exactly the most helpful in a combat situation. Pretty much every time he uses them it's shown to have a really short term effect. Compared to the rest of his teammates, with Julian and Sooraya being ridiculously powerful, Santo being very strong, Cessily's powers being very combat effective and Kevin's deadly touch, he probably feels very outclassed and useless. If having a sense of self is something he already struggles with, this must be a huge insecurity for him. In fact, part of the reason he might want to help his friends out so much with their wishes could be that he wants to feel useful for once.

In House of M, Brian is in a very different place as a character. Instead of being Julian's best friend and part of the Hellions, he's actually part of the "New Mutants Academy" along with Prodigy, Wallflower, The Stepford Cuckoos, and Quentin Quire.

Quentin was not a part of the Academy X class at all since he was a Morrison character and was comatose throughout the history of the book. However, since House of M was an alternate universe where a lot of dead people were shown to be alive, and a lot of wrongs were righted and "greatest wishes" came true, Quentin is here and appears as he did before the riot at Xavier's - his hair still brown and still looking like a nerd.

And case in point, everyone at this school seems to hate him, except for Brian.

Brian consistently sticks up for Quentin when other students are being rude to him, though Quentin dismisses Brian each time he does. This is very in character for Quentin, but it's interesting that Brian doesn't have any (negative) reaction to the way that Quentin treats him.

Later, at the end of this issue, Quentin is forced to commit suicide by Laurie because he finds out via his telepathy that she and her dad are working for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Brian eventually finds Quentin's body, and refuses to believe that he would have committed suicide. He also says that he was planning on hanging out with Quentin that night. Laurie's father, who is a therapist then comes in and lies that Quentin had been seeing him and was struggling with suicidal ideation, to cover up his and Laurie's tracks. Brian refuses to believe this as well, claiming that he would have known and that Quentin was his friend.

Heartbreaking as this scene is, despite the fact that Quentin was shown to be rude to Brian in front of others, it appears they were actually close friends. We can assume that Quentin either was much nicer to Brian when they were by themselves, or simply doesn't know how to be kind to his friends. My money's on the latter, and that Brian knew this and was alright with it. Brian is shown to be a very emotionally intelligent person, and Quentin struggles in relationships with others most of all.

Brian later is confronted by the Cuckoos, they offer their condolences and he lashes out, angry at them for being rude to him. They agree with Brian that they don't think he was the type to commit suicide, and Brian thinks more on this and begins to suspect Garrison's hand in Quentin's death because of his pheromone powers.

It's clear that Brian feels bad for Quentin, that all the other students hated him and didn't care to understand him. He was all Quentin had, and now Quentin is gone.

Later on, Karma catches Brian going through files to try to find evidence against Dr. Garrison, she doesn't believe him at first, but it still sets a bit of doubt in her that leads her to getting help from Doug Ramsey, using his powers to go through Dr. Garrison's computer and finding out that he's a deeply undercover agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Garrison then comes in and is about to kill them with his powers the same way his daughter killed Quentin, when Brian in turn uses his powers to save the teachers.

Brian accidentally ends up making Garrison kill himself by jumping out the window of the building trying to "get away" from himself. Brian feels awful about this, he didn't want to kill someone. But he saved Doug and Xuan's lives.

In this alternate universe, Quentin almost replaces Julian as Brian's best friend- the friend that he attaches himself too. Unlike his situation with the Hellions though, Brian doesn't have any friends outside of Quentin. It appears that the fact that he's Quentin's one true ally has made him an outsider at the New Mutant's Academy. Yet instead of feeling lonely and sorry for himself after Quentin's death, he is still thinking of Quentin and trying to prove that Quentin didn't kill himself. He cares deeply about Quentin, just like he cares deeply about Julian and the Hellions in the regular universe.

One thing I think is also very interesting about Brian is how in both examples, with both Julian and Quentin as his best friends, he joins in on them being rude, or even straight up bullying others, but when he is alone with either of them he's just a very sweet kid. This goes hand in hand with the fact that he's tied his sense of self to his friends.

I mentioned earlier that often times in House of M certain character's situations in the alternate universe are based on their "greatest desires." I have a theory about how this could apply to Brian. Weir and DeFilippis have stated that though they weren't planning on it, they did have an idea in their heads for a future arc where Brian falls in love with Julian. (x) This wouldn't have worked out for him, since Julian is in love with Sofia and presumably straight. However, Quentin Quire is a character who has always had a queer aesthetic and has had queer subtext as well. In House of M, it's possible that Brian's wish was being able to date his best friend and this has come true, with Quentin instead of Julian. This is just a wild theory though.

So yeah, though Brian didn't get any character work prior to House of M and the Hellions mini, just these two stories set him up for what could have been a really interesting arc, and hint at who this kid is on the inside. It makes it all the more devastating that Kyle and Yost killed him off, and he is very unlikely to get a story ever again. But, I can dream. I love this kid, and I wish there was more appreciation for him out there in general.

#brian cruz #tag #x men #new x men #academy x #new x men academy x #new x-men #new x-men: academy x #new x men: academy x #house of m #this kid needs more appreciation hes my underrated fav #cw suicide

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Writing advent calendar 2023 Day 3

Prompt: Past

Aka: Childhood rivals cause a mayhem at a christmas party

Read on ao3 or under the cut.

There was a christmas party, and Ludmila wore her prettiest dress.

It was pink, with stars patterned on it, in a silver color. 

At the same christmas party, Camila had insisted on arriving in red overalls and a green and white striped underneath.

She looked like an elf. Which Ludmila was not late with commenting when they spotted each other at the party.

They were eight, and the world had not gotten to them yet.

They were also eight, and had no form of consequential thinking.

"Who invited you to this party?" Ludmila asked. "Wait, you're dressed like an elf, maybe you're a staff member."

"Actually, my dad was invited because he is friends with the owner," Camila explained, "And he said it was ok for me to tag along."

"Camila!" That was Priscila, Ludmila's mom. She put her hands on Ludmila's shoulders, as if she wanted to steer her away from Camila. "What a nice surprise... are your sisters here, too?"

"No, just me and dad. My sisters are too small to come."

"I see... Ludmila, shall we see if there is other kids here at the party for you to socialize with?"

Priscila didn't like Camila. This was because she babysat her and her sisters once, and got traumatized. Camila thought that was fine, because she didn't like Priscila's daughter. She and Ludmila had a rivalry since they were infants. 

Camila decided to see if there was another kid at this party she could talk to as well. She scanned the room. Most kids were either much too young, or they were almost teenagers. Was there anyone else her age?

She then spotted a brunette girl, seemingly around eight, who were standing kind of bored next to what Camila presumed was her father. She decided to cure her boredom by walking up to her.

"Hi! I'm Camila! And you?"

The brunette girl looked at her, seeming to be surprised that she talked to her. Then she gave her a shy smile. "Oh. Hi. I'm Violetta."

"Nice name. What are you doing here? I haven't seen you before."

"My dad is old friends with the owner. We move around a lot, but we are celebrating christmas here in Buenos Aires this year. But after New Years we will move to Italy."

"Italy! Wow! I've never been there and never thought of going there, either!"

Violetta chuckled. "I don't really wanna move. But I don't decide that."

"Well... wanna play?"

Suddenly, Violetta's dad turned around. "Oh, Violetta can't play."

"But I want to!" Violetta protested. She got upset really fast, which made it feel like this was something that had happened before. "Why can't I?"

"I don't want you to play with children I don't know about."

"My name is Camila and I am kind."

"I'm sure you are. Violetta, I want you to stay here with me, it's a big party and I don't want you to get lost."

Camila laughed at this. "Ha! My dad has no idea where I am!"

Violetta's dad stared at her. "Then he must be worried sick. I advice you to go find him. I can help you, if you want."

"No thank you." Camila then leaned into Violetta. "You can sneak away and play with me, later."

"What did she whisper to you, Violetta?" her dad immediately asked.

Violetta smiled awkwardly. "She just told me my dress was pretty. Nothing else."

Camila nodded and walked backwards away.

Ludmila was bored, so she decided to go to the upstairs balcony and looked down at all the people. She took a sip of the "christmas mix" her mother poured up for her (which was just strawberry juice) and felt like a queen looking down at her peasants. 

"You look dumb."

It was Camila. She had suddenly appeared besides Ludmila, having a cup with drink of her own.

"Don't you have better things to do?" Ludmila asked.

"Nope. I'm bored."

They were silent for a moment. Then suddenly, Camila formed a mischievous face.

"Guess what."

"What?" Ludmila muttered, picturing something stupid to come out of Camila's mouth.

"There's alcohol in my drink."

"Ha ha. You expect me to believe that?"

"It's true. They have beer on a table. I took a can and poured it in my cup."

Ludmila scanned the room below them. Indeed, in a corner, there was cans of beer. 

"I still don't believe you."

"Smell it."

Ludmila looked into Camila's cup. It was a brown-yellow color. She smelt it.

Indeed, it smelled like alcohol. 

"I'm gonna drink it," Camila said.

Ludmila didn't believe she would drink it, so she just scoffed in response.

"I'm serious," Camila assured her, indeed sounding very serious in her tone.

"No, I know you're not."

Camila moved the cup closer to her mouth.

"You're not actually..."

Her lips were almost touching the tip of the cup.

"Very funny, you're not gonna do it."

That's when Camila started to drink it. Or, she chugged it.

At the same time, Ludmila's eyes widened in panic. "Camila, no!"

She pushed the cup out of her hand. At the same time, she dropped her own cup of strawberry juice down the upstairs balcony. It landed on an unsuspecting guest, who immediately screamed.

Ludmila and Camila gave each other and quick glance, and then ran further into the upstairs corridor, where walls were blocking anyone from seeing them. 

There was another staircase leading back downstairs. They took it, and it led them down into the kitchen. No one was there at the moment. However, they soon noticed something. A giant white and red cake.

"Ooh!" Camila exclaimed.

"That looks so delicious..." Ludmila said. "When do you think they'll serve it?"

"I don't know. Why not eat it right now?"

"Let's have a little piece."

The two girls dragged their fingers across the frosting and tasted it. 

"Mmmm!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Ok, let's get some plates..." Ludmila said.

Camila, however, grabbed a giant piece with her hand. "What? It was on the side, they won't notice it anyway."

Ludmila shrugged and also took a piece with her hand. However, she felt disgusted with herself. She hated whenever her hands were sticky.

So, as soon as she ate it up, she rushed towards the nearest bathroom to wash her hands. Camila followed her, as she didn't want to be alone in the room. Also, she was aware of Ludmila's dislike of stickyness, and thus put her cake-covered hand on her dress.

"What did you do?!" Ludmila yelled.

"Just a prank."

"Ugh!" Ludmila threw some tap water on her. Camila barely reacted to getting water on her.

"Hey, hey... just wipe it off with a towel."

Ludmila grabbed a towel, and tried her hardest to get it off. "Aah! My pretty dress! All ruined! Because of you!"

"You're so sensitive."

"Augh!"

Ludmila jumped on her. The two had a wrestle-fight, pulling each other's hair, and trying to bite each other. They moved out from the bathroom out to the common room, where everyone else was. 

"Hey, what's going on?" Camila's dad asked, noticing them immediately.

At the same time, Ludmila pushed Camila to the table where the christmas mix punch was, making it fall towards the ground. All the guests around gasped.

And then, someone came out from the kitchen. "Who has eaten of the cake?! It was supposed to be saved for later!"

Everyone looked at Camila and Ludmila, who were covered in water and cake.

"Was it you who threw juice at me?" the person who got juice on them before asked.

The girls didn't know what to reply. They looked at each other briefly, before Camila pointed at Ludmila.

"She did it! Ludmila threw the juice!"

"Camila drank alcohol!"

"Ludmila ate the cake!"

"So did Camila! And she threw cake at my dress!"

"Ludmila threw water at me!"

"Camila pulled my hair!"

"Ludmila almost bit me!"

"Stop!" Priscila screamed. "Ludmila, you have embarrassed me for the last time! I thought you were old enough to behave at this party!"

"I didn't know Camila was here," Ludmila argued.

"I'm very disappointed with you, Camila," Camila's dad said. "Can't you play nice?"

Camila glanced at Violetta, who was still with her dad. "You know, I would have played nice if that man let me play with his daughter instead! Then I didn't have to go bother Ludmila!"

"Yes, she should have played with her, instead," Ludmila agreed.

Violetta's dad frowned at the sudden accusation thrown at him.

"See, they were having so much fun!" Violetta said, "Dad, why don't you ever let me do anything fun?"

"Let's go," Camila's dad and Priscila said to their respective daughters. 

"Sorry, mom," Ludmila mumbled.

"I think you'd be much happier if that Camila girl stopped talking to you, dear."

"Sorry, dad," Camila mumbled.

"Eh, it's alright... honestly, I think this night would have ended worse if we brought the twins."

Camila chuckled, "That's true."

Every time Camila's dad and Priscila were invited to a party in the future, they were asked to not bring their daughters.

Camila and Ludmila decided to agree on blaming everything that happened that night on Violetta's dad. And honestly, once they found out of the things he did 10 years later, they agreed even more on blaming him for this night.

#2023 Writing DCLA+ advent calendar #violetta #cadmila #camila torres #ludmila ferro

[maryellencarter]

Memed from @thisbluespirit : "Share ten different favorite characters from ten different pieces of media, in no particular order, then tag ten people."

Do I even have ten blorbos? Surely I must. I don't have handy gifs of most of them, I don't think. How far back in my fannish history am I going to wind up going here?

1: Jigen Daisuke, from Lupin III. I've told this story in a few different places, but about six or seven years ago -- I think it must have been 2015 because some of the promotional material from Part 4 looks awfully familiar -- VirusQ was reblogging an assortment of Lupin stuff. Now, VQ and I have *extremely* similar taste in sharpshooters. I saw about a five-second clip from Jigen's Gravestone, the bit where Jigen is explaining to Lupin why he lost the first quick-draw duel in that movie (I'm pretty sure it was the Japanese subbed version but it could have been English with dubtitles, I know the audio was written down because like fuck would I have remembered Jigen's name six years later if it wasn't), and I said to myself, "If I see *any* more of this man I am going to have a new hyperfixation, and I do not have the spoons for that right now," and I blocked the Lupin III tag on Tumblr for the next six years.

Then, late last year, Leia asked me "hey would you buy me an action figure for Christmas if I asked", and she linked me a figure of one Goemon Ishikawa XIII, whom I had never heard of in my life. But I clicked through to the Amazon listing, and you know how those have the long stringy search-engine titles, so it was something like "Banpresto Goemon Ishikawa XIII Lupin III", and I was like "I know that name, Lupin III" and I had a feeling as of impending fate. (Not to be melodramatic, but I really did. I have a habit of putting off many visual medias until the stars align, and sometimes they actually do align and it's a very particular feeling.) And then I scrolled down to "other people also bought" and went I KNOW THAT SKRUNKLY ASS MOTHERFUCKER ^_^ and then I very cautiously made noises (not to get Leia's hopes up too far) indicating that I would be amenable to being shown the thing, and then she did, and now I've seen 95% of it and we're in the middle of publishing a 50k novel about it :D

(Also I've dragged at least two other people into it after me. The First is one *hell* of a gateway drug. XD)

2: Wes Janson, from about ten seconds of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and also four tie-in novels by Aaron Allston from the '90s. If you've seen ESB, you presumably remember the scene on Hoth where they use the snowspeeder tow cables to wrap around the AT-AT's legs and knock it down. Wes is the gunner who actually makes the shot that anchors the tow cable to the AT-AT's foot. This is his entire existence on film. However, because Star Wars, his personality and backstory was greatly expanded in the tie-in novels (and some comics which I read much later and so only regard when they happen to add important details like the existence of socks in the GFFA). He became Rogue Squadron's class clown with some underlying survivor's guilt and PTSD that presents *really* similarly to mine, plus the ability as a trainer to turn a ragtag band of misfit pilots into a found family -- an ability which his friend and boss Wedge Antilles weaponizes as the premise of the Wraith Squadron trilogy, because Wedge never saw a character trait he didn't think tactically about.

I first read the tie-in novels in 2007 or thereabouts, while being extremely isolated and struggling with undiagnosed PTSD, ongoing emotional abuse, and an assortment of other mental health bullshit, and latched onto Wes *hard*. I've wandered in and out of the fandom several times over the years; I originally wanted to grow up to be Wes but didn't think that was possible. When it occurs to me to think about it, I'm still quite thoroughly confused that I've not only grown up to be him but have also managed to acquire my very own Hobbie Klivian. (That's the guy in the background of Princess Leia's briefing scene on Hoth who says "Two fighters against a Star Destroyer?" In the comics and at least one of the novels, he's Wes's BFF, wingmate, and partner in crime. He's laconic, sarcastic, pessimistic, and has up to three prosthetic limbs and possibly a prosthetic dick, depending on which parts of canon you accept and which ones you think are an editing error, a stupid throwaway line, etc. Star Wars! *jazz hands* Hobbie is a massive troll, but quiet enough that people usually notice the much more flamboyant Wes first.)

Did I mention Wes is also a sharpshooter? For some reason, I have a *type*, and very little about it is physical appearance -- I think "sharpshooter with a soft spot for people who need help, probably has PTSD, also a knack for unexpectedly wise insights possibly delivered in a rusty baritone" is probably gonna be at least half the guys on this list.

3: Zaeed Massani. Case in point. Zaeed is a DLC character from Mass Effect 2, voiced by the late and greatly lamented Robin Sachs, who was an absolutely amazing voice actor (possibly better known as the recurring chaos sorcerer Ethan Rayne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the main villain whose name is escaping me in GalaxyQuest, although there's something wrong with the mike setup or the ADR in GalaxyQuest so you don't really get the full effect of his amazing vocal range). Uh. Where was I? Right. Zaeed is yet another sharpshooter, a merc in his forties or fifties -- Mass Effect continuity being what it is, he has at least two wildly contradictory backstory timelines. Point is, twenty-odd years ago as of ME2, he founded a mercenary group which became very large and successful, and his co-founder double-crossed him and shot him in the face at point-blank range. Being made primarily of steel wool and hatred, Zaeed survived this with only the loss of an eye, which you'd think would be a problem for a sharpshooter, but nope, he's still one of the best there is at what he does.

As of ME2, Zaeed has been trying for twenty years to find and get revenge on the man who double-crossed him. Being a DLC character, he has a nice compact little story where you can either help him get his revenge -- having to let a factory's worth of trapped workers burn to death in order to do so, because video games -- or save the trapped workers but let the enemy get away. When I first played ME2 on a severely underclocked computer, I had planned to take the "Paragon" route where you save the workers (me being me, I had read a walkthrough of the mission beforehand), but there's a puzzle minigame you have to solve to open the door to that route, and my computer lagged too much to get through the minigame, so I had to take the "Renegade" route where you take a quicker path through the burning factory, help Zaeed get his revenge, but have to listen to the distant screams of the dying factory workers the whole time.

I've since played both routes, but Robin Sachs absolutely *nailed* the voice acting, the script was fantastic as well ("Don't you call that a goddamn grudge!" hits me really hard for personal reasons), and I always wind up going Renegade because... well. Depictions of PTSD mostly have a tendency to trigger my own PTSD (it's complicated), but some of them land just right. Plus, listening to him tell the story about Jessie, his first gun that ge finally had to retire a couple of years before ME2... god, he absolutely breaks my damn heart every time.

Actually, I should probably tell the story about Jessie, too. It's this weird recursive piece of causality. So, okay, when I was very first getting into Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, this would have been in early 2013. There used to be these weekend challenges where you competed to get a certain number of points with certain weapons, or killing certain enemies, or whatever. I hadn't played any of the singleplayer games yet, didn't know any of the characters, I was just messing around in what is still objectively the best co-op shooter multiplayer ever created. Early March 2013, it was announced that one of the voice actors had just died and there was going to be a memorial weekend challenge, so many kill points with this specific gun and so many with this specific power. Well, I didn't have any kit with the required power (it took me literally another year to finally unlock one), but I had the gun because it's one of the five starter guns you unlock on your first multiplayer login. So I'm always down for a memorial event like that, so I did what I could. Didn't get very far that weekend, but I did find that I liked the gun -- a basic shooter game assault rifle, very "spray and pray" style (which was about all I could do on this extremely laggy underpowered computer), kind of a peashooter as far as damage per bullet but with a really big clip and easy to aim.

So then I carried this gun as my default for quite a long time, and of course anytime people were talking about their favorite guns in the game they just had nothing good to say about it (because, gamers being gamers, there are like two or three guns that are really best suited to the highest difficulty level, and this gun really is only suited to the lowest difficulty but that's what I played). So then when I finally got around to playing singleplayer, and I got to Mass Effect 2... even before you do Zaeed's DLC mission, as soon as you recruit him, you can go and talk to him about various items scattered around his room, get some war stories and characterization out of him. And one of those items was his first gun, which he named Jessie, which was this same model of starter assault rifle. He spoke so fondly about it that a big part of why I initially latched onto him is that I'd finally found someone else (even though a fictional character) who appreciated this gun. Which, of course, I only appreciated so much because of the memorial weekend challenge for Robin Sachs, where we had to use Zaeed's gun.

Damn, now I want to play Mass Effect again. I take Zaeed everywhere in ME2, every mission that you get to choose a squadmate on (there are some where you can only take required squadmates). Because squadmates don't have bullet/power travel time but the player character does, and because my computer was so laggy, telling Zaeed to shoot a particular enemy off me was often the only way I stayed alive.

Am I gonna be able to fit ten blorbos in a single tumblr post at this rate? Fuck if I know.

4: Wolverine / Logan, from the X-Men (comics and various assorted animated shows, I've never gotten into the live action X-Men stuff). Not a sharpshooter, for once. ^_^ So back in 2004, Spider-Man 2 (the Tobey Maguire one with Alfred Molina as Doc Ock) came out, and somebody recommended it to my mother, who became absolutely obsessed with all things Spidey. So a friend of hers was taping the '90s Spider-Man animated TV show off cable at the time, and I wound up getting assigned the rather drudging work of cutting the commercials out of said show using some video editing software we had for reasons, so we could burn it to DVD-R without having to sit through a bunch of ads. I still owned that set of homemade DVDs until I lost all my most treasured stuff a few years back, actually, but it's on Disney+ now, so there's that.

Point is, the '90s Spider-Man cartoon did a crossover two-parter with the '90s X-Men cartoon, and I *really* have a thing for those growly baritones, okay? So I wound up finding the bulk black-and-white "Essential X-Men" reprints of Chris Claremont's run at the library -- they had volumes two and three, which turned out to be the perfect introduction for me, covering most of John Byrne's run as artist (including the classic Dark Phoenix Saga, which literally every X-Men adaptation apparently has to cover at some point) and all of Dave Cockrum's second run, and more to the point, covering the most pivotal part of Wolverine's character development from a feral hypothetically-teenage asshole with no known name to something pretty much approximating his "standard" characterization in the years since. As an autistic tortellini dealing with constant forced overstimulation and unpredictable meltdowns, I really latched onto the portrayal of Logan's struggle to control his "berserker rage" meltdowns caused by his enhanced senses.

Of course, Herself was always terrified of anything that she feared might get me in touch with my violent side, and for good damn reason -- both my parents strongly deserved to have me snap and kill them, and I'm convinced that she at least knew it. (I have not, for the record, killed anyone irl. Yet. You never know.) She forbade me to read X-Men comics, I attempted to set An Boundary on my eighteenth birthday by telling her I would respect her rules and not bring them into her house but I was an adult who needed to make my own moral decisions and I would continue to read them at the library, and she very conveniently started the Remodel of Doom a few months later which kept me 100% isolated and under her control for the next five years as well as permanently ruining my health... but also forced me to spend most of my waking hours at the library because the house where I was living didn't have running water or, uh, installed toilets for a lot of that timeframe, which meant I found a compilation of "40 Years of X-Men" on CD-ROM at the library and read *the entire fucking thing*.

With that kind of isolation and that kind of input, I wound up developing a headmate version of Logan, who helped me massively with surviving and getting out of that whole situation. He very, very rarely shows up anymore, which is a really good sign, because it means I haven't been in that kind of a survival situation in... several years at least. I still think of him as my big brother, though (which is from a whole other situation I may have mentioned where my sisters and I had this incredibly complicated multi-crossover found family storyline going on... it says a lot about our general situation that the one who insisted no abuse was happening and I couldn't even use the term "a bad situation" about my experiences, was also the most heavily involved in creating a world where none of us had any interaction with our RL bio-parents.)

(My name in that storyline was Estel, which is Sindarin for "hope". On the nose much? ^_^ Logan still calls me Essie, which nobody else who's still in my life does. I've tried on a royal fuckton of names over the years. If I was going to change my legal name again, I'd probably take the last name Logan. Unless I made it my middle name and chose something that's not a first name for my last name -- my current legal name consists of three names that can all be first names, and the confusion it causes at doctor's offices is a pain in the ass.)

... that's only four blorbos, but I am out of spoons. I'm pretty sure the other six would fit the pattern as well. Let's see if I can at least make the rest of the list, if not say anything about them.

5: Adam Cartwright, from Bonanza. The original reason I wanted a hat, before Logan even entered the scene. Another sharpshooter, soft-spoken, mechanically minded (I have been known to say that my type is guys you'd want around to help you rebuild after an apocalypse, specifically a lot of them have engineering and/or childcare skills), and -- man, I don't know if it holds up, I don't even know where the hell I'd watch it since my VHS tapes are long gone, but I loved the hell out of early Bonanza back in the day. It hit the same kind of "eye-opening social justice for an extraordinarily sheltered tortellini" buttons as Howard Pease's 1930s YA mystery novels. The very first episode I ever saw was about the ways USian society treats felons after their jail sentences are up -- I can still hear the guest star saying bitterly, "They say you do your time and you pay your price, but don't you believe it!"

6: Richard Dean Anderson as MacGyver and Jack O'Neill, which are two very different characters but I'll put that down as a twofer.

7: Gandalf, because he is a delightful bitchy-ass troll. We read The Hobbit and LOTR out loud as a family when I was ten, which was possibly the best thing that ever happened to me as a kid, and I was hooked right from "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I like it or not, or that you feel good this morning, or that it is a morning to be good on?" (I am still *insanely* proud that, with no other spoilers than the fact that the blurb for ROTK in the back of The Hobbit mentioned Gandalf, I recognized him on his return as Gandalf the White at the same moment Aragorn does and for the same reason -- his "laughing long and softly" there is distinctive, he does it in that first conversation with Bilbo in The Hobbit as well (at least I think it's the first conversation, I have my one-volume of LOTR but I don't own The Hobbit currently).

8: Does Marvel count as one fandom? Seems like it's supposed to, these days, but I'm gonna put down Venom as well. I named my hat after him. Well, *I* didn't, exactly -- my sister had a brown cowboy hat of which the brand name was Eddy, so when I got my black cowboy hat, he was promptly named Venom. I didn't mind, because in the '90s Spider-Man cartoon, Venom is voiced by Hank Azaria nomming on all the available scenery and then some, and I do love me some good scenery-chewing. Also Eddie Brock is just kind of a dork in any incarnation, and depending on your version and timeframe, he's also very much the Catholic guilt superhero, which you can see why that grabbed me.

Anyway, then Herself decided my hat was in fact a symbiote and wouldn't sit next to him in church (another reason I wanted a hat was for taking it off in church purposes, because when that's about the only way you can express masculinity as a very suppressed trans tortoise, you do what you can). Well, she always said she didn't actually believe he was a symbiote, but in a defensive sort of way, and she really wouldn't sit next to him. So that's why my hat has pronouns. That and the fact that he was basically my only remotely physical companion during the Remodel of Doom. Have you ever had to figure out the logistics of crying on a hat's shoulder? I have. Much of my hat-wearing experience lends itself well to writing Jigen, but I'm not so sure about that bit.

(Technically I retired Venom-the-hat earlier this year, he has a spot on the closet shelf now, but the new hat seems to be inheriting the pronouns. Nearly twenty years of habit doesn't go away easy. The new one doesn't seem to have a name for now, presumably because I have other friends.)

9: Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty? Man, I am either running out of blorbos or not thinking of some. Merryweather was partly a color coding thing -- my birth name was a variant of Mary and my next sister's was a variant of Rose, so whenever there were things like toothbrushes to divvy up, I got the blue one and she got the red or pink one. Suited me just fine, not being the pink-coded one after she came along. Anyway, so in Sleeping Beauty, obviously Flora was "her" fairy and Merryweather was mine, but Merryweather is also very relatable -- the most aggressive of the three fairies, the one who it's implied does all the chores for the sixteen years Aurora is growing up, and also she's just a little cutie.

10: Dr McCoy, from Star Trek: The Original Series. My space doctor. *The* space doctor by whom all others are measured. I could do a whole essay if I wasn't so tired. Best space doctor.

#meme

[astriefer]

Please have this messy, badly written scenario as a humble gift to you, because I wanted to do something since I reached 200 followers!

Bits of Truth

They stood in front of the Carstairs' townhouse in Cornwall Gardens. Christopher seemed mildly confused about what they were doing there as if he had not been paying attention. James shared one last glance with Thomas before he knocked on the door.

A few bits of silence flew by, in which they had held their breaths. Then footsteps tapped on the floor, and the door cracked open.

A wave of relief passed through James that not Sona nor Risa or any other maid came to open the door. Then he thought what a peculiar thought it was for him to be relieved by. Alastair looked at them, frozen in place, blinking a few times as if he didn't believe they were truly there. He rejoined his composure hastily. He didn't let them in - he stood in the front door and his eyes searched theirs for an explanation. It was like a weird staring contest. Eventually, Alastair spoke first. "Cordelia is not here. You know it fairly well."

He moved to close the door. "We haven't come for Cordelia," he said quickly, which received another incredulous glance from Alastair. "Well, we have. But not because we thought she'd show up here. We came to talk to you."

Alastair narrowed his eyes, expressionless, and considered James. Then he glanced at Christopher and Thomas, noting their desperate eyes. "About my sister?"

"We won't take long," promised James, despite he wasn't sure it's true. Alastair studied him, and James felt himself going rigid. He leveled Alastair with his indecipherable gaze.

Then Alastair had stepped back from the door and ushered them in. "My mother is in her bedroom, resting, and Risa went shopping for supper. So, you have to be quiet. Make it quick.'

~~~~

Alastair took their coats and tilted his head towered the parlor. A kettle whiselted in the kitchen. As he gestured them inside he turned the other way. A fire burned in the chimney, and a book rested peacefully on the armchair. When James examined closer he discovered it was written in Persian. Thomas mumbled something about Persian poetry.

Alastair came inside with a tray and James thought he was, for a change, being hospitable, but he ignored them and disappeared up the stairs. When he got back, empty-handed, James assumed the tea was for his mother. Alastair placed the book on the table as he sat down in front of them. Thomas and Christopher set on a love sofa and James set stoned on another armchair. He didn't waste time being the kind host, James presumed. "What it is about my sister?"

The golden-eyed boy decided the best tactic was started from what he knew. That wasn't much, but it was the most important thing, and he was certain about it, at the very least. "I love your sister."

Alastair raised his eyebrows, amused. "Yes, that's something that tends to happen between married couples, I've been told."

James shook his head. "This marriage, of Cordelia and I," just saying her name on his lips made a treacherous skip of his heartbeat, full of hurt and love. "It was a sham marriage."

Alastair pools of dark marble were fixed on James when he explained, rather awkwardly, the events that led to their marriage. And then events that led to Cordelia leaving the country. He prospected Alastair would be outraged, throw spears at them, maybe even recite some very angry poetry phrases in Persian. Instead, Alastair was very still for very long. When he did speak, the words weren't the James expected them to be. "I knew the marriage wasn't out of love," Alastair said calmly. "But I didn't expect you to tell all that rubbish."

James blinked. "It's the truth."

"Oh, I know," Alastair returned with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I doubt you would come up with such a ludicrous idea on your own, even if just to spite me. and I also know Cordelia wouldn't have slept with you unwedded, no matter how much she loved you."

All the thieves caught their breath when Alastair leaned forward, his month curving in an odd angle. "I also know being married to you was a wish she never thought would come true, and that you cared for her. You claimed her as yours and you defended her. It was good for Cordelia, and so I said nothing."

James snorted, although he hadn't found the conversation funny. Not the least. "I thought I loved Grace at that time. I felt bad when the thought of living with Cordelia was more appealing than I expected." The thought of Grace made his features harden. "And because of Grace, for years I've been blind. Manipulated. I lost my wife and Parabatai. She played with me like a doll; messed with my feelings, messed with my life. This is unforgivable."

He did not notice Christopher who tensed up and fixed his spectacles on his nose. "She did some bad things," he said, surprising them all. "But I don't think she's evil."

James furrowed his brow. "She's like a siren: beautiful and compelling, but going after her will only end in you being drowned."

"I see," Alastair said, turning back to James. "But why? Why did she do it?"

"Does it matter?" James asked. "She hurt so many people. She doesn't even deserve to apologize. It won't matter anyhow - the damage is done. After all she has done...sorry will never be enough. Nothing will."

"It matters," Alastair said. "Because you don't know her side of the tale. You don't know what she thinks. What she feels. You don't know if she had to do what she did."

He was tempted to say Grace has no feelings at all. "I believe I'm allowed to be angry."

"I do agree that what she had done to you is far above a jest or a play with hearts," there was a strange flame burning in the deep ponds of Alastair's dark eyes. "And you have no obligation to forgive her. But why not hear what she has to say? You are the one with the power. You know the truth. She can not affect you any longer."

James shook his head. "You don't know Grace," he said coldly, gravely. "She will try to use me. She will try and make me do as she wishes. I will not be a pawn in her game again. She controlled my life long enough."

Alastair glanced away, pondering over something. Thomas turned his head nervously between James and Alastair. For the first time since the beginning of their conversation, Thomas inquired, "Why do you insist James will hear her out?"

"You have no idea of her motives," Alastair retorted. "What she's done - she must know it's wrong. And she will have to live with this knowledge for the rest of her days. You are allowed to be angry, James, and rightfully so. But don't let it blind you. That you have been kept from certain kinds of evil doesn't mean everyone else had. You have no clue what led her to those decisions." Alastair looked distanced. James managed to guess he's not been talking only about Grace. "You should talk to her. You may not forgive her, but you deserve to understand, to know why to hear the plain truth. And you should let her mourn what she could have had and lost."

James wasn't sure he fully comprehended. "I wouldn't have loved her. Even without the bracelet issue - my heart belongs to Cordelia."

"What do you mean?" Christopher asked. "That not everyone had been kept from evil."

Alastair shrugged. "I met Tatiana Blackthorn only once. She's a madwoman. She doesn't seem like the kind of caring, kind mother to pet her daughter's shoulder. Besides, Grace seemed to be controlled by Tatiana, rather than working alone or alongside her."

"She took the love of my life away from me," James growled. "Nothing can atone for that."

"The love of your life is my sister," he reminded James. "I can hardly find the idea of her being heartbroken a good thing. And the one who caused this pain is not much liked, as well. But you shouldn't think that just because you would've done it otherwise, it was an option for her. You can't know what are the options in front of people. You can't know how they feel unless you talk to them. So talk to Grace, James. Then seek out my sister. If you love her like you claim you do, will you give up on her so easily?"

"No," James stood up, "I will not."

Alastair nodded. "why did you come and tell me about your little schemes? Why now?"

Now, after so much time of lying, why tell the truth? Why not keep it in its cage of delicately made lies?

James cut his gaze to the book on the table. Thomas answered instead in a quiet voice. "She is your sister. You must have been worried about her. We wanted to tell you because - because you deserve to know the truth and understand why things happened the way they did."

What Thomas did not say was what none of them wanted to admit. Cordelia ran away to Paris with Matthew. Even if she'll be back in only two weeks - they all were worried sick. James couldn't blame her, he was awful and blind. All of this was a mess. If she needed time to calm down in Paris, he couldn't deny it of her, even if he had a say in this choice.

Alastair studied Thomas, and James felt the half-Persian hadn't quite believed them. It was true - they needed his help in the future. But it was a start. "Anything else? A ghost friend? Another evil aunt?"

"No," Christopher affirmed.

"Good," Alastair said. James might have imagined it but he thought he saw Alastair sneak a glance at Thomas before standing up. "Now get out of my house. Risa will be here any minute."

~~~~

I- how?? Thank you so much, everyone!! 🙈 Thank you, you can't understand how much it means to me. 🥺

This is mind-blowing. Truly. For whatever reason you follow me, know that I love you <3

Tagging some of my mutuals, you are all wonderful and make my time here so much better (not all of them because my brain is all wonky, but I mean all of you): @kit-12 @littlx-songbxrd @pink-party-dino @shadowhuntertrash @gummybears-4u @itsdaughterofthemoon @mcrrythievcs @fictionally-fantastic @reyna-herondale I'll tag more but I don't want to bother anyone so... thank you!! I don't know what people find in my blog, but I am grateful, and I appreciate all of you endlessly.

#alastair carstairs #the last hours #tlh #chain of gold #tsc #chain of iron #the shadowhunter chronicles #thomas lightwood #chog #cordelia carstairs #james herondale #christopher lighwood #the merry thieves #merry theives #post coi #choi spoilers #coi spoilers #chain of iron spoilers #grace blackthorn #tlh fanfic #the last hours tlh #200 celebration #my writing #my fics #fanfiction #writing #mine #my posts #my fanfic #styx's fanfics

[tardytothepardy]

Fruits Basket - Vol 23

It's the final banquet babyyyy

(i hate how blurry that picture is but my camera just wouldn't fucking focus)(also yeah i colored in the speech bubbles, they were kinda confusing without context and didn't have anything to do with this specific frame)

So everyone's gathered in the main Sohma house, and no one really knows what's going on. They have no idea what to expect. Hiro notes that the grown-ups are "the ones who can't sit still today". Some miscellaneous stuff happens but I'm not sure if it's worth talking about? After the miscellaneous stuff, it is announced that Akito is ready for everyone to see, and out she steps in a kimono (I bet it's red; she'd look great in red, I think) and asks where Shigure is, because he apparently dipped out. Ritsu is in complete awe, does Akito partake in the same hobby he does? No, Ritsu, this is who she is.

There's a brief flashback to the previous book, where Shigure gave her something, and said "I guess you could call it a farewell present." Akito did not take kindly to that at all, and lashed out, accusing him of being the first to abandon her. He asks where she got that idea, he meant that she's finally becoming her own person, rather than the person her father wanted her to be, and his gift was something to commemorate that. Welcome in the new Akito, and all that.

Back to the present, Akito explains that the rest of the Juunishi were able to become their true selves, beyond the curse, and so she decided to as well. She tries to apologize, but she can't-- she knows that won't make up for anything that she did, at all.

It goes back to that memory with Shigure (this chapter is just a series of flashbacks and flashpresents) and he teases her, saying that he didn't know he was so important to her, and Akito insists that wasn't the case, that he was the one that she was most afraid of, the one that strayed the furtherest from her, bond or not. He says he had to keep his cool, be nonchalant, because otherwise he'd explode (ka-blooey). He says that he's childish, and doesn't like getting hurt, he hates losing, and he can't stand sharing things. This causes Akito to basically go Ó///Ò in realization, and he confirms that realization (the realization being that he likes her as well, in case you didn't catch it. It kinda took me a second on first reading, and I'm not exactly explaining this the best), and says that if Akito wants to reject him, now's the time, that if she comes to him again, it'll become a Thing. They'll become a Thing.

Back to the meeting, Akito says that she still wants to live with the Sohma family, because there are still things she feels she needs to do. She still is, at the end of the day, the head of the family, it's her duty (probably). She plans on talking to Ren, which I imagine will go well. After the meeting (I think, I don't think it's before, though timey wimey stuff is difficult), Akito is with Shigure, and he's asking if she wants him to stay at the main Sohma house, and she asks if he's angry about it. The vibe I get from him is "yesn't", honestly, but hey if they're happy, I guess it's fine.

Next chapter!

So there are two exposition characters (I'm sorry but that's really all they are) at school, and one of them sees Kyo. She gets excited, maybe she can go talk to him, and the other thinks he's waiting for Tohru, his girlfriend, to finish up with her tests. The first girl goes, "Whaaa?? When did that happen??", and the second says that it happened shortly after Tohru came back from the hospital. The first girl's hopes and dreams are apparently destroyed, I guess she liked Kyo.

It pans back to Tohru, now finished with her test, and the teacher, Mayu, wishing her a good summer vacation, it'll be her last. She also asks if something happened in the Sohma family, because a certain He seemed a little happier when she saw him yesterday. Tohru took "he" to mean Kyo and Yuki, and was basically like "yeah I guess so". Mayu played it off, yeah yeah those two that's definitely who she meant yeah totally see you next school term byeeee.

At the house (Shigure's house), Kyo, Yuki, and Tohru are talking about the meeting, and how it felt like it came out of nowhere. They were surprised that Tohru already knew about Akito, but she had to pretend she didn't for Akito's privacy (you don't just out people, that's rude). She asks if it was that much of a shock, and Yuki says he's mostly dumbfounded, though there has been a lot going on lately, a lot to think about. Kyo says he feels weird about it, simply because now he knows he's been violent with a woman all this time, but also says something about if Akito was a man, Kyo would be in trouble if there was another guy who liked Tohru. I'm not really sure where he got that idea, but Yuki thought it was pretty funny. It made Tohru realize that the air between Kyo and Yuki had cooled off significantly, and they seemed to be more at ease with each other than they ever had before (i mean in the beginning yuki would sneeze and kyo would be like "and i took that personally", so yeah they've changed a lot). She asked Kyo what had caused that change, and he told her that Yuki beat the crap out of him, and knocked some screws loose, but it was okay. They needed to be loosened.

Later, it seems that Kyo and Tohru went to Kazuma's house, where Kazuma said "I have no regrets. At this point, I'm prepared for death at any time.", because he's happy, y'know? But Tohru and (that other guy whose name completely escapes me wtf) protest at that, saying that you can't say things like that, it's not true! The other whispers to Kazuma that he can't die yet, because when they get married and have kids, he'll be a grandparent, which he seems to like the idea of. He tells Tohru that he eagerly awaits that time, but since Tohru didn't overhear it, she just awkwardly agrees that she also can't wait. (Kyo kinda caught on though)

Izusu comes in, says, "This is stupid, by the way", then walks out before anyone can respond. Tohru follows after her, and Kyo asks what Izusu was saying. Kazuma says that a lot has happened recently, and not everyone is going through the same thing.

Going with Tohru, she finds Izusu in another room, saying that she doesn't get it, how can he (Kyo, presumably) act like nothing's wrong, after all that's happened, and how Tohru can do the same, after she got so hurt?! Those kinds of hurt don't go away easily. Izusu continues, and says that if she had to choose to forgive Akito or not, she wouldn't, because she can't. She doesn't want Akito to apologize, and she can't help but feel like she's doing something wrong, because she can't make herself accept everything and move on. Tohru reassures her that there's nothing wrong with her, she didn't do anything wrong. Izusu wonders if her demeanor will turn Haru away, if it will disappoint him. Tohru says that there's no way that Haru could hate her.

The scene changes to Akito, who is talking to that one old lady who pops up every now and then, but I've never seen her name, who says that Akito went to see Ren again, but heard that she wasn't able to really talk to her. She says it would be faster to chase her out of the house, but it's also possible that Akito complicated things by staying at the house. She continues, saying how it must be nice being young, and being able to change your life so easily. She notes that she was born with the Sohma family, and raised with them, and has lived at the house for sixty years, she couldn't change her life now. Akito says that no one can change every thing, and no one would be asking her to. Maybe all she needs is a helping hand. In the end, the maid simply walks away, but y'know, not everyone wants to change, or feels like they can, it's fine.

In the next chapter, it seems like it's the date with Tohru and Kyo that Uotani and Hanajima decided to tag along with. Kyo is thinking back to that moment when he tore off his bracelet, and how afterward, Tohru picked up all the beads. She put them in a little bowl in her room, next to the picture of her mom. In the moment, he could only watch as she did it, and in all honesty he wouldn't have minded if she had tossed them into a fire, but it also occurred to him that he might regret not having them. As he watched Tohru pick up the beads, he thought of it like she was "protecting both the me of now and the me of the future". Alternatively, and this one is a bit spoopy, she was gathering the memories of the people over the (many, many, many) years that had worn that bracelet. Either way, he realized that loving someone isn't just about loving the person as they currently are, but as they were, and as they will be.

That's what he thinks anyway.

I mentioned the date but I didn't talk about it at all. They went to a zoo, Uotani got excited about seeing elephants, and they went to a place with cats, and the cats did not care either way about Kyo. It was neat. By the end of the day, Tohru went off to use the bathroom, leaving Kyo with Hanajima and Uotani. This is when Hanajima asks Kyo if he's going to take Tohru away with him. She knew the time would come, eventually, when she, Uotani, and Tohru, would part ways, but it still hurts to think about. Uotani says that, despite how they might act, they do like Kyo, even if they think he's a bit of a dumbass (Uotani's words, btw), and it's because they both think he's a good guy. He just has to take care of Tohru, because she's like family to them, so he'd best not fuck up.

When Tohru comes back, Kyo says there's a place that he wants to take Tohru before going home. Can we go see what Yuki's up to first? Okay yeah we're going to do that now, we'll get back to Tohru and Kyo, don't worry.

So Yuki's at Kakeru's place, and it seems that they're talking about their college plans. Apparently Yuki's going to a college pretty far away from where they're currently at, but if they have subjects that he's interested in, it's fine. (I don't think it's ever said what exactly those subjects are. Like, what's his major? Do I really care? Eh. But it's still nice to know. Same thing for Kakeru, what is he doing?) When Yuki says he'll be living on his own, Kakeru asks if he can manage, he doesn't want to go for a visit and see an emaciated Yuki (living on like,, partially-cooked instant ramen noodles, and several scattered half-empty water bottles in a nest of laundry and schoolwork). Yuki is more optimistic, saying he's going to learn by doing (so that means those cups of instant ramen will be completely cooked). Apparently he told Machi about it and she's fine with it, though she would not be fine if she heard Kakeru saying that anyone is "climbing the stairway to adulthood" which honestly I wouldn't be fine with that either, that just sounds stupid.

Komaki asks how Yuki's going to get the money to live somewhere, and Yuki says that he considered asking his parents, but in the end he asked Ayame to help. Ayame was overjoyed to help, and went nuts to find a place that would suit Yuki's needs (Or be the foundation of his "empire", as he phrased it).

When asked about college, Kakeru said he'd go, not because he really wants to, but mostly because people keep telling him to. He was planning on taking over Komaki's family business (they run a laundry service), but he supposes he'll go anyway.

Later, Machi shows up with a package of meat, which Komaki was very excited about. Kakeru trotted out his "stairway to adulthood" line on Machi, and Machi punched him in the face along with the meat, she somehow balanced the meat on her fist to smash into Kakeru's face, much to Komaki's distress (over the meat, not Kakeru).

Anyway, let's go back to Tohru and Kyo.

Kyo took Tohru to the graveyard, and they're standing at the Honda's family tombstone(memorial? thingie? idk), and he says that after he graduates, he wants to leave, because he's spent his whole life up until pretty recently avoiding life, and not letting himself get involved in things. But now that he's a normal person, he wants to live in the world as a normal person, with Tohru, and because of all of this, he wants to go outside of this place that he's been his whole life. Tohru asks where he's planning to go, and he says that Kazuma knows someone with a dojo, but it's really far from where they presently live. He says he's planning on going there first, attending the dojo while he works, and then one day, he'll inherit Kazuma's dojo, using the experience from the first dojo. He hesitates on asking Tohru to break away from everything and everyone she's known to go off with him, but Tohru agrees, and says she wants to go with him, as soon as possible.

There is one thing that Tohru wants to tell Kyo, and it's that she's sure that her mom never hated him. Even if she did say that she would never forgive him, Tohru is confident that she didn't say it out of hate, she knows it. She will go along with Kyo, even if it hurts to leave everyone else, because it would hurt her more to be apart from him (🥺). To end this section, Kyo says that he'll keep the promise he made to Kyoko about Tohru, all that while back, and he'll keep it for his whole life.

(don't mind me i'm just screeching and wheezing simultaneously this shit is too much i'm gonna die)

Onto the next section, it actually has to do with Kyoko and Katsuya. Mostly Kyoko, and her last thoughts before she died. At first, it was weird. What's going on? She can't hear anything, she doesn't even really hurt. Why is it so dark? Oh crap, Tohru! She can't leave yet, she doesn't want to leave Tohru alone, she only just got into high school. She hopes that she loved her enough, and that Tohru knew that, though she wished she could have had more time to love Tohru. She finally understands, though, that leaving people behind and being left behind, they're both so hard. She hopes that someone can be there for Tohru, to protect her, stay with her as she cries.

She then sees Kyo, and recognizes him as the little orange-haired kiddo she used to talk to sometimes, and hopes that even if he forgets about her, that the next time Tohru gets lost, Kyoko wants him to find her, even just once. If he doesn't do that, she'll never forgive him(that's what she meant, out of what he heard, by the way). She hopes that he can somehow take her place, and protect Tohru, and let her be happy, let her be loved by lots of people. Even if she gets lost or makes a mistake, Kyoko wants Tohru to be proud of the life she lived.

Then she wakes up in a place. I don't really know what the place looks like, but I imagine it as a light blue shimmery place, and she can see someone walking towards her, from a distance. Katsuya. Suddenly she's young again, with her long hair and uniform, and she can be with the man she loves again. (🥺😭 dissolves in my tears)

There's a time skip, now Tohru, Yuki, Kyo, Hanajima, and Uotani have graduated, and it soon after shows Tohru and Kyo cleaning up their rooms, and reminiscing about when Tohru first arrived. A lot has changed in that time, it's incredible. Tohru thinks on how she will miss everyone, and all the things that have happened (in the span of a year, right? This all mostly happened within a year or two?). Kyo then says that everyone loves and appreciates her, and it's not like she'll never see any of them again, it's just the start of something new. Then Tohru's stomach grumbles and she gets embarrassed (oh no im hungry how embarrassing 😖)

We then jump to Yuki and Machi, and Yuki gives Machi a key to his new place, because he doesn't want her to think that he's cheating on her (why would she think that???) and then nearly fuckin yeets it out the window when she says that she's not worried that he'd do that. (So he does want her to have trust issues? Yuki, dude, you're confusing me on this) I think that Machi is a year behind Yuki, so she won't be starting college the same time as he will, but she promises that she'll follow after him and be back with him as soon as she can, which is very sweet.

This whole section is mostly jumping from one group of people to the next, so I think I'll try to summarize:

Ritsu and Kagura are talking, it seems that Ritsu is giving Kagura his old kimonos. He's cut his hair shorter, and he mentions how Shigure apparently has quit being an author, much to the relief of his editor, Mitsuru. Kagura asks if Ritsu is going to marry Mitsuru, which leaves him very flustered. Kagura still is hung up on Kyo, and says that she'll see Kyo and Tohru go just to see Kyo. She won't well wish them, because she knows that they'll be happy regardless.

Hiro and Kisa are walking past Shigure's old house, speculating on what is going to happen to it. Hiro says he thinks it will stay as it is for a while, which makes Kisa happy. She hopes that it can stay up and that a new household can live in it. She then starts crying, thinking about Kyo and Tohru leaving, but she says that she will smile when she sees them go, on the next day. Hiro tells her to not be upset over crying, that she can cry as much as she wants, because he knows how much Tohru means to Kisa.

Haru, Izusu, and Momiji are talking, and Haru mentions how Hatori said that eventually, Shigure's gonna get punched in the face, but he never did. Momiji says that it didn't happen because they are all more mature than Shigure. He says as an aside that he doesn't think it should be allowed that Kyo is "taking away" Tohru, because he's being selfish, and that he wants to pinch Kyo. Haru asks why he shouldn't do it tomorrow, and Momiji says that he can't do it in front of Tohru, but this whole thing has given Momiji a new sense of motivation, to find the best girlfriend in the world, and then he'll show her off to Kyo (not the best motivation to find a partner but okay). Izusu pops up by saying that she thinks Tohru should break up with Kyo. I'm not sure why though.

It's shown that Hanajima is working at Kazuma's place as a cook, which is something that Kyo was not pleased to find out, but despite his best efforts, The Guy Who is Also There at the Dojo Whose Name I Cannot Remember can't figure out how to get her to leave. Kazuma says that he will miss Kyo, but he won't worry about him. He's in good hands now.

Uotani is on the phone with Kureno, saying that she'll send his regards to Tohru and Kyo. She also says that she will miss Tohru, but she's also excited for her, for the both of them. She asks if the cherry blossoms are blooming yet, and that she'll have to make her way out to see them (and Kureno) soon.

Ayame and Mine are sending well wishes gifts in the form of big flouncy dresses, for Tohru (who I imagine would be flattered but I doubt she would wear them). Mine says that now that the time has come, she finds this sensation of "children leaving the nest" to be lonely, and Ayame agrees, and says that's exactly why adults put obnoxious amounts of love into cardboard boxes with instant ramen, socks, maid outfits, what have you. (They then say that they're going to send similarly flouncy dresses to Yuki, who I doubt will respond kindly)

Mayu and Hatori are on a date, and he offers to take her with him on a summer vacation to Okinawa. He says he's never been on a "decent" vacation, and that he wants to see the country. Mayu starts cracking up at the idea of Hatori in a swimsuit, then sobers quickly at the idea of herself in one, saying that her figure isn't ideal for a swimsuit (from the way she talked about herself I think she'd be all the rage in early 2000's Western fashion).

Akito says that she's not going to see Tohru and Kyo leave, saying that if she wants to visit Tohru, she'll go and see her, but I imagine it's also for the sake of everyone else that would be there.

Finally, we end with Yuki going to talk to Tohru. He tells her that he's happy about all that has happened, and that he's glad that he has gotten to this point. He says that he was weak, that he couldn't handle being around people, but he wanted to be loved, and be needed. All he ever did, he says, is want. But during that crucial time, Tohru appeared, and fulfilled that wish without even trying. He learned so much from her, and she gave him what he needed, and that's how he is able to be the person he presently is. And he also finally says that she was basically his mother, in a way. He wonders if she was like that to everyone, with how warm, welcome, and gentle she is to everyone she meets. He goes on to say that in this time, when everyone is parting ways, everyone is thinking of Tohru, wondering if she's happy, if she's crying, if she's doing well. Finally, he thanks her, and says that he's so glad that he got to meet her, and that she was there for him, and for all of them. (He also actually says her name, which he's never done, I don't think. It's always been "Honda-san", but never "Tohru", but now he's said it. There's really not an English version of that, as far as I'm aware, but from what I know, it is a pretty significant thing.)

There's a little bit of an epilogue, showing a child walking into a house, asking where Tohru and Kyo are. A woman replies saying, "That's Grandma and Grandpa to you!", but the child pouts and says that Grandma said she could call her by her name, and that they left her behind again on their walk. The woman tells her to not get in the way of their "lovey-dovey alone time", and there's a final establishing shot of Tohru and Kyo walking together, holding hands, with Kyoko's words: "Repeat the good, and the bad. Do it all, and pile on the years."

And that's the end!

I think I'm heartless, because I didn't cry at the end. I wanted to, but I didn't. Overall, I really liked this series! It was a lot of fun to read, a lot of shit goes down, it was a rollercoaster. Thinking back on how the story started, knowing some of the events that occurred before the story started, it all kinda leaves a bitter taste in my mouth (mainly the teasing that Kyo gets about him "training in the mountains", and knowing what was actually going on, it's kinda hard to laugh now 😬). One thing that I was kinda expecting the story to mention, but never did, was Izusu's mark on her back. It looks like some kinda of scar, but I never saw anything addressing it. Now that I think about it, it could have been from a number of things, but it was never said explicitly, which I think is weird. I think I'm gonna leave it here (I'm typing this last portion on my phone at 3:45am so it could be better).

#tohru honda #yuki sohma #kyo sohma #kagura sohma #akito sohma #kureno sohma #shigure sohma #hiro sohma #kisa sohma #izusu sohma #hatsuharu sohma #hatori sohma #momiji sohma #ritsu sohma #hanajima saki #uotani arisa #kyoko honda #katsuya honda #machi kuragi #ayame sohma #kazuma sohma #kakeru kuragi #fruits basket #furuba #fruits basket volume 23 #fruits basket vol 23

[hoefette]

All the petty things I hate about fate!winx and their shitty universe/world building because

I'd added most if these in tags of other posts but I'm still so mad lmao

The way characters, Aisha and Mrs Dowling specifically make references to explicitly human or American things like instagram and Harry Potter

These people are from a different dimension for ffs why are they concerned with or are even aware of this very earth-specific shit? Do they teach earth classes at school over there?

I understand not wanting to have them be oblivious so Bloom wouldn't have to explain it to them, but it simply could be ✨omitted✨

Why would you go out of your way to date your work like this lmao ew

Ms. Dowling calling Tinkerbell an air fairy.. I cannot breeve with the stupidity why did they keep that in there

Why is Ms. Dowling.. the headmistress.. teaching classes? Where are the other teachers?

We ended up with a trio of antagonists (I guess you could call them that?) by the end of the season anyway so why not give us the trix, why have the characters play double roles as friends of our protagonists and also the villains/bullies? They clearly wanted a delinquent trio, in which case they could've gender bent the trix if they wanted to keep all the unnecessary sexual tension.

It just feels like the production team was lazy, they didn't want to hire more actors, they didn't want to bother with making the world immersive or lived in or believable at best, they just didn't give enough of a fuck

They wanted to make this show and attatch Winx to it for.. what? Like did you even google the main plot points? The abridged version or sparknotes to get details on the very literal, basic characteristics of our main characters or their roles or the world they inhabit????

It lacks wonder and intrigue.. I mean Bloom moves to another dimension, a school for fairies and we don't see her marvel once at anything.. and that's because she might as well have been in Switzerland because she's in exactly the same environment she would've been in over there anyway.

They could've said Alfea was in Europe and I'd believe it because nothing about the setting makes it feel otherworldly. I'm sorry but I'm not impressed.

Why do the teachers and graduated specialists communicate via facetime ?? In the magic dimension. ??? Why do they text each other and those texts then appear on screen like .. oh look, like a bad netflix teen movie ????? HELLO ??? it's the way technology and magic could've blended in so seamless into the world THE WAY IT WAS ALREADY DONE/SHOWN. Missed opportunity. it just takes you out of it imo every time you see the ugly, bland, gray text bar. Some fucking flavour pls I'm begging

How stupid the specialist must feel clonking around with the skinniest shreds of armor, plastic swords on their backs and battery powered flashlights and cellphones in their bags. R we larping?? I know I'd be laughing and asking why we hadn't already come up with something more effective .. idk like guns. I'm surprised I ain't see one gun in there.

In the beginning Ms. Dowling says some nonsense about fairies having lost the ability to transform to explain why there are no wings, which means they could've transformed before. So are we to assume that this supposed to be set in the time proceeding the original then?? Because something is not adding up with where they should be as a magical society technologically if that's the case

How does the production team want to keep the dark academia vibes with torches lining the walls and also want them to be face timing each other, presumably from miles and miles away in the dark forest???

Pls pick an aesthetic and stick to it everything was so unnecessarily dark. Where do they charge their phones since it's the only device we see that is the slightest bit modern and dont fucking tell me they charge it with magic I will punch you in the face

Why is there only one major monarchy that we are shown? Why are Solaria the only ones contributing to the efforts to defend the school and where is this mysterious battalion we never see lmaoo it's all so bad its laughable.

Is this set in the kingdom of Solaria? And why does the queen of an alleged interdimensional superpower monarchy pull up in black SUVs??????????? Why does she pull up with Andreas?? Is he not the king of Erakleon?? Where are his soldiers and his battalion and just?? Huh!? The world just feels empty like nobody lives here fr

Are we supposed to believe that the specialists get paired up with fairies just as a normal occurence and that they have to 'trust each other' and not because the plot demands it suddenly half way through when all we've seen so far are the fairies doing normalish school and homework, and the specialists outside, being physical everyday all day. This was never even implied that they'd have to work together apart from when we see the faculty as youngins with Rosalind. But even then.. it's like well why are they even together lmao? Is this a special team formed from Rosalind’s protégées? Were they formed after graduating from Alfea or what is this?? Are they the ONLY team of specialist/fairies hunting every single burned one?? What?

Are we now supposed to buy that Musa is being switched to 'support' because that's where her strengths lie and not in combat?? Are we supposed to believe that these girls know hand to hand combat?? When was this established? We see Terra wrapping some baby vines around a dude and I'm sorry is that the practical application of her power? Is this what the fairies are supposed to do once they graduate? Or is it just a switch in curriculum because of the threats outside the barrier?? This is never made clear.

Because if not then what's the point of this?? Why do they suddenly have endless classes together when the expectation was never set for the fairies to be like soldiers or out in the field fighting ?

Where exactly are they supposed to be what was the purpose of including Aster Dell and why is it a joy ride away from Alfea lmao?? Where Bloom is from and also not from?? Plot pls make it make sense

Why are fairies from another dimension vaping or smoking weed?? They are not human so why are they engaging in specifically human vices, yol couldn't come up with anything else to characterize 'delinquents'?? Very lazy very como se dices.. no effort. Nothing a little more spicy yol could invent, at least change the name and some properties holy shit did yol even try ??

So its fairies everywhere, having a lil party in the east wing of a phat castle.. and they are playing beer pong and dressed in t shirts and jeans..

Can you hear me screaming? Can you hear me vibrating with rage?

Not one floating decoration or magical anything in sight. Just purple lights and subpar vibes

Stella's costume design: tragic. I won't discuss further because we don't have the space or time but just know that it was absolutely atrocious and I hated it. Giving very debutante vibes

The entire budget going to that lame transformation sequence that was not a transformation sequence and those horrible, barely-there fire wings

Edgelord bloom and all her fucking leather jackets. Why do 30 yo, white cis men think girls exist in a binary? They could keep her earlier characterization and make her a hothead.. Bloom literally screamed herself into a couple power upgrades in the original come ooonnnn

Let girls be feminine without it being a character flaw what is wrong with yol its 2021. They could make her more mature, more angsty or whatever the hell else and not style her like that

The way Aisha's abilities flipflop between episodes and scenes. Very inconsistent. One minute she's struggling with a drop of water and the next she is moving an entire body of water for her bestie Bloom to fake transform because the plot demands it. Why even add in her struggles at all if you're just going to ignore it?

Why was Stella with them in that scene? She didn't do anything literally.. Aisha pulled the water and she did .. nothing.

Who the fuck is Rosalind? Why would they add her in,, to add nothing to story? The company of light was a thing, they could've plucked one of them hoes to be the antagonist. Why did the winx club need their own Delores Umbridge? Valtor was right there if you wanted an evil educator type character.

The camera work was so bland during the down beats, stagnant and fixed during a fairy party and erratic and ugly and disorienting during the fight scenes

I'm not getting over the fairy party because it was a good opportunity for the production and everyone else to show the differences between where Bloom was and where she is now but instead it just looks like a regular teen high school party?? This could have been set in Switzerland fr.

Everyone's just kind of standing?? You mean to tell me these people are from all different places in the magical dimension and their customs are all the same? They all throw parties like this ??

White and flavorless I am very bored

I guess the main question or takeaway I have is just.. who is this for? Because everyone, including the showrunners keep saying that it's for us, the fans of the original. But apart from the characters sharing some names, there are really no other similarities. So again, who was this supposed to appease or placate or satisfy? Because it sure as hell wasn't the winx club fans.

Overall, this feels very much like something I wrote and probably published on ff.net when I was 13 because I thought girls couldn't be taken seriously if they liked pink, and injected angst into everything that didn't need it and had no idea how to structure scenes or dialogue. It's just bad, objectively and N*tflix will keep making shit like this because apparently some people have bad taste??? Idk yol, be easy

#im never gonna stop i dont care i dont care #and i dont even usually make my own posts i just be reblogging and vibing #but im passionate abt this because he originak was the reason i wanted to learn how to draw #it was the reason i wanted to learn how to write and tell stories #it shaped a lot of shit for me because it was the very first one of its kind id ever seen #i ran home from school to watch it and argued with my friends about who got to be flora #i forced them to make cardboard wings with me and to perform the opening song during a school talent show #thank god we didnt get to perform otherwise we would all have died of embarrassment in hindsight #but ye i just hate to see things that obviously are very dear to a lot of people be treated with such casual indignity and its a disservice #a disservice to the fans and to the people who had probably want to create it as a passion project #to the people who spent hours and hours in rewrites and fanart amazing fanart and post series continuations #no one is saying the original is sacred and cannot be touch #this fandom actively calls out the bullshit rainbow has done and continues to do to the characters we love.. i havent spoken to one fan who #doesnt have an alter dedicated to their downfall. we found a piece of ourselves in these gorls and they were stripped and caricatured and #played for laughs so netfilx can make money and its just very upsetting to see. #so again fuck you brian young fuck you ignio and rainbow and fuck whoever the costume designer was #mine #text #fate winx club #fate: the winx saga #f:tws #winx club

[barnesbabee]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ - ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀʟᴀɴᴅ

WONDERLAND MASTERLIST

⇜ ᴘʀᴇᴠɪᴏᴜꜱ - ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ -  ɴᴇxᴛ ⟿ 

CHARACTER LIST:

White Rabbit - Choi Jongho

Absolem (Blue Catterpilar) - Kang Yeosang

Cheshire Cat - Kim Hongjoong

Mad Hatter - Choi San

Haigha (March Hare) - Jung Wooyoung

Tweedle Dee - Song Mingi

Tweedle Dum - Jeong Yunho

Bloody Red King - Park Seonghwa

 Send me a private message or send me an ask if you wish to be added to the Tag List

 You sat on the grass of the rose-decorated maze and hid your face in your hands. You wanted to cry, to scream, to crumple up in a ball and fall asleep so you could wake up from this nightmare. This colourful land was truly misleading... It was so beautiful and apetizing to the eye, but you had been tortured the second you stepepd foot outside of the tiny door. A soft voice calling you by your name snapped you out of your thoughts.

   "Miss? Miss Y/N?"

   You looked up, with your watery eyes and red cheeks, and looked around.

   Behind one of the bushes that served as a wall to the maze, a pair of bright red eyes almost covered by pitch-black hair stared at you.

   The man slowly uncovered himself, and as he unraveled his whole image you recognized him as the person you had followed in the park.

   "Who are you? How did you find me!?"

   He walked over to you, slowly as possible, thinking that if he moved too fast you’d run (just like a wild animal) and knelt beside your figure.

   "I'm the Rabbit! I followed you. I ran into the Hatter and he asked me to find you and escort you safely with great urgency!" The man was jittery as he whisper-yelled all the information to you.

    In the distance, you could hear metallic footsteps approaching and both of you widened your eyes, his big, bright ones standing out from his pale face.

    To your surprise, a pair of big, white, fluffy ears emerge from the top of his head. They turned many detections before he grabbed your wrist and started running towards what you presumed was the exit of this Hell.

   In a normal scenario, you'd question his ears and eyes, mayhaps you’d freak out at the sight, but at this point all of this was mundane. The bunny-like man was just the tip of the iceberg of madness surrounding you, 

   The heels the King had given you were long gone and your bare feet roamed in the freshly cut grass as the Rabbit looked for a way out.

   Anxiety started building up in the pit of your stomach when the footsteps got louder from one of the sides. The Rabbit took a sharp turn, trying to avoid what you assumed were the King's card army looking for you.

   After about fifteen minutes of running, your legs starts going numb, but the 'light at the end of the tunnel' gave you all of the strength you needed to exit the labyrinth. The well-built male pulled you roughly as he turned you both to run along a gravel road that lead to someplace unknown to you.

   The small pieces of rock hurt your feet, but you didn’t care. All you wished for was a safe place to take shelter in.

   “Where are we going Rabbit!?” You questioned him, almost out of breath.

  He only glanced at you and ran a little faster.

   Damned Bunny…

   After a minute or so, you could see a small shed in the distance. It was almost covered by the flowers surrounding it. Big flowers, like the ones that had greeted you when you first arrived. They fell on top of the little white house with a hay roof, almost as if hiding it, or protecting it. 

   When the animal-turned-man opened the door of the little habitation, he nearly pushed you inside. You looked around, the interior was strangely big compared to the outside…The Hatter sat inside the house along with his two friends, the Dormouse and the Hare. They were all served tea, of course. 

   You stood inside, with disheveled hair and puffy red cheeks, as your chest rose and fell quickly from all the running. In short, you looked like a mess.

   “If the cards find out about this location because of you” Absolem’s blue tip of the finger pointed in your direction “I’ll personally make sure every single one of you is beheaded.”

   The easiness and seriousness with which Absolem said that scared you a little, and you gathered all of the energy left in you to snap your head at the man moving across the room with wide eyes.

   A faint giggle sounded in the air and you immediately knew that Cheshire was present as well.

   He swiftly appeared, cross-legged, and sitting in the air as he looked down at you. He rested his head in his palm and smiled fondly.   

   “He doesn’t mean that, sweetheart.”

   Absolem shot Cheshire a look and squinted his eyes.

   “Oh but I do mean it.” He replied.

   The Cat just rolled his eyes and sat on a chair, like a normal person. Or cat… These ‘people’ made you confused on what you should call them.

   “L-looks like the King took a liking to you!” The Rabbit exclaimed before anyone could say anything else.

   He pointed at your red and black dress, decorated with the King’s beloved hearts. The Hatter immediately jumped in his seat, and you watched curiously as his orange locks bounced with him. He made a disgusted face as he waved his hands in the air in distress.

   “Oh but it’s hideous! You must take that off right now silly!” The Hatter complained.

   You looked down at your dress and inspected it with your hands.

    “But what else would I wear?...” You asked and cocked your head to the side.

   The man thought for a second, tapping his chin with his index finger in a pensive manner. As he was thinking of a solution, his big, green eyes caught sight of Absolem’s blue curtains.

   “Hatter? Hatter what on Wonderland are you doing!?” Absolem asked, clearly filled with indignation as to why his guest had just ripped his beloved blue curtain.

   Everyone watched in awe as the Hatter pulled out a pair of scissors from the inside of his green jacket. He cut the fabric with no mold whatsoever, but he did it with such confidence that it was impossible to question him. When the man was done trimming it, he grabbed a pointy needle from his hat and began sewing it with a white string he had pulled from somewhere you hadn’t even seen.

   It was truly mesmerizing how quickly his hands worked with the string, hooping it and tightening it around the light blue fabric. Absolem’s horrified expression quickly turned into a curious one, as he watched along with everybody else.

   Once the Hatter was done, he turned his final project inside out so all of the sewing marks would be facing the inside. He proudly stood up and showed the result to everyone.

   “Ta-da!” He cheered, holding up a beautiful, made-on-the-spot, blue dress.

   “It’s beautiful Hatter!” You chimed.

   “Do you like it?” He asked, as he handed you the dress.

   You nodded with a smile, excited about the gorgeous new piece of clothing that had been made just for you, and held it close to your chest.

   Absolem pointed to a room in which you could change, and you quickly got rid of the ugly red and black dress and replaced it with the piece of clothing that had previously been a curtain. You took a look in the mirror and fixed your hair as best as you could.

    After walking out, you twirled, watching as the flowy dress danced around you.

   “How did you do this so quickly yet so perfectly?” You asked, curious at the man’s skills.

   The Hatter shrugged.

   “I may be just a hatter, but I do know my ways around fabric.” He explained, and a small giggle left his lips by the end of his sentence.

   You thanked him for the beautiful piece as you brushed a strand of hair away from your face.

   “When you’re done playing fashion runway, should we discuss why the Hatter was so eager on finding this random girl?”

   You were a little offended at the fact that Cheshire had called you ‘random girl’, but then again, you were a random girl, that had fallen into this world by pure accident. Why had he gone through such trouble?

    The Hatter blushed, perhaps because of all of the attention he suddenly got (all pairs of eyes in the room were suddenly on him!), perhaps for some other unknown reason…

   “W-well I- I certainly couldn’t leave such an innocent creature in the hands of a beast, under such tyranny as the King’s! Who knows what he had planned for her before the Rabbit helped her escape, who knows what he did to her before!”

   All of the heads turned to face you, what had he done to you after all?...

   “The King was… an odd character for sure. He showed no interest in me at first, but when he bothered to lift his head and look at me something changed. He ordered me to get my clothes changed. Changed into that,” you pointed at the room in which your previous dress laid in “and then took me for a stroll in the park. It might shock you if I say this, but he didn’t seem all that bad-”

   Everyone in the room gasped, cutting you off from your sentence. The Hatter had gone as far as covering his mouth with his hand and the Hare was gripping the sides of his head, as if you were the mad one instead of them.

    “Would you listen to me? He didn’t seem all that bad as we walked, he talked like a normal person… That was until he noticed the roses in the garden were white… Then he ordered the guards to decapitate whoever had planted the roses. I was scared, and I couldn’t think of doing anything but running.” 

   Your hands roamed in front of you as you explained the story, and everyone in the room paid you full attention, as if you were telling them the most curious tale they’d ever heard.

    The Rabbit, who had been listening attentively with his arms crossed as he tapped his foot, nodded.

    “Yes, yes that’s true. His majesty hates white roses.”

    Cheshire evapored from his chair and showed up again next to you, startling you a little. 

    “And what do you suggest we do with her now? We don’t know where she’s from, and I surely doubt she knows how to get back, or else she wouldn’t be standing here.” The Cat concluded, as he pet his own ears. 

    There was a long silence. Everyone was thinking, yet none of them knew what about. What possibly could they do? Hide her forever? Walk (possibly) for eternity looking for her home? The current circumstances were a mystery no one knew the answer to.

    The peaceful sound of nothing was broken when two tall boys barged in through the uncovered window.

   “Oi, what is this? Is this a party?”

   “So it would seem!”

   “It is a party!”

   “A party it is!”

   You had no idea who was who, but their quick manner of talking left you dizzy with just a couple of words.

   “Be quiet!” The Hare exclaimed.

   His eyes twitched and his nostrils widened in anger as he gnashed his teeth. Clearly they drove him even madder.

   “Tweedles, would you calm down? We’re trying to settle an important matter…” Absolem requested.

   The boys exchanged a confused look and shrugged, before inviting themselves in and settling amongst the others. Absolem sighed and held the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger as he watched both boys tumble inside the house, making as much noise and accidentally tipping over as many items as possible.

    “What is it we’re discussing?” The taller Tweedle asked.

    “Yes, what would the discussion we’re discussing be?” The other one asked.

    “W-we, we don’t know what to do with Y/N.” The rabbit explained.

    “Yes, the King seems to have taken a liking to her and so has the Hatter…”

    The man inquestion looked at Cheshire, absolutely flabbergasted at the comment.

    “I certainly do not! Don’t speak such nonsense little Cat!” 

    You and Cheshire giggled at the little blush painted in Hatter’s cheeks and at the way he became agitated.

    Meanwhile, Absolem stared at all of them with a face that could only be described as omniscient. He sat in his kitchen’s counter, one leg crossed over the other, while his elbow rested on one of his knees. 

    The Hare decided to join the fun and tease his friend, poking his side while giggling and subconsciously twitching his eye.

   Only after a while did someone notice the Catterpiller’s odd behaviour. In a normal scenario he had already yelled at them to settle down and be serious about the matter in hands.

    “Absolem?” The Dormouse called “What are you so quiet for?”

    He only sighed and climbed down from his seat. Everyone followed the man’s movements with their eyes, watching as he walked over to you and tilted your chin up with his index finger.

     “I’ve found the key.” He replied.

    “Hm, and the key for what? If we might ask?” Cheshire asked with big eyes, as he rested his chin on Absolem’s shoulder.

    “For everything, actually. I’ve found what to do with her, and I now know how to lift this dreadful curse.”

    Gasps echoed in the air, and you became a little afraid. The image of you being sacrificed in some horrid way flashed to your head and you prayed to whatever was out there for the solution to be a different one.

   “She, my friends, is going to trick the King.”

#alice in wonderland #alice in wonderland ateez #alice in wonderland au #yeosang #kang #kang yeosang #park #park seonghwa #seonghwa #kim #kim hongjoong #hongjoong #jung #wooyoung #jung wooyoung #jeong #yunho #jeong yunho #choi #san #choi san #song #mingi #song mingi #jongho #choi jongho #ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #ateez scenario

[lareinenoir]

Tom Hiddleston x reader [pt 3]

WARNING⚠️: Swearing in French and in English (Idk if you know any but it's my second language sort of.)

H/T > (hair type)

@messiahofdystopia

If you'd like to be tagged tell me. ENJOY

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Tom ended up taking you to get something to eat. He asks you what you prefer and the thing is, you didn't even mind. Your appetite was pretty big anyway.

"It doesn't matter. Im fine with anything." You say adjusting yourself in your seat. "What do you feel like eating?"

"Maybe Thai or just some sort of soup." Tom said with his hand still on the wheel. You couldn't help but laugh. He didn't look like a soup kind of guy, then again your interactions with guys was very limited since you and your ex of nine years broke up last year. "What's so funny?'' Tom asked curiously with his head to the side a bit a little hidden smile against his thin lips.

"I don't know.'' You shrugged feeling your face heat up because of the way he looked at you. "It's just...I never thought of men to be soup people. I always thought it was a women's thing like flat ironing hair. Not to generalize men and women." You say realizing how ignorant you must have sound. ''Im just going to stop talking now." You mumble looking away.

Lifting his glasses on his nose, Tom nods his head. "Of course. No generalization." He says.

You both end up at a Thai restaurant and he offers to go in. "What would like y/n?" Tom asks you.

Thinking for a moment you shrug. "I'm not good at making choices. I'll have what you're having." You tell him as he gets out, into the rain leaving you in the car.

Where are you?

You got a text Tabatha who you were so grateful to get a text from.

You: Tabby. You'll never guess what happened to me.

Tabatha: can tell me all about it when you get your butt back here.

You: When did you get back from Paris You said two weeks. How'd the wedding go?

Tabatha: Heck yeah I'm back. I don't like Tony that much. Tony mes fatigues.

You: That's annoying in French Right?

Tabatha: Oui now hurry up and get back here. I need some girl talk.

You: I'll try and get back soon. Im with a guy. His name is Tom and he is one sexy Brit!

Tabatha: fils de pute! Thats fantastic! Have fun à plus 😘

As many times as you heard Tabby say 'fils de pute' you never knew what it meant. You were to busy muttering it trying to figure out what it meant you didn't take notice that Tom came back.

"Son of a bitch." He says causally taking out your food.

Frowning you look over questioning what he just said. "What?" You asked taking your food.

And in a perfect British accent Tom says, "Fils de pute. It means son of a bitch, ehehe." Says Tom making you squirm a bit. "I didn't know you spoke French y/n."

Quickly shaking your head you laugh sighing. "I wish. My friend texted me and the way she talks-um- she just can't go a few sentences without saying something in French. And I'm still learning what she is trying to say." You look to Tom who was staring at you immensely. "If that," you clear your throat trying to look away. "if that makes any sense."

"Right if course, ehehe." Tom laughed going back to eating. "Where is your friend from? If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't remember the exact place but it's in central Africa. She moved here my senior year of highschool and we just stuck together like that." You motion with your hands.

You feel him looking at you this time and all you can do is blush and look away. "Do you have any place in particular you'd like me to drop you off?" He asks you licking his lips.

Wow. You gulp staring at his lips. The urge to touch them was strong and the fact that whilst having this entire conversation, you were blessed with the warmth of his hand on your knee.

"Y/n?" He asks again titling his head. Hearing him you didn't speak at first because you were trying to analyze if you wanted to say, 'Drop me off at your house.' But that would make you the creep. And the fact that by telling him where to drop you off, his hand would leave it's place and ultimately, the night would end.

"I'll give you the directions." You grin then turning back to face the dashboard grabbing a hold of your phone.

Arriving at your house you saw that the sky had cleared up. The smell of wet rain still lingered in the air. Tom rushed to your side of the door to open it for you. Such a gentleman you say to yourself.

"Can I walk you to your door?" He asks

As if you'd say no! Nodding your head and brushing a loose strand of your h/t hair. He held out his arm for you as you relished in the closeness of your bodies. The scent of his cologne you breath in and the urge to touch his hair.

GAH! You scream mentally to yourself. This was the first time since you've been out of your relationship that a guy interested you. The first guy to look at you and all you could think about was-

"Here you are." Says Tom pointing to the door and shoving his hand in his pocket. "Your roommate is in there I presume." He states hearing the loud Panic! At The Disco music.

"Yes." You nod laughing. You tried to get Tabatha into some other music but this is what she liked best. Knocking you hear the music stop and Tabatha in her bathrobes with her hair still in a shower cap with a bottle of wine in her hand.

"Y/N!" She says the stops when she sees Tom. "Sweet mother of God it's Tom Hiddleston!"

And the door is slammed in your face.

#@allthingzhiddleston #tom hiddleston #funny #fangirls #funny images #avengers #cute #adorable #love #marvel #fans #tom hiddleston x you #tom hiddelston imagine #tom hiddelson #louis tomlinson #tom hiddleston x reader #readers #reader