#meanwhile i say i am taking time off working but i also rarely work even 20 hours a week

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

while i'm blogging about fanfiction on tumblr dot com for the first time in a while i'll also say i hadn't realized how much of my Energies were tied up in like actual WIPs that were actually in progress - other than the lil settings week fic i did all four of the stories i've posted this year were things where i had the whole concept outlined mentally or for real and at least some of it written/very well defined in my head going into the year. i've been sort of scattered mentally lately and it's been hard to latch on to the next Project when all the available options are, like, solely in the brainspaces and not yet in a place where i feel like i can chip away at them in 20-minute increments on the train which is how a lot of writing has been getting done this year. but we are visiting family starting tomorrow and i am taking like a week and a half off of working and am hoping to be able to use some of that time to hammer out some blueprints for the next phase! and it is kind of nice to think maybe i will be planning out the help i'm alive epilogue in the same place where i sat down and made a color-coded calendar-determined outline of damage control three summers ago :)

#i have been chipping a way a little at once again rewriting the first thousand words of this one PWP with feelings #that has been kicking around foreverrrrrrrrr #the other one i really want to dive into is the eliot makes quentin try dating fic i thought of like a month ago #which i have a super rough outline for #but am fuzzy on the actual beginning... and like truly i haven't written a first scene in AGES #meanwhile i say i am taking time off working but i also rarely work even 20 hours a week #i do a lot of commuting. but still. #one of my current Life Goals is to figure out like #how to structure my time or find whatever the fuck it is i need #so i actually FEEL like what i AM (a person with a lot of free time) #instead of somehow feeling constantly besieged by work despite not working that much #writing tag

[ilovechuuy4]

ᰔ୨୧ Tell me everyday I get to wake up to that smile ୨୧ᰔ

Characters; Chuuya, Fyodor, Dazai, Atsushi

BSD Men and what they would do for Valentines~

A/N: OH MY GOD I'M GONNA SOB THIS WAS SO EVERYLY RUSHED.. I HOPE THIS ISN'T BAD RAHHH I LOVE Y'ALL THO ALSO I GAVE EACH ON OF THEM A SINGLE HC BC YEA!! ALSO THANK YOG @luvfy0dor FOR IDEAS ILY note. When it gets to chuuya's I am NO CHEF SO DON'T EXPECT MUCH...

Scenarios˚ ∘ ٭୨୧∘

Atsushi 🐯

→ Atsushi will go out of his way to get you multiple things, chocolate, flowers, stuffed bears/tigers etc. He'd spend million of dollars on you if he had it

It was around Atsushi come back from the ADA workplace as you sat on the couch waiting for your boyfriend, Atsushi, to arrive back. You wanted to do something cute for the 14th of February which is well, Valentine's Day. You sat directly to the left side of the couch, watching a movie until he arrives.

Meanwhile, Atsushi wasn't making his way home but to the energy markets and stores with a thought in mind. He was ready to make your day even better than before. He searches around the markets grabbing a lot of different things. He was going to spend money, money on you he didn't care how much every thing he got was.

As an hour goes by, Atsushi finally ended up at the cash register. His hands full of all types of goodies. A stuffed white tiger that was as large as his forearm, light red and pink roses and another flower variants, and different sweets and chocolates some in those heart boxes, some name branded. With a bright smile and about 100 dollars spend, he walks home seemed pretty proud of himself.

He didn't think of asking you to be his Valentines because well, your his S/O so why did it matter if he asked? He hums softly as he makes it to the apartment, fumbling with the keys of the front door before unlocking it, walking in and shutting the door with his foot. "Mhm, my precious baby? I'm home." He hums softly putting every thing on the counter.

You perk up and bit, standing up from the couch and skittering over to him. "Mmh, hi my love." You murmurs out hugging Atsushi. "Hey, will you uh- be my valentine?" Atsushi says with a soft smile. You smile back, kissing his cheek softly. "Of course, why wouldn't I not?" You say with a cheeky grin taking the stuffed tiger out the bag.

"Hey this looks like you, silly." You said with a chuckle. Atsushis arms wrapped around you, his face slightly buried in the crook of your neck. "Yes because I want you to think of me every time you see it, happy Valentine's baby.." He says with a laugh.

Chuuya 🍷

→ Chuuya, like Atsushi, goes all out but with the amount of money he has he definitely goes above and beyond, flower petals, candle lit house, fancy gourmet dinner cooked by yours truly and you can't forget the wine that will be neatly set on the table.

It was the time just half passed 6pm and you were on your way back to the home your boyfriend owned. The sun was already slowly setting the hues of the color filled sky shining I to the small puddles on the ground. The weather wasn't the best today but it was all fine if you get to spend the say with your boyfriend.

You take out your keys from your bag, carefully unlocking the door to the large apartment or well penthouse. Once you walk in you see your boyfriend, Chuuya, in some pants and apron, no shirt and lied was he attractive. "Oh, hey doll your back? How was work, hmm?" The ginger said with a smirk, his pearly whites showing off.

"Oh it was same old same old, what are you cooking?" You hum, letting down your H/C hair from the short/long ponytail you had to have up for work. "It's just something simple, steak with peppercorn sauce, that sound good darlin'?" He hummed out, the food looked delicious this wasnt just "something simple" you knew chuuya loves to go all out when it's days like this.

"Yea, something simple?" You said with a mock smile as you watched him cut up the freshly cooked steak that was medium rare(or well done) and then placed them on the plate along with Cajun potatoes and spicy slaw the steak topped with the peppercorn sauce. "I hope you're hungry because I made this special just for you." He said, cringing a bit at his own words as he slips it onto the dinning table.

You make your way to the dinning table and sit down, you watched as Chuuya poured y'all both a glass of wine. "Go ahead, dig in doll I'm not judgin'." The orange haired male said with a shit eating yet cheeky grin as he started to eat his own food. You had to admit, the presentation was amazing as you picked your fork up and began eat, Lord was it amazing it tasted as if you were at a 5 star restaurant reservation.

Y'all soon had finished eating, Chuuya stands and gently slips the glasses and plates along with the utensils into the sink before coming back to the table. "C'mere I wanna love up on you." He said gently patting his thigh, what was he some weirdo trying to get a cat to come? Either way it worked. You stood up and reluctantly slipped onto his lap. He left out a soft groan as he feels your entire body sink onto him, he loved it, he basically worships your body.

"Yea, this is nice." He mutters his arms around your waist and his face buried in total he crook of your neck, placing soft messy kisses on the nape of your neck. "Mmh? Yea a bet it is." You tease, running your nails through his messy orange hair massaging his scalp. "Yea, it really is. I love you doll, Happy Valentine's Day." He murmurs gently biting down on your neck.

Fyodor🔪

→ Fyodor innitonally thought valentines day was just a cringe and corny day but now that he has you he spoils you the best he can~

You and Fyodor have been dating for almost a year and a half and for that year y'all haven't really celebrated Valentine's Day not because y'all hate it just because you both don't know what to do for one another. But obviously today was different for Fyodor he wanted to make this a good Valentine's Day for the both of you.

He saw one of those videos of someone making paper roses out of book paves and took it upon himself to make at least a bouquet of these paper flowers. He started it when he was free from work and you were off with friends. He was on the very last flower, his slender fingers trembling softly as he taped and glued each one together.

Once finally finished he put them in a paper wrapping some were painted a soft purple and others were just the paper color. He only has a few different chocolates, he wasnt 100% sure what to get you since this was his first time buying Valentine's things for a S/O. He had also worked on a hand written note that was a bit cringy but his heart was put into everything and that's what mattered.

You shortly arrive home as he finished up, he stood up quickly grabbing the things and walked to greet you. "My myshka your home? How was your day out?" His thick Russian voice seeped into your ears making you smile as you took off your coat and shoes 'nd putting them in their desired places before going over to hug your boyfriend.

"It was alright they all had their boyfriends/girlfriends around so they left pretty early." You said with a slight smile. "Oh I'm sorry I wasn't their, maybe I should just come next time?" He said with a slightly closed mouth smile. "No it's alright Fedya don't worry about it too much."

"No I will come next time it's just I was busy making this stuff for you." He said taking the paper roses, the note and a few box's of chocolates off the kitchen counter. "It's not too much but it's the best thing I could have thought of, I hope you like it my love." He said kissing your hair.

You smile softly as you read the note, you could tell he put a lot of time in this entire thing, the paper roses, the note and just going out to get the chocolates. "Awe, thank you Fedya..i really appreciate it." You said as the slight smile faded into a bigger one.

"You're very much welcome, you're my everything and I wanted to try this Valentine's Day thing out with you at least once. Happy Valentine's Day my myshka." He hums before putting a slow, tender kiss onto your lips.

Dazai🤕🐌

→ Dazai is NOT like the others in this one bro his broke ass can't afford any of that he's bringing you to the goddamn cheesecake Factory ୨୧

When Dazai arrived home he said he wanted to bring you somewheres as he seemed to be in a rush, he told you to get ready nothing to fancy though. So that's exactly what you did you dressed in something slightly casual not too causal though and then helped Dazai fix up his bandages before y'all headed out.

It was about a 30 minute walk from yalls apartment to the place and ones you saw what it was you smile softly, the cheesecake factory. You love the effort he's put into all of Valentine's Day for the both of y'all. "The cheesecake Factory? Mmh thank you 'Samu." You said with a smile.

"Of course babe~ Let's go let's go inside now sweet cheeks." He said with a smile, he was definitely feeling all giddy as he gently tapped your ss to get you to go inside. Once inside the waiter greeted y'all, you assumed Dazai made the reservation prior or when you didn't know because how else would y'all get in so easily? Once sat in the back of the restaurant y'all ordered the drinks the two of you preferred.

Dazai hums softly his hand gently rubbing your thigh as y'all looked through the menu, Dazai ended up getting the warm crab dip as an appetizer for the both of you. "Dazai, my love, when did you make the reservation? I didn't see you make it any this week?" You said, cocking an eyebrow. "I did it some time, that's for me to know not you babe.~" He said with a cheeky grin as the appetizer came out.

The lighting of the place was warm and calming as you 'nd Dazai spoke about what food y'all should order, he told you to get what you wanted and he wouldn't hold you back which was pretty weird but oh well? Soon the waiter came back to take your orders. You ended up just ordering the filet Mignon with the green beans and mashed potatoes. While Dazai got the Cajun jambalaya pasta.

Y'all didn't wait too too long until the food arrived and y'all started to eat. The food was good it wasn't five star but it was a good 4.5. Y'all finished eating about 20 minutes later and y'all were completely full but Dazai had one last thing. The waiter came back once more and placed down a cheesecake that was to go.

You looked at it, reading the strawberry glaze that was made into words "Happy Valentine's Babe" is what is read, you smile softly as you feel Dazai's hand still rubbing your thigh. "Alright let's go home?" He asked with a cheeky grin as he stood up, leaving the right amount of cash on the table for a tip.

Once y'all leave, the cheesecake in a bag y'all walk down the sidewalk back to the apartment. You unlock the door and walk inside, the brunette placing the cheesecake on the dinning room table. "That was a nice date, my love." You say with a closed mouth smile.

"Mmh? Was it sweet cheeks? Well I'm glad you liked it." He said, he was so cocky but you still loved him. His slender arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you in. "But I bet their cheesecake isn't as sweet as you~" He said as he quickly pressed his lips against yours, his tongue slipping passed your lips. "Mmh, happy Valentine's Day Babe~" He muttered against your lips.

#bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs #bsd #bungō stray dogs #bsd fanfic #bsd x reader #chuuya nakahara #osamu dazai #fyodor dostoevsky #atsushi nakajima #bungo stray dogs chuuya #dazai bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs fyodor #bungou stray dogs atsushi #fyodor x reader #atsushi x reader #chuuya x reader #osamu dazai x reader #valentines day #happy valentines #x reader #fluff #bsd fluff #bsd fanfiction #fanfic #bungo stray dogs x gn!reader #gn!reader #bsd scenarios #scenarios #bsd headcannons

[midgardian-witch]

could you write about the moon boys coming home to find reader just jamming out to music? like you have earbuds in and are blasting music so loud they can hear it from several feet away, lip syncing along to the song like your life depends on it, eyes closed, making expressive faces, dancing all dramatic, maybe not even so dancing so much as just clenching your fists and bringing them to your chest, then flailing your hands and arms around in front of you, head bobbing/banging over and over ya know? (thats literally what i do all the time) thank you! <3

Thank you for being patient, anon. Your request is so sweet I just couldn't say no. It's less a fic more a drabble but I hope that's alright <3

Like Nobody's Watching

tags: just pure fluff | established relationship | gn!reader (they/them pronouns used and as few descriptors as possibe used for reader)

ships: Moon Knight System/Reader (Steven fronting but all three present)

AO3

Edit: added AO3 link

It's a rare occasion that Steven can leave work early. He thanks whatever deity is listening (except Khonshu, that mean old bird doesn’t deserve any thanks) to be able to return home to you earlier than planned. 

Vibrating with excitement Steven opens the door to your shared apartment. With just a few steps in he stops in his tracks, completely enamored with the sight in front of him. 

With your back turned towards them you seem to be having the time of your life. Arms waving, hips shaking, head bobbing to a beat Steven can faintly hear even through your earbuds. Normally he would be concerned about potential damage to your eardrums, listening to music so loudly, but right now he can only think about how beautiful you look. 

Our ángel is having a good time, hm? Maybe we should join? 

Steven can hear the sultry grin in Jake's voice and rolls his eyes in response.

Some of those moves are…bold.

Marc sounds amused and, well, Steven had to agree. You were flailing your arms vigorously and bobbing your head almost violently to the music, still not noticing that your boyfriends had returned. 

Not wanting to frighten you with his sudden presence but also not wanting to stop watching you, Steven felt stuck. You look so adorable, carelessly dancing like nobody's watching. And there wouldn't be if Steven hadn't gotten off of work early. 

Do they do this often, you think? 

It looks like they had a lot of practice at least. We should take them dancing some time. 

Steven nods wordlessly. Jake is right, the way you're moving your body they should absolutely go out with you to dance. Why haven't they done that before? Maybe you didn't like having people watch you dance? Steven would ask you. Later. 

Meanwhile the music changed from upbeat to something more dramatic - or that is what it sounds like to Steven. You're impromptu dance routine changes from wild flailing to what at first glance looks like dance moves an early 2000s boyband would use. 

With a dramatic big jump you turn around to face Steven. Not expecting him to be here already you yelp in shock and tumble backwards. Steven follows you, wanting to make sure you don't fall over or hurt yourself. You clutch your chest right where your heart is and take out your earbuds. 

"How long were you just standing there? You almost gave me a heart attack!" 

With guilt clearly written on his face Steven looks at you. "I am so sorry, love. I didn't mean to frighten you!" 

You calm yourself and shake your head. "It's ok. I know you didn't mean to," you tell him with a gentle smile, "but…how long have you been watching me?" 

Steven clears his throat, embarrassed by being caught. "A while. You seemed to have fun," he answers sheepishly. 

A started laugh escapes you. You nod, your smile spreading into a wide grin. Gently you take his hand and pull him with you to the nearby couch to sit down. 

As Steven sits down next to you he continues holding your hand, his thumb softly stroking the back of your hand. 

"Jake wants us to take you dancing some time. He seemed to enjoy the show," he offers and you swear you can see him blush, "Well, we all did, to be perfectly honest." You lean against him, your cheek squished into his shoulder as you look down at your hands. 

"I'm glad you were entertained," you tease with a laugh, "And I would love to go dancing with you. Although you may not be able to keep up with my moves. I have a lot of practice."

#moon knight x reader #steven grant x reader #moon knight/reader #steven grant/reader #steven grant #marc spector #jake lockley #moon knight #moon knight fanfic

[epickiya722]

You know what, season 2 broke a lot of our hearts, didn't it? Well, here's some moments I thought were funny, heartwarming and just off the wall to lighten things up!

Starting with the Hidden Inventory/Premature Death Arc and if y'all want, I'll do a part 2 for the Shibuya Incident!

NOTE: I may have talked about some of these moments before in other posts.

Utahime, just all of Utahime in the first episode. She's awesome, I adore her. "SHOOOOKOOOO!!"

Chibi Satoru and Suguru. Especially the part of Suguru walking up the stairs as the others were talking. "Urusei."

"SENSEI, I SAY WE STOP THIS HUNT FOR THE CULPRIT!"

"SO IT WAS YOU!"

"Blegh!"

Shoko dipping out.

Suguru was really about to jump Satoru with a curse!!!

The fact that Suguru even went from wearing regular-waist pants to high-waist ones from manga to anime is glorious. Whoever decided that knew Suguru was meant to be a fashion icon.

Digimon

That WALK!!! Y'all, those are Special Grade sorcerers!

Suguru scowling Satoru on his behavior, also... "Satorrruuu~" Did he have to purr? That was a purr!

I love Satoru Gojo, I do. But with those glasses, he really do be looking like one of the Three Blind Mice from Shrek.

I don't know how but Toji somehow made saying he took his wife's last name scary. Like, he was very intimidating that it bypass me the first time of how cute it is that he loved Mamaguro a lot.

They actually added Suguru fixing himself a cup of tea in the anime!! This teenager really had that man captured by some Kissing Curse, told him he couldn't be a rice farmer and had himself some tea. Iconic.

Ooh, Satoru didn't have to do Bayer like that. But I applaud him for taking such a selfie!

Shoko trying to explain how RCT works actually irritated Satoru... which is rare!

Riko actually was the first to defeat Satoru. Did him dirty!! Suguru actually laughs at Satoru getting slapped while in the anime he looks shocked. Either way, his reaction is funny as hell.

"You look like a liar! And what's up with those bangs?" Then Riko got jumped for that!

Suguru's bangs ain't that bad, come on!

Knowing how Suguru turns out, it's something he's the one to tell Kuroi that she's Riko's family. Years later, he had his own "family". It's actually heartwarming he tells her that.

That old man didn't even get touched yet and he was already seeing his dead dog from 50 years ago!! Man's life flashed right before his eyes and he even says that! The whooping Suguru put on him was so bad that he was having visions!!

The one time Satoru is shown to have some sort of charm is with a bunch of school girls. The teacher should be locked up though.

Baghead man really had on the All Might cosplay.

Toji didn't have to say a word to that man and he still scared him shitless. Alright, Toji, I see you being all scary!

Satoru really be carrying kids like they're bags of groceries. Did it with Yuji, he did it with Riko.

"I failed!"

Kuroi being rescued! Satoru really stomped on those guys!

The plane scene. Satoru checking each passenger all with a glare. Meanwhile, Suguru was just chilling with a book, sitting there all pretty.

The whole beach scene!! "IT'S A SEA CUCUMBER!!"

Teen Kento having that hairstyle and his dynamic with Yu is just too adorable. He looks like he has Wii music playing in his head all day. Such a good kid!!

I cannot believe that DIO's VA is also Toji's. It's funnier when Toji has had beef with Satoru as a kid and DIO has had generational beef with the Joestars.

I just know that Worm Curse was having the time of its life on Toji's back while he was jumping around and being tossed about. Also, Toji smiling the whole time while fighting.

Suguru actually has mad hops! Did y'all not see that long ass jump?!

Squid gun. Speaking of, where in the hell did all those squids come from?! I need a story on that one!

Toji talking about how he fights for a while before Suguru tells him to shut up and due.

"Am I pretty?" "Sorry, you're not my type." Okay, well, damn.

The Worm Curse pretty much "NOPE" at Suguru.

That kick was fucking personal, I just know it! Also, the fact that Toji actually thought about the curses inhabiting Suguru's body is something. Especially, given later. I actually question that when Suguru dies in JJK 0, did Satoru have to deal with any curses?

Toji remembering Megumi.

Also, if you pay attention to the Worm, that thing sometimes matches Toji's expressions. It's like Reki and his headband (SK8 the Infinity).

Satoru standing all menacingly outside for Toji.

"Is he high?" Well, given that a few moments later he'll be floating in the air.

The fact that people have described Toji's death as "turned into the Apple logo" to "the Rengoku treatment". Y'all are out of pocket! And he looked so disappointed, too.

"Mommy... hug me..." That scene is just...

"I like girls with healthy appetites!" Yu, never change!!

Yuki's reaction to what Suguru tells her about what he has heard about her. "She's pouting."

"I heard you the first time. That's why I said 'huh'!" Bro was just that mad.

Shoko. Just Shoko when she and Suguru meet in Shinjuku.

Heartbreaking as the scene is, you had one lanky ass teenager looking deranged on one end and the other with the "I'm going to the store real quick" fit on having this fight in front of KFC. Becomes even funnier when you remember the slogan "finger lickin' good". What does this have to do with anything? Think about Yuji.

One, where did Suguru get the robes from? Two, given he was born the following year in February after Satoru, if I did my calculations right... Suguru really started a cult at 17. No wonder there were objections. After he killed that guy, I'm sure everyone was like "oh, he's unhinged".

Okay, but the head rubs he gave the twins were so cute!! Look, they may been raised as killers, but it's sweet that they were Suguru's family. He adored those girls and they adored him!

The first meeting between Megumi and Satoru!!

Satoru waking up and seeing his students was just so heartwarming!!!

#i had this in my drafts since February oh my gosh #just kiya's thoughts #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #premature death arc #hidden inventory arc #geto suguru #gojo satoru #haibara yu #ieiri shoko #iori utahime #nanami kento #fushiguro toji #amanai riko #tsukumo yuki

[autistichalsin]

I got upset at my mom and came across really passive aggressive. And I didn't mean to, and I regret it. I just... she does this thing that makes me so mad

She brags all the time about how she was such a great mom. But her examples are, for some MYSTERIOUS REASON, only ever things she did for my older brother and sister. She had his friends over all the time and they called her Mom too! She drove him to football! She drove my sister to over 10 orchestra-related events a week until she got so burned out she banned us all from doing any activities that required a ride the next year!

She mysteriously never has any such stories for me.

This time she was going on and on about how she was such a great mom because when my brother was 17 he got his first job washing dishes at a restaurant and she'd drive across town at midnight every night to pick him up from work.

Meanwhile, when I was 18 and wanted to get a job, she told me I was to go to college (and she wouldn't hear any of that "I don't want student loan debt" nonsense because EVERYONE gets loans and I needed to just suck it up.) Despite her always insisting we were welcome as long as we got a job or went to school, she changed her tune for me and me only. She threatened to kick me out if I got a job. I asked if I could stay long enough to save money for my own place, and she snapped no, I couldn't use her like that. So I went to college, when I didn't want to yet, and predictably am in massive amounts of debt that it will take me most of my life to pay off. She would later go on to say she never actually meant it about kicking me out, she just wanted me to "do what I was meant to do" and needed a push to "get my life together." Because getting a job means your life isn't together, apparently.

But she gave my older brother rides from work. So she's a great mom. The best mom ever.

I got really angry when she did this yet again and kind of laughed but made it sound lighthearted. She said back something like "oh you laugh but you know I was a great mom."

So then I just said, well, when I wanted to get a job, you told me you'd kick me out if I did it.

She went quiet and gave this weird guilt trippy non-apology about how she's soooo sorry about what she did but she still feels she was a great mom, she just had some issues when she was drinking.

I feel bad for being passive aggressive about it, but I can't stand when she does this. She wants me to tell me she was a great mother because she was capable of treating her golden children well. And she wants me to judge her based on that and not how I, the scapegoat, was treated.

Like!!! She got drunk and told me she wished she could kill me. You never get to call yourself a good parent again once you do that. Not even if it was only once and you were drunk and you actually WERE good before that (which she really wasn't). And you especially don't get to claim that TO the child you said it to.

She drove my older two siblings to all these things, and then never showed up to a single track meet of mine. When I complained to her about it at the end of the year, she said, "you know, I've heard of 40 year olds who tell their parents it hurt when they didn't do that, but I've never heard of someone complaining while they're still young." She rarely came to any of my orchestra performances unless my sister was also there.

In fact, she asked the whole family to help out with money to send my sister on a music department trip, and then the next year, when I was old enough to do it, said they couldn't ask the family twice because it would be weird, and then told the rest of the family that I only did music because I wanted to be like my sister, guaranteeing none of them actually would think I WANTED to go on the trip so they wouldn't help me. I asked if I could do a program the school offered where I could help out at concessions at the sports events so I could save money to go, and she snapped "they shouldn't be making you work so you can go." So I didn't get to go.

So yeah, if you judge her by how she treated her golden children, she was pretty fucking stellar, I guess. If you judge her by how she treated the forgotten child (my little brother) she was alright. But if you judge her by how she treated me?

And then she fucking wonders why I'm closer to my dad.

God I'm so fucking mad.

[utilitycaster]

@rowzeoli replied to your post “@rowzeoli replied to your post “Do you think part...”:

There's a lot to tackle on this so I'll do my best to cover it all! So I totally get where you're coming from and to be fair yes there are some things in old articles that I don't agree with any more in deeming people having done things "first" which is part of the issue of not having a collective historical memory around actual play as it moves so quickly. Most of the issue isn't that readership is down it's that AI and venture capitalism is destroying journalism

​

Hey, sorry for taking a bit to respond; it's been a hectic week and I wanted to give it some thought and time.

I'll start off with the good: I really do, again, appreciate you engaging here, and on the strength of that alone I am going to at least give Rascal's free articles a good solid chance for a while; I have been, admittedly, tarring it with the brush of a lot of frustrations (see below) and I know it's relatively new and still finding its place and should get a bit more of my patience. I also should note that while your article did hit on a lot of the patterns that have turned me - and no small amount of others - off of a lot of AP/TTRPG journalism it is by no means the worst example. The things you credited Burrow's End for are, admittedly, more obscure single-episode events within a huge body of work. Or in other words: there are bylines in the space that make me go "oh this is going to be bad" and yours is not one of them.

With that said: I'm sorry, but Polygon's bias is not a matter of time crunch or lack of funding. There is no way that a time crunch or lack of funding would consistently, over years (this was already word on the street at latest when EXU Calamity came out almost 2 years ago) result in a message of "D20 can do no wrong, and Critical Role rarely does right." If it were throwing out harsh criticism or glowing praise for a wide variety of shows, sure, that seems like it could come from not having a lot of time...but this goes beyond coincidence. It's a reputation that long precedes your entry into the field. As some others in the replies have noted, I might have written the most about it on Tumblr, but it's at this point not an uncommon observation. This also isn't an issue for other publications in a similar "nerd stuff" space - there's plenty of articles on, say, Dicebreaker or Comicbook.com that I don't care for, either because I disagree with the opinion or I think the analysis isn't really worthwhile, but those tend to at least have a mix of positive and critical articles about most shows. When I said you could treat Polygon articles like Madlibs, I meant it. And so I think it's great that you are no longer chasing "groundbreaking", for example, is not a solid ground for an article, but this also is showing me that even relatively new journalists are, very early on, starting with this exact formula. In some ways, that's more damning.

I do also want to add that I'm again, sympathetic to the lack of resources and to coming into a field with passionate and nitpicky fans who have been here for years. Not knowing about a single Critical Role one-shot from 2018 is something that I'd have been much more lenient about if it weren't hitting those repetitive notes of "D20 is great/this thing is groundbreaking/look at the production values." But the other article I posted, also from Polygon but not written by you, is, to be honest, pretty inexcusable. I get there's a lot of lost institutional memory...but either being unaware of, or ignoring the fact that there are a huge number of long-running actual play podcasts that play longform campaigns? That's pretty much on par, in terms of whether your audience trusts you, of the New York Times international news desk not being able to locate Russia on a map (though obviously with far less serious real-world ramifications). (The fact that this was written by a prominent actual play scholar meanwhile is like, I don't know, Neil DeGrasse Tyson not knowing how gravity works, but that's a separate topic).

And again, I get these are your colleagues. I have the luxury of being able to run my mouth without putting my livelihood at stake, and that's not true for people within the industry. I do not expect you to say anything ill about them, nor would I judge any specific individual for getting published in Polygon since I get that people are pitching to a number of sites so that they can get paid! But when I say "Polygon's AP/TTRPG coverage is at needs-a-change-of-leadership levels of bad" I am not alone in this, and it's something that has probably been true for easily 3+ years if not longer. Because it's one of the more prominent publications in the space (ironically, due to Justin McElroy of TAZ being a founder, and the fact that its videogame division is quite good and has had some viral videos, it had enviable name recognition among AP fans that it's only squandered since) it really is at a point where hitting that same formula in any AP journalism - claiming everything is groundbreaking, putting an emphasis on high production values, D20 good and CR bad - makes fans go "oh, more of this bullshit." I don't want to say you can't talk about these things - I definitely do not want to say that you cannot criticize Critical Role - but that specific well is has been poisoned for a long time. If someone hits these points it feels, whether or not it is true, that they're trying to be provocative by going against popular fan opinion, but are simultaneously just saying the same thing we've seen a million times before.

I believe wholeheartedly that from your perspective the competition is AI - and I don't want AI articles either. On the other hand, in terms of what I think fans who are in my position are turning to, it's not AI articles (I'm certainly not). If I want analysis, I'm probably, at this point, going to social media; I am not the only person who writes longform meta or analysis for fun, and I'll seek others who do out. I'm not personally a video essay person, but plenty are, and that's out there too. I'm not going there for reporting on news (I think the Dnd Shorts OGL debacle made it clear that actual journalists are very necessary) but yeah, if I want criticism or analysis? I'm going there instead, especially since there often is that missing institutional memory. If I do want journalism, at this point, some of the bigger shows are getting writeups in less niche publications, particularly Critical Role and D20, as is news of more major tabletop games. It's infrequent and it doesn't highlight indie works, but it tends to be, if nothing else, lacking in major errors or obvious bias. If I want to hear from cast members, at least four of the shows I watch or listen to have regular talkback shows, and Dropout regularly talks to AP/TTRPG figures on Adventuring Academy, and a lot of those shows take viewer questions. Which, again, probably not heartening to hear the competition is even tighter, but I guess my point is I hope it's possible, even with very limited resources, to move away from the above "novelty and production values above all" pattern because even that would do a lot of needed work to rebuild reader trust - and I'm going to be checking out Rascal in the hopes that it can.

#rowzeoli #long post

[according2thelore]

Ohmygod this was my askkkk!! I am so so happy with thiss, rolling around it like a kitten I am sooo fed!!! Tysm!! The twist with it being their intention all along for ES!winchesters to find out…..I am dead, absolutely dead. You are so good, soo creative. ES!Sam you are in for a ride, and ES!Dean, you better get over with your hangups soon and accept what it is.

My imagination is running wild now and because of this being intentional, I am imagining LS!Winchesters now fully staging this setup, lure ES!Sam in it because he would be easier to convince and LS!Sam knows that Dean *deserves* to be with a version of himself, pre cage, pre demon blood, all pure and innocent and fiery and angry and confident - something he is only rarely these days. This Sam will take what he wants. So LS!Sam arranges this thing for LS!Dean and ES!Sam, tells his Dean to enjoy! And my oh my does he. ES!Sam is his to claim first now???? This precious thing, eager to please but also has this arrogance in him that makes him so so so much Sam. Meanwhile ES!Dean is off to run some errand (by LS!Sam's design) but he returns early and sees his baby bro with that older version of himself and LOSES IT. HOW DARE DEAN NOT ONKY DEFILE HIS OWN LITTLE BROTHER BUT ALSO ES!DEAN'S!!!!! HE IS FURIOUS AND YEARNING AND HATES IT THAT HE WASNT THE ONE AND STARTS STRAIGHT UP MURDER BUT LS!SAM MAYBE CALMS HIM???? OHMYGOD

(also??? thank you so much for correcting the misread ask???? I would have taken with greedy grabby hands if you had completely misread it also!! I am OBSESSED with this verse! You are the nicestestestest)

HIHIHIHI!!!!!

GAH! this ask was so cute and nice i was kickin' my lil feet!

this idea is so great! your mind!

this falls into a similar category as one of my most recent posts, and i wrote it accordingly. do i think that LS!Dean would deprive ES!Dean of being LS!Sam's "first" dean? no, i don't think so. that bastard is so possessive i think he can respect the insane-brotherwife grind.

so this is just a delightful hypothetical based on your prompt!

without further ado, enjoy!

"plan b?" dean asks, and sammy lifts his head from his arms. his temples throb with a headache.

dean is sitting across from him at the dining table, nursing a glass of something sam can smell from here. sam snags the glass and takes a sip that curdles his nose hairs before passing it back.

"were we really this stupid? like this dumb?" sammy groans, rubbing a hand through his hair. "i mean, i believe you would be this obtuse, but me? i was just studying for the LSAT like a year ago!"

"oh here comes the big fancy college boy with his big triangle words. you're still gagging for me so hard you're getting an aneurysm." dean rolls his eyes. sammy rolls his eyes right back.

it hadn't worked. they had set those little fuckers up, and expected at least a conversation to happen. but sammy just walked in on their younger selves in the kitchen the other day and they didn't even break apart abashedly! no awkward explanations at all! there wasn't even anything to explain--they were standing on opposite sides of the room!

"did we make it worse?" sammy asks. dean considers this.

"nah. we can fuck it up at least three times as bad if we put our heads together."

so they put their heads together.

~~~

"you want me to what?" sam asks, and there's that blush. sammy tilts his head away so the kid can't see him smile. it's going to make this so much harder if he thinks he's being laughed at.

"pour some sugar on me," dean says, waggling his eyebrows.

sam's face sours.

yup. made it harder.

"not really," sammy is quick to correct. "just...make it look like something's happening."

sam's eyes narrow.

"why?"

and isn't that the crux of the whole damn thing. sammy's done some weird things in his life. he's been to the past. he's been to the future. he's been to hell, been to alternate dimensions, and killed just about every type of monster one can think of.

and yet, having to explain why he and dean want to "parent trap" their own younger selves to said younger self might rank high on that list of weird.

"guy's in love with you." dean says, before sammy can say anything. sammy clenches his jaw. way to just jump into this thing.

sam blanches. "no. he's not. you're--he's my brother. you don't know what you're talking about."

"i don't know dean?" dean asks, eyebrow raised. sam sputters.

"well, you know you. but my dean is different. he's not--" heat creeps onto sam's cheeks, as if remembering the compromising position he caught them in the other day. "you."

dean mhmms flatly.

"then what's the harm? he walks in on this, is not jealous, and it doesn't do anything." sammy posits.

"easy for you to say! you have--" sam gestures at dean, but doesn't look at him. "if my dean caught me like that, if he knew--he'd...he'd never talk to me again. he'd...he'd be disgusted."

sammy and dean share a look. after having been tested so often, so deeply, and reaffirming their...bond--as chick-flick and meaningless as it sounds--the distance they had gained from this depth of anxiety removed the sting from it.

sammy will always remember working himself literally ill over it. but when he feels like that, he has the comfort of walking up to dean and biting down on the place where his neck and shoulder meet. he has the comfort of dean putting sticky notes that read "kick me" on the back, and then holding his face like he's the only thing that's ever mattered.

their younger selves deserve this. sammy has no idea if this is going to change the past. he doesn't know if these two will leave here tomorrow or in a week or in a year and be completely wiped-clean, or if they'll keep it all. but they deserve that comfort, that confirmation, that reassurance, as long as they can have it.

and honestly, fuck it. sammy wants a younger dean to be with his younger self. he sees their insecurities and their weird dance around each other and kciks himself for ever being so blind.

not having dean as soon as it was possible to have him will always be one of his biggest regrets.

so, sammy says,

"okay, listen. if it doesn't work, we have a mirror in 219 that erases the viewer's memories from the last 24 hours. all of 'em. so if we try this, and it doesn't work, we can slip it under dean's pillow, and he won't even remember. a zero sum game. no harm, no foul, right?"

sammy can feel dean's eyes on the side of his face, but he maintains intense eye-contact with his younger self.

no, they don't. they absolutely do not have that.

but for the first time, he can see something like hope in the kid's eyes, and--again, fuck it. in for a penny.

"he won't remember?" sam repeats, slowly.

"not a thing." sammy says, wondering if this counts as lying or self-delusion. sam is quiet for a long moment. he looks between him and dean for a few times, suspicion melting.

"yeah. okay." he says finally, looking at dean with a strange hunger in his eyes that brings sammy up short. oh shit. should he-- "i'm in."

~~~

getting dean out of the bunker is embarrassingly easy.

"you know what i would kill for right now?" sammy asks, suddenly, while they're all sitting around a table in the library. sam jolts, even though he had been expecting it. "pringles. do we have any pringles left?"

"oh, man." sam says, his eyes widen. "me, too."

even though they planned this out ten minutes ago, sammy's dean perks up like he's going to say something decidedly not-on-script. sammy shoots him a warning look. he sighs.

"whoops. i think i ate them all." dean looks at the table, like he's a football player forced to be in the school play for extra credit.

"oh." younger dean says. he sits up straight. he looks back and forth between the sams. "i mean. yeah. if we need a grocery run, i could go get some."

his nonchalant tone is belied by the fact his almost trips over his own feet to get up.

"i'll be back!" he calls, already in the doorway.

"god, i'm so fucking transparent." older dean mutters directly into his own palms as he hides his face in his hands. sam pats him on the back comfortingly.

forty-five minutes later, it's all in motion.

sammy knocks against the door twice as he hears dean's footsteps shuffle down the hallway, and rushes away, rounding the corner so dean won't be able to see him.

sam and older dean are set up in the garage. dean had pulled up one of the cars right next to the door so younger dean could see everything.

they had laid out clear ground rules: no actual kissing, no touching "bathing suit territory" (dean had proposed that addendum solemnly, and sam's face had screwed up, like he was considering if he actually felt anything but annoyance for his brother.)

they had decided on signals: two knocks when dean was coming, one knock if things were going to plan, three knocks for "i'll go get the mirror" for sam, and "oh shit we gotta have a plan c" for dean.

sammy had made sure the door was perfectly cracked to give dean some assurance of anonymity, and they had figured that was the best strategy, since dean was known apparently to peep when he suspected his older self and sammy were getting close.

sammy hadn't expected being able to hear sam and older dean's voices from down the hallway, but he can. he can also hear younger dean's footsteps falter as he gets closer to the door.

"no, you're doing it--" an aggravated sigh. "c'mere." a shuffling of limbs. "you see how the drive belt comes this way? we need to loop it around the--"

a pause.

"what're you lookin' at?" dean's voice has lowered an octave, and sammy shifts, a pavlov reaction to hearing dean like that.

"i'm just--" sam peters into silence. a gasp. younger dean's gasp. did he think it was sammy in the garage this whole time? sammy stifles a smile against his hand.

"you lookin' at me, sammy baby?"

"baby?" sam repeats indignantly, but is cut off by a gasp as something in the room clatters to the ground.

"yeah, that's right. you're my baby brother, aren't you? my baby brother. you like seein' me like this? bigger than you? i know my sammy likes it when i throw him around a little. show him who takes care of him."

sam is breathless, and sammy can hear it, when he says, "dean."

sammy wonders how they're set up. does dean have him pressed to the front of the car? hiked onto a table, like he and sammy were set up that first time?

he realizes that it's killing him not to know.

a coo, from dean. "oh. look at you, sweetheart. you're so hard, and i haven't even touched you yet. you think i could make you come just by talkin' to you? hm? you like big brother tellin' you how much he loves takin' care of you that much?"

sammy realizes that he's started to chub up in his jeans. and he also realizes that younger dean hasn't said anything yet. sammy's torn between wanting to look around the corner and see if he's still there and staying put.

what if sam was right, and younger dean's just not ready for this yet? sammy's dean had reassured him in no uncertain terms that he had been lusting after sam since a truly concerning age.

but what if the jealousy is too much? what if seeing them like that carves an impossible chasm?

"dean, i--i" sam sounds much more unsure, like he's losing control fast. sammy bites down hard on his tongue.

he makes a split-second decision.

he rounds the corner.

and dean's got a fucking gun.

sammy starts in a dead sprint just as dean kicks open the door to the garage.

"you sick fuck!" he yells. sammy's behind him in a second, pulling his arms back. dean's starts kicking immediately, even as sammy is able to pull him mostly off the ground.

"he's a kid!" dean's still yelling. "we promised, fucker! we promised!"

sammy looks around dean's flailing body, and sees sam's horrified face. he looks like he's about to be sick. older dean's leaned him up against the side of the car, and he's not even touching him, just standing a few inches away. sammy's dean has visibly paled.

"hey, that's not--" he starts, but dean's already going off again,

"get your goddamn hands off of him!" sammy starts hauling him away, and manages to kick the garage door closed--but not before dean shouts a parting shot, "you think he wants those disgusting fucking hands on him?!"

sammy manages to wrestle dean a couple steps down the hallway before dean starts to go limp.

"i'm calm," dean says, and his gun hand does actually go limp, so sammy starts to let him go.

"what the hell happened back there?" sammy asks, heartbeat in his throat. play dumb! play dumb!

dean tucks his gun back into his pants. he's looking at the wall over sammy's shoulder.

"he shouldnta' been sayin' that." dean mutters. "not his place to. sam is...never mind."

not his place to.

"his place?" sammy prompts. despite the fact that he's pretty sure he had a heart attack back there, he tries really, really hard not to smile. he's taking this very seriously.

dean's phrase is dangerously close to the point of all this, and sam should not celebrate because he's positive older dean and sam are powering through some angst (that sammy will have to deal with later) in the next room right now.

sammy feels like one of those tv show therapists with big glasses, armchair, and ballpoint pen. and how did that make you feel?

"i don't--" dean's eyes fall to his. "i don't know why i said that." his brows furrow. "i gotta go. i need some fresh air."

and without another word, dean turns around and walks away.

operation: go convince your brother to kiss you, but also not you is a-go.

before he walks away, sammy remembers the knock code: once for success, two for dean's arrival, three for failure. and honestly?

sammy knocks on the door once. and he trails after dean, barely resisting the urge to whistle.

oh yeah. they got this in the bag.

~~~~

@aj-carryon au contraire! you are the nicest! i hope you enjoyed this little ficlet, aj! (i hope that's your name, if not, then i hope you enjoyed, friend!)

your asks always make me giggle and twirl my hair, lol! kissing u on both cheeks!

-lizzy

#ask box #lizzy answers #ES/LS verse #aj-carryon

[katzynia]

I am very interested in smolJay, an unfortunately rare sight in fics - what's in "contractSlade+smolJay" ? Thank you :)

Ah, this is a monster of an idea :D Roughly a year ago I wrote a smol!Jay fic and during writing, it became much fluffier and sweeter than I had planned. Lots of my angstier thoughts/ideas for scenes were kind of leftover. Then, somewhere during spring, I saw a SladeRobin week prompt "Robin hires Slade" (or something, I'm paraphrasing) and that got me really thinking...

What if Jason survived Joker's treatment, and during his convalescence hired Slade to kill Joker when he realizes nobody else would do it (for him)?

Well, the idea ballooned from there. Now that's just the starting act, and the actual story happens in Gotham ~5 years later, when Slade comes to town looking for a possible shipment of Kryptonite rumored to be owned by Black Mask. He runs into Jason Todd and recognizes his one-time employer. Meanwhile, somebody is messing with Black Mask businesses... It's complicated as shit, with identity shenanigans and repurposing things from "Under the Red Hood", family feels, and all that jazz. Honestly, not sure if I can pull that off. At the moment, it's waiting for reinspiration and reconfidence, cause I also feel like all my stories are structured the same way and so I'll have to think about it.

I have ~6700 words written. Here's a snippet (don't mind the typos and the weirdness, it's a first draft)

***

“That’s a gnarly scar, kid,” Slade says. And the funniest thing is that it’s nowhere near the most notable thing about him.

The scar on his left temple is fresh. It can’t be more than a week or so since the stitches were removed. The hair around it hasn’t had the chance to grow back yet, leaving him with a weird and uneven undercut. The scar snakes down, ragged and uneven, all the way to the corner of his eyebrow. His skin is pale and yellowish, the black backs under his eyes a stark contrast to it.

And to top it all off, he can’t be more than fifteen. Based just on his side, Slade would guess even younger, but his voice has certain depth that speaks of maturity. And his eyes. Those eyes have seen some shit. They are the eyes of a person who is not afraid because they’ve been through something so much worse.

Slade can already cross over one of the questions he had.

“He did that to you?” he asks, and without conscious contribution, his own voice becomes gruff too. He doesn’t need to specify who.

The kid huffs, but it doesn’t quite hide a quick flash of resurfacing fear in his eyes.

“I want him dead,” he says, “He shouldn’t be allowed to—after he—” He halts in the middle of the tirade. Slade isn’t sure if he’s trying to swallow the words or try to get them lined up properly. He presses his hands on the table, hard, and takes a breath. Faint pink spots appear on his cheeks. They are starkly visible against the paleness.

“And you want me to do it,” Slade says, after the silence stretches. “Deathstroke the Terminator,” the kid says, “Fair deals. Trustfull--dependable.” He smiles a little, crookedly. “Allows for anonymity.” “What about your other conditions?” Slade says. “I don’t work with restrictions.”

Kid huffs. “You’re the professional, figure it out. You don’t leave unnecessary casualties anyway, and avoiding detection shouldn’t be an issue for you.”

“Except he never leaves Gotham”.

“Except when he does.”

“Do you have a way to track him?”

“No.”

“Which means the most likely location is Gotham. “And if I need to choose? Between letting him go and fighting Batman?”

The boy’s hands clench. Something almost horrible shines in his eyes.

“Let him go,” he says, and it seems like the admission cost him something. He takes a breath and briefly closes his eyes. “I don’t care when or how. Just that he’s gone, permanently, irreversibly, and that nobody finds out. Take your time, for all I care, just end that wretched creature.”

”And if I say no?”

“Will you?”

“Humor me.” The client’s answer to that always reveals a lot. Every job is the most important in the world, until it isn’t and actually Slade is the lucky one for being considered for it, such a privilige it is.

The kid stares at him in silence for a long moment.

“I’d be fucked,” he says bluntly. Slade’s eyebrows shoot up.

“There isn’t anybody of your caliber willing to work in Gotham.” In the boy’s droll tone, it isn’t a compliment, just a fact. Slade had had many clients trying to suck up to him. And it’s the truth: Deathshot is in prison (probably in Walker’s greedy clutches already), Shiva would not agree to a kill like this, and the League of Shadows doesn’t do anonymous (ironically considering their name).

“But you knew that already,” the boy continues.

“No one to do it for you?” Slade asks.

Something moves over the kid’s face. A shadow of anger and sorrow then something like acceptance.

The boy shakes his head. “No,” he says and the expression morphs one more time, into something like determination. “I would need to consider if I’m capable of doing it.”

Slade looks over the injuries. The kid doesn’t seem to steady, swaying a bit even there.

The boy’s smile holds no humor. “I don’t mean physically.”

Some people can’t kill, it’s an indisputable fact Slade has seen true many a times. They can’t do it and still remain themselves. Some would lose some integral part of themselves and never get over it. Some wouldn’t be able to stop once they started, a switch just turning on in their minds.

Something about the boy makes Slade think that he could. He could kill and walk away from it after.

“Alright,” he says. “I will kill the Joker for you.”

***

Thanks for asking!

WIP ask game here

#wip ask game #wip game #my writing #fic writing

[tastybluesprite]

Sick snow day (rottmnt x reader)

Hey, Hello, though it would be cute to write a fic with the turtle bros taking care of a sick reader. I was in the middle of watching a show but my adhd really said “this is more important.” Anyway hope y’all enjoy! I had fun writing this.

Also btw I think I wrote reader to be gender neutral so anyone can read it from their own POV but I’m not exactly sure to if there’s a mistake regarding that please let me know. As I am a girl I usually end up writing x reader fics in female POV.

Warnings: Fluff overload

Summery: Reader falls sick on their first show day and the turtles take care of them ❤️

“SNOW DAY!!!!” All four turtles shouted as they bursted through your apartment. Since you had moved in from Miami just a few months ago, right before winter, you had never seen snow physically and in person before. This was, in other words, your first snow day ever. This would be the first time you’d ever get to even touch snow.

“AaaaCHOO!!”

Well… almost first time.

The boys excitement got cut off the moment you sneezed. It was then they realized you looked terrible. Your face was pale and your eyes were bloodshot. You also seemed to be shivering.

“Ohhh no.” Donnie deadpanned as if to say ‘but of course this would happen’

“Oh boy… Y/n are you sick?” Leo asked nervously.

“Was it that obvious?” You joked, attempting to grin, only for it to be cut off with another sneeze.

“It seems that your body is still getting used to the change in climate.” Donnie commented. “It has been pretty cold for someone who’s only ever lived in mostly warm temperatures. I guess it only makes sense that you’d end up getting sick. Must be flu.”

“But what about snow day!!!” Mikey whined. “Now, now dear brother, our friend is sick!” Leo told him.

“Ugh, guys I’m so sorry. Maybe I can take a quick Tylenol and we can still go?” You asked hopefully.

“Not a chance, Y/n.” Donnie told you sternly, “if you go out in the freezing cold like this you’ll only get worse. You need to get warm and rest.”

You sigh grudgingly, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right… you guys have fun.”

“Woah, no way are we gonna just leave you here to suffer! We’re staying!” Raph protested defiantly.

“B-But..”

“Tsk tsk tsk, no if, ands, or buts, we will stay here to take care of you, and make sure you rest.”

“What about the snow?” You ask, “you guys seemed so exited. I’d feel terrible to keep you from having any fun.”

“Who says we can’t have just as much fun inside?” Leo demanded.

You look down, “Alright then, if you guys really insist then I suppose I can’t change your minds.”

And from there they all went right to work.

Mikey made his special ‘Jupiter Jim’ hot chocolate while Raph and Leo went to get blankets and pillows.

Meanwhile Donnie got a thermometer and checked your temperature, which read 102. “Wowzah! you have some fever.” He said with a worried surprise in his voice. “You’re sicker than I originally thought.”

“Thanks.” You mumble sarcastically.

“But not to worry Y/n, as I have the perfect antidote for your ailment!” He said with rare enthusiasm in his voice.

He got you Tylenol tablets and water, which you gulped down with some difficulty.

“We got blankets!!!” Leo cheered as he threw them onto the couch. You immediately grab the softest one in the pile gratefully and wrapped yourself in it, sighing with relief as your shivers somewhat lessened.

Mikey came in with the hot chocolate and placed it on the coffee table.

They all sat down on the couch, huddling around you, with you in the middle. Leo picked up the remote and began to switch on the TV.

“So what will it be Y/n? It’s your turn to pick.” Leo told you. You look around at the other turtles, who all smiled in agreement with Leo.

“Can we have a Jupiter Jim rewatch marathon?” You ask.

Leo’s face lit up, “coming right up!!!!”

You didn’t know what life would’ve been like for you if you hadn’t met these guys.

#sprite🥤 #fanfiction #tmnt #rottmnt #rottmnt fanfiction #rottmnt fandom #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt leo #rottmnt raph #rottmnt mikey #donatello #leonardo #rapheal #michaelangelo #donnie #leo #mikey #raph #x reader #tmnt x reader #rottmnt x reader #fluff #tmnt fluff #rottmnt fluff

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

The Red Lotus and Azula Would Be Enemies

Note: When I say Red Lotus in this post, I am referring to Zaheer’s four man team unless otherwise noted.

Azula and the Red Lotus are arguably the Gaang and Krew’s most iconic villains, beloved for challenging their respective Team Avatar not just physically, but mentally as well with their tactics and mind games.

That and, as of the time of this post, they are the ones who have come closest to killing their era’s Avatar, with Azula actually succeeding in (temporarily) killing Aang.

So it is no surprise that fans often theorize what would happen if they ever teamed up, either in a what-if situation with all five of them in their primes, or an elderly Azula teaming with the Red Lotus after the events of TLOK or in a AU, and for good reason.

Imagine P’Li and Azula applying pressure using their unprecedented control over combustionbending and lightningbending respectively.

Imagine all the combos Ming Hua and Azula could pull off with their deadly and precise bending.

Imagine Ghazan and Azula slowly but surely overwhelming opponents with their mastery over their rare sub-element bending arts of lavabending and smokebending respectively.

(Yes, this post assumes that the smoke that Azula and the Fire Warriors produced while masquerading as the Kemurikage in Smoke and Shadow was generated through smokebending.)

(Moreover, that smokebending is a rare sub-element of firebending considering no else before or after the events of Smoke and Shadow have been shown to (purposefully) generate smoke, let alone with the control that Azula and the Fire Warriors display.)

And imagine all the dastardly plots and mind games Zaheer and Azula would concoct as they meticulously plot to take down their shared foe(s).

However, there is one massive problem that would prevent the Red Lotus and Azula from ever teaming up: the fact that they would be moral enemies.

This is because the Red Lotus are anarchists who kill monarchs and loathe the concept of states, let authoritarianism. Meanwhile, Azula is a genocidal, colonizing, authoritarian monarch who believes in the divine right to rule.

(Yes, Azula is genocidal since, regardless of who you think actually came up with the plan to genocide the Earth Kingdom, the fact that Azula was eager to join Ozai in his failed offensive, and was upset only because he told her she couldn’t join, is proof that is she more than ok with genocide.) 

Therefore, if Azula and the Red Lotus were to ever meet each other, they wouldn’t join forces, but instead would try to kill each other, viewing the other as the embodiment of everything they fight against.

Hell! Considering how diametrically opposed they are to each other, they might even join whatever version of Team Avatar is present to take out their opponent.

“Ok, you bring up a good point about how their diametrically opposed ideologies would make them natural enemies. But you don’t think they don’t have enough pragmatism to temporarily join forces and take out their shared opponent(s) before turning on each other?”

Azula does considering she was able to work with Long Feng and the Gaang to overthrow the Earth Kingdom and find Ursa respectively, provided she isn’t actively psychotic of course, but not the Red Lotus.

This is because the Red Lotus not only spent over a decade in their tortious prison cells and didn’t rat out anyone involved with the broader Red Lotus organization, but also didn’t rat out Unalaq, who betrayed them and the broader Red Lotus organization.

So no, the Red Lotus and Azula would not be able to overcome their deeply-held ideological differences to form a pragmatic partnership.

“But wouldn’t they be able to realize that they are natural allies, even for a temporary amount of time, considering they both want to end the Avatar cycle and commit mass murder?”

Ugh, as much as it disgusts me to type this out, Azula and the Red Lotus want to end the Avatar cycle and commit mass murder for different, totally incompatible reasons.

Azula wants to genocide any group of people who refuse to recognize the Fire Nation’s (supposed) innate superiority and submit to their rule, and therefore wants to end the Avatar cycle, or at least kill the current Avatar, because the Avatar is the only being capable of stopping the Fire Nation from imposing its will on the world.

Meanwhile, even assuming the Red Lotus is aware of Vaatu’s desire to eliminate humanity, they want to release Vaatu and reopen the spirit portals, regardless of how many casualties occur, because they think it will give people true freedom, and thus lead to a better world.

Accordingly, they seek to end the Avatar cycle because the Avatar, by their nature as the Avatar of the Spirit of Light and Peace, would be diametrically opposed to their plan and never stop fighting them, even if they successfully release Vaatu and reopen the spirit portals.

Or in other words, Azula and the Red Lotus’ reasons for trying to end the Avatar cycle and attempting to commit mass murder are tied to their diametrically opposed worldviews.

“But Azula from Smoke and Shadow onward creates chaos with her schemes of hers. So maybe her and the Red Lotus aren’t as diametrically opposed as you make them out to be.”

Even if the means of achieving her goals are chaotic due to her lacking mental health, everything Azula has done post-Sozin’s Comet is consistent with her being a genocidal, authoritarian monarch who believes in the divine right to rule.

For it is explicitly said multiple times in the comics and extended lore that she wants to either turn Zuko into a tyrant like their forefathers before them, or if that fails, retake the throne so she can sheer the Fire Nation back in the direction it was under Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai.

Therefore, all learning about Azula’s efforts to return the Fire Nation to its former “glory” would do in the eyes of the Red Lotus is turn her from a despicable tyrant and oppressor who needs to be punished for her crimes to a mad dog who needs to be put down for the sake for freedom.

But in no case would it make Azula and the Red Lotus any less antagonistic towards each other.

So to conclude, even though on the surface they would seem to be natural allies, Azula and the Red Lotus’ deep ideological differences rooted in the fact that Azula is a genocidal, authoritarian monarchist while the Red Lotus are spiritually attuned anarchists would make them natural enemies. 

In fact, the real question about a potential Azula-Red Lotus team up should not be how they would work together, but instead who would be driven to ally with the version of Team Avatar present to take down the other.

#azula #red lotus #azula meta #red lotus meta #atla meta #atla comics meta #tlok meta #atla discourse #atla fandom #tlok discourse #tlok fandom #azula is a genocidal authoritarian monarchist #the red lotus are spiritually attuned anarchists #justanotherthrowaway1950meta

[shynetyme06]

1 - 23 :3

cracks knuckles okay

1. how would you describe your art style? uhhhhhhhh, maybe "safe" is the word rn. whenever I think of my art style, what comes to mind is just how little I've been pushing things with it. I wanna change that ;D

2. what's your favorite thing about your style? I realize I like to use semi-realistic proportions, its cool how comfortable I've gotten with drawing faces and bodies

3. what's your least favorite thing about your style? It's so static man. same thing I said for the first question, I don't think anything really looks bad, but it just is lacking in creativity in comparison to the older art that should be looking worse than what I do now. I prefer my older stuff ;D (looking at you inktobertale2021.. where did it all go wrong)

4. favorite thing to draw? regular ol people. human characters are def more in my comfort zone, which explains why I keep hitting skeletons with the humanization ray (also I prefer to draw feminine characters)

5. least favorite thing to draw? I can't even say I rlly dislike it cuz of how rarely I even do it, but I am procrastinating so hard on learning backgrounds..

6. warm colors or cool colors? cool colors are my fav, but i find it easier to work with warm ones (I used to put a cool overlay over all my warm toned drawings hgdhfg)

7. show us a WIP behold, the wip ever. this drawing... was supposed to be posted on august 2022. and then, it was supposed to be posted on dec 21st, dream and nightmares birthday. (atp if I do end up wanting to finish this idea again, I'll probably just scrap it and start over)

8. what's the most fun and least fun parts about your process? most fun is flat color and rendering. (though I rarely do the latter anymore) and for least fun, tbh a lot of the sketching part tends to be difficult for me, sometimes its cool tho

9. show us a finished piece alongside the original sketch example from when sketching was fun

10. how many different sketches do you usually have until your piece is finished? I think I do need to make more of at least thumbnail sketches tbh.. I usually just make one and keep editing it, trusting the process. (and that fails like 70% of the time. woww wonder why sketching isnt fun for me-) 11. show us the last thing you drew, be it a finished piece or a small doodle can this count,,

12. show us an old drawing first deltarune drawing. here's the redraw I later made of this :3 (also old hsgdhgf)

13. how long do you usually take one a piece? depends. I'll have like 276478923 wips started, and then I get a random idea that I just have to do right at that moment, and I'll get it done in like 1-4 hours. meanwhile old sketches start to rot and maybe if its lucky I'll revisit it before my motivation dies and my style is too different to wanna continue from where I left off 14. digital or traditional? digital all the way, i've gotten too dependent on the transform tool + liquefy ;D (and many other things tbh but I'd be here all day if I tried comparing them more jhdjdf)

15. if digital, what program do you use? procreate, the layouts on other drawing programs scare me

16. favorite media to work with when drawing traditionally pen on paper (am I understanding this right wdym media-)

17. what do you love getting compliments about? I like when people enjoy the humanizations I come up with, and also original designs in general 18. are you satisfied with the attention your art usually gets? hmmm yeah

19. how often do you draw? very often, I just don't have finished things to share most days

20. a piece from this year that you're really proud of :3

21. something you would like to improve on the dynamicness (well, the lack of it) of everything, as said before

22. what inspires you? Ink sans and a ton of creators in this fandom (also animated shows and movies, I love animation)

23. what's something you hope people notice when looking at your art? idk tbh, just notice it at all and I'm happy :>

#shy rambles #ask game #long post #twinribbonz #yaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy #another sign to look for more references #my problem may be going from imagination too often

[the12thnightproject]

I don’t know if this is a boring question, but how would you describe Katsu’s and Shingen’s domestic life together? I tend to focus a lot on that.

Things like “how are they during morning?” “How often do they eat together?” Or even “when they are trying to relax together”

I don’t know, I am really curious about that

Hi @selenacosmic

It's not a boring question at all! And I do semi-keep it in mind, both for thinking of birthday events & stuff, as well as knowing that in certain other longfics, we'll be catching up with them, when the timelines intersect.

My ideas aren't exactly organized though, so I'll do this headcanon-style:

They generally don't eat the first meal together (I think historically we're talking about a two-meal day for the samurai class- but Katsu is such an early riser, she probably will beg a light snack from one of Kenshin's cooks) ....

She's more of a morning person than he is, so she gets up earlier and does a message run. She's still intimidated by Chiyome. Occasionally, Sute will invite her along on one of her missions. Katsuko doesn't think Shingen knows about this.

(He knows).

Meanwhile, he'll take more time getting out of bed (or sometimes convince her to stay in bed longer), then spend his morning conferencing with Kenshin, Yukimura, and occasional visiting Daimyos.

He continues to train her in tactics - so their afternoons are often spent going through reconnaissance reports, as they discuss various solutions to different situations. Given that Aki is missing, Shingen is helping Katsu keep Aki's network going, with the intention that when she feels ready, she will take over until Aki reappears. So they both keep very busy. And while it's not at all relaxing, it's something they both love doing.

Not to mention she also wants to keep up her archery skills, and he (and Kenshin) still are teaching her fighting techniques.

On some afternoons, they can both be working very intently, in the brainstorming zone -bouncing strategies, solutions off each other, and suddenly, they'll look at each other, and that work mode will instantly morph into lust. Sometimes, they'll just share a long intense look, the one that says, 'yeah, I see you" but also acknowledges they can't at that moment, because whatever problem they were trying to solve, needs solved first. But they silently promise to rip their clothing off and drag each other to bed as soon as they can. Other times (especially when it's raining... a rainy afternoon just heightens everything) ... well, work can wait...

And so, Yukimura has learned to KNOCK LOUDLY before entering.

Of course, at night, with Kenshin being Kenshin, they all eat together, and it's loud and crazy, and Kenshin always threatens to kill SOMEONE (sometimes it's Katsu - but she's used to it). Just the usual Kasugayama insanity. Some nights they escape that and go into Kasugayama town and spend some time with Toshiie & family. Shingen is the only person who can instantly make Mayumi stop screaming.

Katsu still climbs trees.

(He knows about that too).

You can imagine what they do at night...

Katsu's insomnia hasn't really gone away, but on those nights when she's wide awake and doesn't want to be, Shingen gently massages her back, and stomach, and talk to her in a low quiet tones until she finally drops off to sleep.

If they're living in Kasugayama, there's likely not a lot of time available to truly relax... they might be able to steal away now and again for a walk/hike/ride; of course Yoshimoto is always trying to bring in dance troupes or other artists into the castle, so that would be available at times; sometimes in the afternoon, Shingen will perform a tea ceremony; also, they're not terribly distant from a couple of hot springs, so if they have a rare block of free time, I could imagine they'd go to one of those.

Did the concept of weekends exist? Possibly .... not?

I do imagine though that, given that in game universe, Shingen takes MC to Tsutsujigasaki Castle, that Shingen and Katsu also spend some time there as well - they've got a bit more privacy (and less Kenshin) there, so even though the work would follow them there, they can be a bit more leisurely there.

They'll train together - he's, of course, so much better, but they will spar for the fun of it (he always wins).

I imagine that Shingen indeed managed to figure out a hack to build a Sengoku version of a solar shower - that's something they can definitely enjoy together. And since Tsutsujigasaki Castle is in the mountains.... well, he probably couldn't manage to make her a safe snowboard, but he can build a sled - so in the winter, they can go sledding - they both love cuddling up close on the sled and whooshing down the mountain (Shingen is more a fan of the cuddle than the whoosh, but he knows Katsu needs the mountains and the rush).

When Shingen is stuck with his leadership duties (meetings with daimyos, and/or his clan) Katsu's daredevil ways will win out and she will sometimes take the sled out and try to get it to work like a snowboard.

(He knows about that, too).

Still, free time is short, so when they have some, they make the most of it, both in and out of bed.

Mostly... in, though.

Thank you for the ask! It was fun to think about them.

#asks answered #oc #chatting with friends

[auxiliarydetective]

Falling for Hogan's Heroes - Day 22: "I know nothing!"

(A bit late today, but it's here. I'm very stressed at the moment, so this is the best I can do. This also was not proofread at all. Hope you still like it :) )

“Now, now, Newkirk, hold still, alright? You wouldn’t want me to have to start all over, would you?”

Vicky was bent over Newkirk’s face, carefully doing his makeup. He was to pose as a woman again and she was there to offer her expertise. Truly, Vicky rarely did other people’s makeup, if ever at all, but she made sure to put all her best efforts into it. It was hard, considering being this close to Newkirk made her incredibly nervous. All in all, it felt almost wrong for him to be here with her, in her room, at her vanity table of all places. To make things worse, Colonel Hogan was looking over Vicky’s shoulder with interest, pressuring her even more.

“I still don’t understand why I ‘ave to keep doing this with Vicky around”, Newkirk grumbled when Vicky moved away from him for a moment. “Why can’t she go?”

“Because she can’t pick locks”, Hogan said annoyedly. “Newkirk, we’ve talked about this. I don’t get why you’re still complaining whenever you dress as a woman.”

“Just because I’ve done it a bunch o’ times it doesn’t mean I like it.”

His next sentence was stopped by Vicky grabbing his chin and making him hold still. She took her mascara, moved closer to his eye… and paused. Then, she pulled away and turned to Colonel Hogan.

“Colonel, I cannot work like this”, she said with large, pleading eyes. “Could you leave?”

Hogan sighed but nodded. “Alright. But don’t turn this into an hour-long spa day, you two. I’ll see you in the tunnel.”

With that, he hopped through the tunnel entrance beneath Vicky’s dresser. As soon as he was gone, both Vicky and Newkirk sighed in relief.

“Do you feel alright?” Vicky asked before picking up her mascara again.

“Better now”, Newkirk said and repositioned himself in his chair.

“I’m sorry this is taking so long.”

“It’s okay. I don’t think this is half bad. Really relaxing. Just getting a bit annoying to force meself not to kiss you every time you get close.”

“You can kiss me when you're back from your mission, alright?”

“... Alright.”

Carefully, Vicky applied mascara to Newkirk’s lashes. Then, she picked out various lipsticks from her makeup bag.

“Are we going for something bolder or something more subtle?”

“I say subtle.”

“If you insist. This one stains less too. Good quality.”

“Aw, that’s too bad.”

Vicky looked at Newkirk with eyes as large as saucers. “Too bad? Why?” When she received no answer, she attempted to follow Newkirk’s mischievous gaze. “Oh!” she gasped. “Oh no, don’t you dare. Leaving lipstick marks anywhere on me would get me shot!”

“Well, what am I supposed to say?” Newkirk scoffed, gesturing to his dress and almost finished makeup. “At least let me ‘ave a little bit o’ fun before I die.”

Vicky sighed. “Alright, alright. How about I let you kiss me now? That should last you for the course of the mission and when you get back and I’m supposed to help you take the makeup off again, I’ll let you have your way. Does that sound like a plan?”

“Like a marvelous plan”, Newkirk grinned and pulled Vicky closer to his chair.

She let him guide her and slipped into his lap, putting her hands on his shoulders. The kisses were slow and passionate, yet filled with desire. Newkirk’s arms were wrapped closely around Vicky’s waist as if he was trying to fuse the two of them together. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Quickly, Vicky untangled herself from Newkirk and checked herself in the mirror. Great, her lipstick was smudged.

“Just a moment!” she called to the door before trying to frantically rub off her lipstick.

Meanwhile, Newkirk grabbed the wig that had been lying around on the dresser and put it on. It was more an act of panic than anything else. Depending on who was behind that door, he was already dead either way. The two of them looked at each other worriedly, but nodded. It was best to get this over with. So, Vicky opened the door, only to find Schultz on the other side.

“Hallo, Vicky.”

“Hallo”, Vicky greeted back, standing in the doorway as if to block Schultz’s view even though it was no use. Their size difference could just as well be that of a giant and a dwarf. “What can I do for you?”

“The Kommandant wants to-” That break in Schultz’s speech already said everything. “Who is she?”

Vicky was both relieved and scared. He hadn’t recognized Newkirk. At least not yet. But how was she supposed to explain this?

“A coworker from the Gestapo”, she lied.

“I didn’t see her come in.”

“Of course, you didn’t, Schultz. That’s because she’s here for a secret meeting.”

“In your room?”

“Where else do you reckon a woman could have a private conversation? Oh, by the way, Schultz…”

“Yes?”

“Anyone who knows of this meeting could be shot, so…”

Immediately, Schultz went white and wide-eyed. That always worked.

“I know nothing!” he wheezed. “Nothing! I was not here!”

With astonishing speed, he disappeared from the door, down the hallway and out of sight. Vicky closed the door and let out a sigh of relief, only to hear Newkirk laughing behind her.

“Poor Schultzie”, he chuckled, shaking his head. “I bet we give ‘im a ‘eart attack at least once a week.”

“Once a week?” Vicky echoed. “Don’t you think you’re forgetting a few scares?”

“Right, right. ‘E gets a ‘eart attack once a day.”

“If we count other influences, definitely”, Vicky said with a smile. Then, she picked up her lipstick and finished Newkirk’s makeup, even allowing a kiss on the cheek once she was done.

#hogan's heroes #falling for hogan's heroes #fanfiction

[thegreaterlink]

Reviewing Star Trek TNG - S3E16 "The Offspring"

Sorry, I would've posted this yesterday, but I felt like absolute shit and couldn't finish it in time.

THE PREMISE

Data surprises the Enterprise's crew by revealing that he has created a humanoid android named Lal based on recent advances in Federation cybernetics technology and his own design. He describes the android as his child, and encourages them to choose their own identity. Lal chooses a female form (Hallie Todd) and begins to learn about humanity from her interactions with the crew.

Picard is less than pleased that Data conducted Lal's creation without informing him, and is forced by general orders to report Lal's existence to Starfleet. The news prompts Admiral Haftel to travel to the Enterprise to personally evaluate Lal.

MY REVIEW

This episode feels like an attempt to ape the brilliance of "The Measure of a Man" with a similar theme but without the necessary talent. Though that's not to say it's completely without merit.

For example, Picard summons Data to his ready room, understandably concerned over Data casually creating a fully functional artificial life form without even letting him know, to which Data counters that Picard wouldn't be bringing it up if he wasn't an android, and Picard has no answer. Picard also objects to having Lal deactivated, since she's still a life form. The argument boils down to all of Picard's arguments against Lal - creating life, taking on the responsibility of raising said life - only being relevant because he's an android, leading to a rare Picard double facepalm.

So right away we can understand both points of view. Good scene.

Meanwhile, Data continues to tutor Lal on the various aspects of human existence such as senses and means of self-expression like art. While it's interesting to see Data help another being through his own experiences, Lal quickly begins to ask more advanced questions:

"Father? What is my purpose?"

"Purpose?"

"My function. My reason for being."

"...our function is to contribute in a positive way to the world in which we live."

Sure. Works for me. It's a much better answer than 42, anyway.

But when Data is overwhelmed by her questions, he just shuts her off. Y'know, it's like if your five-year-old wouldn't stop asking questions and you punched them out.

Lal's first day at school goes poorly as well. Lieutenant Ballard (yes, this random side character who never appears outside of this scene in this episode has a canonical name) says the other children are intimidated by her, but the way it's staged makes it look more like she's unwilling to interact with them.

Data explains to Lal that people are often intimidated by things that are new and different, and Lal shows maybe a hint of frustration at the circumstances of her existence beyond her control, an interesting idea which sadly doesn't get much development aside from this scene.

Clearly out of his depth, Data turns to Dr Crusher for advice on being a successful parent. Though some might say he's going to the wrong place, he doesn't have a lot of other options, unless you count Troi. Long scene short, she suggests that Data lets his daughter know that he isn't alone and that he understands her confusion.

"I can give her attention, Doctor. But I am incapable of giving her love."

Yet another interesting idea thrown into the ring.

Data realises that he's not the best person for the job, and leaves Lal in the care of Guinan, who begins to teach her the fundamentals of human interaction and behaviour. Lal even uses the contraction "I've," much to the others' surprise.

Sure, when Data uses a contraction, he's an impostor, but when Lal uses one she's congratulated. That doesn't seem fair.

Speaking of which, this episode makes several references to Data being one of a kind, seemingly forgetting that Lore is probably still floating around in space somewhere.

Guinan is probably the best influence for Lal, teaching her about more advanced human dynamics such as flirting and romance. When Riker comes in and starts flirting with her (I should clarify that at this point he doesn't know he's chatting up the offspring of the last crewmember he'd ever expect), she decides to... test this knowledge.

Honestly, I can only assume that's just the regular effect Jonathan Frakes has on women. Though he did direct this episode, so that may have been biased.

Lal expresses frustration to her father about being unable to feel love, wondering why they keep trying to emulate something they can never achieve. Data explains that the effort itself has its own rewards. Lal tests her knowledge of affection again (thankfully in a different way) by holding her father's hand in a show of affection. I think Data would've shed a tear if he could.

Then Admiral Haftel shows up.

Haftel is essentially our Bruce Maddox for this episode. And while I'm not going to pretend Maddox was a particularly likable character, he was far from the obvious strawman Haftel is depicted as. Because we can't have a debate about androids counting as real people without someone arguing against it.

He of course sugarcoats his intentions with Lal when he meets with her, saying that the Federation would be delighted to meet her. And to be fair, he's understandably concerned that the equivalent of a giant newborn child with the strength of ten men has been allowed relatively free reign of a Galaxy-class starship, but we can gather that it's the same "keep her in a lab like a test subject" plans that you'd expect.

Data is obviously unwilling to hand his child over to the same people who once tried to disassemble him and Picard being similarly resistant to the idea. Lal is also reluctant to leave the Enterprise, and confides in Counsellor Troi. During the meeting she's clearly distraught, even stuttering in her speech, and Troi can even sense her fear.

I want to reiterate this: the empath can sense emotions from an android.

How exactly Lal is developing so quickly and more than her father ever has is a bit unclear, but it can probably be handwaved by whatever technology Data used to build her. In any case, an android feeling tangible emotions and being unable to properly understand them is terrifying, especially when said emotion is primal fear of her likely imminent death.

While Data and Haftel continue to argue, Troi interrupts to tell them that Lal has returned to Data's lab - something she was programmed to do in the event of a malfunction. Data identifies a cascade failure in Lal's positronic brain, and quickly gets to work.

Hours pass. Haftel emerges from the lab with bad news:

"She… she won't survive much longer. There was nothing anyone could have done. We'd repolarize one pathway and another would collapse. And then another. His… hands were moving faster than I could see, trying to stay ahead of each breakdown. He refused to give up. He was remarkable. Just… wasn't meant to be."

Wow, that sounds like it would've been way more interesting to actually see instead of it just being described.

Back in the lab, with Data unable to correct Lal's system failure, he's forced to shut her down, and the two say their goodbyes.

"I feel."

"What do you feel, Lal?"

"I love you, father."

"I wish I could feel it with you."

"I will feel it for both of us… thank you for my life."

Cut to Data returning to the bridge, explaining that Lal suffered complete neural failure, but that he's transferred her memories to him. As he takes his station, he stares into space, obviously affected by the experience.

6.5/10 - Perhaps the most tragic case of missed potential in the series so far.

#star trek #star trek the next generation #star trek tng #star trek review #star trek tng review #jean luc picard #captain picard #will riker #geordi la forge #wesley crusher #deanna troi #star trek worf #uss enterprise #star trek data #beverly crusher

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #130

Is there a person you talk to everyday? Mom and Girt without fail. I'd say most days some messages go between me, Mazzy, and Tez.

Does one of your parents ever complain to you about the other parent? My mother will take any opportunity to talk shit about my dad, yes, meanwhile Dad NEVER has while I've been with him. As a matter of fact, all my dad ever has to say about her around us kids is that she did a damn good job raising us/is a wonderful mother. I honestly would not be surprised if Mom, meanwhile, would prefer him dead with how she handles the topic of him. I know I don't know everything about why they split, but how she is about Dad nearly a whole decade after they split is kinda ridiculous. It's uncomfortable showing in any way that we care about him in her presence because she VERY obviously hates it.

If you have a webcam, do you take more pictures or make more videos with it? I've never used this webcam and historically have also avoided using them at all costs. I only ever really have for virtual appointments.

Who was the last person you wished a “Happy Birthday” to? Actually Kelsee today; she's the daughter of my favorite teacher. Basically an impossibly sweet human being.

Last person you kissed, are they into any type of sports? Which ones? No.

Does your best friend have a job? Yeah, he's worked at the same place for very nearly a decade.

Do you ever visit people at work? Thus far I've brought lunch to Girt at work once, and I plan to keep doing that occasionally forever. I just don't do it a lot now because his work is rather far and Mom has a super shitty car that doesn't need to drive that far, but also I don't have my own income and am not having Mom pay for it. The one time I did do it was with gifted money.

When you move out your house (or if you already have moved out) do you plan on still visiting your parents' house? I fully intend to invite Mom over for dinner like once a week, and I'd absolutely come back here if she wanted me to for something. It breaks my mom's fucking heart how Ashley and Nicole are, generally acting like she's no longer important, and I'll fucking die before I let her feel like I've left her behind, too. I'd still visit Dad too, probably occasionally invite him over. It's a hard situation to imagine just because I already very rarely see him.

What is one thing you hope never changes about you? How much I care about people.

Who was the last person you were mad at? Me.

Why did you break your last promise? Honestly, I feel like the only real promise I HAVE broken (that I remember, I'm sure it's happened more than just once, realistically) is the one I made with Sara, to keep her straight-up diabolical political stance a secret. I broke it because I don't protect the feelings of Nazis/very literal Hitler fangirls. I never should have kept it secret in the first place.

Has anyone ever told you that you were really pretty? Yeah, somehow.

Do you listen to a wide variety of music? Not really, but I've been more open to pop music in recent times... granted, they're primarily songs I grew up with lmao, but still.

What holiday are you looking forward to next? So I'm not very big on the 4th of July just because I'm not this country's biggest fan, but it's more appealing knowing I'll probably spend it with Girt's family, like last year.

Did you ever go through a phase when you didn’t want to take medicine? My problems have always been just being upset over how many medications I've been prescribed during certain periods. There have been many occasions in the past where I've gotten verbally pissed off and even cried over just how many medications I was waking up to and having to take before bed. 100% convinced my memory and focus problems hold DEEP roots in just being so grossly overmedicated by the time I was just a young teenager, and it remained that way for a very, very long time. Thankfully, I'm more at peace with the number I take now; I'm not happy about it, but it's absolutely nothing like it used to be.

Do you love popsicles? They're fine.

Do you like your smile? No, entirely convinced I look high as shit and I know I have a lazy eye when I do smile.

Was the last book you read good? Yup, it was. Jesus, I need to start reading more again... I've been on the same book for SO fucking long.

Does sunlight make you feel happier? Yes, it absolutely does. This was something I learned around the time I started recovering from the breakup and my worst level of depression: I used to be the person who kept the shades closed, lights off always, and just live in the dark. Then I started keeping my shades open and just in general stay in decently-lit rooms, and it made a pretty profound impact on my happiness, eventually. It's why I'm not even big on rainy days anymore; they used to be my favorite, but nowadays I will absolutely feel a difference if it's gloomy outside.

What helps you fall asleep? Fucking nothing. I finally almost cried last night over just how atrocious my ability to fall asleep has been lately; I'm regularly not falling asleep until early morning hours. I just lay in bed for hours on end tossing and turning and being completely fucking miserable. Thankfully I'm starting a new medication tonight that is meant to help me fall asleep... I just hope it works, because historically, meds meant to assist in good sleep have had zero effect on me. I'm one of those people that isn't even knocked out by Benadryl, and you always hear about how that'll knock you flat on your ass.

Do you have stomach problems? Yes.

Do you enjoy editing photos? Yeah, that's basically mandatory to be a notably successful photographer lol, as much as many people don't like to admit.

What was the last photo filter you used? I think it was this one called "Honey" that's on my phone for a picture I took of Girt's sister's dog Onyx.

Do you live a simple life? I'm sure it looks like it on the very surface to people who don't know me well whatsoever, but you realize pretty fucking quickly it's astronomically far from "simple."

What was the last song you listened to on repeat? "Rein raus" by Rammstein.

What are three of your favorite toppings for a pizza? Pepperoni, sausage, and jalapeno are all good.

What are three of your favorite ingredients for a salad? Besides the lettuce, I'm assuming? Cucumbers, bacon bits, and uh... that's it lmao I am MEGA basic with salad. WELL I will say I do absolutely love the jalapenos that are in Olive Garden's salads, like that's my favorite part of the whole thing haha, but idk if I'd enjoy them in every salad.

Do you express yourself better out loud or in writing? Oh there is ZERO competition here, my ability to express myself in writing is indisputably WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY better than my capability to do so verbally. I can barely make a normal sentence when speaking.

Do you sing in the shower? No.

What are three random things you are good at? Writing, taking pictures I'd hope, and understanding animal body language, generally.

What is one thing you’ve been waiting patiently for for quite some time? Finding a job, I guess. Though I've been less patient about it lately. I've been doing daily (and I do mean daily) checks online for around three months now for various job titles I feel I could realistically do, and I'm just not getting lucky at all.

What are three of the most painful things you have ever stepped on? Uh idk, honestly.

If you could choose three US states to visit, which three states would you pick? Alaska, Arizona, and one of the states Yellowstone is part of; I'd have to research more about each state.

What color is your camera case (if you have one)? It's black.

What are three things you like that start with the same letter as your middle name? MEERKATS (are you even remotely surprised), music, and mountains.

Which do you use more: Facebook or Instagram? Facebook.

When was the last time you swam in a pool? Today actually; I did hydrotherapy today at PT because there were no land slots for this week when we were scheduling. Well, I guess I didn't really swim because I couldn't get my tattoo wet (it's a saltwater pool), like both my feet never completely left the bottom, but still.

Who or what do you worship? Nothing; I'm not even really a "hail thyself" person just because I think it puts too much divine worth on just us insignificant humans. We're nothing special in the grand scheme of the universe and I think that mentality feeds the ego too much.

Do you know a Ted? Yeah, that's the name of one of my childhood friend's dad.

Have you ever swam in one of the Great Lakes? No.

What is one thing you wish were more easily accessible? ADEQUATE FUCKING HEALTHCARE.

Have you ever chopped something with an axe? No.

What is one mistake you’ve made that you hope to never repeat? Hand my entire identity and worth over to another person.

What was the last thing that kept you awake? My brain doesn't know how to shut the fuck up whenever I try to sleep; that's the primary problem, and it's been that way since I was a literal child. My brain is just always, ALWAYS going, even when I try to tell myself to just concentrate on sleeping. Then there's also the fact my tattoo is starting to scab, and just because of the location, I can really feel the scabbing pull when I roll around in bed, and that obviously hurts.

If you have pets, do they sleep in your bedroom at night? Roman generally does, and sometimes Cookie decides to sleep in my bed instead of Mom's. Venus' terrarium is also in my bedroom.

Can you sleep with background noise or does it keep you up? Only if it's something on the quieter side and monotonous, like a fan. I definitely struggle with like, a TV being on.

Who was the last person to cook you a meal? What did they make? Mom made popcorn shrimp and white rice tonight.

Who was the last person you cooked a meal for? What did you make? I made eggs once when Sara was here.

Who is your female celeb crush? (If applicable) Y'ALL I fucking hate wrestling and find the acting cringy as shit, including whom's I'm about to mention (I know because my niece and nephew like watching????), but Rhea Ripley could RUIN ME and I would thank her

Who is your male celeb crush? (If applicable) I don't think I'll ever be able to explain my level of attraction towards Richard Kruspe even though he could literally be my dad h e l p

Do you have a favorite Marvel character? Probably Deadpool.

Favorite DC character? Harley Quinn.

Who has been your favorite actor to play Batman (live-action)? No opinion, I haven't even seen them all.

Who has been your favorite live-action Joker? Heath Ledger was MADE for the role imo, even if it did cause him a lot of harm. I probably also just have a bias because Heath Ledger's Joker was Jason's favorite thing on the face of the planet.

Has a horror film ever actually scared you? Which one(s)? [TW: RAPE MENTION] There's only been one that has, and that's only because it fed off my pregnancy phobia: The Rite. Doubt it's spoiler material with just being a big part of the plot and it's an old movie now, but a woman is raped by either a demon or just straight-up the devil and it's EXTREMELY fucking gross, like I could not handle it. I still wouldn't watch it to this day, I'm pretty sure I didn't even finish watching it when Nicole had it on. Like obviously I don't believe in supernatural impregnation but I still couldn't handle it.

What was the last horror movie you saw? Well Girt and I startedThe Black Phone but didn't finish it, I've told this story enough.

What was the first horror movie you remember seeing? What did you think of it? Hmmmm... it might have been the OG Paranormal Activity movie. At least, that's the first I remember. I liked it; I tend to like "paranormal evidence" horror films, the ones that seem like they actually happened and can't be explained. I find those much easier to put yourself into/imagine them happening to you.

Name a few historical figures you find interesting. Why? I don't care enough about history for this lmao.

What is your favorite historical film and why? The Boy in the Striped Pajamas because it tears my fucking heart ENTIRELY open every time I see it. I'm crying without fail.

Do you usually enjoy historical films? Not usually, or at least they're not the sort of movies that I seek out.

Name a sequel film (any franchise) you like better than the first film. Why is that? Shrek 2 lmao, the first movie is absolutely legendary and I love it but the second is just more fun to me.

Which do you find most interesting: Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology? Why? Greek. I think it's just because that's what I know most about, though. I will say what I know of Norse is awesome too; it has total potential to be my favorite if I actually knew more about it. All I do know comes from the two most recent God of War games, and while I'm quite sure it is a rather accurate representation of key roles and events, I'm definitely not sure.

Which tale from whichever mythology you listed above do you find most interesting? ... You're making me realize I actually don't remember a lot of Greek mythos lmao, it's been too long since I was in mythology class. With Norse though, I think Jörmungandr as well as Sköll and Hati's lore are very cool.

Do you collect anything? What was the last item you added to that collection? Meerkat stuff is my primary collection; I think the last thing I got relating to meerkats was a shirt. I also collect Silent Hill merch, but I can't recall what the last thing I added on was.

What is your favorite vampire movie? I don't really have one.

Your favorite fictional couple? This is BASICALLY impossible, but I thiiiink I can pick one: Woo Young-Woo and Lee Jung-Ho from Extraordinary Attorney Woo, like that is just a STRAIGHT-UP wholesome, genuine relationship that warms my fucking heart to mush.

Do you have a favorite historical couple? Nope. Again, just don't know enough about history or care enough to dig into their personal lives, especially.

#survey #surveys #random questions #personal questions

[tumbling-darkling]

The boy who lived and the professor that didn’t (for the most part)

AO3

During Harry's second year at Hogwarts, a strange and unexpected man starts teaching his Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

(A Danny Phantom X Harry Potter crossover)

Chapter 1

Harry took a seat in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, glancing over to Ron who sat beside him and then scanning the classroom for their new DA professor. He already met the man in Diagon Alley, blonde and very much interested in only himself. Harry shivered as he remembered being pushed towards him as people took pictures of the famous wizard and the boy who lived.

At least it wasn’t worse than a head of the dark lord growing out of the back of the professor's neck.

Well- Harry did thumb through some of the textbooks before classes started. He absolutely agreed with Hermione who was very vocal about the books- they didn’t actually seem to teach anything. Just spoke about the ‘many adventures of Gilderoy Lockhart’.

Maybe this will just end up being an easy class.

The door slammed open 15 minutes past the start of class, startling the students as they swiveled their heads to look at the newcomer, expecting Gilderoy Lockhart.

Instead a tall man with a slim frame and hunched posture strode into the room. He had messy black hair pulled in a very horrible and tangled loose bun with the remaining dreads lazily dangling at the man's shoulders, his chin and cheeks covered in unshaven stubble. His robe was creased and torn, his hat loosely hanging from his hand and his sleeves pushed almost all the way up his arms. What really caught people’s attention was those eyes. Unnaturally clear and bright icy blue, so blue that even in the bright light they seemed to slightly glow.

He quickly pulled down his sleeves as he walked past the students towards the front of the room, grumbling slightly under his breath about something Harry couldn’t catch. He tossed the hat aside, muttering more loudly about how ‘wizard hats are so stupid and impractical I’m not wearing that garbage’ before he turned towards the class.

“My name is Fenton- er Professor Fenton I guess. Since I’ll be teaching you about…” he glanced down at the podium he stood in front of, crouching a little as if looking for something before straightening back up. “Defense… Against the… Dark… Arts,” he said slowly and not very confidently. Then he whispered again to himself but just loud enough for some students to pick up, “they see me fight one god damn ghost and suddenly I’m an expert on all dark magic entities? I think I’ll fight Dumbledore after this.” He straightened a little, eyes looking over the classes.

Harry did not like those eyes lingering on him for half a second longer than the others. He didn’t like this professor looking at him at all.

Something just didn’t feel right.

“Alright, any questions?”

A hand immediately went up, and Harry knew exactly who it belonged to.

“Uh- yes miss-?”

“Hermione Granger. Wasn’t our professor supposed to be Gilderoy Lockhart?”

“Yeah- that guy. He’s a phoney.”

The class went silent before someone yelled out, “WHAT?”

“Guy went around, found Wizards and Witches that did cool things, made them forget it then took all the credit. Tried to take my credit and I hit him a little too hard. Now I’m here taking his place. It’s all over the news, you know. You can read the exaggerated details in there. Anything else?”

The same hand went up.

Professor Fenton sighed, “yes?”

“Why were you 15 minutes late? Shouldn’t professors be on time? And why do you look like you crawled out of the forbidden forest.”

“I fought a ghost. Then got lost,” Fenton deadpanned.

The class went silent.

Fenton then turned around, “well if that’s all, let’s get started with something I know a lot about. What do you already know about Ghosts?”

-

-

-

“You’re seriously more afraid of Professor Fenton than Professor Snape?” Hermione asked Ron. “He’s not even mean! Sure he’s grumpy but he doesn’t beat down every question I ask him! He even seems to be glad I’m asking questions! Unlike Professor Snape who just treats us like idiots for not knowing something.”

“Sure- he’s not mean or cruel but… he just freaks me out. Like how he just stares sometimes at empty walls! Or how the room temperature always drops the moment he seems to take a single step into the room! I can’t even hear his footsteps when he walks! He’s bloody freaky is what he is!”

“Well I for one am glad he’s our Professor! Imagine having a phony for a professor! Though he talks a lot about ghosts. Ghosts can’t cause people harm. At most they give a little scare but it’s not like they could cause terrible damage.”

“What about those ectoplasm based ones he was talking about? The solid ones?” Harry asked.

“Rare and unlikely. Ectoplasm doesn’t form in the magical world, Harry! The stuff that leaks through and hangs in the air is only enough to allow ghosts like Nick or Myrtle to hang around in harmless ways.”

“But he said he fought a ghost before he arrived in class! And he looked really beat up!”

“He said he got lost too! Maybe he just stumbled across a guard dog like Fluffy and made up something about ghosts!”

“What if it’s like the last professor though? What if he’s looking for another secret object in Hogwarts walls?” Harry hissed softly, “Ron is right that he just has a sense of oddness about him! I just don’t trust him!”

“Harry, you’re just paranoid from last year. Professor Fenton is normal. Now pick up your pace, we’re going to be late for our next class!”

-

-

-

Professor Fenton glanced down at Harry, then back at Professor McGonagall, “he has what with me?”

“Detention. You see, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley caused a bit of a fuss by driving a flying car in plain sight of several muggles, and risked exposing the magical world. As such, his punishment has been detention. I trust you can find some fitting work for him to do as he reflects on his actions?”

Fenton crosses his arms, his mouth tightening slightly into a grimace as his fingers slightly tapped his own arms. “This won’t be every night, will it?” He asked.

“No, we will be switching supervisors for a few weeks but you may also need to supervise Mr. Weasley sometime before then.”

Fenron let out a sigh of defeat, “well- alright. I’ll take care of it then.”

Professor McGonagall gave a curt nod before turning stiffly and walking off. Professor Fenton scratched at the back of his neck as he watched her walk off, then glanced down at Harry, those eyes seeming to search him for… something. Then that stern look relaxed into a lopsided grin, “So you were the one that made that stuck up ministry trip over their hats and scramble around in blind panic! I say, hats off to you young Potter!” He laughed.

Harry blinked in confusion at the shift in mood, then Fenton patted him on the back, “hey, no need to look so freaked out! I’m not gonna bite ya!” He began walking forward, and it took Harry an extra second to realize that the professor was moving and he should follow. “Oh, wait you probably are a little freaked out, huh? I guess my mood could have been a bit better this morning, I was just a little flabbergasted today. I was kinda rushed into this position, you know.” He shrugged, his hands shoved into his cloak’s pockets. He didn’t really walk like any of the other Hogwarts professors. He had this relaxed saunter, like he was more of a visiting relative than a staff member. “Say, let’s say your ‘punishment’ will just be helping me bring some books from the library to my quarters. There’s a lot I need to run through and a single trip would make all the difference.”

Harry nodded, finding it hard to keep up with the man's long strides. “So… you don’t like the ministry of magic?” Harry asked.

Professor Fenton huffed in annoyance, “not one bit. They are almost worse than observants!” Harry had no idea what those were. Another level of magic government? “They try to control every little thing. Don’t expose magic to the normal world. Don’t use magic to make technology without permission. Don’t use magic to save muggle children if people are watching.” His said in a mocking tone, “they have so many rules that are outdated or stupid. Never trust a government, kid! Especially a magical one!”

“What are… observants?”

Fenton glanced down at Harry, “oh those stuck up jerks? They are like the government of the ghost realm. Really annoying. Unlike the Ministry of Magic, they actually know how to find me!” He laughed.

“Ghosts have governments?”

“Oh yeah! They have more of a monarchy, the observants are like hermit wizards that only step in when they believe the world is in peril. Meanwhile the rest falls on the shoulders of the Ghost King.”

Harry frowned, “I’ve never read about that in the textbooks. Hermione says that ghosts are just harmless beings formed from souls that aren’t ready to leave the mortal realm.”

“Well she’s half right. There’s different kinds of ghosts, like Sir Nicolas and the Bloody Baron. They are more like echoes. Souls that cling desperately to this world but didn’t have enough ectoplasm to become a fully solid ectoplasmic being. They won’t leave for the infinite realms until they are ready, though many believe they are trapped here forever. More solid ghosts form in a similar way but are exposed to more ectoplasm, but rarely show up because natural portals to the infinite realms are sparse and in between. Well until about a decade ago.”

“Infinite Realms? Natural Portals?” Harry felt like his head was going to explode.

“Well, there should be some books about that in the muggle section.. Though some wizards would say it’s all garbage because muggles discovered and studied it. Just look up my name under the author and you should find some.”

“Oh… wait- did you write them? Is that why you know so much about ghosts?”

Professor Fenton barked out a loud laugh, doubling over as he clutched his sides, “Ah! No! No, I didn’t write them! My parents did!” He cackled. “Ah, yeah but I did learn from them. And a bit of field work. Tell Miss Granger to check them out too, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind having something to read. She reminds me of my sister in that way.” He stopped in front of the library doors, “Aha! I knew we would find this place eventually!”

Harry looked at Professor Fenton in bewilderment, “you didn’t know where we were going?!”

Fenton shook his head and shot him another grin, “nope! I’ve been constantly getting lost in these dumb halls. This place constantly moves and I absolutely hate it. Even the Infinite Realms make more sense than this castle!”

Harry stuttered, “If the infinite realms is where ghosts go, isn’t that like… the afterlife? You’ve been to the afterlife?”

Professor Fenton lazily shrugged and opened the doors to the library, “yes and no. It’s all complicated. I’ll tell you a different time.”

Harry stood there for a few more seconds as his brain tried to catch up with the information, and once he managed to close his mouth he chased after the Professor.

-

-

-

Harry glanced around the Professors room as he followed after him, arms filled with books that seemed to suspiciously be only about the Dark Arts. He’d never been to a professor's living quarters, at most he had been in some offices. Even so, it was not at all what he imagined a wizard's living quarters would look like.

First off, there seemed to be technology. He recognized a coffee machine on a low table, but it wasn’t plugged into anything. There was an odd box that looked like a slightly smaller television, it’s screen black and wires sticking out of it attached to a rectangular box with a lot of buttons on top of it and a small round device. There was also a radio, and a huge telescope leaning out the largest window. As Harry looked, he began to notice spaceships literally in every corner of the room. Different kinds as well, some would even move and blast off. The most amazing part was the roof of his room. It was almost exactly like the great hall as it rose into dark nothingness, but the stars were MUCH brighter and all the constellations had been traced out, some brighter than others. For someone who knew a lot about ghosts, he seemed to really like space. Then there were also some odd things thrown around, like a very weird looking thermos. Or a metal… boomerang?

“Just place them over here, Harry!” Fenton called as he dropped his pile of books onto a couch in the corner. Harry did as he was told, placing the books down a little more gently than the professor did.

“Professor… how did you get these things to work? Technology usually… explodes around magic,” Harry asked.

“Oh! Well it’s because I power them myself!” Professor Fenton chirped. “They don’t work the same way as regular technology. Again, I recommend checking out some of the notes in the Fentons books, they have a lot of stuff that works in the magical realm.”

“Why would you need it though? Doesn’t magic make up for a lot of technology?” Harry asked.

“Ah, but that’s where you are wrong you see! There is nothing in the magical world that is equivalent to the coffee machine!”

Harry blinked, “... what.”

“It’s a very important machine, Harry. You will depend greatly on it once you need to stay up for an entire week. But! It seems our time together has come to an end. Thanks for your help, Harry, and if McGonagall asks, tell her I made you scrub toilets or something,” he winked.

Harry grinned back, heading towards the doorway to go find Ron and Hermione. He closed the door behind and the moment it clicked shut, he saw a flash appear from under the door.

He paused slightly, but shrugged. Maybe a comet passed by on the enchanted roof of his room. He then headed down the halls to find his friends.

-

-

-

“Not normally invited?” Harry asked.

Hermione nodded, “Ghosts throw death day parties like birthday parties, but rarely do they ever invite living people!”

“I see, so Sir Nick really wanted us to be there,” Harry pondered as the trio entered the party area. He immediately was hit with an awful stench, nearly gagging before he had to swallow it as Sir Nicholas noticed their arrival and approached swiftly with the widest smile they had ever seen on his face.

“Harry! Ron! Hermione! You all made it! Oh this brings such joy to my cold, dead heart!”

“Glad to see you as well, Sir Nick,” Harry struggled not to gag on the smell.

“Say, why do ghosts even celebrate the day they died? Isn’t that… like a very traumatic experience you would rather not remember?” Ron somehow managed to ask.

“Well, ghosts like to celebrate it to commodirate a start to a new chapter of our afterlife!” He paused, glancing across the room for a split second, “most ghosts that is, and the death day isn’t to remind us of our death. It more serves to encourage us to look forward! No one really wants to remember how we died. Never a pretty picture.”

Harry followed Nicholas’s gaze for the split second glance, then noticed a ghost he had never seen before. He ignored the smell (they would have to ask about that later) and nudged Hermione, pointing at the ghost, “hey Hermione, have you ever seen that ghost around the castle before? I don’t remember seeing him from last year…”

The ghost in question seemed so much stranger than the rest, he had a brighter glow, where he should have had legs, merged into what seemed to be a ghostly tail, drifting lazily like caught in a breeze. Long hair whiter than snow itself drifted around like caught underwater, and bits that weren’t drifting were braided neatly and lost in the rest of it as it constantly moved. The ghost had purple skin, pointed ears, green freckles dotting his cheeks and long sharp fangs showing as he laughed at another ghost's joke. He dressed like a medieval lord, wearing a delicately detailed black and white tunic tucked into a braided belt circling his waist, his ghostly tail completely black. Thick white leather gloves covered both his hands as he waved them around while he spoke. A white cape hung off his shoulders, but when the cape occasionally drifted to show the inside, it was like the ghost had taken the night sky and attached it to the garment. Thick fur wrapped around his shoulders and long and sharp horns that looked like ice circled his head like a crown.

Toxic green eyes that had irises that seemed to swirl around the pupil glanced at the trio and Harry suddenly felt very very small.

“I… don’t know. I haven’t even heard of any ghost that looked like him before,” Hermione seemed like she was at a loss, probably scouting through her thoughts and memories for any trace or mention of the unfamiliar ghost.

Sir Nicholas cut in, “oh! That may be because King Phantom doesn’t live in this castle! He’s mainly only here to visit for the year!”

Ron gapped, “... did you say… king? Was he a king before he died?”

Sir Nicholas frowned, “no, of course not! He’s the king of all ghosts! King of the infinite realms! The one who defeated Pariah Dark in single combat barely a year after he died! The youngest and most beloved king we ghosts have had in such a very long time.”

“There’s a king of ghosts? And that’s him?” Harry asked.

“That’s what I just said, my dear boy. Keep up!”

“I don’t want to seem rude, Sir Nicholas but… why is he here?” Hermione gasped, “if he really is such a powerful and imposing figure, doesn’t he have a lot of duties to fulfil?”

“Well, he told us he was technically here on business but that it requires time and an investigation that could take a few months. So he could visit and celebrate with us from time to time! He’s a very relaxed man, I assure you. Here let me introduce you all to him! My Liege! I have some friends you absolutely must meet!”

The King looked over and smiled widely, “friends, you say?” His voice echoed more than the other ghosts, seeming to carry across the room as he spoke. He then blinked in surprise and turned to Nick, “Sir Nicholas… you realize these three are still amongst the living?”

“Why of course! Harry is the Boy Who Lived! The first to survive the death spell!” Sir Nicholas said quite proudly.

The King drifted down towards the three, causing Ron to slightly flinch at his approach, his hands clasped together as worry seemed to etch on his face, “well, most ghosts don’t have a very good sense of smell or taste, right? Which is why we have all the rotting food out?”

“Yes?” Sir Nicholas still didn’t seem to catch on.

King Phantom held out his hand, producing clothing hanger clips made purely of ice, “The living can still very much smell and taste, and I don’t think it’s exactly the smell of roses and lavender.”

Sir Nicholas blinked, “oh. Oh! Oh Harry and friends, I apologize for forgetting such a detail!”

Harry, Ron and Hermione all graciously accept the clips, pinning them on their noses to escape the horrid smell. Then Hermione turned towards the Ghost King with a glint in her eyes, “wait- how did you do that? Ghosts aren’t this solid- and they definitely can’t use magic!”

Phantom chuckled, drifting back into the air as he pointed to the crown of ice horns on his head, “Well first off, I’m the king so I get some bonuses. As well as not all ghosts work the same. You should try listening to that Dark Arts professor of yours when he talks about ghosts. He’s quite knowledgeable about all things not living.”

“But- but years of documentation and research-!” Hermione tried to argue before the King tutted.

“Information is constantly changing and growing, something that seems pretty constant could change in seconds and turn your whole world upside down. Not to mention, many different types of ghosts like myself only became more common recently. Before, most of us were confined to the infinite realms, only ghosts like Sir Nicholas forming for many centuries and the different kinds rarely slipped out.”

“Well-, what changed?” Hermione challenged.

King Phantom sported a playful grin, “I d̶͙͉̓̓i̷̢̩̬̘̟̽ę̴̘̲̹̤͌̊d̸̢̳̞̄.”

He then turned and left the three on that note as he went to join other ghosts at the party.

“What does he mean by that?” Hermione huffed.

“He’s got an odd sense of humour, that’s for sure,” Sir Nicholas laughed.

-

-

-

Harry couldn’t stop his glare that shot towards Professor Snape as he accused Harry of petrifying Mrs. Norris and writing the bloody message that stained the wall. Before he could snap back at him that he did not do any of this, Professor Fenton seemed to almost step out of thin air to his defense.

“Mr. Potter was with me all night, he did not do this,” his voice laced with a chilling venom. Was he… lying for him?

Snape tilted his chin up, attempting to look down on Fenton who was no longer hunched, and instead stood tall at his full height. It was quite difficult to do as it turned out, Fenton towered over every other Professor in the area. “And who, pray tell, are you?” Snape seemed to almost spit.

A sinister grin spread across the tall Professor's features as he stepped in front of Harry, leaning menacingly over the shorter wizard and blocking his view of the student, “Professor Fenton, the professor of the Dark Arts. Accusing a second year of such a powerful spell isn’t a very wise take, now is it Professor Snape?” Fenton basically spat his name.

Snape glared back, “you would be surprised what Potter is capable of, especially the trouble he gets himself in.”

“How about you try not pinning the blame on a 12 year old child?”

“That is enough out of both of you,” Dumbledore stepped in. “We all know Harry was not responsible for this, as Professor Fenton’s defence is true. We have a healthy patch of mandrake roots that will cure Mrs. Norris of her petrification, and students will resume their classes while the professors investigate the issue. Now you three will return to your dorms for the rest of the night.”

Harry hesitated before he headed back towards the dorms, but didn’t fail to notice how Professor Fenton’s eyes flashed toxic green, or the wink sent in his direction.

#harry potter #danny phantom #fic #crossover #crossover fic #my writing #adult danny #the boy who lived and the professor that didn't (for the most part) #Danny is a DA professor #saw harry potter danny phantom crossover #then saw teacher au #and was like #WHAT IF #HE WAS A MAGIC TEACHER? #and here we are #more tags in the ao3 link #danny is a ghost king #hes always king fight me #dumbledore saw him beat up and expose lockhart #and said #ghost king rules #this man now has the job #Danny befriends the other ghosts #mixing in both ghost lore