#sad that there's not as much material to work with for these three...... yeah even lwj in the books

[scientistservant]

I'm sorry for sending in another ask 🙈 But I need to know your opinion, as I haven't had a chance to read it. Sooooooo, why is Long Live The Pumpkin Queen, bad? Did they fuck up the doc and Sally that badly? Like are we talking about Love Never Dies level of shitty? (musical sequel to Phantom of the opera that most of us fans loathe.)

Oh boy, okay

This is gonna be long, please bare with me 😭

So the book completely changes/“fixes” Sally’s origins. She wasn’t a creation, or never even FROM Halloween Town.

She’s a special princess of dolls from “Dream Town” and has parents who are also dolls. She was kidnapped from her bedroom when she was like 12 by Finkelstein.

This is fucking bullshit.

How she even physically ages or how dolls can even conceive is never brought up or explained. Nor is how Fink even kidnapped her in the first place. The book and author just expects you to accept this new canon, which conveniently comes out like three decades after the source material.

Because the book is in first person and in Sally’s point of view we NEVER hear any perspective or proper explanation from Fink or any other character about anything.

Fink is just reduced to a one-dimensional villain who kidnapped Sally all because he apparently can’t create life or bring things back to life via science. You know… HIS FUCKING JOB.

He despises that Jack and Sally get married, despite that Fink would be ecstatic at this (Sally’s his creation and Jack one of his very old friends.)

Sally is also reduced to a one-dimensional protagonist who never questions anything and every third word from her mouth/brain is either “sad”, “ragdoll”, or “stitches/seams”.

She just believes these two doll people who she’s never met before, and doesn’t bother to leave “Dream Town” to ask the elderly scientist she’s known for her entire existence about this (not to mention everyone in the entire world including the holiday realms are dead asleep at this point at this part in the book anyway…)

Oh yeah, the book has a main villain too, surprisingly. It’s not Fink, even though the book certainly treats him like it.

It’s the fake ruler of “Dream Town”, Sandman, who’s actually kind of cool and creepy. But his reasoning for his villainy is bullshit, just like everything else in this damn book.

He’s just tired.

Yeah.

The Sandman is tired because he can’t sleep and his sand doesn’t work on him so he can’t get to sleep. You’d think a being as powerful and seemingly dangerous as this guy wouldn’t need sleep, but apparently he does. He’s cranky and needs a nap with his blanky, boo-fucking-hoo.

The ONLY thing I actually sort of enjoyed in the book was the bit where Sandman was stalking Halloween Town, putting everyone to sleep, and Sally was hiding from him. That was actually kind of suspenseful and I wish Sandman was that threatening throughout.

And does Sandman get any punishment for taking over “Dream Town” and putting everyone in an eternal sleep?

Nope. But FINK gets punished! Firstly, Jack completely believes these two random doll creatures he has never met before and that say they’re Sally’s parents. He yells at Fink, without asking his dear old friend if any of this is even true. And then Fink gets 100 years of prison and community service, which is stupid because why the fuck would Holiday realm laws, much less HALLOWEEN TOWN laws, function the same as the real world’s?

Speaking of which, apparently Halloween Town’s an actual monarchy, and the Pumpkin King isn’t just a cool title for the face/mascot/figurehead of the realm. The book even lampshades this, but doesn’t take this anywhere further aside from Sally complaining she has to wear a crown and Jack doesn’t.

This whole book is stupid and I will never accept it as canon, ever.

What sucks about this is that I fucking PREORDERED the book! I thought it was gonna be a story about how and why Sally was created, and get some backstory/lore for Fink, as well as explanation of why his relationship with his creation got so bad. Maybe a little extra plot of how Sally and Jack met.

But it didn’t. I fucking cried. This book made me cry my fucking eyes out, out of anger and betrayal because my favourite character and his creation/daughter was butchered.

After reading the whole thing I threw the book in a little library and never looked back.

I’m still working on a complete and total rewrite/fix-it-fic, it’s just gotten put on the back-burner because of other projects I’m currently working/fixated on. Apologies for that. But I promise it won’t be forgotten!

EDIT: Oh yeah, and the Holiday rulers have a meeting about climate change. Because Holidays have super importance with the weather or some shit. I’m not fucking kidding.

EDIT 2: The author is also a New York Times best-seller which is already pretty suspicious since that is basically a huge scam. The book has hundreds of 4-5 star reviews that don't even really get into the specifics of WHY it's good. They're all either extreme Jack x Sally fans (the book starts off with them getting married and Sally's main dilemma is worrying about being "a good enough queen") that like anything tnbc/Jally related OR a bunch of people were paid to give this book glowing reviews.

#the nightmare before christmas #tnbc #long live the pumpkin queen #sally finkelstein #sally skellington #dr. finkelstein

[mqfx]

ooh! quan yizhen, lwj, and jyl?

OHOHOHO these are getting tougher (cracks my knuckies) let's go

qyz: his secondary godhood would probably be as the god of street fighters. catch these hands no jutsu, no weapons needed, BRAWLIN. i bet u i BET u there are fight clubs in his honor and not only does he tolerate these but he actually joins in and it's wholesome nosebreaking fun for all involved but he actually knows to hold back his strength against humans. also kids really love his autism swag i speak from experience the children crave specific and detailed violence and he's the perfect guy to ask questions bc he's not like "auuhhh u shouldn't know this" he is fully like "these are the deadliest points of attack" walks them through it and they cackle with glee

lwj: speaking of autism swag. whenever he has a new composition he takes it up to the rabbits and plays it for them, gauges their reactions, then amends his pieces accordingly. nobody really knows how he can tell what the rabbits think or how it affects the process but there's no denying he's the most prolific musician in the whole realm so who's gonna stop him? like on the list of many many hanguang-jun achievements you'll see the typical stuff and then you're like..... HE COMPOSED MULTIPLE OPERAS??? and he's like "mn" "THEE HANGUANG-JUN?" "mn (with feeling)" and they're all the sappiest most heartfelt sweeping romances of all time like instant classics and at first you're like "he does NOT seem like the type??" but then remember like, the entire plot of cql, and then it's like "oh duh"

jyl: before jc was born, madame yu was gonna raise her as the heir of jiang sect, inheritance rules be fucked and all. because of that she actually had a decent grasp of how to run an estate / diplomacy / many responsibilities you'd expect from that role. nothing legendary, but respectable especially for her age at the time. i know canon says that she was mid in cultivation and all other respects but i really think she would've been excellent at calligraphy and poetry, madam yu just had unrealistic bullshit standards. other things she was good at but can't be put on the marriage profile i guess: making things out of reeds, making bracelets and tassels, birdcalls, singing, and front flips

#hewwo #tgcf #qyz #cql #lwj #jyl #sad that there's not as much material to work with for these three...... yeah even lwj in the books #but that's what i'm here for lol #asks #anonymous #ask game

[paddockbunny]

Hey! Could you maybe write Either Lando/Charles smut with 2&5. like Max walks in and he‘s the resders Brother and it‘s embarrassing and stuff. Maybe its like soft Sex if you know what i mean? Like all Gentle and stuff as Max walks in and is like: What the fuck! That‘s my Sister! Maybe could you do it like they were having a secret relationship? If you don‘t like the Idea or can‘t write it bc i am really bad at explaining, that‘s fine don‘t worry. Hope you have a great Day/Night!

“That’s my sister”

Summary: You didn’t mean to fall for Lando Norris- your brothers opponent - and what started as just sex quickly turned into a lot, lot more….but what happens when your brother Max finds out? Rating: 18+. Pairing : Lando Norris x Reader (Max Verstappen’s younger sister). Word Count : 3,869. Trigger Warnings : 18+, NSFW, adult material, adult language, PinV sex mention, sneaking around, J*s Verstappen, angry family situation, angsty vibes. 💞 Authors Note : Im so sorry this isn’t the best work I’ve put out but I am choked full of the cold and convinced I have the flu I’m feeling so bad rn. Anyway, I’ll put the “read more” thing in when I can because I know that annoys some people.

His loud groan flowed into your ear as lazily his hips jerked a few more times till he was totally spent. His breathing was just as crazed and erratic as yours. The mutual high that electrified both of your bodies was by now addictive and you weren’t sure you could quit it even if your life depended upon it. Lando’s forehead pressed against yours momentarily, still trying to catch his breath, before he pulled back and glared down at you. He drank you in. Wanting to savour the look on your face as much as you did with his. Until finally, he gave you what you wanted. He kissed you. His lips pressed firmly against yours and the action distracted you from him pulling out.

Your eyes followed him as he rolled off of you and lay on his back, a smirk dancing playfully across his mouth turned into a somewhat boastful smile when he saw that you were still watching him. He didn’t need to ask if you were satisfied, the fact you had just been breathily moaning his name repeatedly for the past few minutes as he edged you closer and closer to an orgasm told him that already.

The pair of you stayed like that for a while. Just simply laying there side by side, not saying anything at all, just listening to each other as breathing became less of a task and returned to normal. You knew you had to move, get redressed and return back to your hotel, and yet there was nothing in the world you wanted to do less. You wished you could stay here for the night. In Lando’s arms, perhaps having a round two (or three) and then falling asleep curled up together but that wasn’t possible. Instead you took a deep breath and slipped out from under the covers. “Already?” He asked sounding a little melancholy. You couldn’t find words as you looked for your disregarded underwear so only nodded. He sat up, resting his head on the headboard and watched you while you began to get redressed. You didn’t want to look at him. You didn’t want to see his face tinged with something that resembled sadness or worse, annoyance. “Are you leaving tomorrow? After the race?” “Uh…” you pulled your bra up your arms, situated your boobs and and reached around to clasp it around your back. “Yeah, I think so. Seven I think.” You shrug knowing exactly what was about to come out of Lando’s mouth. “Do you have to? Can you stay another day? Fly home with me on Monday night?” “Lando….” His name rolled off your tongue with a sad frustrated sound. You had been here before. He did this all the time. He always attempted to guilt trip you into staying, with him, longer than you actually could. “And what do I tell Max? Huh? Why I want to stay here another day?” You sighed and found your jeans. Shoving your feet into them before yanking them up and over your ass while he watched. Silently.

By the time you had put all of your clothes back on, gone to the bathroom and made yourself look presentable again, Lando had come up with a response to the little problem of your brother.

“Why don’t we just tell him?” You couldn’t hold back your sarcastic sounding laugh. “I’m serious.” “Because he will cut your balls off, publicly.” Lando knew you were right. He knew Max would have destroyed him, especially as he had warned him several times not to even think about you or look in your direction because you were off limits to him.

“Fuck!” He let out a frustrated, piss off expletive and banged his head back on the headboard he had been resting it against. The thing was, you weren’t ready to tell your brother yet and it wasn’t because you were scared of how he would react. It was because it made you and Lando official. And by being official with Lando you would become a target for his fans just like his ex-girlfriend had been. But it would be worse because you were a Verstappen and so you’d have your older brothers army coming after you as well. So if you were being completely truthful, you didn’t know if you’d ever be ready to be “out” with Lando. But right now, you hated leaving him like this. So pent up and frustrated, not at you but at the situation. You glanced at him as you checked your bag to make sure you hadn’t left anything and your heart pinged in your chest. He was so fucking handsome and you always had to play a war between your heart and your head when it came to him.

“I’ll see you next weekend.” You sat, pausing for a tender moment right beside him on the hotel bed that the pair of you had just made love in. He sat up right and pressed his forehead against yours.

“I love you. That’s why this whole thing is…” Of all the things you had expected him to say that was not one of them. He hadn’t told you he loved you before so it was all you could focus on. Three stupidly small words that you couldn’t remember ever hearing from another before let alone a guy. And you realised you had frozen when you felt his hand brush tenderly over your cheek as a wave of guilt hit you because you weren’t sure if you could repeat the words back to him just yet. “Lan….” You breathed out his name but he shushed you immediately. “Just because I’ve said it doesn’t mean you have to say it back, not yet. I just wanted you to know.” Your stomach flipped that he knew you better than you knew yourself and then when he kissed you you felt like you were suddenly underwater. You tried but you couldn’t quite place the emotions that were wracking through.

“See you next week?” He asked against your lips and you nodded. “See you next week.” You repeated back to him before taking a deep breath and raising from the bed.

When you closed his hotel room door and headed down the corridor you realised you were broadly smiling. Lando just said he loved you.

He loves you.

And you love him. You just needed to summon the strength to admit it.

But it posed one monumentally large challenge to you. How the hell do you tell your brother?!

One week later

Max had been wittering on about something still bothering him from yesterdays press interviews the whole car ride to the track. You added in the occasional “uh huh” and “yes, Max” to satisfy him but your mind was elsewhere. It was firmly fixated on the back and forth rapid texting going on between you and Lando the past few days. Particularly last nights texts, because those were emblazoned in your mind. They started off innocently enough until Lando outed the fact he had just gotten out of the shower and he was having a especially hard time since the excitement of seeing you soon hit him. And then the inevitable happened and the pair of you had FaceTime sex. And now, as much as it disgusted you as you sat in the car with your brother, you had to cross your legs to try and stem the uncomfortable palpitations going on at the apex of your thighs.

Thankfully, you managed to escape Max as soon as the pair of you arrived in the paddock. Media grabbed him almost immediately (much to his annoyance) meaning you were free to go grab a nice ice cold glass of water to try aid how hot you had gotten from the memories of last nights dirty escapades. As you walked toward the Red Bull hospitality suite you made sure to flash a smile at some of the familiar TV reporters that always seemed to ride your brothers dick. The phoney hello and wave only made you mutter a “fucking prick” under your breath even more. And you were just about safe. Moments from being home free and ascend the stairs to get that much needed drink of water when you saw Lando across the way leaving the McLaren camp with his race suit tied low around his waist. Your mouth salivated at the mere look of him dressed in his race suit. You paused for a second in pure admiration mode until he looked over and caught you staring. If you hadn’t just remembered the thought of his face as he came while getting off to you over video call, you’d have been embarrassed about staring but right now you smirked and looked at him up and down. You watched and Lando tried not to laugh at your response then said something to his media girls before heading over toward you. Your mind went into pure panic mode momentarily as you glanced around to check that Max (nor anyone else that could have gotten you into trouble) would see. Thankfully, everyone seemed far too busy to be bothered.

“See something you like?” Lando grinned cheekily. “You have no idea how much….” You purred right back and he rolled his tongue side to side to stop himself from getting as excited as he did last night. But then he flashed his eyes around and you watched as his jaw clenched as if he was trying to think of anything but you naked. You were just about to tease him further by telling him how hot and bothered you were seeing him with his race suit around his waist and that your panties were growing wetter by the second but he spoke first.

“Are you coming over tonight? I can’t stop thinking about you.” Fuck. He always managed to set you on fire and as you became convinced you were blushing he had accomplished that job. “I can’t tonight. My dad’s flying in and wants to have a family dinner with Max and I.” You rolled your eyes. The thought of sitting at an awkward dinner while your father spoke mainly of racing to Max and ignored you completely, pained you but you didn’t want to tell Lando that. He groaned lowly and rolled his head back dramatically which made you snigger at him. And as he opened his mouth to say something else - no doubt rude and implying you were giving him blue balls - your name was loudly shouted across the paddock.

“Fuck!” You groaned and followed it up with a sigh. “He’s heading over.” Lando stated and although you figured it was better that he left and avoided any sort of conversation with Max in that moment, Lando stayed put.

“What’s going on?” Max eyed the pair of you suspiciously. “Trying to make a move of her again Norris?” You gritted your teeth through sheer embarrassment. Max had consistently played the role of the overprotective older brother since, well, forever. Ever since the dawned on him that his baby sister was something of a stone cold fox Max went into overdrive with the scaring off any and all potential interested males role. Which was exactly why you had to sneak around behind his back. I mean, he would have an absolute coronary if he knew you and Lando had secretly been hooking up (and become a thing) for months. “Perhaps it’s me making a move on him, Max.” You sassed him back and Max just glared at you without a single shred of amusement in his face.

“I’m just going to leave before I get in the middle of a Verstappen V Verstappen fight. I’ll see you around, y/n.” Lando bowed out of the awkwardness of the situation Max had caused but not before he made sure to send you a knowing smug look. And now that you were utterly frustrated with your brother you turned to continue your earlier task and fetch an ice cold glass of water.

Unfortunately for you, Max happened to follow you. “What did he mean by that?” He asked as you reached one of the fridges that sat in the hospitality suite - which was usually full of solely Red Bull but had a secret stash of bottled water down on the bottom shelf behind the branding - and took out a bottle. “Mean by what?” You played dumb. “When he said he would see you later?” “It’s a turn of phrase, Max.” You rolled your eyes, hoping he would buy it. When you turned to him and finally looked at his face you could see the familiar pissed off look that he always had when it came to the thought of you and any guy. It was one that reminded you of your father and that was certainly something you didn’t like. Nervously you swallowed because you knew what was coming. “I don’t like the thought of him getting friendly with you. Norris. He’s not….he’s too immature, to childish for you not to mention a fucking driver and fancies himself as a player.” And there it was. The reason it was so hard for you to tell Max about your budding romance with Lando and the exact reason you had been sneaking about behind his back.

Your leg bounced anxiously under the table. Not because you were nervous but because you were desperate for this fucking shit show of a family dinner to end. You could see it in Max’s face that he wanted to be anywhere but currently sat in the expensive restaurant and you probably mimicked it in your own too, but your father continued. As suspected he spoke about racing the whole time. He sat and went over all of the things Max needed to improve on to win this weekend and you could see the pressure getting more and more piled on your brother by the minute. However, you were almost thankful your father was paying you no attention as it meant you could continue texting Lando under the table and zone out of the awkwardness of the evening altogether. Lando sent you a few funny memes when you complained of being bored and wanting nothing less than a meteorite to come smashing down to earth to get you out of the restaurant. He sent you a photo of his sad face and then another of his empty bed with a stick figure drawn on it that was supposed to be you. You chuckled at that one which you had to cover up with a fake cough.

“Everything ok?” Your dad glanced at you and you nodded. But then it dawned on you this was a perfect way to escape. You could fake illness. Your dad would be so paranoid that you might get Max sick that he would order you to go back to your hotel room and stay away from your brother so not to ruin his chances this week. Max would probably be miffed with you for doing it because it left him alone dealing with Dad but it was a price you were willing to pay to relinquish you from the hell you were currently in. You coughed again and grabbed your water. It was a little over the top and dramatic but you clutched at your throat and rubbed your glands to plant the seed.

“What’s wrong with you?” Once again, your dad glanced in your direction. “I don’t know. I’ve feel a bit yuk all day. I have a sore throat and this funny cough.” Max lowered his head and looked at you with a furrowed brow. He was on to you all most immediately. “Why didn’t you say earlier?” You shrugged at your Dad’s question. “You shouldn’t have come. You could have passed whatever you have on to Max!” He exclaimed.

“I think I should go back to the hotel. Get an early night. It’s probably nothing but I agree, I don’t want to get Maxy sick.” Your eyes darted toward your brother who had a face full of thunder. Your Dad agreed with you and made a hand gesture to hurry your departure up. You heard him tutting as you got up and grabbed your bag. You knew he was about to call you selfish or stupid for endangering Max’s race this weekend but you couldn’t give a fuck. You were out of that room as fast as your feet could carry you and your fingers could text Lando to tell him you were free. As you expected, Lando text you back almost immediately and you laughed loudly when he suggested he sneak into your hotel.

It wasn’t until you walked through the lobby of the Red Bull team hotel and were accosted around the middle by a pair of arms that you realised he was completely serious. A shriek escaped you till you heard Lando saying;

“Shhh, it’s me!” In your ear. You seriously thought he was joking when you initially text him and hadn’t for one single moment thought he was serious. You snapped around and found him with his hood up and hat on, practically trying to disguise himself in an opposing team hotel. “How are you…” You couldn’t even get the words out to ask him how he was even here in the hotel of the competition. “Told them I was meeting with Horner.” He was still pressed up against you, you could feel his body heat radiating off of him and you about lost your mind. Well in fact, you did loose your mind because suddenly you found your mouth on his. Your lips grazed across his but it was Lando that deepened it by running his tongue across your bottom lip and begging you to allow him in. As you did and his tongue collided with yours his hands gripped your body tighter, holding you even closer to himself. But then, as you were utterly lost in the moment, your name was practically shouted across the hotel lobby.

Snapping back, ripping your lips away from Lando’s, you looked straight to the sound of the voice and met your brothers eyes. His face was one of shock and utter pure horror. And suddenly your heart pounded mercilessly in your chest and panic began to ravish your body as he crossed the floor thunderously. You were frozen. Utterly and completely frozen. You had never disappointed him before and this was way beyond disappointment. You’re breath caught in your throat and just before he reached the pair of you you tore yourself off of Lando and stepped away from him toward a Max with your hands stretched out. You saw the slightly manic look in his eyes and you were genuinely concerned. You had seen him angry before but this was a whole other level that reminded you of your father and that terrified you.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” He roared, by passing you completely and promptly gave Lando a very firm shove backwards. “THATS MY SISTER!” He yelled.

“Max!” You tried to pull him back as he pushed Lando again. “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” He continued and by this point he was causing a scene and the hotel were very obviously calling team security. “Max please, calm down.” You tried to order him but his head snapped to you and his look was one that warned you to stop. As he raised his hands to push Lando again you grabbed hold of him and ducked in between them.

“I love him, Max.” You said it so plainly. “I love him.” You repeated and you realised you hadn’t even said it to Lando yet and here you were telling Max this before him. You hoped that in that moment you declared your love for his fellow driver but also one of his competitors that he saw the expression all over your face and comprehended it as genuine. That you were completely and utterly telling the truth.

An eternity seemed to pass. Silence falling between the three of you. Max stared at you as if you would burst into flames any moment and it killed you seeing him so furious with you because you were so incredibly close as siblings. You felt tears begin to sting your eyes. Then as you thought things were about to go nowhere and this Mexican stand off would continue Max held out a room key to you.

“You forgot this.” He stated bluntly and tentatively you took it from him. Then without a single shred of warning he took off toward the elevators and you turned at breakneck speed around to Lando. Flinging your arms around him and tipping hold of him tightly you felt the sudden, built up tension release from your body. “This might not be the moment but…did you mean it? Do you love me?” You looked into his beautiful, captivating green eyes and nodded. “Max will come round.” “I don’t know, Lando. I know what he’s like and how stubborn he will be. I’ve disappointed him by lying to him, I don’t know how we’ll recover from this.”

Six Weeks Later

“Will you just stop staring at them like that! It’s becoming creepy!” Max’s girlfriend groaned as she noticed how Max had not stopped staring at you and Lando walking hand in hand through the paddock. “Besides, look at her, she’s glowing.” “I fucking hate this.” He gritted his teeth together when he finally attempted to look away but found himself looking back at them again. It was like he was rubbernecking on his sisters new relationship.

“I thought you were coming round to it? You said she seemed happy just last night.” Max had said that. He had said it as he was about to get into bed and had a horrible wave of guilt wash over him about the situation. He saw them together yesterday on media day and they seemed so suited. As much as it killed him to admit it he couldn’t help but think how good they looked with each other. Which meant he now felt like was the worst big brother ever. He had probably overreacted to seeing them kissing in the lobby of the hotel a few weeks ago, and he wasn’t sure she would ever forgive him for that. But now as he watched you throw your head back in riotous laughter as Lando’s face was filled with adoration, he knew he had to accept you had chosen one of his opponents as the man to make you happy.

“I did. I do. But that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.” He sighed frustratingly. There was nothing he had said in the six weeks since he found out that he hadn’t already said. He went through all the stages of being angry, hurt and pure denial in short succession. However now, as he observed Lando slipping his hand into yours he accepted he needed to concede defeat and acknowledge that his baby sister was indeed in love with Lando Norris.

“Just go and talk to her. Settle it. Please.” His girlfriends voice seemed like the voice of reason because Max missed you and hated not talking to you. “She might not even want to talk to me….” He sighed heavily because this had been weighing on him all this time and he simply missed her baby sister. “I will…” Max conceded “but not here, not in front of cameras.” He knew he would probably have to grovel and you wouldn’t make accepting his apology easy but he was willing to try because he loved you and that was that. He simply loved you.

#Lando Norris #Lando Norris fanfiction #Lando Norris fanfic #Lando Norris fic #Lando Norris one shot #lando norris request #lando norris x reader #Lando Norris x you #lando norris x y/n #Lando Norris imagine #Lando Norris imagines #f1 fanfiction #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 imagine #f1 imagines #f1 one shot #f1 smut #f1 x reader #f1 x you #max verstappen fanfiction #max verstappen one shot #max Verstappen imagine

[jupitersdescendant]

hi guys and welcome to my second pac reading on here, yay!!

today’s topic: who are you at your core?

this time there are four piles you can choose from. here’s how it works: close you eyes and meditate on the question for a while. if you feel ready, open your eyes and choose the pile you feel the most drawn to. it’s possible, that you fell drawn to more than one pile. please remember that this is a general reading so only take what resonates. this is for entertainment purposes only. lastly, tarot is only a guide, nothing is set in stone and in the end its you who has the power over your own life.

none of the pictures belong to me, the artist is Derek Penix.

Cards: eight of wands, death (rx), ace kf swords, seven of pentacles (rx), three of pentacles. back of the deck: king of swords (rx).

Cards: eight of wands, death (rx), ace kf swords, seven of pentacles (rx), three of pentacles. back of the deck: king of swords (rx).

Cards: eight of wands, death (rx), ace kf swords, seven of pentacles (rx), three of pentacles. back of the deck: king of swords (rx).

hi everyone! so my first impression is, that you’re a free spirit. you love excitement and trying new things. you could be prone to rush into things without thinking of the consequences or outcomes. you march to the beat of your own drum and don’t care what anyone else thinks (or at least you’re faking it very well). you probably already had some kind of spiritual awakening, that could’ve felt more like a tower moment, but helped you see through all the bs, that is out society ruled by greedy and selfish men. some of you may be strongly religious, while others of you are the polar opposite and might actually stay clear from anything related to that topic. either way, at your core you’re someone who values communication and always speaking ones truth. you especially adore intellectually stimulating conversations with your friends, since they are an important part of your life. you could have the tendency to give to much, so please stay aware of who you give your energy to and set some healthy boundaries. you don’t give much importance to money and/or material wealth. for a few of you, that is because you always had someone too provide for you, but for others it’s exactly the opposite, again. it’s interesting, that there are two such different sides coming through in the same pile. but yeah, some of you didn’t grew up under the best circumstances and without a lot of comfort or even safety at home. you all learned to find joy and appreciate the smaller things in life. you’re someone hardworking, who loves or literally hates teamwork (there’s those two sides again) and solving problems. you could also be very creative. i feel like you have a special talent, that you’re unaware of or that you’re afraid of exploring more. you might doubt your talents and work a lot, never really feeling like what you’re doing is good enough. i don’t mean to sound harsh but you really need to get over yourself, because you’re doing amazing sweetie! don’t worry if something isn’t perfect at the first try or the second or the third. if you’re giving your best, then that is all that matters and you can be proud of that. you are someone who tends to give their all to the people and things they’re passionate about. i see, that you still carry a lot of sadness in you, it’s easy for you to fall into a depressive state. but from the looks of it, you have worked on bettering yourself, so this doesn’t to happen too often anymore or you’re just able to deal with it easier. you have such an authentic vibe and energy which i love.

additional messarges: there’s a lot of air and earth energy coming through, you could have these placements in your astrological birth chart but you certainly don’t need to. this could simply be the vibe that best represents your core. air and earth are opposing elements, which i had to note, because we had those opposing sides in your pile. flying insects, especially butterflies and dragonflies could be of importance to you. they could be a sign from spirit, as well as angel number 1111. always trust your own judgment, guidance and intuition and stop overthinking every little detail. stay focused and don’t be afraid to walk your own path, but don’t feel the need to rush and simply move at your own pace.

let me know if it resonates! have a great day/night 🖤

Pile 2

Cards: knight of wands (rx), knight of pentacles (rx), the pladain (rx), ten of cups, judgement. back of the deck: six of wands (rx).

just wanted to note, that the paladin is an additional card in the deck i was using, it’s called the botanica oculta tarot.

hello, everyone in pile 2!

i’m seeing, that transformation plays a huge role in your life. i know we’re talking about core qualities here, but constantly transforming is one of the biggest parts of you. always changing and growing and getting more sure of yourself through every transformation, no matter how hard it was. for a couple of you there was a time where you were desperately trying to find a partner so they could fill the void in you and give you the love you haven’t been giving to yourself. you definitely grew out if this energy though. pile 2, you definitely carry knight in shining armour energy, with multiple knights and the paladin coming out, the paladin being an upper class knight who has a very strong devotion to a cause. you have a special mission on this planet, of that i’m sure and it’s obviously a biiig part of who you are. you fight for what is right and are here to improve humanity. for a few that could mean on a bigger scale, like worldwide or something, but for the majority it will be in your own community. i see you bringing change and transformation, especially through your speech so be careful how you use your words since they carry a great power. you value peace and harmony a lot so it makes sense, that you want to fight for a bigger and better cause. you’re a very spiritual person with a strong intuition, some of you may even be psychic. many of you already know, that you have a bigger mission to fulfill on this planet, but you’re not quite there yet. there’s still some things, that need your attention and solving. your ego could be one of the most prominent blockages. you could also have a negative mindset, talk down on yourself too much and lack self worth. you’re afraid to fail so you won’t even try something new. my dears, all of that just won’t do if you want to be the change you want to see in the world (lol just quoting spirit here). you really need to work on your relationship with yourself and show yourself some more love. i’m seeing, that you’re a very guarded and cautious person, you barely let anyone come close enough to you. you carry a lot of depth which makes you intriguing and somewhat mysterious to others. i want you to show more of that depth though, since you’re a very wise person with important things to say. share your light. you are blessed with great strength and abundance.

additional messages: 222 might be a significant angel number to you. major arcana cards were generally more prominent, especially when i clarified and all this talk about a mission for sure gives me starseed vibes for a couple of you. try and establish a deeper connection to yourself and your personal truths, meditation might be helpful. in general, try looking at things from a different perspective than usual to help you find solutions to your problems. be willing to keep moving forward with purpose and draw on your divine energy for help.

let me know if it resonates! have a great day/night 🖤

Pile 3

Cards: strength, five of cups, the lovers (rx), page of swords, six of cups. back of the deck: eight of wands (rx).

hi, pile 3!

the first thing i’m seeing is, that you’re truly a very strong person who can probably take on anything, though i still feel like you may lack confidence often. this strength didn’t come from nothing though, you’ve been through many hardships and especially your family life wasn’t the easiest. you’re very aware of all that is going on wrong in the world and feel a lot of sadness and hopelessness because of that (me too bro). this also causes you to feel lonely quite often. you have such a pure heart and dream of a better world. this is a little random, but you could be very cautious when it comes to romance and your love life might be kind of non existent. you’re somehow hopeless when it comes to love, not in the hopeless romantic way (i’m sure that still fits), but more in the way, that you think it’ll never find you, maybe even, that you don’t deserve it. this only stems from you not loving yourself enough! and how in the hell do you want to love somebody else if you can’t love yourself? self love is so very important, i know how hard it is, but you’ll feel so much better when you give yourself the love you deserve. pile 3, you’re so smart, a very intellectual person with a quick and active mind. you’re a great listener as well. people could come to you for guidance often, because you always know what to say and offer great advice. since you have such an active mind, you could tend to overthink a lot and experience anxiety quite often. you might enjoy reading a lot. it looks like you’re the type to use materialistic stuff to make you feel “better” about yourself, online shopping might be your thing. that usually happens when you feel stuck or when you’re plagued by negative thoughts. try to find some new coping mechanisms. online shopping isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but just be sure, that you’re not just wasting your money on things, that bring you happiness for a minute and that you never look at/use again. you love deeply and enjoy your peace a lot. you’re also quite nostalgic and like to reminisce about the good old times. you crave deep and soulful connections and i feel like you’ll be blessed with them in this life, wether platonic or romantic.

additional messages: you might feel more at home at night and are the type to stay up very late. theres a big possibility, that you have prophetic dreams so i’d definitely start to pay more attention to them. number 8 seems to be significant for you, if you see this number it could very well be a sign from spirit. spirit wants you to be more comfortable in your vulnerability and to always evaluate how something makes you feel, because if something’s the cause of bad feelings, then you need to find out why so that you can release these negative emotions. try to view situations, that are bothering you from every side and listen to your head and heart. balance is the key.

let me know if it resonates! have a great day/night 🖤

Pile 4

Cards: the hanged man, page of wands (rx), nine of pentacles (rx), nine of cups, two of wands (rx). back of the deck: page of swords.

hello pile 4! you’re someone pretty special right? and people notice it, believe me. we’re talking about core qualities here, but you’re literally shining from the inside out. you have a very strong but welcoming and bright energy. reminds me of sunlight. you’re a very thoughtful person even though you might not always show that. i feel like you were on the “wrong path” for a while and invested your time and energy in things and people, that weren’t healthy for you. there’s currently been a lot of change in your life so it looks like you’re doing a lot better for that matter. you have a very free and childlike vibe and love to be active and go on adventures. you also tend to rush head first into things so please just be careful lol. spending time with your friends/people who truly get you is very important and energising for you. financial security seems to be very important to you and for a while, that was pretty much all you could think about. you could be a secret workaholic, though most of you probably know that. yk the type to work until they can barely function anymore, which you especially love to do when theres something weighing heavy on your mind, that you want to avoid. you’re definitely a person who gives their all to the people and things they care about. like fr, if you’d be a king/queen of narnia, then your name would be something like Pile 4: the Generous or maybe hero or some sh*t like that. please just don’t give too much of yourself and neglect your own needs. helping other people out gives you a very satisfying feeling and you probably don’t even think twice about doing it. you could very well be interested in any job where you can help people and make the world a better place, very similar vibes to pile 2 here. you’re most likely a little afraid of the unknown and sudden change and that’s why you often stayed in situations, that weren’t good for you. you were stuck for a long time, but there has been a rebirth or some kind of awakening for you and you’re quickly changing out of that old energy. your head might sometimes be too much for and can be a challenging place, so i beg you to be a bit more kinder to your thoughts and yourself. i still have noticed, that your mind is also a very curios and engaging place. you’re analytical and very witty as well.

additional messages: there’s such a divine and heavenly energy coming through and it kinda scares me, are you an angel for satan’s sake?? the angel number 999 carry’s a special meaning for you and idk but 13/31 as well. try to keep an open heart and mind as you move through life, gather more information and make your choices purposefully. meditation might be very helpful to you. strive to be more thoughtful and kinder to yourself.

let me know if it resonates! have a great day/night 🖤

🔮 thanks a lot for reading 🔮

#tarot reading #pick a pile #pick a pile reading #pick a card #pick a card reading #tarot card reading #pac reading #pac tarot #divination #spirituality

[johnwickb1tsch]

The Night Nurse

A John Wick x Helen Fic

When nurse Helen Morgan is caught in the crossfire of a shootout and aids the injured John Wick, she’s faced with two options: serve the High Table, or be executed as a Witness. She tells herself her choice to work at the Continental has everything to do with survival, and excellent pay, and *not* her growing feelings for the Tall, Dark, and Handsome Assassin™ who got her into this mess in the first place, thank you very much.

I.

John didn’t take the subway often, but with the Mustang in the shop after an unfortunate incident involving a mark, a concrete pole, and the ‘Stang’s door—two out of three survived—his machine was in Aurelio’s capable hands, and John Wick was on foot.

It was a chain of events that might have caused him to send a thank you to the unfortunate Serbian—if the man hadn’t been, you know, dead. Because it was the cause and effect that eventually led to John laying eyes on her for the first time. Dressed in rose-pink nurse’s scrubs, her thick auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail, clearly exhausted from a twelve-hour shift—she’d looked up at him over the top of her book, and the shine in her amber-brown eyes took his breath away.

Her choice of reading material had been…interesting. Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky. A solid classic, to be sure, but so god-damned depressing.

John never made small talk with strangers. So when the words, “Some light reading for the evening commute?” spilled from his mouth completely without his permission, it was like watching himself from outside his own body.

She’d lowered her book a fraction to offer him a tired smile. She was beautiful, and he was sure that strangers tried to chat her up on the subway all the time. Way to be that guy, he chided himself, hanging on the possibility all the while that this exquisite creature might deign to let him hear her voice just once.

It had been a long week, but really? Maybe he was going soft in his old age. He wasn’t actually old, to be sure. He’d be thirty-nine in a few months. For an assassin though?

Practically ancient.

She’d turned the book to glance at the cover. It was a well-worn paperback edition with a dour looking painting of a man in a doorway. She wrinkled her nose, and it was fucking adorable. “I’m trying to read more classics,” she admitted.

“How is that going?”

He didn’t know where he got the cheek to tease this total stranger about her reading selection. Maybe it was the fact that she was actually reading a paper book, over endlessly scrolling through an electronic device. Maybe he was a book snob—ok, he was a book snob—but paper, in his opinion, was the proper way to go.

Kindle readers just smelled like plastic and the sadness of modern convenience.

“Okay. It’s good, but this Raskolnikov is fainting a lot.”

“That’s Russians for you,” said John, the corners of his mouth turning up in a small smile. He’d certainly seen a few when he approached. Lots of fleeing and yelling, too.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d smiled at a stranger.  

“Oh really?” She lifted her eyebrows, laughing a little. Those eyes sparkled with mirth, glittering like good liquor in a sunbeam, and his heart ached as though clenched by a fist.

“Yeah.”

She shook her head, her book resting in her lap. He’d won her attention—and to be honest, he wasn’t really sure what to do with it after coming this far.

“Are you…Ukrainian or something?” He felt her looking him up and down. He liked it, when she looked at him. He always dressed well, but for once he was glad for it for some other reason besides the tactical armor sewn into the lining of his bespoke suit jacket.

“Belarussian,” he found himself admitting to this woman without a thought.

It had been a lifetime, since he’d admitted that to anyone.

She was good. She’d make an incredible operative, he found himself thinking. If she’d asked for his address or his social security number, (fake as it was), he might have given that up too.

“Wow. I never would have guessed.”

No one did. He’d worked hard to lose his accent, so he could slip through society unnoticed when he needed to. First for the Ruska Roma, then for himself.

“I’ve been here a while,” he admitted quietly, looking down, suddenly feeling as though he’d shared much too much with this woman who was kind enough to speak to a stranger on the subway. The fuck do you think you’re doing, Wick?

“Well…I’m from Boston. It’s not nearly as interesting, but I feel like a foreigner here sometimes.”

John looked up at her then, a lock of hair fallen over his eyes. “I never would have guessed,” he parroted in perfect deadpan, and it won him a smile that utterly melted his black little heart. He felt his mouth doing that alien thing again—smiling. A small one, to be sure, but it was definitely more exercise for those muscles than they’d received in a year. Years, maybe. A lifetime?

“Gee, thanks. I’m Helen, by the way.”

She extended her hand, and he could not stop himself from clasping that small mitt in his own. She felt delicate in his grasp. Breakable. He hated that that was the first thing he assessed when shaking someone’s hand. He couldn’t turn it off.  

“John.”

She raised an eyebrow, that sparkle back in her eyes.

“John from Belarus, huh?”

Fuck him, but was he actually blushing?  

“Most people trip over Jardani.”

And there it was. The most truth he’d told anyone about himself since he was a wet-behind-the-ears young man.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

“What a shame. It has a nice ring to it. Jardani.”

The sound of his true name on her lips did things to him that he knew he didn’t entirely understand. An additional side effect: it seemed he couldn’t let her go. A long moment passed between them—what felt like an infinity—of heavy eye contact with her hand in his. It set off fireworks in his heart, and finally he released her as though he’d been burned.

“Sorry.”

She canted her head, that thick russet ponytail flipping over her shoulder. He wanted to run his hands through it, and in that moment he knew he must be losing his mind.

“Don’t be.”

The train slowed, and reluctantly she stood from her seat, steadying herself with her hand on the pole he also grasped like a lifeline. “This is my stop.” He nodded, feeling like an idiot, not entirely sure why, or what had just happened, really. “It was nice to meet you.”

“You too. Helen. From Boston.”

She smiled again, and if he could have bottled the feeling it called up in him, he would have synthesized the most addictive street drug on the planet.

“Don’t hold it against me,” she threw over her shoulder as she made her way with the crowd for the doors, the glitter in her eyes hitting him like a punch to the gut.

He could think of several things he would have liked to hold against her, none of which were acceptable to mention in polite company. So he simply held up his hand in a silent wave, feeling as though he’d lost something precious as the doors slid closed, and the train carried him away from the one truly good thing he’d found in this city

What came next bordered on questionable behavior, John knew.

The next week—because he at least had that much self-control left—he found himself riding the subway again, at the exact same time as before, reasoning that she might regularly get off a seven o’clock shift at the hospital nearby, and catch this train, to go home somewhere in Brooklyn.

He had not followed her home. Not even to satisfy his later curiosity, wondering if like a total lovestruck idiot he’d revealed a piece of his mysterious past to an undercover operative working for some secret—no doubt nefarious—goal.

Another week went by, before he happened upon her again. She was reading a different book this time. Moby Dick. Not bad, considering what a goddam brick was Crime and Punishment. She was a fast reader. He wasn’t sure why that titillated him so fucking much.

He didn’t approach her this time. He did have self-control. He did. He did! Even though he immediately conjured the perfect opening line. Call me Ismael. He simply stood in nearly the same place as last time, one hand on the pole, the other scrolling through nothing on his phone, while secretly stealing glances her way.

Fuck, but she was stunning. That thick hair pulled back made her neck miles long, and her profile could have inspired the Renaissance sculptors of Italy to weep. Even in those shapeless lavender scrubs, he could see that she was tall, and fit, but curved in the most heartbreaking places. John appreciated feminine beauty, certainly, but it was rare that he felt such a visceral reaction to a woman’s charms. It was as though just the sight of her triggered something long buried in his heart, something that had been sleeping all along, waiting.

Either that, or he was, at long last, going off the deep end.  

Engrossed in her reading, she did not notice him until the crowd shifted and she stood for her stop, her face lighting up with a smile when her eyes met his. She held her hand up in a wave, but did not pause in her mission to get off the train and go home. He couldn’t blame her, even when a part of him wanted to follow.  

God, but the feat of self-control it took, not to follow.

Pathetic.

It didn’t stop him from making it a habit, long after he got the Mustang back from Aurelio.

Sometimes, when he won the odds of picking just the right train and just the right car (she seemed to prefer the second to last, and the train schedule wasn’t always reliable), they would exchange a few sentences about books, or the weather. He hung on her every word, even though she usually teased him the entire conversation. No one spoke to him like that, he realized. No one in his world dared. It was as refreshing as it was jarring, and like a junkie needing a fix he just found himself craving more.

Other times, he would play it cool, and pretend to work on email on his phone after offering a reserved smile or a raised hand in hello.

She always had a book, and he determined that she was probably relieved on the evenings when he didn’t bother her. Yet, the next time he won the odds of picking the right train, she came over to him, steadying herself with her hand below his on the pole.

He was achingly aware of how close their hands rested on that metal rod. She cradled a new book under her arm. A red paperback, with a shadowed outline of a woman behind a V. He could just make out the title over her arm. Codename Villanelle. Noticing where his attention was fixed, she looked up at him with a sly little grin, and he knew he was in for it.

He could hardly wait.

“Bet you thought I was pretty brainy before. But the truth is I’m hopelessly addicted to spy novels. Assassins, intrigue, exotic locales?” She gave an exaggerated shiver with an insouciant grin. “I’m trash for it.”

John felt his mouth doing that strange thing it did around her, the corners turning up, his eyebrows raising. So, she liked assassins, did she? If only she knew.

“No judgement here. Is it good?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty entertaining so far. Smart, too. And I like reading about exotic locales I'll probably never get to visit. Paris, Rome, London…”

John canted his head, fixing her with that stare that she’d begun to think could see right through her. “What makes you so certain about that?”

Helen shrugged and waved down at her scrubs with a lifted eyebrow. He fought very hard not to follow the exact motion of her hand with his eyes, the way he did when he was pretending his attention lay elsewhere. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to infer from the gesture though. A lack of money working as a nurse? Lack of time off?

Whatever her perceived barriers, he had to bite his tongue, heading off on the urge to offer to take her to those places, and anywhere else she might like to go while they were at it.  

“Anyway.” She nodded down at the book. “No fainting Russians in this one. They’re pretty tough.”

John had watched one do just that due to blood loss just the other night, but decided it would be best not to mention it.

“I think you might be the last woman on the planet reading paper books.” 

“I prefer paper,” she admits. “Plus, when you're engrossed in your paper book, no one is going to snatch it.” 

“That happened to you?”

“Yeah, I lost a Kindle that way a couple years ago. The guy was probably disappointed it wasn’t an iPad, but still.”

John frowned, looking around like the offending thief might be on the train at that very moment. She rewarded him with an appreciative, if not knowing little smile. “Now it's paperbacks for me.” Her eyebrow lifted, the way he had come to anticipate with almost child-like enjoyment. It made him feel like she was letting him in on a secret.

It made him feel like they were almost…friends.

“It makes it hard to read raunchy romance novels in public though,” she confessed. “Their covers are so ridiculous.”

John found himself cracking a smile at that—a wide one this time, even going so far as to show teeth, just for a second. 

“50 Shades is a heavy tome to lug around.”

She wrinkled her nose.

“I have better taste than that, at least. I prefer some history with my romance.”

“Like, time traveling nurse in eighteenth century Scotland, history?” he teased, certain he’d overheard such a thing being the next popular craze the last time he’d been in a bookshop.

“You know, I wanted to like those books, they're beautifully written, but Gabaldon lost me in the first one with that dash of glorified spousal abuse. I just couldn't get past it.”

John’s expression pulled in a frown. “I didn't know. I'm surprised they're so popular.”

"I guess it never hurts that there's a TV show." She lifted an eyebrow, like they were in on a joke about books that were turned into movies. It was adorable. Everything she fucking did was adorable, and every passing minute John felt himself falling deeper and deeper under her spell. He found himself imagining a life in which they did have inside jokes, and laughed about them together by just sharing a secret look from across the room.

Could he be so lucky.  

She moved a fraction closer, presumably so that she could hear better. Yet with his arm up on the pole, it almost gave the illusion that she was standing within the shelter of his body. He liked that, maybe a little too much.  

“We keep talking about me. What kind of books do you like to read?”

He lowered his head down closer to her, drawn like a moth to the flame.

“You're going to think I'm a book snob.” 

“Oh no. You only read classics?” He was eighty percent sure she was teasing him.

“Yeah, mostly. And...”

What was it about this woman that made him want to bare his soul to her? To tell her every little private thing?

“And, what?” she goaded. “Come on, you can't leave me hanging now.”

“I bind books,” he admitted. “It’s...a hobby.” He didn’t know why he felt ridiculous admitting that. Like he was a fraud, pretending to have a pastime like a real, normal, human being.

“Wow. That's amazing.”

It wasn’t the response he expected. The light in her eyes filled him with a spreading warmth. It was utterly addicting, this feeling she inspired in him.

“I enjoy it.”

“So are you an artist? Do you make the pages, or do you repair old manuscripts?”

It was an astute question, and he felt himself warming to her even more.

“Repair, mostly. I pick things up at auction, or rare bookstores, that just need...to be put back together again.”

He didn’t really want to think about the psychological implications of a man who had been torn to pieces more than once, taking solace in repairing something that would outlast him, with any luck.

She looked up at him with a gentleness in her polished mahogany eyes that twisted his insides.

“I can understand that.”

“You're a nurse?” He realized that he’d assumed, but she’d never actually told him as much.

“An RN, actually. In the emergency room at NewYork-Presbyterian.”

“You must be great under pressure.” 

“I guess. I just...like helping people who have had a bit of bad luck. I feel like...we're putting the universe to rights again, in some little way.” The weight of John’s stare maybe caused her to add, “Wow, that sounds conceited.”

He shook his head, unable to form words around the pesky lump that had formed in his throat. He spent his life sowing chaos across the globe, snuffing out lives, while this lovely woman saved them. A chill settled in his bones, as he realized that this should be the last time he spoke to her, for her own sake.

He had no right to contaminate her light with the shadow of his presence.

The thought of never seeing her again made a sickly tremor run from his heart to his limbs, his grip white-knuckling on the pole. He realized she was waiting for an answer. That was how conversations worked. Someone said something, then you were supposed to say something back. Finally he managed to get out something true: “I think you're amazing.” 

“Ok.” She raised an eyebrow, searching his face, and he felt like she could see straight through him too. “It would be more convincing if you didn't frown when you said it.”

Again, she was teasing him. Kind of.  

He sighed, wanting to bang his head on the metal pole. “I mean...it’s not you. It’s…”

Me. 

I'm a monster. The Baba Yaga. The Boogeyman. The Thing That Goes Bump In The Night.

She waited patiently, looking so earnestly up at him that he could have cried. He could neither even fathom where to begin to tell her the truth of his thoughts, or bring himself to offer a lie when she looked at him like that. He was acutely aware of the seconds ticking down of their ride. Soon, they might never see each other again.

“How about this,” she inserted into the silence between them, seemingly throwing out a lifeline. “You could tell me about it over dinner. There's a great Thai place just down the street from my stop.”

Was she asking him in a date? Or did she just think the seemingly harmless nut job she'd befriended on the train needed someone to talk to? He hoped she didn't pick up strays so readily, for her own safety, but he already knew she had a bigger heart than most. 

“I—”

John couldn't say what exactly tipped him off. A change in the air. The specific angle of an arm in the crowd reaching for a gun. The look in the man's eyes at the end of the car behind Helen.  The years and years of hard-won experience. But he knew he had a split second to make a choice. Save himself and eliminate the shooter—or save her and take some damage.

He did not think before reacting. Not really. He grabbed her and spun, shielding her with his larger body and his armor-tailored suit. He felt at least three bullets strike him in the back before he lost count. Jesus fucking christ that hurt.

“Stay down,” he ordered, tucking her behind a row of seats, and whipping off his jacket to cover her. Stupid, maybe, to give up that advantage, but if something happened to her he wasn’t sure he wanted to survive.

He really was getting tired of this shit. 

While the attacker reloaded John sprang, knocking the gun away just as the new clip slid home. The man drew a knife, making a quick swipe that grazed Johns ribs. He slashed twice more, both times John barely skipped out of reach. The third time John blocked and twisted the man's arm, trying to break it. The attacker had training though, and he wormed away. They grappled, exchanging strikes. John couldn't go for his gun, both hands occupied with keeping that knife out of his body. He failed a little, the tip of the blade sinking into the flesh of his shoulder. Through gritted teeth John backed him off with a head butt and a kick. He found the attacker’s gun had skittered off under the seat, just in reach. As the attacker reared to throw the knife John shot him with a single round through the head.

By this time most of the passengers had retreated to the adjoining cars, screaming. But Helen remained, and rather than run for safety she rushed to his side, assessing the damage. “Oh my god, John!”

He groaned as she applied pressure to the wound in his shoulder. “I have a first aid kit in my backpack. But we have got to get you to the hospital.” 

“No time. No hospital,” he found himself insisting through gritted teeth. The train slowed to a stop. The doors whooshed open. They had to go. John pushed to his feet, taking one last disdainful look at his attacker’s corpse before exiting. 

By some stroke of luck, The Continental wasn't far from that stop, though in the shape he was in, it could have been in Mongolia. When he stumbled Helen was there, supporting him with his uninjured arm around her shoulders. She was stronger than he imagined, and even in the middle of all the chaos he couldn’t stop himself from adding it to the list of things that made this woman endlessly attractive to him.

“Where do you think you're going?” she demanded. “Wait for the paramedics. It was clearly self-defense! I’ll tell them.” 

People were seeing the body in the train car, and despite some people’s morbid efforts to film the carnage, pandemonium was breaking loose. They had to ride the wave of the crowd to the surface without getting trampled.  

“Can’t,” he managed to get out. “You...should go.” It killed him to say it aloud. 

“Are you kidding? I'm not leaving you!”

He didn't have the time or the energy to fight with her. Never mind that his black heart rejoiced with a full-out aria to hear her say those words as they spilled out on the street. He would try again closer to the Continental. It was just a block away. 

When an ambulance and police car raced past with sirens blazing he felt Helen tense, and knew she meant to flag them down. He tightened his grip on her, even though it hurt like a sonofabitch, turning them so that they partially hid behind a news stand. He could feel the heat of a fresh surge of blood seeping beneath his shirt.

She looked up at him with those beautiful, bright brown eyes held wide. Lost, confused, but somehow, not afraid. This woman did have a nerve of steel. “John?”

She was a smart woman. She was putting two and two together. A man who’d killed his attacker on the subway and was avoiding official assistance probably had a few more things of his own to hide.

“It’s ok, Helen.” He couldn’t believe how much he wanted to kiss her right then, with her body tucked up against his in their dark little nook on the street. “But you really should go now.”

Again, she shook her head, and he sighed. He could see the Continental in the distance, that distinctive sharp corner jutting out, a beacon of hope for creatures of the Underworld like him. He could feel his body going cold with blood loss. He needed to get to Doc, and sanctuary, and hopefully find out what the fuck that shit on the subway had been about.

But then again, he mused, as they started walking again, maybe he was the one going soft. Keeping a regular routine like he’d been doing the past month—or was it two?—made a man like him quite the target.

He knew better. He’d known better all along, but…he hadn’t cared. He’d come this far—survived this long—purely as an act of defiance, as anything. Defiance of those who took him when he was just a child, and who had moulded him into the killer he was today for their own ends. Made him their servant, practically their slave. At last, he almost had freedom, or the closest one could get to it, in this life. He looked to the worried woman at his side, and wondered if this would be the stunt that brought him too close to the sun.

As they scaled the steps of the Continental Helen looked upon the opulent portal with a frown. “You want to go to a fancy hotel over a hospital?”

He paused at the front door, leaning against the frame. Hopefully, not leaving a bloodstain the staff would have to clean up. He tried to be a considerate guest. It was one of the many reasons they liked him here. He wasn’t sure he could quite say that Charon and Winston were his friends—but they weren’t his enemies. That went a long way in their world.

“There’s a doctor here I know,” he assured her. “I’ll be fine.” Maybe it was the blood loss, or maybe just the exquisite agony of her standing so near, even if just to keep pressure on the wound at his shoulder. Even after a long day at the hospital, she smelled sweet, like honey and healing herbs. He would remember her for the rest of his life, short as it may prove, with aching fondness. He felt emboldened to cup the side of her face in his large hand, taking what he was sure would be his last opportunity to look into those brilliant caramel-colored eyes. “You need to go,” he told her quietly. “You don’t belong in my world.”

It hurt worse than getting stabbed, saying those words.

Rather than obey this, what he certainly thought was, an ominous but heartfelt warning, she frowned, heat flaring in her eyes like sparking embers. She was angry, he realized, and it was ridiculous how it made his heart—and things lower—flutter. Bookish Helen chatting on the subway was adorable. Angry Nurse Helen was fucking hot.

“You idiot. I’m not leaving you until I know you’re in good hands. Come on, then.”

She caught him up with the force of a hurricane, practically dragging him inside the building, and she probably would have started barking orders to bring a doctor to the well-dressed and dangerous-eyed patrons milling in the lobby, had Charon not materialized before them with an expression of polite concern. “Mr. Wick. It appears you are out of sorts.”

“Yes, I’ve had an accident. Can I get a room, and the services of the good Doc?”

“Certainly.” Charon, bless him, already had a key in his hand. “And your…companion?”

Helen stood in this opulent lobby in her pink scrubs with little daisies printed on the shirt with a spine of steel and her chin lifted like a lioness, daring the concierge to tell her she couldn’t be there.

“I vouch for her,” sighed John, knowing that the consequences of those four little words weighed heavier than Helen could possibly know.

“Very well, sir. Please, follow me.”

CHAPTER II. A03

#john wick #john wick fic #john wick x helen #keanu reeves #john wick the night nurse

[ganymedesclock]

random shout-out from someone who DEVOURED your SU theories years and years ago--you know, even if blue Fusion and all the other stuff turned out to be wrong--i'm definitely happy with the way SU turned out, but I find myself thinking--wistfully? about the universe and lore you speculated about. IDK. I do love the way the show went, but sometimes I think I liked your version of homeworld better (definitely liked your white diamond better XD)

That's kind of you to say!

I will say, some amount of theoryposting is an inevitable amount of creative writing. When we don't know where a show goes, we try to slide in what we think would fit based on what's known, which is our creation no matter how hard we try to base it in canon materials.

Some of it is weaker, some of it is stronger- I think the more forceful and bold Yellow Diamond in canon is definitely more interesting in the story Sugar and Crewniverse was telling, than the idea of a shy reclusive nerd that I put forwards. It makes Yellow working with Steven about White more meaningful, because we're not signaled from the start "hey she's a softie" and when they did that instead with Blue Diamond, it still comes with the edge of we've seen just how terrible her temper can be as early as The Answer.

Steven Universe was ultimately its own story and I was not completely right about what it was, which is fine. Sugar isn't me, and doesn't have to write "my" kind of story for it to be any good- that just means I get to write my own stories, to which SU has been a huge inspiration and challenged me to think about all the choices it did make.

I have immense respect for SU as a story that's very itself. Most of what I don't like about it feel like genuinely valid choices; I can't wholeheartedly say the meandering nature of many of the characters' arcs is "a flaw" when that very nature made their triumphs and final choices way more significant, and allowed them an almost unparalleled sense of reality to all these characters and the way that people deal with things (and don't). It creates a very distinctive flavor and identity and is committed and conscientious about it, which is a commendable thing not every piece of art gets to say.

And, yeah, that means either you like its flavor or don't. But I can definitely aspire to create something with that much style and gravitas to it.

I'd also say some of my theories around SU were born of ideological weaknesses in myself, not in that they were wrong and thus weak, but in hindsight, I realized that there were patterns I created.

About the main thing I was wrong about three for three with the Diamonds is how potentially scary they are; canon really went no-holds-barred with these grandiose personalities. This is baked deliberately into even the physical scale of the Diamonds- they are people who can thoughtlessly do a lot of damage because of their sheer size and power. We don't really need to get stereotypical "bad mean boss" scenes between Yellow Diamond and her Pearl, because the sheer scale of them defines the power imbalance. It's not surprising then that when we see a Yellow Diamond who is working to better herself in Future, she's interacting with Gems up on a desk that brings them closer to her eye level. The gap isn't closed, but she's trying to see where they are.

My versions of the Diamonds were leaning harder into how tragic and sad they were, which I think was born of a discomfort I feel very often in storytelling, that if someone is categorized as "evil" that a belief emerges that you cannot do anything evil or morally wrong to an evil person. Treating "evil" as just license to be exactly as mean and nasty as you want in response, because there's no way anybody who's done more damage than you think is reasonable could possibly have anything driving this behavior- and suggesting they have any reason to be sad or even the capacity to be sad is tantamount to being a quitter who thinks we should just let them do bad things unchecked.

Canon examined the tragedy of the Diamonds without needing to make them exaggeratedly soft. The versions of the Diamonds I created, while potentially compelling, were people who were themselves trapped, not decisive winners, who were so overtly vulnerable that I hoped people couldn't hate them.

And like I said- this is potentially compelling! A lot of this DNA carries over to the major antagonists of my original project, Chiaroscuro- so if you're missing my writing, I can guarantee those flavors are still around!

But it's ultimately born of a little bit of insecurity. The desire to make a blameless, tragic, vulnerable soul out of the villains so that people will feel obligated to see past their knee-jerk, "the character crossed a moral line and I don't want to relate to that or examine it" when I think that's important.

I think that we should be able to relate to people who make abhorrent choices. Even people who make unjustified abhorrent choices. I think we should be able to do that, and acknowledge their humanity, and not have it weaken our conviction that what's wrong is wrong.

If you can only stand against evil when it's an abstracted cartoonish force that isn't attached to anybody with feelings, when you imagine the worst person is actually not a human at all but some kind of demon from hell with no real feelings, you're not really in a good place to stand against evil. You're in particular, in a really bad place to stand against the potential for evil in yourself, and the potential of people with very bad intentions to appeal to you.

And that's something I tried to scratch at with my theories, and it's something canon also put its finger on, but canon, especially in Future, brought the added angle to this that sometimes doing the right thing and creating a better future means you don't get to punish people that did something wrong and you're mad at them.

The Diamonds are kind of dislikable and frustrating. But the scene with White Diamond and the pillar illuminates in stark contrast that the problem isn't White anymore; she's got loads of her own, and they haven't evaporated, but Steven needs to address his own malcontent and anger, rather than acting like it's all White's fault and getting rid of her would make his crisis stop. At the point White isn't a threat anymore, Steven nearly killing her is about him, not about her. It's not any evaluation on what she's done, or hasn't- what matters is that she's distant to him and he can justify she's done too much damage to have peace, so it's someone he doesn't, in the moment, mind lashing out at.

It's a point where the world is, easier, more peaceful, when we have enemies to attack that are just bad and we don't have to think about them and we don't have to think about what we do to them. But that easier world has some very ugly costs- because "mindless true evil" doesn't exist, so you have to choose to make the evil orc army out of other people.

#Steven Universe #readmore

[eds6ngel]

Hi! Can you do Steve and fem!reader sad/angsty fic? Maybe like king Steve cheated on her in high school and then years later they meet again and she’s engaged and he wants her back?? Idk if that made sense but I love your writing!

of course my love! i actually made this even more heartbreaking than you requested, so i hope that’s okay with you :)

warnings: fem!reader. swearing. cheating. mentions of smut (but no actual smut). talks of engagement. talks of children. hurt. angst. no happy ending [1.1k].

He knew he messed up. Cheating on the girl of his dreams to keep some stupid high school reputation back in ‘83 was up there as one of the dumbest mistakes of his life.

You and Steve were together for a mere three months in the Summer of ‘83. It started off as a simple hook up, which eventually lead to more. You even admitted that you loved each other.

And for the most part, it was true. Steve truly did love you, but, with a growing popularity at Hawkins High, he let that aspect of his life take over his personality.

You were not one to adhere to the crowds. The closest societal group that you could be associated with were The Nerds. But, even then, you did not hang out with that clique.

You stayed in your own lane. So, when Steve started to encourage you to hang out with him, Tommy and Carol a lot more than your group of friends, you were anything but willing.

Which led to the great heartbreak of your life. A heartbreak so bad that you didn’t date anyone for the rest of your high school career in fear of getting hurt again.

Your unwillingness to adhere to Steve’s rulebook lead to him cheating on you with Nancy Wheeler. You actually felt bad for Nancy, knowing that like you, she was more of the quiet type. Although, unlike you, much easier to manipulate.

It didn’t surprise you that a year later Nancy also proceeded to break up with Steve, leaving him in the dark once again to try and find a new girlfriend in Hawkins to control.

You attended college in New York, Columbia University to be exact, thankful to move away from the hellhole that was Hawkins for the rest of your life.

But, your parents still lived here, so that meant you did come back occasionally to spend holidays with them. Just like today.

Christmas of ‘92 was planned to be spent in Hawkins, you spending the previous Christmas in Colorado.

Your mom had asked you to pick up a movie from Family Video, the store still located in the same place from when you went as a teenager. The same design too.

Entering the store, the bell rings above your head, signalling your entrance as you walk up to the counter, leaning against it and waiting patiently.

A few seconds later, a very familiar face bounces out from the backroom.

“Hey, welcome to Family Video! How can I help—“ Steve freezes as he sees you, his ex-girlfriend, standing in front of him. Your hair was pulled back in a claw grip, curtain bangs framing your face perfectly. A thick black turtleneck, a fluffy material, sitting nicely on your body as you wear minimal make-up. He could’ve sworn New York had made you even more beautiful.

You cough, “Hey, Steve… How are you?”

Why couldn’t Robin have been on shift today? Steve scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, “Yeah, yeah… I’m fine. How are you? How’s New York?”

You smile softly, “New York is great, thank you. I’m back in town for Christmas though. Can’t leave my parents in the dark for too long,” you laugh.

He chuckles along shyly, “Yeah, it’s good that you’re back. How long are you staying here for?”

“Only a week. I’d love to stay longer by my fiancé has to get back to New York for work by New Years.”

Fiancé. Of course you had a fiancé. It’s you. The most breathtaking woman on Earth. Of course another guy had snatched you up. Why would you want to date him again after all the shit he’d put you through anyway?

“Oh… Fiancé,” he replies, trying not to let the disappointment show, “Well, congratulations…”

But, you noticed it, he was the worst at hiding his emotions, it’s how you found out he cheated in the first place. “Thank you…”

There was an uncomfortable silence, before the sound of crashing VHS tapes came from around the corner.

You click your tongue as a young girl, looking almost identical to you, trots around the corner. She looks innocently up at you, twiddling her thumbs as she has a soft expression on her face.

You shake your head, softly laughing as you say, “What happened, baby?”

“I wanted Home Awone, but all the tapes fell down,” she says disappointedly, saddened that she couldn’t get the VHS herself.

“It’s okay baby, c’mere,” you say, lifting her up onto your hip and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek as you walk over to the fallen pile of tapes, neatly stacking them back on the shelf.

You show her the ‘Home Alone’ tape again, asking her, “This the one you want, baby?”

She nods, holding the VHS in her hands, “Yes please, Momma!” she squeals, beaming as her eyes light up.

Momma. You had a kid?

“‘Home Alone’ it is then, baby!” you say, placing your daughter back on the floor. “Go up to the counter and ask to rent it then.”

She giggles, running up to the front and stretching to place the tape on the counter. “This one pwease!”

Steve stands there in shock for a moment, connecting all the dots on how far you had moved on with your life in comparison to him. He was still working a shitty job at a VHS store whilst you lived in New York with your fiancé and daughter. And he was still pining over you. His life was truly a mess.

He smiles through the sting of pain, “Of course! You want it on your mom’s account, right?”

“If you don’t mind,” you reply, picking up your daughter once more so she can watch in fascination at the transaction going ahead.

After Steve rings up the tape, he gives it back to you, looking down to where you had a hand wrapped around your daughter’s waist, hoisting her up on your hip. There it was: an engagement ring.

“There you go,” he smiles.

“Thank you, Steve,” you say, “I’ll see you around, maybe?”

He nods, softly laughing to himself, “Yeah… See you around.”

The sound of the bell ringing again signals your exit as he watches you place your daughter in the back of your car, before you get in the front and drive out of the parking lot.

He was going to ask you out again. A stupid assumption made that you were single. Why would a 25 year old gorgeous woman like you be in the same shitty position he was? You had everything going for you: the looks, the personality, the sweetness and undeniable kindness. Everything made for the perfect partner. Whereas him? He was stuck living in a run-down one bedroom in his hometown whilst he desperately tries to find a girlfriend.

You were living the perfect life, he was living his own nightmare. You were never made for each other, and he should’ve known that.

sorry for the lack of happy ending! i hope this is close to what you wished for <3

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington angst #steve harrington hurt #steve harrington

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Skellys kid is a sweet perfect angel when mom is around but when shes not around they are the worst little brat you have ever seen

Undertale Sans - It's just a phase, he knows it. He knows it because Papyrus did the same thing as a teenager. All cute and friendly with everyone except with him. He tries not to take this too much at heart, but it's still upsetting him a little. He's trying his best and he starts to be a little discouraged about this.

Undertale Papyrus - He acts like he doesn't see it and treats his kid like usual. You don't want to eat? Too bad, there's only that to eat. You don't want to sleep? He's still waking you up at 6 a.m. to go to school whether you want it or not. Eventually, when the kid will realize it's useless, they will calm down. He knows it.

Underswap Sans - He's not made of father material anyway and he gave up trying. The kid can do the hell they want, he doesn't care anymore. He tried, but it's not working, so he gives the kid to S/O or his brother to avoid being alone with them. That's kinda sad.

Underswap Papyrus - He's desperate. Why won't you like him? What did he do to you? He spent nights and nights reading things on parenthood to try to fix this but nothing is working. S/O proposed to go see a child therapist to help, and even if he lives it like a failure, he accepts it anyway.

Underfell Sans - Manchild acts like the child and it's not helping. Red plays along with their moody attitude, answers back and is a brat to the kid as well. He knows it's completely immature, but that kiddo passed his breaking point a long time ago. He's so done.

Underfell Papyrus - Hell if you will. Edge doesn't hesitate to isolate them to make them think about what they did and talk about this later. He is very patient, I mean, he kinda tamed all of Snowdin's dogs and it was hard. You're no different. He knows how to calm down young energetic brats. That period won't last very long.

Horrortale Sans - Well good thing he's not authorized to stay alone with the child because he is so done. He doesn't understand why the kid is acting this way, and it's giving him headaches to try to talk them down of it. He knows he has Willow and S/O to help with this situation. S/O believes him anyway because he is so agitated it's hard to not see it.

Horrortale Papyrus - He gives the child chores on the farm every time they're acting like this and refuses to let them go before they end it. It's boring? Great, at least you know how he feels. You better apologize now.

Swapfell Sans - Well, that's part his fault. He kept calling the kid his heir all his first years, and now the kid is acting like a little prince with him because he realizes Nox waiting for a child so much he gives them a lot more liberty than their mom. Nox is a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing but he tries to stay calm to not encourage that behavior more.

Swapfell Papyrus - His kid is lost in the mall. Oh well. He goes to the entrance and asks to do a call. "if you're not at the door in five minutes I'm leaving without you and you'll have to wait five hours until your mom is done working to get home." In seconds the kid is there. Yeah, that's what he thought.

Fellswap Gold Sans - Oh he doesn't care. He had to deal with moody people his whole life and it's not a little child who's going to impress him. Not even when the little brat put poison he found in his office into his drink to see what it does to him. S/O said to him that maybe if he was acting normal around the kid, they wouldn't be like this. Wine got offended and went into his room to pout.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He's lying on the floor like a dead sea star as his kid is drawing on his bones. He tried to convince them to go take a bath for three hours now. He's desperate. When he finally caught the kid, he kicked hard his pelvis and Coffee fell. He's still there. He gave up. Help. Someone.

#undertale #underswap #underfell #horrortale #swapfell #fellswap gold #sans #papyrus #undertale ask blog #undertale asks #undertale imagines #undertale headcanons

[dont-leafmealone]

So I've enjoyed the ATLA remake so far, but me enjoying it definitely doesn't mean it was good. Especially as an adaptation, and especially when it comes to one of the most important characters, Katara.

I really think Kiawentiio is doing amazing working with the material she's given; unfortunately there's so little of that material because they cut/changed most of the katara-centric plot so far (disclaimer; I'm only on episode 4) and also changed one of her most important flaws and strengths: her anger. Spoilers ahead.

I've talked about how Katara's openness about her emotions (which is really rare to see in a character, especially in avatar where everyone is repressed to some degree) is both a strength and flaw. It's good that she's so in touch with her feelings and refuses to hide it, making her the most genuine self she can be, but it can also culminate in her saying mean or cruel things in anger because it's *exactly* what she's feeling, regardless of whether it's true. I love that about her as a character, and it makes me sad to see it changed.

In the Netflix remake, Katara is mildly sassy and certainly opinionated, and will bicker with Sokka, but she's also very quiet and reserved, and really doesn't wear her emotions openly. This may be, in part, because so many of the moments when she had the opportunity to show them, were cut or bizarrely rewritten. Aang doesn't best her in waterbending, so there's no reason to yell at him. Jet doesn't use her to further his (ultimately less horrible than killing civilians in cold blood) goals, he just keeps it secret that he's planning it, so she has no real reason to be angry at him apart from lying to her and him trying to hurt...two people, and by the time the confrontation with jet actually happened one of them had already been exposed as a traitor, and the other had her friend imprisoned and, as far as she knew, set to likely be executed (and yeah katara doesn't like killing people, but Original Katara would absolutely have her judgement clouded by something like that).

Granted, the moment of her and Sokka fighting in the secret tunnel was amazing. Their argument over how they were both swayed by a traitor and a terrorist was interesting (Katara's OTHER big strength-turned-flaw is, obviously, how compassionate she is and how gullible she can be because of it, and I do like that they didn't change that; and comparing it with Sokka being drawn in by the Mechanist highlighted that he's not an impenetrable fortress of skepticism either). I hope we get to see more of that kind of anger when Katara crosses paths with Pakku. And her trauma regarding her mother's death is given more weight than even the original show gave it up until late season two and three, so there's a definite positive.

At any rate, if they manage to secure a deal for more seasons (the likelihood of which is questionable at this point), I do hope the creators tap into that emotional side of Katara more. Especially when it comes to things like interactions with Toph, The Desert, and the Crossroads moment. Really I hope they do More with her as a character, because right now she's kind of sidelined, and it irritates me as someone who loves how Much of a character she originally is.

#natla #katara #atla live action #natla spoilers #natla critical #atla critical #(tiny bit of both) #atla meta #natla meta #(both)

[aevyk-ing]

Rise of the Titans, the Aevyk Cut

On December 23rd, 2016, the first season of Guillermo del Toro's Trollhunters premiered on Netflix. It was a hit, followed by two new installments: 3Below and Wizards. The series were grouped into the Tales of Arcadia.

On July 21st, 2021, the Tales of Arcadia ended. And it was done with a bang... but not a good one. The fandom was enraged. The promised epic final chapter was sloppy, everyone was ooc and even worse: it destroyed everything canon in ten minutes. The LAST ten minutes.

A while ago, I discovered the also convoluted story of the production of The thief and the cobbler. I watched the recobbled version (I highly recommend it) and started wondering... how many versions of a movie can you make?

I'm not a stranger to diamonds in the rough. You could even say I'm a professional. My first book ever published, Zem, is the result of me rereading the very first draft from years ago and doing my best to try to find something, anything that would made that story worth telling. I've done it again several times with other books and, even if it is just one little thing, I always find it. So, was there something worth in Rise of the Titans? (Well, actually yes).

Then began my journey of cutting and mixing, but mostly cutting. I had to rewatch it (yeah, it was painful) and decided what my biggest issues were: the pacing, the stupidity of some characters, unnecessary deaths, unfunny jokes and, of course, the ending.

I did my best so the cuts are mostly unnoticeable, but I had to do a lot of cutting in some scenes. Fortunately, other parts could be left almost intact.

What's gone?

Steve's pregnancy

Scenes and jokes that dragged on too much

The characters being stupid for no reason

Strickler's death

Gun Robot (yeah, it was for the sake of pacing, sorry)

The ending

What's new?

Subtitles!

The ending

The music for the credits

The result is roughly over an hour. Yes: at least 30 minutes of that movie could be cut. So it plays more like an special with some sort of open ending. About the ending... it was really hard to find something that worked with the material I had. It's not perfect, but I hope it's at least satisfying.

BTW, I edited it with Clipchamp and my computer couldn't deal with the whole movie, so I separated it in three parts. I have them in higher definition, but keep in mind they're way heavier.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I'm still sad about what happened after that underwhelming movie was released and I'm glad there's still so many incredible people in the fandom trying to keep it alive. I hope you like the way I tried to fix it!

Happy 7th anniversary of Trollhunters!

Happy holidays, everybody!

And... keep it crispy!

#tales of arcadia #trollhunters #rise of the titans #trollhunters rise of the titans #toa rott #video #movie #me

[darklydeliciousdesires]

The Dark Passenger - Chapter Nine.

So, with the pitiful amount of interaction this is receiving (bar my beautiful girls who always leave such lovely feedback) my hand has been forced. If you want the next chapter, you are now in charge of making it happen via an unlocking system. This chapter must reach a minimum of 35 notes for the next to be posted, or it doesn’t happen. I work hard at my writing, and I deserve a little more in the way of feedback. I don’t think that’s unreasonable to ask of the people reading this. You can drive up the note count with likes, comments and reblogs very easily. It’s all in your hands now!

Previous chapters - One  Two  Three  Four  Five  Six  Seven  Eight

Words - 3,261

Warnings - 18+ content throughout, minors DNI!

Tag list - In the comments. Please DM to be added/removed

“I swear, not one little bit of cellulite, not one flaw. Damn her. I’d hate her if she wasn’t so fucking lovely!” Amelia announced with a soft snort, she and Bella sitting at the table while Camille put their lunch order in at the counter of the restaurant they were at.  

“I know! She makes me feel bad about my thoroughbred knees.”  

Amelia rolled her eyes. “You have such a complex about your knees, girl! They are not knobbly, or like a horse’s knees!”

“Oh, but they are! I mean, those legs, babe. EZ almost makes me jealous that he gets them wrapped around him on the regular, and I’m not even close to being bisexual.” Looking at Camille’s legs again in the tiny pair of denim shorts she wore, Bella shook her head. Some women had all the luck by nature.  

“I’d totally turn bi for her, you know.” Sipping her soda, Amelia then snorted softly with laughter. “I told Gilly that the other night and I swear, it lit his fire so damned much, I still feel dick drunk!”  

A poorly timed sip of her own drink led to Bella spraying a mouthful of tea everywhere, leaning into Amelia as they both cracked up hard, the latter using a napkin to clear up the mess from the table.  

“Men are such simple creatures like that! I mean, remember when Nala and I kissed for a bet? The absolute pounding Angel dragged me away for afterwards, fuck!”  

Amelia nodded, still laughing before she composed herself with a sad sigh. “I miss having her around, you know, now she isn’t coming to the clubhouse.”

Nala had of course taken her boyfriend’s death very, very hard, and found it impossible to be around the place she had so many happy memories of him in. She still remained close with the girls, meeting with Bella and Amelia whenever she could, even visiting the former out on tour when Heavenly Creature had gigged around Europe in support of a very well-established band, but being an immediate part of it all was just too tough for her still, even a year and a half after Coco had died.  

“I know, yeah,” Bella lamented, sipping her tea, her throat sore from a morning of rehearsing new material her band were compiling for their second album. “But at least she’s doing well now and finding some happiness again.” She then contemplated her next statement before deciding to voice it. “Besides, we have a brand-new old lady to keep our eye on. I think she needs our support, navigating her way through it all, her place in our world. Or more specifically, her place at EZ’s side.”

Amelia widened her eyes a touch. “I mentioned it to Gilly the other day, that I wanted to further take her under my wing, try and be there for her. He told me not to get involved. It’s tough to be like that, though, because she’s becoming our friend. We met her a month ago now, and over the course of that month, her relationship with EZ has been so up and down, while us as a three are growing so tight. They’re fighting one minute, only to be back in love and wonderful the next, and it’s so hard, watching her going through that.”

Straightening her cutlery, Bella puffed her cheeks out on a long breath. “I get what he’s saying, and I know Angel would tell me the exact same thing, to stay out of other people’s relationships, but they don’t get it, how us girls are there for one another like that, that we’re the ones we tell everything to. I think there’s things she wants to tell us, too, but for whatever reason, probably because we’re such new friends, she feels like she can’t. Or she’s in denial. You see that, in relationships like theirs. And now I feel like I’m judging, argh!”

“You’re not,” Amelia was quick to reassure. “It all ties in with the fact that EZ hasn’t been himself for a long time, doesn’t it?” She then thought on her comment, her mouth twisting up at the corner a little. “Well, I suppose that’s not fair. We see flashes of the old him, but they’re getting fewer and further between.” A little huff left mouth as she chewed her lip. “I miss him, who he was.”

All talk was hushed over then, Camille returning to the table with a bright smile. “What are we talking about?”

“Your bloody legs!” It was half-true, at least. They had been talking about them at one point. “You give me knee envy.”

Camille raised an eyebrow. “Is that even a thing?”

“It is for Bella, Bella and her thoroughbred knees, as she calls them,” Amelia joked. “Thinks she’s like something that came off the track at the Kentucky Derby.”  

“Oh, come on!” Camille exclaimed. “Bella, you have a beautiful body, so gorgeous and slim!”

“I’m skinny, and I have no boobies either!”

“Yeah, but the way Angel looks at you. I can tell he thinks you’re perfect. If you’re bothered by the fact you have smaller breasts, just do what I did and buy yourself some bigger ones,” she reasoned, looking down at her own E cups, which had been B cups prior to her surgery.

“He does, you’re right. He even said if it got to me, he’d buy me some titties, as he worded it. I’m a little scared of the surgery, though, and everything that can do wrong,” she spoke, doubt riddling her voice.  

Camille grabbed hers, giving them a little shake. “I can honestly say, I’ve never had an issue with mine. I got silicone as opposed to the other options, operation was done in a couple of hours, I went home later that day and stayed with my parents, because you do need someone to look after you, help you wash and dress, and then six weeks later I was all healed up!”

“Are they heavy? Also, what do they feel like, because I mean, they look amazing!” Bella then questioned, Camille leaning forward a little.

“Here, give them a squish and feel for yourself.” Bella reached out and gave them a gentle squeeze, her eyebrows rising in surprise. “As for them being heavy, they took some getting used to, but no, I wouldn’t say they were a burden or anything.”

“Oh my god, they feel so real!” she exclaimed, turning to Amelia. “Get in on this!” 

Amelia reached over, softly squeezing, both of them making little noises of approval before Camille looked up and snorted with laughter. “Excuse me, sir? We’ll have to charge you by the minute if you’re going to keep on staring. This isn’t a free show!”  

Her joke had her new friends cracking up completely, the man who had been copping himself an eyeful of the sight turning away with reddened cheeks. It certainly made for an entertaining moment when they arrived back at the clubhouse an hour later, finding their guys communed outside under the hot sun.

“So, what have you girls been up to?” Angel asked after they’d gotten out of Amelia’s car.  

“Eating salad and playing with Camille’s boobies!” his wife enthused, Angel’s eyebrows raising. “Squishy, squishy!” she then exclaimed in a playful voice, standing behind the lady herself and giving them another squeeze and a shake. Immediately, she found herself thrown over his shoulder, his grin huge.  

“Don’t nobody come to the bathroom for a while,” he stated, smacking Bella’s ass and carrying her off in the direction of the clubhouse.  

“How long are we talking, ten minutes?” Amelia called in joke, not able to resist razzing him.  

He snorted, turning back. “Get outta here with your bullshit, Garcie!” Pausing, he made a thoughtful face. “Twelve should do it.”  

“Eleven!” EZ called, moving to hug his girl, Camille pleased that he seemed to be in a good mood.  

“Fuck you, bro.” With that, Angel vanished inside, Amelia exchanging some kisses with Gilly before she had to leave and get back to work, Camille and EZ moving to the couches to sit down. He swung his feet up, stretching out, his head in her lap, grasping her hand and resting it to his hair.  

“Oh, he wants to be petted?”

He nodded, closing his eyes. “He does, yeah. All of the scritches, please.” Feeling her nails begin to tickle his scalp, he smiled, the tension in his body from a stressful morning running between there and the border through the tunnels for clandestine meetings melting away. “I’m so pleased you’re not working tonight. I missed my baby.”  

She felt her insides glow with happiness, leaning down to kiss him. Happy EZ, sweet EZ, he was the one she loved the most, and the one who she had been seeing him make more of an effort to be. He’d been vulnerable with her in the wake of confessing his love, telling her that he thought the duality he felt within him was some kind of unconscious compartmentalising, borne of stress at sitting at the helm of the MC.  

In her eyes, he was making a very conscious effort to overcome that, but it didn’t mean the other side of him had merely ceased to exist. He had good and bad days, heck, sometimes good and bad hours, but that afternoon, at least, everything was calm. Well...  

Opening his eyes, he looked up at her, the sunlight making them glow more golden, Camille leaning to kiss him again as her hand skimmed beneath his t shirt.  

“I’d be very careful, if I were you, encroaching on the happy trail like that,” he murmured. “Because it’ll make me happy.” A suggestive double eyebrow raise had her in soft fits, kissing his forehead.  

“How’d you like for me to take you upstairs and make you even happier?” He was on his feet in two seconds. A few more after that, and he was naked, standing at the foot of his bed, Camille seated before him, his cock gliding in and out of her mouth.  

“How the hell is it that you’re getting even better at giving head?” he questioned, pulling a comic face of disbelief that had her snorting softly. “Like, where’s the other end popping out? For real!”

“Don’t make me laugh when I have a mouthful of your dick, baby,” she snickered, licking a circle at the head of it, making him shudder with a soft sigh. “I guess I’m just getting used to the fact I have to virtually unhook my jaw to get this third leg all the way back in my throat.”  

She had him laughing then, his eyes tightly closing when she took him back once more, sucking along his shaft as her lips took him inch by inch, EZ tangling his fingers in the mass of her soft, wavy hair. The heat of her mouth chased an icy chill through his veins, freezing then warming, his cock pulsing as he felt those familiar tingles of utter paradise pulsing through him.  

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum, baby,” he gritted, Camille speeding up a little, looking up at him, her blue eyes lust blown, framed by long lashes, her beauty making his heart somersault as the surge of his orgasm hit him hard, hot trails of cum flooding her throat.  

After he’d ceased shaking like a leaf, Camille quenching her thirst with a few gulps from the bottle of iced tea she’d bought earlier, he moved to kiss her, yanking her shorts and undies, off, her top and bra soon to follow. “Only fair I return the favour,” he spoke between kisses, watching her grin as she giggled, his fingers pushing between her legs to stroke at the wetness already gathering there. “Yeah, you want that, huh? Want my tongue right up in this little honey hole, querida?”

“Mmmm, yes please, big guy.” Pushing her until she was flat, he lay before her spread legs, lowering his mouth to her and giving her exactly what she wanted. “Oh god, that feels so good.”  

Opening his eyes as he pushed his tongue inside her, he winked, tasting the gloss of arousal that sucking on his cock had left her with, laying long, slow licks over her slit, catching her clit sweepingly before pulling the hood back with his thumb, delighting those thousands of nerve endings with the incessant caress of wet, rolling heat.  

She lay back, her body somewhere between blissfully relaxed and winding with tension, EZ using more pressure, driving the glimmers from her, his breath hot against her balmy folds, hands clutching at her thighs as he began to suck upon her hungrily. He released her with a slippery pop, his tongue running slowly up her body, two fingers pushing into her as he rained kisses all over her breasts, his mouth closing over her nipples in turn, sucking, teeth gently nipping before his mouth covered hers.  

Their kisses burned like honey laced napalm, slow, hot and sweet, his fingers hooking within her, dragging against her soaking walls until glimmers began to flood her, Camille panting against him, overcome, arousal twisting through her core. Pulling away from her hungry lips, he stared down at her, seeing the same need burning blue in her eyes, resting his forehead to hers, knowing what she craved. Just the act of burying his mouth between her legs had gotten him hard enough to do exactly the same with his cock, sliding into her fully, kissing the cry that fell from her lips, his arms tightening around her.  

“I love you so much. Never, ever forget that, baby,” he told her, stroking her face, losing himself to her. Control? Darkness? Manipulation? Gone. For that moment, he was him again. However...  

“You can’t do this!” he fumed at her, three hours later after Martin had called her, desperate for her to cover two girls who had both tested positive for covid, and thus couldn’t come into the club for their scheduled shifts. “You’re meant to be spending time with me!”

Camille closed her eyes, sighing softly. She knew if she reacted to it with anything even bordering on the same level of ire, he’d just get worse. “EZ, please. Calm down.”

“Don’t fucking tell me to calm down! What, what? I’m supposed to just be cool with the fact that you’d rather go grind into some other dude’s crotch tonight?” he yelled, his rage pulsing.  

She was incensed at such a stance, how worked up he was getting over something that wasn’t out of the ordinary. It was her job; one he had no issues with. Except for now. “Oh, so it’s not that I’m leaving you, but what I’m leaving you to do, that’s what’s bothering you?” Taking a breath, she checked herself. “Baby, that’s exactly how you met me, isn’t it? It isn’t like what happened between you and me is something I regularly make a habit out of, is it? I’m with you, you’re my guy, and my work is my work.”

He snorted, eyeing her dangerously. “I don’t fucking know that, do I? You could be taking any number of them out back and fucking them.”  

She stood up, striding across the apartment, pulling her shoes back on. “I can’t believe you’ve just said that, accused me of something like that. For god’s sake, what’s wrong with you? You know that isn’t me!”  

“What’s wrong with me? I’m not the one running off here!”  

“EZ, for the love of Jesus!” she yelled, unable to quell letting her emotions get the better of her. “I’m doing a favour for my boss, a guy who has been good to me in the past, understanding me wanting short notice time off, even waiving my fees if I’ve been a little short on cash. I’m not going to leave him in the lurch.”  

EZ snorted, shaking his head. “And how many times did you suck his dick to make him be that nice to you?”

Oh. Now he’d done it. “None, which is in stark contrast to the fact I suck yours plenty, and yet you’re still an asshole.” Picking up her bag, she walked over to where Sally was looking at her with big, sad eyes, kissing her head and stroking her ears, the dog fluttering her tail happily before she headed for the stairs.

“I didn’t fucking say you could leave, Camille,” he barked, following her. “Camille! Fucking get your ass back here, now!” he then roared, making her jump as she exited the stairs and walked as fast as her feet could carry her, EZ gaining on her, his hand closing around her arm.  

“Get off me!” she shouted, pulling against him.  

“No! You’re not fucking going anywhere. Do you hear me?”  

“Let me the hell go, EZ!” she yelled, Bishop and Gilly both sitting up to take notice, looking between one another, setting themselves on high alert.  

“I said you’re not leaving, Camille! I’m not letting you leave here to go and hoe it up at that place, no!”  

Her reaction was immediate, her upset flowing out from the skippy beats of her heart, running down her arm and landing in the hand that slapped him sharply around the face. Immediately, he let her go, but the way his eyes darkened, a knot of fear grew in her belly, before suddenly and without warning, his fist met her cheek.  

Everything clouded after that, Camille aware of her body falling back and hitting the floor, her consciousness hazy, blackness engulfing her. When she came to, it was Gilly’s face she saw, his arm beneath her neck, lifting her up off the hard floorboards. She could just about focus enough to see Bishop laying into her boyfriend behind him, both men in a fist fight as she was lifted into strong arms, carried out of the clubhouse, clinging onto him as she trembled with fear.  

“Shit, are you okay?” he asked softly, seating her on the couch outside, crouching to look at her as he gently held her hand, touching his thumb to her stinging cheek. “I can’t fucking believe he did that, slugging a woman. God damn him. He’s getting worse. No, not worse. Worst, to do this to you, Jesus.”  

Immediately, she began to cry, falling forward into the safety of his arms and sobbing on his shoulder. “What the hell is wrong with him, Gilly?” she cried, her little sobs making the big man feel awful for her. There she was, so sweet and kind, so in love with EZ, and yet he treated her like this. “I don’t understand why he’s so good one minute, only to turn so dark the next!”

“Shhhh, baby,” he soothed her, the door opening to reveal Nestor, who carried with him a towel full of ice, and a bottle of Sailor Jerry. Gilly mouthed his thanks, jerking his head in the direction of the table, Nestor placing them down and squeezing his shoulder before heading back inside. “I don’t have a clue, none of us do. We thought it was the pressure of taking the gavel, all the shit he’s had to deal with, but it’s something else. It has to be. All this? It ain’t normal, and I’d say it ain’t him, but shit, seeing him punch you out. I dunno, Camille. I don’t know who EZ is anymore.”  

This? It was a new level of darkness revealed in El Rey Oscuro. And nobody had seen it coming.  

#ez reyes #ez reyes fanfiction #ez reyes imagine #ez reyes smut #ez reyes xofc #ez reyes fanfic #ez reyes fic #mayans mc #mayans mc fanfiction #mayans mc smut #mayans mc imagine #mayans mc fanfic #mayans mc fic

[gffa]

Buncha scattered thoughts about trying out some different TV shows and whether or not I’d recommend them so far: - The Last of Us, with only a basic understanding of the plot of the games, I’m otherwise going in basically blind on this one and I’ve been enjoying the HBO adaptation a ton so far!  Very much at the top of the “if you’re looking for a show to binge and don’t mind horror and sad stories, TO WATCH” list!  The chemistry of the characters and the stunning scenery and well-paced scenes makes it thoroughly watchable. - Shrinking, I’ll give pretty much anything Bill Lawrence produces a shot (Scrubs, Cougar Town, Ted Lasso) and I’m charmed from the first episode.  You’ll always get fun banter and funny dialogue, but I’m already engaged with the characters because he has a way of writing snarky characters who still have a ton of heart.  The therapist’s hot mess of a life is offset by how genuinely he cares about his patients, openly and honestly.  I am a sucker for people who banter but aren’t afraid to put their heart on their sleeve. - The Light in the Hall, which I can’t talk about without spoiling the ending, but I wound up disappointed by this one.  The story is fairly predictable and the acting is top-notch, but I was frustrated by [redacted] being the only [redacted] and of course they end up being the murderer, all in service of making a woobie out of the [redacted].  It left a bad taste in what was otherwise a strong show. - Poker Face, I am not Rian Johnson’s biggest fan, but I like his work a lot more when he seems to be writing a love letter to a genre that he wants to pay homage to, to build a tribute to it, rather than subvert it.  I like that it’s quirky but keeps a lid on the amount of it, it feels like it’s having fun with the concept of this version of Columbo, and it knows that you’re here to watch Natasha Lyonne do her thing and it loves watching Natasha Lyonne do her thing, too. - His Dark Materials, which I love the adaptation, having never read the books it still feels like you can tell they were adapted with love and it works as a coherent storyline.  The actors are incredible, each of them are great on their own, but then having fantastic chemistry with each other, and I’m very taken with the themes of the story, around religion and knowledge and free will and independent thought.  Sprinkle in that the main character gets to be an angry, often messy, often very loud about her feelings character, and I’m in. - The Price of Glee, I went into this one hoping that it would at least be something of a tell-all about what went on behind the scenes, because I bet that would be fucking wild, given what we already know.  But after the first episode and skimming the later ones, it seems to be focused more on (as the title suggests) how much it cost these people to be part of it.  Which, you know, fair.  But not quite what I was looking for, so I’ve set it aside for now. - The Owl House, 10/10 no notes.  It’s been so satisfying to see a lot of character arcs come to fruition, even if the season has been massively truncated.  Luz’s struggle between which world she wants to stay in, the maturation of her relationship with Amity, the reconnection with her mother, all of that is fantastic.  The acknowledgement of Willow’s feelings and the support she gets from her friends, Hunter’s willingness to open up about his own feelings, also so much good.  Worldbuilding bits and pieces with the Collector and that I’m already engaged with wanting that poor kid to have better influences, yeah, that’s the stuff. - Three Pines, which I mostly picked up because I like Alfred Molina and he is indeed very charismatic and warm in this series, which has some pretty scenery and a very cozy feeling.  I’ve never read the books this is based on, but it feels like the show very much knew that it wanted to be a charming little murder mystery series with a connective throughline and it was exactly that.  I wouldn’t call it light-hearted, it has some lovely emotional weight, it has characters who very openly care about others, but I would still say it was a very warm show. - Avenue 5, which got off to a bit of a rocky start in its second season for me, but by the end of it, I was enjoying the absolute flaming trainwreck the whole thing is and how, when you lean into the chaos along with the show, it’s pretty hilarious.  I love the characters and I want to know where it’s going from here, I’m going to be so pissed if HBO doesn’t renew it for a third season. - The Sex Lives of College Girls, I enjoyed the first season of the show enough to binge the whole thing and I liked the girls’ friendships with each other and it felt like there was a lot of heart here.  I don’t know what happened with the second season, if it’s me or the show but nothing felt like it was clicking anymore and I finally had to drop it.  First season is adorable, totally worth watching as a stand-alone show!  Second season, idk maybe others liked it more than I did! - Criminal Mind Evolution, I was willing to pick this show back up again because I still have fondness for the actors and the characters, but after two episodes I had to rage quit.  The writing just isn’t working for me, its leaning into everything I grew to be frustrated with or outright hate about the original and even a character like Garcia’s warmth feels forced and unearned.  Dropped and will not be going back.

#lumi.txt

[barry-j-blupjeans]

#50 Taakitz

50. “It's okay, I couldn’t sleep anyway.”

--

Kravitz was a liar. Not on purpose! Never on purpose, because when he tried to do that, it always turned out horribly. No, any lie that Kravitz had ever told was on accident. He just- couldn't stop doing them. After all, he had spent the last several hundred years going undercover for cases and that had gotten him comfortable with the concept of a lie. Even if he could make a convincing one by itself, his Charm Person work had gotten much smoother over the years.

But. But- Kravitz was a liar. Not a big lie, and not an important one, but one he sorely wished he hadn't said.

"Of course, I sleep," past Kravitz had said. "Why wouldn't I sleep?"

Because you have no functioning body systems, genius. And now he got to spend even less time with Taako because he had to go "sleep". Like a mortal. Ugh.

The Raven Queen had been endlessly amused by his struggles, which She always was. So instead of sending Kravitz on missions to make use of his valuable time, She sent him to his sad little apartment off the east wing of Her castle and told him to go take a nap. Kravitz very distinctly felt like he was being put in time out, like a self-deprived toddler, or a disobident dog going back into his crate.

It felt like it had been hours. Kravitz didn't know. Clocks didn't exactly work in the Astral Plane the same way they did in the Prime Material Plane. But at long last, something interrupted the silence of his empty bedroom. From his pocket- yes, he was napping with his suit on, so what??- his Stone of Farspeech started to ring. Kravitz was answering it before it even had time to ring a second time.

"Taako!" he said.

"Heyyyy," Taako said. His voice crackled a bit over the line. "You, uh, doing anything right now?" Kravitz opened his mouth to respond, but Taako cut him off with- "fuck. You said you were gonna sleep, weren't you? That's- that's my mistake, I'll leave you to-"

"It's okay," Kravitz said before he could stop himself. Lies, lies, lies. All reapers did was eat hot chips, kiss cute boys, and lie. "I couldn't sleep anyway."

"Oh," Taako said. He sounded a bit... off. Like he had a cold, or he had been crying. A selfish part of Kravitz hoped it was the latter because he didn't know how to deal with colds. "Well, uhm. I can leave you to that-"

"No," Kravitz said, sitting up in bed. "No, I- what do you need?"

"I was just like, wondering if you wanted to- to come over." There was a pause. If Kravitz's heart could beat, it would be going very fast right now. "Not like- not like a hookup, just, y'know, to hang out. And stuff."

"I can come over," Kravitz said, a little too eager.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Kravitz said. "Let me- let me get ready-" As if he wasn't already ready. God, he needed to stop lying. "And I'll be over in a few minutes. Can I portal into your room?"

"Yeah," Taako said, a bit more warmly. "Yeah, that'd be great."

"I'll see you in a few," Kravitz said.

"See ya," Taako said. The Stone flicked off. Kravitz carefully set it down on his bed before kicking his feet a little in delight. Taako wanted to see him again!! He had been a little worried because Taako had seemed rather down when he left last time, but he wanted Kravitz to come back!! He liked him!! Kravitz hadn't had anyone like him in- in, well, an embarrassingly long time. He had to stop himself from doing a little dance around his room.

(Okay, no, he did do a tiny dance on the way to his mirror so he could make himself look presentable. But no one had to know that.)

Kravitz waited what, again, felt like hours, but he counted to sixty three times in his head. As he got out his scythe, the presence of the Raven Queen filled his room and he worried, just for a moment, that She'd actually make him take a nap.

Instead, a raven from part of her flock appeared in a puff of black smoke on his bed. The raven flew up to his shoulder, something shiny between its beak. When Kravitz held out a hand for it, the raven deposited a shiny earring on his palm. The raven opened its beak again and the Raven Queen's voice boomed out,

"TO MAKE YOU LOOK PRESENTABLE, CHILD."

Part of Kravitz was mortified. The other part, the far bigger part, removed his current earring stud with shaking hands and put the new one on. He looked at himself in the mirror again- it did make him look rather charming.

"HAVE FUN ON YOUR DATE," the Raven Queen said.

Kravitz cut a portal into Taako's room before he could feel too embarrassed about that one.

#taakitz #taako #kravitz #the raven queen #taz #taz balance #mine #ise cube writing #asks #anon #:D!!

[inkofamethyst]

December 17, 2023

Really kind of adore stories with parent figures fighting to find and protect their lost child (figure) while that child simultaneously grows up to become someone no longer in need of protecting! Broken Earth, The Witcher.. would love to find more books/series with that element, I think. Currently developing my reading list (finally starting some Sanderson!) and thinking about switching to Storygraph... only thing is that it's not as heavily utilized among my friends so I wouldn't necessarily be able to keep up with what they're reading. I suppose I don't necessarily want to be a "follower" in my friend group when it comes to doing a good thing, especially not with something that's ultimately a fairly inconsequential switch. Maybe that's a winter break goal.

You know what's wild? Last year one of my labmates took the class with this final project I'm working on right now, and she was in a group of three or four. That's a pretty solid amount of manpower and brainpower for a twenty page paper (plus 10+ pages in supplementary material). I'M LITERALLY DOING THIS ALONE. Same assignment. All by my lonesome. Will I get there? Ya I think so. But STILL.

[days later]

DONE.

Is it the best thing I ever wrote? God no. And that's a shame because it could have been really good had I not taken off two days last week. But it's done.

I hate writing introductions with all my heart. Everything else is fine, but orienting my audience to a topic? I'd rather skip that bit, honestly. So yeah. My intro kinda sucks. I think it picks up when we start talking about the basis of the work at hand, but it's otherwise pretty boring. Citations very spotty, with an overreliance on one source (even though i skimmed a ton of papers n even took notes too).

ngl kinda sucks bc it's going to my advisor and I know I could've done better ("but why didn't you" BECAUSE I WANNA GO HOME. OKAY? IM TIRED OF THIS PLACE. IM TIRED IN GENERAL. god i cant wait to get home)

not even going to mention how much little sleep I've gotten over the past 48 hours ugh.

can't even be thankful that it's over bc imma be anxious all the way up until i get that grade so.

im so bad at projects. bad at spacing things out. good at the planning. bad at the doing. decent at the crunch time. (the same sad song i weep every semester tbh.. "something's gotta change" yea yea yea)

well i dont want to go out all negative--im pretty proud of the future directions section. they came pretty naturally to me actually, and i think it's a bit of a testament to some of the growth ive had ~as a scientist~ this semester. thinking experimentally is still not easy, but i think i'm grasping some things related to my discipline which is good. thankful for that ig. also pretty happy with the discussion, I think my conclusions were pretty solid and interesting.

if-i-coulda-woulda-shoulda :/

[edit, next morning afternoon: so uh, i was anxious about the paper wile writing it and took an exedrin because of the anxious headache i got over it and the caffeine in the pill amplified my anxiety and that did not feel good at all]

[companionjones]

What If...?

Fandom: The Last of Us

Warnings: Canon-level violence

*******

    The first and mortal mistake the doctors at your hospital made was trying to heal the infected. You knew as soon as you laid eyes on one that there was no coming back from that.. It took no time at all for the hospital to be overwhelmed. You filled a bag with medical supplies and ran.

    Outside, you patched up the injuries you could and ran from the infected. You could almost pretend your shift hadn’t ended as long as you didn’t look at the infected too long.

    What finally convinced you that evil was spreading along with the infection was when you saw a man--he must’ve been military but he was still just a man--shot a hurt little girl. She wasn’t even infected, but the man opened fire on her and her father. You felt no more sadness when the military man’s brains were blown out by someone the girl’s father knew.

    You knew that then was your moment.

    “I can help!” With your hands up, you approached the father holding the dying girl.

    “Who are you?!” The man with the gun aimed his weapon at you.

    You were annoyed by the time-consuming obstacle. “I’m her only chance,” you referenced the little girl, “You have to let me help her.”

    “Put your goddamn gun down, Tommy!” The father called out. He turned to you. “Please, help her.”

    Getting down on your knees, you ordered, “Keep pressure,” before returning your attention to the little girl.

    “It...hurts...” Her voice was already very weak. You knew you didn’t have much time.

    “I know it does, sweetheart.” You looked up at her father. “I need you to help me turn her on her side. I need to see if the bullet made it through.”

    Slowly, and with a loud cry from the girl, you and her father turned her on her side. You were glad the father was there. Having two people putting their whole weight into pressure on the wound really helped--even when turning the girl on her side.

    You closed your eyes and exhaled some fear. “There’s the exit wound. That makes this a little easier. I need help to clean and stitch this up. That means you too, Tommy.” You remembered his name from when the father used it before. You motioned for him to come down and help you. “We’re gonna do this together. Slowly and efficiently. We have to stop the rest of this blood flow.”

    There were so many factors working against you. The main ones being that you were working on an awake and screaming girl with two very inexperienced men in the middle of something very close to a war zone. Not to mention that there was dirt and other infection-bringing materials all around. It was a miracle that you had made it into the ditch you were working out of without falling and hurting yourself. You couldn’t believe the girl was breathing after you had finished.

    “Okay. Well. There’s that,” you voiced, staring at your patchwork.

    The father was understandably in shock as well. “How did you know how to do tha--”

    It all happened so fast. You saw something move behind the man. It was an infected woman. She was running at your little group. Without thinking, you picked up the gun Tommy had placed on the ground when he had started to help you. You had never shot a gun before, but you hit her after three shots.

    “I...thought...the-the scrubs...would...give...it...away.” You had no idea how slow you were talking.

    The father nodded and slowly put his arms up. Tommy did the same. The father spoke, “You’re a nurse?”

    You nodded slightly. “I guess...there goes my Hippocratic oath.”

    “Yeah. I guess so,” the father nodded. “How about you give me that gun?”

    You nodded, too, “Okay,” and slowly handed him the weapon.

    “Thank you.” He handed it back to Tommy. “Not just for that, but what you did for my Sarah.”

    “Sarah’s a very pretty name.” You were still in a daze.

    He asked, “What’s yours?”

    You gave your first and last name.

    The two men in front of you shared a look of agreement.

    The father then asked, “You want to stick with us for a little while?”

    “What’s your name?” you inquired in return. “I know this guy’s name and your daughter’s name, but I don’t know yours.”

    Tommy chuckled and the father smiled at you. You felt a small feeling of pride for getting the two men to smile in such a bad situation.

    “Joel. Joel Miller. Tommy and I are brothers.”

    You gave your answer, “Okay. It looks like we’re travelling together. Let’s go.”

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, you should check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you! <3 <3 <3

#joel miller #joel miller x reader #tommy miller #sarah miller #tlou #the last of us #troy baker #hana hayes #jeffrey pierce #companion jones #the last of us fix it fic #tlou fix it

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

I watched Jerrod Carmichael’s special Rothaniel, and fucking hell, that was good. I’ve been hearing a lot of club sets and podcasts and WIPs lately, and those are all great and I really enjoy them, but it’s been a little bit since I’ve seen a new (well, new to me, it came out in 2022) full and completed stand-up hour, and I really enjoyed that one. It was directed by Bo Burnham, if that helps to make anyone here more likely to watch it. The video’s on HBO, and based on my quick research yesterday, also available in most of the usual places where people who don’t pay for TV subscriptions find HBO videos.

Obviously delivery is always a significant part of stand-up comedy, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a stand-up show (at least, not in the traditional format of one person with a microphone talking to an audience like this one was) where the delivery enhanced the material as much as this one. Incredibly how a guy who casually admits mid-special to being a multi-millionaire, who’s filming a stand-up special for the massive HBO, can make you feel like he’s in your living room whispering secrets to you personally, just by sitting down (so it wasn’t entirely a traditional format, doing stand-up comedy sitting down), and doing some things with his face and his voice and his inflection that I don’t even understand but they really worked. He also had some really thoughtful and gentle audience interactions that made me cringe at first because those things always do, until I realized that actually, everyone is being quite respectful and this is working. I mean, I’m sure there were editing tricks involved in that too, maybe a lot of worse stuff happened in the room. But it came out so smoothly on the video.

This is very much one of those Very Special Episodes of stand-up, with a deep personal meaning and sadness running throughout and all of that, and I really like that it never gets undercut. These days, if a comedian gets too personal or too sad on stage, they tend to undercut it, before or after, with an acknowledgement of how getting emotional during stand-up comedy has become a cliché. They tend to spend at least twice as much time sending up that kind of thing as they spend earnestly engaging in it. And I see why, because it has become really common and it does feel a bit awkward and it takes some of the pressure off if the comedian admits that they know what’s happening.

Because so many people do that, I found myself waiting for that in this one. Waiting for him to break things up and say “Yeah of course it’s dumb that I’m getting so emotional, a stand-up comedian being sad about his family, what’s more cliché than that?” But he didn’t, which was much better than any send-up of the format he could have done. Hearing someone have that much trust in their material, that it had enough emotional weight to carry the hour without needing to be undercut.

It was still funny. It got several out-loud laughs out of me across the hour, which is pretty good for any stand-up special. But it was at least as emotionally effective as it was funny, and at no point did it apologize for being that, and it was really good at being both those things.

Normally on this blog, I try to at least remember to put in a vague spoiler warning (usually like three words before the spoiler itself) for major things, but the general rule, as I try to remind people, is if you haven’t seen the bit of comedy I’m talking about and you want to see it, don’t read my post. That’s kind of how I feel about the internet in general. I don’t understand people who complain about “spoilers” online, because if you haven’t seen/heard/read something yet and want to, you should know that you go looking for internet people talking about it at your own risk. I know full well that if I look things up, I have no one to blame but me if I find spoilers. Because of that, I don’t hesitate to post all the thoughts I have about comedy I like, even if that includes spoilers.

But I’m not going to here, because it was so good, and I think it was better because I hadn’t looked it up beforehand. It’s all really emotionally impactful, and would lose that a bit if I went into specifics about the content. So I won’t, because I really want people who are reading this post to watch it. If you want to see it and don’t know where to find it, message me and I’ll send you a link.

A video that came across my feed earlier today reminded me of that reaction image that I used to use every time people messaged me with requests for links to comedy, which I haven't had many excuses to use lately because internet crackdowns on that stuff has led to me sharing links privately but not publicly anymore. But just so everyone remembers, even though the sharing has moved away from public posts and into messages, this image does still apply to my response to requests for links: