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random-thot-generator · 5 months

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Dirty Little Secret + pt. 3

JOHNNY 'SOAP' MACTAVISH x FEM READER

Summary: Johnny shows up out of the blue and gets to meet Aunt Rue. Cue the impromptu come-to-Jesus meeting.

Warnings/Tags: Angst - obviously, Profanity, Sex is mentioned but nothing explicit, Soap's POV, Rue's POV, Reader is taking a moment, Aunt Rue's a good mum, No use of Y/N

(Notes: Again, no smut. We're not there yet, folks. Wanted to get Johnny's side of the story out there, along with Aunt Rue's thoughts on the matter. Just a warning. Edited this to Kickstart My Heart on loop, so if there's a shit-ton of mistakes... my bad. 🤷‍♀️)

Word Count: 2K

Johnny felt like the wind had been knocked out of him when he heard your voice behind the counter, but when you suddenly popped into view, it almost brought him to his knees. The only thing that kept him from reaching for you was that horrible, devastated expression on your face. Tucking his hands in his pockets to hide their shaking, he took a hesitant step towards the counter, as if approaching a cornered, wild animal.

"I'm no' here t'cause ye grief, hen," he murmured, trying to make eye contact. "I jus' wanted t'see ya."

You blinked up at him, huffing a breath out of your open mouth. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again," you confessed, sounding dazed. "How did you…?"

Johnny scratched the back of his neck, feeling like a bit of a creeper. "I, uh… I saw ye on the news. Some sort o' festival 'r somethin'."

"The May Day celebration," you mumbled, remembering the news cameraman panning his camera along the row of booths on the boardwalk. "Bloody hell. So… you saw me and just decided to stop by for a visit? After six months?"

Johnny's look turned sour. "It was no' like I knew where the hell ye'd gone off to, now was it? Ye jus' took off without sayin' a bloody word," he replied, his tone low and accusing.

You scoffed, your own expression growing dark. "And how could I have told you, Johnny? It's not like you ever bothered to give me your number, remember?" you fired back.

The bitterness in your tone cooled his anger instantly. "I…" He huffed out a breath, shoulders slumping. "Yer right. Tha's on me." His contrite expression returned. "It was jus' a shock, comin' back an' findin' ya gone, yer flat empty. I was no' expectin' it. Not after…" He blew out a breath, running his hand over his mohawk. "I dinnae ken wha' t'think."

You crossed your arms over your chest, lips trembling. "I'm surprised you thought of me at all. Why did you even go back to my flat? Things not work out with your other bird?"

"Other bird?" he repeated, scowling, looking utterly confused.

Before you could clarify, your aunt pushed through the swinging door from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. Whatever she was about to say died on her lips as her eyes darted between you and Johnny. "Everything alright, love?" she asked you.

"Everything's fine." You dragged your eyes away from him to address your aunt, your tone softening. "I'm sorry 'bout your tea. The box was empty, and then he showed up, and…" You sighed, closing your eyes, shoulders dropping in defeat. "I— I need to go back to the stockroom. Maybe there's another box of oolong back there."

Picking up on the obvious tension and your need to escape the young man, Aunt Rue patted your arm affectionately. "'Course, love. Go ahead. I'll see t'him."

You gave a slight nod, eyes slanting towards Johnny for only a second, but then your chin gave a wobble, and you rushed through the swinging door. He called after you, taking an unconscious step forward, hand reaching out, but you didn't stop. A pained expression crossed his face before he turned and paced a few steps away, raising both hands to rub over his head, holding them there as he blew out a frustrated breath.

Rue pursed her lips, studying him before her eyes cut back to the kitchen door. "So, I take it ya know one another," she drawled.

Johnny turned back around, dropping his arms to his sides. He looked like a whipped pup. "Yes, ma'am. We were… She was my…" A myriad of emotions played over his face before he sighed, remorse evident in his eyes. "Aye. We know each other."

Rue smirked, brows lifting. "I see." She turned to the hot water urns and grabbed a couple of to-go cups. "Tea or coffee, lad?"

Johnny blew out a frustrated sigh. "Dinnae bother, ma'am. I should prob'ly jus' go. Sorry t'have bothered—"

Rue snorted, amused. "Ya ain't gettin' off that easy, lad. Been dealin' with that heartbroken lass for six months. I've got questions, an' you're just the one to answer 'em. So. Tea or coffee?"

Johnny opened his mouth to refuse but didn't have it in him to argue. "Coffee, please. Black with sugar," he mumbled.

Rue hummed in acknowledgment, making them both a strong cup, forgetting about the oolong. She needed all cylinders firing for this one. As she worked, Red finally showed, cheerful as always. He gave Johnny a friendly nod, opening his mouth to greet Rue, but she cut him off.

"No time for chit-chat this mornin', Red," she told him, throwing a couple of rolls into a bag and handing them over. She reached beneath the counter and grabbed his favorite jam packets, then rounded the counter to hand them to him. "On the house, yeah?" she said, ignoring his shocked expression. "Off ya go, then. See ya tomorrow."

Red could do little more than nod as Rue herded him out the door, casting a flummoxed look back as she shut the door and locked it behind him. Reaching for the cups she left sitting on the counter, she handed one to Johnny.

"C'mon, lad. Let's go out back an' have ourselves a wee chinwag."

She led the way to the back exit, checking to be sure you were still inside before motioning him out the door. Walking over to a pair of metal folding chairs leaned against the wall, she grabbed one, nodding for Johnny to take the other, then sat down with a tired sigh. Once, they were both seated, she crossed her legs and looked him over with a critical eye.

"Alright, then. First things first, lad. I'm Rue, her aunt, and you are…"

"John, ma'am. John MacTavish, but ye can call me Johnny."

She nodded, giving him a tight-lipped smile. "Well, it's nice t'meet ya, Johnny." She took a quick sip of coffee and smacked her lips. "Now, let's get down t'brass tacks, shall we?" She sat back and crossed her arms over her lap. "I'm goin' to take a wild guess an' say you're the reason why my girl came runnin' home with her tail between her legs. Not seen her in that bad a shape since her da dumped her on my doorstep, so it must have been serious. How long were ya together?"

Taken aback, it took a moment for Johnny to answer. "I been seein' her fer almost two years, but we were no'… I mean, it wasnae…" He huffed a frustrated breath and scrubbed his hand over his 'hawk. "It's— It's complicated."

Rue rolled her eyes, making a scoffing noise. "Bloody hell, this generation, I swear…" She shook her head. "Just say ya were fuckin', lad. Jesus." She scoffed again. "Complicated, he says…" she muttered.

Johnny gaped at her, surprised by her blunt words. His brows furrowed, an embarrassed look on his reddening face. "It was no' jus' fuckin'," he muttered, sounding defensive. "I cared 'bout her— do care 'bout her."

"Uh-huh. So, what happened, then? What would send my girl runnin' back to the one place she worked so hard to escape, hm?"

His lips parted, but he didn't have an answer. Eyes darting back and forth, he searched for an explanation, a reason why you would just up and leave him without saying anything. He thought it might have been another bloke, but after that last night together, he couldn't bring himself to believe it. So, why? Why did you leave? He had been searching for that answer for the last six months. Finally, he settled for repeating your confusing words from earlier. "She said somethin' 'bout another bird," he said glumly. "Dunno wha' the hell she's talkin' 'bout."

Rue's brows ticked up. "Sure about that? You're a handsome lad. Doubt ya have trouble pullin' the birds."

"No!" he snapped. "I'd never che—." He cut himself off, gritting his teeth in frustration. "There was no other bird," he grumbled out.

His hand clenched into a fist, the other warping the to-go cup, some of the hot brew spilling over his knuckles. Cursing under his breath, he set it on the ground, slinging the hot liquid off his hand. He glared at the back of his hand, then huffed a tired breath, his expression softening. "I dinnae want anyone else. Jus' her." He shook his head, looking lost.

Rue studied him, her head tilting to the side. "She never mentioned you, ya know? Never once spoke your name. I knew she was hurtin'— obviously, but there was somethin' about the way she looked when I'd try to bring it up, like she was... ashamed. 'Course, we've all been fools for love, so I figured some bloke had filled her head with a bunch of pretty words, promisin' her the moon an' stars, then broke her heart, but…" Her eyes narrowed. "Explain to me what 'complicated' means."

A look akin to the shamed face you would always give her now came over his. He started picking at one of his cuticles, studying it with keen interest, his bottom lip jutting out a little.

"When we first started hookin' up, it wasnae a big deal. We'd run into each other at the pub an' end up back at her place." He shrugged but then paused, his eyes growing solemn. "But then, somethin' changed. I'd catch m'self thinkin' 'bout her, like all the bloody time, while I was deployed. Then I'd come home an' find m'self goin' back t'tha' same damn pub, hopin' t'see her, gettin' pissed when she was no' there." He sighed, shook his head. "I finally gave up pretendin' it was jus' a hook up, an' started goin' over t'her place when I was on leave."

"So, you're a soldier, then," Rue said softly.

A grim look pulled the corners of his mouth down. "Aye. A sergeant in the Army. Special forces." He frowned, an inner struggle going on inside his head. "I ken 's no' the best job t'have, no' when ya got a lass waitin' fer ya at home. 'S hard t'make it work, bein' gone so much. Most birds canna hack it, end up callin' it quits. Figured I'd come home one day an' she'd be shacked up wi' some other bloke. Thought that might'a been wha' happened, but... I had t'see fer m'self." A sad expression made his eyes look luminous in the morning sun. "Tol' m'self I should leave her be, let 'er go, but I canna do it."

He sighed, leaned back in his chair and scrubbed at the scruff on his cheek. "I never tol' her how I felt, dinnae think it was fair puttin' tha' on her. Tried no' t'crowd her, dinnae hang about her place, makin' a nuisance o' m'self. Thought I was protectin' her, but it was jus' as much fer me, I guess. Dinnae help."

Rue's heart went out to the poor lad, despite how bloody stupid he was. "Could ya not tell that she loved ya, lad?"

Johnny's brows shot up, his mouth falling open. "She… She loves me?"

Rue sniffed a laugh. "Bloody hell, you really are an eejit, aren't ya?" She shook her head, amazed at how clueless he was. "'Course she loves ya, ya daft numpty." Her eyes grew shrewd as she watched him process the revelation, saw the hope bloom in his eyes.

"So, tell me, Johnny boy. What are ya willin' to do to get her back?"

part 2 part 4

#john soap mactavish #soap x reader #john soap mactavish x reader #john soap mctavish x fem reader #cod soap x reader #cod soap x fem reader #cod soap #cod soap mactavish

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thescoobyscholar · 5 months

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The History of Zoinks (Essay)

Includes an etymological and cultural analysis of the usage of "jeepers," "jinkies," and "zoinks." Another post will include the follow-up study.

If you grew up watching Scooby-Doo, it may be easy to assume that groovy green tees, ascots, and vans painted with flowers were all standard 60s fare. However, recall that these teens were not written by teens; when the first episode aired, character designer Iwao Takamoto was 41, main writer Bill Lutz was 47, and creators Joe Ruby and Ken Spears were 36 and 31, respectively. Were they already out of touch? As put by Paul Dini, writer on Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo: “When you look at those characters, they are characters frozen in time. They’re not really what hippies or hipsters or cool kids were like. They’re what 50-year olds thought cool kids were like” (“Scooby Doo! The Whole World Loves You”).

The most iconic quantifiers of how close these characters were to the “cool kids” is their catchphrases: “jeepers,” “jinkies,” and “zoinks!” When we hear the cartoon’s catchphrases, which claim to characterize this era, we must ask: Did people really say these things? Even though these terms are almost exclusively associated with the franchise today, these words were not born for marketing. The writers were pulling from memories, trends, and histories which, if we trace backwards, may glean some evidence as to their cultural accuracy.

Daphne’s classic “jeepers” is said to have been first penned in 1928 by cartoonist Billy DeBeck, whose popular Barney Google strips coined similar terms as “heebie-jeebies” and “holy moly” (Chakraborty and Dosad 117). The true origin of the word is likely several decades earlier, as Google’s catchphrase “Horsefeathers!” was already coming out of fashion among the construction workers that used it when DeBeck revived it in his parody of Appalachian colloquialisms (Funk and Funk ix-x). At the time DeBeck picked up “jeepers,” it was used as a euphemism for “Jesus!” (Harper, “Etymology of jeepers”).

However, the Scooby-Doo writers were more likely to be familiar with Al Donahue’s song “Jeepers Creepers” (as in, “Jeepers creepers, where’d you get those peepers?”). The song jumped high enough in America’s popular music charts in 1939 that it was covered by Louis Armstrong, Larry Clinton, and later Frank Sinatra (Whitburn 533). As an alteration of “Jesus Christ,” the flexible phrase was perfect for bouncy love ballads (“Oh, those weepers, how they hypnotize!”) and as a horror movie motif in Jeepers Creepers. The fact that the film was released in 2001 speaks to the staying power of “jeepers.”

As for Velma’s catchphrase, “jinkies,” it may be a variation of a number of old Scots terms dating around the 18th-19th century, so you may as well pick your favorite: a synonym for “jauntily” (as “jink,” to dodge or flee; nowadays “to juke” may be applicable), a nonsense word in nursery rhymes (e.g., “Eetum, peetum, penny pie / Cock a lory, jinky jye”), or a child’s nightgown (Dictionary of the Scots Language); a type of knitted fingerless glove (see Kate Davies Designs); or yet, as a derivation of “high jinks,” a drinking game that dates back to at least the 17th century (Harper, “Etymology of jinkies”).

The term was first recorded as exclamation “By jinkies!” in the newspaper strip “Ella Cinders” in 1936. The first recorded use of the term by a human (assuming comic characters can’t mail in letters to the local paper) was in a 1938 edition of the Northern-Courier in the sports section. Ray writes: “By jinkies, on my next pass day I will surely stop and see that 178 foot wheelbase, fire truck. If I can’t make it in one day maybe I can get an extension. Some truck.” (How many feet is the Mystery Machine’s wheelbase, I wonder…?) Again, “jinkies” is preceded by “by,” which Velma, as we all know, would choose to omit. By Scooby’s birthday, the term was popular among college students and “overly earnest” speakers (Iseli), fitting for the youngest of the gang who is always piping up with a clue to prove her intellectual merit.

Unlike “jeepers” and “jinkies,” which have decent pedigrees preceding Scooby-Doo, neither “zoinks” nor “zoink” directly appear in any written work before 1969, although they have a number of distant cousins. The closest approximation comes from television: a famous bit in 1958’s “Robin Hood Daffy” where Daffy swings from tree to tree, calling, “Zoiks, and away!” with each jump, only to crash face-first into a tree every time. His iconic lisp makes it difficult to parse whether he’s saying “zoiks” or “yoiks.” The latter would seem more likely, as “yoiks” and its sister “hoiks” have a long history as hunting words. On a bright and early morning in 1843, Sir Godfrey calls for his friend to hurry and saddle up: “Hoik, 'squire! . . . hoik, hoik! High wind him! Drag on him, yoiks, tally-ho!" (Mills 125). On the tail of a fox chase in 1774, a hunter in pursuit exclaims, “Yoiks, hark forward!” (Kelly 6). Contextually, neither sound too far from the modernized “Zoinks, let’s scram, Scoob!” The first “zoiks” was penned around 1584, in a sonnet of all things: “With mightie maters mynd I not to mell, / As copping Courts, or Comonwelthis, or Kings / Quhais craig zoiks fastest, let tham sey thame sell; / My thoght culd nevir think vpon sik things” (Montgomery 1–4). I can’t claim a clue about what the rest means, but “zoiks fastest” leads me to think this is a “jink”/”juke” situation; in “zoiking”, the narrator is fleeing from the cowersome courts, commonwealths, and kings. Coincidentally, “mynd I not to mell” sounds almost adjacent to “meddle,” another word popularized by Scooby-Doo. All of the “zoinks” family are employed as interjections preceding movement.*

In sum, while “jinkies” appears to have had some relevance at the time of Scooby-Doo’s inception, “jeepers” is a bit dated in comparison, and “zoinks” has a vast etymological tree but no direct precursors. The advantage to having a cast of characters who are, in the words of Paul Dini, “frozen in time,” is that they are living time capsules. We can choose any point within 50 years and see unique perceptions of culture, politics, music, style, and our focus: vocabulary. But how well do these perceptions line up with reality?

*All, that is, except one. “Yoiks” may also be used to refer to egg yolks, as in a cookbook from 1762: “Take a large Fowl, or a Pound of Veal, as much grated Bread, half a Pound of Sewet . . . Mace, two Cloves, half a Nutmeg grated, about a large Tea Spoonful of Lemon-peel, and the Yoiks of two Eggs” (Glasse 38). Add an olive toothpick on top and you have a Shaggy sandwich!

References

Chakraborty, Pritesh, and Anuradha Dosad. “Comic Monthly 1922: Exploring Form and Themes.” Department of English, Vidyasagar University, vol. 15, 2022, pp. 112–125.

“Ella Cinders.” Montana Standard, 29 Sept. 1936, p. 11.

Funk, Charles Earle, and Charles Earle Funk. “Foreword.” Horsefeathers, and Other Curious Words, Harper & Row, New York, 1958, pp. Ix–x.

Glasse, Hannah. “Made-Dishes.” The New Art of Cookery, Made Plain and Easy, John Exshaw, 1762, pp. 38–39.

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of jink.” Online Etymology Dictionary, 28 Sept. 2017, https://www.etymonline.com/word/jink.

Iseli, Marcel. “Jinkies! You’ll Never Believe What Velma’s Catchphrase Means.” Linguablog, Iseli International Commerce, 18 Sept. 2022, linguaholic.com/linguablog/jinkies-scooby-doo/.

"Jinkie." Dictionary of the Scots Language, Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd, 2004, http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/jinkie_adj

Kate Davies Designs. “Jinkies Pattern.” Ravelry, SARK, Nov. 2021, www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jinkies.

Kelly, Hugh. “Epilogue.” The Romance of an Hour: A Comedy of Two Acts in Prose. G. Kearsley, 1774, line 6.

Mills, John. “A Meet of the Olden Time.” Ainsworth’s Magazine, edited by William Harrison Ainsworth, vol. 4, Chapman and Hall, London, 1843, p. 125.

Montgomery, Alexander. “To R. Hudsone (Sonnet 2).” The Poems of Alexander Montgomery, edited by David Irving, James Ballantyne and Company, 1821, pp. 76.

Szymborska, Wislawa. “Moment.” Monologue of a Dog. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005, pp.11-13.

Ray. “Diamond Dust.” The Courier-Northerner, 29 July 1938, p. 8.

"Scooby Doo! The Whole World Loves You." Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! The Complete 1st and 2nd Seasons, produced by Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc, 2010. DVD.Whitburn, Joel. “The Songs.” Joel Whitburn’s Pop Memories 1890 - 1954: The History of American Popular Music, Record Research Inc, Menomonee Falls, WI, 1986, p. 533.

#essay #SDWAY #catchphrases

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little-pup-pip · 2 months

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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!

Jolteon (Pokemon)!

Hello Kitty!

Toothless!

Breath of The Wild Link!

Alice In Wonderland!

Hamtaro!

Vaporeon (Pokemon)!

Cinnamoroll + Emu Otori!

Minecraft 2!

Teen Michael Afton (Fnaf)!

Wish's Star!

Mikey (TMNT)!

Venom (MCU)!

Sam (Sam and Max)!

Max (Sam and Max)!

Veronica Storm!

Tulio Trviño (31 Minutos)!

Lord of the Rings!

Gojo Satoru (JJK)!

Moomin Cottagecore!

Gwen Stacy (Spider-man)!

Minecraft Creepers!

Strawberry Shortcake!

Wonder-Pets!

Daycare Attendant (Fnaf)!

Martian Mickey!

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy)!

Hollow Knight!

Little Red Riding Hood!

Snowfall (WOF)!

Welcome Home!

Dora the Explorer!

Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler)!

Spider-man!

Spider-man 2!

Kirby!

Pillow Featherbed (Lalaloopsy)!

Pikmin!

Earthworm Jim!

Dr. Mario!

Fluttershy (MLP)!

Louie (DuckTales)!

Soft Pokemon!

Joker (DC)!

Spongebob!

Kai (Ninjago)!

Fizzaroli (Helluva Boss)!

Invader Zim!

Pinkie Pie (MLP)!

Bonnie (Fnaf)!

Neopets!

Tangled!

Rowdyruff Boys 2 (Powerpuff Girls)!

Mixels!

Ken Ichijouji!

Abbey Abominable (Monster High)!

Raphael (TMNT)!

Rowdyruff Boys 1!

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nancydrewwouldnever · 2 months

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Hi Nancy. How are you? I've just finished (binged) Community and I loved (obsessed over) it. I've now fallen down a Joel Mchale rabbit hole. His interviews with Kelly Clarkson and back and forth with Ken Jeong is hilarious. Just wondering if you ever watched and a penny for your thoughts on it? :)

Yes, I originally watched Community when it was on and loved it, but my feelings towards it were ruined by finding out what an asshole creeper Dan Harmon was towards women working on the show. Still love using gifs from the show, though.

#ask

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baladric · 1 year

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for the flash fic, keeping in line with last night's question, thara celehar in the pirate au, like just whatever he's up to, also no pressure to do this if you would need to consult with someone else to do so

okay LISTEN i hope you jive with the idea of thara fleeing the ethuveraz to neighboring celvaz as a result of the wild fucking xenophobia/bigotry that's risen in the ethuveraz after the war that broke out over maia's disappearance, bc i was desperately possessed of the need to play with him accidentally getting tangled up with faeries. also this is long so i'm read more'ing

"The trouble is the house," said Colum Walsh. He was a rustic painting of a man, somewhat squat and hardy looking with the odd, rounded ears and brilliantly red hair of the Cel. He was of the age when one's skin begins to yield to life as the earth yields to the long-trod destiny path, and though I found his doddery ebullience and the volume of his voice to be tiring, I still found in myself a certain regret for the incontrovertible evidence of a life of sorrow and stress in this man's newly lined face. He was kind in a way that asked only for listening ears, and had I any power over the ways of the wider world, I would have wished for him a gentler life than it seemed he had lived.

"So you've said," I replied, prompting him as I watched my feet on the uneven path we took through a thin copse of trees. I would have preferred the main thoroughfare, but Mr. Walsh was the concept of hurry made manifest, and so I had permitted him the use of his chosen shortcut from pub to our destination—which was, I saw at a glance through a break in the trees, a cottage of the Celvadeise style, bare stone with a gabled, wood-shingled roof and windows of a thick, untempered glass. From here, I could see that the garden though clearly once carefully cultivated, had sprung its bonds and sprawled into a mess of overgrown mint and rosemary and the odd native creeper.

"You know about brownies, of course," Mr. Walsh said, stepping over a jutting tree root with the unthinking ease of long habit, and crossing thence beyond the edge of the little wood.

"Hearth spirits of a sort," I said, taking a bit more care with the root myself. "Transactional, but loyal."

"Aye," he said. "Though I wouldn't call them spirits, really, if you'll forgive me saying so, mer. Language is tricksy with the Fair Folk, you know—they're so quick to offense, makes you want to be specific, you ken?"

I knew the sort, though I did not say so. Cels, I had learned, were wary of discussion of elves, and the more time I spent beyond the borders of my native Ethuveraz, the deeper my understanding went. It was a cold, tricksome, conditional land when juxtaposed with the heathery moors and rolling green of Celvaz, and its fiery and forthright people.

"Hearth fey, then," I said. "You believe your brownies have turned?"

We had reached the little gate at the edge of the property, and here, Mr. Walsh paused.

"It's the oddest thing," he said, his voice turning thoughtful. "Not unheard of, really, but it takes a foolhardy few months of neglect for one as old as this to go off, and I've not missed a full moon's offering or a solstice gift in... Stones below, it's got to be something like decades."

That was curious, I thought, and drew up beside him to study the house.

Only an hour ago, ensconsced in the warm, dimly lit pub at the center of Bisby Town, he had told me that his house had begun falling apart a little over a month ago. In light of the time frame, I had expected the scruffy garden, of course, perhaps a certain ricketiness of window boxes, a fallen shingle or two.

Colum Walsh's house, however, was on its knees in the creeper. The window sashes sagged apocalyptically, the broad paving stones of the little path rocked and cracked with marauding weeds. Far from the anticipated shedding of shingles were the signs of wood rot in the roof. From just this quick assessment, I guessed with a great deal of concern that the rot had extended into the crossbeams supporting the roof from the inside, and that the structure itself was likely in danger of collapsing in on itself. One window had clearly been covered from the inside with a sheet, for the panes had shattered entirely, and the one on the far side of the peeling sun-yellow door looked to not be far behind it.

Which was to say that it was the sort of disrepair that took years, not a single month.

I did not realize I was being studied in turn until Mr. Walsh spoke, a wry sort of amusement in his voice.

"That bad, huh?"

I cleared my throat, and took a moment to refit my tongue to the rounded burr of Celvadeise; though I had been in the country for nearly three years, I was still not what I would call fluent. It did not help matters that I could feel my Ethuverazhin slipping away under the constancy of this new language—a turn that bothered me far more than I liked—and so I had been taking some care to at least think in my mother tongue. And if I occasionally spoke Ethuverazhin to the cats that tended to find me wherever I was, well, that was nobody's business but my own.

"I can see what has you so worried," I said simply. With a gesture at the gate upon which Mr. Walsh had rested his hand, I continued. "May I see it closer?"

Mr. Walsh lept to action, swinging the gate wide and ushering me through with an excited trickle of words. We walked the perimeter together, him pointing out the myriad damages to structure and property alike while I, maintaining my silence, began ever so gently to expand my senses to the particular frequency of the Fair Folk.

To say it had been a surprise the first time a fairy spoke to me would be understating the matter significantly. For while I am nothing if not accustomed to the communion of spirits outside myself, it had never extended beyond the realm of the dead—and the recently dead, at that. I was not a maza, nor was I anything like the folkloric clairvoyants one used to hear about from the Barizheise sometimes, in the days before the Three Years' War.

I had been in Celvaz only a month, the first time, having talked my way (pantomimed, really, for I had only known a few interrogatives in the native tongue at that point, and, embarrassingly, the word for weasel) into a barter with a moderately forgiving farmer—maintenance work on his dairy barn in exchange for two meals a day and a spot to sleep in the hay loft. It was hard, dreary work, but I had begun to adjust to it and find new patterns to tread through my days.

One of these rituals had been long, rambling walks past the borders of the farmer's land. The rolling hills went gold and purple with the sunset, and though I had never been one for the pastoral, I found in those spare, glowing minutes a kind of peace that had been absent from my life for as long as I could remember.

It was one of those evenings, the sun having just dipped below the horizon, though it still lit the sky with rich godfingers of colors for which I lacked proper names, when I tripped over a hummock of raised earth and toppled right into a faerie's burrow.

What followed was a dizzying flurry of curses I could not even hope to follow in a strange language, the startling prickle of something like static lightning washing over me, and finally, the extraction of a promise—an eventuality against which, I realized later, I had been thoroughly warned already.

You can see me, can hear me, can tread in the shadows I walk—and so you will help me and raise not a fight against me or my kin when we come in the night—or the day, for the Fey don't go away like they say is the way of the ones who burn up in the rays of the great glowing dawn. Oh, don't make that face, you try rhyming all the time, Mer Elf.

And so, to my great humiliation, I found himself to be a cautionary tale: Unwary foreigner pacted in service to the Fey.

And so, here I stood, doing my duty in the laying of my hand against the unreasonably cold stone of the decaying house.

Mr. Walsh prattled in the background, having not yet noticed my stillness, and I pressed all thought of him to the back of my mind as I sank into the immaterial essence of the place that spoke to the long presence of a faerie.

The brownie did not notice me at first, which proved itself a boon, as it gave me time to brace for the cacophony that crashed into me the instant I entered its awareness.

There were no words here, not at first—simply anger and a great deal more of that prickling which I had come to recognize as the particular maz of the Fair Folk. I took care to remain quiescent and let the storm of emotion wash over me, for it was not so different an experience from the communion with a person who had died in rage. And, in time, it passed, and the brownie drew back enough to observe.

I opened my eyes, and there she stood: golden brown skin, dark hair made lush with curls and tufty braids looped with beads and ribbons and tattered bits of lace. As with most Fey I had seen, her eyes were unnervingly large, a startling purple in her heart-shaped face. She grimaced at me in the way of a snarl, a neat rack of jagged teeth, sharp as vinegar.

"Who?" she asked, her voice a crackling thing, full of eons of cookfires stoked high.

Having learned my lesson, I bowed nearly as deeply as I would to the Emperor himself, and said, "I am called Celehar."

Those great eyes narrowed.

"The Witness," she said.

"Yes," I said. "I am here on behalf of the man whose home you share. He would like to know how he can regain your favor, madam."

It was not quite like awakening when I came back to myself, but I had no other word for it.

Time had passed in my absence, night settling fully around my ears and a chill creeping through the sturdy wool of my coat. I blinked, and found Mr. Walsh fidgeting from the seat he had taken on the crumbling garden wall. He jolted to his feet when I cleared my throat, his eyes wide, face a pale moon in the darkness.

"Mer Celehar!" he said, hurrying to me with outstretched hands. I allowed him to touch my arm before easing away.

"She doesn't like the milkweed," I said, sounding exactly as thirsty as I was; the single ale I had allowed myself at the pub had been hours ago.

"The... milkweed?" Bafflement was an unflattering look on Mr. Walsh, his eyes bugging out and mouth gaping to show a few missing teeth and the gold of what must have been an extremely costly filling.

"It brought butterflies last year," I said. "Monarchs. Her family has had a feud with their kind for..." I closed my eyes. "Oh, some long stretch of eons. She does not want them to come back."

Mr. Walsh blinked.

"Butterflies," he said.

"Butterflies," I echoed, and after a long pause, we were both helpless to do anything but laugh.

#thara celehar #cemeteries of amalo #witness for the dead #tge #the goblin emperor #maia's a pirate now #when i say this au is me running riot on kaddison's minimal broader worldbuilding.......#leyside #ask #prompt fill #the writing tag

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sagehaleyofficial · 2 years

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HERE’S WHAT YOU MISSED THIS WEEK (8.24-8.30.22):

NEW MUSIC:

Cleopatrick shared a new song titled “OK,” which was produced in the back of the band’s van while on tour. The band also released a content film, recorded at their sold-out Toronto show at Danforth Music Hall.

Story of the Year released a new song titled “Real Life.” The song is a nod to their earlier sound, evoking the same emotion and energy as their album Page Avenue.

Pinkshift shared another new track off their upcoming debut album Love Me Forever titled “Get Out.” Their new album is set to drop on October 21 via Hopeless Records.

Scene Queen collaborated on a new track with Set It Off’s Cody Carson titled “Barbie & Ken.” The song follows on from the former singer’s previous single “Pink G-String.”

nothing,nowhere. shared a new song titled “M1sery_Syndrome” featuring Senses Fail’s Buddy Nielsen. The song follows on from the former artist’s previous single “Memory_Fracture.”

L.S. Dunes, the supergroup containing members of Circa Survive, My Chemical Romance, Coheed and Cambria and Thursday, announced their debut album. Past Lives will be released on November 11 via Fantasy Records.

TOUR ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Radio 1’s Live Lounge Month announced their lineup for this year’s event. Returning to the stage will be Yungblud, following his appearance last year, as well as newcomers Willow and Nova Twins making their debuts.

Neck Deep announced a string of intimate performances across the United States to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their EPs Rain in July and A History of Bad Decisions. The shows kick off in Anaheim on October 25 and end in Philadelphia on November 4.

Slam Dunk Festival announced 22 bands for their 2023 event. The acts include Enter Shikari, The Offspring, Creeper, Billy Talent and Four Year Strong, as well as reunion shows from Kids in Glass Houses and The Academy Is...

OTHER NEWS:

As It Is announced that they have parted ways with bassist Alistair Testo. Ali joined the band back in 2014 and has played on all of the band's full-length albums since.

Evanescence’s classic track “Bring Me to Life” is back at No. 1 on the iTunes Chart in the United States over 19 years after release. The song picked up such traction due to it trending on TikTok, where it has been used in over 200K videos.

___

Check in next Tuesday for more “Posi Talk with Sage Haley”!

#sage haley #posi talk #set it off #nothing nowhere #yungblud #neck deep #evanescence #cleopatrick #story of the year #pinkshift #scene queen #senses fail #l.s.dunes #as it is

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dashflashy-arts · 1 year

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attempted to redesign Ken's (my creeper oc) gijinka design (AGAIN) bc I am not satisfied with it

#dash doodle #dash doodles #my art #ken the creeper #creeper oc #minecraft #mc creeper #mc gijinka #minecraft gijinka #minecraft mob talker #mob talker #<- I tagged them for a reason and that reason is for attention #pspspspspsspspsp where my gijinka mc moots at #I drew this in MS paint believe it or not

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ao3feed-janeausten · 1 year

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#IFTTT #AO3 works tagged 'AUSTEN Jane - Works'#Jane Austen #fanfic #fanfiction

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kauntohakushaku · 2 years

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Ken and I hanging out is actually just what it looks like when Nina and Coco are in the same room in terms of aesthetics. and Neil and I is just if minecraft creeper hoodie boy and a Succession character kissed.

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sillyfudgemonkeys · 2 months

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whaddya mean by ya don't trust junpei? is it the whole jealousy thing again?

(Keep in mind I still haven't seen all of P3R so I dunno how much he's changed in that regard, or if they changed later scenes.....but so far.....it's not that much. Anyway general P3 spoilers under the cut.)

It's more than that, but let's look at the jealousy thing for right now since you brought it up. It's not that he's jealous.......it's what his jealousy LEADS him to do. They made him be a lot friendlier.......but I.........still don't like him. (he whines more in the early game too which is annoying so......good job atlus, you made him more annoying! :D)

His SL on the FeMC had a much better arc than the link eps so far (I'm not at Oct 4th yet so he's had like....2?) But the issue is he acts the exact same as if I didn't have an SL/wasn't as close to him.

The fact he'll act like a doucher regardless if I'm friendly/friends with him or not really just......makes him a bad friend.

Back to his jealousy. His jealousy isn't that he's JUST a dick to the MC. But it puts us in danger. At BEST he's just mean to us and makes us feel like shit. At worse he runs off without thinking and puts us in danger countless of times.

During a Full Moon mission he abandons my leadership, splits us up (which weakens us in general), and then almost gets himself killed.

THEN at his calmest, he does something I don't think the PT do (at least knowingly) and that is LEAK INFORMATION TO THE FUCKING ENEMY TO THEIR FUCKING FACE.

He knows there's Strega, and he's not airing on the side of caution AT ALL. He's a liability. We shoulda cut him when we had the chance, fuck his power, he's going to get us killed. (Yukari breaches the same trust trying to poke the Kirijou Group bear, we don't know how shady the rest of the group is and yet she goes snooping in ways that can get us all in trouble TT0TT so yeah she's not off the hook).

This also doesn't account for the special kind of betrayal that this entails for the FeMC (or P3R!MC if you do the link eps). Because we're their friends and they just go behind our back and fuck us. They undermine our leadership and blindside us.

I know it's a thing to say "SEES are more like coworkers/teammates than friends (at first)" (cause it's true, PQ1 has a literal B plot about it, they don't become "friends" until later) but fuck.....Junpei/Yukari barely act as teammates the way they are trying to sabotage the team half the time. TT0TT

Then there's the girl element. As a girl, he's really fucking creepy. I know the drama CD he states "oh I'm doing this to keep the peace" but no. That's contradictory to some of his creepier statements. 1 on 1 convos with the male MC shows he is def a creeper. He's not just playing it up to the girls can just rally against him. (also really fucking weird he thinks "oh the girls need someone to team up on" like??? no we don't???? wtf ew. It just sounds like he has a scolding fetish TT0TT and literally if you do it all the time it.....starts to seem like it's just something you like to do rather than 'oh I'm just saying things" like???? Sorry if you do it often enough people will just think that's just YOU rather than a "lie.")

There's also the fucking hot spring scene (looking at OG/FES/3P only). Like he still has a girlfriend as of 11/19 (maybe going through rough patch), shit doesn't hit the fan for him until 11/22. But it's heavily implied he and Ryoji decided enter and stay in the hot spring until the change happened. The reason? Obvie to peep on some girls, why else? (it's why the narrative still punishes him and Ryo even if you escape the girls). He does that while he has a GIRLFRIEND (run Chidori you deserve better TT0TT). And if his motives were the same on FeMC side, then he did that knowing he may violate his friend.

He also tells creepy things to Ken and....god I hate him. Yukari is right about him, he is a poster boy for sexual harassment. He is the worst of all the pervs. (tho P4G didn't help the P4 team >_>). I think there's a good reason the movie changed this scene.....

Basically he untrustworthy. He's too wishy washy to rely on. I wouldn't ever want to hang out with him.

#silly asks #silly answers #p3 salt #anti-junpei #anti junpei #junpei salt

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rabchunter · 10 months

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Watch "The Scottish Game Fair, Scone Palace" on YouTube

youtube

The Scottish Game Fair or Scone Palace Game Fair 2023.

Started with a pint of Guinness and finished with a pint of Czech Pilsner.

What fantastic show this was in my Caledonian second home, I was there on a three pronged spear, first as myself The Ole Hedge Creeper and my company Really Wild Adventures, second wearing my international caps with Eley and Night Pearl Thermal International, lastly and most dear to my heart supporting Ken my Scottish Regional Director and his awesome team for Pass It On Young Sports Scotland.

The show was fantastic and packed out all weekend, I met so many old friends and made so many new ones, the night pearl stand was rammed all weekend, our Pass It On Young Sports Stand was so busy and Ken and his team did a brilliant job with a sea of families all going away from our stand smiling looking forward to our next famous taster day in Scotland.

I also met some wonderful young black artists recording and album up in Dundee, the best part 2 of the girls come from where I was born, so that was a very special breakfast with them indeed.

The show over I stayed a couple of days with my old friend and bro Tam and his family, this was wonderful,good food, wine and the very best company.

I am very proud of Ken and his team he represented me and the organisation to the highest standards, his team of volunteers wow wonderful people, I cannot wait to get back up to my Caladonian home again soon.

Teach Them Right, Coach Them Well, for TOGETHER WE CAN INSPIRE www.theolehedgecreeper.co.uk

www.reallywildadventures.co.uk

www.pass-it-on-young-sports.org.uk

#theolehedgecreeper #reallywildadventures #passiton #passitonyoungsportsambassador #passitonscotland #passitonyoungsports #scotland #sconepalace #sconepalacegamefair #scottish #caladonia #scottishgamefair

#Youtube

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the-firebird69 · 10 months

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Watch "Martika - Toy Soldiers" on YouTube

youtube

My brother's clothes and clones expresses what this means it didn't have the hard to have children. In this realm and it is due to the oligarchy and their teachings and what they wanted to use know what they're using to try and stay in power and subjugate everybody and worse. And it's true this song is about that too and it's about her experiences and it's about her clan and they're falling and the clones and the clone Army she's hanging out with them and they are figuring it out now but besides that my brother figured it out a long time ago and he didn't come out and tell me and he told me a few things silently but really it's all over the place like this song for instance. This gets somewhere and Hera is going to lead you to it it has to do with mom

Zues

They are brothers and eventually he got out of them when he was feeding on in the womb and what they were eating or she was eating and he figured out how to do a lot of stuff as soon as books at the X-Men headquarters Westminster and Rochester and all over the place and in Connecticut at the vanderbilts and more houses and none of you care to go and see you might when you hear what's actually happening if you figure it out. What he was was a pig because he was made into one now he was already one but he was turned into a horrific monstrous person dracol killed so many people it wasn't even funny during his era he was known as the biggest murderer on Earth and he's the father of Dracula. And he went back to Spain after they gave him a couple pieces of land and then said none he wiped out practically half the state of Spain and he called it a state because the size of a state he said and he's a mean person our people were okay we had to do things then he created his own lands galatia and there he grew Giants of his own from his mother and father and his wife was left out she was a sad woman and afraid all the time and couldn't stand him and she said it to him quite often he said you'll be okay you're my sister-in-law and your sister is my wife and she got a little mad but she felt better because he keeps it straight in the end she's sitting in her grave but Dave wants her preserved so she's there but it's cool because he keeps it cool. Now listen to me there's somebody that you should be looking for other than her cuz she's going to disappear later on and it's my husband's mom and yes there's a rebel and he is against the empire mostly but he'll kill anybody that's in his way to do the job and it's a massive hassle and his computer is a huge pain in the ass it seems are very evil. So yes I was sitting there observing but we have children and he hasn't found them they're pretty big too but his are nasty and it's because of his mom being grafted to bulge and it doesn't deteriorate the brains it is that they're both trying to survive and they're sharing and that much change in Ken would be like an arm or a leg not a brain not even a whole brain. So it's in coding a little bit sort of it's really doping and the problem is that when they're doing it Dave knows how to make it stick sometimes perhaps so what you get as a clone is a little bit more like the Abomination or the hulk or swamp thing or Jeepers creepers when he's fully pumped up you can't stop that guy and when they're huge you can't stop them so you should go see if Mom's there at least do this assignment fully at least carry through with it and find out if she's where they put her at least. For the love of God have some decency you should know as a people what's going on with them what if Tommy f is the one running those giants simply had Trump drop them on himself I mean come on that's a little strange isn't it

Hera

But she's making sense about and what she says makes sense we should go check if she's there if she's not we know there's a problem and it could be Tommy F or Dave they're the most likely suspects other people that handle the AI too but really it's those two and tell me if it's trying to hide it or get at it and we can't tell and her friend and we think that Camilla does we ask her and she says I don't know I can't get near it and that's torture and she hasn't deserve that after all this abuse and finally abused from her son Dave really it's King David he was a massive massive person back then and still is he's a massive killer and her friend says his name is actually Joseph and I can't stand it because it's Joseph Stalin and he's the one who's shooting at our friend and he wants to know what happened

Mac

#Youtube

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nalanzu · 1 year

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Weiss Kreuz, Episode 4: Verrat

Before we get started, I had a thought about the episodic nature of this series in particular. From what I remember, it didn't quite reach Status Quo Is God levels of an episodic narrative, but I also don't remember the events of the series having notable effects on character development as the show went on.

Like, there is some traumatic shit happening to these men, and one would expect some kind of reaction. Coping mechanisms. Something. But what I remember is that development was somewhat limited. I may be wrong. We'll see.

Picking up with the episode, this week's focus is Ken. Full disclosure - twenty years ago, Ken was my favorite.

The episode starts with a bride and groom and their wedding guests murdered via machine gun fire while someone videotapes it. Takatori watches the video, having apparently hired someone to cause this massacre.

The Weiss briefing follows immediately; the assassins are a group called Creeper (because of course it is), and their target was a politician. Kritiker has decided that Weiss should decimate Creeper. Ken, however, has recognized their SIC, Kase.

Flashback! Ken assaulted in a warehouse that was set on fire while Kase is dragged off. In the present day, Ken wants to look into Kase, because he's pretty sure the man is innocent. (In Nalan's present day, Nalan is more sure than ever that Ken and Kase were banging.) Weiss supports Ken's investigative delay, and Manx is like, Whatever, fine just don't fail.

Ken and Kase get a reunion scene, it's very cute, they cry at each other while Aya stares at them creepily from the shadows. Meanwhile, Yohji hits on a cute gym employee to get their target's workout schedule before we return to Ken and Kase getting caught up in a bar.

Kase quit the J-League, he tells Ken, and he also claims to be haunted by The Incident that led to Ken quitting as a pro soccer player. The Incident involves Ken being a shitty goalie, after which he is accused of gambling and rigging his own matches. Kase handed Ken drugged water, fucking up his performance, which he says he had no idea was in there.

Ken, clearly, should be suspicious of this; how does Kase know NOW that there were drugs in the drink? ...ah. Kase apparently was "investigating" at the time, and he told Ken he could clear his name. Instead, they were both assaulted and Ken was left in the burning warehouse to die.

Ken accepts this without question; he tries to warn Kase off of their target. He explains nothing. It's very cute, again, and Kase plays the innocent victim quite well. Aya is still lurking in the shadows, staring at Ken, which does explain the proliferation of Ken/Aya fic back in the day.

Aya wants to murder Kase. (I see how this could be readily interpreted as jealousy and ship fuel, lol) Ken wants Kase off the suspect list. Manx very obliquely threatens Ken's life if he wants to argue with Kritiker.

Ken is having a crisis of conscience, which he is managing by taking his bike for a ride in the dead of night. This gets him hunted, with guns, but not shot. He does, however, recognize one of his attackers as the man who set the warehouse on fire. The plot, it thickens. Ken's attachment to Kase, however, remains firm.

Ken goes immediately to Kase, telling him that he has been assaulted by the people who were trying to frame him and begging him to help him take down Koga, who is evil. Kase rolls with the punches, switching his story to telling Ken that he's been investigating Koga from the inside for two years to clear Ken's name.

There are, of course, all sorts of holes in this story (why clear the name of a dead man? why not tell Ken once he knew he was alive?). Ken ignores them. Ken goes off to where Kase has said Koga will be to take out the target, though he does tell Weiss first.

Even if I didn't know what was coming, I would know what was coming. Koga's already dead. And now comes Kase's face heel turn - he explains that Ken's fallen for the same trap twice, that he was the one who framed Ken, that he set up his own kidnapping without expecting a payoff and yet here it is, and that he's now fulfilled his ambition as the boss of Creeper.

It's a little funny to me that Kase claims he's used Ken to set up Koga's murder, so that the part of the organization loyal to Koga won't turn on him, but he's also surrounded by members of Creeper, who are witnessing this inanity.

Minor plot bumps aside, this is a classic villain speech. Kase even tells Ken he framed him out of jealousy, because Ken was a better soccer player than he was. He then shoots Ken multiple times in the torso and tells him he'd better not resurrect himself twice. Joke's on him, as Ken dramatically walks out of the shadows to interrupt Kase's victory tour.

In an extremely dramatic moment, Ken tells Kase he's come back because he's not fond of hell. Kase cries again, telling Ken he was always jealous, from the time they were kids, that he did terrible things out of his hate and jealousy. While Ken is distracted, Kase's men fan out, presumably to murder Ken from the shadows.

Weiss, however, has Ken's back and incapacitates them. Kase begs for his life. Ken approaches, Kase shoots him AGAIN, and we get crying Ken slicing open his former friend. We also get a dramatic shot of Ken's bulletproof vest, as Ken expresses how guilty he felt for doubting Kase.

There is another Very Dramatic moment in which Kase says he'll see Ken in hell. Ken responds with, "I'm already in hell."

Melodramatic posing to look at the sky aside, I think this episode is why I liked Ken the first time around. It's the most compelling writing of the show so far; the pilot episode wasn't bad, for a pilot episode, but because of the choice to use an outsider POV, there wasn't as much emotional engagement with the main cast.

Aya's story gives us insight into his past, but the link to the present-day target are tangential (the presence of a younger sister) and his obsession with Takatori comes off as unhinged rather than intriguing. Yohji's episode gave us a carbon copy repeat of his initial trauma, in which he makes precisely the same choices for precisely the same outcome and the viewer is then expected to sympathize with how Tragic it is (there is, honestly, something to unpack, both with Yohji's trauma response and my frustration with Yohji's trauma response, but I'm not going to do it here).

Neither of these give us as much insight into the characters they;re about. We learn that Yohji has a thing for pretty women (but we knew that) and that he is troubled by the loss of his partner. He is quickly and deeply attached to someone he has just met, which would seem to imply that he overinvests in relationships and will overcommit at the drop of a hat, but this isn't how I remember his character arc playing out. There is, at least, something to build on.

The insight we got for Aya was that he has a rage button, and that rage button is Takatori. Also that Aya will not apologize for his rage button, which is less Stoic Badass and more Asshole, which I don't think they were going for. Trying to do the Tragic And Mysterious route with Aya was a bumpy road at best, and it didn't resonate with me then. It doesn't resonate with me now. Although I do find it somewhat hilarious that Aya, who fucked shit up but good by ignoring a target to focus on his own grudges, is extremely Concerned that Ken is ignoring a target because of his own biases.

What we've learned about Ken here is that he wants to trust, he wants to believe the best in people, and that while he will work very hard to make that belief pay off, he will also take precautions in case he is wrong. I feel like this is a solid thumbnail sketch of a character who feels like he has some depth.

Ken, much like Yohji, repeated the same error we were shown from the past. Unlike Yohji, Ken created a different ending; he let his experience color his actions, which is what experience is for, but is also how character development generally works. As this is entirely contained within this single episode, I feel that this has been the strongest story so far.

#weiss kreuz #meta commentary #episode summary

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