#anyways thanks for reading if you got this far.

[timetothirst]

Simon Riley is (not so) secretly a huge sap | Part 2

(A/N)- FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF. and a little angst but mostly so much sweetness that it’ll raise your blood sugar. i banged this out in one sitting with no breaks so if it seems incorrect or weird then no it isn’t. i’m sleep deprived and v lonely i hope u understand. That being said enjoy my little goobers! MWAH

You love Simon’s tattoos. You trace them with your fingers whenever you get the chance, kiss the ones on his chest and shoulders whenever he huddles close to you in bed. You even managed to convince him to let you color in part of his sleeve once, provided you used washable markers. He lets you doodle on him too, if you like. You have to use black pen, though- he’s got a theme going, don’t you know.

Sometimes, when curiosity strikes you, you’ll point to a particular one, ask how he got it and why. His answers range from profound and emotional to “Eh, I thought it’d look cool. And I was right.” These ones are your personal favorites, the ones that are only there to fill out the tapestry on his skin. Like the small, quarter-sized ones hidden on the inside of his wrist, all grouped together; A bucket hat, a baseball cap and a little bar of soap. The symbol for TF141 on his bicep. Barbed wire, chains, and swirling flames that seemed to leap off his skin, even in black and white. A ballistic missile with a shark face painted on it, which- and even he would admit this- was a bit of an impulse decision, and kind of clashed with the rest of his sleeve, even though it still looked good.

There are ones you know not to bring up. Ones that clearly have dark memories attached, his own twisted way of explaining why he was who he was, ensuring he never forgot. It wasn’t healthy to have permanent reminders of his perceived failures etched into his flesh. He knew that now, but they still held sentimental value, however strange that may have sounded. A cockroach on his shoulder, dog tags. A rifle, helmet and boots, all stood up together. A date written above three skulls, side by side, one of them far too small. You didn’t ask about these.

It’s because of this that, when he brings you a gift one day, its importance isn’t clear right away.

You’d been together a while. It wasn’t a birthday or an anniversary, nothing too special. Still, hed gotten you something anyway

“Oh. Almost forgot…”

He was fresh out of the shower when he remembered, wearing a pair of sweats and little else. He spent some time digging through plastic bags in order to find it. “Popped by the shops and saw it sittin’ there. Thought it’d look nice on ya, an’ I had the cash on me, so…” he had explained with a shrug.

Despite his feigned nonchalance, you had known him long enough to tell that he was nervous about your possible reaction to his present. A bit unusual for him, but not strange, per se. When he handed you a small, rectangular box with shiny gold lettering on it- the name of some company or other, but you couldn’t read the font- you took it happily.

You thanked him even before you knew what it was, which he teased you for just before pressing a kiss to your forehead and telling you to open it.

It ended up being a cuff bracelet. In your preferred metal, of course. Simon remembered little things like that. It fit perfectly, and it was made to look like a key had been bent and wrapped around your wrist. It looked pretty sweet, actually, and your eyes were bright as you put it on and thanked him once more.

You could tell that there was something you weren’t putting together, though. The way he was looking at you, holding his breath and searching for a reaction of some kind. You fiddled with your new key bracelet and glanced around, but you couldn’t figure out what he was waiting for.

“…What’s happening right now? Is there, like. Something else, or-?”

He rolled his eyes then, giving a quiet chuckle. “Bloody hell. You’re lucky you’re cute, you lil’ idiot.” He teased, though there was nothing but soft affection behind his words.

“And you’re lucky you’re handsome, you big jerk,” You replied, your tone exactly the same and your smile never faltering. “Now, will you please tell me what i’m not getting?”

He was tense and silent as he nodded and took your arm, the one you had placed the bracelet on. He directed your hand to his chest and guided you to press your palm flat against the skin there. That was when you looked down and put two and two together.

It was one of the oldest tattoos he had, judging by the fading and quality, though it still looked just as good as all the others.

A shiny metal lock, just off center and resting right over his heart.

Lock tattoo. Key bracelet. Blushing, fidgety boyfriend that looked like he was going to sink into the floor at any moment.

Ohhhh my god.

For a second, you stood there, too stunned to say anything. You kept your hand on his chest and used your free one to cover your mouth, your eyes wide as you looked from him, to the bracelet and back again.

“I kept the receipt.” He muttered.

That snapped you out of your trance, and you immediately shook your head as you began to tear up.

“Simon…it’s beautiful. This is- I don’t even know what to say, it’s just-“ You choked out. You leaned forward and hugged him then, your grip tight and your head resting where your hand had been just moments ago. Thanks to your new closeness, you could actually hear his heart beating now. Much faster than normal, but beginning to slow down now as he wrapped his arms around you in return.

Simon was many things, but a poet wasn’t one of them. He didn’t even want to attempt to tell you just how significant this gesture was to him, not with words anyway. He didn’t even think he could if he tried, if he was honest with himself. But he didn’t have to. You understood. You were always good like that. His sweet, wonderful partner that not only filled a hole in him he never knew he had, but also helped patch up the old ones with soft touches and encouraging words.

“Thank you, Simon.” You whispered. He could feel your lips moving and your warm breath ghosting across his skin as you remained latched onto him, refusing to let go anytime soon. Not that he minded. He rested his chin atop your head, closing his eyes and savoring your presence just like he always did. When his voice eventually returned, it came out impossibly soft.

“No, thank you.”

#call of duty #cod mwii #cod x you #ghost x reader #simon ghost x you #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley #simon ghost riley #simon riley x you #simon ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #ghost mwii #ghost mw2 #fanfic #x reader #my writing

[misc-obeyme]

Mer!MC Headcanons - Younger Brothers

All right, here are the rest of the brothers. I don't think I'm gonna break them up like this again, even if they are getting stupidly long lol. I like having all the bros together, I think.

Anyway, here we are with mer!MC from the human world randomly showing up in the Devildom. I quite like how these turned out, which surprised me. While I might do the side characters on my own, I am easily persuaded by a single comment/tag/ask lol.

GN!mer!MC x Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, & Belphegor

read the older brothers here

Warnings: none

Satan

Satan wanders after a cat and ends up in the farthest reaches of the Devildom forest. He loses track of the cat, but he finds you instead. You're sitting beneath a small waterfall in a fresh water pond. The moment you catch sight of him, you duck behind the sheet of water. He keeps his distance at first, not wanting to frighten you. He's curious about how a merperson like yourself ended up all the way out here. The cat wanders back around, so he sits on the bank with it, petting it quietly and waiting for you to come out of hiding.

You can't resist the pull of a cute little cat sitting there, just waiting for you to pet it. You venture out, finding yourself less wary as Satan smiles at you. He lets you dry your hands on his sweater before you attempt to pet the cat, just in case it doesn't like water. It purrs happily as you scratch under its chin.

He takes the moment to ask you about yourself. When he finds out that you're from the human world, he frowns. You don't belong here in the Devildom. He knows that, but he also doesn't know how you got here or how to get you back. From that moment on, he returns regularly to the forest. The cat sticks around with you so he brings it treats and brings you books. You get hooked on them, reading every one he brings, but your favorite thing is when he reads to you. He discovers you're especially fond of pirate stories and poetry about the sea.

Satan debates with himself about whether or not he should help you find your way back to the human world. In the end, he asks you directly. And he believes you when you say you want to stay with him. It's a relief and he didn't quite realize how nervous he was about you leaving. Won't you allow him to sit here beside you every day, MC?

Asmodeus

Asmo is doing a beach side photo shoot for a swim wear company, but takes a break to walk through the waves for a moment. He's far off from the group of demons he's working with when he notices the flash of your tail in the sparkling ocean. He's mesmerized almost instantly. What beauty! He wants to get closer, so he wades out quite a ways. He's so entranced by the shimmering glimpses of you that he loses his footing and gets pulled beneath the water.

He struggles, knowing he's too far away from the others for them to have seen him go under. But then he feels arms around him as he's pulled above the surface. He gasps in heavy lungfuls of air as he feels himself being carried. He manages to rearrange himself in your arms princess style as you swim him back to shore.

Asmo takes a minute to recover himself, but then he's staring at you with wide eyes. You're halfway out of the water, the waves lapping gently against your beautiful tail. He can't stop himself from touching you - gentle fingertips across your cheeks, through your hair, and lingering on your scales. He stops thanking you only long enough to tell you how gorgeous you are.

He comes back to the beach without the photo crew and he always finds you waiting. He brings you trinkets and his heart soars when you present him with a handmade shell necklace. He wears it whenever he returns. When he finds out you're from the human world, he sighs. The humans wouldn't know how to appreciate something as beautiful as you, MC. Won't you stay here and let him admire you a little longer? Every time he comes back to see you, he's flooded with relief that you're still there, waiting for him in the glistening waves.

Beelzebub

In an attempt to shake up his usual routine, Beel adds swimming to his workout regimen. He's been doing laps in the RAD pool, but he notices that there's something unusual going on. He can't quite figure it out, but he feels like someone's watching him. Eventually, he sits on the steps that lead into the pool and just asks out loud if there's anyone there. He's surprised when you surface from the deep end. You've been hiding in the shadows of the deepest, darkest part of the pool.

Beel waits for you to come over to him on your own. You do eventually, cautiously. He finds out you're from the human world and that you have no idea how you ended up in the RAD pool. It was likely some witch's spell gone wrong. But you're here now. And he can't stop staring at you. You're beautiful and strong and even if you're a little shy at first, you open up to him soon enough.

He comes back every day, of course. And you impress him by beating him in every swimming race. He can't keep up with you and while that's to be expected considering you have a tail and all, he's still amazed. You tell him about the world you left behind, details of the human world he never knew. If he starts to look sad because he thinks you miss your home, you splash him with water. Things quickly devolve into a splash fight, both of you laughing as the water flies around you.

Eventually, Beel realizes that you can't stay in the pool forever. It's too small and he sees the way you gaze off out the windows of the gym forlornly. He brings you to the ocean, carrying you himself, placing you gently in the waves. You get to choose if you'll stay at this Devildom beach for a while or if you'll swim off into the horizon, never to be seen again. Whatever you choose, MC, he will always cherish your time together.

Belphegor

After hearing about how clear the skies are out on the ocean, Belphie rents a boat and goes sailing. When he's far out to sea, in a place where the waters are relatively calm, he stops his boat so he can look up at the sky. He's so focused on the constellations that he doesn't quite realize where he's stepping and he backs right into the railing, nearly falling into the water. He catches himself, but finds he's staring down at the dark ocean's surface. He sees the watery reflection of a few of the brightest stars, but there are two that seem too bright. As you come closer, he realizes that he is looking into two shining eyes.

Belphie backs away as you emerge from the water, resting your arms around the railings so you can see him clearly. He didn't think he would see a merperson out here. A few questions reveal that you're from the human world, uncertain of how you found yourself out here in a place of eternal night. Your tail flops up on the deck and it's like a mirror, reflecting back the brilliant pinpoints of the stars.

He sits with his legs dangling off the side of the boat and traces the constellations on your scales. He's pleased with the way you shiver at his gentle touch, the way you listen to him tell you about the constellations and their stories as if his words were keeping you alive.

He purchases his own boat and keeps it docked nearby so he can take it out into the depths to stargaze with you nearly every night. You never express a desire to return from the world you left and he never brings it up. He wants you to stay here with him. He can't stop thinking about the stars that are your eyes, MC. He dreams about them when he sleeps. You've embedded yourself into his heart, like you've made your home there in the Devildom sea.

older brothers | masterlist | Thank you for reading!

#obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me headcanons #obey me imagines #obey me fanfic #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me satan x reader #obey me asmodeus x reader #obey me beelzebub x reader #obey me belphegor x reader #obey me x reader #x reader #misc writes

[ignylinn]

RE: TLT and catholicism

You know those churches in the Netherlands who ertr sold and now are public buildings , faculties or shops and services ? If you entered them you might not notice their previous use at all but it's very easy to recognize it you're used to churches. There's the nav, the altar, the orientation and of course the shape and the places where the saints and images used to be .

The Locked Tomb Universe is kinda like this . Gaius, a former catholic, created his "religion" based on the rites and imagery he knew but devoid of all the substance of it ... or almost all since the resurrection for them is also a huge point even if it's not The Ressurection we know of .

He got his saints, and the prayers ,and the rites, and specially for the readers who see it from the perspective of the Ninth, even a Holy Mother , that for them is Alecto. In HtN John explicitly says in a way she's everyone's mother .

Lastly Harrowhark devotion for her church and the Body and said Mother resonates a lot with so many catholics including me. Specially by the end of Nona after she has learned the truth about Gaius and decided she was still a daughter of the Ninth and went in search of God by herself after letting the pretender behind .

So yeah, in summary, it's the imagery and Harrowhark devotion and faith that makes these books so Catholic at least for me.

Thank you!

So, the answer turend into some rambling, but anyway)

Yes, I totally agree that John just used imagery he knew to create whatever it was he created without any substance to it. I am not sure whether it is right to call this cultural appropriation, but I guess it is. John appropriated everything, so)

Anyway, I often see familiar Christian/Catholic symbols with wrong denotation in this day and age, so I just thought "aha, here we go again" and stopped thinking about it. I mean, there is an in-universe explanation for this, which I like a lot, but still.

Also, apart from the Ninth House and the Locked Tomb cult I do not remember any forms of organized religion, theology, I do not see genuine religious feeling in anyone but Harrowhark. And as far as I understand, Anastasia was the nun, so it seems fair that she was able to create a genuine religion in the Ninth House. (I mean, their memories were erased, but it looks like personalities, body memories, perhaps sunconscious remained).

And to summarize answers I received, Harrowhark is a Catholic character. I have read the arguments, and yes, I agree. I applied her worldview to my earlier experiences in the Church, and I see similarities.

Thank you again for sharing your personal feelings, I really appreciate that.

#gideon the ninth #the locked tomb #tlt

[im-actually-a-certified-idiot]

Smoke, Blood, and... Strawberries?

Summary: A Potions lesson on Amortentia gives Evan and Barty a nasty awakening. Only, Evan's a bit slow at realizing it.

Word count: roughly 2.9 k words

If you prefer to read it on Ao3, click here

Evan hated garlic. 

That sentiment wasn’t too unheard of, he knew; garlic was widely despised for its pungent smell. But Evan hated the taste as well- it was far too spicy and strong for him to bear. Even as a child, he’d realized his aversion towards garlic and made it very clear to all who knew him. Consequently, he was given the nickname “Vampire” and told to stop being so picky. (He refused to comply, of course.)

Unfortunately for him, there was no way to avoid it- not for another few years, at least. He had selected Potions as one of his classes to continue in his sixth year, and Professor Slughorn seemed to be overly fond of assigning his sixth year classes with potions containing garlic. What went on in that man’s head, Evan would never know, and he didn’t think he wanted to, anyway. 

“This smells like shit,” he complained to Regulus, who sat at the table in front of him. Unlike Evan, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the experience- so much that he had even taken complete control of the cauldron. His sleeves were rolled up, his face flushed from the heat- or perhaps exhilaration. He stirred the cauldron with a thick, fat wooden spoon, grinning as a silvery wisp of smoke began to rise into the air. Evan almost envied his enthusiasm.

His partner (whatever her name was), who sat beside him with absolutely nothing to do, didn’t look too bothered- she seemed to be too busy making moony eyes at the Gryffindor girl across the aisle, and all too happy to let someone else do all the work. The perfect pair, Evan thought sardonically. 

Regulus paused in his stirring, glancing over his shoulder at Evan. He looked rather annoyed to be interrupted. “It’s garlic. Do you expect it to smell like daisies?”

Evan scowled. “Thank you for your empathy,” he said sarcastically. “You’re very kind, Regulus.”

“Any time, Rosier.” Regulus turned back to his Potions. 

Little shit.   

Grimacing, Evan lifted his chopping board and tilted it sideways over the cauldron; the bits and pieces of garlic came sliding downwards, spilling into the cauldron with a series of staggered small splashes. He craned his neck to sniff and instantly jerked away- horrendous. He turned to complain to Barty, who had the empathy of the Galleon yet very much kinder than Regulus. But then he remembered that Barty was, in fact, not here. 

“Where the hell is that fucker? It’s twenty minutes in, even if he was late he should’ve showed up by now.”

“Who, Barty?” Regulus asked. 

“No shit, Sherlock.”

“He’s probably just skipping,” Regulus shrugged. “He always does that- and he hates Potions anyway.”

Evan shook his head. “He wouldn’t- the last time he skipped, Dumbledore owled his dad ...don't you remember the Howler he got the next day?”

“No.”

“The one that called him a disappointment? Said he was disgracing the entire family?”

“Doesn’t he get that every week?” said Regulus mildly, and it took every ounce of Evan’s practiced self-control to not strangle him by the neck. It was funny when he took a jab at Barty’s daddy issues, but whenever someone else did, it felt more offensive than amusing.

Perhaps Merlin himself was listening from the high heavens, or the universe decided to cut Evan some slack, but at that very moment, the dungeon door flung open, and Barty came stumbling inside, looking thoroughly disheveled. 

Slughorn, who was critiquing a student’s potion from the back of the dungeon, paused mid-sentence and called out jovially, “Mr. Crouch, I see you’ve finally joined us! Do you have a pass?”

“Yes, sir,” Barty replied, waving a small slip of paper in the air for Slughorn to see. He caught Evan’s eye and winked- forged, then. Not necessarily a surprise (it was Barty, after all), but this was- what? The fifth time in one month? Evan shook his head. Where was his Slytherin sense of subtlety?

Slughorn bustled all the way to the front of the dungeon, taking the note from Barty and peering at it behind his spectacles. Barty waited beside him, his face a smooth mask of calm innocence- but Evan could see him fiddling with the very end of his tie. A nervous tic that was sure to give him away, if Slughorn knew him well. Which he didn’t. 

“Professor Trelawney sent this?” the professor asked, frowning slightly at the note. There was a hint of doubt in his voice, as if he were finally catching on. It would be a grand day indeed if he finally did.  

“Yes, sir,” said Barty seriously. He tugged on his tie, plastering a charming smile on his face. “She broke a crystal ball and I volunteered to help her clean it up- she had another class right after, see, and she needed to get them started on their Dream Journals. I didn’t want her to have to go through such trouble.” Evan had to duck his head and bite his lip to suppress his laughter. Such a blatant lie. He waited for Slughorn to call Barty out, but the old professor was nodding along, completely buying into Barty’s utter bullshit.

“I see,” he murmured, as if he knew what a Dream Journal was (he probably didn’t, Evan thought). “Alright then, let’s get you partnered up…” He looked around the classroom, and Evan held his breath, crossing his fingers beneath the table. “It appears that Mr. Rosier is the only one working alone.”

Evan hid his grin as Barty nodded and replied obediently, “Of course, sir.” He pretended to examine the cauldron intently as Barty walked over, making sure to glance at his Potions textbook as if he were puzzled. But as soon as Slughorn’s back was turned, he glanced up to smirk at Barty, who shoved him in response. 

“Missed me, Rosie?” he asked mockingly, plopping down to sit next to Evan. “I could see you staring.”

“Not particularly,” Evan lied, faking nonchalance- he could feel himself growing uncomfortably hot under Barty’s intense look. “Thought you were done with forgery? What was it you said- a new man, new plan or some shit?”  

Barty pressed a finger to his lips, eyes filled with mirth. “Keep running that mouth of yours, Rosie, and I’ll have to do something about it.” It was just friendly banter, just him firing back, but for whatever reason, the words sent a small thrill down Evan’s spine. 

They locked eyes for a moment, Barty’s cocky smile faltering, and Evan got the absurd impression that they were embroiled in something fragile, delicate. Something easily broken if he wasn’t careful. He held his breath again, not saying anything as Barty’s lips opened, then closed. 

“One of these days, you’re going to get caught,” said Regulus, his voice breaking the spell. Barty tore his eyes away, and Evan considered strangling Regulus for the second time in less than ten minutes, though he wasn’t entirely sure why this time.

“Maybe,” said Barty, who stared straight at Regulus, as if he were pretending not to see Evan. His cheeks were flushed- but Evan didn��t think it was from the heat. “But the teachers here are so slow, I doubt it.” 

Regulus shook his head. “Don’t come crying when you get another Howler.” He jerked his head towards Evan. “This is all your fault. You encourage this shit all the time.”

Barty’s eyes flicked to Evan, then away. “Don’t be pissy, Reg. It doesn’t suit you well- I like you better when you're Mummy's good boy.”

Barty’s words had a surprising effect. “Oh, fuck you,” Regulus growled, making a hand gesture so crude and unlike him Evan had to suppress a snort. He turned back around, apparently done with conversing with the likes of Barty. But maybe it was because that was a sore spot- Regulus didn’t talk about his mother much, but when he did, it was enough for Evan to guess their relationship wasn’t as ideal as he acted like it was. 

Barty stared at Regulus’s back, like he was also recalling this and felt bad for it- but after a moment, he just shrugged and turned to Evan, though still not quite looking him in the eye. “You finished it?”

“Yeah,” said Evan. “It wasn’t too hard, really.”

Barty’s mouth twitched. “Potions prodigy.”

“That’s Regulus, actually.” 

There was a beat of awkward silence. 

“Attention,” called Slughorn from the front of the classroom, with absurdly perfect timing. Evan had never been happier to hear his voice. Perhaps the universe was feeling kind today. “Attention, students!” He waited a few seconds for the chatter to die down, and then continued. “Now, it’s time for the theory part of the lesson. I decided to do it a little differently today, because I wanted to see how well you all know your potions.”

There was a murmur of interest and surprise around the room. In the past six years, Slughorn had always used the more traditional teaching methods. This should be interesting, Evan thought, leaning forward in anticipation. 

“I wrote on the board,” Slughorn pointed his wand at the blackboard, “that this Potion is called the Draught of Living Death. It seems most of you did not think much of it, which is a bit disappointing, I must say, because this Potion that you happen to be brewing right now is not the Draught of Living Death.” The murmurs grew louder. “Does anyone have any guesses as to what it might be?”

Regulus’s hand shot into the air- and his only. Slughorn beamed at him. 

“Yes, Mr. Black?”

“Amortentia,” said Regulus promptly. “The Love Potion.”

His words sparked an almost dramatic outbreak of gasps and giggles. Beside Evan, Barty shifted slightly, and (when he thought Evan wasn’t looking) casted a furtive glance.  

 Slughorn smiled wider, looking pleased. 

“Very good, Mr. Black! Fifteen points to Slytherin.” He waved his wand, and the words Draught of Living Death rewrote itself into Amortentia. “Now, can anyone describe the effects of Amortentia?”

Again, it was only Regulus’s hand shot into the air. “Once drunk, it can allow anyone to become romantically infatuated with another person. Even just one sip can make someone fall madly in love.”

“Very good, my boy! Another ten points!” Slughorn looked utterly delighted “Does anyone know what happens when you smell it? No, not you, Mr. Black, you’ve answered enough.” He scanned the room; students began to slouch or pretend to be absorbed within their textbooks. “Miss Carrow?”

Alecto Carrow was not known for being clever or attentive- in fact, she was probably the dumbest girl in the year (if Evan had to be honest). Which was why it was quite a surprise to hear her answer correctly. “It smells like the person you’re in love with, sir.”

There was another outbreak of snickers in the classroom, accompanied by elbowing and knowing looks. Love. What a stupid thing. Evan almost rolled his eyes. “Settle down, settle down,” said Slughorn, though he might as well have been talking to a class of third years. “Now, the basic theory…”

***

Amorentia theory, as it turned out, was incredibly, devastatingly boring.

 In fact, only Regulus and a particularly nerdy Gryffindor seemed to be remotely interested in it- the rest of the class grew bored within minutes, returning to whispered, idle conversations, paper airplanes, and naps on top of the tables. Even Evan found his attention span wandering; after ten minutes; he resigned himself to doodling along the margins of his textbook.  

He had just finished sketching a large, looming thick skull when he felt a hard poke on his shoulder. “Oi, Rosie,” Barty whispered. Another poke. “Rosie.” A third poke. “Rosie~”

“Tell me, how hard do you have to work to be this annoying?” Evan muttered, dipping his quill in his ink bottle. He began to sketch a rose between the skull’s teeth, his strokes swift and short. He wasn’t an artist, per se, but his skills weren’t awful, and he actually kind of enjoyed it.“Or were you just born like this?”

Barty ignored the jab. “What d’you smell?”

“What?”

Barty gave a huge sigh, as if Evan were extraordinarily stupid. “The amortentia, dumbass,” he said impatiently. “What do you smell?”

Evan set his quill down, frowning. “Why do you wanna know?” he said, for the question seemed rather abrupt and suspicious to him. As far as he knew, Barty didn’t care for petty teenage affairs involving fickle romance. 

“Stop being a dick and just tell me.”

Evan glanced over at Slughorn, who was still deeply immersed in his rambling lecture and blissfully unaware of the lack of response he was receiving from the class. Slowly, he leaned over the cauldron and carefully wafted the fumes into his nose. 

“Smells like…smoke…” he said slowly.

“And?” Barty prompted. Evan took another sniff, and his brows furrowed deeper. 

“And…blood, I think…”

Regulus, who had been listening attentively to Slughorn up until then, chose that moment to twist around in his seat, eyes widening. “Blood?” he hissed incredulously. 

Barty waved him off, eyes glued to Evan. “And?”

Evan, growing bolder, inhaled deeply this time; it took a solid minute to catch even a whiff. 

“...and…strawberries?” The normality of that scent felt the most bewildering of them all. 

“Strawberries?” Regulus echoed. “What idiot smells like strawberries?”

“I dunno,” said Evan. He looked at Barty; he had erupted into a barrage of heavy coughs. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Fuck off,” was the brunette’s response, as if Evan had done something wrong. Barty turned away and began to dig through his bag, even though there was only five minutes left of class. 

Evan scowled and turned back to his drawing of the skull with the rose. Logically, there was nothing wrong with it- it was his best work yet, actually- yet he found himself hastily scratching it out, splotching it with ink until it was nothing but a dark stain. 

***

“Oi, Evan!” Regulus called from the other side of the room. “Would you mind doing me a favor?”

It was late in the afternoon, almost a week after the Amortentia potions lesson- Regulus stood in the doorway of the bathroom, hair freshly wet and rumpled from the shower, clutching an unusually large white envelope in his hand. 

They were the only ones there- everyone else had gone out- whether to study in the library, or go down to the Quidditch pitch to watch the Slytherin Quidditch team practice. Evan would’ve loved to join his peers, to escape the boredom and blandness of his dormitory, but his pile of homework was dangerously high- two essays, and a Herbology diagram, all due tomorrow. 

“I would mind very much, actually,” he said snidely, glancing up from his Potions essay. “If you can’t tell, I’m busy.” 

Regulus blew out an irritated sigh. “Please, Evan- I need to go send an owl to Lucius Malfoy. You remember him, right? He was a few years above us.”

A memory resurfaced within Evan’s mind, of a pale, blond boy with a pointed chin and a haughty, sneering face. Lucius Malfoy had been widely known for one thing and one thing only- his ability to talk for hours on end, without pause. “Vaguely.” 

“He and my cousin just got married yesterday- I need to send my congratulations, or else Mother will have my head.” Regulus jerked his head towards a small red bottle that sat on Barty’s bedside. “Can you throw that away? It’s Barty’s old shampoo- he switched to cinnamon or some shit, and he asked me right before he headed out to put it in the bin.” He spread his arms wide, gesturing to the empty space that had once been occupied by the trash bin. “However, as you can see, the bin isn’t here, which means you need to go throw it out in the common room.”

Evan scowled. “The shit I do for you,” he groused as he rose from his seat. He crossed the room in a quick patter of steps, grabbing the red bottle and scowling at it. “What kind of shampoo is this anyway…?” His voice trailed off at the label: strawberry scented. 

He and Barty had hardly talked since the Amortentia lesson; before, he’d chalked it up to the workload that had been steadily increasing over the last few days. But now, as he examined the shampoo bottle, an uncomfortable suspicion began to whisper in his mind.

“Regulus,” he said, slowly. “Why is this strawberry scented?”

Regulus, who was pulling on his socks, paused and frowned, as if the thought had never occurred to him. “I dunno- Barty likes strawberries?”

Evan’s heart began to pound very, very uncomfortably- he could feel it all piecing together in his mind, forming a picture he refused to see, to admit was true. Maybe on its own, he could ignore it. But strawberries and blood…it was too big of a coincidence…

“Say, Reg,” he said casually as Regulus began to put on his shoes. “You know where he is right now?”

“Probably out smoking with the Carrow twins- you know how he is. His lungs are gonna be shit before he even graduates.”

Smoking. 

“Why? Something wrong?”

“No,” Evan lied. He turned away, certain he wouldn’t be able to disguise his expression. Especially not to Regulus, who could read faces like books. “Nothing at all- just…curious, that’s all.” 

He waited until he heard the footsteps, and then the door shut. His whole body deflated, and he had to grab the nearest thing- a chair- to maintain his balance. He felt as if his whole world had been pushed off-kilter, like he was falling, floating, and flying at the same time.

Fuck. 

Oh fuck.

He was in love with Barty Crouch.

------------------------

i hope everyone caught the skull + rose reference

#rosekiller #evan rosier #barty crouch jr #bcj #evan x barty #barty x evan #rosekiller fic #rosekiller fanfic #rosekiller fanfiction #marauders #marauders era #marauders fandom #marauders boys #slytherin skittles #mlm #gay #mlm romance

[aingeal98]

Stephcass is like,heavily autistic4autistic-coded to me and imo there's as much evidence to it as comphet lesbian Cass.With autistic Cass i don't need to explain since you understand her so well but for Stephanie it's like.She has all the symptoms but also her gender presentation feels very autistic girl swag to me and the way she's treated by the narrative feels a lot like how not just girls but AUTISTIC girls are abused irl.This also increases the appeal of Stephcass to me because Cass is one of the few consistently kind and stable people in her life.Thoughts?I love your takes so i'd love to hear your opinions !!

I fully agree and honestly I've actually been thinking about autistic Steph a lot lately haha. Like reading comics Cass was obviously the first one who pinged my radar but reading more Steph, especially how she feels constantly on the outside despite trying so hard to fit in, made it click for me. That feeling of being too much, missing social cues, not being able to understand the layers to conversations, not fitting in fully no matter what group it is and how hard you try... Yeah I definitely see her as autistic. I think young Steph tried so hard to mask constantly but never quite fully managed to blend in perfectly. Especially in early Robin issues the way she and Tim both exhibit autistic traits but their socialisation as boy vs girl paints two different reactions to their autism. Tim is blunt and steps on people's toes sometimes and doesn't care at all because he's confident in his knowledge and his worth. People can be mad at him for missing a social cue but ultimately who cares, he's got his own mission and that's what matters.

Meanwhile Steph wants so hard to project an image of not caring. Like she wants to he confident and proud in being a bit "weird" but you can clearly see how desperately she wants to be accepted. And she's learnt that she won't quite fit the mold but she wants to keep trying anyway, keep showing that she can twist herself to fit in to whatever Batman/Tim/her school peers need her to be. She's just like Tim in missing social cues and getting hyperfixations but she gets even more anxious about social situations even though she tries really hard not to let it show because she's just a Totally Normal Girl with totally normal reactions to situations.

It's interesting because on the surface she can come across as far more confident and self assured than Tim, not afraid to be loud and messy. But there's so much insecurity behind it and her mannerisms and character beats come across as not just autism to me, but very specifically teen girl autism. Which is one of the reasons why I love her Batgirl series. We get to see her in all fully confident in her autistic girl swagger. And good for her!

Sorry if this is rambling and incoherent but I have a lot of thoughts on autistic Steph so thank you so much for the ask skshdshshh.

#dc #stephanie brown #dc rambles #Asks

[helpimstuckposting]

Okay I saw someone else putting characters to the four elements, but that got me thinking about the actual statements that have been read out and I got a hunch. Below are my red string ramblings of a mad man

So I looked up the elements of alchemy and found the planetary metals and what they can represent

Lead, Saturn - Harvest, Crops, Husbandry

Tin, Jupiter - Internal Organization, External Relations

Iron, Mars - War and Bloodshed

Gold, Sun - Helios, Light and Sight

Copper, Venus - Love and Beauty

Mercury - Messages and Communication

Silver, Moon - Intuition and Subconscious, Hunters, Crossroads

Now, seeing them all makes me wonder if my hunch is correct or if I’m just seeing things as confirmation bias, but I went ahead and assigned each to the cases they reminded me of, and included the four elements as well. One of the planetary metals connects to communication and technically all of the cases are communication in some way, but I specifically only put it as a label on cases that were categorized with the communication type (chat boards, phone calls, email, etc)

MAGP01 - Venus, Mercury (love for her husband, message boards) EARTH, FIRE

MAGP02 - Venus (beauty)

MAGP03 - Saturn (crops) EARTH

MAGP04 - Mars (bloodshed)

MAGP05 - Sun (sight) AIR

MAGP06 - Mars, Mercury (Needles, phone call)

MAGP07 - Jupiter, Mercury (response department, email) FIRE

MAGP08 - Moon (crossroads, liminal spaces) AIR

MAGP09 - Mars (bloodshed)

MAGP10 - Jupiter, Moon (external relations, intuition) WATER

MAGP11 - Venus, Mercury (beautiful tattoo, email) WATER

MAGP12 - Jupiter, Mars (external relations, bloodshed)

MAGP13 - Mars, Mercury (bloodshed, voicemail)

MAGP14 - Saturn (husbandry)

MAGP15 - Moon, Jupiter (hunt, external relations) WATER

MAGP16 - Venus (love, heart) EARTH

MAGP17 - Mars (anger, murder)

MAGP18 - Moon (subconscious? could also be sight if an archivist did this, but I’m not totally sure) AIR

MAGP19 - Jupiter, Moon (internal organization, Diana’s Tree) FIRE

This could absolutely just be confirmation bias, and none of this is accurate or real but it was fun to research anyway. Idk anything about alchemy so all of this information is just wiki-based and might be majorly incorrect

The AIR labels are mostly based on the Lonely, falling, and disappearing.

EARTH is labelled for cases that mention dirt or digging

WATER is labelled for cases involving the deep, drowning, or dampness

And FIRE are all the instances of what I assume is The Magnus Protocol (burn it all down)

If anyone got this far, thank you for listening to my red string conspiracy ranting! This is more a case of “throw 100 darts at a wall and maybe one of them will stick” rather than an actual comprehensive theory, and it’s probably wildly incorrect but I had fun anyway so 🤷‍♀️

This all mostly stemmed from the fact that Jupiter being linked to “external relations” was ODDLY SPECIFIC, and also the EXACT WORDS used by Wikipedia so I definitely spiraled from there

#let me know if this is cool or just insane #I could definitely be delusional #and making things up #because I’ve done it before!!!! #and I’ll certainly do it again!!!! #the list is pretty vague so you could probably also categorize TMA statements with it #tmagp #the magnus protocol #tmagp spoilers #tmagp theory #tmagp speculation #alchemy

[theobsidianempress]

JJK AU Idea

So I had this idea for band au. Don’t get me wrong, I know everybody’s done a band au. Maybe I’m the same. Maybe I’m different but just hear me out. So I was thinking a punk rock/alt band Au with Nanami, Choso, Satoru and Suguru. Maybe one other person but I can’t think who to add. Maybe that’s where the Oc or reader comes in- depending on how I write it. Like a member of their band quits and now they need a new (insert person here) they pick pc/reader but there there’s shipping.

Who does she go for? Should I write it an otome game? Different choices lead to different outcomes? Or should I just pick someone and go with it? Because I think writing it like an ultimate game would be fun and like after chapter 3 or 4 that’s kind of the person you would pick and go from there. I also think this would be really fun opportunity to collaborate with other writers like people who specialize with not writing for Nanami or people who specialize in writing for Gojo that kind of thing so that way they could write the route the right way you know what I’m talking about?

Anyway, this was just a random thought. I had let me know what you guys think. I should do. I kinda like the idea of collaborating with other writers for like an otome type story. I think writing just a regular OC story would be fun too.

I was also thinking about maybe having like a whole rival we going on with like the main band they would call themselves a sorcerer and then like Sukuna would show up with his own band and then it’s like they called themselves the King of curses because of course he wouldn’t need the band after himself. Maybe there’s some “I’m gonna steal your girl” action or something. Idk… anyway thank you all for reading this if you got this far.

Also, I almost forgot happy #Pride! Love you all; as a fellow, bisexual and part of the LGBTQIA+ community - you are valid, you are loved ,you are worthy. Be safe and stay blessed.

#jjk #jjk manga #jujutsu kaisen #story writing #writer mood #gojo satoru #geto suguru #nanami kento #choso kamo #oc x canon #jjk au #writers on tumblr #fanfic #ideas #collaboration #otome game #otome story #punk rock #band

[yououghtaknow]

trying to decide which psychological damage to inflict on myself tonight (watch gg s3 finale, watch act 2 of waitress, finish annotating siken’s crush, or finally rewatch bare)

#knowing me i'm just gonna do all of it at the same time #also probably gonna reorganise my bookshelf #i have no more symptoms of The Illness so i'm hoping for a negative test tomorrow #because i am hanging on by a fucking thread and that thread is watching characters i relate to get into Situations #also what i have learned from finally (almost) finishing gg s3 is that i may appear as a rory coded jess girl #but i am in fact a jess sun/moon rory rising #people will hate on jess and i will be so so mad #your honour he simply has bpd and autism and all of my issues #he's a dropout he's a writer he's a romantic he's a sarcastic bitch he's bisexual he's everything to me #also i did watch waitress act 1 yesterday so it makes Sense to watch act 2 #but also i will probably cry #but i will also cry if i watch bare #okay i think i'm gonna do it from shortest to longest #so gg waitress then bare #while underlining my copy of crush and then i'll have it on in the background as i organise my shelves #i don't know why i'm typing this out here but it's honestly quite helpfukl #is this the journalling people talk so much about???? #my therapist is off this week so i just need somewhere to put it down #anyways thanks for reading if you got this far.

[citrushomie]

gumiku as this photo i found on pinterest

#arts #hatsune miku #gumi megpoid #vocaloid #gumiku #thats all my tags anyway the link is to the pinterest pin i got the pic from #BUT if you go in the comments someone says its ai generated. youd have to be shit for brains to think that anyway i know they say that #because of the chinese text in the bottom right thats common in ai images but thats not any ai program watermark #that is a watermark of an app called xiaohongshu (小红书) that pinterest users steal from commonly. idk who those people are #i dont even know if theyre in a band or anything i didnt get that far. i dont know if that ID is even to their original upload. #if anyone is bored enough to want to find out please let me know. thanks for reading i feel insane about that. mostly because #of that one person who says its ai. you stupid idiot its not ai look at it with your eyes. its not even high quality. anyway

[emily-e-draws]

catventurers meowlphabet (first half) 😽✨

#catventurers #original #cat art #tabaxi #racing against the clock to see if i can finish the last few before i've posted the ones i've got done LOL #ive painted up to S so if I post one every few days.. and paint one every few days.. i should have some leeway hopefully #it does not even matter i just am overly conscious of how my instagram profile looks #I like doing one of these every other post. it looks nice #and hopefully that way people aren't getting tired of them........ #well w/e people can think what they like cause i love these sm #nothing better than a silly little guy!!! #anyways if you're reading all this thank you #shocked if anyone made it this far i'm just saying nonsense to myself

[jojo-schmo]

I made myself a personal playlist with the fnaf songs I like (because wow I’ve missed out on like five years of bangers and need to catch up!!). I thought I would make myself a playlist cover with my precious Helpy bear to inspire even more joy from it!! He stole/borrowed DJ Music Man’s headphones. :3

#I’d share the playlist itself but it is very much not done lol #also most of the songs are probably not unique to my playlist snd simply the ones I’ve liked most so far #there’s definitely better playlists out there for fnaf music fans haha #I mean if anyone REALLY REALLY wants to see it I can share but it’s too imcomplete to put on here do ya get me #anyway I love Helpy he became like my number two comfort character overnight lol #I love everything about him. his eyeshadow. his little buck teeth. those giant blue eyes #and I needed to experiment with bold line art and color so here we are! a win win win situation! #also I got a Helpy plush today and can finally kiss him on the forehead #life is really turning around for old jojo #anyway if you read this far you rock. thanks for reading this silly woman’s streams of consciousness hehe #fnaf #five nights at Freddy’s #Helpy #freddy fazbear pizzeria simulator #art

[mob-choir]

i’m having so many emotions about teru

that was such a fast-paced, high-stakes situation, and he was thrown so many curveballs he barely had any time to cope with, and he still managed to adjust at impressive speed and never lost his faith in mob.

specifically: that moment right before ???% grabs him by the throat, when he’s kneeling on the ground trying to catch his breath. in that split moment, that’s when the realisation dawns, that this version of mob has no qualms in hurting him even with his bare hands. mob being non-violent to the point of letting himself get choked to unconsciousness was literally how they met, it’s one of the foundations at his core, and teru was well aware of it. having that knowledge suddenly be proven wrong, and all that means for his own safety, must have been a lot to take in. i can’t quite tell if it’s fear that we see on his face for a second, but if it is, that really adds to the element of horror - that sudden realisation that you’re in so much more danger than you thought and your initial plan is not going to be enough.

and then of course: when ???% lets loose his power despite so many people still being around and unable to evacuate. the horror on teru’s face, man. i don’t think it’d really clicked for him what mob being in this state actually meant until then. sure, him attacking teru was unlike him, but teru’s still an esper. he’s in great danger but he can somewhat defend himself. but civilians are different, and you can really tell teru did NOT think mob would put them in danger like that. he’s completely shell-shocked. i think that was another huge moment where he had to very quickly reassess the situation and what to do about it, all while coping with the emotional side of it all, since this is one of his closest friends and someone he really admires. he has to very quickly reckon with the fact that despite the pedestal he put him on, mob is just as human as he is and is capable of making mistakes just like everybody else, mistakes that don't detract from his worth.

which brings me to the point of it all. that DESPITE ALL THAT, teru was still able to 1) understand that mob desperately wants someone to stop him and would never want to harm anyone like this (bc he remembered that mob cried after realising what he’d done to his school....... where he’d only really harmed one person, who had done much worse to him..... if he cried after that, how will he feel when he finds out what he’s causing now?), 2) save all the people caught up in the devastation and get them all out of harm’s way, while being in a lot of pain (his EYES were BLEEDING), and 3) never once lose faith in mob. he saw him go on a (unintentional and unwilling, but teru doesn’t know that) rampage, doing things he would never in a million years think mob would ever do, and still took all of that in in record time considering the situation, and came out on the other side still whole-heartedly believing in shigeo and his goodness, and almost dying trying to stop him. because he knew that being the reason hundreds of innocent people got injured (or worse) would completely and utterly break mob.

and while, knowing teru, he might think he failed since he couldn’t achieve his goal (stopping mob’s rampage), what he succeeded in doing was ultimately just as important. he saved all the people he could, and gave his best for the one person he couldn’t.

#mob psycho 100 #mp100 #mp100 spoilers #hanazawa teruki #kageyama shigeo #this got really long but i have so many thoughts on this #there are some things i only brushed upon but that still drive me insane. but those will be for some other post maybe #the gist of this is that i think what teru was able to do here is an incredible feat that not many people could have done #both from a concrete point of view in terms of the people he saved and attempts he made at stopping mob #but also from a purely emotional perspective in terms of coping with all the life-altering curveballs being thrown at him #while being engaged in life-threatening battle #someone please get this kid to a hospital and then to a warm meal and a comfy bed or i'll do it myself #anyway thank you to bones for doing a great job with this final arc so far. excited for the next two eps #even having read the manga i'm NOT ready #post.txt

[merverelli]

🌌🧙‍♂️ "greetings! you speak now with interdimensional space wizard, galatax, on behalf of contasure insurance!" 🌌🧙‍♂️

finished ultramechatron team go the other week! heres fanart of galatax because i love him!

#ultramechatron team go #galatax #brennan lee mulligan #dropout #just like art #bring him back to me. i miss my child. #the show is actually so good please go watch it if you havent yet #anyway: i got a new phone and so far (🤞) my art doesnt look crazy oversaturated on it compared to my laptop #so now im operating under an ''out of sight out of mind'' rule #besides that im doing good! still kickin and all! #thanks for reading ily

[doodleodds]

royalty & fairy tale au’s are meant to be mixed and u can’t change my mind

Late shuake week 2022 day 3 - Royalty AU

#shuakeweek2022 #akechi goro #kurusu akira #I JUST REALLY LOVE SLEEPING BEAUTY OK #or well. i love the idea of 'sleeping curses.' idk why! they've always fascinated me #i used to be obsessed with aurora and snow white for that reason #and so here i am! as always! projecting this interest of mine onto my favorite characters :) #also for reference because i just realized how weird it reads: goro's gonna be in the tallest tower when he's cursed #that's why akira's got a reason to climb it. so. yeah #also in case you were wondering why i said 'see you tomorrow with more art' and then proceeded not to post for.....four days: #1) work decided that i'm going to be doing more hours so i now have very little free time; #2) i decided to actually try my hand at coloring again like an IDIOT and now here we are. sigh. coloring is hard #i was trying to hard not to just overdose on comic dots again lol & it resulted in this nonsense. me and my one very textured stone wall #ANYWAY lmao even though i missed like. every single day of akeshu week so far i'm still gonna be doing the prompts #just at my own pace! so. hopefully expect more art. soon. ish. hopefully not with another uhhh 2 month gap like last year lol #also quick fun fact since you made it this far in my tags! that second page originally wasn't supposed to be there! #i drew sleeping goro just cause i could and i was just gonna stick him under a read more but then i got attached lmao #and now he's in the main post! :D yayyyyyy goro #ANYWAY that was super long. thanks for reading & i hope u have a lovely day!!!!

[carefulfears]

I hate when people dismiss the Phoebe thing as Scully simply having been jealous. She was his best friend first, and she did what any good friend would have

yeah it's pretty reductive, honestly. scully has been very protective of mulder since the pilot; the first 3 episodes of the show are literally her committing to him, holding a man hostage at gunpoint to find him, and cutting ties with her friends who make fun of him.

this was largely her arc in squeeze, after only having known him for a couple of weeks, as she defends him to colton multiple times

and, in the end, concludes that she would rather be “on the side of the victim” with mulder than climb the ladder with her classmates, and tells colton to fuck off the next time he’s rude about her partner

in ghost in the machine, she's disapproving of jerry from the moment they meet, knowing literally nothing about him except that he used to work with mulder

and she instantly recognizes the profile that jerry presents as mulder's work, whispering to him to ask if that's his, to which he replies "forget it, no" and then later fibs and says that jerry apologized for stealing it (once you tell your best friend you can't go back lol)

all of these examples pre-date her behavior in fire, and are episodes where she's put in situations navigating mulder around other men

y'all remember the first time she met krycek and just flat out refused to shake his hand lmao

i touched on this a little bit in my post on fire, but scully really was just so enthralled by him from the very beginning. she grew up on a military base with her navy captain father and two brothers, and her only relationships have been with older men in power.

she instantly is so aligned with mulder and that there's something different in him than she's used to, but she's aware that the openness and softness that she's so drawn to in him makes him more vulnerable, and she's desperate to protect it

in beyond the sea, the very next episode after fire, she screams at boggs that if mulder dies she'll gas him into hell herself, and boggs tells her that he's tasted the afterlife.

that it's a cold and dark place, and mulder's looking in on it now. she replies, "it might be a cold dark place for you, but it's not for mulder"

she knows him, and she's so moved by him and what he wants to do in the world. these are the values that she left medicine to follow.

"jealousy" honestly doesn't even compare to the kind of ferocious protectiveness that she feels towards him from the very start, she really doesn't trust anyone around him for anything. they can't possibly get it like she does, if they treat him that way.

he may not care if people call him names or steal from him or try to make him walk through fire, but he really is just her best friend. and she can't stand it.

#she shares him with the world only reluctantly #literally her found treasure that she wants to hide away in the basement #she is sooo funny about it tho like she truly doesn't fucking play #she's 5 feet tall in heels but she'll fucking kill you #remember when she found out he was just talking to an entomologist and she literally got on an airplane and was there the next day #i literally only talked about season 1 in this post #she does this for 25 years #PLEASE do submit any and all inquiries to speak to him or breathe his air to miss dana scully!! #she really just does feel like no one else GETS it like she's the only one who understands this wonder that she's stumbled across #and also as far as how closed off she is towards his old partners or girlfriends even before meeting them it's just likeee #look at him #you can deduce that his last relationships have not gone well #of course she's super wary from the get go #the man is not the way he is because the people in his life have been kind #and she just reads him and how he's really feeling so lightning fast #she knows when something is getting to him or he's uncomfortable #even when he stays in the situation #anyway #she's soooo perfect #and so are y'all thank you for the ask!! #asks #scully #kae meta

[seventh-district]

not even gonna tag this properly bc i don't wanna get Involved but i do have some Thoughts i need to get out into the void so here we go

(aaa quick edit: CW for mention/discussion of Boothill leaks)

#today's gone Badly and i'm upset but instead of venting abt it i'm gonna channel that energy into doing a bit of tag rambling abt Boothill #well. less abt Him and more abt uh. self-analyzing my anxiety surrounding contributing to fandoms. he's just today's catalyst #like. i know it's mostly a me thing. i'm hypersensitive to criticism and very conflict avoidant + socially anxious + perfectionistic etc. #so I'm the one that keeps myself from posting more stuff out of fear of being criticized or called-out for what i've made #bc inevitably Someone's gonna see it and think its OOC or a problematic take or they'll misread my intent. etc etc what have you #but like. that's inevitable. there's no way to communicate every single thing with all of the nuance required to avoid misunderstandings #and other times it's not a misunderstanding it's just a difference of opinions and that's Fine!! there's no accounting for personal taste #there's no accounting for several things actually. taste‚ bias‚ lore-knowledge‚ differing levels of chronic-online-ness‚ etc #so this isn't me complaining abt the state of fandom culture (although i do think. sometimes. ppl take shit a bit too seriously) #but anyways all of this is mostly just anxiety-fueled. it's not like i very often actually even receive negative feedback or anything #if anything ppl tend to tell me that i'm overthinking it and killing my own fun and worried that my stuff is more OOC than it is #which like. yeah. Yeah u right :) but that's just the way that i am! always losing the idgaf war i suppose #anyways what's Boothill got to do w this ur wondering. well. i've been thinking abt the quickly emerging concept that he's illiterate. #and it just. has me feeling a lot of ways. and watching ppl disagree over it has me feeling some Bad ways. bc it's def a loaded topic! #if you'll pardon the pun there. and i don't rlly have anything new to add other than that i'm conflicted abt it. #like yeah i saw the leaks days ago. of him mentioning 'not hitting the books' much as a child when we ask him why he sends voice messages #or voice Transcriptions ig. ykwim. and like. *braces for impact* ...i liked it? like. it doesn't feel right to call it endearing #i'm not trying to infantilize him. ok that's not the right word either but ugh. you know? what i mean?? who am i kidding even i don't know #it's not quite right to say that it feels like Representation either. but it's something close i guess #as a southern person myself who didn't receive a 'complete' education due to factors that weren't to do with my intelligence #the concept of seeing him as a capable force to be reckoned with and respected who also happens to have not received much formal education #i like that. i do. but there's so many issues w it at the same time. like. as i said‚ being southern myself has me Wary of the way Hoyo is- #writing him. as well as of the way that the fandom is taking the bits of his lore and running away w them. and i'm Very aware of how ppl- #will see a southern character and be All Too Eager to agree that they're lacking intelligence based on our Redneck™ stereotype #sigh. and before we even go too far with this. it's not even confirmed that hes completely illiterate. which is a valid criticism i've seen #there's Multiple reasons that could make him prefer voice to text. but regardless. i'm just worried that ppl will misconstrue my intentions #like. example: that edit i made the other day of him saying 'no thanks i can't read'. wasn't me playing into the stereotype of- #'haha dumb country boy can't read!' it was. in my eyes. something he'd say as a joke to make light of a potential insecurity #like. i think there's far more depth to Boothill's character if ppl could look past the surface. and i dont wanna contribute to the problem #but sometimes ppl Will have stereotypical traits and i wish the same could apply to characters as long as it's done Thoughtfully.