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pocketramblr · 24 days

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AU! Inko having a sugar baby arrangement with Giran that accidently resulted in Izuku. Izuku has no idea who his father is, and Giran doesn't find out he has a son until later when the League captures Izuku instead of Bakugo.

oh good the antidote to Nao in Situations... Giran Simping!

1- I think Inko kept the sugar baby arrangement up with several others since, runs an OF, wrote some steamy novels under her OF name, that sort of thing. got an little online boutique she's started more recently with her designs for plus size clothes and underthings. Izuku is generally aware of his mother's career and is fine with it, and is also fine with Inko working to keep most of it out of his sight. just another one of those potentially awkward things they're accustomed to but don't talk about. like his mysterious father. or his seeming lack of a quirk.

2- seeming, as he lacks the toe-joint that says he's quirkless for sure, but nothing obvious has ever shown up. he's smart, but not unnaturally so. none of the mental quirk tests led anywhere. he isn't officially recorded as quirkless, but he assumes that by now he's got to be. Huh anyway weird that he is able to specifically remember instances of quirk use with perfect clarity because he's interested in it, able to analyze what he saw even if it was only once, and also, the weird ofa memory stuff- but we'll get to that

3- so izuku's got a fairly normal life, gets bullied, sludge villain, etc etc etc. And then he gets OfA. and then UA gets attacked. And then UA throws a sports festival anyway. and then he gets brainwashed. And then he sees weird ghostly figures behind All Might! But All Might says he's seen them before too, and they can't interact. just glimpses of the people who used to wield the quirk. Izuku's seen them earlier than he did, probably either the quirk being stronger or an effect of brainwashing. Ok, cool, normal. Iida tries to kill a serial killer, less normal. The next night, Izuku has a vivid dream of scolding some child named Kotaro for drawing on his teacher's desk in permanent marker. not normal at all. He has no idea where it came from. but it keeps happening. Strange dreams- not every night, maybe a few times a month, but each time vivid and unlike anyone he knows. It isn't until he's patching up a shirt in a dream, when a man opens the door and says "Bruce! We got a lead on All For One- and his brother!" that he realizes what he might be seeing. Nervously, he brings it up to All Might, who agrees it sounds like flashes of the past users he can see, but not interact with. after all, the dreams just play out as memories with him unable to change anything. But its probably just because of how strong OfA is now, with Izuku's practice charging it up more! "It's a wonderful sign, young Midoriya, and I hope you have good memory dreams tonight. You're going to the mall with all your classmates tomorrow, right? and camp is next week! Who knows what you'll pull out of that quirk next, incredible."

4- the mall... happens. And so does camp... and Dabi ends up with Izuku instead. Shigaraki complains loudly about not getting the one on the take list. Dabi complains loudly about how he didn't see Shigaraki doing any work on that mission. Izuku- well he doesn't complain, but he does ask pretty loudly why Kacchan was on the list, and Shigaraki goes "oh, friend of yours? i guess we can keep you alive long enough to lure him here." and Izuku has just enough preservation to point out he's pretty sure that won't happen. He does, however, end up chained to a chair, still in horrible pain due to his broken bones, listening to Shigaraki on the phone asking some guy for intel on him and Kacchan.

5- About an hour later, a guy walks in with a file of papers and shoves the top one at Shigaraki. Shigraki reads the paper. Looks at the new guy. reads the paper again. Looks at Izuku. Decays the paper. Tells the new guy he's got ten minutes, and orders everyone out. Izuku notes that Kurogiri is still there. New guy, who smells like cigarettes when he gets close to Izuku, stares at him. Izuku isn't sure what he's looking for, but he glares back. New guy huffs. "Well, you're certainly Inko's, at least." That gets a reaction from Izuku. Shoulders tense. Eyebrows narrow. "How do you know my mom?" "Well, kid, I'm an intel broker. That give you any ideas?" "My mom wouldn't go to a crook like you for information." He's right. "Right. Now come on, be smart kid. If we weren't meeting on account of my job, then...?" Izuku blinks. His mother's? but- no. Absolutely not. "Mhm. If i can remember my old password to get into this account i can show you the old messages we had... dated about seventeen years ago. You're just sixteen now, aren't ya?" New guy, who Izuku strongly hopes is lying, fiddles with his phone, typing something. "And I trust Inko to be professional, loyal. So there's an eighty percent chance, at least." "Eighty percent chance of what?" "What's your quirk, kid?" It takes Izuku too long to say "Superpower." New guy laughs. "Now if I knew Inko well, and I did, then 'superpower' is not the name she would have given the name of a quirk that powered her toddler's bones... but you didn't have that quirk back then. What's your real quirk, not the one you just got this year?" Izuku is pretty sure that Shigaraki's teacher is AfO. He knows about OFA, obviously, though Shigaraki doesn't. This guy may or may not. So instead of answering, he just shrugs. "Let me guess. You didn't have one, or, something about remembering? Maybe forgetting? Attracting memories, that'd be a fun combo, hah. Or, quirkless, like I was before, you know... we each found an in." Izuku tries to glare again, but... well, the memories in ofa are a new thing... and quirks can have strange activators... "Ah! Here we go!" New guy, who Izuku would rather not think of as 'eighty percent chance of being his father', moves around the chair and angles his phone down in front of Izuku so he can see the screen. Instead of old messages, there's a notepad. He scrolls slowly so Izuku can read. The writing on it says "look. we both know AfO wants your quirk. But he isn't going to try and get it until Shigaraki's done with you, so play along, maybe some info here and there to 'lure' the bakugou kid to you. even odds the heroes get here first and you're fine. if they don't, i can get afo to spare your life. not your quirk, but he'll let me keep my son. you can't fight out of here, i'm the only out. but you can't tell anyone about this deal. Not the heroes, not the other villains. got it?" Izuku stares at the note. "Do you get it, kid?" The broker asks, quietly. Izuku is pretty sure he's going to fight a way out anyway, but for now... "Got it." "Good." The broker stands up and walks back in front of him, "Izuku, right? Open up." Izuku starts to ask why and gets a cotton swab in his mouth for it, then before he can bite on it to break it it's out again, tucked into a bag then a pocket. "What was that for?" He snaps. "Well, gotta make sure, right? eighty percent isn't one hundred." "And if i'm not?" "Then Inko will owe me one hell of a favor." "... And if I am?" "Then you will." The broker shrugs, turns to go. "Wait-" Izuku starts, then isn't sure where to keep going. The broker looks at him. "What's your name?" The broker laughs a little. "Ah, good question. What'd Inko call me?" Izuku tries to remember. She didn't usually, but he thinks there was one time when it was someone else asking... "Hisashi?" "Hisashi." The broker repeats. "Ah, see, that's poetic! Much more the kind of name Inko would come up with. She's a great writer, you know." Izuku glares so hard that the broker who's definitely not actually named Hisashi makes his way out of the room without another word.

+1- when Shigaraki comes back, he orders Kurogiri give him something strong enough to wipe that mental image from his mind, and then starts asking Izuku about his friend. And his friend's weaknesses. Izuku is unimpressed and he almost forgets his maybe-dad's plan- "Kacchan is really strong, he doesn't have many weaknesses, since he's so practiced with his quirk that-", but only almost, "I don't know, i scared him with a spider once. but we were like, seven. and i guess i wanted to send him a whole box of spiders after he stole my all might-"..... Shigaraki latches on to the 'wait, he stole things from you? potential for crime? i knew it' thing, Toga latches onto the spiders box thing, and so does Dabi but he does it in the opposite direction, complaining that spiders is so basic, and by the time he was seven, he had already tried to murder his baby brother. Magne then asks "wait, you tried to kill a baby? not succeeded? you failed to kill a baby?" which Dabi then responds by reminding her of her less than stellar ratio of successful kills. Compress asks for one of whatever Shigaraki is having, and swipes his' drink too. Spinner keeps trying to sneak closer to Izuku to ask him questions about Stain, and Izuku is slowly starting to feel like he might actually survive long enough to escape or be rescued before he is either turned to dust or tortured for his quirk.

#click the readmore we even got making fun of dabi in there #'isn't simping for giran the cure for s-' its a panacea #pocket talks to people #ask game #anon

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thatruerealmwalker · 1 month

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The Madness We Realized Working for Playtime Is

The Pipeworks 1: Karl’s First Assignment- Oh god why this?

Read on AO3:

HERE.

Karl Kingsworth is a simple man. Someone who doesn't have much ranking in Playtime's "Pipeworks" sector of the company, but still somewhat good at his job. He gets in, fixes the "leak", gets out.

But when he's assigned to a Leak that the BOSS would cover... well he's not doing okay.

Especially for what the damn "leak" actually is.

HOW DID THIS EVEN HAPPEN?!!?!?!?!

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

Soundtrack: Ryūnosuke Naruhodō ~ Overture of the Adventure - The Great Ace Attorney

Karl, a junior staff member at Playtime Co's Public Relations office, often referred to by the staff as "Pipeworks" due to it's unenviable reputation as "We fix the leaks when Playtime fucks up... every damn week", is standing in front of the door leading into a room where a very important “talk” will take place.

His first big assignment- and it has to be about this of all things. There is a almost zero chance that if he messes up here he won't end up as a test himself.

Yeah that's right, he knows what Playtime really does. Everyone in the Pipeworks does. Playtime thought they couldn't let that happen for a while- Then escape attempts started happening and how else were they going to know what to say? That didn't stop Playtime from trying to wipe out the Pipeworks staff and bring in fresh faces- but the Boss put a stop to that quickly. Who knew that telling someone about the shit under your carpet would backfire, especially when it's their job to have contacts and manage the people managing Playtime's image.

That doesn't mean anyone in Pipeworks is off the hook if they mess up. They have a lot of leeway other workers simply don't, but completely failing is still lethal. And this right here? This is something Karl has been dreading once he was assigned to it. Him, low rank new face bitchboy got assigned something the Boss would have taken if he could- How is that fair?

Of course the Boss and the top 3 were hard at work patching an even bigger leak involving a certain news company getting their hands of files that should have never left Playtime's doors. The dedicated teams weren't around either- Wrench was hunting down and trying to silence a potential whistle blower- the second this month- Hammer was dealing with the fact that the sane toy companies were suing playtime co for their next toy line push- because of course Playtime would try to make off brand Hotwheels and not ask Pipeworks if it was a good idea- and Driver... fuck Driver team was just GONE. No one knew where the hell they were sent. At least the Boss reassured the staff that they didn't get "terminated", just doing something hush hush.

And that left only the newbies and clerks to choose from for this assignment.

Of course it had to be Karl. Wrong place wrong time- he swears to god Pierre was drunk when he selected him for the task- and by himself no less!

This is it... all Karl can think is that he's gonna get killed-

The door to the room opens up and he comes face to face with a young girl, probably an intern with how young she looks, looking at him with surprise.

"Oh you're finally here! Mister James was worried we would have to reschedule."

"Y-yeah... Just traffic got in the way. Are we getting started soon?"

"Mister James actually sent me to go get stuff for lunch since it's about that time- you haven't eaten already have you?"

Oh thank the lord above!

"Oh no! And I'd love to join you all! What are we having?"

She waves her hand back and forth in the air, "Nothing too fancy, just some deli sandwiches that got catered to the office today. Any kind you like?"

"I can go for Ham and Cheese if you have some?"

"Ham and Cheese... think so! Just head on in, I'll be back in a bit!" With that the young intern makes her way towards where Karl can only assume to be the cafeteria for the building.

At least he has some extra time... maybe he does still have a chance! Just gotta see if he can figure out how to make that chance in the first place.

Entering inside, the room is rather furnaced- well it's probably normal to expect a place to want someone to feel welcomed when talking... Playtimes own interview/guest/meeting rooms, despite the Boss and the Big 3 pushing it, still lack any real comfort. "You all don't need that, just make em shut up and go away!" is apparently what Pierre said to Boss's face last time he tried.

Karl can only wish that bastard hell for that. There is a reason why Pipeworks always sends staff out instead of inviting people in. Technically two- but everyone knows letting outsiders into the main building or even on the campus itself risks someone seeing something they shouldn't. The impressions a low quality room with a folding fucking table does not make good first impressions!

And by god does Karl need that here.

“Ah, hello there. You must be Mr. Kingsworth. Such a fancy last name you have there my good sir.”

Sitting on a nice leather couch on one side of the room is a rather well dressed man. Brown hair curled up into a stylish cut, the suit he’s wearing being rather expensive looking as he gestures for Karl to take a seat.

“Please, make yourself at home. It isn’t everyday I have a toy company, especially one as prodigious as Playtime wanting to work with my humble craft.”

Humble is a fucking UNDERSTAMENT. This person Karl is talking to is Alexander James- who happens to own a somewhat high class clothes line. You know, with a clientele that could most likely pay for an average American home in a single payment.

Alexander James, who’s clothes make regular appearances on runways and fashion magazines. Alexander James, who should have NO investment in Playtime at all. Alexander James, who Playtime cannot make disappear or actually pay off.

As Karl takes a seat on the couches on the other side of the room, with a beautiful table he maybe would have actually paid attention too if he wasn’t dying from anxiety born from this entire situation, he only hopes he can actually cover this neatly.

“No need to address me as such Mr. James, I’m merely a representative for Playtime. Thank you for allowing this conversation under such short notice.”

“If we are to drop the honorifics, please, just address me as Alexander, Karl. Now, while I’m sure you’re as eager to start this conversation as I am- I believe we should first have some lunch no? May I suggest some tea while we wait? I recently had it imported from Japan. Supposed to help cleanse anxiety from the body, but it’s quite delicious as well.”

Alexander gestures toward the tea set in the center of the finely crafted table that separates the two men. As much as Karl thinks he really shouldn’t impose so soon- especially when he hopes he can cancel this entire “deal” before it gets off the ground, the smell of the tea, which is that of a very sweet scent of cherry blossoms, one that Karl almost mistakes for vanilla, entices him to partake.

Time flies by after just a cup of some rather well made tea. Soon enough the intern returns with the promised lunch, the smell of the sandwiches adding to the comforting feeling Karl’s hosts provide. He only wishes he could feel that comfort when it would stick.

Lunch is eaten rather quickly, Alexander keeping tidy as he swiftly eats the well made sandwiches. The ham in Karl’s sandwich gives a wondrous crunch as the melted cheese mixes with the taste. It’s only the bread, softly sweet but not extremely so, that makes it a fine meal.

Once again, Karl wishes he didn’t have such a heavy burden on him to properly enjoy this.

The food is soon gone and messes cleaned up. Tea refilled as Alexander is handed over a folder from his intern assistant.

“I’m glad you have been enjoying yourself Karl, but I believe we should begin our talks sooner than later, don’t you agree?”

And now the bliss is gone, and Karl realizes he still lacks any plan… he really shouldn’t have indulged. With the poker face trained into him by his higher ups, he keeps a front of joy over his growing dread, a smile shining with false bravado, “Of course Alexander. Thank you for the meal and tea, it was quite a treat… so about the partnership.”

“Yes yes, so, I will be honest with you Karl, when your company reached out with this idea, it was quite a shock. But… It has sparked my mind to begin working on some designs already.”

Alexander opens the folder and begins to lay out several papers, all Karl briefly ignores in favor for the final items to part for the insides of the folder- the damn thing that started all of this.

A set of enlarged photographs… of the BBI Roxie and Catnap… posing in several company branded cosmetics… Not in the factory. Outside of the fucking factory. Seen by someone not connected to the company.

The humor at the situation is not lost on Karl. Honestly, if it was someone else from the Pipeworks, he would be laughing his ass off at it. But it’s happening to him. He cannot find humor in this. His very life could end if he messes up here.

Somehow, an employee was able to sneak in fashion magazines for the Critter sector of the BBI. Said employee was approached by Roxie who requested them to send these damn photographs to Alexander James’ designer office so they could “Become a model with my brother!” after seeing the ad for runway models for Alexander’s work.

Someone, they got the photos out, got it set up to where it was not some random person but the COMPANY sending the damn things- and kept it undercover for another 2 MONTHS.

How?

HOW?!!

HOW DOES THIS EVEN HAPPEN?!?!?!

Karl simply swears if he even encounters the racoon he’ll deck them in the face for this fucking shit show! If he can’t cover this up- It’ll be the last damn thing he does!

He would lash out at the apparent mastermind behind this instead, but they are currently locked in a cell as the company finalizes the “Farewell” procedures. God Karl can only hope no one else needs to be said “farewell” too. That’ll be even more work for Pipeworks if so-

But all he has to do is make sure Alexander doesn’t… what?

Wait what hold on no that’s not how this was supposed to go-

Karl’s mind rebooted as he finally processed the last line from Alexander James… NO.

Eyes upon the paper placed down first- OH FOR FUCKS SAKE.

Karl was very close to breaking his false smile at this point… because Alexander made designs. MADE CLOTHES DESIGNS FOR THE FUCKING CRITTERS.

WHAT THE-

“Oh that’s wonderful Alexander. I’m glad you found the proposal that engaging… your thoughts on our models?”

“Well Karl, you and Playtime have outdone yourself. Those mannequins look almost life-like! How could I say no to such an opportunity to have some fun.”

OH THANK GOD- he thinks they're fake! Good good Karl can work with this and-

“I do hope when I get my hands on them I’ll be able to find which designs work best. Photos never do capture what I need to make my work shine.”

OH GO NO- Fuck Fuck Fuck- SAY SOMETHING- YOU CANNOT-

“O-of course sir!- we would just have to figure out how to get them ready on our part!”

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH- IDIOT. You can’t just-!

“Splendid! I look forward to cooperating with you all… I am worried about the bad press that using your… Catnap would bring. Can Playtime ensure that it wouldn't risk any bad press for the Magazine?”

Okay… There is still a chance! End the deal right here!

“I’m sorry sir but… they unfortunately come in a pair. We’re attempting to fix the bad PR done by the incident with the Catnap plushies but… I cannot ensure it. Maybe we can postpone this until it’s far safer to do the photoshoot?”

Alexander gives some time to ponder while Karl internally sighs. He almost messed things up real bad but he’s almost there. Just gotta make sure Alexander says no and he’s free-

“Well… Let’s give it a try. It won’t be my first controversial piece after all. It would be a waste for your kind folks to throw away the work you did with the large toys anyways.”

Oh no, “Are you sure Mr. Ja- Alexander? We at Playtime care deeply about our partner’s wellbeing. We can push this back if it would-”

With a wave of his hand, Alexander gives a chuckled laugh, “Thank you for your worry Karl, but I promise, there will be no hard in at least giving it a try. I’m excited to start soon all the same! It’s not everyday you get to make clothes for mascots after all!”

With a silent breath, Karl weighed his options. He knows for a fact that if those photos got to someone who knew just a bit more, this could end up being a leak the Pipeworks couldn’t patch up. The problem comes with Alexander himself. If Karl pushed for the deal to stop here and now… he might realize something is wrong here. The man already pointed out how life like they are, so he’s noted that. Karl can only hope he truly is that ignorant or disbelieving of the idea that those “mannequins” are really alive.

A half lie. Just say to the man that the toys are damaged and can’t be used.

“I’m sorry Alexander but… Playtime was hoping to drop the deal entirely.”

Karl suppressed a flinch when Alexander’s eyes snapped to his face like a spotlight, “Oh? For what reason Karl? Both we here and Playtime have put quite the bit of work into this already, no?”

“And you would be correct, however a… accident occurred recently and our, hehe, ‘models’ ended up getting damaged. The employe who caused such a thing has been reprimanded and demoted but-”

“Mr. Kingsworth.”

At the tone forming from Alexander’s lips, Karl’s protests died in his throat. Alexander was leaning forward now, hands interlocked with his chin over them- oh no.

“I would not survive in my line of work without being noticed when a clear lie is being told bluntly to my face. I’m no idiot Kingsworth. I had only hoped you’d be willing to keep things on track… but it seems I’ll have to force your hand.”

Sweat began to drip from Karl’s forehead as the worst case scenario seemed to come about, “Now Alexan-”

“Mr. James, Kingsworth.”

“Mr. James, please, why would I have any reason to lie about this?”

A laugh bellowed from Alexander James, once that put fear into Karl’s very core.

Alexander gestured towards the photos that laid in the center of the table “To the common person, Mr. Kingsworth, these individuals in these pictures could be assumed to be only manufactured… The eyes have a watery shine to them and I wouldn’t miss the tongue shown on this one here.” He pointed towards a photo of Roxie with one hand wrapped around their “brother” and another doing a peace sign over their head. Both are wearing Playtime branded water coats- and that fucker is with their tongue out as they practically winks at Karl through the photograph.

He can at least agree with Catnap’s face- Karl’s was fucking tired of this yesterday.

“Now… All of this could be described as you attempting your utmost best to prove to me quality hand made models… and I would have bought that if that was your sell. I really would…”

Alexander leans back, fishing out a piece of paper from his suit that he treats with utmost care. Slowly unfolding it as if to make a point of Karl’s helplessness.

“If I didn’t get a letter from this… Roxie as well.”

NO.

THAT RACOON BITCH.

HE’LL FUCKING KILL THEM YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO HIM- WHY THIS?!!

Alexander, uncaring for Karl’s internal damnation of a certain purple racoon, begins to read out the somewhat messy handwriting of one Roxie Reedcycle:

“Hello there Mr. James! My name's Roxie! Marie said she would send this to you so I wanted to add a letter! Me and my brother would be perfect models! All of your clothes are so cool and I really want to give it a try! Catnap says he doesn’t want to but he got vetoed- I’m not sure how Clothes would work with our tails- I mean it was really uncomfy trying on all the clothes Marie found for us. It just wasn’t good, I hate my tail being cooped up like that ya know! Maybe you could also figure out how to make it not itch so much? The clothes kinda made my stitches feel tingly and it wasn’t really good. I was scratching at it and everything and Naps had to stop me- I don’t think my fur likes cotton. : ( So maybe something soft? OOOOOO maybe silk! I’ve never worn silk before! I think DD would look wonderful in silk! Would you be okay with the others joined in too?! I can ask Marie if she can send more photos of them like the ones we did before! Hmm- Maybe I should see about stitching up some old clothes into some stuff for everyone- I think Bobby would love a dress! Maybe-”

At the sight of Karl’s now visible horror, his body deflating into the couch he sits on as he stares at the guillotine axe being read aloud in Alexander’s hands, Alexander stops reading out the letter and smiles so damn smugly at Karl, even if Karl would never dare point that out, “Should I keep going Mr. Kingsworth? I must say, I did enjoy reading this letter from such a dear fan of mine. So much details as well- stuff a company such as Playtime would never put into a formal letter. Little Roxie even talked about how much they wanted to try cake again after they was… oh yes “I got super yelled at when I stole that piece of cake. It wasn’t even stealing! Someone just left it out! Even if I got no food for dinner it was worth it though!”

This is a set up , it has to be. THIS WAS FUCKING PLANED- It had to be! No way that bastard Marie didn’t think this through. The fact they even set it up to be sent under Playtimes own names only adds to that! There has to be still a chance, Karl can't just accept this lying down. His life is on the line!

“Haha- Mr. James that must be just a mistake, we at Playtime Co would never condone-”

A slam of Alexander’s free hand on the table, rocking the tea set, quickly told Karl he lost the moment he came through these doors, “Mr. Kingsworth, here is what's going to happen. You’re going to set up a photo shoot for this child and their brother and friends, I’m going to make the best damn clothes I can for them, and Maybe I’ll remain quiet about the rampant child abuse your company takes part in. This is for the good of all of us, isn’t it?”

Karl could only nod at that- what could he do but follow along with the demands of someone who could absolutely spread around these images and letter to god knows who.

“Splendid. I hope you have a good day now! I’ll be looking forward to when we begin.”

That smile of a predator sinking teeth into prey… it’ll haunt Karl for a long time after this.

Karl’s mind doesn’t process leaving, or getting into his car, or driving home, or when he found himself on his bed at his dingy apartment, small tears running down his face as he stares at the fan slowly cycling above him.

Karl no longer can think about any of this.

He can longer process anything anymore.

Because his very mind is consumed with absolute dread at what Playtime is going to do with him when they learn he FAILED.

He can only hope he’s just made into a toy. God he hopes that’s all they do with him.

He can still remember the screams for the most recent tests on the properties of the poppy gas.

He can only beg that he won't end up like that.

Well… Maybe there’s a way he can avoid that fate.

Sitting up from his bed, a plan comes together. A desperate, half formed plan that could just make everything worse… but the best he has.

If he can follow along with Alexander’s idea while keeping the risk of an unfixable leak in check… and use this connection to Alexander to create a social barrier from being said “farewell” too…

All he needs to do is force the company's hand to allow this to happen. And by god does Pipework have what he needs to do that.

Well- Guess it’s time for an honest to god fashion show.

Karl is so fucked.

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And that's it for Chapter 1! I hope you all enjoyed! This was a crack thing I cooked up when talking to @visinox about the @realizinau. (look, someone has to be in charge of keeping Playtime's brand okay when Playtime is... PLAYTIME.)

Of course, since this is part of the Realizing Extra's AU, I couldn't not include the other parts from it. So thank you @iidgm for letting me use Roxie!

I may continue this if it's wanted enough, or hey, better yet even collaborate with even more creators on this project! Feel free to reach out if you ever want to chat about it! I love talking to new people about being creative gremlins!

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palant1r · 6 months

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I feel like you're a good person and smart, so here is a question for you. A fanfic site is bound to be popular with kids. Say a child is being abused, and they go to AO3 and all they see is fics romanticizing their abuse/incestual abuse/ etc. It'll tell them it's erotic and enjoyable and A-OK. If they were to read a fic that portrayed it as a bad thing though, then they can see that their abuse is bad. I know it's unrealistic to ban all fics that portray it as a good thing [1/2]

This ask is full of so many wild ass logical leaps and baffling conclusions that I debated not answering it at all, but you've caught me in a good mood with a lot of time on my hands, so.

First of all: methodological concerns. "They did a poll a while back" who the hell is They? Is this a tumblr poll? Why are we assigning any significance to whether or not half of the users who happened to see a tumblr poll that was likely produced by someone who shared their biases THOUGHT that SOMEONE THEY KNEW had seen pedophilia and incest normalized by fic? That's such an ass backwards thing to base any position on.

You want to save the kids. Sure. Admirable goal. But the premise of your proposal here is based entirely on conjecture and the results of some poll that They did. Also, hey, most underage/incest content on ao3 is WELL TAGGED. Meaning that, when someone clicks on it and reads it, even IF the actual subject matter is "romanticized" there is literally a heading for the reader saying "THIS WORK DEPICTS [THING], WHICH IS BAD"

Say a child is abused, and they read Lolita. They make the same mistake as many, many readers and adaptation makers of Lolita, and they think it's a love story, and that makes their abuse "erotic and enjoyable and A-OK."

...Where do we go from here? Do we now decide that, because Lolita is a complex work with multiple layers and a narrator that deliberately uses purple prose and invokes classical literature to hide his own monstrousness, it needs to be banned?

Why should it be the responsibility of art to impart a beneficial personal and social message not just to its target audience, but to literally anyone who might potentially come across it? Why should the writers of a genre overwhelmingly tagged as Explicit, meaning that people have to affirm that they're over 18 before reading it, on a site you have to be 13+ to use, bear the responsibility of Educating the Nation's Youth on what is Right and Proper?

Your rhetoric is familiar. Very familiar. I got fuckin steeped in it over the last summer when I was reporting on anti-trans legislation, wading through Heritage Foundation summit transcripts and hundreds of pages of bills. Hell, I saw the very phrase "normalizes pedophilia" show up in a bill explicitly targeted at banning queer books from schools. The idea that the very existence of material that is "too erotic" poses an existential threat to children, and that any censorship of art is justified if it Saves the Children, is a deeply conservative one.

A personal story: when I was young, I read The Dragonriders of Pern. This was before I'd had any education on sex ed or consent. There's a rape scene in that series. It's very romanticized. Something about it felt off to me, but it was the only sex scene I'd ever read. I just thought that was what sex was like.

About a year later, I read a Stucky fic with a rape scene. The scene was framed as, if not romantic, at least sexualized in a way that played up the danger and angst of the scene, and it was between the endgame couple. This was, I'd wager, something that you'd want banned. In the beginning chapter note, the author called it what it was: rape.

Two rape scenes, both sexualized, both between an endgame couple we were supposed to root for, only separated by their framing. One taught me a bad lesson. One made me realize that what I had read in that book was, in fact, not consensual sex.

My parents, unbeknownst to me, were going through my search history. They sat me down and said they didn't want me reading erotica, not knowing I already had been in published books. If they had their way — if they'd judged things by YOUR standards — I never would have read those explicit fics. Instead, who knows how much longer I would have gone thinking a man forcing himself on a woman was romantic? Ignorance didn't teach me anything. Experience did.

And, IDK. I think back on news stories I've heard of abused children finding their experiences in books about sex and consent, and seeing themselves in them. Being able to point out what was done to them, because they had a point of reference.

So, no, I don't think that banning every fic that "portrays abuse as good" would be remotely desirable even if it were logistically feasible. And I think you need to move past the idea that art only has the right to exist if it's good for children, saving the children is a goal to which all other ideals should be blindly subservient, and if someone says that something "harms kids" that means you need to uncritically take up arms. I say this without hyperbole: that's the kind of thinking that gets people into QAnon.

#pisscourse

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flowerflamestars · 6 months

Note

Another alternative Effloresce pov. Azriel, as the slow moving shitshow train wreck his life is is quickly becoming a fast moving shit show train wreck.

I cannot tell you how much I love this one!

So, I would say across all my fics Azriel is a character who is the most consistent? Especially since almost all of them were written before acosf TERRIBLY let us in his actually creepy little headspace, and I've additionally chosen to keep my made up shadowman as he is.

Effloresce Az is basically Starlight Az but SADDER. He's Daylight Az without a kiddo and husband, Shoreless Sea Az without the absolutely beneficial retirement, and man is he TIRED.

You're Azriel, and your job sucks. Your inborn skillset leaves you zero other options, and you know this. It's better to be the left hand of power than in a cell for life, but you know what? Sometimes you can only do so goddamn much.

You're Azriel and that's kind of all you've got. You're one of a kind, literally. Alone forever in that. But you love Cassian. You play the little games with Mor for harmony. You respect- alien, ancient, different, probably what you'll feel like in a thousand goddamn years if you live that long- Amren.

You see the good in Rhysand, limited as it is to personal things, but you also see the vast potential for failure.

You see him listening to this CHILD OF A GIRL- who seems nice, yeah. You're worried about her, frankly. The Courts of Prythian revived her and will not just let that go- but that doesn't mean you think she has, shall we say, good ideas.

You watch Cassian spend days arguing against this.

You rock up over the wall and realize these two mortal, innocent women have probably been taken captive by Spring. Your orders are a mistake, you have a war to fight that has nothing to do with these people, but you're here, and you might as well do some good.

You move to neutralize the threat.

Lucien Vanserra does not act like a vassal of Spring. No, not even at Autumn prince. You can drown fire in the dark, but you can't swallow the sun or an ocean of flame without end.

That doesn't matter either, because this determined little slip of blond sunshine just fucking stabbed you. And for the first time in maybe decades, you just want to laugh. You've fucked up, clearly, but you're okay. (You can live through so much worse than letting a human woman stab you to feel safe.)

You hear Cassian coming, and you know.

It doesn't matter what Feyre is saying. Has said. You're Azriel and you can't not know or not hear- she's wrong or she lied. You have a High Lord sweating blood to protect a stunningly, dangerously charming woman and you have her sister, who feels less like delight and more like a dream.

You're a shadowsinger, whose providence is secrets and these two woman are shrouded.

You're fucked, essentially.

You know they're not really human.

You know they're hiding, and Feyre is going to break that right open if Rhysand has his way, no matter how many times you point out that the Queens want nothing to do with Prythian's fae.

You're Azriel, and you've always been smart enough to stay quiet when you have no orders forcing you to do otherwise. You're polite. You're frankly, horrified. You have no idea what to do with the Archeron sisters acting like you're nothing to be afraid of.

You know, before Cassian knows, that every wind that has ever carried him had lead him right here.

(You remember what that felt like. The fear, the euphoria. You were young and stupid enough to consider it simple rightness, your extra senses on your side, pulling you toward the correct choice in fealty. You didn't know what it was until too late. You didn't know and you never even got to know or got to mourn. You didn't have the right to mourn a girl dead too soon, who would have never been anything but your queen had she grown old enough to wear a crown.)

(Dead before the start, just like you.)

You decide, immediately, you cannot let what happened to you happen to Cassian. Nesta Archeron might be a compelling power, might be a fighter with ash in her hair and a cunning mind, but Shahar was a High Lady born. Not even that could save her.

You understand the instant way you like Elain is magic, whether she knows it or not. (She does not). Real affection follows quickly, you are, despite all magic to the contrary, as Illyrian as Cassian. You cannot not know. You like Nesta too- if only for her ferocity. Her bleeding, present fury.

They treat you like a person.

Fearlessly.

Easily.

You watch as their sister breaks their hearts, cracks already laid. You watch Rhysand act more and more territorial, and of course you know why too. You watch Lucien Vanserra safeguard the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of humans and you understand this, here, is a Court too.

A better one.

You quietly, a secret, kill their father.

You bind yourself in blood to a favor, and use it to unshackle the Archeron bloodline and their vassals from the Queens.

You watch Nesta Archeron kneel in the snow, watch Elain Archeron pull a knife on a High Lord of Prythian over human lives, and think, with dread and barren exhaustion, you're making the right choice.

The hard choice.

(How many noncombatants died in Sangravah? In every city Amarantha occupied? How many servants in the Hewn City every year? How many Illyrian children in the starving north? How many deaths were Azriel's fault, because Rhysand didn't care?)

(The Archerons would rather die with their people than live. Were educating their maids. Sending their kitchen boys to university. Taking in the orphans of other estates, having never forgotten what it was to be forgotten, hungry and alone.)

You're Azriel, and you can't not know how badly this is going to hurt.

#FAST MOVING TRAIN WRECK AHOY #I only covered what's posted because the next chapter is truly #THE BONES OF MY SOUL IN MY HANDS THE WORLD ON FIRE AND I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE BUT MORE DEATH #from Az's POV #he takes finding Shahars remains NOT WELL #plus you know #the war kickstarts #Cassian continues to act basically insane in a good way #And Nesta and Elain just keep raising the goddamn bar he was trying to ignore even existed #The Shahar stuff is actually really important #he does not tell Rhys #EVER!#Bones are literally he closest he's ever going to come #they weren't in love #they didn't even know each other #HE DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL SHE DIED #and of course #Rhys made that entirely about himself #Az just. I think he likes Feyre in this impish way canon always wants Cassian to (but then Cassian put her on such a high altar it failed)#but also? is too deep in the shit of it all #not to be like: she's a really powerful symbol #but she shouldn't be in charge????

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vankaywie · 1 year

Note

Could you possibly do a Ben Paul x Reader where Reader is Kenny’s daughter?

Like, Reader forgives Ben for everything that happened with her family and Kenny is furious (but eventually comes to except it).

-Much love potential 💙 anon

HIIIIIIIIII I AM TERRIBLY SORRY IF THIS TOOK SO LONGGGG I'VE BEEN BUSY FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS AND I WAS SICK FOR SO LONGGGGG. But anyways, Of course! Also i am very sorry if this is not what ur looking forr [sobs]

It’s been months since the world fell apart. The dead walking around and gobbling up those lucky or unlucky enough to be alive. Things had been tough for you, trying to survive with your family and your group. Things had changed dramatically when your group met Ben Paul, a young teenager who was the same age as yours. He was a nervous guy but always willing to help. But to Kenny, Ben was the reason why your family was gone.

Whenever Ben came around, the atmosphere changed. Kenny would turn into an angry person and you could feel the tension in the air. You knew that Kenny was grieving and he was lashing out, but it wasn’t fair to Ben. Clementine tried to talk to Kenny, try to get him to see that Ben wasn’t to blame.

It was on one of these days that you found yourself alone with Ben, trying to steal some supplies from a grocery store. You two had formed a great bond over the weeks and you were finally starting to feel something towards Ben. You and Clementine were the only one who understood Ben. And he understands you. It was the time you kissed Ben. It wasn’t anything special, but it was the start of something new, something hopeful. Ben was shocked but smiled, "I-i've been... Hoping you'd do that... For a long time."

You couldn’t help chuckle but smile back. “You have no idea how much I wanted that too.”

From then on, you and Ben were dating. It was a slow start, but having someone to care about, someone to love made all the difference in the world. However, it wasn’t all roses and unicorns. Kenny would still become angry whenever he saw the two of you together. It wasn’t until one night when Kenny was drunk that they realized how much he was hurting.

“We lost our damn family because of him,” Kenny slurred, pointing at Ben. You could see the pain in his eyes, the agony he was going through.

"Dad, please!"

"Please what? Huh?!" He yelled.

"It's not Ben's fault!"

"It damn well it is! He was the reason our family died!" Clementine flinched at his yelling. Lee had to interrupt.

"Woah, Kenny-" Lee was interrupted by Christa's hand, but he shoved it away gently. "No need to yell."

"I can yell whenever i want to!"

"DAD SHUT UP!" Your yelling made everyone in the room in complete silence. "We're lucky, y'know? We get to see our family in their last moments. And Ben? Ben doesn't even fucking know where his family is! So stop blaming him for everything! What he did, did not kill mom and Duck! He's staying, where you like it or not." You pulled Ben out of the room.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome as always." A smile on your lips.

Sleepiness overcame you. You woke up in the lounge room. The first thing you saw was Kenny hugging Ben, you smiled at them before sleepiness took over your body once again.

#twdg ben #ben paul twd #twdg ben x reader #ben paul #twdg #twdg x reader #twdg ben paul

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aromanticannibal · 7 months

Text

Basil is very mentally ill (SPOILERS)

I just came to this realization in the tags of another post but how deeply fucked up mentally must little twelve year old Basil must have been for his first idea to cover up Mari's death to be a suicide.

Mari has a knee injury that stops her from playing softball - so it must be a pretty bad knee injury. And you know what knee injuries do to you? They make you fucking fall. What are the odds of Mari accidentally falling off the stairs and dying from it after tripping because of her injury (and she was probably tired because of her training for the recital on top of that)? Pretty high me thinks. Even without the knee injury, these are some tall stairs man. Maybe I'm just clumsy but I know I'd fall from that.

So what happened is that Basil saw his best friend made his sister fall from the stairs and she died from it. And his first thought was to... Stage it as a suicide. And not any type of suicide, stage it as Mari having hanged herself. @a-rock-nothing-else in who's tags I screamed already pointed out that it's really weird for a twelve year old boy at a time where Internet isn't that easily accessible to know how to tie a noose.

So. Basil is undeniably fucked in the head from a stupidly young age, which makes sense given his parents are canonically "too busy" to take care of him, and he lives with his grandma + he seemingly didn't have any friends before Aubrey befriended him. So the child is probably somewhat depressed in the first place, and may have been suicidal in the past, explaining his knowledge of how to tie a noose (this is from @/a-rock-nothing-else's post).

But on top of that, even when he's seemingly really happy with his friends, his immediate reaction to Mari dying isn't to either freeze up like Sunny or call for help, it's to frame the "murder" and even then, to frame it as a fucked up suicide that's probably hard to put in place (need to know how to make a noose, need to bring the dead weight of a 16 years old girl down the stairs and then up a rope, all that alone because Sunny isn't responsive) instead of a simple "She fell down the stairs!". Even giving most of the truth would probably have been simpler ("Sunny and Mari were arguing and Mari was tired and tripped and fell down the stairs!").

I have a theory/headcanon : Basil probably was traumatized by something in the past (his parents' absence, his lack of friends or potential bullying, even just his depression) and got the good ol' "You're so mature for your age!" symptom. In this state of mind, he felt he had to help Sunny, because Sunny is helpless and doesn't know what to do, and he's his best friend, so Basil has to do something. He's the only one who can do something. (He doesn't think of calling for help.) Then, his first thought is to stage a suicide, perhaps because he's seeing things through his own eyes too much : when you're suicidal, you might view committing suicide as an escape from everything (good) and think that the people around you will forget everything about it in a few days, maybe (very good). Basil doesn't think in terms of "this is going to break everyone's hearts and might traumatize many of my friends" first because when you're twelve you don't think like that, and second because he's seeing himself in Mari supposed suicide.

Of course, he realizes after how terrible of an idea this is, but well. He can't do anything now, and he knows he did something wrong.

I suppose after all this, when the adrenaline went back down, he realizes that Mari didn't kill herself or die out of nowhere, someone pushed her. And when you're a kid you probably struggle to see shades of grey a bit, so he can't possibly believe his best friend is the one who pushed Mari down the stairs and killed her, no - it was something behind him.

Anyway. I'm not blaming Basil for anything, just trying to understand why his brain works so fucking weird and projecting a bit. I also might have missed some canon points but heh. These are just random thoughts, this is the reason why I labeled this as a theory/headcanon.

#tw suicide #tw trauma #omori #omori basil #omori sunny #omori mari #omori meta #omori theory #omori headcanon #omori spoilers

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spiritofjustice · 2 months

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thinking about when Yuta first became a prosecutor... i know Ga'ran blackmailed him but i also like the idea of Ga'ran trying to trick him into trusting her initially-- not that she'd done nothing wrong, but that she was perhaps unaware of how bad things were, or that she genuinely believed Dhurke tried to kill her sister, or that she really did feel she was doing the right thing for Khura'in, whatever. like, imagine her trying to get him to do what she says by taking the soft approach-- she's just so worried about Rayfa and Amara and what might happen to them if the truth gets out, and what might happen to you, Nahyuta, but don't worry, she'll protect you and make sure no one punishes you for your father's crimes because you're such a smart young man with a lot of potential to help this nation and you remind her so much of herself when she became a prosecutor too.

i also like kicking around the idea of her being a "benefactor" to him when he started studying to become a prosecutor, some faceless somebody who is looking out for him and who put a lot of money towards allowing him to go to law school and to take the bar but he has no idea who it is until he's finally become a prosecutor. he assumes it pertains to the Dragons in some ways, only to find out it was Ga'ran herself who's been pulling the strings to allow him to become a lawyer-- because considering the whole sins of the father thing and how she knows children are punished for their parents' crimes, there is no reason that he should have been allowed to be a lawyer.

so he's stuck because he naturally feels obligated to help her, and because her concern seems so genuine, and he doesn't want anything bad to happen to Rayfa or his mom either so he agrees to try and help her while still sticking to his guns, hoping to eventually convince her that the Dragons and Dhurke are good people. then at some point he realizes after reviewing everything she did and said that she's played him fucking brilliantly and now he's trapped.

#psy's no punctuation posts #aa tag #headcanons tag #i plan to do a fic for this sometime #i might shelve Year of Silence for a while and work on this one instead but we'll see

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passimtemere · 9 months

Text

A Dog, A Lion, and a Monkey...

It was a challenging day for Young Bennie. They had grappled with panic attacks all day, tears flowing almost constantly. The young darkling found it all too overwhelming. Alphonse had made sincere efforts to comfort Bennie, but when you're being hunted and tormented by a wretched demon, causing you to question your place in life, very little can offer solace. Alphonse had just left Bennie's bedroom after ensuring the bed was comfortable and making sure they had dinner. He then asked Cadmus to watch over his younger siblings for a while.

"But... Dad, I don't know how to care for them when they're like this," Cadmus whispered, glancing at Bennie, who was currently wrapped up in blankets, clutching a flashlight in a room that was already well lit.

"Cadmus, it will only be a moment. I need to fetch their medicine. Just stay in the room with them; it's all I ask of you," Alphonse replied as he headed down the hall. Cadmus sighed and entered the room, finding a seat at a reasonable distance from his anxious sibling. It felt like a strange kind of déjà vu, as Cadmus remembered being in a similar situation when dealing with his lich father's attempts to take over his body on occasion. However, Mrs. Scatch presented a whole different problem.

"I hate to see you like this, buddy... I can't imagine what kinda He...what you're uh going through," Cadmus corrected himself, avoiding a potentially triggering word. Bennie gave an exhausted look to their older brother, too tired and dehydrated to respond. They had never really gotten along well, mainly because Cadmus had lived on his own at boarding school and now college. When Bennie came into the picture, they didn't even realize they shared the same blood due to carefully maintained deception, all for their safety.

"So... umm... I think you need some water, right? After all, you've been crying all day, which is perfectly valid," Cadmus said, getting up and fetching a glass of water for Bennie. He offered it to them, but Bennie looked at it with disdain.

"...Okay, I'm not gonna force you, but I am going to give you a silly straw," he said, conjuring one for them, but it still resulted in a lack of interest from Bennie.

"Okay, Ben, you have to drink some water. What can I do to make that happen?" Cadmus proposed, willing to make a deal. Bennie looked at Cadmus, pondering for a moment before croaking out a hoarse, one-word answer, "Story." It was a simple request, one that Cadmus was willing to fulfill, but he realized that he didn't know many stories suitable for kids Bennie's age.

"Okay... a story. It'll be short, but if I manage to get you to chuckle, you have to drink. Deal?" Cadmus asked. Bennie nodded curtly, giving Cadmus their full attention.

"Alright... Once upon a time in a jungle, there lived a dog... let's call him Cujo. Cujo was a newcomer to the jungle and was wandering around this new domain. At the same time, a lion saw him from a distance and thought to himself, 'That guy looks edible and like easy prey. I've never seen his kind before.' So, the lion starts rushing toward the dog, menace in his eyes. Cujo notices and begins to panic. As he starts running, he sees a pile of bones next to him and gets an idea. He says loudly, 'Yum! That was some good hearty lion meat!' The lion hears this, stops, and thinks, 'Wow! This guy seems far tougher than he looks. I better leave while I can.' So, he turns back to head deeper into the jungle.

But high in the treetops, a monkey witnessed everything, right? And evidently, he thinks he can benefit from this situation and get something in return. So, the monkey tells the lion what really happened. The lion, furious for being tricked, orders the monkey, 'Get on my back. We're going to get that stupid dog!' They start rushing back to Cujo, and he sees them, realizing what happened. He begins to panic even more but gets another idea and barks, 'Where the hell is that monkey! I told him to bring me another lion an hour ago!'" Cadmus finished the story, hoping to elicit a chuckle from Bennie.

Seeing Bennie crack a smile and take a drink of water, Cadmus grinned in return. "There we go, buddy! A deal's a deal. Now, stay hydrated." He was relieved to see Bennie showing some improvement.

----------------- @fashionablyenigmatic

#submission #Cadmus #Bennie #Alphonse #c: benni #save #BIG SAVE #I love this so much #gosh I need to write more and James always inspires me with these drabbles #the younger years

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dark9896 · 1 year

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Questions [Klaus x Reader]

Requested by Anonymous ❓️

You were just starting to show signs of being pregnant and Klaus was becoming increasingly worried about everything. In this city, every turn was potentially dangerous. Despite having gone through this all once before, whilst carrying your now seven-year-old daughter Emillina, Klaus would always worry about how much you tried to do.

As much as Klaus despised the idea of neglecting any of his duties as a father, husband, or protector, he hadn't calculated for the curiosity of a child. And Emillina was full of curiosity about why Momma was getting sick, and why Papa was treating this as normal. She had heard the term baby being thrown around, even being asked if she would want a younger brother or younger sister.

She needed answers.

It wasn't quite bedtime when Emillina walked into the living room. Papa cuddling Momma was a normal sight, even though Momma was being a little grumpy. No one had really explained why Momma was being so weird and Emillina had a hunch that it was because of the baby everyone kept saying would be here soon.

"Momma, Papa." Emillina looked up with her bright green eyes, "How are babies born?"

Klaus felt like his soul was trying to escape his body. While it wasn't exactly the question he thought would be asked, it was still a very brazen question. One he didn't expect out of his little Shatzi.

"Sweetie, that's a really difficult question to answer." Klaus just looked at you, how had you not missed a beat? "See, when people are old enough, they start to have needs. And some people talk through all the things that can happen, to make sure everyone in the room is okay with what's going on."

Klaus could only sit there. How in the world did you already have this sort of talk ready to go?

"And one of those things is having a baby." Emillina was hanging onto every word, "After nine or ten months, I'll go to the hospital. Having a baby is very messy and requires a lot of special care that Papa and Mr. Gilbert just can't do by themselves."

Klaus wouldn't admit to it, but Gilbert was trained to be a sort of nursemaid and a midwife. But otherwise, that was true. Neither of them could guarantee the health and safety of a smooth childbirth here at home. Though Klaus could absolutely hire a small staff, or ask his family given they would send a small squad of combat butlers and maids if he asked.

"Sadly, the whole process will be exhausting to both of us." The look of confusion on Emillina's face was palpable and adorable, "See, Papa was there beside me when you were born. And he wasn't very happy because giving birth is a painful process. And Papa doesn't like when people he cares about hurt."

Emillina's mouth formed a perfect 'O', "So I can see it happen too? When my little sibling is born."

Klaus finally spoke up, "No mein Shatzi. I'm afraid you're still too young to witness such a thing."

The tiny frown nearly broke Klaus's heart. But he wasn't the one to make the rules about this.

"Sweetie, Auntie K.K., and Uncle Steven will sit with you in the waiting room the whole time. Along with Mr. Gilbert." You patted her little head, "But after everything is all cleaned up, you can come in and see your little sibling. Okay?"

"Okay Momma."

Klaus very much wanted some kind of out of this situation. And realized the time.

"Pardon me Liebling." Klaus moved, standing up, "I do believe it's close to bedtime Shatzi. What story would you like me to read to you?"

You sat there, watching your husband tote your daughter off to her room. A tiny happy smile growing, scouring all those mommy blogs, and reading up on others' horror stories of having "the talk" with small children really paid off. Especially since you knew Klaus wouldn't be that prepared for the questions Emillina was bound to ask, particularly with you being pregnant.

#bbb #kekkai sensen #kkss #blood blockade battlefront #klaus von reinherz #ask

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yaffles-world · 2 years

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Okay so this started as a reponse to an ask game, but it ended up being Long, so I wanted to post it separately... Also it took like an hour. I felt like it works better on its own hehe.

Also, I know I coulda just posted it as fanfiction but this is very personal to me? Like... I didn't wanna just change it to an x reader. But I don't mind what y'all do in your own head of course. Plus the only person who reads this is @irummna - if your somehow reading this, you've probably also seen their content their more popular but if not GO CONSUME.

❤️ [HEART]- What did the confession look like between you two? Who initiated it? Where did it take place?

Relationship status: pending

Relationship length: barely

The Confession

I had come aboard with them about a year prior, after I happened to bump into Jet, an old friend from many years ago. I was looking for a change and came on board with him, Spike, Ed, and of course Ein, on the Bebop. I'd never met Spike before but I very quickly developed a crush on him. I mean, who wouldn't, he's young, he's cute, he's charismatic.

He's a slacker and Jet is a bit of a hardass… It felt like I was always getting in between the bickering arguments that they had. Jet is a great friend and frankly, a lot of the time, he was in the right, but I couldn't help but take Spike's side. Spike would get all gloaty and proud and come up and wrap his arm around me and say "See! Jamie agrees with me!" And I'd blush real hard… Spike never noticed it, that I know of. Jet would though and he would fix me with a hard stare that said "you knew I was in the right! What is going on with you?" And I would just look away because I didn't want to admit that I liked a guy like Spike.

Slowly, casual touching became more common place. I still had no idea if he liked me back, though… It's Spike, it could just be flirting. Lots of him getting kisses from Ein, the dog, and saying stuff like "you jealous?" And like… accidental walk ins on the shower. It was a solid month of flirting before I realized I should hit the brakes… Crippling self doubt set in. I thought no one can possibly like me, certainly not Spike. Talking to him was too painful, so I didn't.

That's when Jet came in. He sat me down and asked what was wrong and I told him. "Listen, it personally grinds my gears seeing you two all flirty and joking around with each other... But it's so much harder seeing you barely look him in the eye." Jet explained. "I think you kids need to sort it out yourself, but... I think you'll both be better off if you're honest with each other."

Just like all of Jet's advice, I decided to ignore it. I was miserable, but I was sure Jet was just being nice and that being honest would only make it all awkward and painful. Until, one day, Jet was out with Ed, leaving Spike and I on our own. I was reading a book, feeling a little down. I missed Spike. I missed even being a friend but it was too hard because every time I saw him I just fell for him harder.

Spike came over, lifted my legs off the couch, and sat down under them. I asked what he was doing, he made some quip about me taking up all the space, and something must have shifted in my face because he asked if I was alright.

"Quite frankly, no, I'm not," I replied, with a sad smile.

"Well, we can't have that then!" He put on a music record, and pulled me up to dance with him. I blushed deeply and tried to save face as we boogied down to one of Jet's records. I started to laugh, he laughed, it was actually going okay. But then there was a slow song and Spike pulled me in close. I pulled back, firmly placing us apart with arms extended. "Come on, we're not related!" He joked and pulled me in closer.

Queue blushing.

I was stuck looking into his eyes, and worst of all, he was looking back into mine. He wasn't making any jokes… we were just standing there. Swaying slowly. He was so god damn beautiful.

You know how some people see something like the grand Canyon, or a beautiful piece of art, or the ocean, and it simply moves them to tears. It moves them because of how wonderful it looks, how amazing it is that you and that thing not only exist in the same timeline, but can see each other, you can walk in that sand and swim in that ocean. That's how I felt, drowning in his deep, brown eyes. Drowning in his presence, drowning in the irreparable despair that no matter how much I loved the ocean, the grand canyon, that piece of art, no matter how much I loved him, by their nature they could not love me back.

And then we kissed

I couldn't tell you who kissed who… I don't think it matters.

It was soft and gentle but also firm. He held the back of my head gently. We pulled apart.

Queue blushing.

"Did you... mean to do that?" I asked, hesitantly.

Spike grinned widely, smiling wider and with more joy than I'd ever seen before. He nodded. "Yeah, I sure did!" He pulled me in again, more passionately this time, holding onto me like he never planned on letting go, our lips crashing against each other. Making up for lost time.

The door opened, suddenly. "Finally!" Jet shouted. "I'm glad you kids worked it out!" We pulled apart, the kiss broken from smiling, as Jet clapped us both on the back.

And we've been together ever since.

#spike spiegel my baby #headcanon #fanfiction #idk what to tag this with #romantic f/o #romantic f/o ask game #ask game #f/o ask game #imagine your f/o #this is so god damn cheesy #my god

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critterfloozy · 2 years

Text

What the Fuck is Up with That - Air Ashari Edition

One of the major things that I had to figure out for On the Shores of Ithaca, Years Later (about 6k, Vilya POV, mind the tags) was what the fuck was up with the Air Ashari’s political structure, especially how Vilya would have approached it.

The Tal’dorei books aren’t too much help with this - as far as they’re concerned, Keyleth is the leader, Keyleth is going to be the leader for quite a while, so there’s not much to figure out in terms of succession.

But - what about before that? How long did they go without having a Voice of the Tempest before? What happened with the last Voice of the Tempest? What would Vilya have expected from her Aramente?

(Yes, I realize the answer is that Marisha made this up for a home game, nobody is required to come up with a coherent political structure for their D&D character, but I like trying to make things make sense)

This is what we (or at least I) know:

Once a generation, a new leader is chosen to go on their Aramente.

The Aramente consists of going to the other three tribes and completing their tasks, then returning to their tribe.

It is expected that this trip will take years. It is not expected that the Aramente will be deadly, but it would be dangerous.

Once the Aramente is complete, the person who went through the Aramente is now the leader of that specific Ashari tribe. The Air Ashari call them a Voice. The leader will now age very, very slowly.

While the leader is going on the Aramente, someone else leads the tribe. They’re called the headmaster. Headmaster also appears to be the way that they refer to any Ashari tribe leader.

Elders are mentioned, but only kind of vaguely?

Okay - it’s something, but there’s a lot of questions still to be answered.

First off - How long is a generation? Whose generation? We’re talking about some potential Ashari races living thirty years and some others living centuries; there’s a bit of a stretch. But, if everyone who goes on an Aramente is a leader, then maybe it’s once in a Voice’s generation. It would help to explain why Vilya didn’t start her Aramente until Dwala, the previous voice, was already dead - there seems to be more tolerance for no official Voice in power than having two Voices at once (which, yeah, that tracks, especially if they seem especially cool with interim leaders and someone else chooses the successor).

This is coming from something Korrin says when Keyleth finishes her Aramente:

With the passing of our elder voice, Dwala, it was my wife Vilya who was selected to "take the Aramente.

Which, I want to point out: there is no reason to believe that Headmaster or Voice is in any way hereditary. It’s probably not exactly a coincidence that both of Keyleth's parents were in power, and then she’s chosen, but who the hell is doing the choosing? That passive voice in ‘was selected’ is doing a lot of work. The mysterious elders? If so, they must either love Keyleth’s family or hate them. Imagine being Korrin - you’re put in power in your wife’s stead while she goes on a years-long quest, leaving you alone to raise your young daughter. Your wife, who you probably were getting used to the idea outliving you by centuries, is then presumed dead. Next up - your daughter, who will have to go on the exact same trip, for the honor of doing the same job you’ve been doing on a temporary basis. You're stuck doing this temporary job for twenty years.

And who chooses the acting headmaster? The same Elders? Choosing someone who would be inclined to give up power when the new leader returns from their Aramente would be wise, sure. Would it be the person heading out onto their Aramente choose who would lead in their absence?

The original campaign 1 intro seemed to imply that Korrin chose Keyleth to be the next to go on an Aramente:

“Anyways, it wasn't long before the headmaster of the tribe, her father, Korrin, realized her true prodigious abilities and she was inveterated to succeed him as the next headmaster. Just like that, her jovial childhood was stripped and replaced with endless spell memorization, teachings from ancient traditions, and exceedingly high expectations. “

Which, what the hell, Korrin? Especially as it’s made clear multiple times that Keyleth would have been chosen and started her training as a child. Was the fact that she was some sort of druidic magic prodigy the reason? Is there only one druid prodigy born per generation, or was there only one in Keyleth’s generation.

It also sounds like, in the first statement I quoted, that Vilya wasn’t even officially chosen until Dwala had already died. I mostly ignored that for the fic - having no idea of succession seems like a really bad plan, and I wanted to give Vilya at least some time to prepare for the quest and the idea that she’s going to be a leader. But I don’t think we should take what Keyleth says - that leaders leave for their Aramente when they come of age at twenty - at face value. For one thing, Keyleth was five or six when Vilya left - and while it’s possible that Vilya was a teen mom, it would impact her characterization for the fic I was doing (and how, for example, she might feel about Keyleth being asked to grow up too soon, and maybe her relationship with Korrin), so I didn’t want to go down that route without a lot of consideration. It’s also possible that Dwala died when Vilya, not quite twenty, was pregnant with Keyleth, and Vilya was on a five to six year-long maternity leave (and hopefully spent some of that time preparing). But, while I’m glad the Ashari have strong anti-discrimination sentiments against anyone who is pregnant, I like the idea that choosing a leader based on what they are like as a child is unusual, and typically Vilya, like most of the other Voices, was an adult when she was chosen.

And, how often does the leader not return from their Aramente? We know that the Kraken was a relatively new development - but, uh, it had been there for fifteen years by the time Keyleth had encountered it. It seems statistically unlikely that the water and earth tribes would have had to send someone to complete an Aramente during that time. But if one of the reasons why the Aramente happens in the first place is to help establish connections between the tribes, and one of the tribes suddenly has their tests become super deadly (depriving the other tribes of their leader), is there any concern about a diplomatic incident? But there’s also non-lethal reasons why someone might not return - see Vilya, or someone might simply choose not to return to Zephrah.

Is it possible to fail the Aramente outside of death? Did Vilya fail hers? She’s certainly not expected to take the mantle of leadership upon her return. I find it interesting that the new leaders don’t have to actually succeed at their trials - at least not on the first try. We know that Keyleth at least partially failed her first trial (source) - though she might have had more than one try at it, or partially succeeded.

So, does Keyleth have any idea of what her succession will be? Will that just be handled by the elders after her death? Does she have any idea? Aramentes are cool and all, but on the job leadership training might be more useful.

I don't think there's really one true answer to anything - but it's fun to think about!

#Critical Role #Campaign 1 #Air Ashari #Keyleth of the Air Ashari #Vilya of the Air Ashari #trying to figure out answers to these sorts of questions is my jam #I totally could have missed something feel free to point it out #Zephrah world building

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minkmousesworld · 2 years

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Hi hi, hope your day is well Mousie <33

I'm here to dump another brainrot. It expands more on the a world idea about the Pillars being the Upper Moons.

Kagaya just being so interested in Kitsune Reader. Questions that run through his mind about how does it work, what powers does Reader have, etc. He's so interested, that he decided to personally meet this Kitsune Reader in person.

Kitsune Reader who feels a major threat from Kagaya, but with the soothing voice and how gentle Kagaya is. They can't help but not see him as a threat, even though Tanjiro and their instincts scream at them to not trust Kagaya.

Or maybe Kitsune Reader who'd be willing to follow Kagaya, in return that Tanjiro and Nezuko will be safe and far from any threats.

I wonder how gentle yet so cruel Kagaya is. I wonder if he's into the whole thrill of finding a perfect one to be apart of his "family"? <33

;;; so much brainrots- I can only imagine how Kagaya probably managed to gently convince (probably force. Oh no, did I unintentionally turned this yandere-) Kitsune Reader to drink some of his blood, to be a good little fox and breed him in some way? ;;

- kitsune anon

hello hello, my breadwinner <3 this week promises to be more idle, so I'm fine. hope you can rest too; don't forget to drink water♡

content warnings: pet names (little fox), light mind control (r.), unhealthy behaviour (manipulation, light obsession, light blood addiction), blood drinking, power imbalance, subby reader

oh,,,, to be honest, Kagaya in the image of the progenitor of demons actually seems to be more calculating and cunning — where he lets slip even those who behave too 'brazenly' or 'humanely', since their potential is too great to throw them around — and since he is sure that he can 'take care' about them if something goes wrong.

A catcher of any good sprouts that can make him even stronger — even if he already has the kitsune as a Second Upper Moon, he can't help but get hooked on another one when he first sees an unfamiliar figure through a mirror.

In fact, he probably immediately thinks about how to take you to himself. Even if you clearly follow Muzan and work with pillars, he is sure that the matter should be deeper — you do not seem particularly attached to any pillar, but constantly circle around the hunter. Weak spot? Affection? The only thing you have left of your old life? Ideal for manipulation.

Kagaya is not going to 'stoop' to such a thing as to meet with you just for the sake of it — not intentionally for everyone, at least...

But, listen, Kagaya tries to be democratic — he politely tells you that in order to work further, of course, you have to do more than just promise. What can keep you from escaping? He cannot allow you to leave and eventually rejoin the pillar and the Muzan as if nothing had happened.

Not necessarily a lot — a drop, a couple of drops, while you are meek and do not understand what is happening; but you instinctively avoid, feeling in your animal gut that something very important is happening and you cannot let it happen.

You bite his hand instinctively.

... But when do you first taste blood?

After all, you've never even bitten Tanjirou who wouldn't exactly refuse you — you were above it.

Animal blood is completely different.

You only realize you're trapped when you take a second bite.

Kagaya still smiles tenderly, even if you bite his skin until it bleeds, not allowing the wound to heal with saliva. When he lightly strokes your hair without saying anything, for some reason you feel bitter.

His blood has no effect on your body.

But it still turned out to be a great way to get you to stay close.

Listen, listen, but Kagaya, whose body is still fragile and delicate in appearance, almost painful? The body of any demon acquires, as a rule, a healthy appearance — but his body, despite the clothes, only looks even weaker, as if his outfit was created to emphasize this.

He just looks like a withering young tree, unable to cope with the cruel nature and in need of care — oh, he's probably so good at manipulating you a little, 'for your good', and you don't know when he's telling the truth and when he's lying.

When he becomes a strong demon, plotting intrigues, and when he becomes a tired, exhausted person who only wants peace. When he tells you about his past — is it true and false? When he says that you make him happy, do you know that he is lying, or do you convince yourself of this?

Out there, somewhere in the forest, your family, your Tanjirou and your Nezuko are waiting for you.

Kagaya gently says that you can always create a new family — just like him.

And he will be happy to help you create it.

There is no way to make a demon human - you have to give up this idea. But there is a way to get used to a new life. People will never be able to combine with demons, but this does not mean that their desires are different.

But he's not human.

You can do with him what you wanted to have as a human being.

Be a good little fox.

#🐹.cute mouse #🐹.kitsune anon♡#🍑.kagaya ubuyashiki #🍮.roleswap au #🌰.unhealthy behaviour #🌰.kitsune reader #🌰.power imbalance #🌰.subby reader #🌰.mind control #🌰.blood drinking

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dourpeep · 3 years

Note

IT WAS 2AM WHEN I SENT THAT SO I HELD BACK MY SIMPING FOR COLLEGE ALBEDO A LITTLE. tried not to send all my brainrot so I didn't just send a wall of text into your inbox LOL. Some others I thought of were:

- Mona giving astrology forecasts and compatibility readings in this au and Albedo may have asked her about the two of you

- Going to botanical gardens or museums with Albedo but for some reason it feels like a date even when it didn't intent to be. You tug on his sleeve now and then when you see something he might be interested in or even when it's something that excites you, and Albedo can't help but have a soft look in his eyes that he can share this moment with you! Somehow it results in the two of you holding hands - just so neither of you stray from each other of course - and eventually, intertwined fingers. You hear someone say that the two of you seem like a cute couple and you know Albedo heard it too, but neither of you say anything. You feel his hand squeeze yours a little tighter and respond in kind. The two of you are too embarrassed to look at each other but can't help the smiles on your faces.

- Lending Albedo some of your favourite books for pleasure reading and you've left tiny tabs on lines that you like. Perhaps this is before Albedo realizes his feelings so when he reads particularly romantic lines, he wonders if this is how he feels about you. Or did you mark these pages because you feel this way about someone? His stomach is in knots to the thought that you may be intrested in someone that isn't him and he settles for it just being prose.

WHAT YOU WROTE WAS SO CUTE AAA. THANK YOU FOR SIMPING FOR COLLEGE BEDO WITH ME!!

Tugging his hand and not letting go omg . . . you tend to just intertwine pinkies or play with his fingers absent-mindedly that Albedo becomes so accustomed to it so he starts to offer you his hands without a second thought.

WAIT. I gasped at Albedo being a cuddler. He's a little delirious when he first wakes up but you're so comfy that he hugs you a little tighter, asking if you've slept well. You try to reply while worrying about whether or not he can feel your heart thrumming in your chest.

What if Klee is staying with Albedo one night and the three of you fall asleep cuddled up together. Alice comes back early in the morning before any of you are awake and takes a picture. She sends it to Albedo later and he sets it as his phone's wallpaper.

Albedo staring at your lips winded me, thank you.

YES TO THE SWEATERS. I bet Albedo would have the softest and coziest sweaters too! Imagine it being a little cold out and you see Albedo across campus so you bound over to him and give him a hug. You nuzzle into him and mumble out a little 'hello' and say he's warm. You feel his laugh rumble through his chest while he greets you back, wrapping his arms around you

And I LOVE ALL YOUR HEADCANONS! I believe I found your blog around the time you posted Albedo's snort headcanon and it was too much for my heart!! I held tight to that headcanon and never let go lol. I also thought the science + college headcanons you had of him were really nice despite not being necessarily romantic!

Side note: I looked up that lobster fact and that's so cool!!

The Lobster Fact(tm) is my go-to ice breaker and it always fails. I'd imagine it's normally the same w/ Bedo OTL so sad...not many wish to know about potential lobster immortality.

I'm glad that you love the headcanons though!! I enjoy writing for Albedo so so much as you can tell ehe

That being said--if it makes you more comfy to send stuff in a few bursts of asks, I don't mind :DD I'll answer them as usual nodnod

OKIE DOKIE

"...Mona, yes?"

"Ah, I was expecting you to come around sooner or later, Kreideprinz."

Really, Albedo didn't mean to stumble upon the Astronomy major, but for some reason the thought of you has been on his mind and the campus' observatory just so happened to be on the way. With the meager hope that...maybe he'd find some sort of answer (in what, he wasn't really sure himself), there she was.

Luckily, she knew just what he was there for.

The moment that she twirls her hand with a wave, telling him that there isn't anything to worry about, the apprehension creeping within his chest at the thought of seeing you next-

disappeared.

It's not often that he turns to less orthodox methods, but he wouldn't lie. Knowing that--at least in Mona's opinion (which tended to be correct, anyway)--the two of you were undoubtly compatible? Something about how your constellations were intertwined...

In fact, Albedo turns a little theory around in his mind. Though based in old folktales, the idea that you gravitate towards those who are made of the very same stardust as yourself, suddenly made sense.

Or, perhaps he was just being hopeful.

Little does he know that you most definitely asked Mona about the same thing earlier that day.

AHHHHH BUT OF COURSE-

Any of those kinds of places--Botanical Gardens, Art Museums, Aquariums, Zoos, Museums in general--Any place where you're able to utterly lose yourself in your surroundings and look around in awe, really, are your go-to date outing destination!

Usually, it's just the two of you, maybe with Sucrose or Timaeus if it's for a particular class, as well as the occasional Klee in tow whenever Alice is busy with work.

But in this case, fingers interlocked, it's just the two of you on a impromptu trip to the art museum downtown after seeing a promotional banner about a new exhibit. Once inside, you rush along, Albedo trailing close behind with a light squeeze of your hand. The large area used for temporary exhibits isn't far from the entrance, so it's not long until you skid to a stop.

All along the walls are incredibly detailed oil paintings, the thin layered strokes glistening in the light. Albedo takes a moment to whisper to you about how oil paint works.

Due to the thinness of the paint and it's transparency, light passes through every carefully placed stroke, allowing for a unique sort of depth that isn't achievable with other painting media. You smile, the artificial light of the art exhibit making your features glow and Albedo can't help but wonder if you are like those paintings.

So complex, so carefully created in an image perfected with time. Your eyes search his and you say his name and Albedo clears his throat when he realizes he's been staring.

"Do you like this one?"

Ah, you must've assumed he took a liking to this particular painting.

His eyes shift back to it, taking in the sight of the balance of color, the composition, then back to you. He only stares a second longer before nodding.

Whether or not you realize the view he likes is you is something that he dwells on as you both make your way to the next painting.

If you had a penny for every time that someone comments on the way you compliment each other, you'd probably be able to pay off your tuition for next semester.

Okay, perhaps not, but the idea still stands.

You're only just at the end of the art exhibit when the security guard wishes the two of you a lovely date. Something about how young love is something to be treasured, something about how the two of you already seem so natural and comfortable in each other's presence.

Before you can mumble out an explanation, Albedo just squeezes your hand, gentle as always, and smiles.

It's a compliment, right? For someone to see how close you are, even if you really are just friends, is a good thing.

Ignoring the warmth that spreads over your cheeks, you smile and turn your head away shyly. Squeezing his hand back, the thought of what it'd be like if you were together crosses your mind.

Just as you lend books to him, he lends books to you. Surprisingly, this time it just so happens to be a poetry book--something that you expressed interest in a week ago but ended up not getting.

Within, he's left colorful notes with his neat, slanted writing.

Short discussions (presumably questions to himself) of what the poet must've been thinking, different possible scenarios, are peppered throughout the book. But one just so happens to catch your eye. Rather than a question, it's a statement. Simple, short, and...sweet.

'You carry the aura of the stars.'

The little yellow sticky note pasted beneath a love poem to the night sky stands out. Suppressing a flutter in your chest, you continue reading through the poem book with a few giggles at Albedo's musings until you find a note with most of the words crossed out.

It's entirely unlike him, the way that the dark ink scribbled over the words, making them illegible.

But at the bottom was a continued attempt--one you presume he was satisfied with by the way it lay pristine on the colorful paper.

'You look. I fail to speak.

Your mind, so brilliant as it is I wish to see behind To further appreciate the one I love.

I can only hope one day you shall let me in, So for now I wait patiently by your side.'

Who could he have written this for? You can't help but stare at the poetic attempt, knowing full well that Albedo seldom does something without meaning.

The book closes and you tuck it back on the shelf to ask about later.

AAAAA YESYESYESYES I LOVE THAT CUDDLE PILE W/ ALBEDO AND KLEE

Even though Albedo's a grade A student and certified genius (he's adamant in his denial, shaking his head and mumbling about how he just studies hard), he's not entirely a stickler for rules.

Well, that is, Aunt Alice's suggestion that Klee goes to bed by 9.

Instead, the three of you settle in the common room of Albedo's place in a bundle of pillows and blankets at the demands of a pillow fort.

The tv blinks on accompanied by the near silent click of the remote.

"What should we watch?"

Klee always ends up picking the movie. This time, she wants Alice in Wonderland, commenting on how the bunny is like her best friend Dodoco and the blonde girl on screen is named after mommy. Albedo doesn't bother correcting her, even though he knows quite well that dear, sweet Dodoco is a chinchilla.

Between sips of juice and a few mouthfuls of popcorn, the three of you fall asleep, Klee curled up besides you and Albedo's arm draped over you both.

Even when the sun is up in the sky, you sleep peacefully.

So, naturally, Aunt Alice has a spare key just in case something like this happens.

Immediately she's met with the sweetest view--her two kids (she's practically adopted Albedo as her own at this point) and--

Hiding a cheeky smile behind her hand, Alice can't help but sneak a little closer when she spies the way that you and Albedo somehow gravitated closer, his face buried in your hair and yours resting against his collar. Wedged between you with tousled hair, Klee snoozes peacefully.

She snaps a picture, followed by another, and another, and a fourth for good measures before meandering into the kitchen to prep something for breakfast.

Might as well let her three favorite people enjoy the comfort of sleep for a little longer...

You wake up the moment that Klee wiggles her way out of the blankets, nuzzling against the warmth radiating under your cheek.

Nice and cozy. Smells nice...wait.

Eyes fluttering open, you're met with a familiar birthmark and the nearly gone scent of Albedo's cologne.

You nearly pull away until the arm, now wrapped around your waist, pulls you closer accompanied by a satisfied sigh. Ah. You shut your eyes tight when you realize that Albedo's going to be asleep for at least another thirty minutes, resigning to your fate gladly.

Of course, Alice takes the opportunity to snap a few more pictures when you've finally fallen back asleep.

YES ALSO ALSO

Speaking of Albedo and sweaters and warm and also the just mentioned cologne. A little fun tidbit--not only are you familiar with the scent of his cologne because he wears it often, but it (in this au) is actually one that you picked out some time back. You probably were at the store together smelling some of the perfumes when you came across one that you were pleasantly surprised by.

Specifically, something that's lightly floral, a little warm but sweet with a hint of earthiness.

The pros? It fits Albedo perfectly! It also kinda sticks well and his place faintly smells of it.

The cons?? Well...you're embarrassed to say that hugging Albedo tends to drag on a little longer than anticipated because it's just such a comforting scent-

Not because you associate it with Albedo or anything-

Ehe

Man I really went to town again, didn't I?? Well, I'm glad that you enjoy my headcanons :DDD Albedo just seems like such a sweet person??? Like endearing in a way that just is...him. If that makes sense.

Brain go brrrrrr

I'll admit that my favorite headcanons for Bedo are mundane and domestic ones though! Like these! Just the little moments where there's nothing really going on except for him and you and ahhhh yesyesyes

Okay that's all-

#anon asks #albedo #albedo headcanons #genshin impact albedo #albedo x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact fics #genshin impact drabbles #modern au #college au #modern au albedo

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hanafubukki · 2 years

Note

Oof I just realized something. In your au, the one where the great force could be a magical disaster, could create a lot of tension and anger on magic users. Like the large amount of non magic survivors blame the mages and the overblots (after it gets leaked in public).

So magic becomes very hated and blamed as the main cause of the world's end. And many mages were forced to possibly leave or hide depending where they were from.

It's even worse for Malleus and Leona. Leona already having a bad reputation , and even some people going so far saying he should have died instead of his brother. And while most of Malleus' country still respects him, you can feel the tension and judgement on those who blame him. Even worse when other countries refuse to speak to Malleus or acknowledge his kingdom.

[In reference to this AU]

Hello Anonie! 🌻🌹,

You have big brain Anonie 👏👏 Very big brain, You're a genius 👏👏💚💚💚

The idea of the overblots and the Great Force leading to people hating magic?? That is epic thinking and full of so much potential. Magic is a very big part of Twisted wonderland, and for it to become something hated?? That will change society as everyone knows it.

What if magic wasn't the only thing that became hated? What if certain races such as the merman, Fae, and beastman became hated as well? Because prejudice and hate and the unknown caused people to point fingers at each other, leading to more disasters and disconnect among people, at a time when working together was the most crucial.

What if, this hate and prejudice led the non-magic population to start hunting those with magic? What if Magic become forbidden? At a time when magic would be beneficial against the Great Force, people have turned against it. Thinking by forbidding magic or stopping the use of, the Great Force could be stopped or appeased. Fear and hate brings out the worse in people after all.

(My heart hurts. 🥺🥺🥺 Thinking about how, the world regressed from everyone getting along to everyone being separated. the Toal opposites of what Lilia wants among the humans and fae. 😔😔😔)

It is especially hard for Leona and Malleus.

First, Leona:

Leona who had finally become king.

Something that he as always wanted.

but it was at the cost of his brother’s, Farena, life

Something, he never truly wanted. Despite the way he talked or acted, he loved his brother.

Cheka is too young to become king, and the kingdom fell into Leona’s hands.

Farena’s wife is incapacitated. (Maybe she is in a coma or injured to the point that she cannot lead her people.)

Now, Leona has to lead his people, deal with his grief, and take care of Cheka.

Of course, there is always going to be whispers.

Whispers on how it should have been Leona who died and not his brother.

How, maybe it was Leona’s fault, that Farena had died. Maybe, Leona had betrayed his brother?

Now, to add on to all that, he has the anti-magic group to deal with.

This is the time when Leona will need all the help he can get, he has MC, Ruggie, Jack, Cheka, and his friends (and rivals) from NRC to help him.

Next, Malleus:

Malleus has already lived a life of loneliness.

He lost his parents, and now his grandmother.

He was forced to become quicker than was planned.

Of course, Malleus’ country still respects them .

But how much of it is admiration, fear, and force?

He had overblotted. In their eyes, he had conteibuted to this great disaster.

He couldn’t stop it from happening either.

This dragon-fae that is so powerful.

One of the top ten strongest in Twisted Wonderland.

He was useless in some of their and the outside people’s eyes.

It becomes harder for him when other kingdoms refuse to acknowledge him and his kingdom, especially after the anger against magic rises.

The fae, are after all, one of the longest living beings in Twisted Wonderland who has delved in magic for centuries.

Malleus feels more alone then ever.

But this is where, MC and all his friends from NRC comes.

While he might not have ties to certain places anymore, his friends from NRC all come from high status and are willing to help him out.

Because after all, only the help with all of them will they be able to stop the Great Force from happening.

This was fun to explore Anonie 🌻🌻, Big brain anonie, such a big brain. I love it ☺️☺️💕💕

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elia-de-silentio · 3 years

Text

The overarching themes of Vanitas no Carte: Identity

The Case Study of Vanitas is a very good, too little known manga (I hope the anime changes something), with some central themes than are exposed in different ways through different characters. In this meta, I want to explore one that was brought to my attention pretty recently: here a little examination on the various ways to face one's own identity in The Case Study of Vanitas.

The Stable Identity( Noè)

Let's start off with the positives, shall we? Noè has probably the most secure personal identity of all the bunch.

And this is pretty amazing, considering everything he went through. He has no memory of his birth family, but gets adopted by some nice people - who die shortly afterwards. Right at their graves, he is kidnapped by slaves, in an accident that left him injured. Then he is bought by someone who actually treats him nicely and is a good mentor for him, he finds many friends his age - and then one of them, the one he was closest to, turns out to be a cursebearer, kills all of the others and then tries to kill him; he is saved by the mentor, who beheads the friend right in front of him. The most immediate emotion is relief for being alive, and he will always feel terrible for that. Then, he has to witness his surviving friend try to cope very badly with her mourning by repressing her identity and try to substitute it with that of her dead twin. That's a lot.

And Noé reacted to all of this by becoming a confident person, kind and attentive to others, but not to the point of being a pushover. I'm not saying he walked away unscathed from the events of his childhood: he regrets the way he handled things with Louis, the way he didn't understand him, and has developed quite the savior complex as a result.

What I'm saying is that he is probably one of the very few well-adjusted people in the psychiatric ward that is Vanitas no Carte. He is still questioning himself, but in a normal way for a nineteen-years-old that has just left a sheltered environment for the big wide world. He is aware of some of his strenghts (his naivete) and is realizing others (putting unfair expectations on other people, underestimating other people due to racial biases); but most importantly, when he realizes these mistakes, he doesn't run away from them or obsess over them believing they make him a horrible person: he recognizes them, apologizes to the wronged person if necessary, and works on improving them.

This isn't to say he's completely happy-go-lucky with no regrets; he feels guilty about being relieved that he lived while Louis died, and he has a lot of uncertainties regarding his identity as an Archiviste and the impact his powers can have on other people. But he managed not to tie his entire identity to that guilt; and as for the second point, Teacher helped him rationalise that and figure out a conduit that didn't undermine him and at the same time showed respect for others. Noè went through several traumas, but received one thing most of the cast didn't: guidance and support from his environment. Whatever Teacher's actual motives are, he shaped a well-balanced person.

The Group Identity (The dhamps, appearently 99% of vampirekind)

"Us dhams are only loyal to each other!" This is what Dante says in one of the first chapters, giving us the first clues to their status as outcasts.

The war between humans and vampires ended up with each deciding to keep to themselves, but dhampires are the living exception to that silent agreement. So, both societies decide to reject them, and they can't find a place in the world unless they stick to others of their own kind. This common history of traumatic experiences of abandonment and subsequent resentment of both human and vampire society for it goes on to create a very strong group identity: the only ones they give a damn about are those like them, everyone else is a potential enemy and is only good to be exploited.

Then, we have the vampire culture. I mean ... it might be because insofar we have met almost exclusively aristocrats obsessed with their respectability ... but they have a lot of prejudices.

You're born under a uncommon moon? You're a pariah. You're mixed race? You're a pariah. Your parents committed a crime? You're a pariah, and are used as a tool. You're born as part of a set of twins? Either you or your sibling are killed at birth, because of something that is SAID, not even a certified element of vampire biology. You're stuck with a curse? You're executed, no attempts to heal you.

Their society seems to run on an ideal model of person which depends on factors outside the individual's control, and whoever doesn't fit this description and deviates from the group in any shape or form gets ridiculously fierce punishment. They make the freaking Church look good by comparison, at least their repressive and racist side is composed of extremists instead of everymen.

The Clan Identity (Chloé, and partially Noé again)

Chloé identifies with a group of people too; but it's not a race, it's a family. The D'Apchier family, the nobles who are responsible for Gevaudan. Her father made sure she had this idea in her right from the start, and she interiorized it.

And this had mixed results: while on the one hand she was chained to self-loathing by the guilt of having accidentally caused the massacre of the family and was only saved by Jeanne and Jean-Jacques reclaiming her as part of theirs, on the other she was able to resist to Naenia because of the love and responsibility she felt towards the people of Gevaudan. Chloé is, at this point, the only curse-bearer who managed to trick and attempted to fight directly against Charlatan.

Then there is Noé in relation to his Archiviste identity. He seems to think of it mainly in negative terms, very conscious of the living invasion of privacy it turns him into ... and nothing else. We have never seen him wonder about who his birth parents were, ask himself why he doesn't remember anything, why was the clan exterminated, or how he feels about being a survivor, one of the only ones if not outright the only. He sees his heritage as a burden,and hasn't thought of it in any different term. I wonder how a change in perspective could impact the above 'stable identity'.

The Someone Else's Identity (Vanitas, Dominique)

I already dedicated a whole post to this trait they share, so I'll be short: both Vanitas and Dominique hate themselves and try to become something worthy by taking elements of people they admire: Louis for Dominique, a combination of his birth father and Luna for Vanitas.

The Object Identity (Jeanne)

The very first thing Jeanne was said in her whole life was that she was an object. A vessel for something (or someone?) else, who mustn't have feelings or desires of her own. Encouraging, isn't it?

Luckily, this wasn't all she got in life. Soon afterwards, she was adopted by Eric and Louise, who loved her a lot, received kindness by Ruthven, met Chloé who became an older sister to her. Unluckily, all of this was taken away from her in the most cruel way possible.

She couldn't make any sense of her parents's betrayal and death, and the way her life suddenly changed; she rationalised it by telling herself that it was her fault, if she had been just the good object everyone told her to be nothing would have happened. So she accepts the Object Identity: she is a tool, so she doesn't feel, she exists only to obey orders, and as long as she is nobody else will ever suffer. It gets even worse after she fails to kill Chloè: she couldn't fulfill her duties, and both her and her big sis suffered for it. This mindset traps her in a world of pain, but also prevents her from facing the fact that she is subject to a senseless injustice, one she has no control over.

Vanitas managed to help her with that. He validated her feelings, and showed her that nobody had to die if she had them, solving the situation with Chloé and Jean-Jacques. This gave her a nice confidence boost, returning her to the cheerful attitude she had as a young girl; the consequences of this change remain to be seen.

The Unknown Identity (Luna)

This one is interesting because Luna themselves is pretty explicit about it. They see themselves as something 'other', who is outside commonly used categorization; starting with 'male or female' (and here I am left wondering if they had specific sexual characteristics but didn't feel like they 'fit', or were intersex and nonbinary, or had an entirely different biology from both vampires and humans).

Luna doesn't like this condition: they said they tried to figure out what they were, to understand themselves, and they regret doing so now. Why? Maybe they didn't find any answer and were left perpetually unsatisfied, or they found an answer, and they found it to be awful?

Still, this indicates Luna has never been particularly happy with themselves, and this found no resolution. And then they died. Nice, uh?

Well, I think this was all. There are other characters I would like to know more about in regard to this, like Ruthven, Marquis Machina, and Mikhail, but there is still time.

All in all, I'd say Vanitas no Carte explores the theme of identity pretty throughly; many character arcs are still in progress, and I'm interested about how things will develope especially for Vanitas, Dominique and Jeanne.

Thanks to anyone who bothered to read my ramblings!

#vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #vnc meta #vnc analysis #vnc noe #vnc chloé #vnc vanitas #vnc dominique #vnc jeanne #vnc luna #elia's recaps

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