#Also because he was abysmally more affectionate than she was

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Wednesday Fandom. We’ve reached THE episode. Sorry little later than usual. Life didn't understand I had a review to do ha I remember not knowing what this ep would quite be. When it was done I had to pick my jaw off the floor. I was in utter shock and felt like a fever dream I was watching. Like did that really just happen? Was that real life? It’s was so exciting to have the payoff.

Even if it felt like it wasn’t real LOL Did my damn best to get everything in. I feel like I’ve become really good at this gif puzzle but eps like this really pushes me to the limit ha. God bless the gif website I found or I would be screwed haha Let’s get this started :)

5x08 The Collar

Aaron wants to shadow Angela and Harper today. He is looking into being a detective someday. So Grey re-assigns him to them and Lucy to Tim. Telling her she’s back on gopher duty. They could not be MORE suspicious or obvious if they tried my god. You know Grey knows his question about riding together is making them more uncomfortable. It's hilarious really. Trying to get them to out themselves. Instead they’re just little awko tacos staring at each other bumbling around.

He knows they’re lying with their 'No's' But he also doesn’t care. LOL They’re riding together whether they like it or not. It's amazing with their lives on the line with UC their ability to lie is amazing. Flawless really. Having to deal with their still weirdness and not show it? Abysmal. Such bad liars in this scene holy hell. The amount of awkward in this 30 seconds floors me.

From the minute Grey suggests they ride together they’re awkward dorks. Ones who don’t know complete sentences or words. This scene says so much with saying so little at the same time . There’s a reason they’ve stayed away from each other. This moment right here. They’re so very aware if they are back in a shop together everything they’ve been avoiding will come rushing back. Such a strong start to the ep for them though. Enjoyed their discomfort so much ha

We start out with them in the shop being awkward af. I loved the shots in this one and their opening one is great. With the cams coming to life and their day starting. Lucy of course is the first the break the silence. Asking him how single life is? He tells her really nice. How he didn’t have to deal with anyone complaining about him watching football all day.

Lucy giving him crap of course about never leaving the house. Things maybe weird between them but their comfortable banter hasn’t suffered. They fall right back into it with this scene. That married energy they have coming right back into play here. Gah they just balance each other out so well it’s insane. Haven’t had a couple this in-sync since Caskett on Castle.

I love him being a hermit though. He earned it after Ashley. He did whatever she damn well pleased for months. You stay home and watch your football babe. You earned it after that disaster of a relationship. Tim does defend himself a little saying he took Kojo out LOL I consider that going out too when I’m needing a hermit day. I'm with you on this Tim.

I love the affectionate way Lucy says he’s hopeless. That’s the beautiful thing about Lucy for Tim. Yeah she gives him crap but she fully loves that man for who he is. She would spend a day being a hermit with him just because it made him happy. D just wrote an amazing fic on that concept actually. (You should read it so so good) Lucy loving and accepting him for who he is and not condemning him for it. Yeah she’s teasing him for being ‘hopeless’ when really she is so fond of who he is as a person. Loves that man inside and out. You can see the adoration on her face when she delivers that line.

Just love the idea of them having lazy Sundays together now. Lucy indulging his hermit ways when he needs it. No doubt Tim indulges when she wants to be out. Because their partnership is a balanced one. Gah I love them. Chris FaceTimes her and Tim looks over and makes a face LOL god damn I love this man. Chris asks her if she’s busy? She says no…but seems not at ease with this phone call. Lucy asks where he is? He tells her an open house…They could not be more opposites in this moment. They spoke earlier about moving in and Chris jumped the gun to houses. Sprinting toward a future she doesn't want.

Lucy wasn't even on board for moving in...She is looking so very panicked. He’s going on about how it needs work but is 3 bedrooms. Tim’s interest now has been piqued and it’s stressing Lucy out for a couple reasons. She is no where near ready for this step and he’s gunning to a house. Second Tim can overhear this adding another level of stress. She doesn’t want Tim to think they are there. Because well they aren’t….Lucy cuts the phone call off abruptly. Asks if they can talk later? Chris being the clueless oaf he is doesn’t pick up on her stress at all. He says 'love you' and she says nothing in reply just ends the damn call LOL

Tim asks if they’re moving together? Lucy looks even more distressed after the phone call. Her body language screaming she’s being dragged into this situation. Kicking and screaming really. Lucy tells him no…Tim follows up with ‘He seems to think you are…’ Lucy is having a panic attack right now when he says that. The way she puts her hand on her chest. Trying to relieve the building pressure of this whole thing. Now there’s a girl ready to move in with her BF…. She seems so rattled the entire conversation with Tim.

Lucy continues on that he kind of sprang it on her this morning. He can read her discomfort like a book. So he continues his line of questioning. Which is unreal because you know the shop is a personal life free zone right Timothy? The fact that he’s the one pursuing this conversation. Being the one to ask the questions. My god how far we’ve come it’s crazy. He can tell how unsettled she is. The way he’s analyzing her and looking at her tells him everything he needs to know.

Yet he asks her ‘You guys are happy right?’ Lucy does a very unenthusiastic ‘Yeah we’re happy…’ Tim presses on like a devils advocate that is making her panic worse. Saying if that's true this is 'The next obvious steps for them then.' Lucy continuing her fake streak saying they’re “super happy.” Ok love sure you are…As she says this she is rubbing the crap out of her tattoo. Just being a lying liar who lies right now. They get a call before the convo continues on.

Everyone gets involved in a stop Nolan and Celina have. She has a bomb collar around her neck and she becomes the focal point for everything. The tension and writing leading up to them getting her to that parking lot in immense. Even though I've seen this episode many many times that portion always gets me. It’s so sad how afraid she is and her re-evaluating her life cause of it. How empty it feels now.

Pam and John talking was heartbreaking. How all she wanted was for her mom to know she loved her ugh. Sadly she ends up dying and that’s where this scene begins for them. I truly think this SL was a motivator for Tim. One of the reasons for where we head in this one. Because it’s so easy to get bogged down with life. To fall into the going through the motions. To have regrets with having a comfort zone. Tim taking a shot based off that.

Lucy expressing how she is feeling. It was upsetting to watch as a viewer. I can’t imagine being there watching that unfold. Tim being her sounding board. Knowing how upset she is right now. Giving her feedback on what he thought was the killers motive. Talking this out because he know it'll ease her mind. Then stupid Chris calls. Blind as a bat couldn’t read Lucy if his life depended on it.

He’s not calling to see if she’s ok or how she’s doing. No he’s calling about a f*cking house. She could not be more distraught right now. What does this tool bag do? Bring up listings. I love how Tim’s eyes pan over to her. Checking in on her emotional state. Seeing she is so distraught. It’s very obvious she is upset and this is the last thing she wants to be talking about. This moment is opening her eyes to who Chris is as a person. She isn’t liking what she sees.

Her ‘wow’ sounds like she is trying to stop herself from going off on him. So ignorant and oblivious to her and what she needs right now. Lucy already wasn’t on board with this which he didn’t see. Now she’s rattled from their current case and this mofo is sending her house stuff. Lucy can’t even process this right now. Tim being her absolute hero and hearing her silent screaming bails her out. “Yelling” at her to get off the phone. Hate his line ‘He’s in a mood.’

No you’re a clueless insensitive idiot. Who he is currently saving her from. He presses about that damn listing one more time before she hangs up. Haven’t wanted to sucker punch him this badly since 4x17. Lucy can finally breathe when they hang up. She looks to her rock and says ‘Thanks.’ A very loaded and grateful one. Tim giving her the sweetest look. Fierce protector reporting for duty. Putting her first in this moment and saving her from that convo going further.

I LOVE how Tim is constantly watching and checking in on her in this episode. He handles this whole thing so well. He’s not a dick telling her to dump Chris. He’s so so god damn attuned to her emotionally. It shows so very much in this episode. Lucy loves to talk things out and yet she keeps avoiding it in this episode. Avoiding truly getting to the root of why she’s feeling the way she is.

Which is fascinating considering that’s her jam. Analyzing and breaking something down. Digging deep to see why something is the way it is. Yet on this one she is avoiding it and Tim gets her to face it. He even gives her an out if she needs it. Telling her if she doesn’t want to move in with Chris she doesn’t have to. Tim just got out of a ‘moving through the motions.’ relationship. His POV on this is excellent.

He doesn’t want to see her settle or be forced into anything she doesn’t want. Just because Chris is ready and wants it. Lucy finally starts to talk about it. Saying why doesn’t she want to move in with him? Telling Tim they never fight. Thats a huge red flag if you ask me Lucy. That’s not healthy at all. Tim telling her maybe that’s the problem here….

It’s this next line above that really gets Lucy’s thoughts in motion. Tim just did a mind f*ck when he asked her this. You can see the realization washing over her in that second gif. Because he’s not wrong. You fight because it is worth fighting for. Chris has always been this blah middle of the road nothing for her. Was a BF? Yes. Was he decent? That’s debatable…

Chris was just there as a safety net for loneliness. Now that he’s becoming more than that it’s becoming a serious issue. One she can't ignore anymore. All their glaring problems coming to light in this moment in her mind. Tim is talking her through this (which I can't get over.) With the most perfect mixture of empathy and logic. She’s slowly realizing he is NOT worth the bother.

Tim is not only pointing this out but with massive heart eyes. Telling her she deserves someone who’s worth the effort. Pre-laying all his cards on the table in this moment. She can’t break the eye contact with him after he says this. Knowing what he means by this statement. This entire episode is him being Tim ‘I’m worth the effort’ Bradford for her. The more she looks at Chris the less she likes it.

The more she looks at Tim the more she knows he’s the one. And that scares her to death. God I love him stepping up and guiding her like this. Not only that but talking her though this whole thing. Something that he avoided like the plague in 3x09. Shaking closure and talking off and saying it was useless. Here he is talking her through this crisis she is having. He’s crushing it too btw. Such an iconic line for them for so many reasons. This makes me squee still rewatching it.

Before their convo goes any further they spot a second person with a collar. This guy is way more aggressive about saving his life. Pulls off and finds some sheers. Saying he’s not waiting around to die. Tim immediately grabs Lucy and heads for cover. It’s the way he holds her and shields her at the same time.

That’s his whole world right there. He would take the heat of a thousand bombs to protect her. Tim has a one track mind in this moment. He’s not thinking Lucy can handle herself. Or she is capable of getting to cover on her own. No he’s thinking that’s the woman he loves in front of a bomb.

It changes his entire perspective. So he full on grabs her and places his body between her and the bomb. Thats his first instinct to throw himself between her and harm. Gah it’s so good and just feels like more in this ep. Proving to Lucy over and over in this one she is worth the effort to him. Fierce protector front and center.

We catch them back in the shop trying to figure out next moves about this next bomb. Chris texts her another listing... In an area she CLEARLY doesn’t want to live in. Tim can’t stand to watch her suffer any longer. He is as straight forward with her in this moment as I’ve ever seen him. He knows she has been on edge all day. From the case alone.

Now she has Chris making matters worse with each interaction. She looks so upset when Tim asks her if she loves him? Noting that 'He clearly loves her.' His growth I talk about a lot and it’s episodes like this that truly show it. Look at this man pressing her to talk about this. He knows she’s in her head and talking it out always makes it better. Tim knows this about her and is pursuing it for that reason.

Lucy has been running from her feelings for Tim for quite some time. She low key knew about them in s4. Then 4x21 happened and they imploded on her. Hitting her like ton of bricks. This moment is her ‘Come to Jesus’ moment about Chris. Also about her feelings for Tim. Saying out loud she SHOULD love him. That he’s great in so many different ways and yet…

It’s hitting her in this very moment she can’t love Chris because she loves Tim. Because that man is and NEVER will be Tim Bradford. He will forever pale in comparison to the man sitting to her left. Tim is the most important person in her life. It’s just hitting her like a freight train what’s happening. I love how she trails off as she comes to this conclusion. The way she looks at him when she comes to this realization.

Doesn't take much for Tim to see what she almost said to him. Lucy says enough that Tim knows what she is saying in this moment. The way he looks at her after her almost confession. my heart. I think this scene is another catalyst to their ending scene. I remember watching this scene and saying ‘You’ for her and squeeing my head off. Because she just basically admitted to not only herself but to Tim. That Chris is not Tim. He never will be…They both know it at this point. He is not 'You' is where she was headed and they both are aware of this.

We’ve reached THE scene. The scene that changed all of our shipper lives. heh Lucy coming up saying she needs to talk to him. Her rubbing that tattoo of hers before she sits down. Tim making a crack about Chris wanting to live in some remote place. I don’t know anything about CA but I imagine that city he listed isn’t great ha

Lucy says ‘No…’ Tim goes right at it telling she just doesn’t want to admit it’s not working. He asks her why she is doing this? When she is clearly so VERY unhappy about this development. This entire episode she spent stressed and on edge about Chris. Asking her if it's the guilt about Rosalind?

Lucy tries to pull a Tim and deflect. Bringing up Ashley and staying in a relationship too long. Tim does not let that fly for one damn second. Continues his assertive comments with her. He gets so worked up when he cuts her off about it above. That this isn't about him. Telling her she’s just hiding in this relationship because she’s scared.

It’s here Lucy blows his damn mind with her reply. Airing her fears of losing the the most important person in her life. Now I think Tim knew there was an attraction on Lucy’s end no doubt. She invited him in for gods sake in 5x01. He knew there was an attraction. What he didn’t know was the level of importance he held her life. It’s written all over his face. He is shocked legit shocked she feels this way about him. Now anyone with eyes could see Tim is exactly what she said. The most important relationship in her life.

The thing is Tim is so very damaged in that way. I get that so very much. Where you don’t expect those around you to love or care as much as you love and care for them. The sucky life of an insanely loyal person who has been burned which I can relate to. My friend just other day told me how much he missed me while I was away in TN visiting my sister. Him and my other friend missed me. I made a joke like oh did you not think I would come back?

Would you miss me or something? He looked at me and was like yes. We love you don’t you know that? I would be devastated if you didn’t come back. We’ve been friends for almost 5 years. It still shocks me I have people who love me and would miss me. So I can deeply relate to Tim being shocked he holds that place of importance in Lucy’s life. He’s NEVER been put first. Not till Lucy Chen entered his orbit.

She panics when she sees his reaction not reading him like she usually does. Thinking she’s overshared. When really Tim is just smitten af with her reply. He is beside himself with shock that he is HER #1 person. He doesn’t feel worthy. Thats not what Lucy reads at first when she sees his reaction. She thinks she’s over shared or over stepped in some way. Tim stops that train of thought right away. Telling her 'No she’s right.' Lucy once again misreads him and thinks they should just back off this then. Better to keep them as is. ‘It’s not worth the risk...’

Then we see our boy do the biggest leap of faith I’m sure he’s ever done and combat her reply with our next iconic OTP line. ‘Unless it is.’ Looks how cute he is when he says this. His precious upside down smirk. Reminds me of his cute smirk from 4x22 after their peck. He looks so excited about this idea. Just look at this puppy of a man. Going for it and telling her I think we are worth this. Wanting to give them a shot. Basically saying we are worth risking what we currently have for what could be.

This next part is where his courage really shines through. I love how he takes this deep shaky breath in the first gif. So nervous to ask her this question. Tim Bradford is NERVOUS everyone. So nervous to ask the woman he loves to take a chance on him. To go out to dinner and give this a shot. He finally finds the courage to ask her. Lucy’s answer is immediate and adorable.

If she could go to dinner right then and there she would. Jumping out of her skin with excitement at his proposal of going out. Tim is so elated and his smile so damn wide when he says ‘Yeah?’ He can’t believe his luck. Looks like the smile of a man who just got everything he's ever wanted. Months of longing over in this moment of courage. He’s so happy she’s said yes. The man is beaming proudly displaying that Lucy smile he reserves for her and ONLY her. Lucy mirrors his elation with her 'Yeah' *heart clutch*

Lucy then back tracks and we watch our boy deflate instantly. He looks so very upset when she takes it back. Her excitement got the better of her and she retracts. I saw a hilariously accurate depiction of Tim in this scene. Said he had golden retriever energy in this moment. All excited and giddy for getting what he wants. Body wiggling with absolute joy. Then is told no and is all sad and deflated. Then he doesn’t perk back up until she says she needs to end things with Chris first.

The analogy cracked me up because it was accurate. He looks so very gutted when she says no after. Has that 'This was too good to be true I guess.' energy coming off him in waves. Lucy tries to rectify the situation with her reason why. Doesn't want to see that sad look on his face. The man looks devastated. He just went from an absolute high only to come crashing down seconds later. The way he nods like he understands but is really hurt about it. My poor puppy of a man.

I love how he lights backs up when she tells him to ask her again. Later. After she’s rid herself of the dead weight that is Chris. Making sure Tim knows she wants this just as much as he does. She just needs to end things first. Make it right. No one gets doing things honorably more than Tim Bradford. His cute smile after he tells Lucy 'Deal.' His hope returning. Their body language above in the last gif is everything. Their bodies are pointed towards each other. They couldn’t be happier right now. Leaning in toward one another finally giving into that magnetic pull of their's. Both grinning like idiots in love. Gah I can not. I am a puddle. I remember rewinding that scene to make sure I saw and heard everything correctly.

I was expecting their pining era to last longer tbh. I was delightfully surprised when Tim of all people took the leap. Helped Lucy take it with him. For him to be the one without doubts and to go for it was so important. Lucy for the most part has been the catalyst in their relationship. Tim has has his moments. More so in the last season or so. But Lucy has mainly been in the drivers seat. To watch this man overcome his fear of rejection and go for it with her. my damn heart. This man isn’t scared to ruin what they have because he KNOWS. This is it for him. She is it. I can’t get over how much he’s grown to get to this place.

To be the one to say hey we’re worth the risk. Would you like to go out with me? Showing her she’s worth the effort of leaving his comfort zone. This moment right here is why I’m so glad they did the slow burn. Why I was ultimately happy they didn’t hook up in 5x01. This was the right way to do it. I wouldn’t trade a moment of their journey to get to this point. Not one and that’s is a rarity I’ve only had with one other ship. Castle and Beckett and that is a high honor if you know that ship. This was another daunting one to tackle but so fun to write about. I was buzzing for days after this episode. Mostly just happy this is where our slow burn ended up. Wouldn’t change a damn thing.

~~~

Side notes-non Chenford

The whole bomb SL with Pam makes me cry every time. It’s so tragic. Will say John was great with her rarely give him props but he does so good with her. Celina having to do the death notice kills me this ep is very emotional.

Bailey messing with John with the clowns is pretty funny LOL but idk how Bailey could think a coyote was a dog lmao ‘how did you get him In the crate?’ 😂

#Caitlin Rewatches The Rookie #chenford #chenford hiatus #waiting on S6 #winter rewatch #S5 #5x08 The Collar #the rookie 5x08 #otp: doing my job #otp: you know me so well. too well. #otp: some things matter more #otp: you did good #otp: you're nothing like him #otp: just doesn't feel like pretend #otp: unless it is #tim x lucy #tim bradford #lucy chen #the rookie #lucy x tim #eric winter #melissa o' neil #tim bradford x lucy chen

[weywookitswestwood]

HEYYO I FINISHED MY VIV CHARACTER ANALYSIS/BIO/HCS!! +18

(UPDATE: I added a few more hcs cuz I forgot to add them. I might remember more so expect the list to get a little longer)

Just putting a few content warnings out there before you go on scrollin’, there are some nsfw hcs down below so if you’re under 18, you’re in the wrong place. Also there is some mentions of family em*tional *buse and trauma so please skip if you don’t wanna read. Anyways, please enjoy~

Full name: Viviano Westwood (wasn’t born with a middle name)

Nicknames: Westwood, V, Viv, Vivi(don’t ever call him this, he’ll get mad), Vivikins(Or this), Big Guy/Fella/Lug, Vivano, Vibiano, Fabiano, Steve, Eastwood, Winwood, Jarhead(on second thought, only refer to him as either Westwood, V, or Viv)

Stand: Planet Waves (DISC)

Birthday: July 31st, 1983

Zodiac: Boar

Age: 28

Height: 6’1 (186 cm)

Nationality: American (Mostly of English and a bit of Italian descent)

Occupation: G. D. St. Prison guard

Personality: Large and in charge… sort of. Values brawn over brains. Not meaning he’s stupid, he’s just a simple man. Lacks in direction, both figuratively and literally. Because of his physical strength and his simple nature, he gets treated like an ox, whether it be from his parents or his job. Due to his upbringing, he has difficulty opening up or being sentimental. Instead, he copes through anger such as punching walls or snapping at people. He sees crying or being vulnerable as signs of weakness, another result from his upbringing. Likes to antagonize weak targets or criminals to make himself feel better. He claims he turned to the justice system because he wanted to keep evil people locked up for good from the public. That could be true, BUT others around him know there’s more to it than the reason he gives. Behind this mask, he’s an insecure and lonely man. Doesn’t have a spouse or kids or pets. He can be sociable, but doesn’t have any close friends. His love life is zero to none. He relishes in the heat of the moment, but once the discussion of marriage or starting a family is brought up, he’s out the door. Despite his flaws, he’s strong, resilient and yearns for excitement in his life. Perhaps being with the right people, he can find himself underneath that cold exterior and be a nicer, happier guy.

Favorite musician: Earth, Wind, & Fire, The Marshall Tucker Band(he’s a closeted country fan), and not a fan of the singer but he likes Fantasy by Mariah Carey

Favorite book: Playboy magazine

Favorite food: Anything SPICY

Background: Viviano was born in 1983 in Texas to a military veteran father and a hairdresser mother. From the time he was in diapers to 12 years of age, he lived a strict military lifestyle. No, his father wasn’t physical towards Viviano, but their relationship was better described as a “drill sergeant and cadet” dynamic than a “father and son” one. Basically this meant raising Viv how to be a “man” like teaching him how to use a gun at 4 years old and berating him if he began to cry. If there was one thing Viviano feared the most… it was his father. He had a close relationship to his mother, even being labeled a “momma’s boy” by his dad.

By 12, his parents divorced and he chose to go with his mother to Florida, not before his father called him a “disappointment”. For seven years, Viviano lived with his mom in Port Orange, Florida, being enrolled in junior high. While not as bad as his father and at times would be overly affectionate, his mom did boss him around. He was a growing boy after all, he was able to reach and physically do things that she couldn’t. At school, teachers looked down at him as a strong, yet intellectually incompetent boy, who could care less about his grades. Not only that, he needed to boss someone like how his parents bossed him, so he made a name for himself as a bully. He would continue to pick on classmates all through high school until his grades were so abysmal he had to be held back in his senior year and didn’t graduate until the year 2002 when he was about 19. Both of his parents were ashamed of this news.

After graduating high school, he tried to join the military but after three months of boot camp, he left. His father called him a “lost cause”. It was the most humiliating moment of his life. He got a job at a Miami customs house and was there for years until he was let go. He wouldn’t tell anyone why but supposedly it was due to his temper. At 25, he got a job as a prison guard at the Green Dolphin State Prison.

Random headcanons: (Warning: some are sfw/nsfw)

SFW:

-Has a bit of a gambling addiction

-Only child

-Not the best driver, gets worked up if he misses his turn

-Mf doesn’t wear socks (I know I bring this up constantly as a joke but this is canon)

-His mom cuts his hair

-Overheats easily, he’s always warm to the touch not even an ice bath will cool him down

-Big sports fan, especially football and baseball, his favorite teams are the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Marlins, respectively

-Has a really bad habit of cracking his knuckles

-Has naturally long eyelashes

-Doesn’t really have any talents besides bench pressing and being strong

-He can be self conscious about trivial things like being insecure about the size of his hands (he’s afraid of having small hands)

-Accidentally punched his grandma in the chest after tickling him too hard (she was okay just had to go to the hospital for a small fracture in her ribcage)

-Misses living in Texas

-He had a bit of a Texan accent growing up, it’s mostly gone but it’ll randomly come up when his voice cracks

-Sucks at flirting

-Doesn’t have a filter

NSFW:

-Not a virgin

-If you ask him who he’s into, he would say women but secretly, he’s a bit curious if ya catch my drift

-Doesn’t really have a type as long as the woman is of age, consenting, and isn’t a bitchy hag

-Likes being the dominant one when it comes to… ahem, the bed

-He likes to make anything into a “battle”; sex, play wrestling, tickle fights, etc. he’ll do whatever it takes to make his partner submit (psst hey you, yeah you, there’s a way to beat him, he’s super ticklish on his belly, ribs, and feet, get him in one of his death spots, he’ll be sobbing for mercy)

-Frequently gets hard ons, even in the most inconvenient of times (at work)

-Likes to be on top, but is nice enough to be a service top too

-Loves a partner who’s either a switch or just as domineering as he is

-One of his kinks is bondage, loves the idea of cuffing up his partner and letting his hands roam all over their body

-Can see him being a foot guy (dunno why, just cuz I guess); prefers to give than to receive because he’s ticklish but will be okay receiving it if his partner really wants to; but he loves foot jobs

-His favorite thing (I’m sorry everyone)… is CBT; any chance his partner is grabbing or crushing him down there, he’s on cloud nine (this part was honestly painful to write)

-Loves oral, receiving that is (but he likes to give as well)

[a-myriad-of-stars]

A shetchdump of my girl Maggie interacting with the turtles. After spending 8 years of her life essentially enslaved, being able to act like a person again was like putting on an old coat.

Leo likes to tease and make her flustered after some of the initial trauma goes away, but once they get together it only gets worse. Super cuddly, super affectionate, and Leo is super smug about it the whole time. They bond over comic books and movies, both things she loved as a little girl before Draxum stole her. One of their favorite things to do is watch superhero movies and tear the fight choreography apart, commenting on things like “that’s not how gravity works”, and “they never film in brightly lit areas because their fights are abysmal.” Their highest opinion is that splinter and Jackie Chan should choreograph a superhero movie, and watch all the stunt people just go crazy.

She and Raph like to watch wrestling together. It reminds Maggie of the better parts of the battle nexus, without the needless slaughter of innocent yokai. She also knows his soft spot for teddy bears, and if she sees one he might like, it will usually be found on his bed later that same day. Since she can shapeshift, Maggie is pretty much the only person besides frankenfoot that Raph can spar all out with. She turns into a bear or some other large creature, and they tear the dojo apart with how ferocious they can get. They always patch each other up afterwards though.

Being a fellow artist, she and Mikey are always drawing each other or collaborating on murals in the lair. At one point, they start painting on each other’s walls, making bigger and bigger pieces until their rooms were galleries of one another’s art. Maggie doesn’t cook much, and is somewhat particular in what she eats, but she always tries Mikey’s food even if she knows she won’t like it. She’s happy to be a sous chef for him, and do the prep cooking for his more elaborate meals, but is the first one to suggest takeout when something goes awry.

Donnie is her best friend. His curiosity over her genetic makeup and mutations drew them together. Maggie herself didn’t know the entirety of her biology, having only been the test subject, so she was just as curious and fascinated by what she and Donnie discovered. She knew if she stayed awake more than 48 hours, her form would destabilize into a blob, but it was a shock to Donnie and the others to say the least. He ended up carrying her in a bucket to the living room, laying out an inflatable pool, some pillows and a tarp, and let her rest until she reestablished her form enough to transfer her to a bed.

As far as being a notorious jacket thief (tm), it’s mainly just because she can. She hordes their favorite jackets in her room until someone comes looking for it, and they have to wrangle it off of her, or sneak into her room and steal it back. It’s a fruitless endeavor though, she always steals them again later.

During one summer, there was a festival happening in Central Park that celebrated Japanese heritage. As a special gift, Splinter bought yukatas for all four turtles, April and Maggie. Initially, the turtles thought it was purely a thoughtful gesture, until Maggie revealed she’d gone into the hidden city and bought (read: stolen) cloaking brooches so they could enjoy the festival. They spent the whole day eating food, playing games, and enjoying learning about Splinter’s, and by extension the boys’, heritage.

#maggie #rottmnt mikey #digital art #my art #art #rottmnt oc #rottmnt leo #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt raph #rottmnt splinter

[landlordevil]

Hello. I would like to know about the special teifling. I hear lying comes so easily to their forked tongue.

2-4 (please I must know about the family dynamics, please), 15, 16, and 23

(๑¯﹀¯๑)

HI BESTIE and favorite person to complain about this game with <3333

Lying comes SO easily to their forked tongue. I forgot abt it until I started playing as them again and Asty got inspired three separate times in the span of a few hours. He loves it when his boygirlfriend lies

2. Does your Tav have any siblings? Are they close?

Eins has a younger half-sister! They're not super close because they became half-siblings when Eins was already an adult but they're very affectionate w their family so they'd still kill for her... she's in her angsty teen phase now but Eins is unflappable so they're still like Yay family time ^_^ I love my sister who wants to kill me sometimes <333

3. Who was your Tav raised by?

Eins' mom is a cambion and their dad is a Zariel tiefling, so I'd like to think other tieflings recognize they've got a little more devil in them than most... I do think the vestigial wings they have in-game eventually sprout to become small wings- not large enough to fly with but enough to be really cute. Now they gotta DIY their outfits to be backless. But their parents divorced when they were young so Eins was mostly raised by their mom and her new Halfling wife!!! They're so in love it warms Eins' heart but could be sickening to the cynical crowd...

4. Is your Tav close with whoever raised them?

Eins doesn't stay in touch with their dad but DOES stay in touch w their moms... until the tadpole. They were too afraid to write- What would they write? Would their parents try to come looking for them and only find a mind flayer? Would it put them in danger?- so I imagine they come home one night after months of no communications and get the biggest earful of their life...

15. Answered this so I'll answer number... 9! Eins has the criminal backstory, which for me amounts to doing odd, less than legal jobs, occasionally stealing, and making temporary allegiances whenever it suited them... it was generally in pursuit of the greater good though. They've used their skills as a fighter to intimidate patriars, worked construction for a while, worked at a clothier until the store owner realized they were just giving outfits away for free and didn't gaf about making any profit... what a rascal

16. What's your Tav's favorite childhood memory?

Probably festival time!!! IDK what festivals are like in Baldur's Gate but I love the idea of little Eins dressing up to go listen to music and dance <3 they have music in their SOUL they should have been a bard TBH but they lack any and all musical talent. Kind of unrelated but when they make you play a song to [character you haven't met yet so I won't spoil it] I imagined it going just abysmally, real charlie kelly energy, so someone else had to step in and finish the job LMAO.

23. Share any hcs/anything you want to say about your Tav's backstory

HMMMMM well pre magic mirror update I had the headcanon that Eins changed their primary sex characteristics at random depending on the day (which has now become canon, thanks Larian!). They love sweetbreads, sometimes they lie about stupid things that don't matter just to see if anyone notices, they love to sing when they travel which used to get on everyone's nerves but once they all got a little closer it became charming, even to lae'zel (one of their closest friends who loves to hate on them all the time)

Also for a more serious headcanon I imagine that shortly after meeting Sebastian in Cazador's crypts Eins runs into a friend of theirs in that same cell, who had been taken only weeks before. But suddenly it all feels too real- the hypothetical "would it have been me in that cage?" that Astarion couldn't answer, didn't even want to think about, becomes a very resounding "yes". I think Astarion even tries to defend it- like it wasn't me! one of my siblings! she's only been in there for a few weeks!- It's the only time the companions have ever seen Eins that angry, angry at Cazador, angry at the world that let this happen, angry that so many people are considered this disposable... and they do lash out at Astarion when he tries to ascend as a result. Not one of their proudest moments, the both of them. But they came out of it OK, or as OK as they can be <3

Anyways TY and TY for sharing your run of BG3 with meeeeee I love hearing about it always and forever and thank you for letting me put Halsin's sex scene on your TV just so we could laugh at the way he leans against that tree

#even when we don't live together i torment you relentlessly. yayyy ^_^ #and idk i feel bad even making eins not the greatest or most mature bc i feel like i tangentially see so many tavs #that are endlessly accepting #but i think eins becomes real nasty during that quest. like no one's sure whether that relationship is gonna last #but in the last few moments i think eins realizes this. and reaches out. and then they slam in the back of their dragula <333 #eins

[kosmic-songbird]

Ik I don't really have a lot of followers but I wanted to make this announcement anyways. So, here goes, know that if you see any sad or venty posts I'm just going through it rn.

I'm going to try to tag these posts as #bad brain so you can block that tag if you need to because I know how it is when someone is constantly in doom and gloom mode without reprieve and I don't wanna force that on anyone. Not even unintentionally.

That being said, this blog is kinda my echo chamber so I will be using it here and there for some sad girl hours posting. Normally I wouldn't, but I just... I need somewhere to ramble without feeling like I'm going to overwhelm my loved ones.

So let's sum up why I feel The Worst™ right now, shall we? I recently lost a job I really liked because my Bipolar 2 disorder spiralled after I moved and I now have no money and feel like a constant burden. Searching for another job has been disastrous because my anxiety and aforementioned BP is acting up so bad I can't keep a sleep schedule, take my meds regularly, do basic things, or even regularly do things I love so I've been very selective about applying for jobs because I don't want to lose another one if I can't handle it. One of those things I'm floundering at is worshipping my Goddess (Hekate) my ancestral spirits (Cara and Great Grandpa Spurgeon) and my ancestral/land spirit (The Deer Woman--I'm a registered Lower Muskogee Native American but I look white AF and am more white than native so I normally keep my tribal practices and beliefs close to my chest. It's very personal to me alone so I don't feel it super appropriate to share much of that on here). My orchids are also hurting since I'm struggling and that hurts because I literally have 9 of them and they're all named. My dogs miss their momma being present and more affectionate. I think even my cat knows something is wrong. My physical health is abysmal too rn. My best friend decided that me setting some boundaries was too much for her and after a nasty falling out I'm starting to believe she used some sort of hex on me. I'm going home to my absurdly haunted house tomorrow to visit my family and I'm terrified because I tried banishing whatever the thing that hates me there was and it kept coming back within hours. I literally couldn't be in a room alone without being scared, emotionally distraught, or experiencing paranormal activity at that house by the end of it. Yet, even with that, I'm happy to go home to my somewhat problematic conservative, Christian family because hey, at least I'll be out of the house and talking to someone other than my boyfriend. (He's wonderful but I think we all need friends outside our significant others, no?) They're really, really excited to see me and it just feels like a tiny ray of light to be wanted. God, I even tried to sell my feet pics out of desperation 2 and my account on the site I was using got suspended??? I only uploaded once and didn't use the messaging system at all?? Like geez, I can't catch a break and it sucks. I really, really just want something to go right for me soon. My boyfriend can't keep working as hard as he is to take care of us both without my help and I owe it to myself to get better. I really want to feel better.

Okay, that's enough moping for now. I'm going to try to get on with it. Wish me luck 💙

#bad brain

[dracowars]

LOVED YOUR TOM RIDDLE. Can I please request a arranged marriage au where yn is in love with him but he hates her so when she decides to let him go or someone else wants to marry her, Tom finally realises he’s in love with her. happ ending :))))

my heart belongs to you | tom riddle

pairing: tom x black!reader

word count: 3,3k

summary: where tom and y/n are in an arranged marriage

a/n: i'm so sorry for being so inactive recently, uni is taking its toll on me.. i had to do a bit of research for this one and also tom is a pureblood here!

warnings: toxic relationship, violence

universe: harry potter

“Get out of my sight, will you?”, he angrily snaps at you out of nowhere, for the third time already on this still very early day. Furiously, he stomps past you, pushing you to the side harshly, the filled glasses on your tray swaying dangerously. Knowing that you should just leave him alone, you stand there completely frozen at the door, still feeling the breeze on your skin after he stormed past you.

The glasses clink on the serving tray as you try to keep your trembling hands under control, but you terribly fail while tears shoot into your eyes. A lump forms in your throat and you gasp in desperation, losing your composure after hearing the front door slam shut.

Slowly, you slump down and therefore with a loud rattle let happen what could have been foreseen already: a thousand shattered pieces of glass scattered across the floor around you while you cower against the wall, your elegant dress pulled over your knees, your forehead leaning against it. Heavy sobs rock through your body and tears find their way down your cheeks, dripping from your chin onto the expensive fabric of your dress.

You just wanted to spend some time with him. Together, in the house of your parents, who went on a daily trip with their close friends early in the morning, all part of the most notorious popular pureblood families in the wizarding world – the Nott’s, the Macmillan’s, the Malfoy’s, the Lestrange’s. And if his parents were still alive, probably with the Riddle’s as well.

This is primarily the reason why you even are in this position right now; crying and huddled in the living room because your fiancé hates you profoundly.

After graduating from Hogwarts last year, the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you, descendant of the pureblood Black family, got engaged to Tom Marvolo Riddle, the last living heir of the Riddle’s. He would offer you a good future, they said, and you would never have to worry about anything again.

But nobody knows that in reality, your own beloved fiancé really does not want to have anything to do with you. He does not even want to stay in the same room as you.

You can’t explain why he acts like this towards you. You do not know why he harbors such an abysmal hatred for you and any clear-headed, rational person would have done something about it long ago. Unfortunately for you, you feel the exact opposite for him.

Your heart belongs to him and only to him.

You have liked him since you first met him at Hogwarts, back in 1938, when the two of you were sorted into the Slytherin house. This initial friendly liking has quickly evolved into something more than that over the years and lead you to where you are now, at a point where you would have never seen yourself back then.

You have already tried everything to convince him that you are not as bad as he seems to think. Every morning you bring him his breakfast, you give him everything he needs. Even when you were still at Hogwarts, you always looked after him, finished his homework for him when he was too busy to do it by himself, and helped him pass all of his exams.

And not once did you hear a thank you. Not then and not now either.

Slowly gathering your thoughts together again, you rub the long sleeves of your velvet dress over your damp face, wiping away all of your tears before you get up on shaky legs and begin to clean up the mess that you have created. After you went back to the kitchen with the broken pieces and some injuries on your hands, your gaze longingly slides out the window.

Outside, the sun stands high over the magnificent garden of the mansion, making the clear water in the fountain shimmer in its bright light. A gentle breeze blows through the air and rustles through the perfectly cut trees that line a small path through the garden.

The loud, excited voices that suddenly roar through the house snap you out of your daydream and you quickly wipe the blood from your fingers before you step into the huge marble entrance hall. You arrive at the front door just in time to open it for your parents, who, to your surprise, did not come back alone. You are amazed to find not too familiar faces in front of you as they climb up the stairs to the door where you are still standing.

“And that has to be Y/N. Oh, how you have grown!”, an older man smiles friendly at you and you return his smile with a certain uncertainty in your face.

“Darling, we brought guests over for dinner today. You surely remember the Lestranges?”, your father announces happily and only now do the faces that you have seen at numerous balls and celebrations seem familiar again. Especially one.

“Reinhard?”, you ask in amazement when you spot him standing behind his parents, a big smile on his face when he sees you.

“Y/N, how nice to see you again”, he grins, carefully pushing his way past your parents in order to slightly bow venerably to you, taking your hand in his to place a kiss on the back of it. “It has been some time.”

“I am sure you have a lot to tell each other”, your mother mentions in a sweet voice, but before she can continue, she watches how your facial expression changes from one second to the other as you look past them, out into the yard.

Next to the carriage with which they have returned, Tom is standing now, petting one of the splendid noble white horses before he joins all of you.

“Tom! There you are, I was already wondering where you went”, your father says, visibly pleased when he too spotted his future son-in-law, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“Reinhard?”

“Tom?”

Within a few seconds, the two former best friends lay in each other’s arms, obviously happy to finally see the other again.

“Let us go inside. We want to show you our newest masterpiece of art in our wonderful collection, come on”, your mother announces happily and leads the Lestranges inside, but not without turning around to you once more. “The children can catch up on what they have missed.”

“I can’t believe it! You are really here, Tom. Man, you look even better than at Hogwarts”, Reinhard laughs, playfully pushing Tom to the side while you watch them in silence. “What are you doing here with the Blacks?”

“They kindly took me in”, Tom lies to him and for a moment you think he threw you a glance out of the corner of his eyes after uttering these words. His statement makes Reinhard realize that you were still there with them, who had apparently completely forgotten that you were even there.

“I am so happy to see you again, Y/N!”, he grins and takes a step closer to you, probably to be able to take a closer look at you. “Still just as beautiful as I imagined. And just as smart, I guess?”

Reinhard’s sudden compliments make you blush and your cheeks glow, which is why you nervously avert your gaze from him, directly falling on Tom, who looks at the scene in front of him with incredible resentment.

Unlike Tom, Reinhard was always there for you. You spent a lot of time together in your school days and if your parents had known about your close friendship, you are sure that he would have been your fiancé by now. Which, to be honest, does not sound bad anymore right now.

And yet your heart still belongs to Tom.

When you all sit together at dinner later in the evening, where your parents are talking about irrelevant things like Ministry of Magic, you keep making eye contact with Reinhard, who seems to be staring at you.

“Is there something on my face?”, you ask uncertainly and put your glass back on the table when you can no longer bear his piercing gaze.

“No, no, not at all. I was just wondering how a beautiful witch like you could have become so much more stunning”, Reinhard winks at you, causing you to swallow hard. You are not used to getting compliments, especially not from a handsome young man like him. Before you can answer to him, however, there is a loud clink and you startle, your eyes immediately fixed on the cause of the noise.

The glass, which you have certainly placed far away from the edge, is now lying in your lap, the little liquid that was still inside now spread over your elegant evening gown. You move your chair back in shock when, in the corner of your eye, you see how Tom puts away his wand. And not only did you notice Tom just now, but the rest of them follow your gaze.

“Tom, darling, how about you tell our guests how you and our daughter got to know each other”, your mother suddenly prompts him, not even realizing that he has just deliberately spilled your drink on you. But why did he in the first place?

„I would love to“, Tom puts on a really believable smile that no one but you questions and starts telling them how you met and fell in love with each other. He tells one lie after another, explaining the web of lies that you have spun around you over time to make your relationship as credible as possible, at least in front of other people. And suddenly nobody cares about you or your still soaking wet dress anymore.

“What a wonderful story”, Mrs. Lestrange applauds and everyone else seems to be completely enthusiastic about Tom’s fairytale. To top it off, he then reaches across the table to take your hand in his, just like a real affectionate couple would do.

You lower your gaze as he gently strokes the back of your hand with his thumb, trying your best to not show how uncomfortable you are. Oh, how much you wish that this were real, that Tom would actually treat you like this when you are alone, the same way as he does in front of your parents.

But he does not and deep down you know that he will never do.

“So, you are engaged?”, Reinhard scrutinizes the statement of his former best friend, his eyes focused on you suspiciously, as if he is expecting an answer from you and not from Tom. A slight pressure on your hand makes you flinch and look up.

“Y-Yes”, you force a smile onto your lips, whereupon Tom seems satisfied with your answer, letting go of your hand again with a - what seemed to you like a – disgusted expression on his face.

An uncomfortable silence spreads between the three of you, which is drowned out by the loud conversation of the adults on the other side of the table. Finally, making up your mind, you clear your throat loudly and get up from your chair, gaining everyone’s attention in a matter of seconds.

“Excuse me, I have to go freshen up for a moment”, you explain with a slight polite bow before turning away to leave the dining room.

“Reinhard, would you be so kind and help Y/N”, Mr. Lestrange asks his son, who stands up with furrowed brows, apparently just as surprised about this sudden request as you, but then follows you out into the hallway with no further objection.

“I really do not need any help, thank you”, you try to get rid of him as you walk up the large staircase leading to the first floor together, only wanting to be alone.

“Dinner like these are totally boring anyway”, he chuckles softly and shows no intentions of leaving your side any time soon, which is why you do not even try to search for further arguments. He follows you to your room where you are able to tear yourself away from him to put on a new dress while he waits outside in front of the door.

With an equally elegant burgundy red dress you step out of your room after a few minutes, Reinhard’s eyes greeting you with a sparkle.

“Wow”, he breathes out barely audible and takes you hand without asking to swirl you around, causing your dress to fly around gorgeously. Unintentionally, warmth rises in your face again and your hearts makes a barely noticeable jump inside your chest when he looks deep into your eyes after catching you back in his arms.

The loud clearing of a throat behind you makes you turn around in shock, only to see that Tom himself is now standing at the end of the corridor, not seeming very enthusiastic.

“We did not see you there, Tom”, Reinhard disguises his obvious nervousness with a laugh, acting like Tom had just caught you in doing something he should not have seen. Tom, however, does not even react to his words, but looks past Reinhard at you, his eyebrows raised meaningfully.

But when you do not move under his piercing gaze, his facial expression changes and he quickly approaches you, Reinhard instinctively pushing you behind him so that you can only see Tom approaching further over his shoulder. Before neither you nor Reinhard can say or do anything, Tom has already pulled out his wand and aims it directly at Reinhard, who flies back through the air only a few seconds later, hitting the hard marble floor at the end of the corridor with a thud.

“What the-?!”

“Come with me”, Tom orders, now standing directly in front of you. When you stubbornly refuse, he suddenly grabs your wrist to pull you away from there. No matter how much you fight against his firm grip, you cannot tear yourself away from him as he pulls you into the closest room, which turns out to be the library.

Once there, you can finally free yourself from his tight grip, but before you can reach for the doorknob to leave immediately, he locks the door with a spell. Angrily, you turn to him, despair written all over your stunning face.

“What is this supposed to be, Tom? Let me out of here, now!”, you command him in a loud voice, not caring if anybody can hear.

“What did he want from you?”, he asks you urgently and steps closer to you. Since the door is in your back, every possible escape route is blocked, and you are caught.

“We just talked to each other, you know. Like normal people do”, you answer irritably and cross your arms in front of your chest, not in the mood to justify yourself, especially not in front of someone who does not care about you at all and not after what he has done.

“But that did not look like it.”

“Tom, stop it.”

“You belong to me and nobody else!”

These words coming out of his mouth echo loudly through the dark library, his face wrapped in an eerie candlelight. Before you can even control yourself and fully process what he said, you severely slap him.

Frightened by your own horrible deed, you immediately pull your hand away, your gaze filled with fear, but the anger that keeps building up inside of you winning the upper hand after all.

“How dare you call me your property?!”, you scream in rage and tears form in your eyes because of your uncontrollable anger. However, Tom needs a moment to collect his thoughts after your heavy smack before he can answer you.

“You are my fiancé”, he spits out coldly, a touch of shock in his voice, apparently not expecting you to react like this.

“And that does not make me nowhere near your property! You never treat me like your fiancé anyway, so why now all of a sudden?!”, you bicker at him, your voice loud and constant, even though you would like to flee from this situation right away if you were able to.

But Tom does not have an answer.

“Fine, okay. If you have nothing to say to me, like you never have, then I will go back now and ask my parents to end this damn failed engagement and engage me with someone else who truly cares for me!”

Suddenly, without letting you time to catch your breath after your outburst, he presses you with your back against the door completely, his hands tightly grabbing your wrists, a little too tight for your personal liking.

“You mustn’t do that”, he softly whispers, his head lowered as if he does not dare to look you in the eyes.

“What is stopping me?”, you hiss, still full of anger and – probably for the very first time – hatred towards him.

But when you feel his lips on yours all of a sudden, all of these emotions evaporate and all that remains is your racing heartbeat, which is being repaired at this very moment. You never would have thought that at some point in your life the moment would come when Tom Marvolo Riddle, who absolutely loathes his fiancé, kisses you.

After kissing you, he looks straight into your eyes, and the Tom you met in 1938 is standing in front of you again. The Tom you fell so deeply in love with.

“I can’t explain it to you”, he finally breaks the silence, his gaze directed to the floor as he moves away from you, giving you enough space to breathe regularly again. You, however, do not say anything but just stare at him.

“I was not aware that I am capable of feeling such feelings for someone. I am unfamiliar with this feeling and I did not know how to deal with it, Y/N. I treated you badly because I did not want it to be true, I did not want to accept it. I could not imagine having feelings for the little nuisance that has always been running after me”, Tom explains, choosing each and every single word very carefully, trying to put his emotions into words which does not really work the way he would like it to. But that is how you know him. You know that this confession must be extremely difficult for him, but you can’t help but feel a sense of relief inside of you.

“When?”, you ask and manage, with this tiny little word, to make him look up at you. “When did you know?”

“Since I have been here. You served me every day and took care of me, even though I wanted to push you away from me with all of my might. You have already helped me so many times in the past without me even asking, you have always accepted me for who I am”, he desperately tries to but his feelings into words, asking himself what he is even doing right now.

“Tom..”

“No, I have to sincerely apologize to you. I had no right to treat you the way I did. And also today.. when I saw you with him and how well you got along, it finally became clear to me. Reinhard has felt something for you since our school days, I know that even though I could never understand, but now I do. I understand why he fell in love with you”, Tom continues without breathing, pouring out all of his feelings that he has hidden for so long.

“I understand if you want to dissolve this engagement and I will not stop you if that is what you want”, he quickly adds, looking at you with desperation in his eyes. He already prepares himself for the worst when you are the one getting closer to him this time.

“Idiot”, you smile slightly and place a gentle kiss on his lips while he looks at you puzzled. “I love you, I thought you knew that.”

“I know, but-“

“But nothing”, you interrupt him and take his hand to lead it to your fast pounding heart. “It always belonged to you.”

#tom riddle #tom marvolo riddle #tom riddle imagine #tom riddle imagines #tom riddle fanfiction #tom riddle ff #tom riddle fic #tom riddle fluff #tom riddle angst #tom riddle one shot #tom riddle os #tom os #tom one shot #tom angst #tom fluff #tom imagine #tom imagines #tom riddle x reader #tom riddle x you #tom riddle x y/n #hp imagine #hp imagines #harry potter imagine #harry potter imagines #harry potter x reader

[cozycryptidcorner]

Monster Match #11

A monster match for the fabulous @cinderembersoul​

Hi I go by Cinder, online and irl because I hate my real name (often times I can still hear my mother yelling it.) I'm 5' 4"and the small one of my group of friends. My pronouns are she/her/princess/her highness/my lady, because I am very much a princess. I am a polyamorus bisexual with a preference of men, a bit of a sadist (lemme hear those boys), subby, and sex positive asexual on top of all that. I have a love for animals, have a cat and dog, and want more but we can't afford that. I play ttrpg games, video games (been playing since I was old enough to hold a controller), stream, write, draw, and occasionally play trading card games. I love making cosplays, building model kits, sewing, knitting, sculpting, and taking things apart to see how they work.

I am known to walk around wearing a tiara, I'm not kidding. I wear lolita dresses and feel as though I am much younger than I actually am. I never matured properly which I believe has contributed to my princess and lolita mindset. I am a collector, not yet a hoarder, but my life is cluttered. I can find sentimentality in almost everything and want to hang onto the past best I can, or else it will fade.I also have a little spiritual sensitivity, but mostly don't mess with it. I'm super lucky when it comes to winning things, but never anything like the lotto. My grandfather's side of the family has history of a witch's coven that actually had table raisings, curses on the neighbors for stealing milk from their cow, and grimoires.

There are many benefits to being the scandalous lover of a Jotun prince.

One of them is being magically altered to better acclimate to the cold.

And it’s true, here, in this frosted Otherworld, there are days where it’s so cold that your eyelashes would have frosted over, lungs paralyzing and muscles failing. The temperature is abysmally low, lower than anything most human beings are used to. Despite the fact that a cup of boiling water freezes when thrown out the window, your magicked heart, lungs, and fingers never feel much more than a touch of chill when venturing in the dangerous outside.

Your wing of the palace (well… your boyfriend’s wing, but what’s his is yours amiright) is larger than any house you could feasibly own back on Earth. It’s almost how you imagine old noble estates to be, a whole section of a much larger castle bustling like it’s own special colony. Kitchen, staff, studios, a library, rooms galore, the wing has it all. The best part, though, is the bedroom itself, a cozy space that’s cluttered from floor to ceiling with bookshelves. The bed is serving frost giant realness, at least twice the size of a king, loaded to the brim with furs and pillows. No one’s dying of frostbite beneath the mountain of warmth, especially when you cuddle against your jotun in the night.

The palace is enormous, carved from stone and ice. The cliff it's perched on is so high that fog completely obscures the waves crashing into the rocky beach first thing in the morning. If you were to walk from the furthest point of the castle, down to the other, it would take from first light to noon... but you would be taking your sweet time. The architecture and sculptural work decorating the halls are enough to slow your speedrun out of awe. The nights stretch on longer than day, bursts of Aurora Borealis whirling along the horizon and reflecting against the ice walls.

He’s a bit of an enigma, cold and distant when in public, but melts almost immediately in your private company. Like a puzzle waiting for your fingers to pick open, with a stony expression and tight gaze, he always seemed like a god above all else, even in the presence of his super royal family. Your jotun isn’t like his overly affectionate brother (who has somehow knocked up every other woman in the kingdom), or the vicious but supremely friendly sister (that has more enemy kills that the chief assassin under her belt). Being the youngest, he has to be an almost entirely different entity from the rest of his siblings, careful not to seem too ambitious, lest the other two feel threatened.

Despite his cold exterior, your jotun is the type to privately shower you in affection once the doors of his room are locked. Whatever you want, it’s yours, all you have to do is look at something with a slight yearning and boom, it’s on your pillow tomorrow. He’ll pet your hair and murmur apologies if he seemed especially brusque that day, muscles finally relaxed after being so very tense for most of his waking moments.

People say that he looks like his mother more than his father, the soft features of a gentle spirit. He will never say that he likes the comparison, but he does. His eyes are like blood rubies, dark and blank during the day, but sparkling with youth and serenity during the night. His hair is a dusty cold steel, the color of the sky when the sun finally meets its end past the horizon. His freckles look like stars, a smattering of white against his nose and cheeks, and his skin is the milky blue of a shallow lake. He’s tall, but you suppose that comes with the territory of being a giant, though not as large as the rest of his family due to his half blood status.

For all his softened features, he can turn around and be blindingly cruel. It’s for survival and nothing more, growing up in the barbaric tundra can do that to a person. After his mother died and his father finally resolved his status as a bastard, your jotun began to claw and scrape his way up the social ladder. All the while, he has to balance the speed and success of his campaigns, making sure to meet just beneath his siblings’ accomplishments, while remaining just good enough to escape complete dismissal. It’s an exhausting endeavor, and his only sanctuary is you.

His mother was a light elf princess, seduced by his father into running away from her family. That somehow makes him valuable enough to be recognized as an official child, the blood of the elves fraught with magic, but also making him a legitimate candidate to the throne his mother almost grasped. As one can imagine, finding the roguishly handsome male she ran away with being already married did a number on her psyche, and despite her fight and fury, it wasn’t his father’s priority to marry her. Now, the nobles whimper and cry about her dying of a broken heart, but the servants mumble about a specialized poison, and your jotun is more inclined to trust the eyes of those who see everything.

His greatest fear is that you will be next, but your humanity brings just low of a status to be written off by the rest of the court. So far. But you have enough bite and are willing to learn the art of Fucking Shit Up, so you’ve been dabbling in magic, all taught by him. He’s a good teacher, his demeanor understanding and sweet in the face of failure, though you can see the stress of your threatened demise is doing a number on his mind. His main goal, for now, is figuring out how to return to his mother’s realm in the hopes that her family will offer sanctuary, though the trip must be taken under the guise of secrecy.

He will do whatever it takes, though, to make sure the both of you make it out alive.

#monster match #jotun

[shepherds-of-haven]

so from my understanding, people learn to ride both horses and ahfuri in blest? or which of the characters know only one way, and which way do they prefer? do they all have assigned ahfuri like mc does??

Hi there, great question! So most people only know how to ride one type of mount, if any at all, with horses being the most common type of transportation: not that many people employ ahfuri, as they’re both more expensive to take care of and generally associated with Diminished riders, but they’re the most efficient mode of transportation across long distances and different types of terrain. But most/all Shepherds receive training in riding ahfuri, even if it’s minimal, in the event that they have to go cross-country for a mission! It’s not....... thorough training though, so some riders are very new at it!

Blade: he grew up riding horses, but he rode ahfuri starting as a younger adult, so he’s adept with both ways. His current ahfuri is a panthera war breed who is just as finicky as he is, named Araxes, but he also uses a second traveling cat for long-distance travel, Foltza.

Trouble: he didn’t grow up riding anything, so he’s pretty uncomfortable on a horse and looks abysmally bad on one (his seat is all heavy and awkward and he just looks like he’s going to fall off at any moment). He’s better on an ahfuri, but not much better. He’d prefer walking, riding in a carriage, or taking a train lol. His assigned ahfuri is an alert golden tawny cat named Amity.

Tallys: she’s equally comfortable and knowledgeable on any kind of mount, horses or ahfuri, but she grew up using ahfuri. Her spotted leopard-breed ahfuri is named Nikita, and is a descendant of her original ahfuri from her clan, Mikiri!

Shery: Shery actually knows how to ride a horse from when she was younger, but is now incapable of riding one, as one threw her when she was around 10-12 and she’s had a fear of riding and skittishness around horses ever since. She definitely can’t ride an ahfuri, but because she never leaves the city, it’s not a problem!

Riel: he can ride a horse, but dislikes doing so, so catch him in a fancy stagecoach or nothing! He has no interest in learning how to ride an ahfuri, either.

Chase: he can ride a horse fairly competently, but generally prefers walking. But when he was given an ahfuri when he joined the Order, he took to it like a fish takes to water! His ahfuri is a lazy black spotted cat named Azurah.

Red: he’s comfortable on horses and grew up riding them: he’s an adept and able rider when given a good steed. The first time he rode an ahfuri was with the Order, so he’s still a pretty nervous rider around them, but he gets by. For whatever reason the handler was mean and gave him an old fussy ahfuri who likes to show his teeth: Goeri.

Ayla: she only rode an ahfuri once or twice before joining the Order, and a horse several times as well, though only in the context of hired jobs. She’s fine with horseback riding but LOVES ahfuri riding and spends a lot of time spoiling her sand-colored ahfuri, Shishka, in the cattery.

Halek: he’s somewhat of a unique case because he came with his own mount, a kind of giant elk that the Hunters use in the Reach. The elk is a rare breed that can keep up with most ahfuri, so Halek is allowed to use his rather than being assigned a horse or an ahfuri.  

Briony: she doesn’t remember if she’s ridden a horse or an ahfuri, but she takes to both as if she has very naturally! She loves her assigned ahfuri, an affectionate but savage cream-white plains-cat named Serrasri. 

Lavinet: she’s extremely adept on horseback and has never ridden an ahfuri before joining the Order. She’s okay at it, but misses her stallion and uses him whenever she gets the chance. Her assigned ahfuri is (ironically) somewhat of a diva and is named Iras. 

#anon #Shepherds of Haven #mount #mounts #all characters #horse #ahfuri #riding

[lordcarlisle]

C L O U X

Headcannon A-Z

Answered under the Cut!

Caregiver: Harry is the kind of person who tried to take care of everyone; he's often a chronic people pleaser. If someone asked for his help he would say yes usually before he even knows what he's helping with. He would help with anything from house moving to babysitting. He is the kind of person who wants to make life easier for others. That being said, he is abysmal at receiving help and he will bend over backwards before he relents to be helped.

Lover: Harry is someone who thinks love is very important but doesn't really know how to express it. His bringing wasn't about outward shows of love. Harry is affectionate in his own way. He is a gift-giver, in that if he sees something that he thinks would cheer up someone that he cares about he will get it for them without hesitation. His gift-giving also extends to cooking and baking. If he makes a meal or a dessert for you, you can know that he is showing his affections, whether romantic or otherwise. But for someone who has a lot of love to give, he spends little on himself.

Organizer: Harry is usually organized, but he definitely is the kind of person who has his own system that can oftentimes be confusing for others. It's a sort of organized chaos in a way. However, it is very obvious when his system falls apart and he starts to unravel. That is usually brought on by a bad case at work, his mental health taking a dip, or a family issue.

Ugly: Harry does not consider himself attractive no matter how many times his friend, family, and partners have told him so. Years of abuse from his father and brother overshadowed his physical self-confidence. Traits in people that he finds unattractive would include unabashed cruelness, unearned and obnoxious self-importance, and those who think themselves to be much cleverer than they actually are.

Xceptional: The person he finds most exceptional in life would probably be his mother, solely because he finds it to be exceptional that she still somehow has a love for his father. When it comes to excitement, Harry gets rather engaged in cricket, which causes much teasing. Also, the closer he gets to solving a case the more excited he becomes. His excitement often manifests itself through excessive grinning and chattiness. Rules with exceptions are a whole other kettle of fish. He likes to think that he never breaks his own rules but often finds that he might have one drink too many or sneak a quick smoke at lunch. His rule-breaking and his vices go hand in hand.

#[headcannons] #answered #theasteriae

[monkeymindscream]

You've had Warden Wrath hcs, what about our dear Emperor Belos?

Of COURSE I have headcanons for Emperor Belos I love him!!

- He is ridiculously charismatic. This is the guy who managed to gain the support of an entire populace and radically alter their way life shortly after appearing seemingly from nowhere. Even if we assume that the majority of that influence came from people believing he could talk to the Titan, he still would’ve had to make them believe he could in the first place. A big part of the borderline-worship admiration his subjects have for him stems from his people skills back before he shut himself up in his castle.

- Pumpdrake spice season is his favorite time of year. What is a pumpdrake, you ask? It’s the botanical Frankenstein of a pumpkin and a mandrake. Instead of “carving jack’o’lanterns,” the tradition on the Boiling Isles is to hunt and slay the pumpdrake with the face/expression you want. Afterwards you gut your kill then display its rigor-mortis-ridden carcass on your porch or in your window or something. The guts themselves are super flavorful, with the smaller, more yellow-y ones being more savory (often used in soups and things) and the darker orange ones being sweet (the aforementioned pumpdrake spice). EB will eagerly consume literally anything containing pumpdrake spice in it. — Also: Like on Earth, there’s kind of a stigma against openly liking pumpdrake spice, because God forbid anyone be allowed to like harmless things on this wretched plain of existence. It’s a good way to get yourself labeled as “basic,” actually. Enter our Emperor, gracefully not giving a damn. Should he ever come across anyone complaining about people liking pumpdrake spice, he’d likely take great pleasure in materializing behind them and politely interjecting, “Well I happen to quite like pumpdrake spice, actually; would you care to explain to me why you’re so offended by it?” then quietly enjoy the rest of his drink as they shat themselves and tried to backpedal. — I have no idea how he enjoys the aforementioned drink while wearing his mask. Maybe he pours it into his eyes like he did with the palisman innards; maybe he has some sort of proboscis that pokes out from under his mask that he uses to slurp it up. Maybe he just uses a straw. Who’s to say.

- He has a genuine soft spot for Kikimora. This derives solely from the fact that he called her “Kiki” at the end of Young Blood, Old Souls. Like yes I know Lilith called her “Kiki” too and they obviously didn’t care for each other, but look: as far as we’d seen up until that moment EB referred to people almost exclusively by their formal full name/an unshortened form of their first name (“Edalyn/Lilith Clawthorne”), or by a derisive title (“Human”). But he gave Kikimora a (seemingly honestly affectionate??) nickname of sorts. Plus she’s essentially his face and mouth when he either doesn’t feel like making public appearances or just plain can’t - that has to imply at least some level of trust there. — Kiki’s fully aware of this, and is insufferably smug about it. She’s lucky the Isles’ Top Dog likes her, because literally no one else does. (She’s not particularly bothered.)

- Romance is his favorite book genre, believe it or not. Or at least it would be if the writers on the Boiling Isles could step away from clichés for five freaking seconds. — DO NOT GET HIM STARTED ON PINIET PUBLISHING HOUSE THEIR BOOKS ARE THE WORST OFFENDERS OF THEM ALL. Hell, their books are the reason half those clichés are even clichés to begin with - they mass produce utter shit. He’s wanted to petrify righteously arrest Piniet for years, but Kiki always stops him by pointing out that the publishing company’s books are wildly popular amongst his coven (the whole Isle, really, but speaking specifically here) and destroying the source would likely cause a massive dip in morale. And anyway, he hasn’t technically done anything legally wrong that they could bring him in for - it’s ultimately more trouble than it’s worth.

- He’s fucking clueless when it comes to some of the actual responsibilities that come with keeping an empire running. Don’t get me wrong, he understands there are certain things that need to get done, and he understands why they need to be done. He just doesn’t have the instincts for how. Like if some official-whoever were to come up to him and ask him “Emperor,  how do you plan to stimulate the economy in some of the Isles’ poorer areas?” he’d be lost. Fuck if he knows, man, how is one person supposed to be able to answer that?? He knows magic - he has dissected magic down to its core and could list the names of all its squishy bits by heart. He knows greater-scope things. He does not know how to break-up infighting between two townships. — When he’s asked questions like this, he will usually respond by looking to his right. Kiki (who was standing there, waiting) will then promptly step forward, say something to the effect of “The Emperor has discussed this issue with me previously, he is of the mind that-” and will then offer a suggestion. No one questions it because well the Emperor is sitting literally right there, so obviously if he had any issues with it he’d have punted the little gremlin into orbit by now, right? Everyone just assumes EB doesn’t feel like repeating himself when he’s already discussed it with his assistant. Truth is Kiki pulled that out of her ass on the spot. Lucky for the Isles she’s good at her job. — This plays a big part in why EB’s likes Kiki so much. She takes a good chunk of responsibility and stress off his shoulders so he can focus on whatever mysterious tasks the Titan may (or may not we’ll have to see) be instructing him to complete.

- His omnipresent/all-seeing shtick comes from his connection to the Titan. By virtue of the Isle literally being made from their body, the Titan is, essentially, everywhere. Therefore, EB’s awareness spreads everywhere. This has limits, obviously, since at the end of the day EB’s just one person and can only split his focus so many ways (not to mention it takes more energy to “see” the farther he looks away from his physical self), but it’s still more than what most people can do. Even more than what most Oracle witches can do.

- He takes abysmal care of himself. Yes, I know, it’s shocking to think that the guy who’s dumping magic goop into his face wouldn’t be a paragon of self-care, but trust me on this one. He will go days without sleep then get frustrated that his body is behaving so sluggishly; he’ll neglect to eat until his stomach is so empty it’s cramping, and he’ll still put it off for “just a bit more, it can wait for just a little longer.” The man is a disaster. — This also actually stems from his connection with the Titan. Over time, EB has become so entwined with it (see: its heart beating faster when he’s agitated/excited) that his own body has slowly stopped registering its own needs. Its attuned to what the Titan needs, and the Titan doesn’t need anything. Which is a flawed fucking system, really, because he still needs everything, he just has no way to gauge when or how much anymore.

- The reason the main nine covens are “the main nine” is specifically because they’re each a track of magic that EB is proficient in. And as the creator of the coven system, he got first say in which ones were quote “important.”

I have more (because if left sit long enough I could talk about my favorite characters for days) but a good chunk of what’s left kind of move out of “headcanon” territory and into “theories,” so I’ll stop here. If anyone’s interested in hearing the theories (or AUs, or ships, or whatever) feel free to send an ask and I’ll ramble some more.

#owl house #muttering about owls #Emperor Belos #testingforcake23

[smallest-turtle]

🌹 Where in the world does your OC feel most at home? Is there any reason why? If it’s not the place they were born, where were they born? Is there a certain somebody that makes them feel at home where ever they may be? What does home mean to them?

🍂 Does your OC enjoy hugs? What do they do as a show of affection for: their friends, their family, their significant other(s) or for strangers? Over all what are they like with recieving affection from others?

For Deidre or her siblings

:D!!! I'll do both Deidre and Caelen for each

Deidre

Deidre feels most at home in Ishgard. It's the place she's spent the most time actually Living in since she left the farm, after moving between the guild dorms, various inns, her short lived time in her apartment, and her sparse room with the Scions throughout ARR. It's also where the actually positive paternal figure in her life is found even before she was officially adopted. She was born on a farm located on the Twelveswood side of the mountain range at the edge of Mor Dhona, about a days ride from Silvertear Lake. Haurchefant feels like home for pre-sundering reasons. Home is where she doesn't have to be the warrior of light. She can engage in her own pursuits, not worry about the greater things, and be a bit selfish.

Deidre is a probably surprisingly affectionate person, mostly because it takes a while and so few of the Scions have actually gotten to that point with her. She is very huggable and nothing short of a second bed will stop her from cuddling in her sleep if you're near. No sense of personal space in bed from growing up with three to four siblings to a mattress. Makes up for empty space with more pillows than she should be able to fit between when sleeping alone because it's lonely otherwise. She tends to show affection with food or hand made gifts, as well. Thancred's daggers, for example, or most of Arenvald's gear. She also shows affection through teaching which Alphinaud is on the receiving end of against his will at some point after the road trip because the fact that he doesn't know how to hunt OR cook is abysmal. Time spent in each other's company, doing separate things, also counts. As far as strangers go she just does what she thinks is polite for the situation. Affection that is for her, and isn't lumped in with praise for the 'warrior of light' is clung to. (Sorry [redacted] but your hero worship ruins just about anything you're going to say for her)

Caelen

Honestly Caelen feels most at peace on a ship, or near the ocean. The word 'home' still puts him back at the farm, in his mind. That's what he came from, it didn't change for him the way it did his sister. Home will always be where he grew up, but that's not a happy thing. He's at peace when he knows he's traveling, or easily can be again. Being around Deidre brings an old familiarity, but not enough like old times that it gets sour. They were always the closest pair of the older bunch. Being around Alphinaud also helps him feel settled.

Caelen is also physically affectionate, but it comes out as more casual things like shoulder touches, sitting close to someone, casually being in one another's space rather than sort of. Bursts of hugs like Deidre. He sleeps the same as her though. An absolute sprawler. Alphinaud has gone to sleep on one side of the bed and woken up on the other very often due completely to Caelen not letting go when he turns to his other side in his sleep. He also shows affection by making himself available, and checking in with people when he's concerned rather than just waiting for someone to ask for help. He can get a little presumptuous or overbearing with help that isn't asked for but thats from overcorrecting in a household where fucking NO ONE, EVER, ASKS FOR HELP. (Glares at Deidre and their dad). He also clings to affection but especially praise. Its the dad issues.

#deidre hunt #caelen hunt #ask prompts #its three am #text #ffxiv #ffxiv ocs #my post #writers room #thabk u <3 these were fun to explore

[blundergato]

Rise of the TMNT is the best incarnation of the ninja turtles and it’s not even close.

It’s absolutely the best depiction of siblinghood. The way the turtles always joke on each other, but never in a mean spirited way...and even when they do legitimately get annoyed with each other, it never lasts that long and they make up. The brothers are so loving and affectionate with each other ALL the time.

None of the other versions of the turtles, not the IDW comics, not the 2k3 cartoon, certainly not the abysmal 2k12 version...none of them can match Rise in this aspect.

The boys also feel like actual teenagers too as opposed to adults who happen to be teens. Other good version of the show could write the turtles as more teen-like, but it was never consistent in the way that Rise was.

And I know I’ve said this before, but Rise April completely shits on EVERY single April that came before. April is treated as the fifth turtle; as an integral part of the family. She has her own life and personality outside of the turtles. She’s treated as an equal.

Me and my sister talked about this recently, but April in previous versions just...isn’t all that compelling as a character by herself. She’s obviously an important character, but either the age difference (2k3, the comics) or shit-ass writing (2k12) severely limited her interactions with the turtles.

The strength of Rise is that from episode ONE it establishes April as a completely integral part of the group. She’s not a blank slate personality who happens to know a bunch of turtles. She’s a fully realized character.

Splinter in Rise...also easily the best version of the character too. I remember when I first saw his design, I thought he was pretty gross looking and that’s exactly what they were going for. But I wasn’t into it. What a fool I was.

Hamato Yoshi/Lou Jitsu/Splinter is a complex character on his own OUTSIDE of just being the turtle’s dad/teacher. He’s not some ultra wise sensei anymore. He’s a character who fits under the “chosen one” role, but who completely rejected and ran away from that role. And that is SO fascinating. He’s vain and arrogant, but also deeply unsure of himself in terms of his responsibilities to the Hamato clan.

And I saw someone else on this site mention this, but his new origin story kind of fixes some of the weirder aspects of the TMNT franchise, namely the Foot Clan. There are no more ninja clans running around in present day. Splinter is just one person in a long line of warriors sworn to protect the world against an ancient evil. It does a lot to fix a lot of the weird orientalism that plagues a lot of the past TMNT incarnations.

Rise even goes as far as to make Oroku Saki a redeemable character who just wanted to protect his people. I loved this twist so much mostly because it’s just...so much more original than the similar stories the past versions of TMNT have gone with. As a result, it also makes Karai extremely compelling from multiple angles.

The entire theme of Rise of the TMNT is family and it nails it so perfectly in so many different ways. It has set the bar for TMNT impossibly high.

[simstationdance]

@jeebie-sims​ asked: for the headcanon meme: Daniel Pleasant, Johnny Smith, and Mortimer Goth

ok so i apparently had a lot to say about these three, especially johnny and mortimer because they are favorites of mine. i was also inspired by the pictures u put in your answers to the shipping asks, so i decided to pair a few pictures with my answers.

i would’ve answered this as a regular ask, but for some reason, applying a read more to an ask applies it to the ‘question’ part of the post and not the actual body of the post where it should be, and not actually truncating the post at all. i couldn’t fix it no matter what i tried and eventually i gave up. tumblr is a Functional Website.

answers under the cut because i’m a turbo nerd who wrote way too much. i hope you enjoy it nonetheless

(headcanon ask meme)

Daniel Pleasant

Sexuality Headcanon: straight

Gender Headcanon: man

A ship I have with said character: daniel x marriage counseling. no, really.

ok but in all seriousness, it’s obvious that dan and mary sue really really need to work their shit out and i don’t think they could do it easily, if at all. if nothing else, they’d stay together for their public image I MEAN their kids whom they clearly love sooo muuuch 

(meanwhile i’m certain angela and lilith - especially lilith - would rather their parents divorced because the tension in the house is so fucking thick you could cut it with a knife, and that’s not a healthy environment to grow up in)

i don’t really ship him with anybody, to be honest. i know he’s with kaylynn on the side but i don’t personally see her sticking around, especially in the aftermath of a destroyed marriage.

unless he actually gets his shit together, i can’t imagine him being able to fully commit to a relationship, as evidenced by his abysmal relationship with his own wife.

A BROTP I have with said character: hmmm. maybe dan and don would be friends? i mean, they’re both cheaters, and they’d become social pariahs for it, but they’d be in it together, at least. meanwhile, their respective marital exes can get together to actually have a happy relationship.

for all i know, don might’ve actually convinced dan to take the plunge into debauchery in the first place. like he was like “don’t you miss when you were a carefree bachelor, dan?” and dan’s like “yeah man i miss that life” because its obvious he’s going thru a mid life crisis, so don basically encourages him - wittingly or not - to cheat on his wife. and they’re probably unaware that they’re both dating the maid.

oh fuck. now that i think about it this makes perfect sense.

A NOTP I have with said character: i guess daniel and mary sue? like, it’s an obvious answer but i literally almost always expose him as a cheater to her when i play the pleasants lmao their relationship really does not stand a chance.

A random headcanon: daniel usually prefers peace and quiet, so the constant arguing between his daughters - mixed with his poor relationship with his wife and the secret he keeps from her at the start of the game - makes it very hard for him to want to be around his own family.

instead of taking more initiative to take control of his domestic life, daniel instead opts to run from his problems. because he’s a Bastard. he envies his sister for having a healthier marriage than he does, unaware (or unwilling to entertain the thought) that perhaps jennifer and john have their own problems too.

General Opinion over said character: daniel is an absolute wet moldy rag of a man and his soap-opera-esque suffering amuses me.

Mortimer Goth

Sexuality Headcanon: pansexual.

Gender Headcanon: man

A ship I have with said character: i mean, the obvious answer would be mortimer x bella 5evr. they really are, or... were, a lovely couple. back in the sims 1 days, they were the ‘adorably eccentric’ goth family.

his wife had her strange magic, and he had his weird science, and together they were a power couple to end all power couples. but the thing is, i don’t imagine their relationship was built to last.  mortimer had far more ‘energy’ than bella did, and although they were a match, it was often difficult for her to keep up with him and his... mortimerisms. obviously bella had her quirks, but mortimer was something else. people often wondered how they managed to work together.

and as for his relationship with dina in the sims 2... well, the way i see it is, after bella’s disappearance, mortimer was utterly distraught. dina came to introduce herself and perhaps comfort him, since she was bella’s former sister in law, and in his weakness, things slowly escalated.

but even in his old age, mortimer is a highly intelligent and intuitive man who, i think, could read just about anyone like a book. if dina was just a run of the mill gold digger, he would’ve dropped her like a rock because he’s smarter than that. therefore, i’m almost certain that their relationship goes deeper than dina being interested in his wealth.

A BROTP I have with said character: this might seem odd, but mortimer and bonehilda in both the sims 1 and the sims 2. listen, i know she doesn’t appear in the sims 2... officially. but that doesn’t stop me from modding her into the game. and i have done exactly that.

the best part about acquiring the skeleton maid was that mortimer finally had somebody to ramble endlessly to about his latest ideas, the things that kept him up at night, but he didn’t want to bother bella while she was trying to sleep.

previously, he’d get an idea and would enthusiastically slams the door open like “BELLA I JUST HAD AN AMAZING IDEA!!!” and bella, laying in bed, would say “it’s the middle of the night and i have a golf tournament in the morning, dear.” and at that, mortimer would back out and slowly and quietly close the door.

so while bonehilda was tidying up the house, he would be essentially pacing around and talking to himself. thinking aloud helped him keep his thoughts in order - he has so many of them - and she would dutifully listen to his every word.

unfortunately he eventually had to retire the maid, she would frequently emerge from her coffin at inopportune times while bella was entertaining guests and they’d run out screaming.

bella also got tired of her drinking her cocktails and leaving puddles everywhere.

A NOTP I have with said character: i’d make jokes about it but i probably wouldn’t ship him with his skeleton maid. other than that i can’t think of any.

A random headcanon: mortimer is the very definition of mad scientist. open the page in the dictionary and you will find his picture.

being a knowledge sim, i feel like mortimer would do anything in the pursuit of knowledge, because he’s perpetually overwhelmed with curiosity and a desire to understand everything about the world, even if that often drives him to doing strange and, perhaps, unethical things in the name of science...

his curiosity led him to his chosen field in the first place. he was a bit of an amateur scientist even before then. as he rose through the ranks in his career and gained more notoriety for his scientific pursuits, he also took quite a lot of heat - some of his more bizarre experiments caused a great deal of scandals in his younger years.

he always managed to get back in the public’s favor, and he eventually got the last laugh against the press because he retired with a huge fortune.

General Opinion over said character: i’ve never been able to put my finger on it, but something about mortimer has always, ALWAYS felt extremely shady to me... and that’s what makes him interesting.

Johnny Smith

Sexuality Headcanon: bi

Gender Headcanon: man

A ship I have with said character: johnny x ophelia is cute, but johnny x ripp is also cute. you know what’s even cuter? all three of them together. they are so wholesome and good.

in my experience with strangetown (both in my current project and in an abandoned uberhood i did a while back), ripp usually has no romantic interest in ophelia and 100% interest in johnny, just on his own. their lack of feelings for each other, however, doesn’t stop them from both being with johnny, if they ever decided to do so. the only thing stopping them is their own personal convictions and... fear. as is the standard for these kinds of relationships, it would take a A Lot Of Work.

i’m sure johnny really loves them both, just in different ways. i see him as being the very physically affectionate friend who gives hugs out like candy and they both love him for it because they’re both touch starved as fuck. (that’s what you get when you have olive specter and buzz grunt as parental figures)

even tho it’s his first, the progression of his relationship with ophelia feels very natural to him. meanwhile, the idea of him and ripp together has never crossed his mind, not because he wouldn’t be interested, but because... um, well, he has a girlfriend, so... imagining himself with people other than his girlfriend would be weeeeird, you know? yeah...

he might also be a little oblivious, so that’s probably why he hasn’t picked up on ripp being weird around him yet. so ripp’s watching johnny be affectionate with ophelia like “god i wish that were me” and then johnny’s like “ripp are you ok” and ripp is like “haha yeah bro i’m great!!! :’)”

he’s always there for ophelia, and if ripp were willing to open up to johnny more often, he’d do the same for him.

A BROTP I have with said character: johnny!!! and!!! ripp!!!

whenever ripp is at johnny’s house, Which Is Often, they usually play SSX 3 together. johnny is better at it than ripp is, but at least ripp can beat him at darts on the dartboard on the back porch. they’re equally matched when it comes to playing pool, however.

they also really like to make dumb jokes at each other, including dumb puns and other such groan-inducing jokes read from vintage joke books and candy wrappers.

A NOTP I have with said character: hm... i can’t think of any because i don’t really ship him with anyone other than his two friends.

i could say johnny and tank but honestly that would be a total lie because i can imagine plenty of reasons to ship them, oddly enough. i don’t, but i can see why some do.

A random headcanon: johnny has basically spent his entire life surrounded by people - family, friends, etc. - to the point where being totally alone actually scares him quite a lot. he’s a popularity sim after all.

and, as unhealthy as it is, he really feels like its’ his responsibility to bring balance to ripp and ophelia’s lives by being the fun cheerful affectionate buddy, who always tries to lend an ear and a shoulder to cry on. he’s a little scared that if he didn’t hold them together at their worst, then they’d fall apart.

it’s a lot of work and he loses sleep from it sometimes because holding other people together is Actually! Very! Stressful! but he dreams of being a hero on a white horse and all, so if he has to, he will be the hero they need. he doesn’t want them to worry about him, he doesn’t want them to feel like they’re burdening him, so he never tells them that.

General Opinion over said character: 

#|| ask #jeebie-sims #daniel pleasant #johnny smith #mortimer goth #tumblr was like 'u dont get to make ur post look fancy' #i put a weird amt of effort into this for a sims headcanon post #why? bc i felt like it

[sasorikigai]

My muse in a relationships || @ephemeralkryonics​ || accepting (Part 1)

🤗Are they physically affectionate?

Physical touch for Hanzo is immensely important; not only is it a fundamental human necessity, but the need for affection in him is unique in the sense that even he may be perceived as “a loner,” maintaining the ability to ignore relationships with others unless the necessary ones as a Grandmaster and being a parental substitute for Takeda Takahashi, there is still a sense of emptiness that exists when he is isolated from human interaction. 

For him, affection is more than just an emotion, it can be considered by him as a most important requirement in healthy relationships. Affection is an ebb and flow between two people, where each individual is giving and receiving a certain amount of contact and interaction at all times. Whether it is through a hug, kiss or a cuddle, affection is the way he shows Kuai Liang how important he is in Hanzo’s world.

Physical intimacy between them not only strengthens the bond between them and fosters closeness, it serves as a major binder that helps them iron out the differences between them. Physical intimacy builds a stronger connection between two people by mitigating any existing negativity. Through exercising it, it would only enhance trust and a stronger sense of companionship between them.

🎶Do they have a type?

Hanzo seems to be gravitated towards emotionally strong people who he could lean against; resilient and insistent on their own, capable to meet his fire, but also being able to understand and extend compassion and perception. Emotions become the most visceral and primal external stimuli which he could exert without having the blueprint of him crumble and blur around the edges. As he is known to be volatile, impulsive and follows his heart more than his brain, it’s better than following the visceral manifestation of violence which he used to be subjugated under Scorpion’s fiery, demonic spirit. 

As I associate Kuai as a rose; for Hanzo needs that type of significant other who can balance him out. I always headcanon that Harumi’s personality would have been very similar to that of Kuai Liang’s; quiet, altruistic, emotionally strong and stable, very chill, strong-willed and a very good moral and emotional pillar for hanzo. If Hanzo Hasashi was (and still is) the most ferocious and talented Shirai Ryu warrior in all their history, Harumi would have went down as the strong matriarch of the clan, who encompassed the clan with open arms, offering words of wisdom and advice and being a good listener. She would have served a pivotal supportive role in the clan.  

😡What are their deal breakers?

His two most primordial facets include discipline and loyalty, so if someone is dubious in their morality, a perpetual liar who is distrustful and disloyal to him in any manner, there would be no forgiverance. 

Because Hanzo is such a traditionalist and heavily influenced by Confucius’ teachings, its philosophy including;

Ren, the virtue of benevolence, charity, and humanity;

Yi, of honesty and uprightness;

Zhi, knowledge;

Xin, the virtue of faithfulness and integrity;

Li, correct behavior, or propriety, good manners, politeness, ceremony, worship.

Those who cannot follow the doctrines which he had been taught - he is a proper, respectfully behaviored warrior - are not worthy of pursuing any relationships with him at any cost. Kuai Liang encompasses all of this, and considers him not only a respectable warrior, but a friend, a life companion, a lover and a soulmate. 

↕️Are they sub, dom or switch?

Hanzo is predominantly flexible (despite wanting to exercise control and much prefers being dominant) when it comes to lovemaking, but as his masculinity allows, he will expect to be in a dominant position even when he’s seemingly not. Intimate sex to him transcends the concept of sex, and it has to be significant in that both partners have to be emotionally connected and pushed together by the fate’s hand, one touch that fit, as old, idealized feelings would be relearned to his new body. For love to him isn’t something that is forged nor created, but has always been (taken away by deception and manipulation of Quan Chi). With Kuai Liang, he will expect himself to be in a dominant position simply because he’s more experienced one out of the two. 

⏰How long do their relationships tend to last?

Until the end of his living breath. For Hanzo, love binds all romantic relationships and that bond is unbreakable. Without love, he would not exist; for love makes all hard hearts gentle. Love itself grants him a sense of reassurance, self-esteem, and love for himself. Love enhances the lives of both partners in the relationship when he is in love, his emotions are at an ultimate high. It creates a bond that is not easily broken and it lasts for his lifetime.  

💍Would they ever get married?

He was married once to Harumi and he considers her as a soulmate. Although Hanzo is still mending his bleeding, septic wounds, he also has come to realization that miring in the past had been stunting his growth and development, as years and years have been spent with gnawing grief, resentment and melancholy. The desiderium, a deep longing to experience will always be there, but it’s being married (having himself absolutely devoted to responsibilities and duties that come with his marriage) that anchors his heart and settles his mind. 

🏷️Do they give their partners cute nicknames?

Hanzo is mostly a traditionalist who is proper and formal, so he would often use things like ‘beloved,’ and ‘love.’ Or he would opt to use Japanese and call Kuai “運命の人 (man of destiny; soulmate),” “あなた (you, in terns of romantic/sexual love),” or “ハンサム (handsome).” 

💋Are they more sensual or sexual?

He is essentially a sensualist, meaning he will utilize all the blazing, burnt, burning trails of his hands to trail along his significant other’s skin, roaming to paint his color upon his lover’s body. He’s vanilla when it comes to sex; there is a lot of eye contact, gentle caresses wanting sufficient time to explore his lover’s body. Essentially, it is a sacred act that chases away his negative emotions melt away. It anchors him, reminds him that he deserves happiness. He deserves a second chance at love, despite him always struggling with underlying guilt. He will be at his most vulnerable, with all the raw, unfiltered emotions spilling out as he reaches the climax. 

In essentiality, sex is feeling the sequence of his heart beating through his lover’s lips, as they create beautiful rhythm together. It becomes this peculiar thing of dualism and dichotomy, where it’s all he wants and other times it’s what he needs the least. He wants it with all of his heart, yet his gnawing guilt and limerence towards Harumi will always be there no matter what. And he’s an absolute pessimistic optimist and believes not many will love him, because of all his underlying emotions and all the pain-riddled dourness and appears indifferent and nonchalant. Even with his hardened exterior, he’s so vulnerable and soft inside. He knows of its cruelty and indescribable beauty - and all of its otherworldly, seamless perfection of stealing each other’s breaths and letting him wrecked in cornucopia of sensations. And he wants the sharp angles or his personality and beautiful lines of his body and mind to become completely abstract as he floats in the seventh heaven, as he savors it, engrave it in his memory and write songs about it as notes imprint on his lover’s skin, with everything light and good in the world, despite him not living in it.

📖What is their favorite outside of the bedroom activity to do with their partner?

It would be either sparring or spending time in the hot springs to relax. Hanzo can harbor a lot of stress within, most of which he does not get to release beyond fighting or taking a moment in nature to relax and calm down. He also likes to delve into his artistic endeavors, preferring to paint his partner in sumi-e, writing poetry, practicing caligraphy or reading. 

🛏What is their favorite bedroom activity to do with their partner?

I always imagine them being more sensual than sexual, so they would strip down naked, let their roaming hands and lips become the quenching rain that water their acrid, parched dry skin down with gossamer pitter-patters of peppered kisses and exploratory caresses that repeatedly map the coordinates of their musculature, all the imperfections and scars and all, along with the exquisite peaks and valleys of their chiseled form shining aureate under the beaming moonlight.

Their sensual, intimate, and carnal exploration could last for hours at times, The ebb and flow of time when they are entangled like this brims them with exquisite joy, exhilarating bliss and contentment, without their emotional abysmal void gnawing their unconscious, as both of them suffer from severe and lucid nightmares.

Alight brighter than the sun under Hanzo’s furnace warmth and Kuai’s misty vapor that saturate their aureate forms, through their vigorous carnal exposition of impassioned desire, gentleness and tenderness, they remind themselves that they are not alone - they are highly introverted beings who thrive in solitude and loneliness, but desire to be emotionally connected to a person, so much so that each other’s presence alone calms and numbs their pain - as the cruelty and violence of their daily lives become offset by the exploration of body, mind and soul.

💚Are they prone to jealousy?

While Hanzo has his own streaks of insecurity and paranoia, he is confident and holds himself in a high regard, and also does his significant partner. Because of his lack of jealousy, his instincts are signaling that he is in a relationship with someone who he will be fully able to trust. He can appear concerned and worried, but he will never exhibit it openly. He has high sense of self-worth, and don't feel envious of Kuai’s circumstances or relationships. For comparison is the thief of joy and Hanzo is well aware that if he is constantly stacking up his life against someone else's, chances are he will find something to nitpick. Instead, he prefers to just plainly fixate on the positives - in his life and in the lives of others that naturally involves both of them as Grandmasters and Protectors of the Earthrealm sworn to protect it until their last breath.

😘Does their demeanor change when in a relationship?

In general, people are very much affected by those around them, and not just behaviorally. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that people’s self-concepts actually change when they’re a relationship and Hanzo is no different from the normalcy of how people act. Because their relationship is healthy; they have mutual respect towards one another and are highly intelligent, sympathetic people in their hearts. Because deep down, they are kind, responsible and emotionally resilient, so they are going to only substantially improve their chances of maintaining a stable and satisfying marriage. 

#✗ obsessive cathartic (headcanon) #✗ the ineffable testimony of spawned hellfire (scorpion) #✗ again and always (scorpion x sub-zero) #ephemeralkryonics

[grimmbrookhq]

THE MARCH HARE ▶ HARRISON MARLOWE

( CANDY HOUSE GALLERY DOCENT ● 26 ● MAXENCE DANET-FAUVEL ● OPEN )

The Marlowe family was average-middle class with Greg Marlowe being an accountant and Anna Marlowe a school teacher. They were decent people who loved their son and encouraged his passion for history and art. They seemed to have the perfect middle-American lifestyle, white picket fence. But when Harrison turned thirteen, things started changing.  

Some weeks it would be near impossible to get him to do anything. But then, a few weeks later it’d be impossible to get him to go to stop doing things. He’d have an abundance of energy and would start several art projects at once, checking out at least five history books from the library, blowing through them like they were children’s lit. It took about a year for him to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder, mostly because his parents didn’t really know what to do before a family friend suggested he go to the doctors. They were supportive of him and started taking him to a respected Psychiatrist, Dr. Faulkner, also getting him the medication he needed. 

It seemed like that was that – Harrison was back to himself. He finished school and enrolled at Grimmbrook University. Then he met Madison Redding his senior year. At first he ignored her, having heard rumors and thought she was trying to get dirt on him. But she started to get under his skin and right before graduation, they began dating. She encouraged him to stop taking his meds, told him he was more fun without them, more creative and maybe she was right. The next two and a half years consisted of an on-again, off-again relationship, with Madison somehow always dragging him back despite Harrison knowing he was his worst self with her.

It took several friends and his parents’ intervention before he went back on his meds consistently enough to know that he didn’t want to be out of control, not when it felt like that. A year ago, after their official break-up, Harrison got a new job after blowing several in town and some promising ones outside of Grimmbrook. But he was around art again, and he was working on his portfolio. He ignored Madison that year. She wasn’t good for him, but that doesn’t mean he wanted her dead, or that he doesn’t regret ignoring her phone calls in the weeks leading up to it, or that he isn’t freaked out by the entire situation. 

CONNECTIONS ▶

MADELAINE SLOAN: They met sophomore year of high school when they got stuck as partners in their chemistry lab on the first day. Then they got assigned as partners for a semester long history project. Then, they somehow got ended up in the same mandatory drama elective and were paired together as scene buddies for the quarter. It was like fate was forcing them to be friends and Harrison is forever thankful for it. Affectionately calling him Nerd, Madelaine warmed up to him fast, especially when they both realized they were sunk in chemistry, possibly able to pass history because of Harrison and definitely able to pass drama because of Madelaine. She’s his best friend and though they “broke-up” for a while when he was dating Madison, she was the one who really slapped sense into him when she saw how bad things had gotten. It took a while but they’ve come back from that break. 

HARLYN ROUSSEAU: Harlyn gave him a job despite the fact that his resume was full of choppy timelines and inconsistencies. It was clear that Harrison knew what he was talking about when it came to art and art history, his degree coming in hand even if his work experience post-grad was abysmal up until that point. He sees people coming and going at the Candy House that don’t exactly seem like they’re interested in art but hasn’t said anything, mainly because he’s grateful for the job and doesn’t want to mess things up anymore. 

DRAKE LI: The idiot nearly got him fired from The Candy House. He seemed to think toting a giant slushie through the gallery was a great idea and when he tripped on the tour he was taking, Harrison experienced as close to a heart attack as one can get without actually suffering one. He dove for the slushie, somehow managing to get it on himself and keep it off a painting that was going up for auction that weekend. Needless to say, whenever he sees Drake near the gallery, he’s always giving him a look that says think again. 

MEAGAN LASKARIS: She’s the hot lady who asked him about his tattoo at a bar and yeah, she looks like he’d be too young for her to be interested, and also kinda way out of his league but he never got her name and wishes he had. She asked about what he did and they had a really long conversation about Picasso’s early work versus what he’s known for and the entire time he felt like she was genuinely interested in what he had to say. Of course, he doesn’t know that the FBI agent is more interested in his connection with Madison Redding than she is with him. For now, she’s just the lady he hopes turns up for a tour sometime. 

THEODORE BECK: Theodore and Harrison met at a St. Patrick’s Day party where the two ended up passed out drunk at a mutual friend’s house, along with several other party-goers. They were the first to wake up the next day and somehow managed to clean up, neither the type to leave a mess, and ended up bonding over the shared experience of suffering. Sometimes Theodore stops by the gallery, surprisingly interested in art and learning about the specific value of pieces. It’s nice to have more friends since he lost quite a few during his time with Madison. As long as Theodore isn’t hanging out with Chad when Harrison’s around, they’re cool. He still doesn’t feel great around Madison’s brother, but likes Theodore enough to not bring it up. He doesn’t want to cause any trouble.

#lsrp #bio rp #ouat rp #town rp #maxence danet fauvel #manipulation tw #mental health tw #grimm.skeleton #harrison marlowe #madelaine #grayson #drake #meagan #theodore

[thesinglesjukebox]

DIXIE CHICKS - GASLIGHTER

[7.67]

Well, we're ready to make nice...

Jessica Doyle: I made the mistake of reading some of the hell-hath-no-fury-like-Natalie-Maines-on-vocals early publicity, and ended up expecting something a lot less jaunty. If you played "Gaslighter" for a non-English speaker, I'm not sure they'd hear the angry breakup from the music and vocals alone. That stray "Look out you little--" heading into the chorus at 2:05 sounds downright affectionate. This makes for a less emotionally clean song, and the video feels like overcompensation (was the "Daisy" ad really necessary?). But it makes a certain sense. This isn't a fictional story à la "Before He Cheats"; the Chicks chose to eschew the luxury of marinating in two-dimensional righteousness. Adrian Pasdar, as much as he will now forever be known as That Guy Who Did Something on Natalie Maines's Boat, is also presumably tied up irrevocably with Maines's two sons and a couple decades' worth of her memories; she's allowed to refrain from hating him straightforwardly. "Gaslighter" is less cathartic than it could have been -- it might get bellowed into karaoke mics less often than it could have been -- but truer. [6]

Katie Gill: Someone please just tell me what Adrian Pasdar did! I suspect that part of my love of this song is sheer nostalgia. I adore the Dixie Chicks and I'm so happy to see them make a comeback now, even if I worry that, with the current state of country music, it won't go anywhere. And I am here for the big divorce energy this single has. It's wonderful to see that the Dixie Chicks can summon up the beautiful cathartic anger that made their last album, Taking the Long Way, so good even over ten years later. And that anger is matched with gorgeous harmonies (that, granted, are a little bit too hidden by the arrangement), a cathartic chorus, and a brief moment of wonderful vulnerability from Maines near the end. Top that off with one of the best lyrics in 2020 in "you're sorry but where's my apology" and, look, I just can't wait for this dang album to come out already. [8]

Alex Clifton: "Gaslighter, you broke me/You're sorry, but where's my apology?" has rung in my ears for nearly two weeks. I wrote a boatload of bad poetry for years around that sentiment, and the Dixie Chicks sing ten words what I couldn't do in a thousand, and I love them for it. [10]

Wayne Weizhen Zhang: "You're sorry, but where's my apology?" So many lines in "Gaslighter" speak truth to my experience of being emotionally and psychologically manipulated, but every time I hear this one in particular, several things happen. First, my blood starts to boil and race and I feel my hands get clammy. Then, I instinctively clench my teeth and get the urge to pump my fists in the air. Finally, I remind myself that if the Dixie Chicks can get through the past decades, I can too -- and my anger dissipates like air from a balloon. That's the argument the Dixie Chicks are making here: winning the argument means not letting anyone else's actions consume your emotional state. [7]

Tobi Tella: "Repeating all of the mistakes of your father" cuts like a knife, the harmonies are tight, and the lightness of the production makes it clear that they can still do fun. If there's any justice in this world, this would be a hit on country radio. [7]

Michael Hong: "Gaslighter" is the Dixie Chicks' first single in fourteen years, and by virtue of being that, is interwoven with each thread its own narrative: 1) the story of the Dixie Chicks -- the rise, the fall, the good, the bad, all of it always culminating in the idea that the women had something to prove. 2) Jack Antonoff on writing and production, straying into bold country territory, furthering his influence in modern music. 3) The rampant use, and in some cases, overuse, of the term "gaslighting," and how it's already led to thinkpieces on whether or not Natalie Maines was actually gaslit. And finally, 4) the politicization of the Dixie Chicks, broadcasting the political as a mirror of the personal. All of these narratives matter, and yet, none are necessary to understand "Gaslighter." The track is compact in all the right ways, with tight harmonies on top of fiddle and banjo arrangements and verses that pick up right where the chorus lets off. The Dixie Chicks package the gleeful realization of the truth into a chorus so jovial you can't help but sing along. All that's to say, even divorced from every narrative that you can throw at "Gaslighter," "Gaslighter" still demands you turn the volume up when you hear it through your car stereo. [7]

Alfred Soto: The inevitable emphasis on the dropped hook is purest Jack Antonoff, not Dixie Chicks, but the best of their tunes relied on outside help anyway. "Gaslighter" squeaks by on chutzpah, skill, and nostalgia from the silent minority of lib country listeners. But Antonoff's infatuation with percussion gives the Chicks the gaslighting urgency necessary to sell the songs in Labelle, Lynchburg, and Mena. They're still not ready to make nice -- except with Taylor Swift's producer's platinum cred. [7]

Joshua Lu: Jack Antonoff is perhaps the last producer I'd expect or want to produce a Dixie Chicks comeback song, largely because his limited palette of plinky pianos and muted synths isn't something I'd think I'd like to hear in country music. To Jack's credit, though, "Gaslighter" is a veritable romp, even in spite of how unfulfilled some of the instruments are and how the chorus sounds like it's coming from a couple of rooms over. The real charm, though, is in the lyrics, so full of the charm and wit that really signify that this is a Dixie Chicks song -- "you know exactly what you did on my boat" alone makes the song a perfect addition to the sizable "My Partner Cheated on Me and Now I Must Destroy the World" section of the country music canon. Fourteen years might've been a long wait, but at least it was worth it. [8]

Jackie Powell: So while 2020 has absolutely been an abysmal year, here's it's one redeeming quality: it set up an absolute glorious return for the Dixie Chicks. Their new single "Gaslighter" comes in at the right place at the right time. So do we have Taylor Swift to thank for this? Is it fair to assume that their vocals on "Soon You'll Get Better" (which might be the most beautiful song on Lover) were an introduction to Jack Antonoff? His signature drums on the second chorus and beyond provide the track with the train that will entice stans of Spacey Kacey Musgraves. A divorce anthem that is also reflexive to frustration with the world in 2020 is so on brand I want to cry. But tears of joy this time. The Dixie Chicks were some of the original victims of cancel culture. But really they were gaslit by their entire genre. Tomato-gate didn't happen until 2015, but the sexism the Dixie Chicks faced preceded the incident. What's fascinating about their return is they won't be in this fight with their genre and the country music establishment alone. Since the Dixie Chicks' hiatus, Musgraves, Maren Morris, The Highwomen and others have taken a spot on the no bullshit mantel next to the trio. It's refreshing. In classic Natalie Maines fashion, she regrets nothing, calling the repercussions of "Not Ready to Make Nice" a "blessing." But really, in 2020, we are the ones who are really truly blessed. [8]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: "Gaslighter" is triumphant both in its specificity ("you know exactly what you did on my boat"!!!) and its broadness (the harmonies, Jack Antonoff's shiny-as-hell production.) Despite that glory, though, "Gaslighter" feels a little empty at its core. It's the rush of the breakup without the consideration of the fallout, the thrill without any crash. [8]

Edward Okulicz: On first listen, this sounded too small, too restrained, too modest for its concept. These aren't things that you would expect from the big ambitions and big voices of the Dixie Chicks. But when the chorus comes in a second time with the drumbeat, it works as a mantra for a protagonist no more ready to forgive than she is to forget. And, as if you needed to be told, their voices still sound gorgeous together. [8]

Oliver Maier: A tumbling boulder of rage for a chorus and Jack Antonoff graciously refraining from turning "Gaslighter" into a big echoey 80s-inflected synth pop confection. "We moved to California and we followed your dreams" is such a great opening line for the verse, charging the events of the song with a mythological, Dust Bowl-era resonance and signalling the relationship's disintegration before it even occurs, like something out of a Steinbeck novel. Maines rattles off each charge against her ex just vividly enough to get the raw emotional beats across, without fixating long enough to stall the song's momentum. A relationship is cremated and catharsis is achieved; no need for an autopsy when there's no ambiguity left. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

#Dixie Chicks #country #pop #music #music review