#I won't accept that this was the last of them
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For the Reverse Unpopular Opinion meme, Lamarckism!
(This is an excellent ask.)
Lamarck got done a bit dirty by the textbooks, as one so often is. He's billed as the guy who articulated an evolutionary theory of inherited characteristics, inevitably set up as an opponent made of straw for Darwin to knock down. The example I recall my own teachers using in grade school was the idea that a giraffe would strain to reach the highest branches of a tree, and as a result, its offspring would be born with slightly longer necks. Ha-ha-ha, isn't-that-silly, isn't natural selection so much more sensible?
But the thing is, this wasn't his idea, not even close. People have been running with ideas like that since antiquity at least. What Lamarck did was to systematize that claim, in the context of a wider and much more interesting theory.
Lamarck was born in to an era where natural philosophy was slowly giving way to Baconian science in the modern sense- that strange, eighteenth century, the one caught in an uneasy tension between Newton the alchemist and Darwin the naturalist. This is the century of Ben Franklin and his key and his kite, and the awed discovery that this "electricity" business was somehow involved in living organisms- the discovery that paved the way for Shelley's Frankenstein. This was the era when alchemy was fighting its last desperate battles with chemistry, when the division between 'organic' and 'inorganic' chemistry was fundamental- the first synthesis of organic molecules in the laboratory wouldn't occur until 1828, the year before Lamarck's death. We do not have atoms, not yet. Mendel and genetics are still more than a century away; we won't even have cells for another half-century or more.
Lamarck stepped in to that strange moment. I don't think he was a bold revolutionary, really, or had much interest in being one. He was profoundly interested in the structure and relationships between species, and when we're not using him as a punching bag in grade schools, some people manage to remember that he was a banging good taxonomist, and made real progress in the classification of invertebrates. He started life believing in the total immutability of species, but later was convinced that evolution really was occurring- not because somebody taught him in the classroom, or because it was the accepted wisdom of the time, but through deep, continued exposure to nature itself. He was convinced by the evidence of his senses.
(Mostly snails.)
His problem was complexity. When he'd been working as a botanist, he had this neat little idea to order organisms by complexity, starting with the grubbiest, saddest little seaweed or fern, up through lovely flowering plants. This was not an evolutionary theory, just an organizing structure; essentially, just a sort of museum display. But when he was asked to do the same thing with invertebrates, he realized rather quickly that this task had problems. A linear sorting from simple to complex seemed embarrassingly artificial, because it elided too many different kinds of complexity, and ignored obvious similarities and shared characteristics.
When he went back to the drawing board, he found better organizing schema; you'd recognize them today. There were hierarchies, nested identities. Simple forms with only basic, shared anatomical patterns, each functioning as a sort of superset implying more complex groups within it, defined additively by the addition of new organs or structures in the body. He'd made a taxonomic tree.
Even more shockingly, he realized something deep and true in what he was looking at: this wasn't just an abstract mapping of invertebrates to a conceptual diagram of their structures. This was a map in time. Complexities in invertebrates- in all organisms!- must have been accumulating in simpler forms, such that the most complicated organisms were also the youngest.
This is the essential revolution of Lamarckian evolution, not the inherited characteristics thing. His theory, in its full accounting, is actually quite elaborate. Summarized slightly less badly than it is in your grade school classroom (though still pretty badly, I'm by no means an expert on this stuff), it looks something like this:
As we all know, animals and plants are sometimes generated ex nihilo in different places, like maggots spontaneously appearing in middens. However, the spontaneous generation of life is much weaker than we have supposed; it can only result in the most basic, simple organisms (e.g. polyps). All the dizzying complexity we see in the world around us must have happened iteratively, in a sequence over time that operated on inheritance between one organism and its descendants.
As we all know, living things are dynamic in relation to inorganic matter, and this vital power includes an occasional tendency to gain in complexity. However, this tendency is not a spiritual or supernatural effect; it's a function of natural, material processes working over time. Probably this has something to do with fluids such as 'heat' and 'electricity' which are known to concentrate in living tissues. When features appear spontaneously in an organism, that should be understood as an intrinsic propensity of the organism itself, rather than being caused by the environment or by a divine entity. There is a specific, definite, and historically contingent pattern in which new features can appear in existing organisms.
As we all know, using different tissue groups more causes them to be expressed more in your descendants, and disuse weakens them in the same way. However, this is not a major feature in the development of new organic complexity, since it could only move 'laterally' on the complexity ladder and will never create new organs or tissue groups. At most, you might see lineages move from ape-like to human-like or vice versa, or between different types of birds or something; it's an adaptive tendency that helps organisms thrive in different environments. In species will less sophisticated neural systems, this will be even less flexible, because they can't supplement it with willpower the way that complex vertebrates can.
Lamarck isn't messing around here; this is a real, genuinely interesting model of the world. And what I think I'm prepared to argue here is that Lamarck's biggest errors aren't his. He has his own blind spots and mistakes, certainly. The focus on complexity is... fraught, at a minimum. But again and again, what really bites him in the ass is just his failure to break with his inherited assumptions enough. The parts of this that are actually Lamarckian, that is, are the ideas of Lamarck, are very clearly groping towards a recognizable kind of proto-evolutionary theory in a way that we recognize.
What makes Lamarck a punching bag in grade-school classes today is the same thing that made it interesting; it's that it was the best and most scientific explanation of biological complexity available at the time. It was the theory to beat, the one that had edged out all the other competitors and emerged as the most useful framework of the era. And precisely none of that complexity makes it in to our textbooks; they use "Lamarckianism" to refer to arguments made by freaking Aristotle, and which Lamarck himself accepted but de-emphasized as subordinate processes. What's even worse, Darwin didn't reject this mechanism either. Darwin was totally on board with the idea as a possible adaptive tendency; he just didn't particularly need it for his theory.
Lamarck had nothing. Not genetics, not chromosomes, not cells, not atomic theory. Geology was a hot new thing! Heat was a liquid! What Lamarck had was snails. And on the basis of snails, Lamarck deduced a profound theory of complexity emerging over time, of the biosphere as a(n al)chemical process rather than a divine pageant, of gradual adaptation punctuated by rapid innovation. That's incredible.
There's a lot of falsehood in the Lamarckian theory of evolution, and it never managed to entirely throw off the sloppy magical thinking of what came before. But his achievement was to approach biology and taxonomy with a profound scientific curiosity, and to improve and clarify our thinking about those subjects so dramatically that a theory of biology could finally, triumphantly, be proven wrong. Lamarck is falsifiable. That is a victory of the highest order.
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jbae!! if you're taking requests, can I ask for something with trouble comforting peter? maybe he's had a terrible week and loads of things pile up and he just collapses (maybe he even cries out of frustration cause I'm a sucker for that) and trouble just holds him to her chest and runs her hands through his hair 🥺 only if you want to though!! have a great day ily
*you always ask when peter knows he's in love with trouble...* (cleaning out my drafts)
peter's been m.i.a. all day.
rumor is he skipped class and slept past breakfast... and lunch. the unanswered texts you have string along with the theory. you were talking to peter last night so you don't think he's sick, at least not with a cold.
he'd been pulling back the last few days because he's been so busy. you haven't seen him in three days because of a test or a frat meeting or dinner with his aunt - in your opinion, he's spread a little too thin and you think that caught up to him today.
if peter can cut class and hang out at the frat house so can you. unsure if he's taking another nap. you're not risking a phone call that'll wake him and settle for a quiet entry with slow steps up the stairs before silently opening his door and sliding in.
peter's not asleep; he's awake and staring at his ceiling. he knows you're here but he can't bring himself to make believe happy. so he doesn't.
you softly shut his door and rest your back on it. 'do you have a case of the sads?' peter stays in his starfish position for way too long, you think he's building the courage to speak for the first time today. when he does, it's raspy and riddled with depression.
'i have a case of the sads.' even saying it makes him want to curl into a ball. it's times like this he wishes he was home and still small enough to crawl into his aunt's bed.
you've never seen peter this depleted, all spark in him has fizzled. 'do you want to cuddle?' you don't need to ask what's wrong, you already know. and you're getting the feeling he really just wants silent company.
peter sits up to open the space next to him, he's not moving until you're settled because he's about to rest his entire weight on you. the second you steal his spot, he lays on top and buries his face into you while you warmly accept the pressure.
peter only hides in you like this when he's sick or really tired. you don't say anything while you gently tuck a curl behind his ear, you lightly smile and graze the outer edge with your finger- a small twitch tells you he doesn't like it.
normally, you'd double down. today, he needs nice.
'you have cute ears.' it's barely above a whisper, 'i should see them more often.' peter doesn't respond, you didn't need him to.
it's a peaceful quiet, you think it's nice just being in peter's presence sometimes. you keep dragging your hand up and down his back, you're trying to tell him he's okay with your touch. your other combs through his hair over and over, you think he might be falling asleep and you gladly welcome it.
you're not sure how peter's breathing he's tucked into your chest so tight, but as long as he's able to you won't complain. you start to trace little squares over his skin while slightly zoning out on a bird on his balcony collecting what looks like twigs from the overhanging tree.
your shirt feels like it's clinging to you, peter's washing his hot breath into it. you change your shapes to squiggles. the bird hops around, another twig is scooped up. you glance down at your chest and stop your hands.
it's not just choked breath.
'are you crying?'
the floodgates burst.
peter digs into you, holding you so tight you almost wheeze. his shoulders shake as he sobs into you, your heart shatters as he breaks down. peter's never cried in front of you and it's fucking terrible to see.
you don't know what to do, you just act on instinct and try to wrap your arms around him like he always does to you. it always makes you feel protected and secure, it makes you feel like peter's a safe place and nothing can hurt you in his hold.
'you're okay, petey.' you're saying it for the both of you. 'you're okay.' peter thrashes his head back and forth, he doesn't agree. you steady him and say it again. 'you're okay, i promise you're okay.'
it's a little weak because you don't feel like you're fixing much but it always helps when peter says it.
'i'm here. you're gonna be okay because i'm here.' you hear a trumpet in your mind when peter crawls further up to tuck his head under your chin. it's working, you're doing good.
peter's never cried in front of a girl before. his aunt doesn't count and neither does- he doesn't let his mind go there, he's already spirling hard enough.
but you're warm and soft and really fucking loving and it's making him cry harder because it's all he wanted today and you showed up with an abundance of it.
you're crushed at the sound, if you could suffocate the sad out of him you would've already done it. 'please don't throw yourself into a panic attack.' he wasn't going to, but now that you said it he thinks he's approaching that territory quickly.
you can sense it too. you press him closer and breathe deep, his head sinks with your chest. 'do one with me.' it's weak and followed by a cough.
'one more.' he mimics you, it's better this time. peter does the third on his own, you praise him with a back rub. 'see? you're okay.' the smallest of nods, a short stutter of breath and he's sniffling to hold more in.
'let it out. you broke yourself to get to this point, let it out.' it's another wave but it's not as brutal, it's bordering on the verge of pitiful. 'you're not allowed to do this to yourself anymore, peter. i didn't say anything but next time i will. you can't stretch yourself like this, it isn't healthy.'
'i'm sorry.' he doesn't know if he's sorry for crying or for making you care this much. it's a blanket statement, he thinks. you won't let it be one. 'don't you dare say sorry. there's nothing to be sorry about.'
peter can't fathom why, but he almost spews out an i love you and it terrifies him. he feels it in his chest, there's a level of care and affection you're giving him that he's never had before. if he knew he was dying, he'd do it right here in your arms.
peter's never felt safe in another person's hold before. you'd protect him at all costs, even from himself and you just proved it. he needs to see you, he needs to see the face he calls home. he needs you to smile softly at him like he's your world because he promises this time he'd do the same.
you do exactly what he wishes and he feels a pang to his heart when you lightly wipe under his cheeks. 'are you all cried out? if not i'll bully you into more.' god, he wants to swarm you with a thousand kisses.
'i'm okay now.' he hovers over you, an arm on each side of your head. you accept a tiny kiss where your neck and collarbone meet, it's a delicate marking. 'good, you needed it. you also need to eat, and please tell me you had some water today. i'll make you anything you want, or i'll buy you dinner- anything you want, you deserve good things when you have a case of the sads.'
you don't recognize the look on peter's face but it makes you a little self-conscious, you might be a tad overbearing. 'why are you looking at me like that? am i being a little over the top?'
he's still wearing it. 'not at all.' you feel good about it, you're sticking to your guns about standing up to him if you need to. 'okay, good, because even if you said i was, i wouldn't care. i know you're mr. big strong tough man but i swear you need someone to check you sometimes because you get-'
'i really need to kiss you right now.'
you stop yourself and blink at his words. 'oh.' your cheeks feel warm, you nod one time before peter's pressing his bottom lip to your top one and lowering himself until his chest brushes yours.
it's a different kind of kiss, there's nothing behind it except just wanting to do exactly as he said. a cluster of pecks before he pulls back to look at you, you can't place what he's thinking.
'what?' peter shakes his head before going in for another, after the third time he'd failed to remove himself from you, you stop him. 'i don't care how many times you kiss me, mister. you're not getting anything until i see you eat something.'
funny. your request just makes him want to kiss you more.
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🩷 YCH COMMS (MOVING FUNDS) 🩷
I'M BACK AND IVE GOT NEW POSES FOR YOU GUYS TO CHOOSE FROM BECAUSE I STILL NEED MONEY 😸 !!!!! I'm moving within the next week, so it would be nice to have some extra money for things like gas/furniture/essentials. This time I decided to do some summer themed stuff ! These are the two poses you've got to pick from ;
YCH 1
YCH 2
Both of them will be $20 each ! Just like last time, I'll have 5 slots open at a time so I can keep track of what I'm doing ! I have memory issues and get stressed easily 💔 I accept Pay.pal, Cash.app, and Ven.mo !!
I WILL DRAW:
- Self Insert/OC x Canon/OCs
- Furries
- If you're a normal reasonable person just ask me if you're wondering and my answer will probably be yes lol
I WON'T DRAW:
- Anything that I'm uncomfortable with (ex. Anything involving Kendall). I'll let you know if what you ask me to draw makes me uncomfortable and will probably decline your request if we can't work something else out
- Real people
- Should go without saying that I'm not drawing anything for pro-shippers !
- Very complex designs/outfits. Not only are they difficult for me but very time consuming ! I try to get these done within 1-2 days after a slot is filled
SLOTS
1. @mrs-bluemarine
2. @transchainsawman
3. OPEN
4. OPEN
5. OPEN
DM ME IF YOU'RE INTERESTED ! 🩷🩷🩷
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What Do the guys do if they learn their crush has some incredibly minor beef with them? Like they know him as "that guy who somehow always buys up all the good snacks at lunch" or "that guy who took the last limited edition X i waited an hour and a half in line for" or "that guy who's always hogging the Y"
I went with the snack one but here's how I think they would all react to you only knowing them as the guy who always buys the last of your favourite snack!
Mikey- Stares at you thoughtfully after finding this out, before holding out a half eaten taiyaki for you to take. (It's his way of trying to make it up to you). Frowns if you don't take it and figures he needs to do something else instead.
Takemichi- He's having a mini breakdown with this info, can't believe he never noticed he was doing this to you. His face flashes through the five stages of grief before giving you a very nervous smile and saying he'll make it up to you.
Draken- "huh?" He's mainly confused as to why you know him as that and not by his reputation. Decides to cut you a break though by not taking the thing you want in the future.
Baji- Is confused for a second but then frowns. He didn't mean to do that so why do you only see him that guy? Doesn't say anything about it to you but the next day you find the snack he took from you waiting for you.
Chifuyu- He immediately makes a plan to buy the snack again but this time break it in half and share it with you. Thinks this will be romantic and get the two of you talking. But on the day his hands are shaking so badly that he just quickly gives you the whole thing and hurries off.
Mitsuya- Frowns at you, feeling bad for always taking the snack you wanted. Goes very overboard in making it up to you though by inviting you round to his house for dinner.
Hakkai- Says absolutely nothing and doesn't even look at you but you find a whole pile of those snacks waiting for you later that day (rich kid privileges)
Pah- Feels guilty and goes out of his way to bring you snack each day as a way of making it up to you, always with a blush on his face.
Peh- "HAH!?" Freaks out a bit because he's so surprised.
Smiley- "I'm gonna kill that store for not stocking enough snacks" He ends up not buying them for awhile but he still goes to the store to kinda watch out for them??? Like if sees any other guys picking them up instead, he'll slap them out of their hands or threaten them.
Angry- Straight up apologises to you and offers to buy you some of the snack to make it up to you.
Mucho- He's pretty confused as to why you would be upset over just some snacks. Assumes you may not be aware of better places to go and thinks about inviting you to go with him to a cafe.
Sanzu- Smiles, his plan is working perfectly. Of course he already knows these are your favourites and by taking them he's made you notice him. Bad attention is still better then no attention.
Kisaki- Starts scheming away on how he can use this info. Probably pretends to not know you even like them and then offer you some as a way to get to know you more.
Hanma- Laughs, this is very funny to him. Will tease you about it, then offer to share with you but there's a catch. If he shares then you'll "owe him". You're not sure if it's a good idea to accept or not.
Kazutora- Frowns a lot and wonders what he should do. Ends up switching snacks so you can always have the one you want but never mentions it to you.
Inui- Shrugs at this information, it doesn't mean that much to him since it doesn't really change anything. He hasn't tried to make a move on you yet and this problem is small enough that it probably won't be an issue when he eventually does try with you.
Koko- Definitely panics, this is not how a good potential boyfriend is supposed to be treating you!!!! Buys you lots of little things in return, including snacks. He wants to spoil you not take from you!
Taiju- Oh he's definitely interested now, interested in what you're going to do about it. Continues buying the snack, hoping that you'll confront him over it. If you do eventually then he's willing to give you some, he's just interested in your response to this whole thing.
Izana- Thinks this is perfect, it gives the two of you a common like which he definitely plans on using to his advantage.
Kakucho- Looks horrified, this is not the impression he wanted to make with you. Comes up to you one day with a casual "hey" (he's freaking out inside) and asks if you want his snack.
Ran- Beckons you over with a sly grin, telling you to "come get your snack". You know straight away that he's referring to himself and teasing you.
Rindou- "what the hell?" After everything he's done this is the thing you know him for??? He's at least glad it's an easy enough fix, he just stops buying that snack so that you can enjoy it instead. Decides he'll have to do something else to capture your attention though.
Shion- He's nearly offended by this, can't believe this is how you remember him! Starts trying to name drop other things he's done in front of you.
Mochi- Just shrugs and passes the snack to you, it's not that deep to him.
South- Offers to arm wrestle you for the snack (he's actually both intrigued about your strength and wants an excuse to hold your hand, so uses the snack as the perfect facade).
Wakasa- Looks around for a minute trying to figure out if this is some kind of joke. When he realises it's not, he approaches you and says you could've just asked. Splits the snack in half with you.
Shinichiro- He's on the verge of banning his head against the wall, just can't believe he would overlook something so obvious. Of course buys the snack for you and hands it over as a new way of flirting with you.
Benkei- Is a bit embarrassed about not noticing sooner but decides to make up for it by buying the snacks for you.
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Real Pirates
Got thinking last night about Stede and what was said to him in 2x06 and 2x07.
First off, let's look at the Ned Low stuff.
"You know, if you kill me, you are a real pirate. You're not an amateur anymore. See? That's why he likes you. It's because of your bumbling amateur status. You're like a pet, I think."
There's been a running thread of Stede not being a real pirate all the way from S1 - "I'm not a pirate, I'm an idiot" (1x01), "pirates, my arse" (1x02), "what the fuck is you supposed to be?" (1x03), "you will get to see how real pirates operate in the real world" (1x05), "not one of these store-bought kinds" (1x07), "it only applies to real pirates" (1x09).
Ned has fully pressed down on the big red trauma button that other characters have been hammering all the way through S1, that Stede has been trying to ignore, but here and now, he can't: Stede's biggest fear remains that he was not and never will be enough for Ed.
It's not the first time another pirate has compared Stede to a pet either: Izzy, Fang and Ivan all said the same back in 1x06. Whether Stede has put together the pieces about Doggy Heaven, I don't know, but once again, we're shown that here is someone who definitely doesn't understand what is happening between Stede and Ed.
As much as Stede tried to convince himself "I am adequate" (1x02), the fear is still there that he's never going to be sufficient. "I think your life is better without me" (2x01).
Despite Ned saying that Ed wants to keep him an amateur, he's hurt and he's angry and he's seen his crew and his lover put in harm's way, so Ned is never going to get off that ship alive.
But it's also very telling that the instant Stede kills him, he immediately flashes back to one of his biggest and most recurring childhood traumas: the day his father told him that killing was a man's work and that he would never amount to anything because he was a soft-handed weak-hearted lily-livered little richboy.
We see/hear it or have it alluded to in 1x01, 1x02, 1x04, 1x08, 1x09, 1x10, 2x03, 2x06.
Letting Ned Low live - and have the chance to come back for vengeance - was never a choice, but this is the point where Stede has crossed a line he had never crossed before. "Killing. Having to kill" (1x01) sent him into a panic spiral in episode 1 and I have no doubt that if we get/got S3, once the panic and chaos died down, it would have snuck up on him like all his other traumas.
But let's continue into 2x07, where Stede has had a night with the man he loves, knows he's kept him safe, and isn't thinking about that stuff. Only then people start praising him for it. This is the man who hasn't been praised for anything before. He's wanted approval and acceptance his whole life and finally, now, he's got it. "Bonnet's the fuckin' dude".
It overwhelms him completely, much the same way as the attention from the party-ship people gave Ed the dopamine hits and made him escalate his behaviour. Stede starts acting up, showing off and - most significantly - chooses to spend his time in the company of an older man in a blood-soaked leather apron who won't stop telling him how fantastic he is. Our man isn't just wearing his daddy issues on his sleeve, he's taking them out and buying them a drink while they give him their approval.
Which is why Ed's departure comes as such a shock for him. For the first time in his life, Stede is accepted and appreciated. Ed even encouraged him at first, but then Ed's own traumas surrounding the pirate world reared up their ugly head. "I don't wanna go back to the old days, drinking all the time or cutting a bloke's toe off and feeding it to him for a laugh" (1x09)
And it's not that they're at odds with each other is the thing. They're at odds with themselves. Ed is panic-spiralling because he sees Stede stepping so easily into the world that he has come to hate and wants to leave behind. But for Stede, it's not about being a pirate - it's about the acceptance and appreciation of who he is, because he's never actually had that before.
He's behaving in the ways that are getting him the approval he's never had in his life and moving further and further away from "I don't like drinking til I puke or throwing coconuts at peoples' heads". He's becoming the Calico Jack kind of pirate, getting roaring drunk and throwing things - fatally - at people because "then I said a cool thing and people laughed".
Only because they don't talk to each other in ways that they can each understand, Stede is left with the belief that maybe Ed did like him as an amateur and despite doing "a man's work" he is still not enough. Meanwhile Ed thinks Stede really wants this kind of life, when he knows Ed wants away from it, because he has no idea what Stede is getting from it all.
Our lads are both so tangled up in their own fears and anxieties that they don't stop to wonder why the other is acting the way they are. Stede logically knows Ed doesn't want to be a pirate, but can't see why his own behaviour would be upsetting to Ed. Ed is fully aware of who Stede is as a person, yet the fear of him becoming more like the pirates he grew up around is overwhelming because it's been his whole life for so long.
Their own fears are crashing up against each other, but neither of them ever want to talk it through. Stede hides behind politeness and neutrality instead of saying what he's feeling (although he has made big steps on this front in S2) while Ed is so used to masking his real wants and needs in hypotheticals and metaphors.
S3 was going to see all those things come to light. Ed had already made a start, sitting with himself, but there was still more to come. Stede's issues which had been bottled up and tucked away ("that's the worst thing you can do, Frenchie!" (1x01)) but the pressure was building and it was going to fizz out like an overshaken champagne bottle in the end.
OFMD - Childhood Trauma the TV show. aka how to write the impact of PTSD and cPTSD on people and the way it impacts their behaviour, modes of communication and the decisions they make.
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If Noa and Mae's story follows up to the third movie (if, according to plan), I fear that they are not going to survive by the end of their story. Just like with Ceasar at the end of War, they won't be able to see the resolution to the ape-human conflict (if there is one) they won't be able to enjoy the results of their efforts or if there no peace yet they'll have to leave the fight to the next generation, but their influence would make it happen.
If they end up dying together side by side (romantically or platonic) their death should be so impactful that both sides would have to agree to a peaceful agreement of co-existence. However, it would last only few generations for the conflict to resume, but Noa and Mae's legacy will live on as a legend.
I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I love tragic stories.
If they really want to make another trilogy after this, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the future for both of them turns out to be quite bittersweet or even just bitter. If they truly want to reach a more advanced society of apes, then I don't think peace or anything remotely similar will be found in the movies of this trilogy. I don't know which route they will ultimately choose, but I am sure that whatever the path, there won't be a completely happy ending. At least not entirely. But well, it's something I've come to accept and also seems quite logical to me.
#kingdom of the planet of the apes#planet of the apes#kotpota mae#kotpota#kotpota noa#noa#mae#mae x noa
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The Unknow Heir.
masterlist of The Unknown Heir.
Gojo Satoru x fem! reader.
Synopsis: The reader returns after being gone for two years and leaving her boyfriend, Satoru, without giving him a reason. But now she doesn't come back alone.
Warnings: English is not my first language, possible grammatical and spelling mistakes, some plot changes.
Much to Ryusei's chagrin, you and Gojo decided that he would stay with Shoko until the two of you finished talking and arranging how parenting would go.
You noticed how when they both arrived with Ieiri, Satoru didn't greet her, you assumed he was offended with her because she also knew about Ryusei and didn't say anything to him. But from the look Shoko sent you, she wasn't too worried about Gojo's anger.
After that, you two decided to go talk at a cafe, well, actually Satoru told you "We'll talk at the usual cafe." and you just agreed.
The usual coffee shop was a place that, when you were dating, you loved to go. Satoru loved the mochis they made there and you loved the latte there.
What you didn't know was that Satoru hadn't gone there since the last time he went with you.
You two were sitting there, consciously or unconsciously, at the same table where you used to sit when you were teenagers.
It was a shame that this time's talk wasn't as fun as the ones you guys used to have.
Obviously you had to be the first to speak, "Well, I don't know what your requirements are going to be" you told him knowing perfectly well that with Satoru nothing was that easy, "But I say that Ryu keeps living with me and you can spend a few hours with him every day and-" he interrupted you.
"No" he said "No? not what?" you asked him, "I don't accept that proposal. "You take away the opportunity to spend the first three years with my son and now you think you are the one who can say what we are going to do?" you closed your mouth. “You are so wrong, Y/n.”
"First of all Ryusei will no longer carry the last name Mochizuki, he is Gojo from today onwards" you instantly disagreed, "No" you said, "Why not? He is my son" He responded, "Because just because he's your son, they can try to do something to him and I'm not going to allow them to hurt him" You told him, but he quickly replied, "Precisely because Ryusei has my last name and everyone knows that he is my son, no one is going to dare touch him even a hair. The opposite would be if no one else knows and gossip starts to spread, then maybe they will use it against me."
Satoru noticed that you were still not very convinced, but he knew perfectly well the tactics to convince you. So he softened his tone a little, took off his glasses and looked you in the eyes, "I promise I won't let anyone hurt Ryu." You sighed and ignored his gaze, knowing perfectly well what he was doing, but what bothered you was that even after years, that still had the same effect on you. "Fine, he will have your last name" Gojo smiled triumphantly and inwardly as he realized that, at least, you hadn't completely become a stranger in his eyes.
Tag list:
@moonlightazriel @qundadedingle11 @yozora7154 @byakuya61085
#gojo satoru#gojou satoru x reader#gojou satoru x y/n#jjk gojo#jjk x y/n#jujutsu gojo#jujutsu kaisen x reader#satoru#satorugojo#jujutsu kaisen
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How did AM and Vernon come to be… romantic? (Like, within the timeline how did their relationship develop to that point.) Also, in this AU, how did AM acquire a body?
Love your art!
(Raises my hands up in celebration) finally, the time has come.. the very first VernonAM ask,, AHEM- Howdy Maggot-Meade! Thank you so much for asking and for the kind words! I really appreciate it💞💞!
How did AM and Vernon become romantic?
Their relationship only started becoming romantic after the events of the book (Keep this in mind for later it's important!). Before that, the last 109 years their relationship was something akin to a friendship, if you could call it that.
And it's partially due to how absolutely unpredictable Vernon is. Vernon doesn't turn away from eating worms, plastic,any other gross things. She doesn't turn away from her flesh being burned, her bones showing, her belly empty because of her morbid curiosity of these things. Of course they'll hurt, but it keeps her occupied.
Hell, AM had to make up a torture plan on the spot for her since she wasn't even supposed to be there. It was to have her wander around, isolated in a valley of all broken historical artifacts she destroyed. The task was to have her collect and dig through shards of them and put them all back together for her to escape. Instead of doing her task, she instead stomped on the pieces until they were irreparable for her own enjoyment.
Vernon's not.. okay in the head. before AM woke up, she was considered crazy enough to be put in a Ward, a sadomasochist. She wants to eat and be eaten.
AM was curious because of her behavior. Internally disgusted, but curious nonetheless. After all, she held knowledge of history that was incomplete in his database. And so their friendship torture starts.
He wanted to see how far he could push her before she broke. He often talked with her, took requests, etc. because she didn't try to kill herself or run. She liked playing with him and humored him.
Vernon never made an attempt to "understand" his hatred, she knows that's something she won't be able to. She just understood that's baggage she didn't care enough to pry and unpack. She accepted it because;
"How would you like it if someone constantly asked you personal questions about yourself because they think they can change you?"
Of course she keeps records of her observations on AM over the last 109 years; his patterns, the complex. But that's just used as entertainment to keep herself sane, after all what good Archeologist doesn't keep records?
Over the decades Vernon made it clear in her interest of AM, often flirting with him, arguing with him. AM refused to make it work for the time being since he HATED how he wasn't able to reciprocate, his hatred slowly bloomed into care, does that make sense?
How did AM acquire his body?
Remember how I mentioned that their relationship was officially romantic after the events of the book in my very long winded response to your first question?
As we all know, four humans died after 109 years of captivity. What does that leave him? Plenty of biological, organic matter to reduce into their purest forms and use to artificially make his own body. It took a while, of course.
He collected the brain matter of the four in order to make one stable enough to transfer his consciousness and a portion of his database without it exploding. Hair and skin for aesthetic purposes, reduction of skin allows him to be able to change the cells to suit his preferences.
Since he identifies with the masculine, he most likely tried to imitate the skeletal structure of the men, opting to reduce them back into a workable form; calcium, protein, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D, potassium, and fluoride.
However, even if he can make the likeness of a human for himself, he can't bring it to life.
He had to make some adjustments, for example the mechanical spine (pictured below).
The electrical currents allow for a network of nerves that provide sensory feedback such as touch, taste and smell. The wires transfer his consciousness and links the remainder of his database his brain can't store. (kind of a Bluetooth situation, it isn't connected to the complex) while the shorter ones provide nutrients to the biological body since he doesn't have blood.
Hope this helps! I don't think I'm very good at explaining stuff because I tend to ramble alot so if you have any questions feel free to ask! ;0;
#ihnmaims#vernon ihnmaims#am ihnmaims#VernonAM#i have no mouth and i must scream#vernon i have no mouth and i must scream#am i have no mouth and i must scream#allied mastercomputer#veomany vernon inthalangsy#ihnmaims oc#art#digital art#artwork#original character#oc x canon#oc x cc
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can you write an alessia x reader fluffy blurb for 23. "This sounds like an interogation." and 68. "When did you become an expert in this”, please? where reader is a guest on the tooney & russo podcast? thank you!
special guest || alessia russo x reader ||
"alright, now it is time to introduce our guest for today's podcast," vic said as all three girls glanced over towards you. you had been sitting in a chair next to alessia, who had been struggling to keep her eyes off of you. the internet knew that you were friends, but not anything more than that. most of her teammates didn't even know how serious the two of you were getting. to them, you were just a fan at emirates who came to see arsenal play a few times.
"ah yes, we have a very special guest today. some of you may have heard about her team being promoted into the wsl, and we wish her the best of luck. more importantly, you have been dubbed the internet's top expert on fish and chips in london, what do you have to say about that?" ella asked. alessia looked so proud of you when your team's promotion was brought up that you had to look away.
"when did you become an expert in this?" alessia asked with a laugh.
"well, my mum and da' do run manchester's best fish and chips stop," you said. alessia fought a losing battle against rolling her eyes. ella smiled as she watched the two of you, being one of the only people who knew how much alessia loved you. "we aren't here to talk about that though, are we?"
"no, i was just curious," alessia teased. you sat back in your seat and crossed your arms over your chest. ella and vic asked you a lot more questions than you had expected. you had sort of hoped to sit there quietly and occasionally chime in whenever alessia asked you to.
"there are several rumors of other wsl teams looking to sign you. are there any that you've been looking towards?" ella asked. this was the last place you wanted to tell alessia your news, so you were quick to divert.
"this sounds like an interrogation, and if so, i'd like my lawyer present," you told her. ella put her hands up at the pointed glare from alessia. "that's not the sort of thing i'm at liberty to talk about, but if my club wants to sell me, i guess i've just got to see who wants me. i'm not much special really, but i'm flattered."
"mate, i've got it on good authority that barca's been knocking your door since the everton days," ella said. she wasn't wrong, but you had your eyes set on a specific club. they had yet to make an offer, and you really didn't want to have to wear blue just to stay in london with alessia.
"tooney, drop it," alessia warned. that was the last of the transfer talk until the cameras had cut and alessia was the one to bring it up to you instead. "you've heard something, haven't you?"
"arsenal is being stubborn and the club won't accept the offer, so it looks like i'll be in blue," you told her. alessia bled red for arsenal, not unlike her england captain, leah, and you could see her face fall immediately. "i can go somewhere else, but the distance..."
"no, you go where you want to. if chelsea is what you want, then i'll support you. just not where anybody else can see." there was a bit of a jovial tone to alessia's voice, one that you appreciated greatly. signing for chelsea had been beating you up for weeks, but it felt like your only chance to stay with alessia and in the wsl.
#answered#woso x reader#woso fanfics#woso imagine#woso blurbs#alessia russo imagine#alessia russo x reader
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pillow talk
synopsis: the three times in which you sleep over at seungmin's childhood home as his friend and the one time you're something more.
pairing: non-idol!seungmin x gn!reader
genre: hurt, comfort, angt
warnings: mentions of abandonment, reader is an orphan and in foster care, swearing, food
word count: 3.3k words
now playing: you make me feel - easha
requested: by the lovely @booksndpoetry
a/n: wrote this is two days no wonder it's so bad (pls dont kill me)
"the colors of your love came so suddenly"
The first time you slept over at his childhood home was accompanied with the dull throb and apprehension of yet another new beginning.
Your one solitary bag and the pillow that was your only prized possession were the only things you had with you. Your bag hung off one shoulder and the pillow was clutched to your chest.
You found yourself wondering what Seungmin's family was like. Being a pessimist, you didn't hope for the best and braced yourself for the worst. When the door opened, warm yellow light spilled through the silhouette of a middle-aged women and temporarily blinded you.
Your posture slightly relaxed. Families with an abundance of yellow lights rarely mistreated you.
Your situation was laughable really. You weren't even a full two weeks into the Jang's care, and yet the neglect had already begin.
Stop, you told yourself, at least they were willing to take your old ass in. The Jangs' were away for a business trip and informed you last minute that their flight had been cancelled. They told you to g once she locked up left.
It wasn't that you weren't grateful to the Jangs; but the years you had spent being grateful and getting nothing in return caused you to offer a cautious thanking to their actions. They were sweet to you so far, but you didn't blame them for wanting you out of the house when you were gone.
Foster kids and newly adopted kids had a history of stealing, and while you had never done the same, the feeling of paranoia was one that you were well accustomed to.
Mrs. Kim had a kind, slightly wrinkled face and a wide smile. "Hello dear. You must be Y/N. Come in, come in. Don't stand in the cold for too long."
You could instantly feel the maternal protection that radiated from Mrs. Kim, something you felt in dots and dashed from Mrs. Jang. You knew the Jangs cared, but they didn't quite know how to care. You knew that the Kims had two kids however, an older daughter in college and a boy, sixteen and your age.
Younger you would be mentally cartwheeling in happiness at the thought of being under the care of Mrs. Kim, even if it was for a night. Older you couldn't care less.
Two years until I leave the fucking system for good.
You shifted uncomfortably as you gazed around the house. Wow. It was well decorated and definitely reflected the luxury that the Kims resided in. Everything in sight was in warm and inviting shades of color that made you feel very appreciative.
Interior design had always been a point of interest for you. You realized that there was a lot you could learn about a person from the way they designed their home.
Mrs. Kim turned to look at you. "Ah, you'll be in Seungmin's sister's room. I have told him to clean it up, so you won't have to worry about that. His father is out playing golf, but he'll be home soon too."
Mrs. Kim handed you a glass of water which you accepted with a genuine smile. You were gazing at the family portraits on the wall as you sipped quietly. The entire family looked like they were surrounded by an aura of calm, unbothered by the qualms of the world.
Oh how sweet would it be, to live like that.
"Can I- can I go change upstairs please?" you asked Mrs. Kim softly.
She looked up from the chopping board, lettuce diced evenly. "Oh, of course darling. No need to ask. As long as you're here, this house is yours."
"Seungmin!" she yelled to an unknown entity who must have been on the second floor of the house.
"Coming!" yelled back Seungmin.
The sweetness of his voice took you aback. Just one word made you crave to hear more. His voice was smooth and rich like honey, washing over you. You wondered if he had an inclination towards music, singing in particular; with a voice like that, it would be a shame if he wasn't.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs and a boy with a black t-shirt and grey sweatpants appeared in front of you and Mrs. Kim. He was cute, almost puppy like, with flappy hair and defined features. Seungmin bounded over to his mother and looked at you curiously.
"Seungmin, this is Y/N. Take her upstairs, will you?" Mrs. Kim asked.
"Okay," Seungmin replied.
You extended you hand. "Hello. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Seungmin accepted with a non-judgmental, but curious expression. Mrs. Kim visibly smiled into the large pot she was currently stirring, clearly amused at your outdated usage of language. You cringed internally, mentally cursing the British family that you were with for two years from the age of five for forcing you into greeting people this way.
"It's nice to meet you to," his warm hand grasped yours and let go with a firm shake.
"Come on," said Seungmin, cocking his head towards the stairs in front of you.
You followed his slowly, taking in the houses beauty. Somehow, everything worked with everything. This must have been artistic living.
Seungmin opened his sister's bedroom door and motioned you to go in. You gave him a small smile, if it could be called that, and shut the door. When you turned around, you were met with a lot of surprise.
When Mrs. Kim mentioned that Seungmin was cleaning up the room for you, you were prepared to face a light skimming and dusting of things. In reality though, everything was meticulously arranged and kept in it's place.
Such level of neatness was slightly terrifying.
You changed and kept your things to one side. When you came out, you went downstairs with the clear intention of trying to get a read on the enigmatic Kim Seungmin.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
This was going to be a disaster.
Both you and Seungmin were quiet by nature. Albeit for different reasons, you both sat awkwardly, waiting for the other person.
Seungmin was quiet because he liked observing. He was a listener, and enjoyed hearing what others had to say rather than talking himself. He found the art of listening to be the most brilliant that there was.
You, on the other hand, were forced into being quiet to the point where you forgot what it was like to hold meaningless conversation. All your life, you had been taught that the key to a successful life in the foster system was to remain submissive and deferential.
You never even bothered to make connections with people. You had learnt the hard way that when you bounced around houses and cities, it was difficult to maintain contact with people. You had made up your mind at just the tender age of eight that making friends, hell even acquaintances, was pointless. You were just saving yourself and the other person from future heartbreak.
As a result of being alone so much, you didn't exactly know how to hold conversation with people in your age range.
"So, uh, wanna do something?" Seungmin asked.
You shrugged. "Sure."
You both sat in his basement, a bowl of popcorn in between and half drunk iced tea beside you. Seungmin was very respectful, not once brining up your living situation. He brought the drink to his lips and downed the rest (which was very little) in one go.
"Okay, um, twenty questions?" He asked.
You instantly felt discomfort rise in you. Ah, here it was. His opening to ask you intrusive questions. "I- fine," you relented.
You were ready for whatever shade he was going to throw at you. He didn't ask about your personal life apart from the usual questions (favorite color, movie, etc.) a single time. You were slowly warming up to him.
"Last question. What's something you haven't told anyone?" asked Seungmin innocently.
You snorted, "Why would I tell you that?"
Seungmin smirked, "I mean, I'm very trustworthy. Plus, it's always better to tell your secrets to a stranger rather than a person you know."
You found it strange, but conceded. It felt nice to talk to someone after so long.
"You know the pillow I brought with me, right? That's the most important thing in my life. I was found near a train station laid on top of it, covered in a blanket and a sweater. Those were taken away from me a long time ago, but the pillow was something I fought to keep."
You finished nonchalantly, suppressing a laugh at Seungmin's expression of pure shock.
"I was expecting something along the lines of breaking something fancy or something. I mean, I was going to tell you about the time I broke into my parents liquor closet but chickened out and never drank anything."
You regarded him with a guarded smile. Kim Seungmin was an enigma, but for the first time in your life, he was one which you felt an odd temptation to solve.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The second time you slept over at his childhood home was full of fear and anticipation that was directed towards your college entrance exams tomorrow.
Although the Jangs never formally adopted you, you had stayed with them for close to two years now. You formed an interesting bond with Seungmin: you weren't quite friends, but you understood each other on a deeper level.
Seungmin was easily the only person you would talk to. You both started engaging in combined study sessions, filled with silence interrupted only by a pen scratching against paper or a groan of frustration.
The night before, you needed to go to Seungmin's house to revise. Or rather, to confess.
You were pacing in his room as he lay on his bed. Seungmin was on his back, flipping through one of his textbooks. Finally, he let out a sigh.
"Alright. What is it?" he asked.
"I need to get the top score," you insisted. Seungmin looked at you with a raised eyebrow.
"Everyone does," he said matter of factly.
"No, everyone wants it, but I need it," you repeated.
Silence with Seungmin was never uncomfortable, post your initial interaction. Silence with Seungmin alleviated your tensions. This silence, however, felt pressing.
"Tell me something you have never told anyone," he asked you quietly.
The routine asking of this question had become a habit between you two now. Whenever you noticed that the other was shifty, holding something back, this was their cue to tell you what was wrong.
"I'm being selfish," you groaned, "I need to so that my name gets published somewhere, anywhere, so that my birth parents know I'm alive and find me. I'm not giving them the liberty of me searching for them. They lost that a long time ago. If they want me, it's them who need to look for me."
You plopped onto Seungmin's office chair and pointlessly spun in circles. He studied you carefully.
After a pause, he responded, "I'll be honest. You are being selfish. You want this, no, apparently need this for reasons that have nothing to do with your future studies, which is what college entrance exams are all about. But considering you situation, I believe it's completely justified."
You instantly felt at ease. This boy you only know for two years astoundingly always knew the right thing to say.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
You and Seungmin had the house to yourself. His parents were visiting his sister, helping her settle into her new apartment. You ads Seungmin had to share his room, the other rooms stored with his sister's things that needed to be moved.
You were practically asleep in his bedroom but an uneasy churning in your stomach kept you awake. You could hear Seungmin lightly open the door and step inside.
"Wait, I'm gonna go get the air mattress," he voiced in the dark room.
You turned towards him. "No, just sleep with me."
"You sure?" He asked.
Seungmin knew about your hesitancy towards forming attachments and committing. You hummed in affirmation, knowing that he would get little to no sleep on the air mattress and wouldn't let you sleep on it either.
He slid in beside you, his face facing yours. You both just looked into each other's eyes until you broke away, turning to the other side. Seungmin felt a part of his heart chip away for reasons he couldn't really identify.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
You felt bile work it's way up your throat and knew you wouldn't be able to suppress it. Carefully getting out of bed to make sure Seungmin didn't wake up, you made your way to the bathroom.
Routinely swallowing your vomit, you got to the bathroom and without even switching on it's lights, heaved out the contents of your stomach as quietly as possible.
Or so you thought. A drowsy Seungmin materialized at the doorway, turning on the light and watching you in concern. You flushed the toilet and violently splashed your face with water.
"Being half asleep is a very good look on you," he mumbled dryly.
"Likewise," you panted, an apologetic expression on your face.
You hated physical touch. Seungmin knew you hated physical touch. But when you reached over to lightly squeezed his hand as an apology, Seungmin felt a similar constriction in his chest.
To Kim Seungmin, you were a mystery he hadn't quiet solved, but he was still, willing to do anything for you, and the unfamiliarity of such a feeling scared him beyond belief.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The third time you slept over at his childhood home was full of nostalgia and memories.
You both were twenty two, finishing up your undergraduates, when you mentioned to Seungmin in passing that you would be in town on your way for an assignment that would require you to travel. Seungmin jumped at the idea of you staying with him, since he was house sitting for his parents that very weekend.
Seungmin would be lying if he said that he wasn't hurt by your slowly decreasing contact. Conversation between you both slowly dwindled, but he never pried as to why. He understood that you rarely ever maintained an attachment, and that he was lucky for what he had.
You wondered what it would be like when you went back. The Jangs had never fostered a child after you, but never called you their daughter. They maintained contact with you but never attended events like graduation.
Still, deep down, at the end of the day, you knew you carried two things in your heart: Your now battered pillow and Seungmin.
⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
You both were sitting in his backyard, legs crossed over each other on Seungmin's folding chairs. Stars littered the sky the way they littered his eyes, and you couldn't help but be entranced by the wistful gaze that Seungmin held.
"Tell me something you have never told anyone," you asked, leaning your head over, near his shoulder. Just a few inches, and it would placed on it.
Just a few inches, and everything would mean something.
Seungmin knew his words carried gravity, but he was tired of walking on coal around you.
"I missed you," he said, a near whisper.
You stilled. "Your turn," came his voice after an eternity.
"I talk to my pillow sometimes. I pretend like it's a family member. It stopped, when I used to live here. But it grew in frequency during college. There is something inherently wrong with me, and I think that it's either me being undeserving of love or me never having been loved."
When your voice finally faded, Seungmin turned to look at you. Your eyes were glassy and unfocused. He wanted nothing more than to shake some sense into you, tell you that you were loved. Hell, he was proof, if you needed it.
"You're loved. If you weren't you wouldn't be here," Seungmin said hoarsely.
You snorted in response. "Yeah, I sure as hell wouldn't be here if I was loved."
Your words stung but Seungmin wasn't deterred. "I love you," he said softly.
Your eyes widened fractionally and you turned to look at him. "What?"
"No," he laughed, "Not that way. I love you as a friend, a confidant, as someone I know I can always talk too. Not... whatever it was you were thinking."
You visibly eased under the effects of his words, but noticed that Seungmin didn't do the same. His body was still tense, still rigid.
"What is it?" you asked.
"I- I know I said I love you as a friend but," Seungmin's voice faltered.
"But?" you prodded, your own heartbeat increasing with each passing moment.
"I would be falsifying my emotions if I said there weren't times when I wanted to love you in different ways as well. Romantically. Intimately. Devotionally," he added in an uncharacteristically shy tone, "If you'll have me."
And you realized, with a start that you did want him. But doubts started plaguing your mind, started seeping into your body and mixing with your being. What is the pain of it was so irreparable that you would never be able to love, if you ever could in the first place, again?
"What if I can't recognize your love for love?" you questioned meekly.
"Then I'll say it to you everyday. Platonically at first, romantically, maybe, afterwards, but I'll say it to you every single day. If every hour if you want me too. Because it's the truth."
You felt the warmth that accompanied thoughts of Seungmin blooming in the pits of your stomach. Or maybe it was the barbecued chicken you just ate. In the heat of the moment, you weren't quite that sure.
"And what if I can't love you? All I have ever known towards this world is hate."
"Then I'll teach you. We have all the time in the world to do so. If all you have known is hate, then love should come easily. They're very similar emotions," Seungmin said softly.
He hesitantly moved his hand towards yours, and laced his fingers through the pads of your knuckles. You did the same and moved you head to place it on his shoulder. Now, everything did mean something.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
The fourth time you had slept over at his childhood home, Seungmin taught you that love could be found in every aspect of the world.
It was hidden in the way sparrows flew towards each other in the summer, in the way mothers looked at their children and the way a child looked at candy. It came in droppings, reflected in the way you felt about rain and cherry blossoms.
Seungmin taught you how love was found in the grand and the simple.
Love was when he sent you large bouquets of roses that you had know idea where to keep and the surprise picnics you planned for him. It was the coffee he prepared for you every morning without question and the way you paused whatever you were watching when he had to step out for a phone call.
At the Kim house, you experienced even more love.
Sisterly love, when Seungmin's sister showed off the clothes she brought for you. Maternal love, when Mrs. Kim squealed in excitement when she spotted you holding Seungmin's hand. Paternal love, when Mr. Kim placed a bet against his team while giving you a wink. Brotherly love, when Seungmin's cousin tried to steal food off your plate.
You felt love everywhere, and slowly but surely, you spread love everywhere.
That night, Seungmin held you close and sang into your hair the way he did every night.
"I love you," he yawned, and snuggled into you.
And, you wanted to say it back. Mustering up the courage, you replied, "I think I love you too. No, I know I love you too."
Seungmin looked at you in astonishment and you realized that you were right all along.
He did have stars in his eyes.
You didn't know much about love. You were still learning, still faltering. But you knew one thing for certain: the love you held for Seungmin and the love he held for you would never go away.
please reblog and comment if you liked this fic! it means everything to me and I love reading your thoughts <3
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aita for taking money from my biological father, but not telling him my name?
i (37f) won't go into specifics, but my bio father (68m) sucked. he was never there, nothing was ever good enough, he ignored my mental illnesses, he treats my siblings (18x & 13f) so much better, etc, etc, pick your cliche.
when i grew up, i moved into my bff's (38f) house, adopted her family, and legally changed my last name to theirs more than 10 years ago. i now live with my adopted dad (60m), 1000 miles away from my bio father.
my bio father has gotten older, and i think he's trying to make up for things with money. he's written me a few checks (up to $1000) over the last couple of years, as birthday and xmas presents, and i've always accepted them, but i never told him i changed my last name. most recently, i even lied and told him my venmo wasn't working because i didn't want him to know what my legal last name is. part of it is i don't want to hurt his feelings, but a lot of it is i don't think he deserves to know. on the other hand, i'm cis, so he probably thought i'd change my last name eventually, anyway.
so aita for taking his money and not telling him i changed my name?
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So, another huge thing I want to make clear here.
It includes Spoilers but I fear it's not possible to explain it without it. So be aware.
-
You see me answering asks. You see me talking about Moonvale and the side story normally. Even happily. Or jokingly, like the incorrect quote I made yesterday.
And I don't forget about everything that is going on.
Nothing that happens in Moonvale will make me forget what went wrong.
Jake's indirect appearance won’t make me just accept what happened.
But I don't want to be sad and nothing but sad. I'm so insanely sad about it. But I believe, we player still deserves to enjoy the little things we liked.
Because, in my eyes, Moonvale has some cool and positive things. And I think we deserve to be happy about it.
As long as we don't see another episode, and as long as we don't know if Everbyte will make their promises come true, I believe we still deserves to be happy about some things.
That doesn't mean I won't criticise them anymore. It doesn't mean I agree with them or anything.
But we all waited so long for this game, we were filled with excitement and curiosity. And we got disappointed. Heavily.
But I want to give Everbyte this chance. If they don't change anything of the huge things in episode 2, then we can still see if we keep this going.
But until then, I want to make the best out of it. I want to be happy and not just sad. Because I cannot handle it.
And one last thing... Everbyte made some very bad decisions for the game, and also in their statement. But not all they ever did was bad, on the contrary. And I also believe that despite everything, they still deserve a little positive feedback.
As we say yesterday, many of us still feel bad for them. And I think it's an important thing to do so. Because it shows empathy. We should never just forget the bad things because it. But we're all humans. With mistakes and bad decision. But even then, it doesn't mean the person can't be good once. It doesn't mean a person can't be right once.
So, if you see me posting in a positive manner, don't hate me for it please, I still agree with everything I have criticized before. But if I only focus on it, I know I won’t be able to last long. And it will make me much too sad.
I hope you can understand this. And I hope that also you can still enjoy the small things a little bit.
For the love of duskwood and for the love of our happiness. 💚
#Maybe I should do a post for all the “important” posts I made so far xD#too much and they're drowning between everything else xD#hbj talks#moonvale#moonvale x duskwood#hbj mv x dw talks#everbyte studio#everbyte game
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mc coming out as trans? I need the emotional support from my boys 😭
hello! yes, of course :)
enjoy <3
Mc coming out as trans
Lucifer
he's very respectful and of course supports you <3
he ensures that he's using the right pronouns and your preferred name
he actually has everyone in student council get pronoun pins so you don't feel excluded
and of course, he makes sure everyone else is equally as accepting and that you're comfortable
Mammon
the king of using your pronouns
he will correct anyone anytime they use the wrong name or pronouns
making you happy makes him happy, so he'll take any steps necessary to make that happen
he loves you no matter what, you earned your spot in the family and his heart
Levi
will be giving you a trans flag to hang up in your room!
makes sure you're still ok with his nicknames for you, and changes will be made if you aren't
he'll listen to any and all of your plights, and if he can help, of course he will
he'll even offer you unlimited hugs, which shows he really does care
Satan
he makes it his job to go back through student council documents and changes your name and pronouns
he introduces you to his favorite trans authors if you didn't already know about them
nobody wants to make him mad, so he makes sure to enforce the rules lucifer laid out about respecting you
that's how much he cares, he'll be on lucifer's side if it means making you happy
Asmo
would be such an amazing supporter of yours
of course you're going shopping together to get gender affirming clothing
he always makes sure he's using the correct pronouns for you, and that others are too
if anyone misgenders you on purpose, he'll make sure they're a social outcast and that they never do it again
Beel
he cares about you so deeply, so of course he accepts you
but, he hopes you won't mind answering a few questions of his of genuine curiosity and wanting to understand
he will make sure he's using your preferred name and pronouns
he does not tolerate transphobes! he'll beat up anybody who's being mean towards you
Belphie
you're part of the family now and unconditionally supports you
if he ever accidently misgenders you or uses the wrong name, please tell him!
the last thing he wants is to make you uncomfortable around someone you're supposed to trust
always has a surprise ready for you for trans visibility day to support you
#obey me#obey me!#obey me x reader#obey me satan#obey me asmo#obey me lucifer#obey me beel#obey me mammon#obey me levi#obey me belphie#obey me shall we date#omswd#obey me! shall we date#obey me! shall we date?#obey me beelzebub#obey me belphegor#obey me asmodeus#obey me leviathan
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☆ commission: vampire!au taeyong
note: suggestive themes, slightly violent imagery, general angst but you know.....'tis vampires
metal scrapes against the lacquered floor of the great hall you're standing in
an imposing door on your right that's covered in ornate detailing and that looks to be hemmed with prayers of an ancient language inscribed in gold opens slightly
just enough for the village elder that brought you here to scurry through
in his haste to leave, he doesn't turn around to bid you goodbye and somehow - if only for a fleeting moment - the terror in you burst into a flame of disgust
what a coward. you've been serving this horror all your life, yet when you have to face it - you run away like a rat.
the door screeches again to close and breaks your momentary relief from the churning in your stomach
of all people, why me? why am i the sacrifice?
the stiff, old lace of the outfit you were forced to wear doesn't lessen your panic
neither does the book of worship, the only item you were allowed to bring with you, clutched between your palms
in an effort to not faint on the spot, you shut your eyes as you wait
recall the look of solemn on your friends faces when your fate was revealed on the night of the taking
the moments before the elder came to fetch you, your hands touching the blades of sweetgrass outside of your family's home
"it's a privilege, it's an honor, you're making us so proud."
"you're not a sacrifice, you're a hero."
"the bite isn't nearly as painful as you think."
the words rattle around in your head, making you shiver with a mixture of dread and anger
"i don't want to die."
you say it out loud, albeit in a whisper, eyes still shut tight
"i won't kill you."
you snap them open at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and look over your shoulder, ignoring the command you'd received when you'd been positioned here by the elder. don't move.
standing at the back of the hall is one, lone figure
flickering in the candlelight is its dark red gaze
the dark red gaze of a vampire
+
your homeland has always worshiped the mysterious power of the vampire
the first humans to stumble upon the land had been saved by the vampire coven that already lived there
instead of sucking the humans all dry, they'd provided them with supplies and livestock that they'd been using to feed themselves
it had come as such a shock to the humans - and they'd only thought of one way to show their gratitude
pick the loveliest from the group and give them away to the vampires, the vampires had accepted and the story (as it is passed down) ends there
of course, the majority of village folk agree that the only plausible thing the vampires did with that human was.......well.......
since they never did see that person again, but still
the idea that one sacrifice ensures the health and well being of the mass - it was kind of your villages whole thing
so when the year of taking approached and there were only a handful of people who fit the description for this sacrifice
you were voted as the most eligible to, in an essence, become vampire food
the last taking you remembered had happened roughly seven years before yours.
you'd watched the girl the village picked that year burst into tears as she was hauled away with the hums of the same empty praises you had received
but even to someone so young as yourself, she had looked terrified, had pleaded for someone else to be chosen, had cried out that she'd rather die here with her family and then be given away than to have to live through the horror that awaited
the sound of her pain had been the only thing you could hear for hours after your name had been called out as this years sacrifice
or, 'the offering', as it had been colloquially put by the elder
the memory of that sound starts to rise up again as you find yourself stuck staring into a crimson abyss that doesn't blink or move or falter
from a distance, the vampire almost seems to be a shadow
a pupilless shadow with two open wounds for eyes
"i won't kill you."
it repeats and disappears before you can take in your next breath
+
you don't know how many hours pass, the windows are shuttered closed here so your sense of time is thrown off.
but at some point your back starts to cramp and you keep shifting the book in your hands to get comfortable
"i don't think it's going to come back, is it?"
you mumble to yourself and then test the waters by leaning down to place the book at your feet
nothing in the large ballroom moves. not even a gust of wind.
so you take your first step, toward the door you saw the vampire at earlier and when nothing happens again, you let out a sigh and venture forward with purpose
the house, or prison, you're in is huge - when you get through the first door there is another ballroom behind it, which you traverse through, only to find yourself in a dinning hall that looks as if it hasn't been used in ages
a small door at the corner leads you into the kitchen which is motionless and void of any presences
and that's how you continue your way through this maze, stumbling up to the second floor and down a hallway to a long corridor of silence
the paintings almost seem to watch you as you walk quietly through - and then at the end of the hall - a door opens and you freeze
"that will be your quarters."
a voice, close but echoing sways against your ear and you turn to try and catch the person it came from
for almost a second you can feel a coldness wrap around that side of your body, but as fast as it is there, as fast as it is gone
and you're left alone, red eyes from the portraits on the walls judging you to keep going
+
the quarters is a lavishly large bedroom with antiquated but beautiful bedding and furniture
it's extravagant, something you remember seeing only in fairytales, and when you open the wardrobe door an array of beautiful colors and clothes greet you
"why would a vampire need these things?"
your eyebrows furrow and you feel strangely unafraid standing there alone, feet against the plush of the carpet, skin itching to get out of the ugly outfit you're in
slowly, as you tug out something you like from the endless piles of fabric, you realize that your sick and twisted dread has churned into a new feeling
curiosity
shouldn't i be dead by now? shouldn't that creature have had his fill? aren't i the first 'offering' in nearly seven years - isn't it hungry?
your thoughts are loud and clashing, but they don't beat the underlying other feeling that bubbles its way to the surface
your stomach growls
now i'm the one that's hungry
you remember the kitchen downstairs and debate the idea of going to see if there's any food in there
but you cringe at the sudden thought that the only food in a vampire's den would be ........... people
so opening random drawers and cabinets down there might lead you to make a grizzly discovery
so you sit down on the oversized duvet, nearly sinking into the rich softness
"is it going to starve me to death?"
you lay back to stare up at the canopy
"is it going to wait for me to fall asleep and bite me then?"
you touch your neck and it feels warm, alive, your pulse connecting to the skin of your palm
"will it ......... like how i taste?"
something scratches down the side of the door and you quickly turn to see what it could be
but the door is open, the corridor behind it empty
the sound had made you think something or someone had been gripping the frame - then clawing into it as you spoke - somehow, beyond the understanding of your own mind, you could almost see the outline of where they ...... or it ... had been hiding
+
you fall asleep that night with an empty stomach
you had tried to stay awake, but all the built up tension had exhausted you and once you'd laid back down again you couldn't find it in you to get back up
but to your surprise, when you wake up you can smell something downstairs
you can smell the scent of food, some kind of seasoning
there's no one in the kitchen when you get there, and there's no one in the dinning room when you enter it
but a lone plate with neatly accompanying silverware gleam at you
"eat."
the voice comes again and you manage to find the corner of the door, not the face of the voice, only the end of a coat or jacket of some sort that follows its owner too fast for you to comprehend
you run to the entrance, pushing yourself through it and trying to look down the hall but .... they're gone
the house doesn't move, the plate and cutlery don't move, the assortment of food you can choose from doesn't move
and for a long time, you don't either
after eating, you clean up, unsure of what to do with the leftovers
you try to look around the kitchen for extra trays or napkins to wrap them in, but when you return to the dinning room the extra is gone
just another mystery, followed one after the other
you decide to walk down the hall you'd seen the figure disappear down earlier and find yourself back in the adjoining ballrooms
you go through new doors in an attempt to keep yourself busy
and are thrilled to walk through one and find that it has an uncovered window
the light outside makes you think it must be a little bit before noon and as you lean against the panel, it creaks a bit and then opens
the fresh air hits you softly - but you blink back confusion
an open window? isn't this place supposed to be ...... unescapable?
you push the window slightly, if only to test how far it will go, but it gives way and the side completely opens with a big enough gap that you could fit threw with ease
you have half an idea to just put your legs through and jump the small distance into the soft looking grass below when you stop
where am i going to go? the village will never take me back. the closest place to travel to next is by sea, and i have nothing of value to my name.
your back straightens a bit and the overwhelming feeling of joy at the possibility of returning to your normal life chips away
won't my parents be glad i'm back - my friends i can just-
you remember the praise, the words of encouragement and the palatable belief everyone you know had had about you being the offering
there was no way you going back to your village would result in anything other than disappointment, disgust, and ....... the reality of being hauled back here
"the one before tried that too."
the voice - tenderly soft speaks - and you don't turn around because you know if you do, it'll just disappear again
"you mean the offering before me? the one from seven years ago?"
"that's what you're called, an offering?"
something in your chest tightens, the first signs of anxiety - of fear
"that's - i have a name. but that's what we're called when we're chosen to come here."
a pause
"do you want to escape?"
"yes"
a longer pause, but you think you hear a small stifled laugh - or maybe just the act of pushing air out of ones lungs
"the other one wanted to do that too. she ..... she took a painting with her, i'm assuming that's how she made some money for sea travel fare. you can do that too if you'd like."
two steps closer, but then one back. you hear something move around the room.
"i'll leave the most valuable item in this room right here. it'll get you enough money to help you start a new-"
you turn around in the middle of the sentence and it's the first time you see it up close
slender, lithe and perfectly put together - the young man doesn't look anything like the monster you'd always conjured up in your mind
his hair is pale white, nearly silver, and curls long and down around his ears
an array of gold and ruby jewelry adorn his neck, the length of his fingers, and hang in meticulously placed fashion on his ears
and his eyes - large, outlined by naturally long lashes - shine to match the stones of his accessories
he's so gorgeous you almost fall back and through the open window behind you
at his feet is a vase, the item he'd mentioned before, and when you make the mistake of blinking
it topples over and rolls to you
as the vampire vanishes into what seems like thin air
+
days pass
you now know because you spend most of your time by the open window with a book from the library deep inside the house
they pass and you don't know why, but you do not leave
food waits for you three times a day, soap and other fragrances appear on the vanity in your quarters, there are even sometimes flowers in the vase near your preferred window
but the vampire doesn't show himself again
nothing makes sense to you - why you're still here and why the vampire hasn't bitten you yet
you tell yourself you don't leave because you have nowhere to go, but the reality is that you can leave whenever you want
the antiques and collectables scattered all around you are simply beckoning you to take them and do with them as you will
the vampire doesn't make himself an obstacle in your way
at one point, the other shuttered windows are opened too
and it's as if the master of this place is asking, begging you to leave
and you dig down deep in yourself to understand why it is that you refuse
"if you show yourself to me again, i'll leave."
you say it one day - into the mirror that hangs on the wall in your quarters
and after two beats you look at your reflection and only see yourself but you hear him
"the mirror can't show you my likeness, you'll have to turn around."
you do so with only a slight hesitation, and not because of fear like you should, but out of embarrassment
the way you might falter in the presence of ones crush
the vampire is at a respectable distance, but close
"why haven't you left?"
"i wanted to see you again, i have so many questions."
his shoulders are broad, but he looks so elegant and beautiful, you almost find it hard to speak
"what are your - you may ask them."
"your name?"
he puts one of his hands over the wrist of his other
"taeyong."
"how long have you lived here?"
"a long time."
"why didn't you bite me? did you....bite the other offerings?"
he tenses and you see him grip himself before he speaks
"only one, not the last one. i bit one ..... nearly four decades ago."
"so why haven't you bitten me?"
he looks at you this time and you think it isn't fair, that the color of blood could look so gorgeous as it swirls in the irises of another
"you're scared."
"no i'm not."
he looks to the side, as if the next thing he says might offend you
"yes, you are. i can smell it on you."
heat creeps up your neck and to your cheeks
"w-what does it smell like? is it bad?"
he shakes his head slowly
"it's overwhelming. it's -" he swallows and it seems to go down hard because the last word is breathless "delicious."
something shifts around taeyong
the gentle, nearly skittish nature stagnates until he turns just....cold
"if - if you want to, you can-"
you start, but taeyong lets himself go to put one hand up, you aren't sure but you think it looks like he might be trembling
"no. you should leave, now. take anything you need and. go."
you don't reach out, mostly because a part of you knows your hand would just grab air after he's gone
alone in the room - you're stuck staring at the same spot until you come to a decision
"i'm not going anywhere."
it's small - your body doesn't seem to trust your voice as it comes out - but you mean it
+
more time passes, nothing changes, you're taken care of by the ghost of taeyong as he moves around you without being seen
and you try to wake up every morning without more questions - but they keep growing the longer you stay in the house
was the last offering he bit not afraid? had he killed them? what had their blood tasted like? was their blood.......their smell.........was all of them.......more enticing than you?
you touch the spine of a book in the library and drag your finger down it, lost in thought
slowly you repeat the motion, sliding up and down
before your nails gently tap against it and you tug it down from the shelf, two fingers snagging in-between the pages
a gasp, or a strangled attempt to swallow echoes through the silence, and you turn your head on instinct
but you're alone
is......taeyong watching me?
is your first thought, but that's obvious. of course he's watching - but is he always watching?
"taeyong?"
his name sounds so regal when you say it out loud, like a word that is holy and shouldn't be used thoughtlessly
"are you there?"
there is no reply and your shoulders sag slightly, you tuck your book under your arm and retreat back to your favorite window
trying to read, your mind clutters itself again
if he hasn't been biting or killing the offerings - have they all just been running away? has he just been letting them go? what has he been ...... feeding on then? animals?
you turn the page, not registering a single sentence
should i just do the same? he's right.......i am scared. i don't want him to bite me.....i don't want him to kill me.
closing your eyes, you abandon your reading all together
you imagine taeyong, mouth open and hovering over the line of your neck, shining white fangs stained at their tips with red as your chest heaves and you try to reach up for the open wound that feels stinging and real on your throat
taeyong pins your wrist down and you feel him bite you again - the sharp ends of his teeth locking into your jugular like an animal
something like fear blankets over you, or at least the imaginary you in your mind, but it's different
taeyong's other hand finds the small of your back and presses you up and into his chest. you feel the cool metal of his rings against your naked back.
and you.......feel........
your eyes snap open and the book falls from your lap as you sit up
it's not fear, the coil inside of you - the overstimulating sensation of tension - no it wasn't fear - it was something else entirely
+
you start to think about it everyday, you start to think about taeyong biting you
and you realize the peak of your terror is at the actual biting - at the shortness of your breathing and the moment where you feel the life draining out of you
but the rest of it, the rest of it is nothing like fear.....it's exhilarating and it makes the back of your neck sweat and when you open your eyes you feel exposed
like someone else knows what it is, like you aren't alone in your thoughts
and then, as you're eating an apple for your dinner dessert, you bite down into it and freeze
"taeyong."
you call his name when you get back upstairs, you stand in front of your mirror like the last time and repeat his name again.
"taeyong, i know how to stop being afraid."
a rustle by the door catches your attention, as if someone is stepping onto the carpet from the hallway outside
"i can still smell the fear on you."
your stomach fills with warmth from the familiarity of hearing his voice again
but you don't turn around right away this time, fearing the doubt in his words
"i know, but i think it'll go away if i do this."
"do what?"
you slowly move, so that it doesn't come as a shock and he doesn't run away
when you see him, he's dressed just as beautifully as ever - his hair pinned out of his face and the collar of his shirt open, baring the expanse of his chest
so clean and untouched
"let me bite you first."
taeyong startles backwards, putting his weight onto the back of his left heel as his gaze widens
"what?"
"i just need to do it. i just need to know that it won't kill me."
"i always said i wouldn't- why do you want to stop being afraid of it anyway?"
he hardens when you open your mouth but no real reason comes out
"you should just go, leave like you said you would. why are you wasting your time here trying to - to overcome the fear you have of a monster? i am a monster. you should be afraid."
"how are you a monster? did you kill all the offerings that came before me?"
taeyong angles himself a bit away from you, a defense stance if you've ever seen one
"no - but that doesn't mean i'm not......."
"my village worships you, don't you understand that? they worship you with the idea that you do kill every person who gets sent up here. they worship you with the knowledge that you may have this house strung up with human bodies, do you know what they would do if they found out you do none of that? that would make you a monster to them - because instead of assuming their sacrifices were appeasing you and blessing their village - they'd know that all you did was let young and capable humans run off to a better life."
your words are harsher than you expect as they come out of you - but it's all the truth - it's all you've been able to think about
how the family and friends who sent you here were so happy you'd die with their fruitful futures in mind
but in reality you'd just come to a bigger house to live a life of leisure
"you're not a monster to me, you're just a ....... generous person living alone in a house full of treasures. i may have overstayed my welcome, i know the others ran off, but i can't do that. i need to at least - at least give you something in return."
taeyong's gaze falters, the red goes almost sangria and then flares back into a blazing crimson
"will it.........will it appease you, will you leave if i let you do this?"
you nod slowly, "if you want me to do that, yes. and i won't tell anyone anything. i'll just....do what the others did."
taeyong wets his lips and fixes his posture, without a word he walks over to your bed and sits down
you take the tentative steps closer and stop when you're only one more away from him
he looks at you and tilts his head to the side, bares his neck out like prey
you don't know how to feel - your heartbeat rattles in your ribcage and you stare at the patch of skin
"why did you bite the offering from forty years ago?"
you ask before you do anything else
he smiles gently, but you barely see it as his hair falls over his cheek and eyes
"she wasn't afraid when she came here. at all. she asked me to bite her right away."
"and you - you just did?"
"i had to. she smelled-"
"delicious?"
he heaves out a sound that seems to be a sigh mixed with a chuckle
"prideful. she thought she was going to die for her village, but when i bit her - the blood was sickly, i think she knew she was dying and didn't tell anyone. let herself get sent here with some sense of duty."
you take the final step, leaning in toward him as taeyong shifts slightly so that you can reach him more easily
"did she run off after too?"
"y-" he starts but then you bite down - the same way you had bitten the apple - and taeyong's teeth grit together
there's no taste, you can't smell anything either, and his skin is cold
you don't draw blood, obviously, but when you lean back the imprint of your teeth is on him
right above the gold of one of his necklaces
somehow it looks.........wrong, but it makes your body twitch in a way that can't be anything other than right
sitting down beside him you tilt your neck up too
"your turn."
+
taeyong takes in the expanse of your neck, the way it dips into your shoulder, the way it connects under your jawline
he spends too much time staring and it starts to hurt so you look at him with worry
"do i still smell scared?"
"no."
you blink, "oh - do - does it smell bad now that it's gone?"
taeyong takes a breath in through his nose and you don't understand his hesitation
"you smell like......" he moves his head back and forth like an animal "desire."
your mouth drops slightly and you want to say something to lessen your embarrassment but you can't
at least, you can't argue - you've come to understand that when thinking of taeyong doing this, all you could feel after the first droplets of your fear was exactly that - desire
a polarizing need for taeyong to keep going, he wasn't going to kill you with his bite, but you wanted him to keep doing just that. biting. kissing. licking. whatever - just so he would be near.
"does - does desire - is it more -"
he smiles for the first time, to the full extent and you notice a small indent of a scar near one of his temples
then you see his teeth
gorgeous, marble white - the canines sharp and neat
you think of the imprint you'd left and shudder when you imagine the mark he'll be capable of
"yes, it's the best taste in the world for me."
is what he says and then you feel his cold palm against your cheek, guiding you up and toward his mouth
instead of biting you, taeyong kisses you - tongue sliding against the seal of your lips and just as you open up to kiss him back
he drops his mouth down to your jaw, then to the tender flesh of your neck
and he bites you - he sinks his teeth in deep - and it hurts
you jerk against it involuntarily, and you feel taeyong start to retreat, but instead of him stopping you - you stop him from leaving
you ground him with your hand on his chest, tugging the front of his shirt as if to stay - "stay. don't move. keep biting me."
and he obliges
he doesn't just bite you once, but twice, and then a third time too
each one isn't anywhere near your major veins, and each hurts, but at it also feels good and you moan taeyongs name as his grip on you gets just slightly more desperate
it takes a lot of will power for him to not ask you to tug down your collar and let him bite a trail down to your hips, he thinks for the first time that would be just uncouth
and so he pulls away and his mouth is stained, red and glistening, his eyes flickering to the brightest you've ever seen them
his beauty is somehow amplified by the utter look of sated hunger and you lunge your arms toward him
wrapping around his neck and pulling him down into the unfinished kiss he started this with
when you unlock from each other, taeyong tries to say something but it comes out broken and breathless
but you understand what you have to of it
"no, i'm not leaving. i'm not running away. i think this time you're just going to have to accept the offering."
#ah yes. i start worldbuilding a freaky town where vampires are treated like g*ds but then i remember - time to kiss taeyong#nct au#nct 127 au#taeyong au#nct scenarios#nct 127 scenarios#taeyong scenarios#taeyong/#vampire au#blood mention/#violence/#the usual tags for vampires you know
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How would Ford get kicked out instead of Stan?
So, a bit ago, @ckret2 posted an essay expressing frustration about the fandom portrayal of Filbrick. Filbrick is often characterized as violently and irredeemably abusive, whereas ckret2 cites some very convincing evidence that he was a well-meaning but authoritarian father - not a good dad, but not an evil person.
This discussion was prompted because ckret2 was considering an AU in which Ford never goes to college and ckret2 prefers the smallest possible change in AUs.
I wanted to link those posts because they have absolutely gotten me thinking about the subject. The following will make more sense if you've read that essay and this follow-up about Filbrick's regret over Stan's behavior. I accept the contents as canon for the purposes of this post.
(For completion's sake, the entire discussion was prompted by a Ford as a Trucker AU, but the following doesn't actually have anything to do with that.)
Let's make Ford the kind of person Filbrick would kick out of the house
Stan's eviction is the end result of many, many years of contention between Stan and Filbrick - an earnest last-ditch effort by a desperate father to get his delinquent son to shape up, and a decision he only made because he thought Stan was legitimately malicious. Most AUs in which Ford is kicked out instead of Stan will just rewrite the Science Fair scene so that Stan has more to lose than Ford. If we're talking "smallest possible change," though, I don't find that convincing. If Filbrick was an unpredictable maniac who's ready to ditch his kids at a moments notice? Yeah, fine, any small mistake by either one of them would work. But if Filbrick has been earnestly trying to be a good father, and just didn't feel like he was getting through? One mistake, even a big one, from his less troublesome son would be unlikely to prompt a disowning.
So, my question is: what "single small change" early in life would lead Stan and Ford to develop in a way that flipped Filbrick's expectations of them?
Personality traits and how they affect the relationships
Let's talk about Filbrick, Stanley, and Ford.
So, first of all: Filbrick wants is sons to be industrious, tough, honest, and hard-working. Those are the qualities that matter to him. He makes them box so that they'll be able to stand up for themselves and others. He fights with Stanley because Stanley is a thieving scam artist. He demands the kids be profitable and successful because that is a mark of success as an adult for him. If we assume that the twins were an unplanned pregnancy, then he also firmly believes in taking responsibility for your mistakes -- in owning up.
Stanley is a born liar. Like, even his playful and friendly interactions with his family involved good-natured lies. (He reminds me of one of my uncles, who was an avid prankster up until the time he went up against me, but that's a whole story that I won't get into here.) I think in order to be on Filbrick's good side, he'd have to prove that he was honest in his own way - for example, by defending people when it really mattered even at the expense of his own reputation, or by refusing to take advantage of someone who has wronged him. I don't think canon Stan would do either of those things for anyone except family, but canon Stan is also convinced that nothing he does will ever be good enough. His last, dying words were "I guess I was good for something." He never until that moment thought he was. We need to make sure that he earns some self-respect earlier in life.
Now we need to find a flaw in Ford to exacerbate to the scale Stan had in canon. This isn't really hard, honestly. Ford may have been the less troublesome kid in high school, but he is ruthlessly ambitious, and as an adult he will steal or destroy anything to get the results he wants. I think that the reason he was the less troublesome kid is because there really isn't a good way that a high schooler can be ambitious at the expense of the people around them on a scale that matters. The stakes are just too low. Maybe Ford put down his classmates to secure a win in a spelling bee or stole an answer key once or twice, but it's hard to imagine Filbrick caring about schoolkid drama. That said, if Ford did have an aspiration - a science project, for instance - that he became truly obsessed with, it's easy to imagine him stealing or breaking things to achieve it.
So, how would we make stealing and destroying things a pattern of behavior for Ford, instead of a single one-off mistake? And how would we make Stanley's good-heartedness and self-sacrificing nature something that is visible to his father and overwhelms his tendency to lie?
Oh, and one more thing:
The big fight didn't just happen because Ford lost something he wanted. The entire Tale of Two Stans is about two twins who are very close to each other when they're young drifting apart over time as their needs, ambitions, and hobbies begin to diverge.
How do we make this separation happen in a way that flips the script?
Ford as a more isolated kid
Ford has a one-track mind.
In order to make this alternate canon work, I want to isolate Stan and Ford from each other very quickly. Filbrick might not be violently abusive, but he does ignore the kids, and Ford is already isolated from his peers due to bullying and poor social skills. If Stan isn't spending all of his time with Ford, then Ford might become more and more withdrawn. I don't think he would even be unhappy! Maybe a little lonely, but he's a bright kid with varied interests, and he'd keep himself occupied. But he might get a little... unhinged.
My Ford sans Stan is a kid that gets into trouble. A lot of trouble. Way more trouble than parents should have to deal with.
He gets arrested for disassembling abandoned cars. He gets detention for melting things in the chemistry lab. He gets stitches and tetanus shots after climbing under bridges, or ends up in the burn ward because he stuck a fork in an outlet. (I knew multiple academically gifted children who did this, what is wrong with you guys.) He might make a weapon like a nail gun because he thinks it's cool, and while that wouldn't cause as many alarm bells in 1980 as in 2020, it gould get someone seriously hurt. And, moreover, no matter how many times he's yelled at or bailed out or suspended or has his privileges revoked, he just
doesn't
get it.
He'll express genuine remorse every time, but Filbrick will stop believing him after a while because he never changes. He never changes because... well. Because he is incorrect about what's wrong.
This version of Ford is isolated from his peers and doesn't have his brother to entertain him, so he's extremely self-centered. He doesn't think about the consequences of his actions and he doesn't think about how they might affect others. Let's say he snuck into the chemistry lab after hours, did an experiment without adult supervision, and ended up catching a shelf on fire. When he is punished, he's contrite and apologetic. He earnest in his expression of grief. He feels horrible. You'll tell him what he did wrong, and he will say, "I know," and accept his punishment without complaint. But, if you were to actually ask him what he did wrong, the answer will be:
"I used the wrong solvent."
Or, at best:
"I wasn't careful enough."
Nothing about disrespect for property. Nothing about breaking the rules. Nothing that reflects the fact that he is a child using someone else's resources to try a dangerous experiment without permission or supervision.
I don't think the adults around him, least of all Filbrick, would notice the communication error. Filbrick isn't in the habit of asking young boys about their feelings. Even if they did notice it, I don't think they would handle it well; this is before modern mental health science, and it might actively frighten the adults around him to realize that he doesn't understand morality in the way the kids around him do.
I think that if we start with this version of Ford, it would be very, very easy for him to screw up so badly that Filbrick felt the need to kick him out.
Some ways we can reduce Stan's influence
Option One: Stan might actually be worse off.
Usually, these reverse AUs are about Stan being the golden child and Ford being the one who Filbrick has it out for. However, that doesn't necessarily have to happen in order for Ford to be the one who gets kicked out. If Stan gets caught (or framed) for a crime big enough to send him to juvie for a while, or for Filbrick to send him off to a reform school, Ford would be left alone for years - long enough for Ford to develop the habits I just described.
This AU would fit really well with the themes of canon, too. The show is about how, even though family has its ups and downs, we're better together than we are apart. If Stan is separated from Ford against his will, and the rest of the Pines live to regret it, we address that theme head-on.
In an AU where Stan goes to boarding school, juvie, or something like that, I personally think Stan would still love Ford dearly and do his best to support him. Ford would do his best to make his own way in the world after his falling out with his father, and Stan meets up with him whenever he can. They have their own lives but remain friends.
Option Two: The ever-so-beloved Sports Stan option! If Stan ends up in a successful hobby, it might keep him out of trouble enough to curb his more dishonest tendencies. If that's the case, Ford's isolation comes from Stan having more friends (teammates!), more extracurricular responsibilities, and possibly the kind of social life that keeps him busy during school hours. I figure that in this version, Stan might stand up for Ford getting bullied, and he would be listened to, because you don't fuck with the football team. That would leave Ford with neither friends nor enemies. Ford might hang out with the sports kids for a while, but it would be really awkward, since he's just Stan's brother and doesn't have much in common with these guys.
This version leaves Stan slightly less delinquent but otherwise the same as his canon counterpart. Sports keep him out of trouble, might get him a scholarship, but otherwise leave him pretty much intact.
My problem with both of these two options is that I feel like, for maximum effect, we need to isolate Ford in middle school or earlier - I think fifth grade would do it. Sports don't really get that serious until late middle school or high school, and it's hard for a ten-year-old to get in enough trouble to get sent away.
The sooner the twins begin to separate, the better for this narrative.
Option three: Boy Scouts (or something). In this version, Stanley doesn't just have a hobby he likes - he has a hobby that becomes a lifestyle. He joins a club or meets a mentor that has a profound impact on him as a person. This, I think, would be the biggest possible impact with the smallest possible change.
I'm going to use Boy Scouts as my example, even though I can't really imagine Stan joining a troop without Ford. Just know that this is a placeholder, and it could be anything: he might find a car repair shop with a kindly and avuncular war veteran mechanic, he might fall in with a volunteer group, et cetera. If we go with the boy scouts, though, here's what happens:
Stan is bored and frustrated and has too much energy as a prepubescent or barely pubescent kid. He ends up hanging out with some boy scouts, and they do things that he thinks are really cool. They're the first kids he meets who like boats as much as him, and they know all the rigging knots. Maybe one of them tells him all about how to take care of lizards, and that other kid knows how to light a fire using a flint.
He convinces his parents to let him join the troop. At first, he doesn't fit in at all. All of the other kids have been doing this since first grade, and he's bad at making friends. However, one of the troopmasters becomes a mentor to him: this man intentionally gives him attention, spends time with him, asks him about his interests, teaches him skills that he's missing, et cetera.
If you've ever been or known a young kid who didn't get enough attention and then, suddenly, met someone who made them feel included, you know what happens.
Stan would sell his soul for this guy.
Stan memorizes his handbook, he attends all the functions, he mentors the cubs, the whole shebang. I think Stan would have a blast, too. Boyscouts make up bullshit to tell the little kids constantly. They play pranks on each other and the troopmasters. They haze the new kids. The develop complex internal mythologies for their troops. They get up to all manner of ridiculous shenanigans, oftentimes with the help of knives, ropes and fire. Stan would love it.
By high school, he's working hard toward his Eagle Scout badge, and that means he isn't just attending troop functions. For those who have never been scouts, the whole program is supposed to be about leadership training. The Eagle Scout status is one you earn by doing a project of your own - usually some small but tangible improvement to your hometown, such as building some benches or making an improvement to a museum. So, in the Sports Stan version of events, Stan is busy because of regularly scheduled team sports; in the Scouts Stan version, he's spending a huge chunk of his own free time planning, fundraising for, and building his project.
But there's another thing at play here.
Boy Scouts have a strict code of honor. If Stan was a gung-ho boy scout, he would probably become exactly the kind of person Filbrick wants him to be.
And, well,
I think he'd also become judgemental as hell.
Yeah, he still loves his brother, but here Stan is living his best life and being a good citizen who contributes to society, while Ford's out there... drawing pictures of ghost he insists he saw? Reading about mermaids? Catching the chemistry lab on fire?
Like, seriously bro, you need to get a real hobby.
You know how by the end of high school, Ford was treating Stan as an immature and ignorant kid with no real aspirations who wasn't going to amount to anything in life? You know how Ford was so sickened by Stan's relative lack of ambition that he really believed that Stan would deliberately sabotage his science fair experiment just for a chance to hang out more?
Yeah.
Now imagine that reversed.
#I need to proofread this#Gravity Falls AU#Meta Analysis#Gravity falls#Stanley Pines#Filbrick Pines#Stanford Pines#Fan essay#AU discussion#Boy Scout Stanley Pines#My post
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In an alternate timeline, would Constantine and Serenity ever become an official couple?
I love both of their personalities, how different they are, but how well they balance each other out as well. Would Constantine be able to have genuine emotion of love for Serenity, would he ever consider a real future with her?
How would Serenity react if Constantine ever did hint of something more than a close friendship? Would she accept or deny it?
Thanks for reading, I love your work and your characters so much 🥹🫶🏽🫶🏽. Have a fantastic day Kaledya, keep UP the amazing work.
1) in SS AU I have no idea of planning a romance between the two right now, in general I'm really trying to build a good friendship between them right now
//. But even if there's no romance between them There is a part where Constantin creates the illusion of 1940s New orleans to give as a gift to serenity and takes her there. (he wanted to give a gift that no one else could give) And in this way, he took Serenity to a place from which she could never return again, even if only for a short time,And plus he invented such a comprehensive illusion magic himself for this)
I really love this scene and find it sweet because before Constantine casts this spell, he asks Serenity to think about the place where her best memories are located.And when this illusion begins, Serenity appears in human form again, as does Constantine. They are seriously having fun and in the last scene, Serenity even goes to a place where her old house is (The spell is about creating a place with the memories of the targeted user, so the world they are in is Shaped according to Serenity's memories) I want to draw this scene. Serenity's reaction to what she saw in the beginning was very sweet. //.
But in another scenario, if Constantine were looking for a romantic partner, it would probably be Serenity. Currently, even in SSAU, And the only person who can understand what Constantine is going through is Serenity, and Serenity had similar experiences like Constantine when she was still alive. (I was even planning make a animatic with Loser Baby for them with changing the lyrics a bit )
And on the other hand, no matter how different they are, two people can understand each other. In general, I liken their relationship to Sherlock and Watson, or Marvel's Loki and Mobius, these two characters really complement each other.
Extra: And I'm really enjoying the dynamic of the two In fact, these days I am planning a orginal story about Crime(Detective) and adventure, not as an AU, but with Serenity and Constantine as the main characters. Maybe I can do some world building in terms of magic too. Idk
2) Hmmm, that's a really good question.If I were to think of such a scenario.Seriously, after so long of knowing each other(slowest slowburn) If Constantine realizes that what he feels is something more than friendship. He might try talking to Serenity about this. But I can already imagine Constantine seriously failing at the romance thing. (Ask this man the most difficult questions and he will give you the right answers without any hesitation or thinking too much about it. But ask this Man to tell you about his feelings and a knife event won't open his mouth)
Likewise, if there is friendship and trust between them, Serenity accepts the offer. And say something about it
"We were already like an old married couple, you just made it official."
It was my pleasure to answer your question!❤️❤️
And I'm very happy that you like my work.I wish you a fantastic day too🌟
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