#and am better for the most part in general despite having stayed up

[inkskinned]

it is totally okay to be hurt and tired and fed up with the american schooling system but i need you to understand that we need to be better about loudly and routinely defending public education.

yes, many teachers suck, many schools utterly suck. i also got bullied and was absolutely not given the right support for my needs. i am not defending public education because it was kind to me. i am defending it because it needs to exist.

right-wing republicans do not want an educated population. they want kids to be homeschooled or in private school. there is a huge religious undertone to this.

the most common argument is that despite high costs, the "result" is not "good" enough. they point to failing schools as proof that public education is just never going to work out. there will be arguments made here that you actually agree with: that teachers can be bullies, that we taught online for 2 years and still charged the same amount of tuition, that we have no recourse for students to actually have agency or a voice, and that schools are now unsafe for kids due to risk of illness and gun violence.

these are all placing the blame in a fraudulent way, one intended to get your parents to homeschool you. the less kids in a school, the less federally-awarded funding for that school, the less any school succeeds. they will not mention the fact it is their legislation that takes away important funding opportunities, that teachers are living at or below the poverty line, that buildings are not kept up to code, that administration is overpaid and forces specific curriculums, that corporations like (my personal enemy) Pearson Education control certain classroom goals because teachers can't afford other options. they pretend to be ignorant of the gun violence and say "oh just get a gun" - but these are the same people who will be sending their child to a private school with a bulletproof backpack. they don't care if your kid dies, though. they "don't believe" in covid, but they did get their kid vaccinated, because of course they did.

it is a closed loop. conservative parents hear the fearmongering and remove children from the system. frequently these parents are also deeply religious. the kids are raised without access to other media & learn to parrot their parents. you have now created a new generation of conservatives. additionally, one of the parents/caregivers must stay home and homeschool the children, usually for free. i will give you 1 guess which parent tends to stay home to homeschool the children. these parents are encouraged to have many, many children. those children are most likely not getting access to safe sex ed.

we might laugh at fox news suggesting teachers are forcing children to use kitty litter but: first of all, there is kitty litter in the classroom. it's part of an emergency kit in case children are locked in due to a shooter. so that's fucking dystopian, and the fact they've completely reimagined the scenario to somehow make the teachers look bad when it's instead a fucking huge symbol of our failure as a country to protect our children.... it feels a little intentional.

secondly: don't just dismiss the situation. because, yeah, obviously, no teacher is encouraging kids to be a catboy. but the actual undertone that fox news is trying to sew is an outright distrust of teachers and of public education. they rely on the dehumanization of trans people as a common touchstone to hide the fact they're pushing two agendas at once. (which is ironic. because the thing they accuse teachers of. is pushing. an agenda.)

whenever someone tells you they want you to read less, you should be suspicious of that. when someone tries to separate you and your education, you should be suspicious of that. i don't even like incel rhetoric nor would i want my kids exposed to it - but i would not take away my child's (age-appropriate) access to the internet. i would just provide more educational materials, not less. the difference here is that i believe we can resolve ignorance with knowledge; whereas conservatives believe that ignorance is bliss.

they misappropriate funding and demonize teachers. they pull the same trick each time - the same thing we are seeing with anti-trans rhetoric. they do not want you to have access to safe sex ed, so they act horrified, claim sex ed teaches you how to thrust deep, claim that we have no idea what "age-appropriate" means. since the mid-nineties, the united states has spent at least 2 billion dollars on abstinence-only education, even though to quote the above link: "a preponderance of studies has found no effect of abstinence education at reducing adolescent pregnancy". conservatives want you to think less of any person struggling with addiction so they can continue their racist "war on drugs", so they spend up to $750 million dollars a year on the DARE program which has absolutely no effect. acting like teachers "must" be "grooming" children is just the same thing - so they can demand that funding either goes to their causes or the funding doesn't "exist" ("i'm not paying for our kids to learn that thing!")

and they want you to feel uncaring about this. they are aware that you will hate some parts of your school experience. pretty much everyone does. they want to lean into the parts that you hate so that you don't put up a fight about it when they take it away for not being "good enough."

i know i maybe sound like a conspiracy theorist. but truly. truly. it is beneficial for conservatives to reduce your faith in the american public schooling system.

one of the explicitly stated campaign promises of the conservative party: to axe the Department of Education in 2024.

i know we are all tired and burnt out and there is so much else wrong with their entire platform. but maybe just - pay attention to this one.

#i can't believe i have to say this #the conservative party is legit like ''is it anything good? okay we hate it.'' #''lets kill lgbt people and ummmmm school children shouldnt be able to read they should be at home watching jordan peterson :)" #the fact that it's like all related is. wild. #like it's wild bc if u start being like. actually making it impossible to afford housing is part of how they keep the nuclear family..... #it's just like lines connecting to lines. EXCEPT ITS OBVIOUS? #what's wild to me about most conspiracy theorists is that they're like . ohhhh the govt is hiding shit!!!!!!! they don't want u to know!!! #and im like. this old man literally got up on stage and said he hates public education and will let our kids die before taking away ak-47s #and ppl are like: lol thats just bob's sense of humor he didn't mean it literally uwu

[turiluvr]

stitches

when you need him, he'll always be there.

— tighnari x gn!reader

— cw: stitches, blood, injury

"You're hurt." Those two words are all that he said as soon as he laid his eyes on you and you knew all too well that he wasn't happy with it. It baffled you with the way he immediately knew that you were injured despite your attempt to hide it—it was barely visible and your demeanor was normal, you were sure that you'd be able to fool him flawlessly. Though perhaps what gave it away was the stench of blood on you; he couldn't have missed that.

"It's nothing too bad," you waved your arms slightly as an attempt to reassure him and to convince him that it wasn't as bad as he thinks it is. "See? I can move just fine—"

"Let me see." He cut you off promptly and you couldn't help but freeze in place as a difficult expression took over your features. He took a few hurried steps toward you and grabbed your arm. He rolled up your sleeve and there he saw a deep cut on your arm, you saw his face contort slightly at the sight. "Idiot." He muttered, "you need stitches."

"No way… It'll just heal on its own, won't it?"

"Do you want to risk an infection?" He grabbed a cloth and the first aid kit stashes away in one of the cabinets. He was relieved that he knew how to treat this kind of open wound, he's done it on other people before when they came to him covered in cuts and bruises after an eventful expedition to the forest. Still, it didn't mean that he wasn't nervous—in fact, he was agitated but he refused to show it in his face. He took a deep breath and started working. "Stay still."

He was silent for the most part and you felt like you were holding your breath for so long. It never felt good when Tighnari was worried or disappointed; this time it felt like it was a mix of both. You wished he'd say something—anything to take your mind off the worries that started plaguing your mind. Initiating small talk first might earn you a sassy remark but staying silent might earn you a disappointed sigh. Either way, you couldn't wiggle your way out of this one.

Finally, he said something. His tone was soft, much unlike what you initially thought. His expression was unreadable as he worked on your stitches, but you could almost swear that there's a faint hint of sadness in his expression. "What happened?"

"I fell from a tree and my arm got stuck on one of the branches." He shot you a stern look immediately and you quickly shook your head. "Okay, I lied." You sighed and finally told him the truth, "I was attacked."

"... Mhm," was all he replied with. He didn't say anything but you knew he wanted you to continue explaining.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal but I guess I kind of got careless and before I knew it, their blade cut through my sleeve." You laughed nervously, expecting Tighnari to scold you for your reckless behaviour and give you a long lecture about the importance of remaining vigilant.

"Do you feel a little better now?" You don't know why you suddenly felt a little lightheaded. Was it the feeling of him stitching you up or was it the fact that his voice, his face was so soft that you couldn't believe what you were witnessing. Somehow, your words got stuck in your throat.

"Well… Yeah," You looked at your arm as Tighnari finished up his stitches, a little way for you to avoid his gaze for a few moments. "But aren't you mad or upset?"

"Frankly, I am mad and upset." He sighed and massaged his temples. "But now is hardly the time to scold you," he ran a finger across your newly stitched wound. "I'm just worried, most of all. I don't like seeing you hurt."

"... Really?" You didn't know if those last words held some sort of meaning to them. Perhaps he was referring to anyone in general, who liked seeing a person hurt? An abnormal guy, for sure and Tighnari was far from abnormal. Though, to you, you couldn't help but feel that those words were especially for you. His bare fingers trailing across your skin send shivers down your spine and you couldn't help but miss it when he finally pulls away.

He didn't answer your question and he stood up from his seat to place the first aid kit to where he took it from. "You should rest now. It'll heal faster if you stay still." He turned around to look at you once more, "oh, and…"

"And?"

"Be more careful." He looked away, "next time, let me come with you."

"You can't do that, we have completely different tasks and duties." You laughed. Tighnari looked a little embarrassed as he cleared his throat.

"Then, at least promise me this—promise me that I'll be the first person you come to when you need help." It was a strange request; a little selfish on top of that. You couldn't help but give him a puzzled expression. He continued, "whether it's because you're injured, exhausted, or even a little down, I'll always be here to lend you my shoulder and stitch you back up if you need me to."

That's awfully sweet but—"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious enough for you?" He scoffed but it slowly turned into a small smile, "I'll let you think about it. Have fun figuring it out."

You knew well why he was acting this way. You just wanted to hear it leave his lips this time. How unfortunate that he keeps being so roundabout.

#genshin impact #genshin imagines #genshin impact x reader #genshin tighnari #genshin x reader #my writing #tighnari x reader #genshin tighnari x reader

[cerastes]

I've seen people before saying that, in terms of presentation, NIKKE delivers it better than Arknights in telling what they want to tell. And I still see this occasionally whenever people start comparing stories in gacha games. Looking at your post, seems like that wasn't a lie at all.

Right, this is an interesting topic for me, so let me give my two cents on this.

I would say that statement is generally true. Nikke's main strengths are its presentation and knowing how to leverage its strengths in general, but let's focus on presentation: It's story is nothing to write home to (note that I am up to Chapter 18), neither are its events (on this regard, take me lightly, I've only read three), but what Nikke wants to say, you will very clearly understand. It's good at telling its story. Sometimes the localization will have Localization Moments (Chatterbox is described as female in the first cutscene he is mentioned, male every time afterwards; there's a lot of clearly literally translated little expressions that make no sense in the flow of the conversations), but overall, even though you're looking at a story that in a lot of ways you've seen a lot of times, its particularities stand out because Nikke tells them properly, concisely, and clearly. Characterization is consistent, and there's a good amount of care clearly put into both consistency and overarching important parts of the narrative; a favorite example of mine is how, in the tutorial, if you pay close attention, you can actually see Marian's eyes glow red during her reload animation, foreshadowing something pretty important that happens with her later.

So even if the story beats are not particularly good or intriguing -- and sometimes, outright terrible, like in Chapter 18 oh god I hate Chapter 18 -- you at least can tell with clarity what's going on and why it's going on.

Arknights has the yang to the yin here, somewhat: The stories on Arknights tend to range from okay to great, and AK events have a habit of going pretty damn hard, either as a whole or at least parts of them. Sometimes, however, they have a weakness, and this weakness is that the actual story telling can be dense. Density is often attributed to good writing, but the truth is, sometimes, the text isn't advanced, it's simply clumsy, and the prose in Arknights is decidedly clumsy. But when you actually untangle the spaghetti of clumsy prose, you find some strong story telling, strong characterization, and topics you don't often find discussed in video games, less so in gacha. You kinda have to work for it, basically.

Something Nikke does good is also that it keeps its relevant cast at any given story beat low, giving it more cohesion, or rather, making it easy to stay cohesive, because Arknights can handle larger casts pretty well sometimes, but I'll be frank, the current main story has so many literal whos to keep track of that I'm supposed to be invested in that I don't really bother. I'm sorry, but I can't really feel a damn thing about Outcast when she showed up for a few scenes and then got nuked off by a contrivance while fighting some faceless nobodies we are told we should fear.

But on the other hand, Nikke narrative, again, despite its strong delivery, is still built on a feeble base for the most part. I only think of a few characters I care about in Nikke, because a lot of the cast is just fluff and Obligatory Archetypes (bunny girls, school girls, maids, etc), whereas in Arknights, I care about a whole damn lot of them, even those without events, because their files and modules paint a very integral and intriguing picture of them. Even smaller scenes in Arknights sometimes can have a big emotional impact, due to its extensive and well crafted worldbuilding and its clever use of its elements in every event, something Nikke cannot claim, because worldbuilding in Nikke is almost non existent.

They both have their strengths, basically, and it's fascinating to me, a writer, to take a deeper look at them.

#arknights #nikke

[sunnynwanda]

The Game: Part 2

Part 1

Warning: manipulation, cat-and-mouse vibe, electricity used for restraining (I have no idea how to phrase this). Let me know if I've missed anything.

It's been 72 hours since Villain's capture, and Hero was on the verge of insanity. The sudden loud fits of laughter at any time of day and night and, as a result, the lack of sleep were getting the best of them. Besides, their mind was buzzing - they were curious about why Villain had made no attempts to escape yet.

Villain looked ecstatic in the most twisted way possible. Hero could not, for the life of them, figure out why. They were locked up in a cell with thick bars that they could never bend. Even if they were strong enough to do that, the electric current would leave them paralysed for a significant amount of time and would alert Hero. They had no reason to be this smug and satisfied.

"For the love of god, shut the fuck up!" They slam their fist against the wall right outside the cell, exasperation colouring their voice delightfully. "For once in your life, stay quiet!"

Villain's grin is so broad Hero expects their goddamn face to crack open. It's the fourth visit that Hero has paid them this afternoon, after a long sleepless night and even longer morning. "Aw, you love my laugh, baby!"

"I fucking hate you," Hero retorts, eyes blazing. They can test the bitterness of the lie on their tongue. "And your cackling laugh."

No, they don't. They don't hate Villain. Not in the slightest. They do hate how insufferable they can get, though.

Villain snorts, shaking their head. They take a step forward, and Hero's expression twitches for a moment. Villain's tone is cocky, almost mocking. "You love this."

You love the game.

"Stop. You better stop." Hero's warning flies right over Villain's head as they step up close to the bars, wrapping one hand around one and allowing electricity to course through their body. The hair on their arms stands, their fingertips buzzing with excitement when their hand reaches through the bars, ghosting down Hero's chest.

"Y-you're absolutely deranged," Hero's voice is quieter now, their concern evident in their furrowed brow as they glance at the hand travelling down the front of their body. "But, you're not a mad scientist."

"Oh?" Villain tilts their head to the side, smirking as they await Hero's explanation. Their long fingers reach Hero's belt, hooking into it to drag Hero closer with a sickening smile. They lick their lips, the action seeming to capture Hero's attention.

Hero's throat is drier than the dessert. They inhale deeply through the nose, their lips remaining sealed shut.

"What am I then? Mmm?" Villain moans out, eyes rolling into the back of their head as they slide their hand around Hero's waist, fingers digging into their flesh before gripping their belt again.

"You're just mad," Hero snarls, entirely done with their bullshit. Whatever this act is, it's still an act, and they will be damned if they fall for it. They push Villain's hand off them, feeling its shameful absence almost instantly as they back away. "Without the science part."

"Wanna bet?" Villain muses, their voice dripping with honey. It's unsettling and eerie - it sends a shiver down Hero's spine despite the bars separating them from their nemesis. They step back, winking at Hero before trailing towards their bed.

Hero shakes their head with a sigh as they retreat into the office, trying to ignore the lingering memory of Villain's hand on them.

Villain chuckles, twirling the tiny key between their fingers as they lay on their ascetic bed. They cannot wait for the night to arrive.

It's pitch black in the corridor, with no light penetrating the tiny window under the ceiling. Villain takes a deep breath to contain their excitement as they sneak along, their back pressed to the wall. They can't make out anything in the total darkness, instead counting their steps. Once they get to the general area, they use their sensitive palms to detect the change from stone to glass. Villain feels for the keyhole and, upon locating it, pulls out the key they stole from Hero's belt. They glide in and start searching for a switch when the lights flash on, illuminating the entire laboratory and Hero, sitting on one of the tables with their hands crossed over their chest.

"Holy s-" Villain jumps, clutching their chest with an exaggerated gasp, earning a chuckle from Hero.

"Hello," they smirk, satisfied with the effect. Villain's alarmed look brings more pleasure than they expected. "Did you think I'm that stupid?"

Villain quirks an eyebrow at them, tempted to say yes solely for the noble purpose of annoying Hero into oblivion. They shake their head with a wide grin. "No, you're worse."

Hero huffs, sliding off the table and taking a - hopefully - intimidating step towards Villain. "You think I didn't figure you wanted to get me worn out? So I would lose focus and miss you stealing the key?"

"Well, why did you let me take it then?" Villain counters, their expression becoming unreadable. They can't deny Hero is smart enough to understand they would not remain in the cell for that long had they not had a secret agenda. And an agenda they have. They need that goddamn device.

"Wanted to see what it was that you so desperately wanted," Hero explains, maintaining a calm demeanour.

"Apart from you?" Villain fails to keep the words from rolling off their lips. Hero appears unamused, so they sigh, raising their hands to indicate surrender. "Okay, fine. I want that little thing over there. So, let me take it, and I'll be out of your hair."

Hero follows the direction they are pointing in, and their jaw all but drops. "OD-8? As in, the deadly nerve gas with unknown effects? Are you insane?"

"I thought we had established that..." Villain trails off in an attempt to seem nonchalant. "But I really want it! An-and I can promise not to use it on you?" They plead, going so far as to muster up a puppy-eyed look.

"Do you think I'm a complete idiot?" Hero snorts, unimpressed by both the promise and begging. "No way in hell."

"But-" Villain looks nothing short of a kid deprived of their favourite candy. Hero would laugh if they didn't know better.

"No buts. And no way you're getting it." They cut, their voice devoid of emotion. Villain's face falls, causing Hero to sigh. They rub their eyebrow for a moment, thinking. "Fine. You can take one can of paralytic. That's the only thing I can offer you."

Villain's eyes light up immediately. Hero chuckles, handing Villain the promised can and ushering them out of the lab. They take the key back and make sure to lock the door before turning to face their nemesis.

"Now, get out of here before I change my mind," Villain darts up the stairs with a jump in their steps, and Hero starts to doubt their decision. They knew succumbing was not the best bet, but their dimwitted genius needed something to play with, and they felt safer choosing what to give them.

A part of them suspects that was what Villain had initially wanted and that they are going to end up paralysed and kidnapped in the upcoming days in retaliation for the arrest. But, as long as they get a good night's rest and Villain's stupid cute laugh, they don't mind it all that much.

And the game goes on.

Part 1

A/N: I seem to have a problem with the tags for some reason... If I fail to tag you in this, I'm sorry 🙏 If you happen to read this, let me know what you think. Thank you!

Love you 💛

xo Sunny ☀️

Masterlist

Taglist: @marvellousdaisy @alltimelowing @lateuplight @surplus-of-sarcasm @betwist @excusemeasibangmyheadonawall @enemies-to-idiots-to-lovers @miaowmelodie @thatonerandomauthor @hhabaddon @burningoutlikeicarus @daemonvatis @weepingcowboywolfbat @thelazywitchphotographer @kaiwewi @soul-of-a-local-bard @pigeonwhumps @aflyingsheepnamedrose  @thatneptune @ohwellthatslifesstuff @worldsfromhoney @thiefofthecrowns @crow-with-a-typewriter @qualityrabbitsoup @stargeode @villain-life @villainsblood @whumpific @glassthedumbass @silviathebard @misskowe @ayeshaturnedtoashes4444

#hero and villain #villain x hero #hero x villain community #hero #villain #scheme #smart villain #dimwitted villain #mad scientist #questionable choices #hero is down to play #the game #manipulation #mutual pining #sort of? maybe #heroes and villains #hero/villain #hero x villain #creative writing #writing #women writers #female writers #requested #request answered #requests open #sunnynwanda

[zeephyre]

CR3 EPISODE 78 SPOILERS

god. i love this fucking campaign. this one's gonna be long as shit.

despite how genuinely depressing this episode was, it also made me really giddy because i love hurt/comfort and there's no point of that if there's no hurt or angst.

im probably gonna go down the line with each member of bells hells, discussing what i can remember off the top of my head, i hope i don't forget anything in my rambles cause this was one of my FAVORITE episodes of the whole campaign and that's saying something.

i love ashton. i have loved ashton the most since the very beginning and for a lot of it i was really worried that ashton was deliberating running from opening up with bells hells while also going out of their way to have one-to-one convos with different members that were deep and insightful but never went as far as they needed to.

i am projecting a bit with analysis of ashton but taliesin does it best when rp'ing for ash and generally talking abt him in interviews. ashton reminds me of myself, which is not a compliment and is actually really terrible. ironically enough, ashton said the same thing abt fcg. i have spent a lot of time hurting myself by sabotaging the things i love, or embracing the worse parts of myself simply because it's become habit. there's always going to be a piece of you that finds the sadness, anger, guilt, emptiness, whatever -- comforting because it's all you've known.

ashton mourns a life that he never lived. i find myself mourning versions of myself that i would hate but still...yearn for them like an itch or an ache that comes from hurt. ashton wanted their family back, in whatever desperate, corrupted way he felt he should have done it, and hearing how he described feeling like he looked past the cautionary tale simply because he thought the pain they caused him should have meant something else made me think of imogen.

beautiful, sweet, powerful, dangerous, sad imogen temult. i won't comment on how everyone berated ashton because that's not really surprising nor was anything imogen said or did pertaining to ash shocking whatsoever. but... there's smth abt the destruction that ashton did to feel close to the idea of a family that doesn't really exist that just parallels so well with the fight that imogen has been undergoing since childhood. against the red storm, now against the call of ruidus, and the temptation and attachment she felt and still feels to her mother, despite everything liliana has done that jeopardizes everything imogen is fighting for.

abandoned by her mother, shunned by her own town, ignored and feared by her father.

going back to ashton again, there's smth to be said abt the guilt and shame that comes from making horrible choices that put yourself and the ppl you love in danger that forever changes the way they perceive you. I've done it. i had to fight to make things better. it can't be enough to love someone enough that would die for them, you have to fight to stay alive. if not even for yourself, for THEM.

i know it can be unhealthy to rely on others so much, but it's certainly not easy to fight for yourself when the foundation isn't there. learning how to love without throwing yourself on a blade is more important than self sufficiency. that comes afterwards.

i...don't like laudna's reliance on delilah briarwood this episode. i... there's smth very ironic about laudna being worried abt ashton's betrayal and the way he hurt her and the others with his deception and selfishness, coupled with my understanding of the absolute fucking insane, borderline stupid danger of even SPEAKING to delilah briarwood, let alone working WITH her.

i think it's hypocritical, but i don't feel any animosity towards laudna. just..sadness. delilah is a parasite. a disgusting, cruel, evil bitch who wants laudna to be... that weak little girl easily crushed under her thumb. she may preach abt laudna's latent power and potential, but laudna won't serve her purpose if she TRULY gains the strength to cast delilah aside forever. i don't think delilah was telling the truth abt their fates last episode, and that's why i so deeply want laudna to toss aside that defeatist mindset that has only gotten worse since episode one. maybe im wrong, maybe delilah was actually being genuine.

i kept watching imogens/laura's face during laudna's moments speaking with delilah alone, and it just made me sad because she didn't need to be alone. she had imogen, but she still felt the need to run and hide away. god i just want her to be happy.

i really liked the doll she made for ashton, even though delilah made it really creepy for no reason, the dramatic cunt she is. her assessment of ashton as being a child may seem rude or even a projection but to me it's the truth. ashton has not grown past his childhood. past abandonment and pain and mistrust and love that never lasts and always hurts. that shit followed them to adulthood and anyone who has any number of mental illnesses and childhood trauma will tell you that it's so easy to feel yourself stuck as a reactive, stubborn, bitter little kid trapped in a shitty cycle of pain. both ashton and laudna this episode felt like they were both broken, sad children interacting. laudna clinging to comfort from delilah, hiding away, mentally reverting to the person she was the last time she was in whitestone. ashton, clinging to his lost childhood and the acceptance of laudna's doll, the admittance that they'd never had a doll before. god... they're so sad, im gonna scream.

fcg apologizing for forcing faith down ashtons throat was sweet and so was ashton apologizing for being so bitter abt fcg's faith. now i just need fcg to apologize for the multiple instances where he put laudna in danger by casting turn undead with no acknowledgement of laudna afterwards.

fcg saying that ashton didn't love anyone or care about anyone hurt me a bit, because while i understood why they were saying those things, it was so... obviously untrue. before all of this, ashton has shown again and again and again how much he loves bells hells, and especially fcg. i know that ashton almost dying over smth so arrogant, desperate and foolish would make anyone question what someone's idea of "love" is, but still. it stung. maybe because i have been there. i know what it's like to be doubted and mistrusted because you ruined smth good callously and carelessly.

chetney... chetney really loves fearne. i don't care if y'all don't get it or if y'all still think chet is some joke character with no substance, I never understood that shit and i simply never will. chet and fearne probably have the best relationship in all of bells' hells -- and yes, that includes imogen and laudna because god knows those two have shit brewing under the surface that needs to be HANDLED, i.e: laudna being defeatist abt their relationship even tho it's barely begun.

chetney's a good man. him going after fearne was the best choice and im glad he gave her a couple laughs before she went off to wander. he cares about her so much, and he BELIEVES in her so much, and i love them. i LOVED the way he went in on ashton. hurting fearne by making a shitty decision and letting her bear the burden of watching ashton die right in front of her was... bad. it is very complicated but, that's pretty cut and dry.

i like him testing ashton again and again. telling him to leave but also being glad they chose to be brave and stay, and face the consequences of their actions. attacking ashton to see what all of any of that shit was even for. (im a little bummed that the shard didn't fully wake up yet but...i love the suspense im just impatient).

FEARNE. CALLOWAY. i love fearne, and i love the breakdown during the first part of the episode. it was such a raw moment and it established the tone of the episode so quickly. im glad that fearne knows that while ashton fucked up royally, her rejecting of the shard and complacence in ashton's plans was also royally stupid. i don't think her being terrified of taking the shard is bad or stupid, it's actually one of my favorite fearne character choices. no one ever actually asked her WHY she didn't want it, and when she said she didn't want it, it was still decided by the hells that the shard would go to fearne. (they're very shit at communication, poor babies). im happy that she specifically clarified that ashton did not threaten or manipulate her (plus he gave her many opportunities to not be involved with his bullshit if it made her uncomfy so im hoping the insane critters who keep treating ashton like some evil, predatory person finally stfu).

fearne being so scared of a version of herself that was sad, lonely, and "evil" to the point that she chose to believe that it was ashton's destiny to take in both shards is so... so rich. i hope she talks about that more in the next episode because i don't think she's EVER brought it up since exu. i don't think the shard would change fearne's personality but god the fact that SHE is so afraid of herself and what she's capable of.... AHHHH. love this damn party.

i hope liam knows that expect really painful roleplaying from him when he comes back cause i really do need ashton and orym interactions like i need air.

the choice to go to the fey realm was brilliant and i missed nana morri so it's a win for me. bells hells COULD have done what they've been doing for a while now, which is ignoring the pain they're all feeling and pushing forward, but ashton doing what they did was the straw that broke the camel's back and im GLAD because i have been begging them all to have real conversations with each other that don't get cut short prematurely for whatever reason.

i do hope that they do really lean into the self care aspect involving therapy and talking through their issues with ALL of the members present or even in groups, and it isn't just fun and games. they're prone to distraction. i love my little guys.

:( two weeks without bells hells. is it thursday, yet???

#critical role #cr3 #critical role campaign 3 #bells hells #cr spoilers #ashton greymoore #fearne calloway #imogen temult #fresh cut grass #fcg critical role #cr chetney #chetney pock o'pea #cr laudna #laudna #orym of the air ashari #cr orym #fearne x chetney #fearne x ashton #laudna x imogen #imogen x laudna #imodna #c3 e78 #cr3 ep78 #cr campaign 3 #critical role spoilers

[corrodedseraphine]

timezone | #1 only thing that keeps us apart is a different timezone

pairing: eddie munson x fem!reader

chapter summary: Despite the love that is between you, the time has come to part ways with Eddie so that he can fully enjoy the wild chase of his dreams.

TW: smut (or an attempt to write one) but very tiny metion of it because I am not good at writing it I am sorry if it's bad

the story is also avaliable on ao3

masterlist | eddie munson masterlist | general masterlist

This chapter is a little short, but I hope it's not too bad! You can expect an explanation of the situation with Chrissy in the next chapter, I hope you don't feel discouraged by it. Moreover, I apologize for the poor attempt to write smut, writing such things is still new to me

When you woke up it was still dark. It couldn't have been earlier than 2 am. His arm hugged you around the waist and from behind you you could hear quiet snoring. Feeling like you were thirsty, you slowly released yourself from the embrace and dressed some old Eddie's T-shirt that was lying on the floor by the dresser. Somewhere in the darkness you also managed to find your panties on the floor among the rest of the clothes scattered on it. The night was pleasantly quiet and peaceful. No screams or sudden noises or crackling. Just the quiet hum of the wind. Leaving the room you went down to the kitchen and poured two glasses of water, you knew that when Eddie woke up he would whine that he was thirsty. When you returned he was lying on his back snoring even louder. You just smiled and shook your head. You remembered how at the beginning of your relationship, during your first nights together, this snoring was unbearable. You were able to wake up several times in one night and then him only to have him roll over on his side, because then at least he didn't sound like an old tractor. Who would have thought that one day you would miss it. Despite the fact that he was at your fingertips you already felt a longing that crushed your heart. The thought that this was your last night together was like a death sentence. It was the last time you could feel the warmth of his body and hear his voice directed only to you. 

When Eddie recovered fully from his experiences in the Upside Down Dr. Owens activated some of his connections and managed to get Corroded Coffin a contract with one of the music labels in New York. Without a second thought, they immediately accepted the offer. It was the fulfillment of their dreams. For you and Robin, he managed to ensure a place at the University of California, which you also agreed to, knowing that this was your only chance to escape Hawkins and if it weren't for this you probably would never have been able to afford college in your lives. Steve, to everyone's surprise, turned down the offer to go to college. Instead, with a little help from Owens, he managed to open a bar on the beach in California, which very quickly became one of the most popular. 

Thus, a new door opened before you, but it led to two opposite ends. You loved Eddie with all your heart, so no matter how much it hurt you wanted him to realize his dreams, to enjoy life as much as he could, so after many hours of conversations, you both came to the conclusion that you would take a break. You didn't want to be the reason he had to limit himself, and you also preferred to avoid situations that could get out of hand if you still stayed together and tried a long-distance relationship. You wanted him to have a full rockstar experience. Never in your life would you want to be the reason why he should regret holding back from something solely because of you. So this solution seemed to be the most reasonable for you. 

"Babe?" his sleepy voice snapped you out of your reverie. 

"I'm here, I went to get water, you want some?" you asked handing him a second glass. 

"You are wearing my old clothes." he said taking a sip.

"Do you want them back?" you asked raising an eyebrow.

"You wear them better." he replied smiling charmingly. 

"Today is a full moon, maybe that's why I can't sleep." you said looking at the open window from which you could see the moon. "The moon looks beautiful." 

"Sweetheart, every time I see your face, the moon should be jealous." 

"Charming as always." You laughed quietly and sat next to him on the bed. "I'm gonna miss you so much." you whispered while placing your hand on his cheek. "So fucking much." 

"I will miss you too." he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Don't forget me please."

"I will never forget you Eddie Munson. How can I forget someone I gave my heart to?"

"I love you. You and only you. Remember about it, always, no matter what happens..." he grabbed your hand and placed it on his chest. You felt a gentle, rhythmic beating under your palm. "...It beats only for you. No one else. Only for you." 

Was that possible? Despite the fact that somewhere out there in the world there were millions of beautiful fans waiting for him, ready to do a lot to be at his side, could his heart still remain yours? 

"I know what you're thinking about baby." he took your chin and directed you so that you were looking straight into his eyes. "This will only be a temporary break, we'll both get a little fun, I'm sure you'll make more than one surfer or nerd's head spin." he laughed.

"Eddie!" you playfully jabbed him in the arm.

"What? Have fun babe, because sooner or later you're going to have to break all their hearts when we find each other again, because your heart belongs to me and mine belongs to you. This is not a forever goodbye baby. Only temporary." You wanted to be as sure of all this as he was. You also struggled to hold back the urge to give up your college just to fly with him to New York, but that wasn't a good idea. Your presence in this adventure would only be a limitation. "Besides, I won't let you forget about me, I'll call you every hour just to tell you that I'm losing my mind without you." He pulled you closer by smacking you on the lips. "You are the love of my life, nothing will change that. After I finish my first tour, the first thing I'll do is buy Wayne the little house he's always dreamed of." he chuckled. "And when the second one is over, I will immediately get on a plane and fly straight to California, buy a ring with the most beautiful diamond in the world and put it on your finger, of course, if you agree." He kissed you on the forehead. His dreams were beautiful, you were glad that you were still a part of them however you couldn't stop the thought that this vision was too beautiful to be true. 

"I have something for you..." you said with difficulty holding back tears. "I wanted to give it to you tomorrow at the airport, but..." You went to the drawer from which you took out a small box. Returning to your seat you sat down opposite him and handed it to him. Inside there was a new necklace waiting for him with a guitar pick that had your initials on it, one side was his and the other was yours. 

"Baby..." he whispered, only then did you notice that tears were also gathering in his eyes. 

"Before you put on..." you took off the ring you received from your parents for your eighteenth birthday from your hand. It was one of your favorites, it looked like the usual, a simple silver circle but sentimental significance was huge. You took the chain and gently slipped the ring over it. 

"But it's your favorite, you can't-." he said still looking at the gift. 

"I want you to have it, plus you said you would give me a new one in a while, so..." you smiled slightly. 

"Does that mean you say yes?" he grinned.

"Of course I do silly. How could I not?" 

"Help me put it on." he said turning his back to you. 

"Even if the only thing that keep us apart is seven thousand miles, I want you to remember that your home is in my heart." you said looking at the necklace as he turned to face you. 

"Come here." He grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you close so that you were now sitting on top of him with your arms around his neck. "I love you. I love you to the point of madness." he said kissing you. The kiss was needy. The clothes you were wearing were on the floor again, both of you in need of intimacy. 

His hot lips placed kisses along your neck going to your breasts, his hands wandered over your body wanting to remember every little detail. 

"I love you Eddie." You moaned right in his ear. 

"And I love you. Only you. You and olny you, my sweet angel." he replied embracing you tightly around the waist and tipping you over so that you were now under him. 

"Baby, please." you said looking straight into his eyes. "I need you as close to me as possible." 

"Me too, sweet girl." He leaned in to kiss you, and after a moment he filled you with all of himself. "You are so perfect for me, mine, only mine." he said feeling you wrap your legs around him. 

"Only yours." you repeated.

That night you made love like there was no tomorrow. You couldn't count all the declarations of love that came out of your mouths. With desperation you wanted to be as close as possible to each other as if you wanted to stockpile feelings of closeness for the time of separation which was approaching mercilessly fast. Every I love you from his lips you wanted to lock in a jar and keep for all the coming nights filled with emptiness and longing. Eddie felt the same way, despite his joy and excitement that his dreams were about to come true he too couldn't hold back the tears when outside the window you witnessed the dark night slowly turning into soft shades of orange and the first rays of sunshine already greeting you over Hawkins. Holding each other in your arms, you both wanted to stop time, if only for a moment to enjoy each other even longer. Unfortunately, the world was rushing unmercifully forward without bothering about the pain in your hearts accompanying one of the most beautiful sunrises. 

The rest of the morning passed you by like a fog, you barely remembered the way to the airport, the only thing you remembered was that you both sat with Eddie in the back seats constantly clingling to each other. Also at the airport you sat on his lap cuddled up to him. You didn't care about other people's stares. Gareth, Jeff, Simon, Uncle Wayne and Robin knew what was going on and understood perfectly your need for closeness. The separation of people who had the purest kind of love for each other like the two of you made it hard for them too. They looked at you with sadness and helplessness, because they knew that nothing would be able to help. When it came time to board the plane Eddie stood still, paralyzed with fear. 

"I don't have to fly." he said, turning to face you. "I don't want to go without you." his voice was breaking. "It's too hard. Ah, fuck." He wiped his tears with his hand. 

"Baby, you have to go." with all your strength you restrained yourself from bursting out crying. You had to be strong for him. "This is your dream, you have to try." you placed your hands on his cheeks.

"But you..." his breathing became more and more uneven.

"You know where to find me. I'll be waiting, I'll be your number one fan and I'll be waiting for you, always." you forced yourself to smile. "I'm damn proud of you, Eddie." 

"I love you." he leaned his forehead against yours. 

"And I love you too." you replied, kissing the tip of his nose. "Now go, go give them hell, rockstar." Laying one last kiss on his lips, you saw Gareth pat him on the shoulder, saying they had to go to the plane now. Through a blurry vision you watched him disappear into the huge line of people, and it wasn't until you saw the plane take to the air that you let all the emotions come out of you. All the way back you were crying your eyes out, Robin and Uncle Wayne, who was driving tried to comfort you from time to time, but they knew that no words could erase the pain that was gripping you.

Eddie's life turned a hundred and eighty degrees, constant concerts, parties "sex, drugs and rock and roll" style quickly took over his life, letting himself get carried away, but he was doing it within reason, he saw with his own eyes how drugs destroyed his father's life when addiction became the most important thing in his life, so he limited himself to weed, which was enough. He would lie that he didn't like the idea of groupies who were actually begging him to do what he wanted with them. The enchantment, though, quickly passed. No matter how crazy sex he had, no matter how good the alcohol he drank and enjoyed parties with the biggest stars, he still didn't feel fully happy. That's why, no matter how tired he was after more concerts and parties, he always found time to call the other end of the country at least once a day to hear your voice. The time zone was not an obstacle, he knew that he could call in the middle of the night and you would still pick up and enjoy listening to all sorts of stories and his ramblings about all the new song ideas, assuring you, of course, that the love-themed ones were about you. He didn't tell you everything, of course; you both agreed that it would be better for him to keep his adventures with groupies to himself, and you about the guys and their tanned bodies you had to deal with in California. They didn't matter to you. You both knew that no matter how much fun you had with others your hearts were on the other side of the country which still hurt. 

You, Eddie, Robin, Steve and the kids were not the only people the government had to compensate for all the trauma. Chrissy, who almost became a victim of Vecna also got her chance in New York as a spermodel. Unfortunately, the fashion world could be cruel, and the agency that looked after her decided that the best way to promote her would be to arrange a relationship with a fifteen-year older, sleazy fashion designer. Terrified by the idea, she went to the only place where she could feel safe.  Eddie had just finished talking to you when he heard a knock on the door. He looked in surprise at the girl standing there. 

"Eddie, I need your help." She said entering the apartment with panic in her eyes. Explaining the whole situation and revealing her secrets to him, she also presented the idea she had come up with. Eddie being already a bit tired of the groupies who didn't give him a break said it would be a good idea and an excuse to reject them. 

"So when do we start?" he asked looking at Chrissy who was sitting across from him. 

"As soon as possible." she replied. 

The only thing he hadn't thought through was your reaction, because as soon as Chrissy's plan saw the daylight you stopped answering your phone calls, always answered by a deafening silence. He even started writing letters, but never got a response. He was not stupid. He knew what was going on and why you were ignoring him. With pain, he had to admit that you had the right to do so. As time passed, he began to regret everything he had agreed to, however, it was too late to give up. He also knew that if he didn't agree, Chrissy would already be stuck in a bubble of unhappiness until the very end.

taglist: @i-me-mine @phantypurple

#eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie stranger things #stranger things fanfic #justice for eddie #stranger things #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you #stranger things eddie #fanfiction #fanfic #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson imagines #eddie munson stranger things #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst #corrodedseraphine #corrodedseraphine fanfiction #ao3 fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #corrodedseraphine timezone #rockstar!eddie #rockstar!eddie munson #rockstar!eddie x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader

[m1d-45]

Yo, mid, i know its very late for me and i just am trying to sleep while its fucking COLD, i had a thought jolt me awake from my dozing.

How hot do pyro's run? I do know that some people CANON it to be true that pyro users have high body heat, but is it like africa versus the northpole or something like that?

Cuz i currently desire a personal heater snugglebug.

Goodnight.

-🥘Stew

warmth

a/n: could be read as sagau, could be taken as just regular genshin. this kinda devolved from the ask but… eh? only diluc and thoma are ‘x reader’s, the others are mostly character studies.

word count: 2.1k

-> warnings: n/a! minor spoilers for character lore, i suppose? xinyan may be slightly ooc? mentioned xingqiu x chongyun in hu taos part?

-> gn reader! (you/yours)

characters: diluc, bennett, klee, amber, xinyan, xiangling, yanfei, hu tao, yoimiya, thoma, in that order :) the traveller is mentioned but isn’t specified (they/them, no names)

taglist: @samarill || @thenyxsky || @valeriele3 || @shizunxie || @boba-is-a-soup || @yum1x || @esthelily

< masterlist >

mmm it honestly depends on your opinion, but i personally am pretty guilty of imagining myself a diluc to hold onto when i’m cold, so i’d say there’s at least a bit of a difference.

i heard from the first golden apple archipelago event that diluc apparently melted kaeya’s icebridge (citation needed), so that pretty much confirms that a significant level of difference is present between pyro users and the general public. however, it was still summer and assuming diluc was still wearing his giant coat, they must be at least vaguely immune to overheating/possess some sort of control over it. all this to say that at the bare minimum, diluc wouldn’t mind holding you close during a chilly winter. the winery is prone to chilly hallways, just due to its size, and he stays up late anyway. please, don’t be afraid to go knocking on his door: chances are he’s awake and more than willing to let you in. despite being a pyro wielder, his blankets are large and thick, carrying enough heat to keep you warm while he wraps up his paperwork. you don’t have to stay awake with him if you don’t wish; the sight of you tucked away within his bed is one he wishes to memorize.

i imagine bennett’s high heat has definitely saved him from getting sick when his adventure is ruined by rain (again), keeping him from ever being at risk despite the fact that his clothes are soaked and the path he’s trudging through is muddy. he’s well used to it, but it doesn’t stop his dads from chastising him whenever he returns, directing him towards his room and one of the many, many spare sets of clothing he had. he dries off quickly after showers, his clothes never sticking, and sometimes when his adventure ended well he’ll be glowing, embers in his eyes as he excitedly tells you about it, uncaring of the way some of the dry grass caught in his hair begins to spark. for your sake and his, bring him inside and let him talk to you after you remove the tinder.

klee, younger, likely has a lesser degree of control over her vision. she’s probably prone to hiking up a few degrees when she’s excited, and is often found in albedo’s camp at dragonspine simply due to the fact that she both can easily re-light his fire when the winds blow too hard and he knows she won’t get sick. he sits on his stool, watching his experiment and listening intently to her talk about gunpowder. when snow washes in and puts out the measly store of wood collected in the middle of his lab, it barely registers before she’s collected pyro in her palms and shot it neatly to the center of the pile. any moisture vaporizes, the flames licking higher than they normally would.

amber has a better control over her vision than most would expect from somebody so young. her vision hangs off her belt and only barely glows a bit brighter when speaking about the knights, her gloves waving animatedly as she tells some tale of the cavalry captain’s newest scheme. he comes up, hearing all gossip in the city and doubly so that which pertains to him, but even the hiss of cryo doesn’t dampen her emotions. she ignores the hand he puts on her shoulder and simply puts hers on her hips, pretending he isn’t there and continuing about how it’s so irresponsible of him to continue such behavior. he laughs, telling her it’s rude to be so cold, but the way the inside of her gloves grow warm says otherwise. it’s invisible to most, dampened by leather and the many guards of an archer’s arms, but anybody that looks can tell you for certain that the brightest fires in the city are lit by an outrider’s glow, provided only that you ask about her recent expedition.

xinyan is well aware of her loud nature, and learned the hard way not to let it get out of control. pyrotechnics are a large part of her shows, but it took her a while to get there. she loves rock and roll, and performing gives her so much energy- she played barely a day after she received her vision, when her control was weak and her body was still adapting to the change, and the guitar she played then on no longer works now. five dots singe the area around the strings, a large patch where her palm rested sunken into the wood. if you ask about it, she’ll wave you off shyly, unwilling to tell you about how she had to wear heat sinks in a pair of special gloves for a few months. still, just to be certain, she bought a bottle of heat-resistant sealant to brush over her current guitar for her tours. she loves music, loves her shows and doing what she does, and she’s much better at controlling her vision now, but… it’s better safe than sorry, right?

xiangling, similar to bennett, has been saved many times by her heightened body temperature. turns out, it gets incredibly dangerous climbing the spires of liyue since the wind can turn your fingers cold and creaky, making it deadly to try and climb, but she’s never run into that problem. she moves with ease, unfettered by the chill, her sheer enthusiasm seeping into the stone beneath her. when she travelled to mondstat, she passed by a camp near the base of dragonspine and overheard a peculiar recipe, one that required a special kind of ‘chilled meat’. the chef seemed nervous to give her the location, due simply to her clothing, but she set off anyway. needless to say, dragonspine is colder than liyue, and the traveller found her and guoba hunched by a campfire, clearly shivering. they led her off a mountain and with the promise to never return without a proper team (or warmer clothes), they handed her some chilled meat from their inventory. after a bit of further pressing, they taught her how to make goulash. she took excellent notes.

as a lawyer, the last thing yanfei needs is to be hot-headed. the law is slippery, always twisting from her hands, and the ability to grit one’s teeth and stand again after it swipes beneath their feet is one needed in the world of legal advice. ningguang can’t count the amount of times she’s received a letter from her detailing the most recent loophole she’s found, the paper stained with ash around the edges. at first she thought it unprofessional, but after being stopped on the street and quite frankly chastised due to the slow response time when such a matter as the law was concerned…. she understood a little more. her next letter was responded to promptly, and yanfei’s gratitude showed in court, citing one of the tianquan’s letters as proof that a law was changed prior to a merchant’s new policy, not after. as a half-adepti, more power runs through her than most, and she often grows too warm to think in her office. she has measures to counteract this, such as traveling to deal with cases, allowing the wind to wick away her frustration, or simply wearing cooler clothes during the summer. madam ping was the one to suggest the latter, and she lives every day grateful. still, as they share a cup of tea as yanfei rants about a civil case she’s been assigned, yanfei’s mug stays warmer than ping’s for nearly the entire time. thankfully, she prefers her drinks hot anyway, and green tea has always helped take the edge off her irritation.

hu tao is many things, but emotional is not one of them. being a funeral director requires a certain level of coldness to it, as to not let the many deaths a day affect you, and she handles her role quite well. she carries enough respect that her voice is somber when speaking to the families of the deceased, yet doesn’t allow the constant gloom to affect her. perhaps it’s her sense of humor, allowing her to brush it off a bit easier, or perhaps it’s the fact that it’s hard to feel sad when xingqiu is describing his latest escapade with chongyun. the latter is at wanmin, waiting for his popsicles, and hu tao listens with bubbly glee to their most recent tale. it’s funny, how oblivious chongyun can be, and as they sit and swing their legs across the street, the stone beneath her feels less and less warm. they share, they banter, they talk about poetry and all things literary. when their hands knock together xingqiu winces slightly at the heat of her rings, but cools his hand easily enough with a bit of hydro. when chongyun returns, xingqiu takes the small treat he offers her, unwilling to risk him getting singed. chongyun recites what xiangling told him to about her newest creation, and hu tao stifles a grin. the edges of the small napkin begin to darken, but she hardly notices. focused on the slight glaze in xingqiu’s eyes, the funeral director laughs.

working with fireworks with a pyro vision is a risky adventure. yoimiya, who was incredibly cautious about such things and only ever used her vision to light fireworks at first, rarely ever runs into this risk, but it’s on her mind. as the queen of the summer festival—a title that never fails to bring heat to her cheeks, should you mention it—its her responsibility to keep up and maintain the same level of quality year after year, and she is intent on delivering. still, she’s not immune to problems associated with a vision like hers. the small building of naganohara fireworks is one with a rich history, gunpowder and dye embedded between the floorboards, but it doesn’t have the best ventilation. it’s by design, as a stray breeze can ruin a fragile firework, but sometimes she wishes she could have a fan. she loves creating them, enthusiasm sparking whenever she gushes to her father about her latest idea, but when the summer gets hot and the room gets hotter, even one sleeve of a kimono feels like too many. don’t get her wrong, the process of barely singeing a dye so it crackles instead of pops is one far easier with a vision, but when the time finally comes to sit back and let sparks fly, she doesn’t hang around to watch the fuses get lit. instead, she moves somewhere cooler, letting the night breeze cool off her excitement, sitting cross-legged on chilly grass. when the fireworks start and the sky lights up, youmiya glows along with them.

a housekeeper does a lot of things, but starting fires is not typically one of them. both ayato and ayaka prefer cooler weather, the former having the ability to mostly self-regulate, and thoma’s vision mostly went unused. other than occasionally lighting the fire at shimura’s or one of the other food stalls he stopped at, thoma’s days were quiet, free of battle. he was simply a housekeeper, and though he occasionally misjudged the weather and gave ayaka a false impression, they both quickly learned to seek a second opinion. the same was with you. quiet days, mornings spent in a soft sort of haze as he woke up before the sun even on his days off. he didn’t mind, turning to brush away some hairs from your face, but you leaned into his palm, shifting closer. he smiled, one that dissipated when he noticed the goosebumps down your arm, leading beneath the thin sheets. he was confused for a moment, as the room felt fine to him, but he quickly remembered that it wouldn’t be the same to you. with a murmured apology and an arm around your waist, thoma made a mental note to bring thicker blankets for you from the closet. winter was coming and evidently early, and the last thing he wanted was for you to be cold. still, that was a problem for later, for when your skin didn’t warm under his and when the sun was further overhead.

#these just kept getting longer as i went btw there’s no significance to klee’s section being like. 1/3 of yoimiya’s— #genshin #genshin impact #genshin fluff #fluff #diluc #bennett #klee #genshin amber #xinyan #xiangling #yanfei #hu tao #yoimiya #thoma #diluc x reader #thoma x reader #genshin x reader #diluc fluff #thoma fluff #somebody PLEASE tell me they don’t hate this format i this is the most productive i’ve been all week #stew🥘 anon #< also real funny of you to start your ask with ‘i know it’s late’ bro i don’t even know what time it is for me let alone you. you could #have said it was noon and i’d believe you. time is fake anyway. #anyway. you 🤝 me: imagining pyro cuddles as we shiver like hell. sorry this didn’t feature more hugs but most of these people are Children #probably could have twisted it into just. you and them vibing. but i have not edited this and i’m not starting now #if you’d like actual pyro cuddles just say the word. i would be more than happy to

[ghoulie-67-baby]

Packmate- Ghost (Part 1).

Summary: A new ghoul is summoned to the Abbey and the ghouls get to meet their new packmate.

Warnings: unconsciousness, nudity, amnesia, angst, mentions of crying and pain.

Pairing: ghoulette!reader x nameless ghouls (possible Copia).

Word count: 1,263.

Rain's POV

Black smoke covered the summoning circle as the flickers of hellfire subsided. I eyed my Packmates, noticing the mixture of nervousness, excitement and intrigue before settling my gaze on Papa, an unreadable expression painted on his face as he studied the dying ashes of the fire. A tense air filled the room as the smoke began to clear. A curled-up body was revealed, shaking in the fetal position despite being unconscious. Once Papa broke the circle, the whole pack stepped closer to the new ghoul, curiosity getting the better of us.

"Papa," Sunshine started, wringing her hands nervously. "Are they okay?" Her voice came out as a whisper, worried she would wake the new arrival.

“Sì, mio caro, they'll be fine. The journey up is generally painful and exhausting." Papa moved to the ghoul's side, covering them with a blanket before all the smoke could clear. "To my knowledge, the journey topside leaves all ghouls unconscious, they barely remember it." We all collectively shuddered at the thought but attention quickly snapped back to the new ghoul as they let out a title, pained whimper and shifted on the Abbey's stone flags. With a raised hand, Papa motioned for us to stay back and Swiss grabbed a handful of my shirt in his excitement. We all watched, shaking with anticipation as Papa knelt before the stirring ghoul.

"Hello there," keeping his voice soft. "Can you open your eyes, little one?" Just as he had asked, bright eyes shot open, widening as they met his mismatched ones. The small body on the floor shivered and sat up slowly, careful not to make any sudden movements. They clutched the blanket around them and eyed all of us warily before lingering on our kneeling papa.

"Where am I?" Their voice was quiet and hoarse like they had been screaming and crying. My stomach clenched painfully when I realised that's probably the exact reason; they came up from hell after all.

"You're at the Ministry, little one, you were summoned by myself." He spoke slowly, so as not to startle them. "Do you remember your name?" Confusion painted their face as they tried to think of it, their face scrunching up in frustration as they shook their head. I bit back a grin as Cirrus cooed at the cuteness and Papa smiled softly.

"The ministry? As in The Clergy? Like the satanic church?" Their voice was careful like they were trying not to offend us.

"The exact one, my dear." Copia's excitement was almost overbearing for the little ghoul but they watched in wonder.

"I was on my way." They spoke matter-of-factly and the group was overtaken by confusion. "I can remember that bit, was on my way here when I died." So they already knew they had died; usually, someone had to explain and that was never pretty.

"I'm sorry. Little one." Copia's eyes clouded with emotion. "I'm sorry you didn't make it but you're here now." Some sort of comfort must have come from those words going off the little smile they gave. It was by far one of the sweetest and most beautiful smiles I had ever witnessed. "My name is Copia, these are my ghouls and ghoulettes." Everyone offered a greeting or a smile as we were introduced and multiple cheeks tinged a pinky-grey within moments.

"I don't know my name." The statement was filled with pain and a bristle of hurt cascaded over the pack. "Will I ever remember?"

"We never remembered ours," Aether's eyes widened as their face fell in sadness. "But that could different for you. It varies." He rushed out.

"And we picked ours based on our elements." Cumulus pitched in. "Mine is a type of cloud formation because my element is air, and Rain because he's a water ghoul and so on."

"So, what's my element thing then?" Her eyes lit up with hope, only to dull with disappointment.

"It's not that simple. It can take time to appear and even then it could be different. Like me, I'm Swiss because I'm a multi-ghoul. Get it? Swiss Army knife, Swiss army ghoul." They let out a little giggle and we all collectively melted a bit.

"And I'm a quintessence ghoul, hence the name Aether." They nodded along and brought their attention back to Papa.

"So we can wait for my name for now?"

"Of course, little one, as long as you're happy with nicknames." His teasing didn't go unnoticed by the new ghoul as they seemed to relax a bit. "Now shall we show you to your new home?" The new ghoul cocked their head for a moment but their eyes soon lit up with excitement. We all froze as they jumped up from the stone floor, trying to avert our eyes in any other direction, even Dewdrop was fighting not to look. Papa gasped softly before panicking and pulling the ghoul towards his chest in a brainless and desperate attempt to cover them up. They let out a squeak of surprise and braced their small hands against his shoulders, eyes wide with shock.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to move so quickly." The quiver in their voice made my chest ache but I brushed it away.

"No, no little one." Copia was hopelessly flustered and I swore I could almost see his blush through the white paint. Swiss and Dew snickered, hitting each other's arms playfully. "It's not that, it's more the fact that you're entirely naked and that blanket was the only thing protecting your dignity."

Our new ghoul, ghoulette possibly, had female anatomy going off the breasts that were pressed firmly against Copia's front in a lame attempt to hide their assets away. A shiver ran through them as they sensed our eyes on their back and tried to cover themselves even more.

"So, you're a woman too huh?" Cirrus grinned toothily at the small ghoul, winking as they peeked over their shoulder at her.

"Yeah, is that not a good thing?" Sunshine giggled at the question, leaving Cumulus to give her an amused look that told her to behave. "Cos most of you are guys, right? There are only you three ladies so I don't want to have messed anything up by being the wrong gender." The new ghoulette rambled for a moment, a panicked tone in her voice.

"No, silly, it's perfectly fine, we just didn't want to call you by the wrong gender and pronouns if that's not how you identify." To others, this might have seemed stupid and trivial but our pack cared about making sure others were comfortable. "And just for reference, you could never be the wrong gender."

"Oh, okay, that's good." She sighed in relief. "I'm good being called a woman." She seemed to have forgotten her nakedness for a second until Mountain moved to pick up the crumpled blanket. Her eyes widened as she watched the huge ghoul gently drape it over her tiny body. Clutching it around herself, she turned and craned her neck to thank him. He towered over her, almost menacingly, and made her look even smaller than we already knew she was. Even without standing them together, I could tell she was smaller than even Dewdrop and he was the smallest, albeit feistiest, in our pack.

As we walked in the direction of our den, I couldn't help but wonder what the others thought of her and if they thought the same as me.

I could only hope they wanted her to be part of the pack as much as I did.

#ghost band fics #the band ghost #ghost the band #ghost band #cardinal copia #ghost copia #the nameless ghouls #nameless ghoulettes #nameless ghouls #papa copia #mountain ghoul #swiss army ghoul #swiss ghoul #aether ghoul #rain ghoul #dewdrop ghoul #sodo ghoul #sunshine ghoulette #cumulus ghoulette #cirrus ghoulette

[soulmate-game]

Work burned me out, middle management positions are draining. What was supposed to be an angsty oneshot is now… yeah I’m continuing it. Not a full series, just a two-parter… hopefully.

Edit: I DON’T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THIS CLUSTERFUCK OF AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER IS, but BUCKLE IN BECAUSE IT PROBABLY DOESN’T PASS SAFETY REGULATIONS! HOOOOO BOY

Part 1

—*—*—*—*—*

“…” she stared at the being in front of her, face frighteningly blank. Next to her, Bruce fidgeted.

“I’m not going anywhere, so you either gotta learn to love me real quick or get lost quicker,” the child snarked from where he was sitting upside-down on the bat computer chair. “And don’t call me Richard, my name’s Dick.”

“I don’t remember you working with a fetus, Batman,” Marinette slowly drawled, emphasizing the vigilante’s name despite none of the three of them being suited up. Dick shot up with a cry of indignation.

“I am not a fetus! I’m fifteen! I’ve been Robin since I was twelve!”

“Nope,” Marinette countered, unmoved. “I started out as Ladybug when I was twelve, and I was never as small as you,” she blatantly lied. Dick was already taller than her, which wasn’t much of an achievement considering that she was five-foot-one-inch tall. “You are six years old, tops.”

Dick let out an almost inhuman screech of complaint. Even as he rambled on angrily about how wrong she was, Marinette only nodded as if he proved her right about something.

“That was a good squawk though. Definitely a birdie.”

It took another twenty minutes before Dick ran off to tell on Marinette to Alfred, giving her and Bruce some alone time. With which she used to whirl to him and immediately hiss in equal parts fury and worry;

“Please tell me he wasn’t—“

“The timeline is gone,” Bruce reminded her, bracing her by putting both his hands on her shoulders. “He doesn’t remember.”

“Still!”

He let out such a heavy sigh that he seemed to deflate with it, his dark circles growing more pronounced.

“He wasn’t supposed to be,” he admitted softly. “When he turned sixteen, last time, I allowed him to form his own team of teen heroes. Supervised from afar by myself of course, not that they knew that. I had given them the order to stay back and guard their city, but they disobeyed me and snuck onto the battlefield anyway.”

Marinette rubbed at her temples, nodding. “Teenagers have a habit of doing that. This time around, can we ask Bunnyx to supervise them? She has all the energy of a teenager, so she’ll fit in, but the maturity of someone trusted to guard all the timelines.”

Bruce paused, thinking of what little he knew of the pastel rabbit themed hero, and then reluctantly nodded. “That… might be for the best. And giving them more opportunities to train with…” he hummed, hand on his chin. “I might actually change things up, in that case. Instead of jumping to put teens on their own in a tower, the old Justice League headquarters is more protected. And if we started with the ‘sidekicks’,” he gave very purposeful air quotes, “of other Leaguers, it would create a better support system than letting teenagers run around with… really, not enough regulation.”

“Gotta love hindsight,” Marinette agreed with a nod. “The whole teenagers by themselves thing only worked for my team because we were overly traumatized and each saw different apocalypses before we turned sixteen. Bunnyx could fix them herself back then, but still.”

“Best to do better by the new generation,” Bruce agreed with her unspoken statement. “I can still put that old team together again when they’re older, support their development elsewhere in the meantime.”

“Oh, and now that we’re done on that topic,” Marinette snapped her fingers before pointing to the staircase that Dick had disappeared up. “He’s going to make my life a living hell, isn’t he?”

Bruce groaned, offering her a lopsided grimace of apology. “He’s a menace,” he agreed. “He’s scared away any woman I’ve brought to the house, even though most of them are completely platonic. I have to make the press believe the whole playboy thing somehow, and inviting my friends over to chat is the easiest way to do so without breaking hearts for real. Dick hasn’t caught on yet,” Bruce rubbed his forehead. “His antics to scare away Selina Kyle are legendary already, and she’s sapphic. She couldn’t be attracted to me if I was the last man on earth.”

“Could have fooled me,” Marinette teased, suddenly impish. “She’s catwoman, isn’t she?”

Bruce narrowed his eyes, saying only: “Chat Noir. Year one.”

It was Marinette’s turn to grimace. “Point taken. But in my defense, he took way too long to realize he’s gay and watched too much anime at the time.”

Bruce let out one of his unfairly charming chuckles, changing position so that his arm was around her shoulders and pulling her to his side. She fit there surprisingly well, for someone almost half his size. She leaned into him, and the both just soaked in the comfort of one another for a long moment.

“You know,” Bruce started for a while. “If you want to stay in Gotham, we can make you another alter ego so that you don’t accidentally lure Shadow Moth here. Tell that fox of yours to make it seem like you’re in Paris and take some of the weight off of your shoulders for a change. Blackmail Constantine into charming some jars to keep the butterflies in until you can purify them.”

“Hmmm.” She closed her eyes. “Ladybird sounds nice. Fits with the bird thing that Robin has going for him.”

Bruce laughed. “That’ll really annoy him,” he warned, amused. Marinette’s close-eyed smile was pure mischief.

“That’s the whole point. I’m not letting a fetus win against me, bat-boy.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Marinette wasn’t speaking to Bunnyx. Bruce didn’t know what they had said to one another, but he could guess it had to do with Jason.

With his baby, who he just buried. The boy Marinette had thought of a son ever since he first brought him home. She had even smoothed things over between Dick and Jason, which he had considered nothing short of a miracle at the time.

But that miracle was nowhere to be seen now, with Marinette every bit as despondent next to him as he was. He wanted to be angry with her, he did, but he couldn’t. He had seen her blow up at Bunnyx, seen her try to hold her status as Grand Guardian over the bunny holder.

Bunnyx had simply said that she wouldn’t answer to Ladybug until after the grief passed then, and ran away into her burrow.

“Is this the payment?” He heard her whisper, her voice hoarse and broken. “For the do-over? We passed the old timeline. We took down Shadow Moth. Is this the price?” Tears dripped down her face silently, she didn’t seem to notice them. “Was I not a good enough mother? Should I—“ she stopped herself, shaking her head. He didn’t ask what she was about to say. Maybe he should have.

—*—*—*—*—*

Tim was great. He was too much like Marinette at times, which made Bruce’s chest ache, but he was a great Robin. A great son. His experience with Marinette proved priceless when it came to helping curb Tim’s overworking habits and caffeine addiction.

But not even Tim could find where Marinette had disappeared to, even with his detective skills surpassing Bruce’s already.

Tim was the first son of his that didn’t get to grow up with Marinette at all.

—*—*—*—*—*

“It’s fine, Baobei,” she whispered, stepping to the side. Behind her was the waterfall that hid the tunnel to the Batcave. “He’s not the one to blame. He did his best, even now he’s doing his best.”

“Then why does—“

“Because other people need him, and he has too big of a heart to turn them away,” her mouth tilted a little, smile lopsided and sad. “Timothy didn’t replace you. He just forced Bruce to live again. Bruce didn’t kill Joker, because he didn’t want to taint another child with the sight of murder.”

“And you?” The voice was dark, deadly, gruff. Older, and yet… so achingly familiar. She smiled at him again, soft and sad and… proud.

“I don’t have one,” she lied. She had tried, tried so hard. Bruce had gotten in her way first, and then the very same desire to not taint more children with the image of death.

But her baby needed a scapegoat, and she was willing to throw herself on the fire for him.

“That’s why it’s fine,” she repeated. “If this is what you want. Just, please. Let it end with me.”

This time, Marinette made sure she had the Time miraculous safely in her pocket. Nobody would interfere with this.

The bullet sent her into the flow of the waterfall, red flowing behind her like the carpet she used to walk down with Bruce whenever she released a new collection. She felt no regret as she closed her eyes and fell.

—*—*—*—*—*

The shot hadn’t been fatal. Red Hood might have been mad with Pit Rage, but his fondness for his only true mother figure was ever present. He simply wanted to see if she was serious about taking that shot.

His regret was immediate when she didn’t even try to dodge. The bullet had only grazed her shoulder, but she didn’t seem to notice that. She had been so ready to die— to let him kill her— that she had passed out before hitting the water. He dragged her to the Batcave, knowing he had a lot to answer for.

Bruce wished he could have found her sooner, found both of them sooner. But at least they were back.

—*—*—*—*—*

“… I mean,” she rocked on her heels. “You are growing a bit old for Robin…”

Tim glared at her, not appreciating the insight.

“Bruce is stuck in the timestream, and you aren’t doing a thing about it. I don’t hold your opinion very highly right now,” he snipped back. She snorted, glancing away.

As if that little stunt to “kill Batman” could ever fool her. She’d been there for the real thing, thanks, she could spot a fake a mile away. “He’s got Bunnyx going to find him. She owes me big time, let her do the heavy lifting for a change.”

“How many years have you held that grudge?” Barbara asked, eyebrows raised as she wheeled herself towards the bat computer. “Even Jason thinks you should have let it go by now.”

Marinette scoffed at the exact same time as a certain someone tutted next to her, making them look for a moment like a perfect pair.

Crossed arms, a scoff, annoyed glare? If a DNA test hadn’t already proven otherwise, they might have thought Damian was hers.

“Fetuses don’t get to judge me,” was her only argument before she turned on her heel and walked away.

“I am not a fetus! Lady Marinette, I am ten years old!”

—*—*—*—*—*

Bonus:

Jason was curled up around Marinette, despite being told numerous times not to crowd her on the med-bay bed. He argued that he shot her, so he gets to nurse her back to health.

Did she use her blood, tainted by years of use of the Ladybug, to purify his pit madness? Yes. Had he figured that out yet? Nope.

“Love you, Mom,” he murmured in his sleep. Marinette, who had been awake for about an hour already, smiled to herself.

“Love you, Baobei.”

#maribat #mlb x dc #ml x dc #dc x mlb #dc x miraculous #platonic jasonette #platonic daminette #platonic timari #platonic dickinette #brucinette #idk what this is #enjoy anyway

[worshipper-status]

Literally so happy because my God is actually excepting of my obsession, but I’d kinda like to know how to worship him better less directly? (Ie. tips on digital alters/general worship tips?)

An excuse to ramble! Thank you :D

Worshipper's Guide to Indirect Worship

This is going to be my sfw guide for less direct methods of contact and digital altars, I may make an nsfw guide at some point on my own as a counterpart to this but for now...

(long post below)

Digital Shrines

Digital shrines are a good format for indirect worship, because you can curate it from anywhere, and no one will know. Technically I have two digital altars but one is more a back up of the other. One is I have a folder on my computer that contains all the media of the shrine, and the shrine itself is on my personal discord server. Usually I separate the shrine itself into media, devotionals, personal devotionals, writings, and links by using different discord channels. The channels breakdown like this for me:

Media: photos and videos of solely them

Devotionals: images I find on the internet that I feel embody our relationship, media created by someone else. Also picrews usually

Personal Devotionals: Visual media I have personally made to embody our relationship and can take full credit for creating. (This is a specific folder I made just to keep my art and others art separate)

Writings: Poems, songs, rambles, gushing, fantasies, etc. Any thought you have about them that's important enough to write down, put it here.

Links: I use this as a dumping ground for ideas I got from articles, purchases I want to make, or anything that requires a link to something else but directly relates to my worship of My Goddess.

Tumblr can also be a general dumping grounds kind of shrine, where I would not be too honest tbh, but it's a start. I prefer keeping my shrines private for the most part. My general advice is to stay away from tumblr for everything because you're not going to feel 1000% comfortable expressing your worship to its full extent because of the possibility of it being found by strangers. Also some things are just tmi to be honest. I have writings in my folder documenting times me and My Goddess have banged in detail so I don't forget. Tumblr doesn't need that kind of detail on here. So try and keep shrines at least somewhat private for your own sake. People are dicks.

As for advice for things to do to worship indirectly (and this goes hand in hand with the shrine a little bit) here's a list with general advice and ideas:

Scrapbook/Junk Journal about them (I'm biased this is a personal favorite of mine). Get a notebook, some scrapbook supplies, and either dedicate it to photos of your beloved or journal about any time you guys interact in ways that feel meaningful to you! I keep one physical scrapbook that I use for collages for My Goddess's photos, and am planning to start a junk journal for more writing purposes. I'll probably solely be using it to write about personal interactions with My Goddess, and on slower days, things I love about Her in general. It's both kinda a traditional journal and a part of my obsessive behaviors. You can also do stuff like this digitally with moodboard and collage makers like Canva which have free options.

Document about them. This is kinda vague so I'll explain. As part of my shrine, I have a document I'm building dedicated to bullet note points about My Goddess. If She randomly drops a fact on me about Her childhood, or Her interests. I write it down there so I don't forget. I want to be a good worshipper so I want to be an expert in everything about Her. I usually use a note taking app for this that I can organize into subgroups. Notion is a favorite of mine (despite them selling their soul to the AI overlords sigh) because it allows a lot of creative freedom in organizing the documents AND it's linked to my email so I can't lose it. Obviously, a google doc will accomplish the exact same thing, however my entire personality type is best described as extra, so I have to do things with extra effort at all times.

Write for them. This is where my pagan background kicks in a little bit, but in certain pagan traditions, especially stuff like Hellenic Polytheism, writing hymns or poems or songs for the gods was very important to their practices. So why not write those things for your God? It doesn't need to be shared, it can be bad, it can be whatever it wants to be. What I usually do, is I write poems for My Goddess, and keep them in my junk journal or digital shrine, depending on if I'm working physically or digitally, and if I'm feeling brave I'll share it with Her, but most times, they stay hidden in the depths of my shrine stuff.

Biggest overall piece of advice, create for them. Nothing shows devotion, quite like the personal experience of making something for someone else even if they never see it. Honor the Gods with the act of Creation, ya know?? It doesn't even have to require you to be good at drawing or whatever. Are you someone who gardens? Name a plant after them. Like makeup? Figure out what makeup styles they prefer on your chosen gender and wear those all the time, even if they're not there to see. Sewing? Make a stuffed animal of them. Speed runs? Dedicate every run to them, create a record for them. It can be as big or as mundane as you want and none of it has to be outwardly expressed to the other person. Just dedicate whatever hobby you have to them, and suddenly you'll have tons of shrine material.

Now for the quick part, of this!

General Worship Tips! (These are more indirect tho)

When getting dressed, pick outfits you know they'll appreciate. (Just please don't sacrifice your personal style for this)

Capitalize their name/title no matter what. They deserve the respect of one extra button push.

Write letters, even if you live close, even if you see them everyday, and even if you never send them. Use this as a format to express your emotions unbarred.

Save every photo they send you of themselves. If you need to edit people out of the photo do it, but you better be saving every instance of themselves they give you.

Fill your space with things that express yourself yes, but also have stuff that reminds you of them. Do they have a favorite animal? Buy those kinds of stuffed animals. They say they like certain types of aesthetics? Put some of that decor in your space.

I don't paint my nails, but if you do, paint them their favorite color.

Have dedicated jewelry pieces for them. While My Goddess did not give it to me, I have a memory of them associated with a bracelet I wear every single day. You can just buy a piece of jewelry and assign it as a symbol to them. They don't have to know.

Interact with their interests, with passion. Do your best to care about everything they care about. It'll give you guys tons of stuff to do, and help you understand them better.

Make pinterest boards dedicated to certain moments you want i.e. first date, wedding, future house/apartment dreams, pets you want with them, nursery room ideas, etc.

Make playlists dedicated to them.

Alright that's all I really have for right now! I hope some of this advice has been helpful and at the very least legible lol. I hope everything with you and your God goes well! If you want any more advice do not be afraid to ask me more questions :)

#worshipper's oath #worshipper's answers #irl yandere #male yandere #yandere #obsessive love #obsessive love disorder #bpd yandere #yandere boy #obsessive thoughts #yandere community #yancore #yanblr #yanderecore #yandereblr #yandere coping #yandere tips #yandere male #boy yandere

[itsuki-minamy]

"SIDE GOLD"

CHAPTER 4: IKU AND THE BIRIBIRI GROUP (Part 1)

* List of Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Anno

"Homeless". A child who does not have parents or guardians and who has not settled. In Japan during World War II, there were many war orphans who lost family members in war fires and their homes burned down. Among them, most of the children who lost their place to go became homeless drifters. During and after the war, their lives were extremely difficult and many of them became involved in criminal activities.

The "Kagirohi Trade Association" market was bustling as if the commotion from a few days ago had been forgotten. On that isolated vacant lot, the "Yakumo" gambling hall is being rebuilt under the leadership of Tamataro Okuma.

"Bastards, I'll finish it before opening time!"

A loud cry that made even the thick billboards that were up tremble.

Although it is called a rebuild, it is not a complete creation. As long as there is enough space for people to gather, such as a game room, the deal is done. It was a random hasty construction to build a house that was as small as a shack. The new "Yakumo", which no one remembers what generation it is, has already completed the frame and is in the process of installing the roof and walls.

"I understand, big brother Okuma!"

"Thanks to the boss and sister, I am used to erecting pillars and thatched roofs!"

"Don't say that, if they listen to you, you'll have to start over."

Rude, hard-working people are inefficient and unpredictable despite their good humor, but their environment is cheerful. The reason why many of them don't feel terrified when witnessing mysterious monsters is because they feel comfortable living from day to day, and more than anything, they trust their boss, who has declared that he will defeat them next time.

From the ceiling to the front of the wall, work voices flew.

"Are the blue clothes still keeping watch in front of Yokocho's gate?"

"Ah, they still go back and forth with Danbira in hand."

According to what they heard from the older sister of the blues, the monster appeared because the powerful boss and the guy in the blue hat collided. So it seems that it will probably be safe if both sides back down after sharing the pain. As explained, the boss, who had turned off due to various incidents, simply withdrew, and the blue hat also turned its back and left. At the moment, it seemed unlikely that the blues would go in or out, or even encounter the monster. It seemed that peace had arrived.

Each person had a different way of perceiving such results.

"Heh, even though the monster has been quiet ever since, they've had difficulties every day."

"You better be careful. I'm sure you feel the same way about blue clothes."

"What? In front of you, you are not afraid, are you?"

"Oh? What is it?"

Not satisfied with the exchange of voices, he rolled up his sleeves and pressed their foreheads against each other.

"Who is scared... Ouch?!"

"Nga?!"

Okuma's fists attacked in quick succession. Blocking the sunlight with their thick bodies, the two of them crouched in the shade with their heads in their hands, and a loud voice fell over them.

"Move your hands instead of your mouth, layabouts."

"Hehe!"

"Sorry!"

Okuma looked at the two people who were scattered, and then looked at all the work.

(It should be back to normal before today's opening.)

After thinking about it, he felt a stab in his throat like a small bone.

(I wonder if it will really go back to normal.)

It's not just about conflicts with monsters and the blue clothes.

Okuma wasn't amused the fact that some kinds of "King" or imposed good manners are getting in the way with straightforward gait of his proud boss.

In the neighborhood where the sound of work can be heard, there is a Suwako canteen. This whimsical restaurant (the only sign is "meshi") has a reputation for being cheap and filling, but the taste is average. It is also known as the place where Unno Yutaka stays when his usual hideout, Yakumo, is destroyed, and is seen from the outside as one of Kagirohi-gumi's strategic bases.

Actually, it was just a place where Suwako let him eat free food and Unno would lie down in a small room in the back. For the former, it was an important space where they could recover the relationship they had when they met. But to the latter, that is unknown thing because he hadn't even hinted at it, let alone talked about it.

Now it's Suwako's turn to feed him free food. In the middle of the small shop, Unno is stuffing his mouth with okara sushi at the counter. As the name suggests, it is a dish that cannot be said to be a dish that only puts ingredients on a piece of okara, but it is a specialty of this restaurant.

The side that is allowed to eat is hated and slaps him in the mouth.

"Only the topping has improved."

* Okara Zushi; a type of sushi that used Okara(soy pulp) instead of rice, with topping a fish marinated in vinegar. It is local food in Chugoku-Shikoku region.

"Shut up and eat, you bastard."

The usual show of cutting rebukes from the feed side.

It was supposed to be usual for Suwako to rest her chin on the counter and look at the stubborn Unno, but since that night, she felt a bit strange.

"Yutaka-chan."

"What?"

With his mouth open, Unno replied.

Suwako lifted her chin and used the courage she had built up over the course of several days to ask.

"Are you ok?"

"......"

Unno munched his okara sushi in silence. Secretly thinking...

(I wonder if it came out on the complexion, it's gross.)

He still hasn't resolved his feelings about meeting another "King".

Of course he wasn't intimidated. It was uncomfortable knowing that the anger and desires that were supposed to be him were embedded in something else. Besides, not being able to sort out his feeling like that was very unpleasant. With holding such a stone weight, he couldn't laugh optimistically, or stop thinking and run.

Ignoring all of that, he might have been able to become stronger.

However, when he ate at that restaurant, he felt a little less competitive.

That's why the answer wasn't clear.

"How is?"

"Yutaka-chan, aside from me, that sort of thing... were you aware that there are some really cool psychics out there?"

Suwako isn't afraid to reach Unno's core when they are alone in this restaurant.

Unno also responded to Suwako, who did so as honestly as possible.

"As for the guy with the blue hat and Ootono-nii-san, I didn't know until I met them. But the other person..."

"Um, the monster with the gapped teeth?"

"No."

After a brief denial, Unno paused to put his feelings into words.

"I've felt many times that somewhere far away... well, deep..., there's a guy reaching into the river and trying to catch the current."

There was something that came to Suwako's mind.

"Even if that's the case, the guy with the blue hat said something like that when we parted ways..."

"......"

Unno didn't even hide his displeasure from her and remained silent.

After dismissing Thomas Colt, just before Kagiro-higumi and the Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau withdrew, the guy in the blue hat (the husband), the Blue King, pretended to make a casual postscript and offered some history.

"This is a test, but are you willing to meet the "Golden King" Daikaku Kokujoji?"

And of course Unno... "No."

He just returned a word over his back as he walked away.

(That's right, I can't stand doing what that bastard says.)

Thinking of that, Unno reached for the okara sushi again and saw that Suwako's face was filled with anxiety. Its meaning was easy to understand. Or rather, the kind he himself had.

There is something big that you don't understand.

It was the feeling of existence beyond the words "Slate" and "King" that Nazumi said.

It was a terrifying power that haunted him, that if he could feel it and touch it, it would be irreversible.

That's why Suwako is afraid from the bottom of her heart of him.

For Unno to meet the "Golden King".

Being carried away by something big and mysterious.

That's why Unno said it clearly.

"I do not go anywhere."

"Yes."

Suwako's face, who answered in a low voice, turned pale and bright.

Unno felt embarrassed by the situation and tossed the pickled okara sushi into his mouth. As he muttered and chewed, he opened a mouth again with hatred.

"You're not good at grabbing at all."

But he will never say that he like the taste. So that Suwako can see his feelings in his smile. Of course, the answer is short.

"Noisy bastard."

++++++++++

Daikaku Kokujoji, the "Golden King" who normally refrains from going out, sometimes makes exceptions.

That was the meeting with the president of the ruling party, who was escorted by him and "Tokijikuin", and this time it was a special trip. The destination is a villa in the suburbs owned by the governor.

In a large site in the mountains, it is commonly called "Oyashiki" witlessly. In part, it was a signal to avoid telling details, including the owner.

In a simple but elegant Japanese-style room facing the courtyard, the two faced each other over celebratory dinner with sake.

Kokujoji was wearing a suit and was sitting up straight like a statue.

The president was dressed in a kimono and sat loosely crosswise. That wasn't because he was arrogant, but because he received a gunshot wound from a thug during his time as a diplomat before the war, and couldn't sit on his knees for long periods of time.

The president said in a calm voice that he didn't seem like a tough face.

"I heard about that, Kokujoji-kun."

"Hah, it seems that he is the "Seventh Person". As a result of discussions with Director Nazumi, we have decided to call him "Colorless" for the time being."

Kokujoji responded with a mild explanation, but that is not the issue the president wanted to bring to the table. For him, "Slate" and "King" were things to talk about next to reality.

"I see."

After slightly nodding, the original topic was brought up.

"By the way, it seems that Nanakamado's work unit was present at that time."

"...That's how it is."

Kokujoji, who guessed, felt ashamed of his immaturity for misreading the focus.

Only the "King" and his empowered ministers could perceive the strangeness of the unexpected "Seventh" as an imminent threat. For ordinary people, it was natural that they had little knowledge or interest.

(At this rate, the way forward will be in jeopardy... study up and take heart.)

In today's reality, in other words, what is important to the president is the "political significance of Nanakamado, an intelligence agency, using force at his own trial.

"I heard, that they even fought a street battle against the "demon" in question."

"Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau arrived just in time and we were able to contain the turmoil within one area of the market. The workforce has also managed to capture almost everyone."

"A person seems to be sent back to them."

"Hah, an American commander. Director Nazumi will probably serve as a check or a warning to Nanakamado, but it will have little effect."

As expected, Kokujoji was surprised by the accuracy of the information he was given, even when he communicated without hesitation. In just a few days, from what source did he get the information? He has been swimming through the turbulent political world for nothing, and has reached the post of president. Kokujoji was impressed by his speech technique, which didn't make the other feel hard.

(This is the "Gold" that he himself have prepared and polished...)

The president is not a servant of "Tokijikuin", nor is he attracted to any talent.

Or rather, Kokujoji had yet to add to his vassals a single politician who had become his sympathizer. This is a measure to ensure that "Tokijikuin" gets involved in the political world from the point of view of a collaborator.

That "Slate", like it or not, creates a side to rule and a side to be ruled. Furthermore, instead of "mentally and physically acknowledging'' social status and biological abilities, it "gives structure to the functions of kings and ministers."

The EX-α individual and the β individual are not the same at all.

There was a huge difference in the functions and overall power of the two.

The problem is not how do they feel that, is the fact as that is.

In a post-war society where distrust and hatred of authority burn, and, moreover, in the ideal democracy that Headquarters tries to establish, this "structure" placed under others provokes resentment or even more indignation. Of course, it would be even more so if someone with high social status, such as a key politician or the head of a conglomerate, couldn't always get the talent he wanted.

The reason why Kokujoji keeps his former subordinates as comrades-in-arms and dedicates himself to behind-the-scenes work is to make them seem like a powerful but closed small professional group. (It is also based on the same reasoning that Nazumi established the "Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau'' as a department with a legal foundation.) Even if they were wrong, they should not have been made to think of themselves as beings privileged above people... as the "transcendent ruling race" that the German Third Reich dreamed of.

Still, ever since "Tokijikuin" rose to prominence despite being behind the scenes, sharp-nosed politicians, ex-servicemen, surviving liberal activist, and even charlatans of the like have contacted Kokujoji to become his vassals. There have been many attempts, even more cases of faster attacks and kidnappings to seize power from the "Slate" or "King".

Humans are creatures that greedily seek power.

Especially now, when society is full of gaps and opportunities.

These realities made Kokujoji well aware of the dangers of hastily introducing the deadly drug "King", which was in the midst of trial and error, now in post-war, here in Japan.

Therefore, while sympathizing with the regime, they did not merge, and while showing their intentions, they did not issue orders... This position was firmly held by the "Golden King" Daikaku Kokujoji and "Tokijikuin". And it was precisely because he continued to stand his ground that he was able to gain the trust of the political world.

At this time, he can even have a secret face-to-face conversation with the president of the ruling party, who is not even his vassal.

"I see."

The president gave a slight nod again and casually filled the cup with sake.

"I agree with you."

Kokujoji did the same and filled his own sake cup.

"What is the trial material?"

"Although it has some privileges and power, it still feels like an intelligence agency running too wild. I tried looking in various directions to see if there was a backup behind it."

After half, the president wiped his cup at once, perhaps to moisten his throat or to make a decision, began to speak in a calm voice to Kokujoji who was waiting for his words.

"They frequently communicate with Atsugi."

"Atsugi?"

Kokujoji felt suspicious.

In the city of Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, there is a large airfield for the occupation forces requisitioned from the former Japanese army. Immediately after the war, many squadrons were deployed, but by the end of 1948, it had become a supply base for the occupation forces in the Kanto region, and no military forces were stationed there.

"That place is under the jurisdiction of none other than the Headquarters, and even if you say Occupation Army, it is just logistical support..."

As he answered, Kokujoji thought of something strange.

In Atsugi, there is a large-scale facility that doesn't look like a supply base.

It was a "radar site" radio detection facility for the detection of sword-shaped "Schwert" Kouki, which the occupation forces hastily set up for fear of a mass uprising by the Japanese people in response to the "Chofu Incident".

In reality, this facility was useless. He ended up showing that all the sword-shaped "Schwert" Kouki that appeared after Red, Blue, Green, and Gray did not show any reaction to the radar. The reason why the facility still stands is due to both the practical aspect that is useful for air traffic control of the Occupation Forces, and the psychological aspect that is a symbol of confrontation with the unknown.

Kokujoji had investigated these items as being related to the "King" of him, but from the conversation with the president, he suddenly began to worry about a certain item. Slowly he spoke.

"If I remember correctly, the electrical probes placed there were under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense, not the Occupation Forces. Engineers sent from the country of origin are also managing maintenance."

"Yes. That is very important."

The president nodded three times like a professor giving a passing grade.

"It appears to have been removed from the Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency "ARPA" in response to a request from Headquarters to send in the latest state-of-the-art equipment. It is the people there who are in charge of maintenance."

After a pause, his calm voice turned heavy and low.

"Officially, most of them were reorganized last year, and they are the intelligence officers of their home country."

Kokujoji was surprised and accidentally put down the cup.

"......! Are they from the CIA?"

In the era of its predecessor, the Strategic Intelligence Agency "OSS" (although it was only three years ago), the Central Intelligence Agency "CIA" began to fight with the Headquarters over the advance of their base of operations in Japan. a destiny whose activity was sealed.

Since then, the Commander-in-Chief, Admiral General, dislikes "rogue spies", and has not tried to interfere with Japan. It was supposed to be, but it was only on the surface.

His undiminished anti-communist sense of mission and desire to expand his power secretly spread the roots of the conspiracy to Atsugi's neighborhood, or even to Nanakamado's throat.

(Nazumi also reported that Nanakamado was "exporting" psychics for anti-communist spy warfare... certainly, the recipient could be no one other than the CIA.)

Kokujoji finally found the reason of unusually bullish attitude of Nanakamado.

"So Nanakamado is trying to survive after our country regains its sovereignty by communicating with the CIA in the United States and cooperating in the re-advancement?"

"Nanakamado's intentions are probably like this."

And then the president spoke calmly about the core of the crisis.

"The nature of this matter is much bigger and deeper. Most worrisome is that the Pentagon is involved in the camouflage operation. There is only one person in the world with power that can make them allies of the CIA."

"......!"

Kokujoji guessed with a shudder, but didn't mention the title.

With the president's understanding, he added the most alarming information he had collected.

"The Department of Defense is sending a light aircraft carrier to and from Yokosuka under the pretext of carrying materials to Atsugi. Half a year has passed. It seems that the overbuilt ships from the previous war are being used as transport ships."

The tone of voice that he did not believe on the surface of the information was the meaning of the information.

"When we bring in materials, we line up the cars to watch the roads where there are no attackers. For some reason, most of these staff members are Japanese. What do you think of this situation?"

"The convoy... is probably practicing marching along the way, disembarking and deploying to military installations."

Kokujoji first thought of a former soldier and then of a "King".

"Japanese pretending to be guards are believed to be people with 'exported' skills in the past."

"In other words, the CIA is preparing a unit of talented people in our country, separate from Nanakamado."

"The reason they are using the Japanese is that they are doing everything they can for the local powers, and they are sure to get rid of them."

The president was calm, Kokujoji was strict.

"Hm, it's a way of doing things, similar to an intelligence agency."

"Nanakamado's original plan was to secure a piece that would guarantee the superiority of Headquarters, in other words, to secure our "King"... or perhaps make him cooperate."

After a calm exchange without changing the tone of theirs voices...

"However, they, who should have sent out the elite soldiers, were completely defeated by the "King" and were not able to get his cooperation. Even so, there is another goal in daring to use a unit of talented people."

"If it's the second best measures, they won't hit the same enemy twice... then,"

After sharing and researching, checking and analyzing, the two of them naturally came to a solution.

Even with that conviction...

"The next best thing is a sudden armed rebellion..."

The president involuntarily smiled wryly at the eccentricity of the resulting solution.

"It's like a coup before the war."

"It doesn't matter if it's successful or not, the goal itself is to create a riot in Tokyo. It would be nice if it could be used as a basis for criticizing the Occupation Army's current occupational rule, especially its ability to maintain public order."

Kokujoji was able to see through the brutal fashion of the time, where politics was intertwined with conspiracies and tyranny.

The president also calmly pursues the dangers affecting Japan's national fortune.

"The continental United States is participating in this operation to strike a blow at Headquarters which is too arbitrary. The overall goal is to create an excuse to reduce the excessive authority given to Headquarters and push Japan back into an anti-communist bulwark."

The old politician smiled wrinkled when he realized that all the cards were in his hand.

"I see, it's a nice photo."

With a smile on his face, he became furious.

"But I won't forgive them."

"Yes."

Kokujoji is also short and sharp and he agreed.

An air of tension filled the air between the two of them.

Kokujoji was the one who moved the fastest and stood up without panicking.

"Please leave me your phone. I will urgently take countermeasures with the Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau."

"No, I'm the one who will call to."

The president, who took the thought of him one step further as a politician, stopped him. He explains before asking.

"An armed rebellion is different from a popular uprising that can only be stopped by dissipating the accumulated heat. It is an operation based on a political plan. Furthermore, both the initiative and the execution come from the intelligence agencies."

"Eh?"

Kokujoji, who couldn't understand the meaning of his explanation, took the form of an attentive listener.

The president admonished the young man who thinks he is fit about the dynamics of politics.

"In other words, if it turns out that he can't carry out his plan, it's the kind of thing that loses the foundation of the rebellion and puts an end to it."

"Do you have a measure to prevent the outbreak in the first place instead of suppressing it?"

"It's not as difficult as calling it a measure."

His smile, still filled with rage, glowed with murderous political maneuver.

"However, by making a proposal with the above reasoning, we can take away the bases to activate it."

"Proposal... what, where?"

The president, showed his "gold" to Kokujoji.

"Dismantle the intelligence agency, Nanakamado, to the commanding general of the occupation forces."

Saying so, he clapped his hands to call the butler.

In fact, a phone call was not enough. As soon as an appointment for negotiations was made at the Dai-ichi Seimei building in Yurakucho, Tokyo, where the general headquarters are located, the president returned to Tokyo in a safe driving car.

"Until I'm gone, give the quarterback time to reflect. A phone call is a message that says 'I'm going to make a proposal like this'', and it's a grace period to make a decision. I am a gentle man, so I will go home at a slow pace."

That's what it looked like.

Kokujoji did not accompany him, but according to the guards who were sent in his place, the negotiations in the commanding officer's office were completed in a very short time.

Then the next day at noon.

Immediately, Kokujoji received two notices. The first was a document from the Department of Public Health and Human Services containing the Directive of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces (SCAP Index Number, or SCAPIN), as recommended by the Governor.

As written...

"Notice: 1. There is no intelligence agency under the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, Headquarters, which controls the Japanese people by any special means. 2. The Research Institute for Infectious Disease Control (at the Nanakamado City) will be decommissioned and withdrawn as of tomorrow in accordance with the achievement of its intended objectives. 3. Tasks 2 will be handled by the Metropolitan Police Reserve, US Army 1st Cavalry Division and the US Army's 97th Infantry Division."

It made no sense even to those who didn't know the circumstances, and it was extremely harsh for those who did.

In summary...

Nanakamado will be dismantled after its existence is officially denied.

The research institute where has been their base of operations will also be demolished, leaving no trace.

Not only the police but also the Occupation Army will be involved in the implementation.

That's what it meant.

You could see the marshal's anger as much as the president's, if not more.

(Not unreasonable.)

Kokujoji thought.

The United States has just forced Headquarters to change its policy of rebuilding Japan as an ideal democratic nation. It would be strange not to get angry if he knew that a conspiracy aimed at further reducing the authority of Headquarters was afoot at a time when the humiliation had not cooled. (As for the marshal personally, after the crushing defeat in the presidential election half a year ago, he was deeply involved in rebuilding Japan.)

The fact that the negotiations with the governor were brief also shows the extent of his anger.

Driven by ambition, the Nanakamado intelligence agency faced the end of punishment.

Regardless of what they thought, they were just an unofficial branch of the Occupation Forces, with all the authority given by the Headquarters. As long as their authority is revoked before the uprising, the intelligence agencies' ability to carry out their actions... in other words, the ability to force their way through the outside world will be gone, with one exception.

And due to the dissolution of the organization guided by the Japanese side, the troops prepared in Atsugi lost sight of the reason and the opportunity to move. If an armed rebellion is a political plot by an intelligence agency, it will be even more difficult to move lightly in uncertain circumstances. The prepared combat power became useless.

Above all, this order is also a signal to confront the home country that "Japanese Headquarters and the Japanese government have become aware of the plot". The situation has already moved to a phase where both parties are playing bargaining both implicitly and explicitly. Whether the result is a restoration of relations or an escalation of conflict, the turn of active force will not come for the moment.

The political apocalypse is coincidentally decisive.

Nanakamado's future was completely closed.

However, they are left with one more option that will not lead them into the future.

An act that is nothing more than a sterile and perverse struggle.

The option was to use the existing force to explode.

If they thought about it with calculations and reasoning, it was almost impossible to take such an action. There was no longer any prospect of reversing the situation, no matter how they used the forces they had, they could not expect the support of the CIA, and the credibility of the Headquarters had eroded.

Yet even so, for humans... especially for an organization that is entrenched in only one direction, impossible behavior often becomes a last hope. If violence is the only card left, the illusion is stronger.

In case Nanakamado did turn out to be like this, Headquarters prepared a second copy, a document from the Second General Staff Department (intelligence agency representative).

According to the document...

"Notice: 1. Request the Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau to supervise the dismantling and removal work of the Research Institute for Infectious Disease Control (in Nanakamado City). 2. The commands and orders for dealing with people with capacity to induce and maintain anomalous phenomena will be in charge of the director of the same office, and not of the National Public Safety Commission. 3. All responsibility for actions in accordance with the notification falls on this headquarters."

It was an official dispatch request to confront the psychics organization directly from the Occupation Forces Headquarters.

In other words...

"Fourth Legal Affairs Bureau" will be in charge of responding to the outbursts of people with capabilities.

They would not care about the higher ranking organization and would act according to the judgment of the Chief, Somei Nazumi.

Whatever happens, the Occupation Forces Headquarters will take responsibility.

That's what it meant.

This precedent will determine the position of the organization, such as the nature of the duties carried out by the Legislative Office of Legal Affairs, its superiority over other police organizations, and the maintenance of an independent chain of command.

Anyway, everything was ready.

Calling out will be tomorrow.

There was no time for political maneuvering.

Even setting up a counterattack would be dangerous.

The Metropolitan Police Reserve Corps (predecessor of the Metropolitan Riot Police) and the Occupation Army will be in charge of dismantling and removing the facility, and if a person with capabilities moves, the "Fourth Legal Affairs Office" will delete it. Atsugi's forces are politically neutralized and there is no threat of intervention.

"Everything, no omissions."

The president said by phone during the preliminary consultation.

Kokujoji thought so too, and actually responded in agreement.

But...

(Is that really so?)

Somewhere, he had the feeling that something was issuing a strong warning. Assuming it was the "Golden King's" intuition, he didn't know where or what made him feel that way.

If he dared to raise a concern, it would be the matter of "Colorless King", but if it weren't for the huge power clash between the "Kings", it should be nothing more than a threat from a street passerby.

Even if Nanakamado mobilizes all the remaining ability users and challenges in a battle, he doesn't think they'll be able to develop a fierce battle that would make "Blue King" Somei Nazumi manifest "Schwert" above his head.

(Someday, the power of the other "Kings" will have to unite to deal with the "Colorless", and they will have to take it seriously... but, in the morrow, there should be no curtain for that to happen.)

Faced with a fate that has yet to be understood, Kokujoji had no choice but to confirm the current situation.

The president will take measures to control the situation, the marshal will make the difficult decisions, and the "Blue King" will take over the actual work... these measures are being carried out without delay and without fail.

The situation was supposed to proceed as planned.

There is nothing to worry about, it is fair and safe.

Both the era and history march orderly on the basis of reason and rationality.

Until the arrival of the "King" of change, who destroys and disturbs all those inevitabilities.

The last day of December 1948.

A long day for everyone, the first difficult step of regeneration is approaching.

#k #k project #k side gold #kokujoji daikaku #unno yutaka #somei nazumi #todokoro suwako #Tsunogui Iku

[stxrtouched]

Not Alone // Aaravos

A/n: Hello! This is my first time officially writing a fic for TDP, and I couldn’t be more excited! I did take a few liberties that I hope the requester doesn’t mind too much, though it does stay true to what they sent me. I do intend to possibly make a part two to this if people like it. I am also always open to constructive criticism! I want to improve to create the best fics I can for you all. Anyways, without further ado, I give you: Aaravos not knowing wtf to do for the first time in his life and desperately struggling to maintain his mysterious and manipulative image.

WARNINGS: none, really? Uhh Aaravos convincing himself that everything he’s doing is to get out of there and definitely not his own curiosity being sparked, mc slowly beginning on her journey of progressively becoming a bigger flirt, Aaravos in general.

“I wish I could say I was sorry, Y/N, our hopes for you were truly high.” Those were the last words she heard, a brightly colored rune being the last thing she saw as the earth beneath her crumbled and gave. The only thing she could think to do was gaze up at the night sky, to take in the sight of the glittering stars as she fell to what she believed was her death.

A groan left her lips as even the light hitting her closed eyelids was too much to bear. She could register nothing but the spinning of her head at first, as well as the cold ground beneath her scratching against her star littered skin.

A moment passed before, finally, her eyelids fluttered open. The view she was met with was… unexpected, to say the least. As memories came flooding back, so did the confusion. Before her stood a wall of books, separated in the center by a crackling fireplace that cast its lovely glow onto Y/Ns skin, causing the stars on her face to shine even brighter than usual. Slowly, she sat herself upright, head turning to be met with a desk made up of some sort of unknown material.

The first thing she thought to do was chuckle. And here she had begun to think that the great archdragons planned to punish her. This was nothing short of a vacation home. As her gaze travelled further left, she froze. Any sort of feeling or thought vanished within a second. Never in a million years had she expected expected to see this.

Surrounded by an archway of light, creating a halo effect of sorts, was another elf. An elf that, shockingly, appeared to be another startouch being, like her. Y/Ns eyes widened as she took in the other’s features. Long, white hair framed a face of light indigo, one that was littered with glittering stars and a shocked expression that mirrored their own. Most of the strangers body was cloaked in black fabric, including their horns. But from what Y/N could see, he was beautiful. She found her stare shifting from one of shock to one of awe as the other finally approached her, head tilting down to send a piercing gaze towards her.

“Who are you?” He asked, or rather, demanded, despite his rumbling tone being laced with surprise. That voice… that deep, yet lovely voice. Y/N felt their heart pound in their chest, loud enough that she was sure the stranger could also hear it, especially as he crouched down to be at her eye level. Both of them wanted to reach out, to touch the other so as to prove that what they were seeing was real, though the various uncertainties held them back. The stranger seemed to recover faster than she did though, as he spoke up once more.

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me,,, who are you?” He sounded almost annoyed now, as if his anticipation was getting the better of him. Y/N watched as his eyes narrowed and his perfect lips formed a tight frown. Doing her best to snap herself out of it, Y/N finally spoke.

“Y/N.” Her words came out breathless, as if speaking was painful. All the while her E/C eyes began to water from not blinking for at least a minute straight. The elf in front of her made a face of almost confusion, as if the response had startled him. For years he had been known to have a silver tongue, but in each situation he had always had the upper hand in things. The collective calmness needed to speak words that had others falling before him to be strung up like puppets was suddenly forgotten. Now he was truly at a loss for words. It was something that, he was desperate not to show.

“Ah- and um, you are?” Y/N added, giving him an expectant look. Her lips quirked upwards in a smile, an attempt at calming the almost visible tension in the room.

“That is of no importance.” He replied cooly, standing back up yet offering Y/N a hand. As usual, his first thought was to appear kind yet mysterious, so that if this intruder showed use to him he could capitalize off of it. Despite this normal way of thinking for him, something deep down, that lonely part of him begged to not potentially scare this newcomer away. It was an ache, a newly found voice nagging at him from the back of his mind.

It was Y/N’s turn to frown, though she accepted his outstretched hand and carefully stood up. She was about to insist she know the others name when suddenly, another question was thrown her way.

“Tell me, how did you get here?” They watched as the stranger’s head tilted slightly, pale locks of hair peeking out from under the cloak he wore. Y/N paused, a million thoughts running through her mind at once.

“I… am still processing that myself.” Y/N explained truthfully, hesitating before letting her hand drop back to her side. The elf in front of her seemed unsatisfied with that answer, one eyebrow quirking upward slightly as if he didn’t quite believe her words.

“You know,” Y/N began, gears turning in her head, “I could probably give you a better answer if you told me your name~” that small smile from earlier returned to her face as she spoke. Still unamused, the stranger paused for a moment. Would she recognize his name? Surely she would, no? Yet, who was he to refuse her, it would only grow more suspicion around him.

“Aaravos.” He replied simply, posture somehow becoming even more perfect with the mention of his name. Internally, he was pleading that she wouldn’t shut him out, something that was never truly part of his personality. Then again, this was quite possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Aaravos…” she echoed, as if testing the name on her own tongue. “That’s… really a gorgeous name.” She explained as she met his gaze, one that shook with surprise once again. It was a flicker, something she almost missed. Her smile almost turned into a smirk as he once again seemed to be at a loss for words.

“I.. appreciate your kind words.” Aaravos said, attempting to keep his tone unchanged. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind telling me how you got he-“

“Can you take off your hood?” The girl asked, hand almost coming up as if she was about to do so herself. Aaravos blinked, unsure of what to say once more. It was a humiliating feeling, one that he certainly wasn’t used to.

“Why?” Was all he could muster, curiousity accenting his deep voice.

“Am I not allowed to see what another elf of my kind truly looks like?” She challenged. My, where did her sudden spark come from? Attempting to flow through the conversation, Aaravos seemed to regain his composure. If his suspicions were correct, she was sent here just like he was, meaning they had a long journey of getting to know one another head of them. Surely she was bound to see him in his entirety at some point. So, with that in mind, he sighed and brought his galaxy ridden hands up and carefully tugged at his hood.

To say he was breathtaking was an understatement. Everything, from his deep purple horns to the star symbol planted on his chest- he was incredible. Without thinking, Y/N reached out to gently cup the side of his face with one hand. Aaravos almost stumbled back out of pure shock, though instead he simply burned holes into her eyes with his own, lips parted slightly as if he was about to protest. Yet, no words passed through his lips as the woman before him slowly took in each little detail of his face.

“You are just breathtaking…” she whispered, face alight with a mixture of joy and awe. An expression that faltered as he reluctantly stepped back. Aaravos knew that, despite the loneliness in his heart aching for the attention she was giving him, forming attachments wasn’t something he should have. Not if he wanted to succeed in his goal. Aside from that, he was also far too clueless in the doings of actual romantic interests and such.

“Once again, I… appreciate your kindness, though I would really love to know just how you arrived here.” He pressed on, desperately grasping at what was important right now. Y/N hesitated, as if she truly didn’t want to answer that. A wave of reality seemed to slap her in the face. Surely, he was no angel either, for if he was why would he be here? But the unknown was still terrifying. The unknown of whether or not her crimes were worse than his.

“I don’t want to talk about it…” her voice trailed off, gaze momentarily drifting from his. “You know what I would want to talk about, however?” She asked, earning nothing but a raised brow from Aaravos. “You~” she added, her cheesy demeanor once again met with utter confusion. If it was directed at anyone else, the elf surely would have rolled his eyes. But this specific sort of attention being on him… it was still quite shocking to him.

“So, I don’t suppose you know a way out, then.” he thought aloud.

“Oh, well, if I’m stuck in here, at least it’s with you!” The woman explained, the stars on her cheeks burning brighter and the color there darkening in a form of a blush.

“I.. suppose so.” Arravos replied against his better judgement. “Would you like me to show you around?” He offered, once again giving her his hand to take. Y/N’s face seemed to light up at that, eagerly grabbing a hold of his hand and allowing him to guide her towards the doorway of what seemed to be pure light.

Perhaps, Arravos thought, he could humor himself in getting to know her, in order to get out of here. Yes, certainly it was just that.

#aaravos x reader #tdp x reader #stxrtouched #the dragon prince x reader

[selfshippinglover]

Here's a pic of my Sona for reference and I'll try to draw up a Marty(my Morty OC) one soon: (commission by: (sorrel paws)

i am scared but i am desperate! Time to punch my anxiety into outer space! Fuck it I wanna rp! Rick and Mortty time! Any characters! I don't have a Rick OC but I have a Morty one I'd love to develop :D Love to use my insert! Every Rick ever my beloved! Oc's and other self inserts very welcome! Let's explore the multiverse together :)

i'd prefer to use pm/dms since it's all in one spot and easier to keep track of. Can rp on here or Discord.

Know that I'm working part time so answer times will vary but I have the next two days off so I'm very avaliable rn!

Feel free to just dm/pm if you're interested!

Morty Oc details below:

~Marty

~ Pronouns: He/ They Xe/Xem

Sexuality: Pansexual demiboy with more of an attraction to men

~Age: 20(present)

Family: Rick(dead) Summer(dead) Beth, Space Beth, Jerry, Uncle BirdPerson

Dimension: RK-977

Backstory: A normal Morty all things considered. Has a space grandpa that drives him nuts, goes on adventures, and ends up in a big stand off with the Intergalactic Feds. Things go wrong and people get hurt leaving him and the survivors of his family running throughout multiverse as wanted fugitives.

Family relationships:

Rick: There were ups and downs, bad nights because of alcohol and drugs, and some fucked up things here and there but Rick always put Marty first and has "died" numerous times for his sake. They didn't always see eye to eye on things but his love for Marty was never in doubt. Believes there's no one that can replace his Grandpa Rick.

Summer: A bitch of a sister but one hell of a partner. Marty and Summer were often tasked with taking care of one another on adventures as well as tag teaming. They fought on and off and generally kept a distance at school, Summer did her best to raise Marty despite the circumstances.

Jerry: He and Marty are talking and seeing one another occasionally. He got a divorce with Beth and has been living on his own sense. Stays in that shitty apartment taking odd jobs here and there while trying to make time for his kids. He still has some feelings for Beth but doesn't do anything about it since Beth seems to have moved on. He hopes that he can be a better father to his kids, and maybe even a friend to Beth.

Beth: Divorced Jerry awhile back and went to work taking care of the kids herself, Beth has been doing the best she can do. Jerry can't usually pay the child support so she's stuck working full time at the horse hospital. Tired, hurt, starting to get a drinking habit, and in fear of losing her kids love, she spends as much time with them as she can and leaves Rick to care for them when she can't. She's still processing the divorce and trying to figure out what she wants amidst the war.

Space Beth: A Beth that has been with the Resistance for years before meeting Marty, she ends up on the Smith families doorstep while laying low. despite being there for a short time, she quickly takes a liking to Beth and her family. She is the reason that they end up being pulled into the Feds line of sight in the first place. She's spent most of her life fighting and she continues you to with the addition of the Smiths.

Uncle BirdPerson/BP: Another Resistance member and one of the first to join in the efforts, Marty met BP through Space Beth. They started out on uneasy terms since they just crashed on some strangers couch for awhile to hide from the FEDs. Come to find out, he knew Marty's grandfather and was friends with him when they were younger. Deciding he's trustworthy, he adopts BP as an Uncle figure and frequents his house. BP ends up telling Marty everything he went through with his grandfather and grows close to him.

#IMMA KICK MY OWN ASS INTO GEAR #CAUSE I NEED TO FEED THE OBESSESION #BITES MY OWN ARM #rick and morty #rick and morty rp #oc x canon #morty x canon #morty x oc #oc x oc #looking for rp partner #looking for rick and morty rp partner #any rick and morty character #Marty #Marty oc

[ae-azile]

3. 8. and 22.

(for ask game)

3. Screenshot or description of the worst take you have seen on Tumblr: 

There have been many bad takes on Tumblr (and on social media in general). But I suppose when it comes to this show, it's any time I see someone express their views on a character in a manner that obviously puts other fans’ analyses down. Like, it isn’t the fact they view a character differently. It's the fact that they feel the need to belittle a different interpretation to make their point. If you need that, is it a great take? 

I won't get into specifics, because the few I have seen this from do actually have interesting takes. It's just the way they feel the need to write them passive aggressively. This seems to mainly happen with Kim meta, but I occasionally see it with Vegas meta too. 

8. Common fandom opinion everyone is wrong about: 

Bahaha, I wrote myself into a corner with the response to question 3! 😂 I guess I am going to go with Korn and Gun. Both are viewed with a lot of hate, and rightfully so. But I also think they are products of their environment and have a lot of layers to them. And overall - at least from what we have witnessed solely in the show - I feel like Gun is more redeemable than Korn, despite Korn being a better father. Can't forgive him for what he did to Namphueng, Pat, Porsche, and Chay. He literally destroyed a family. I think Gun being under the impression they were all dead, losing the mother of his children, and likely being abused himself was what made him abusive. While I have no doubts Korn also carries a lot of trauma that plays into who he became, I also feel like his worst actions can't be viewed with any compassion like Gun's potentially could. Don't get me wrong, perpetuating the abuse cycle is NOT okay or excusable. But unfortunately, it can potentially be a reality that abuse victims who don't have help, resources, or healthy outlets end up re-enacting. There is an explanation for his worst crimes. There is no explanation for Korn's, nor will he ever offer a truthful one.

22. My favorite part of canon everyone else ignores: 

I don't know if everyone ignores it, but I love that Arm is working multiple guard positions? Boy does surveillance, builds and distributes weapons, designs high tech spy gear, and goes on missions with Kinn (which is sort of dumb in hindsight because he is one of the main people holding that compound together). On top of that, he was the first one to tend to Big when he was shot, implying he has some medic or strong first aid knowledge, led the clean up crew after Tawan set off the bomb, and then built bombs of his own for the attack on the compound later on. 

He does all of this, and still manages to be a guard to Tankhun, who is likely the safest yet most emotionally demanding family member. And he seems committed to that position. I am sure Arm could easily be removed from Tankhun's team. He has plenty of other work demands, and he better be the highest paid guard other than Chan. Yet he chooses to stay with Khun along with all of those duties. Hm. Love that for him though. 

#ask game #asks #kinnporsche asks

[zodiactalks]

Most CHARITABLE Zodiac Signs Ranked

If you were asked whether you would like the world to be a better place, I am sure your answer would be yes.

None of us wish any harm to others and would gladly do our part to contribute to society (except, of course, the psychopathic or antisocial).

A charitable person is socially conscious, generous, kind, very sensitive, and eager to make a difference in the world.

They are less concerned about their not-so-important personal matters and always keep others in mind when making decisions.

However, some of us seem too wrapped up in our personal affairs and then don't have the slightest time left to do a little charity!

While others seem to devote all their energy and efforts to helping those in need.

Read on and find out which are the most charitable signs of the zodiac.

#1. Pisces

Pisces is the Zodiac’s last sign and can see themselves reflected in everyone else, so empathy is as natural to them as breathing. These signs thrive on helping others. They never look out for their own welfare without taking other people into account.

You can find these generous individuals doing charity work in hospitals, shelters, orphanages, and even prisons.

They also often lead fundraisers for abandoned animals and promote environmentalist habits. They just have a lot of love to give to the world, and they will go to great lengths to share it with those who need it the most.

#2. Cancer

Cancer is a water sign that knows very well how it feels to be vulnerable and search for comfort. That's why they tend to do charity work and help people in need of support.

At first, it is difficult for them to open up, as Cancer is shy around people they don't know and tends to be more reserved.

They usually look for organizations that remind them of their childhood and that are in their hometown.

#3. Aquarius

Aquarius, like Pisces, thinks of the common good before their own. These signs direct their actions towards a fairer humanity and won't rest until the most unfortunate people find peace.

Thus, it is common to find them doing charitable work, living in cooperatives, and working as a team for a common goal. This sign is not selfish and couldn't cares less about surpassing others in fame or profit. They honestly seek a more balanced and just world for all.

#4. Virgo

This earth sign is constantly looking for ways to help others and make things work better.

Although they are usually swamped, they find the time to help those in need in their neighborhood. Virgos make their food, clean where they stay and pass along a few bucks to ensure their well-being.

Virgo is not overtly demonstrative with their emotions, but they are very attentive to those who need help and don't think twice about lending a hand.

#5. Capricorn

Capricorns have often gone through tough challenges in their youth that have turned them into the firm and committed people they are today.

That's why they know all too well what it feels like to be helpless and endure the storms that a lonely and vulnerable home life brings.

So, they try to do charity work from time to time to avoid forgetting where they came from. This keeps them humble despite their current enormous success.

#6. Leo

Although they have a terrible reputation for being self-centered, Leo has a huge and generous heart! These signs can sometimes get lost in their little daily dramas, but that doesn't stop them from considering the less privileged.

The nice thing about Leo is that they don't plan their deeds. When they feel like giving something, they do it spontaneously, which often turns out to be very thoughtful gifts.

Leo has the spirit of a child who does what they feel and does not think too much about the motives. If at that moment, they feel like helping someone, they will unquestionably do it.

#7. Libra

Libra is a friendly and outgoing sign. It often hosts charity and fundraising events, which end up being the talk of the neighborhood.

They don't usually help those in need because they naturally want to, but because it's just another excuse to throw a party and show off their beautiful new outfits.

Even if the motives are not the best, the goal ends up being achieved and helps many people to improve their lives. In addition, Librans have a great sense of justice, and when they find that some people are living in unfavorable conditions for no particular reason, they can't help but pitch in to lend a hand.

#8. Sagittarius

Sagittarius is too busy enjoying thousands of adventures and basking in the blessings of life to think about people who are struggling.

Since these signs are so optimistic, they forget some people are going through tough times and need help to get by.

Of course, when they realize it, they give everything they have to support them, as these individuals are not stingy. They just need a little reminder from time to time to remember that some people are in a bad place.

#9. Scorpio

Scorpios do not like to be too exposed, especially with people they do not know. They prefer to remain in the dark, observing how society functions but avoiding too much involvement.

Besides, most of the time, they're caught up in their own struggles and don't have a very positive view of the world. So, there is not much point in trying to help.

When they decide to do charity work, they do it anonymously and do their best not to be seen.

#10. Taurus

Taurus invests too much in its luxuries and a comfortable lifestyle. They think that hard work is responsible for a good standard of living, and if we give away everything to people in need, they will never try to get back on their feet.

So, they spend their hard-earned money on their comfort and sharing with their loved ones. However, when a fellow friend needs assistance, they won't hesitate to lend a helping hand.

#11. Gemini

Gemini is somewhat oblivious to suffering in the world. They spend their time learning new skills, running all sorts of errands, and meeting new people.

These signs love to have fun, and when they have to face the harsh reality of some people, they don't know how to deal with it. So, they prefer to skip it and occupy their minds with other things to avoid getting depressed.

#12. Aries

Aries has an individualistic and assertive personality. These signs are constantly pursuing new goals, and the faster they can achieve them and move on to the next one, the better.

So, they don't have much time to do charity work, unless it is some kind of competition, they are participating in. If you challenge Aries to spend the most time doing charity work, they will do it just to show off their victory.

#Zodiac #Zodiac Signs #ZodiacFacts #astrology #astrology signs #Aquarius #Aries #Cancer #Capricorn #leo #libra #Sagittarius #Pisces #taurus #scorpio #Gemini #virgo

[infriga]

What's interesting about House of Usher is that Flannigan usually has likeable protagonists, at least in my experience. Granted I haven't seen all of his works, but I've seen several (Bly Manor, Hill House, Midnight Mass, and I've heard summaries of others) and most of them are generally pretty sympathetic from my understanding, even the ones with more blood on their hands, so to speak.

In House of Usher however, almost none of the main characters are good or likeable people to much, if any, degree. Their spouses/partners are decent people, for the most part (dunno how the siblings landed such nice SOs despite being so nasty), and the granddaughter seems alright (I'm only on episode 5 btw so idk if anything happens regarding her or the other non-siblings, no spoilers pls), and Auguste seems like a decent person (maybe not the best family man, but he at has his heart in the right place especially compared to the Ushers), but all the siblings, and Roderick and Madeline themselves, are pretty horrible people.

But like, they're not one dimensional bad people, they're complex, they feel emotions, they care about people in their lives even if they don't tend to treat those people well, they have fears and insecurities and passions and hangups just like regular people do. So while usually I dislike when the protagonists of a show like this are unlikable, in this show it's actually quite fascinating because like I can't say I hate them either, they feel like they could be good people if they really wanted to be. Especially if they had better influences and were taught better lessons by their father and aunt. They feel human, not evil, but I'm also not rooting for them either. I don't know who to root for tbh, except maybe people like Julius, Tammy's husband, and the granddaughter, who are all side characters lol. Idk who the weird supernatural lady is (death? The devil? God? A witch? No idea) so I don't know her motivations or what kinda person she is, she seems to be collecting on some sort of debt but that's the best I've got on her. I do think it's interesting how she tried to spare Morrie from the acid by telling her to go like she did with the wait staff, but she didn't do anything to help Ali later when she was killed, so was it strategic or does this lady have some sort of code of morals? Does she care about whether people are innocent or not? Why spare the wait staff from death by acid shower but not the other party goers? Is sparing Morrie more about the potential role she'll play in Freddy's death? I guess I'll find out.

But I do think it's interesting that we start off the show knowing who's going to die already, since usually stakes in this genre come from wanting characters to survive (hence why I usually prefer likable protags in horror/suspense media), but it makes sense that since none of these people are very likable, the suspense needs to mostly come from something else on that front, such as wondering how they're going to die or which innocent people they might take with them in the process, as well as wanting to know what caused all this.

Roderick, ironically, is probably the most sympathetic member of the family aside from his granddaughter, which doesn't mean much but I mean, I wouldn't begrudge anyone going through what he witnessed in episode 5. Like gaddamn that's fucked up. He seems like someone who deep down has the potential and even the buried desire or instinct to be a good person, but was too much of a coward to put in the work it would take to be good and stay good in a harsh world when he wants so badly to be someone big and successful and important just like, well, his father. But ultimately he does obviously love his children so I do sympathize with him in that regard.

But the show is making the unlikable protagonists thing work for it, somehow. I don't like most of these people, but I am fascinated by them and what's going down and how they got here. It's like watching a car crash in slow motion.

#the fall of the house of usher #tfothou #tv show thoughts #Random #I do find their attorney Arthur Pym to be a really interesting character #How does one get so close to a family like this #And how much does he get paid? Because that man is practically carrying their fucking empire on his back #So I imagine he gets paid a fuck of a lot #Dude is good at his job #Long post #To be clear I know it's entirely possible the show will somehow have me liking and caring about these people by the end #But as of episode 5 they're certainly interesting but not what I'd call likable lol