#anyway the show itself was incredible no notes

[pociondeodio]

exhausted overstimulated got a headache pissed off at my mother got my phone stolen for the second time in three months

#wish seeing my long time favorite artist hadn't ended like this tbh #i am not excited to go tomorrow which sucks. i've been looking forward to these two days for months #clara for ts #idk i just need to vent and i'm almost certain nobody is going to see this bc it's 1:30 am. which is very comforting #anyway the show itself was incredible no notes #cried my eyes out during the folklore set bc i haven't listened to it since [redacted] stopped talking to me

[kerra-and-company]

You reblogged "tell me about your toons" post so here I am, about to spill the beans :3c

Airell doesn't refer to himself as a sylvari nor mordrem. He always corrects people who call him that. "Not a sylvari", "not a mordrem", etc. In my writing I avoid using these terms either until Airell's identity as a dragon scion/dragon is fully established to the characters around him and the reader.

I sure did!! :D And hell yes, please always feel free to spill beans if you want to!

Ooh, interesting interesting!! That's very fair, and I love how you handle it in writing too. I imagine he has to make that correction pretty often as well, which has gotta be a little unpleasant for him. Hope he hasn't run into too many people who are insistent even after he corrects them.

#kai speaks #i. am somehow vague on whether or not it's cool to ramble about character interactions with your guy in the post itself #so i shall put it in the tags for now #airell #other ocs #i imagine it Is cool since part of the point of that post was character exchange but ANYWAY #kerra i feel like would like airell #and would definitely respect him by not asking outright about what's up until he shared but would have Theories in her brain #nisha's level of comfort with him is going to be kinda dependent on his powerset #(which i actually don't know the specifics of! so feel free to share if you want to! either on here or discord) #because on one level xe absolutely relates to him but on the other hand i think he might make xem uneasy #(like i know his domains but not specifically what he can do but even based on that i think xe's kinda cautious) #side note kerra would happily let him show her recipes if he'd be down #she's not good at cooking particularly but she's not Bad and i think would have fun learning #rel has Emotions about his kinda-sorta name buddy #(and some of those emotions are Incredibly Flustered askjld;f) #but to a more serious thing--i think he'd be a little cautious like nisha but also a bit more open than his sibling #they're on the same page about quite a few things #ANYWAYS i have more thoughts but these tags are very long so i'ma stop here asldjk;f #thanks a bunch for sharing! :D

[esleep]

i actually do kinda like delivering groceries on the side because it gives me such a unique cross-section of the community. i never know whose groceries im shopping for until i finish the delivery and see them/their home and it's like it adds more detail to the picture of who they are. the baby supplies going to the apartment that i know for a fact is one bedroom (they'll be moving soon - i bet they're apartment hunting, i hope they find a place). the new cat litter box, bowl, and kitten food going to the house covered in "i <3 my dog" paraphernalia (a kitten definitely showed up on the porch recently and made itself at home). the fairly healthy boring grocery order that includes an incongruous tub of candy-filled ice cream going to the home of an elderly woman with toddler toys in the yard (it's clearly for her grandkids, whom she sees often).

shopping for someone else's groceries is a fairly intimate thing. i've bought condoms and pregnancy tests, allergy medicine and nyquil, baby benadryl and teething gel, a huge pile of veggies paired with an equally huge pile of junk food, tampons and shampoo and closet organizers and ant traps and deodorizing shoe inserts and a million other little things that tell a million different stories in their endless combinations. one time someone had me buy one single green bean. i messaged them to confirm that's actually what they wanted, and they said yes - neither of them liked green beans very much, but they had a baby they were introducing to solid foods, and they wanted to let him try one to see if he liked them. another time i had someone request 50 fresh roma tomatoes - not for a restaurant, but for a person in an apartment. the kitchen behind them smelled like basil and garlic when they opened the door. another time i brought groceries to three elderly blind women who share a house. that was one of the few times i have ever broken my rule and gone inside a place i've delivered to, because they asked if i could place the grocery bags in a specific location in the kitchen for them to work on unloading and there was no way i was going to refuse helping.

i gripe about the poor tippers, but people can also be incredibly kind. one time i took shelter from a sudden vicious hailstorm inside an older lady's home in a trailer park, while i was in the middle of delivering her groceries. we both huddled just inside the door, watching in shock as golf-ball-sized hail swept through for about five minutes and then disappeared. she handed me an extra $10 bill on my way out the door.

when covid was at its deadliest, people would leave extra (often lysol-scented) cash tips and thank-you notes for me taped to the door or partially under the mat. i especially loved the clearly kid-drawn thank you notes with marker renderings of blobby people in masks, or trees, or rainbows. in summer of 2020 i delivered to a nice older couple who lived outside of town in the hills, and they insisted i take a huge double handful of extra disposable gloves and masks to wear while shopping - those were hard to find in stores at the time, but they wanted me to have some of their supply and wouldn't take no for an answer.

anyway. all this to say people are mostly good, or at least trying to be, despite my complaints.

#long post

[togenabi]

all my ghosts

megumi fushiguro x reader

♡—haunted by ghosts all your life, you find peace and quiet in megumi’s arms

word count♡— 1.5k

genre♡— fluff

content notes♡— reader sees ghosts, meet-cute, first date, ghosts are nosy and annoying, but megumi makes it ok, inspired by 'all my ghosts' by lizzy mcalpine

also on♡— ao3

author's note♡— this has been in my drafts for a while, and I decided to polish it up in time for halloween! not that this is anything spoopy, just standard fluff brought to you by yours truly. please enjoy!

‘That kid's looking at you!’

‘No he isn’t!’

‘Yes he is! Look, look!’

Closing your eyes in frustration, you exhale through your nose. Could these damn ghosts ever give you a break?

All you wanted was a midnight snack. That's what brought you to this convenience store (at this ungodly hour) in the first place.

You ignore the wispy forms of the ghosts that follow you around everywhere, picking up your favorite snacks and sweets. One in particular was blocking your way, so you swat at the air where they hovered.

‘Oh!’ The ghost exclaims in offense. ‘Why, I'd never!’

Now you've done it. All the spirits floating around suddenly get unbearably loud, complaining about how rude you are. Apparently, you're dreadful company. But that's hardly fair when you never asked for them to hang around.

You've always been able to see ghosts. It's been something you could do for as long as you could remember.

Your mother, having had the same ability, taught you how to ignore them and act like you can't notice them at all. It usually works, but everyone has their limits. Yours was when some ghosts insisted on changing the show on your TV every time they didn't like what you were watching.

You had burst out, yelling and complaining and making the fatal mistake of letting them know you were aware of their existence. How much you regret that day cannot be put to words.

Ever since then, you've always had two or three ghosts hovering around. Asking you to play a song they miss. Or google something. Or call their grandkids for them.

They eventually leave once they realize they won't be able to get anything out of you, but a ghost who left will let others know about a girl who can see them, and the cycle just keeps on repeating itself.

‘Look! It's true, that boy is looking at you!’ A persistent ghost blocks your view of the beverage shelves, wildly pointing and gesturing to your left. You tsk, but turn to look anyway.

He has dark hair and dark eyes, wearing a hoodie that looks incredibly comfortable. He's quite handsome, and the ghosts were right. He's looking at you.

When he realizes you're looking back at him, he averts his gaze. He covers his mouth with one hand and turns away, but you see the tips of his ears burn red.

Your heart feels like it skipped a beat. Flustered, you pretend to be curious about the drinks on display.

But it's too late. You can't focus.

The ghosts around you are eating it up, cheering and encouraging you to talk to him. Some even hover over to the boy to persuade him to approach you. This could not get any more embarrassing.

You risk another look at him. He's not looking at you anymore, but his expression surprises you yet again.

He's looking at where a ghost is floating beside him. Your heart stutters again when he squints at what should be nothing for him.

But it's not nothing. Can he see them too?

You've never met anyone else who could. Not outside your family, anyway. Maybe you should talk to him.

You take a step closer, and the ghosts disappear.

Alarmed, you turn this way and that, trying to make sense if they're pulling some orchestrated prank on you.

But they're all gone. Or at least, you can't hear them anymore. Especially not when the cute stranger is looking at you again.

“...Hi.” You greet him, still at a loss for words.

The boy nods, clearing his throat before he speaks, “Hey.”

You notice that the ghost he was staring at is gone too. Just what is going on here? 

“Sorry if that was weird of me.” You try to laugh off your nerves. “I thought I heard something.”

He blinks. “Yeah, I think I know what you mean. Must've been the wind.”

Ah, maybe he didn't see your ghosts after all. You're not sure if you're relieved or disappointed. “Yeah. Wind.”

With a hand rubbing the back of his neck, he introduces himself, “I’m Megumi.”

He repeats your name softly after you give it, and you hope he can't see how flustered you got. As you look down at your basket full of snacks, Megumi holds out a hand and offers to carry it for you.

Shyly, you walk together to the cashier. You let yourself smile and take in the peaceful silence, now that the ghosts aren't around. Something sweet is in the air, something sweeter than the smell of candy and soda.

You linger by the entrance once you've both paid. Megumi opens his mouth to speak, but stops when someone suddenly barges in.

The pink-haired boy urges him to hurry up. “Hey! Let's go! Everyone’s already there for movie night.”

Megumi is pulled along, though he stutters as he looks back at you. “W-Well...” He gives a small wave. “I hope I'll see you around.”

And the moment he steps out of the store, it's chaos again.

The ghosts reappear once more, chatting your ear off about how you didn't get his number. And for once in your life, you agree with them.

It should be impossible, but Megumi somehow cancels out your ability. You think you’re falling. You could kiss him. Maybe you should have gotten on one knee and proposed right there and then.

Before you can properly think about it, you’re running after them and pulling at Megumi’s sleeve. The spirits fade once you’re close to him again.

The last thing you heard from the ghosts was them cheering you on. It makes you smile as you ask, “Could I have your number?”

“For the last time,” You warn the wispy figures floating about your bedroom, “If you spied on Megumi prior to our date, I do not want to hear about it.”

‘But sweetheart,’ An elderly lady ghost pats your shoulder, unfazed that her fingers only pass through you. ‘You should have seen him, he was so nervous! He—’

“No, nope!” One hand holding your outfit, you use the other to point at the door. It’s more of a symbolic gesture, since they don't really need to use it to get out. “Please let me change alone. Thank you.”

The ghost of a young man hovers around you, scrutinizing your outfit choice. ‘If you really want to leave an impression, you should w—’

Thankfully, you're not the only one who finds him insufferable. The other spirits groan and drag him outside—sending you heart signs and thumbs ups as they leave.

Unfortunately, the restaurant Megumi wanted to take you to was closed. He was crestfallen, but you assured him that you were fine anywhere, as long as you were with him. You only realized how cheesy that sounded when he blushed and turned away.

You ended up buying food at the convenience store where you met, and walking a short distance to the park for an impromptu picnic.

Sprawled on the grass together, you take turns asking each other questions. You learn that his birthday is in December. He asks about your taste in music.

You could get used to this. To not hearing a dozen ghosts at your ear. Indeed, the sounds of the trees rustling, birds chirping, and Megumi laughing are a lot more preferable.

“My first impression of you?” Megumi hums, pouting in thought. “I don't know... It's a little embarrassing.”

“I won't judge you for it, I promise!” You insist, “Besides, I told you that I thought you were cute.”

He takes a deep breath, not meeting your eyes as he answers cautiously, “You know that broken light in the convenience store?”

You make a confused face and tilt your head. “...Yes?” Where is he going with this?

“I’ve always hated it. The uneven lighting makes my head hurt...” Megumi leans close to brush your hair away from your eyes. “But I swear, those poorly maintained fluorescent lights weren’t that awful when I first saw you… Because you were glowing, and you were so beautiful.”

Not expecting that kind of answer, you hide your face by leaning into his shoulder. Megumi lets out a breathy laugh, and you think you might hear his heartbeat. You immediately add it to the list of your favorite sounds. The trees. The birds. His laugh. His heartbeat.

When you get home later that evening, your ghosts rush to you, excited and giddy to hear about your date.

‘Did he not give you flowers?’ One ghost asks.

‘No one gives flowers on dates anymore.’

An older spirit gasps, ‘Oh dear. Back in my day—’

‘We don't want to hear about how your dates went a century ago.’ 

‘Yeah! We want to hear about our dearie and Megumi!’

‘How was it?! How was it?!’

Taking a deep breath, you practically melt into the couch.

“It was perfect.” You smile, and the ghosts swoon with you.

Funny how Megumi said the lights didn't seem so bad when you were there. You feel the same about all your ghosts; he makes it all so much better.

© togenabi 2023 | see here to be added to my taglist ♡

tags: @songsofadelaide @flowerjun @sweetexistentialism @mellozhi @ihaveanexistentialcrisis @msmisasoup @appalost @starszns @onebatch--twobatch @luccaaedd @hellyyy06 @isentsworld @justsomerandomwe31rdo @gunslxtz @lownna @akakaze

#megumi x reader #megumi fluff #jujutsu kaisen fluff #megumi fushiguro fluff #megumi fushiguro x you #megumi fushiguro x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujustsu kaisen au #megumi fushiguro #megumi fushiguro oneshot #jjk megumi #fushiguro megumi #togenabi-megumi-02 #togenabi-writes #fushiguro megumi x reader #fushiguro megumi x you

[mikavlcs]

Sweater Weather

Pairing: Wednesday Addams x fem!reader

Summary: Wednesday gives you her sweater to wear on a cold day in Jericho.

Word count: 0.8k

Notes: it’s midnight here, so guess who’s officially 18... anyways this is literally the second story i ever wrote, based off an incredibly generic prompt. i never posted it bc it’s so short but i wanted to post something today so... hope you guys enjoy!

Masterlist

Admittedly, the current predicament you were in was one entirely of your making.

Today was one of Nevermore’s yearly field trips. And because there was apparently no other civilization within fifty miles of your school, that meant you and your peers were spending the day in Jericho. 

It was basically just another Outreach Day except you weren’t being used for free labor.

As always, you checked the weather the night before. The reports showed that Jericho would be sunny with a slight breeze for most of the day, so you wore a long-sleeved shirt and a light zip-up hoodie. And that choice served you just fine as you walked down the main streets of the town.

But you swore that each section of Jericho had its own weather patterns because the moment you stepped into Pilgrim World, the sky completely clouded over and the air around you chilled. 

A fitting atmosphere for the bleak “theme park” you supposed, but not what you were expecting.

Given the circumstances, you were fine, but poor Enid was shivering within minutes of the gratuitous tour Principal Weems was making everyone take. 

You watched from your spot next to Wednesday as Ajax tried his best to warm her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, but her short sleeve shirt was doing her no favors and you felt bad.

Decisively, you ventured over to her, giving Wednesday a quiet “be right back” before you went. You unzipped your hoodie and slipped it around Enid’s shoulders. She accepted it with a bright grin and hug which you returned eagerly. 

You were happy to help your friend, and besides, you would be fine.

But the temperature kept steadily dropping as you and your classmates were guided around the park and before you knew it, you were in the same dilemma Enid was only ten minutes ago. You tried your best to appear unfazed by the chill in the air, knowing Wednesday would have no sympathy for your situation. The breeze that began making itself known was making that a challenge, however.

Briefly, you considered asking Enid for your jacket back, but you couldn’t bring yourself to do that to her. So you resolved to just keep moving and tough it out alone.

Well, not entirely alone.

Wednesday, ever observant, noticed your plight immediately. Actually, she had predicted it would happen the moment she saw you hand your jacket off to her roommate. Your kindness was easily one of your best traits in her eyes, but too often it got you into situations like this where you would deprive yourself of something for someone else’s benefit and suffer for it.

She watched your pathetic attempts to subtly warm yourself for a few minutes longer before finally taking pity on you. 

Wordlessly, she slipped the oversized black sweater she was wearing off and handed it over to you. You looked over, glancing between her and the sweater, your confusion palpable. Wednesday rolled her eyes.

“Take it.”

Confusion turned into disbelief when you realized what she said. You simply stared, incredulous at the thought of Wednesday Addams—tough, stoic Wednesday Addams—offering you her sweater to wear.

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I- Are you sure? What about you?” you stuttered, not wanting the smaller girl to be cold for your sake. Wednesday scoffed, sounding offended by the mere insinuation.

“Please, I slept in mortuary cabinets for fun when I was younger. I still do on occasion, actually. This is child’s play. Now, take the sweater. Your constant shuffling is incredibly distracting.”

She punctuated her last sentence by all but shoving the article of clothing into your arms. This time, you took it with a grateful grin and slipped it over your head. Immediately, the soft material warmed you, encompassing you in Wednesday’s scent in the process. You closed your eyes, basking in it, before looking back at Wednesday.

“Thanks, Weds,” you leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Wednesday cringed, feigning disgust at the affection even as her cheeks began to burn. She flicked her gaze up to yours, her signature glare a bit softer than usual.

“I took pity on you in this single instance. Do not expect it to happen again.”

“Of course, Wens,” you chuckled. Movement in your peripherals caught your attention and you turned to see the rest of your group heading off to the fudgery. You faced Wednesday again with a warm smile. 

“Come on, let’s get this stupid tour over with, and afterward we’ll head over to the Weathervane. I’ll buy you whatever you want as a thank you.”

You linked your pinky with hers, gently pulling her along to trail behind the other students. And if Wednesday brought her hand up to lightly trace the skin your lips touched the moment your back was turned, well that was no one’s business but hers.

#posting this and then immediately crashing lol #wednesday #wednesday addams #wednesday addams x reader #wednesday addams x female reader #wednesday addams x you #wednesday addams imagine #jenna ortega

[misguidedasgardian]

Dragon's Mistress FINALE

MASTERLIST

Summary: Everything is coming to an end 

Warnings: cursing, mentions of war, mentions of death, humiliation, use of the word bastard and traitor, incest, childbirth, sickness, deaths of multiple characters, might miss some warnings

+18, MINORS DNI

Wordcount:  3 k

Notes: THIS IS IT PEOPLE! I’m wrapping this up, thank you all for being in this wild ride, it has been the most controversial piece I’ve ever written! jaja I fear that whatever I write next is not going to wake the same amount of sentiments jeje anyways, enjoy!

I really hope I can make it all justice jeje

Aemond often looked over at Blackwater bay, in the direction of Dragonstone and wondered how you were, what you were doing, if you were content.

He wanted to believe you weren’t, but deep inside of him he knew you were happy and content without him.

He also wanted to feel the baby moving within you

You only let him touch you when you were sleepy in his arms, and the dragonling restless in your belly, moving so much he was able to actually see him

It was a boy, he was certain, it was his heir

And he couldn’t wait to see him, for him to be born, he was going to dispose of Floris, send her away, he was going to keep his child.

He couldn't wait to sit the throne with his baby on his arms, to show the entire realm, his power and legacy

And he wanted to see his beautiful wife, be there by her side when she gave birth

But affairs of the realm kept him, from fulfilling his desire

Even if he had been acting as Prince Regent for years, now that he was actually King, things were incredibly different, now he was bothered with small and big affairs alike, the Kingdoms was settling after years and years of war

After losing half the treasury

People was growing restless, smallfolk who still support her half-sister the usurper, denied the increase in taxes and were not taking well to his own reign, even though he had reigned with a a hard for forgiving hand

But the way to hell was made with good intentions

And he meant well

Days after you left turned to weeks, and then to a coupe of months, and one day, he knew it, the day felt different from the others, an strange calmness to it, the birds had stopped singing and the sea was calm like a cup of wine

He only smiled faintly, looking out his balcony, he then retrieved himself to return to his Kingly duties for the day

A day after he received the raven

His Queen gave birth…

To a healthy baby girl

He frown upon hearing the news, dismissing the maester to keep with his duties of the day 

He wanted to see you, be there by your side

And when he was finally ready, he received other news

There has been a big fire in Harrenhal, ending the life of Lords loyal to his reign, and the one of Alys Rivers herself

Alys was dead 

In a rage, he called his master of whispers, the same one who had caused the fire that ended the life of his own father and brother

He didn’t want to believe what Corlys had insinuated, that Floris and Larrys were on it together to get rid of you, but now this?

He knew perfectly well that a palace like Harrenhal, with nothing to burn itself, only burned for the whims of men and not of those of ghosts

And when Larys Strong refused him an answer, that he didn’t know

Aemond didn’t believe him

The second most powerful men after him was against him, so he needed to get rid of him, the power Larys held with whispers and spies, it was too much to have against him 

But everything that he wanted to do, it was clouded by you

By his need to see you, but everytime he decided to go climb on hagar and travel to you

Something held him back

Something kept him away from you

Corlys front he shadows no doubt, not that he noticed 

Floris was held prisoner in her own room, still getting royal treatment because of the babe within her, but she was forbidden to interact with anyone…

And perhaps that is what spared her

When he decided to take to the skies in VHagar to go and see you… there had been a almost seamless interruption, within the chambers of the small council

The maester of laws started coughing

“I’m sorry your grace, I don’t feel well”, the maester took the liberty of placing his boney hand in the man’s forehead

“He is burning”, he whined, concerned

And chaos ensued all over the keep

The envoy from the North had come and with him, he brought the Winter fever

Aemond had never experienced fear like he did in those couple of months

He, as the King, had to remain secluded, fire everywhere around him to keep away the disease that infected the air. 

Seeing you was out of the question, he only received the ravens with tales of how Dragonstone was not accepting anyone from the exterior, and how they had remained spared from the wrath of the gods 

And Floris went into labor, just in time to receive the prince

And Aemond’s commands to the wetnurses were clear

Save the princeling

They shared concerned looks as they received a small, red, dark haired prince into the world 

Floris had a son, and so did Aemond

He held his newborn while sitting on the Iron throne, with a shy smile on his face, pedestals with fires lit up all over the room.

It was a small quiet boy, Aemond noticed, falling asleep immediately in his arms, against his chest

This is not what he expected

But fatherhood knocked on his door and he gladly answered

“The Gods are punishing us”, he raised his head to look at his mother

He had commanded her to stay in the tower of the hand for her own protection, and so far, the Queen had been safe from the fever, until now

Her face was red with temperature, he could see the sweat drops from here

“Mother”

“This is because of you, for marrying two Queens”, she whined, she took shaky steps towards her 

“Stay back”, he whined, having his son in his arms

“I want to see him”, she begged him, she was delusional, he could tell

“You have catched it”, he warned, standing up, ready to ran away from his own mother if needed be 

“The gods are angry with me”, she muttered, that twisted scowl on her face , “I failed them, I try to uphold the traditions, the faith the family, and i failed”

“You didn't”, he tried, to calm her, “You look unwell, I will fetch the maester”

“I don't need the maesters”, she said, and again, tried to come near him

“Don’t!”

“I just want to see him!”, she cried, “my grandson, the only one I have”

He had to call the guards to remove her from his space, he had to

He couldn’t risk himself of his son

Queen Alicent lasted seven days with the Winter fever before she perished, having thrown out all her green dresses, crying for her lost children

The fever also took half his small council, and Queen Floris.

The death of the later is still unknown, some say it was because of the childbed fever, others from the winter fever, and other that it was from neglect 

The last remnants of his past life were gone, he was now more alone than he ever was in his life, the court had been decimated, and he didn’t even knew who to trust

Corlys had fled, because of the scare of the fever, and he was faring well and everyone was on Driftmark and Dragonstone 

He stood alone

His only consolation is that you and his daughter were doing well, and not dying painfully of fever

. . .

You cradled your newborn daughter against your chest as she fed hungrily from you.

You had been so scared, and alone, but everything had gone perfectly, and after hard hours of labor, you heard a loud cry fill the room, besides yours anyways

A little silver haired girl

You shrieked of relief and happiness when the wet nurse placed a rosy-cheeked baby in your chest

She was so small and perfect, and as days passed you learned that she was so quiet, not at all fuzzy, she was a perfect baby, like she already knew she was a little princess

A girl

You giggled to yourself, fuck Aemond, but at the same time you felt fearful, but then you remembered you had Viserys, and Corlys, and the remains of your family to protect you, and you felt even better, everything was going to be alright

At least for your small family core 

You’d learn, by ravens and letters, that the Winter Fever has struck the capital

Civilians were dying by the hundreds, and it had struck the inside of the Keep as well, you received a personal letter from Aemond, expressing his concern for you and your daughter 

But you couldn’t be more relieved

Dragonstone was filled with life, the lords of the crownlands managed to send members of their families to make court in the castle, to be with you, you were getting to know them, and had dinners and interacted with all the ladies and lords, it was life fulfilling, you had never been able to do that before

And you found yourself happy one day

While the capital was submerged in chaos, you were dining in celebration of your beautifully perfect daughter, a princess to the Kingdoms, with your cousins, your grandfather, and all the lords 

You were happy

Or as much as you could

You didn’t even care that Aemond never took the time to visit you, perhaps he was sad you had given birth to a daughter and not a son, perhaps that is why he was keeping his distance.

The you received news

That Floris was dead after giving birth to a son

A Baratheon prince

Despite Corlys’ concern, you had none, you had your brother, your daughter, your dragon who had laid an egg for your child that hatched into a curiously looking pink little dragon

And then one day

Aemond was in Dragonstone

You could feel the court change, as the servants changed the banners of the red dragon for a green one.

The first thing Aemond did was held court and receive his subjects int he throne room, with you by his side, and then, after a long day, he dare to enter your chambers, while you were starting to feed your daughter

“Queens don’t do that, specially for a girl”, he whispered entering the room

“Is my child, and I will feed her from my chest if I chose to”, you said dismissively, he said nothing else, perhaps relieved you were actually responding to him

“Are you healed?”, he asked, you looked at him in wonder

“My King?”, you asked 

“Are you healed from giving birth?”, he asked, and you only looked at him sadly

You had the maids take your daughter away.

He served you wine, to relax you, and you had already surrender, you bathed him, as you offered him, like you used to do, but he grabbed you gently and dragged you inside the tub with you

“I’m so sorry for your losses My King”, you whispered as you massaged him, , straddling him, he only hummed

“I have children now, and nieces”, you can tell he was hurting, but didn’t want to show it, so you let it go. He looked at you with desire in his eye, as he took the sponge from your hand and he then cleaned you, specially in your breasts

“You look so beautiful”, he said huskily, you leaned in and kissed him, wanting to get it over with 

He took you in the tub, making you ride him sensually, it didn’t hurt, in fact, it was actually pleasurable.

“You are coming home with me”, he whispered in your ear, with him still inside, but after your both reached your peak

“I don’t think that is such a good idea”, you whispered, he sighed loudly, “the fever is still out there”

And that is how you convinced him to let you stay, you could tell he was hurting, you could tell that he was lonely, now more than ever, but he heard you, and left you in Dragonstone, after an entire month, he left alone

And for the first time, you felt him defeated, even though he was the king of the seven Kingdoms 

And that is how, weeks turns to months, turned to years

12 years later 

When you looked at your little brother Viserys you often wondered if he was also a son to Harwin Breakbones Strong

Your brother, at his eighteen years old he had the stature and built of the strongest Knight of the seven Kingdoms

You saw him practicing with his sword against Steffon, he was truly a great teacher, and Aerion was also a great student, quick on his feet despite his height, and strong in his movements. 

Your daughter giggled by your side as you walked together by the beach. and walked toward the Dragonmount for her dragon riding lessons, even though she and her dragon were connected in levels you were yet to understand yourself

“When is papa coming back?”, she asked, and you just shook your head

“I’m not sure my love”

Aemond visited often, he found reprieve in Dragonstone, in your arms and his daughter’s care, he took you like a vacation, and you saw him happy, but he soon left, he was the King he had duties, and even though he had refused to say something or share about his thoughts, 

Despite his very efforts, and yours, you had not been able to conceive another child, you couldn’t pass the first trimester before bleeding, and that was alright with you, but not with him, he was concerned. But you found reprieve in Dragonstone, and even though Corlys was getting very old, and he walked with a cane now, you still felt contented

Rhaena and Baela had married, one within her family, and the other with a Hightower from Oldtown, to your surprise, you were certain Daemon was twisting and turning in his grave 

But they were happy 

You found meaning, raising your daughter, and caring front he people in the Crownlands

Corlys had sent your way many Lords of the great families through the years, and you knew them all, and that was very strange

You could feel it

The air was changing

You could sense it 

And it all came to be, when Aemond drew his last breath 

He had been battling with an unknown disease for months, shortness of breath, coughs, spitting spots of blood 

He died, slowly and painfully, the servant found him in the morning, with blood dripping off his mouth.

He knew it was coming, the stranger was looming over him and he spent his last weeks weak, not being able to leave his bed, and there, he pondered, about how he was going to leave this life, with nobody by his side.

His son was scared of him, barely looked at him in the eyes, and his Queen was in Dragonstone, with no intention of coming to his side, shunned and threatened, his daughter, the apple of his eye, was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, but so gentle and kind. he couldn’t force her to come to court, she was still to young and innocent

He laid alone, on his deathbed

A single tear escaped his eye, as tumultuous thoughts invaded his mind

The time he made Vhagar rip Lucerys front he skies, the time he defended Aegon and burned Rhaenys to a crisp, when he slayed all the Strongs he could get his hands on, when he burn to the ground all the castles and cities in the Riverlands…

 The first time he took you against your will, whe he humiliated you and made you kneel

Your tears

Your cries

Everything, installed on his chest like a knife, twisting and turning until he could no longer breathe

He died, coughing blood

Whispering how sorry he was, when Floris, his mother, Helaena, and Aegon came to collect him

 The day Corlys had been preparing for for years

As soon as his spies let him know of the dark news, he sent the ravens to all corners of the seven Kingdoms

From the Wall to Sunspear and Oldtown, all the great families but one, the Baratheons, started a long journey, but not to the Capital, but instead

To Dragonstone

As you, and our daughter mourned, dressed in black, you consoled your child, who only had known Aemond’s good side, she glung to your side as you kissed her head

“I’m sorry my love”, you whispered, as you were in the balcony, looking out at the seas

From one day to the other, ships with banners from all over the continent came to the island, to your amusement

Rickon Stark, now a young man, came to you, as did Edmund Tyrell, Robert Tully, Alyssa Arryn, Even the princes of Dorne came, not to surrender but to support

Corlys introduced them all, to the new King of the seven Kingdoms

Viserys Targaryen

They all bend the knee to him

And proclaimed him King with the crown of Jaehaerys 

“I love you, always”, you whispered to him, as you took his cheeks and made him lean in so you could kiss his forehead, he held you back, kissing your temple in turn

“My lovely sister, you kept me safe, you protected me, cared for me, now is time I do the same for you”, he whispered, “I will protect you now, you will be safe”

Happy tears rolled down your eyes, you knew it was going to be hard, and that your brother was going to be unsafe, but it was what it was 

It was his destiny

So you traveled with all the great families to King’s Landing, Corlys barely made the journey, but he did, and that is what he had been expecting for all his life.

But when you entered the Throne Room, you found a skimpy kid sitting in the Throne, his Baratheon family by his side, who paled when they saw the greatest commitive the world had ever seen. 

Viserys calmly walk up the stairs leading to the throne, the King’s guards did nothing to stop him, he only looked down at the boy and smirked

“You are in my seat”

The reign of King Visrys was long and fruitful, called Jahaerys come again, he married your daughter on her seventeenth name day, and together they had two princes and two princesses

You remarried, a man from a great house, you didn’t bare more children, but you were so happy, and contended, and lived in Dragonstone for the rest of your life

Corlys passed weeks after he put Viserys on the Throne, his life work was completed, thanks to him, the seven Kingdoms were now united under one rightful King, continuing your mother’s legacy, like it was supposed to be

THE END

#misguidedmistress #aemond the kinslayer #house of the dragon #targaryen!reader #house targaryen #aemond targaryen #hbo house of the dragon #aemond one eye #aemond x reader #hotd aemond #aemond fanfiction #dark!aemond x reader

[strawglicks]

flint fascinates me bc he comes off as rlly polite and kind

but also. not really. at all

they apologize often and it seems like they try to be nice to others, but then u look deeper and take into account different details

one of the biggest things abt flint that gets overlooked is that he likes drama .

i dont think liking drama itself is bad, why else do we have reality tv shows yk. but i think they actively indulge in it and one of the biggest things that points to this for me is how they treat the satellite investors

he seems to talk bad about them behind their backs, then can't handle the comeuppance of cosmo yelling at him.

this is further implied with cosmo saying they're "goin' around spreadin' lies", meaning flint does actively talk shit on what might be a regular basis. and flint saying "oh, no, I shouldn't have said that" implies FURTHER that they KNOW they're gonna get yelled at for it but continue to do it anyway with the hope cosmo wont find out. like hes not sorry for doing it, only sorry for getting caught.

cosmo gets HEAVILY neglected both in the community as a whole and whenever flint is brought up even though they have a really interesting and honestly hilarious dynamic (but thats for another post..)

whenever cosmo DOES get brought up in the context of he and flints relationship, people defend flint and blame cosmo for being "mean" to him. but tbh, i think cosmo has a fair point in this particular text. Flint can talk all he wants, but at the end of the day can't handle the consequences of it and lacks the confidence to put his foot down. He's a follower, not a leader (unlike cosmo, who flint looks up to canonically. WHICH NO ONE TALKS ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!)

flint also seems to have an interesting habit of apologizing even though he actively and intentionally attacks the toons right after

which i think is interesting. i think it's just a habit of his to say sorry when he knows he's doing/has done something wrong (especially bc he doesnt like facing the consequences), even if hes not actually sorry. Considering this is the same person who claims they like setting toons on fire, i dont think any of these apologies are sincere:

speaking of not being able to handle the consequences, when flint does get defeated by toons, there's a line that sticks out.

Specifically the "i'll be back" feels vengeful. Like he takes the defeat personally, and doesn't want to give up because it makes him feel weak and he wants to come out on top.

something else i find interesting and almost jarring in flint's dialogue is some of their Power Trip dialogue:

this dude is incredibly power hungry. he craves confidence and the ability to be a leader, given how he looks up to cosmo and is drawn to graham, who also appears confident.

speaking of graham, i think it's important to note that earlier, when flint was talking shit abt the satellite investors, he was saying that specifically to graham, who encourages flint not to "let people walk all over him".

graham encourages flint to feel more confident, which is not inherently a bad thing. confidence is great! and its something flint deserves. but i think there's an issue with how they choose to express this "confidence" on the rare occasions they do.

shown throughout this post, flint's way of trying to be confident is being power hungry, talking shit, and fighting toons . i think it's pretty clear that flint has been walked all over in the past and present, and it's caused them to become shy and a bit of a doormat. which he clearly doesn't like (more evidence of this is the fact that he explicitly dislikes belittling.)

and on the rare occasions when they're "allowed" to be confident, they proceed to belittle OTHERS, like toons. in a lot of their dialogue, they come off as condescending towards the toons, even if it's pretty awkward.

i think Flint deserves to feel confident, but the way they go about it is unhealthy. They've clearly been treated like a doormat and is fed up with it, and it seems like they lash out as a result. I think he has a good and genuine heart, but he almost comes off as bitter due to being walked all over constantly. its rlly interesting to dive into flint's flaws and the way they act due to their desperation for confidence, something they really lack.

#toontown #toontown corporate clash #ttcc #flint bonpyre #toontown firestarter #my big juicy brain in full effect #hi. flint was my first favorite. he has a very special place in my heart #i needed . to make a post talking about them. #i rlly do think abt em constantly #and the brainrot has been huge lately now that ive thought more abt their lack of confidence #and their lashing out bc of it #this post started as “flint is kind of an asshole actually” #then turned into a “his lack of confidence is what sometimes causes him to act like an asshole” #idk. its a messy ramble. but it works. my point is made #flint is my 3rd fav #or maybe. 2nd fav? since cathal and graham are tied for first #i intend to post abt him more. and also abt he and cosmos relationship bc its both interesting and hysterical

[twis-world]

Loving Arms

Mentions: Jamil Centric, 2nd Person, Gender Neutral Reader, Fluff??? Fluff

Though he loathed to admit it, relaxation did not come easily to Jamil.

One could not blame him for that. His entire life up to a certain point had been dedicated solely to serving the Al-Asim family. To serve Kalim. The mere thought of resting was a luxury he could not afford nor even desire for.

Anything could happen at any moment in time. There was no small number of brave fools that wouldn’t love to seize the throne for themselves, not even the rest of the royal family were to be excluded, painful as it was. Assassination attempts were never ending, kidnappings even less, and the rare counts of food poisoning were never to be taken lightly. Painful memories of when he had to undertake the latter for his “master” loved to rear its ugly head from time to time, showing its form in dreadful nightmares that took far too long to wake up from.

To ever be in a true state of peace and tranquility was but a mere dream.

One that he did not ever wish to wake up from at the moment.

Having his guard down was such a foreign feeling that it almost felt wrong. To not have walls of the strongest steel protecting his mind and body, to not be so alert that his brain ached at all the details he must note, to not have every fiber in his body ready to pounce the mere second danger showed itself…wrong. It was all so terribly wrong.

How could something so wrong, though, feel so incredibly right?

Your hands running through his let down hair with such care that he thought himself fragile for once. How could he not when you yourself not dare to apply more than the little pressure necessary to bring about chills of such pleasure all throughout his body. Fingertips running down his scalp so smoothly for the past hour that it was truly a surprise he hadn’t yet fallen victim to the cruel world of dreams.

Was it an underlying fear for what may greet him that prevented him from moving on peacefully? The smallest inkling of dread that held him back, his consciousness clinging to remain with the one person it considered truly safe? Someone who he childishly believed would protect him from the horrors of the past?

He quickly learned, though, that such immature thoughts were all for naught. It truly was a wonder as to how you could seemingly hear everything that ran through his head. All the doubts, the paranoia, the anxiety, none of them could hide from your being no matter how much he may try.

Gentle caresses moved from his locks to his face, yet he dared not open his eyes. He couldn’t even if he tried anyways, eyelids so heavy it was fruitless to even flicker them. Instead he nuzzled his face further into your lap, an action he would no doubt come to regret when your relentless teasing would inevitably come about in the near future. That, however, was something he would deal with later. Instead, for once, he would be selfish and simply enjoy the moment.

He hadn’t even realized how tense he had been mere moments ago, feeling how his muscles so easily relaxed with each brush of your fingers. Starting from his cheeks, running up to the spot between his eyebrows, playfully running down the slope of his nose, finally coming to a dangerous close along the bow of his lip. A pleasant shiver ran up his spine, exhaustion holding him in too tight of a grasp to allow him to blush at how you chuckled in response.

It finally took the delicate kiss you placed upon his forehead for him to finally let go of himself. Consciousness so easily drifting away that it was almost scary. Almost, not quite. Submitting himself to you would always be something he dare not fear, but instead wholly welcome with just as loving arms as you would him.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #x reader #reader #gender neautral reader #x gender neutral reader #jamil #jamil viper #jamil viper x reader #fluff #scarabia #tws #twst jamil #twst x reader

[many-but-one]

Hey! Why did I split over something not even THAT traumatic??

I'm here to tell you. :)

So, this particular discussion has come up in our system server before and it's actually something I've wanted to talk about for a long time on Tumblr because I've never actually seen someone talk about this, and I am being hit with a sudden god-like hubris at 3 in the morning, so here we go!

So your question was "Why did I just split? What just happened wasn't even that traumatic. I've been through so much worse in the past, I don't even feel that stressed. What the hell? Am I just making this new part up?" and on and on. The idea that only the most awful and traumatic things are what cause splits in DID (especially later in life, after the childhood trauma window of 7-9ish has ended and especially in adulthood) is actually incredibly false, and I am about to explain why.

Note: This is about traumagenic DID systems, so endogenic systems, please stay off of this post thank you. :) /not mad

Note number two: I do want to get out of the way, that all parts DO split for a reason, there's no parts that exist for no reason (even if the reason doesn't seem relevant to you now, it may have been relevant at the time of the split, OR may have been somehow relevant to your brain even if it doesn't make sense to you now.) So I want to make it really clear that splits do not occur only because of hyperfixations. There typically has to be something going on for a split to occur, and hyperfixation alone will not cut it. Alright, now that I've got that out of the way, let's talk about how DID brains run on patterns.

DID brains run on patterns, like I said. All brains do, actually, but DID brains take it to an nth degree because these patterns that it learns are what help it stay alive in a distressing and traumatic environment during childhood. Our brains are remarkably plastic and they will do whatever is necessary to survive a given situation. It's why something like DID can even exist.

So what kind of patterns do we typically see in brains with DID? Well, the easiest one is that a lot of people with DID have pretty similar alter "types" or "roles." This is just a widespread pattern that you see across a large demographic of systems. It's why terms like "gatekeeper" and "protector" and "caretaker" exist. Because nearly all DID systems have parts that fill those roles, even if those roles aren't filled in the most "traditional" sense. DID is rarely random, every part exists for an express reason, and that reason is almost always symbolic in some way, even if it doesn't seem like it now. Once you start learning trauma memories and WHY parts exist, you very quickly start to see the symbolism and sometimes it is absolutely fucking terrifying, to say the least.

What other patterns are common?

Well, patterns we see in our own system and in other systems are something quite literally called "splitting patterns" which are more common in polyfragmented systems but not exclusive to them. This has various ways of showing itself, and the user @foreverfragmented made a post awhile back that I'm having a really hard time finding, HOWEVER I did screenshot the section about splitting patterns when I first read it, attached below:

Wow that photo ended up bigger than I thought it would be. lol. Anyway. Those are another example of splitting patterns. (Note: in the original post, FF talks about how some of the terms above were coined by them or other systems, so not recognized medically, however I think they were worded perfectly which is why I shared them here.)

Another few examples include alter templates (AKA, splitting the same alter over and over in varying iterations), the same parts going out for the same types of trauma every single time, and why certain alter roles very often have the same "flavor" of personality.

For example, gatekeepers are often considered a bit cold and distant, and can be very analytically minded and rarely react purely on emotion alone. (I feel like the most common gatekeeper Myers-Briggs has gotta be INTJ...that was a joke, lmao.) This is typically for a reason. You have to have a certain mindset and a certain way of handling things to be able to properly manage a system. And this is not to say all gatekeepers are this way, but the pattern of a LOT of gatekeepers being like this is not unnoticed. Our DID specialist could tell pretty early on that our primary gatekeeper (James) was a gatekeeper long before he ever told her he was simply because of how he held himself, how he spoke about others in the system, and how much he despised her for "stepping on his toes"😂 They work together much better now, FYI, but it was rough in the beginning.

An example of alter templates in our system in particular is what we call the "Michaels." They were some of our earliest alters, and our brain was like "hey this guy is working really well, so I'm just gonna keep doing it." And it worked! Then, when trauma shifted to something completely different but in the same vein (CSA) our brain once again attempted to use this "Michael" template. It didn't work quite the same. And so our brain had to figure out these new patterns, which it was fucking desperate to do because we were going through some heinous shit that it could hardly even comprehend. I've learned that basically every blue-eyed white-haired motherfucker in here was a Michael copy at one point, but had elaborated into some other version that suited its job more.

Now, for the example that is going to actually help me explain the answer to the question posed at the very beginning of this post: alters who go out for the same things over and over.

So, depending on splitting tolerance, or whatever you happen to be going through in your childhood, you will likely have various "groups" of alters that handle certain things. If you had a particularly tumultuous childhood with several varying types of traumas, you will probably have several of these groups. And depending on length of trauma time, severity of trauma time, and levels of support during trauma time, these groups may be very large.

For example, if you had a situation like domestic violence (DV) happening in your household, you will have a part or parts dedicated just for DV, and if you also had CSA going on, you will have a separate group of parts (or a single part) who handles only the CSA. Unless your system is quite small and you have alters take multiple types of abuses, this is pretty commonly the case. [Note: want to say this is not subsystems unless these groups are highly separated via either amnesia barriers or inner world (IW) barriers, and have better communication with each other versus the rest of the system. The definition of subsystem gets a little funky, but we're not talking about that. Just wanted to make that clear. You can have groups of alters without them being subsystems.]

"Okay, so yeah, you're right. I have alter groups for [insert various traumas] what does that have to do with me splitting over [insert mundane thing that isn't even really traumatic]?"

Continuing on the "DID brains run on patterns" line of thinking, if your brain has patterns set and understood for the various traumas that you lived through in your childhood, usually up until teen years or adulthood, your brain knows what to do when those traumas occur again. The patterns are set. It's why it's super common for people with DID who experience SA in teen or adult years and don't end up having a split. Unless they have an extremely low splitting tolerance or the situation is extremely unique, the brain will just recycle what it already has. No need to go through the literally massively painful and traumatic experience of splitting again for something it already knows how to handle. This being said, the part that experiences this might end up splitting at a much later date if this trauma is far too difficult for it to handle, this is also common because sometimes it's "easy" to handle the trauma in the moment because they're used to this flavor of trauma but the processing of said trauma afterward can be just as traumatic and can cause a split.

Same if your father was super abusive to your mother, or vise versa, and you happen to have an abusive partner. That pattern is known and comfortable. That's what professionals mean by "DID systems are more likely to be victims of abuse than perpetrators." They return to the comfortable patterns, which, with DID, equals abuse. Things outside of those patterns are dangerous and confusing to navigate and the brain will avoid that at all costs.

However, and this is the answer to the question. What happens when something happens that the brain doesn't recognize in its "pattern database"? I'll give an example.

Say you were very high achieving in school. This is pretty common of systems who were diagnosed in adulthood, so far as I've seen. You likely did really well, had really high marks because your parents expected it of you or were abusive and angry if you didn't constantly constantly succeed in their eyes. This can also reflect in sports, clubs, musical talents, etc. This pattern continues on in adulthood. You push yourself very hard to be high achieving. Whether this be in a college setting, a work setting, etc. You are likely often doing well in those fields pre-system discovery, at least. Post discovery often leads to the "spiraling" phase, which sucks but again that's not what we're discussing.

So, say you have a job. You're hella good at it. You are always receiving praise, you are always getting raises, your reviews are always hella good. You're like "okay yeah, I'm good at this job, so I'm going to apply to a higher paid position in the company that just opened up."

And then...you don't get the job. Well, that sucks. Better luck next time, right?

Wrong. Well, not entirely. That's completely true. But that's not how your brain is actually processing this, is it?

You might tell yourself "oh well" but in your high achieving brain's POV, it's like "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON???? WE DON'T DO THE FAILURE STUFF!!! WHAT THE F***!!!" And it might panic, and several alters might panic, and the host might panic, and suddenly they're spiraling out of control over something that is mildly disappointing at best. Because WE DON'T HAVE A GUY FOR THIS?! We have a guy for SA, we have a guy for DV, we have a guy for medical trauma, we have a guy for bullying, etc. But we don't have a guy for REJECTION?! AHHH! [splits a part just to handle rejection.]

In adulthood, I've noticed both in myself and other systems I frequently speak to, these highly specialized parts are more commonly split in adulthood. Because while patterns are super helpful in childhood when you're experiencing the generally same shit over and over, in adulthood or even late teen years, there's so many effing unknowns that the brain is just like "what the actual fuck is this, this doesn't follow the fucking SCRIPT you guys. The PATTERNS?? Do they mean nothing to you??"

DID is a disorder that is incredibly helpful for survival in childhood and is an absolutely miserable crutch to live with in adulthood. And that's not me saying it super sucks all the time, but the disorder is not meant to happen, it shouldn't have happened, and coping with it without therapy and proper integration of parts and memories just makes adulthood kind of a hellscape, to be frank. There are tons of positives, I am so thankful, don't get me wrong. But there are a lot of downsides too.

So, to kind of drive home some examples of things that can cause a split that might not even be inherently traumatic based on my own experience and the experiences of some folks in our system server:

-(TW: mild NSFW in this one) We had our first consensual sexual experience when we were 19. We didn't have a guy for that. Everything we'd ever experienced throughout our childhood and teen years was not consensual. So when we were having consensual sex with our girlfriend, we were losing our mind because we didn't have this pattern integrated. So we split a guy whose literal only job was "consensual sex" and he was pretty much made to be the "perfect partner" for our girlfriend.

-We have a part whose only job is to play video games. We didn't know why until we realized he was fronting during stressful family gatherings and was playing videogames to pass the time until they were allowed to leave.

-We have a part that split only to handle our irrational fear of getting sick with a deadly illness right around COVID lockdown time.

-We had a part split just to internalize the feeling of "going to hell" due to our religious beliefs at the time.

-We have a lot of parts that split just to hold feelings of anger, sadness, or fear, even in adulthood. This is common in situations where anger or showing emotions was not allowed in childhood, so if the brain decides that's not allowed, when a part gets overly angry they might split a part to hold that anger, which then typically gets buried deep down.

Note about the above example: Trauma therapists often say that anger is one of the last emotions processed when processing traumatic events. Which is why "anger holding alters" are so so so fucking common. Kids and teens and adults get angry and if that's not allowed in some way shape or form, the brain will suppress it. It's also why it's common for people with DID to be able to "turn off" emotions or if triggered, will have a sudden intense burst of emotions (typically anger or frustration) because of how intensely repressed emotions often have to be just to survive living in a toxic environment that would cause something like DID. When you were a kid, you couldn't cry in front of your parents because you would be ridiculed or punished. So you will "turn it off" and go hide to cry later. But if, as an adult, you never let yourself "go cry later," that shit will build up and cause those intense emotional breakdowns, even after something that's considerably smaller scale than what you're used to. Kind of considered the "straw that broke the camel's back." You can be having a shit week with horrible thing after horrible thing and you're doing really well at "shutting it off" especially when around others, because god forbid you let the mask fall, and then suddenly you can't open a cheese stick or you can't find your keys so you might be late, or there's a stain on your shirt right before work, or the entire contents of your bag get dumped onto the floor of your car because you had to brake too hard...and that's when the breakdown happens.

Anyway, to get back on track, there are probably a plethora of other ways a system could split that seem mundane or "not that traumatizing" or alter roles might be super hyper-specific and the reasoning for that is because ✨patterns✨ We love to see it. /sar

Hope this was helpful! If you have further questions, feel free to hit up the ask box or the replies. :)

-Dori🌹

(Again, endos please don't interact, this is not for you. This is for the folks whose DID was caused via childhood trauma. These patterns likely would not exist in someone whose system didn't form from repeated traumas.)

#dorian🌹 #advice #did #dissociation #dissociative identity disorder #did osdd #actually did #traumatized #actually traumatized #traumagenic did #endos dni #did alters #did therapy #did system #our brains are like supercomputers and I'm not even kidding #once it understands a pattern #it will quickly assimilate that pattern if the pattern continues to occur #DID brains are freaking incredible #also terrifying

[clone-anon-after-dark]

Clones with an Asexual / Acespec Partner Headcanons

I’ve never written headcanons on here before, but thought I’d give it a go.

Word Count: 2915

Warning and Author’s Note: Some discussion of sex.  Some asexuals have sex.  Also mention of sex-repulsion because some asexuals do not ever want to have sex and both are fine and good.  There are a lot of asexuals who are interested in partnership - romantic or not - so I thought I might write out some ideas about what that might look like with some clones

Included are Hunter, Tech, Echo, Wrecker, Crosshair, Mayday, Rex, Cody, Gregor, Wolffe, Fox, Kix, Hardcase, Fives, Jesse, Dogma, and Tup

Hunter

Hunter loves a partner who is passionate and wants to do the right thing.  He would never be with someone who doesn’t also have the Omega stamp of approval.  Domestic Hunter? Yes.  He loves the steps you’ve taken to have a home that is friendly to his senses.  No strong scents in the soaps or detergents. Blackout curtains. Towels, blankets, and sheets that are friendly to his sense of touch.  You showed your love by making your home friendly for him and he has never been more in love.  Hunter pays attention to other people and takes care of his family, so he was incredibly moved by someone caring about his needs in this way.  Hunter will do little things around the house to show you he cares about you.  You’ll come home to clean dishes, a tidied bedroom, or freshly cleaned clothes.  Sex might be too much for his senses and sometimes touch is too much in and of itself, so he strongly believes in communicating what you both need.  He’s always open to finding ways to express how much you care for each other and creating a stronger partnership.

Tech

Tech is acespec in some way.  He might rarely or never experience sexual attraction.  This man expresses his love best in quality time and acts of service.  You will want for nothing.  He might be too busy to think about feeding himself, but he will have an alarm to remind himself to pick up some food and make sure you eat.  He’ll eat with you and want to hear about your day or tell you about what he’s working on.  Besides researching topics of interest and fixing things, he loves going to museums and aquariums with you, watching documentaries, and sitting together in the same room reading.  If you want cuddle time? He’s open to it.  You’ll have to tell him the details of how to hold you and what you want and eventually he will start figuring out what he likes too.  Tech is open to experiences, so if you want to have sex for closeness or to satisfy your libido, he would try it.  “Physical urges and attraction are not the same thing,” he says.  He’s always understanding that some people don’t or rarely feel sexual attraction and for him, it’s just a matter of fact.  It doesn’t change how he feels about you.  If you never want to have sex, he is completely fine with it.  He wants to tell you about his latest project working on the hyperdrive anyway.

Echo

Echo loves your desire to fight for what’s right.  He loves how you care about people and he feels so at home with you.  Echo doesn’t like solitude so the biggest thing is going to be spending time together.  He loves reading.  Sitting together, snuggling on the couch or in separate chairs and reading something that interests each of you? Yes.  Do you like hanging out with his family and have a good sense of humor? Those are big things in his book.  

I know there are some theories that Echo only lost part of his legs and other people believe he lost everything from the waist down (plus his arm). But guess what it doesn’t matter.  In either case, Echo wants to be loved for who he is.  He wants to love you for who you are.  What you both can or cannot do physically doesn’t phase him.

Crosshair

Crosshair is protective of his heart and does not easily open up to others. He does not like vulnerability and that also means he also doesn’t get sexually intimate easily.  I think he’s at least demiromantic, needing to know someone before opening himself up to a relationship like that, so he understands not having certain types of attraction.  He does like physical touch once you are close enough, but that can mean all kinds of things.  He likes little private moments with you where you can steal away time together.  If you want to blow off some sexy steam together, he’s game, but never pressuring.  It’s more about closeness and sharing something with you that no one else gets.  If you aren’t interested, he likes to cuddle.  Sometimes he wants to be the little spoon and other times he wants to be the big spoon but he would never want anyone to know he’s a cuddler.  After all he’s been through, Crosshair wants to feel safe with you and protect and love you at the same time.

Wrecker

Wrecker loves to show his love with physical affection.  He loves hugs and holding hands and picking you up and twirling you around.  As long as you are okay with some kind of physical touch, he’s more than happy.  He loves when you fall asleep on top of him.  He loves watching holos with you, eating snacks, and cuddling.  If you want to have some sexy times, he’s game, but ultimately doesn’t need that.  He wants someone he can have fun with!

Jesse

Jesse is so incredibly sweet. He loves cuddling and pulling you in close to sit on his thighs.  The first time he does this he can tell you’re a little worried (maybe that he will try to take things further), so he is very reassuring, showing you he just wants to be close.  He loves touch, but only if it’s something you like too.  He likes consistency and so his primary desire in a relationship is someone he can trust and depend on and he also wants to be that for the person he’s with.  He understands that just because you don’t feel sexual attraction doesn’t mean you don’t love him.  There’s a reason you want to share your life with him, after all.  He lets you take the lead when it comes to any kind of physical touch, including sex.  He’s a lot of fun in bed if you go down that road for closeness or address your physical needs.  Otherwise, he loves cuddling in bed. He is most comfortable spooning and having an arm around you in some way.

Hardcase

While I don’t necessarily get ace vibes from Hardcase, I think he would be great with an ace partner. Especially if they are extroverted.  A typical day would involve waking up, eating quickly, and some kind of adventure.  Whether it’s getting up to shenanigans at a water park, or playing paintball, or spending the day at work for you and at the barracks for him, I see him happy to be busy.  I think he would love to come home and eat some good food. He loves take out.  He quickly realizes that you not wanting sex sometimes doesn’t mean he can’t have self-care time on his own.  If you like the idea, he would love for you to buy him a sex toy.  He sees it as a way to stay connected on that level without making you uncomfortable, which is the last thing he wants.  He is very open to learning what it means to be asexual, and quickly learns that not having sexual attraction doesn’t mean you have zero sex drive.  He loves taking the time to learn what makes you feel good physically and where the boundaries are.

Tup

Tup is a sweetheart who loves quality time with his partner.  He would love to explore hobbies like video games, baking, cooking, or anything with animals.  Tup loves anything that is relaxing and he is for sure a cuddler.  If you aren’t into touch, he likes things like sharing a blanket while sitting together or finding a happy middle ground like maybe holding your hand or sharing clothes.  If you want to satisfy your own urges together, Tup is absolutely up for it.  He thinks you’re incredibly sexy and gorgeous and likes to take his time and make you feel good.  

Dogma

Oh sweet Dogma.  This man loves rules and boundaries.  He loves knowing what is on and off limits because it makes him feel safe and secure.  He also feels loved when you want to know his own boundaries.  It shows him you care.  So Dogma doesn’t really care about what the actual boundaries are so long as he knows them.  He is quite nervous to initiate physical contact, even kissing, but he does say when he would like to try something.  He’s very communicative.  He does not mind if something is off limits. He just wants to show you love.  He takes up baking, loving the precision of measuring the ingredients, so you can expect treats every time he sees you.  When it comes to intimate relationships, Dogma knows there are many different ways to be intimate.  He wants to be understood and show you that you’re the one who has his heart.

Fives

Fives loves a good time.  It was something that drew you in from the beginning.  When he first asked you out, you couldn’t deny he had some kind of magnetism.  He was a total goofball.  He knew about your asexuality before you started dating. You might have been a bit surprised when he asked you out, but couldn’t say no.  Fives tells you right away that you can take the lead on anything physical.  He likes kissing, but especially loves hugs.  If you’re up for fooling around, he loves it. If you never want that, he understands.  He just wants to be with you.  It takes him a long time to admit that he would absolutely love to shower with you.  A hot shower helps him relieve stress and he sees it as a way to spend some relaxing time with you, but he doesn’t want it to seem like he’s asking for more, so he might need some reassurance once he brings it up.  Ultimately though, he loves quality time together.  There will joking, laughter, and joy.  Fives is also a wonderful friend and partner who you can trust.  While you wouldn’t necessarily have taken Fives to be very serious, he’s incredibly serious about your happiness and making sure you have every little thing you want.  If you’re having a hard day, he listens and holds your hand.

Kix

Kix loves being your partner.  He loves the domesticity of coming home and snuggling on the couch.  He might love doing some other things on the couch if you want, but he understands if you don’t want to.  He loves laying on the couch while you lay on top of him and watch holomovies.  He loves little kisses and holding hands.  He loves reading in bed next to you before falling asleep.  He’s also seen a lot during the war and carries a lot of grief.  He trusts you with his grief and sometimes he just needs someone to cry to about it all.  If you like romance or are in more of a romantic mood, he will go all out.  Favorite flowers, candy, foods, whatever you love.  He takes the time to learn your favorites for those occasions. You want slow kisses next time he’s on leave? He won’t stop thinking about it.  You simply want to collapse into someone’s arms? He wants nothing more than to provide those arms for you.

Gregor

Gregor is open to learning about anything, but his favorite topic is you.  He loves going out with you, dancing, and laughing.  He loves a good time.  If you’re shy, he finds a way to help you come out of your shell around him a little without pressing the issue.  He wants you to feel secure with him.  Gregor loves kissing and wouldn’t mind getting physical and when he asks about your boundaries going further, your heart sinks. You’re worried about where this is going and haven’t exactly told him about your sexuality yet. You quickly find that he just wants to express how he feels.  He asks a lot of questions about what it means for you to be asexual.  He’s inquisitive.  If you don’t want to have sex ever, he takes the time to hear how close you want to be and what feels safe to you.  He’s definitely not opposed to things like masturbating together if you want to go down that route sometimes.  Ultimately he realizes that his favorite thing to do with you is turn on some music and dance in the living room.

Wolffe

There’s actually a fic about this here.  Wolffe might be grumpy sometimes, but you make his life so much better and you get to see softer sides of him that no one else does.  You understand him and he appreciates your support.  He wants you to feel loved in the way that you want to be loved.  He is completely comfortable taking care of his sexual needs on his own.  He loves snuggling with you at night.  That’s his favorite.  He loves holding you and being held by you.  You’re comforting to him.  Before falling asleep, he likes chatting with you about how the day went and or reading a holonovel together.  

Rex

Rex is awkward around people in social situations, but you’re happy to help him navigate relationships.  He doesn’t think much about sex because frankly, he’d just like to make it through this conversation without getting lost in his own worry.  Over time he starts to relax more and you find that quiet time with the two of you is much preferred to going out.  He’s even nervous to hold your hand, but you tell him it’s totally okay.  Once he realizes how deep his feelings are, he has to speak with you.  He likes to know where things are headed and what kind of relationship you want. Queerplatonic? He quite likes that.  Or something with more of a romantic bend? Yes, sure, that could also work just fine too.  The only thing he really doesn’t want is to be with someone purely for the physical aspects.  His feelings toward his partner are so strong and he wants nothing more than to protect you and let you know he’ll always be there for you.

Cody

Snuggle king.  He is under so much pressure as a marshal commander and then later after the war, he’s dealing with a lot of mixed feelings about everything that happened.  He loves that he can be with you, go to bed or lay on the couch, and hang on to you. He likes little kisses on the top of his head while you hold him.  It helps him let go of stress and worry.  He can feel you right there with him and it’s the safest place in the galaxy.  You’re asexual? Great.  He just wants to love you the way you want to be loved.  You want romance? He will hold your hand and kiss the back of it.  You want domestic partnership? He will hug you and do your laundry. Do you need some space to yourself? That’s fine.  He will just be over here watching a holo and napping after buying groceries so you don’t have to worry about it.  You want a quickie to blow off some steam? He’s game.  You want to shower naked and wash each other’s hair and feel close that way? He’s good with that too.  You want to swap pillowcases while he’s gone so you can both feel close that way instead? He thinks that’s the best thing he’s ever heard.

Mayday

Mayday wants to be with you, preferably on a planet that rarely gets snow.  You fell for his dry sense of humor and how much he cares about the people he’s close to.  He worries about losing more people in his life, so he was cautious to approach you.  Once he realizes you’re around to stay, he starts to relax. Mayday likes to do little things to show he cares.  He really gets into cooking hot meals.  He loves making fresh soups and gardening.  When he starts baking bread you swear you will never buy a loaf ever again.  After all he’s been through, he’s happy to have the chance to be with someone and feel at home.  Getting physical? He likes hugs, cuddles, and kisses if you’re okay with it.  Just chaste kisses or little pecks on the cheek all you want? Absolutely.  Whether he addresses his own sex drive on his own or as a mutual endeavor (if you’re open to it) doesn’t matter to him.  It takes him a long time to open up in some ways, but once he does he’s always making sure you’re on the same page.  He will always cautiously wait until he gets a green light.

Fox

He’s just happy to come over to your place and sleep in a real bed.  This man is all about relaxation when he’s with you.  Whatever that looks like, he loves it.  It can be the simplest things, like having extra comfortable shorts to wear around your apartment, or folding laundry together before putting fresh sheets on the bed.  He feels so comfortable with you and that’s the most important thing to him.

Tagging: @kixs-husband @staycalmandhugaclone @wreckers-wife @dukeoftheblackstar

#clones x ace reader #tcw headcanons #clones x asexual reader #tbb headcanons #tbb hunter x reader #tbb tech x reader #tbb echo x reader #tbb crosshair x reader #tbb wrecker x reader #captain rex x reader #captain gregor x reader #commander wolffe x reader #commander cody x reader #commander fox x reader #commander mayday x reader #clone medic kix x reader #clone trooper hardcase x reader #clone trooper tup x reader #clone trooper dogma x reader #arc trooper jesse x reader #arc trooper echo x reader #arc trooper fives x reader #reader insert

[zgvlt]

celebrating your birthday with the twst boys hcs part 1, ft. heartslabyul and savanaclaw x reader (separate)

read part 2 here read part 3 here read part 4 here

author's note: I wrote these both to celebrate my own birthday today, as well as to celebrate the Birthday Greeting feature added to TWST EN yesterday!

general tags: gender neutral reader, sfw, hcs for both prefect and non-prefect reader, platonic and romantic hcs, food mentions, runs on the assumption that reader wants to celebrate their birthday, not beta read

total wc: 5.8k+ words (500-900 words each character)

RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS

His initial reaction depends on how long it took you to inform him about your birthday. If you tell him at least a week in advance, he’ll thank you not only for extending an invitation, but for giving him a warning—it would have been troublesome if an Unbirthday Party were to be held on the day of your birth. 

If you tell him about your birthday late (or worse, inviting him to celebrate the day of it), Riddle’s face reddens on the spot, aghast and momentarily speechless, before diving into a series of complaints.

On the surface, it might seem like he’s scolding you for neglecting to inform him about your birthday in advance. The dorm’s already made preparations for the Unbirthday Party! They’re going to have to scrap all of those!

Inwardly, however, Riddle is incredibly troubled. You’re someone dear to him, so shouldn’t he have known such a special day was coming? Have you told him before? Impossible, there was no way such vital knowledge would have slipped his mind…

If he’s your friend or dorm leader, he feels terrible, and even worse if he’s your best friend or significant other. 

Still, Riddle knows that he should make up for it the best he can. If there’s really no time, the gift can come later—what was important was the celebration itself.

(If you’re the Ramshackle prefect, or someone who happens to be close with Ace and/or Deuce, expect Riddle to tell them off for not telling him to halt the Unbirthday Party preparations. They should have known better!)

It also doesn’t matter whether you’re a Heartslabyul student or not—birthdays should be celebrated as that—birthdays.

If you’re a Heartslabyul student, best know Riddle is making extra sure that everything is perfect. The Rules of the Queen of Hearts state that you can eat whatever you like on your birthday, so request anything you want… 

But, did the Queen say you could drink whatever you want? Would coffee still be banned? Would tea not be allowed due to that one stipulation? There’s the rule about parties and formal attire, too... Riddle thinks of all of this, seemingly stressing about your birthday more than you.

(Well, if you ask just politely enough, maybe bat your eyes for good measure, he will make an exception regardless. He’ll have the menu, the dress code, and even rose colors adjusted to your liking)

If you’re the Ramshackle Prefect, he gives you the option to celebrate your birthday in the Heartslabyul Dorm. You already spend so much time with them anyway, always a guest at their parties, always in the lounge hanging out with Ace and Deuce, so isn’t it natural to just spend your birthday with them? You can even invite your friends from other dorms if you wish to do so! 

If you choose to hold it in Ramshackle, or even another dorm, well, he’ll be a tad disappointed if he’s someone close to you, but he doesn’t throw a fit over it. He can just show his appreciation for you some other way—through a gift that he certainly, most definitely did not overthink about before purchasing, or perhaps something he can do for you, like creating study guides for you or taking you for a horse ride (Vorpal, his preferred horse, would like you… he thinks).

Most importantly, he’ll be there and present for your party for as long as he can afford to be.

If you’re a Heartslabyul student, he’ll even choose to simply look away from any rule offending this one day! 

If you’re his partner, he dotes on you especially so, knowing the importance of spending time with your significant other during these types of occasions. He might even ask if he can celebrate with dinner later tonight, just the two of you. He takes the chance to show how seriously he takes your relationship, and that he doesn’t see you as just a school romance thing.

Basically, expect Riddle to pay extra attention to you on your birthday—all good, of course. If there’s anything crooked in your uniform he’ll still point it out, but he’s a whole lot gentler with you. A wonderful guest.

ACE TRAPPOLA

The type to pretend he knew all along, but inwardly he’s that one meme/audio clip going “BITCH WHAT THE FUCK”. Especially if you only tell him in passing once some months ago, where he doesn’t have the capacity to put it in his calendar or notes app or something, or if you choose to surprise him on the day of (or close to the day of) your birthday. 

If you have the decency to tell him in advance, he’s eagerly talking about all sorts of things you can do for your party—the different food you can serve, the drinks, the music, the party games. Ace can appreciate a good party, and there’s no way he’s letting you host one just for it to flop! Let Ace help you deal with it! Whether it be platonically or romantically, ain’t he your guy?

Hey, if you need some quick entertainment, just let him get his pack of cards and he’ll go do it! Hell, he’ll even practice some of the more difficult card tricks just to amuse you.

Ace is quite good at filling your head with all these thoughts about planning, and he’s just being so helpful without you even having to ask, that you might fail to notice the planning he’s doing behind your back. Real mischievous, he is. He’s very insistent on giving you a proper surprise, especially if you’re the Ramshackle Prefect and/or his significant other.

(And most especially if you’re the Ramshackle Prefect. With all the shit you have to put up with? You deserve it, honestly. Sure, he teases and insults you a healthy amount, but he’s just as easily a prime witness at everything you’ve been through)

If you’re the observant type, you might notice the strings he’s trying to pull—especially if he’s chosen to coordinate with Deuce and the other first years. You can leave it be, but if you call him out on it expect him to not go down without a fight. Ace is terribly good at deception and lying on the spot, so you might find yourself convinced that no, he’s totally not doing anything that special for you. Does he look like the type?

He really is, deep down, but he’d prefer to just show it and not talk about it. 

However, if you tell him late, it’s far easier to see through the cracks of the façade he’s putting up to hide his shock and, quite honestly, panic. It’s difficult trying to stay cheerful when he’s quickly thinking about all the things he needs to do to prepare, and—in the Queen’s name, if he doesn’t know, then he’s betting on his life that none of the first years know too!

If you’re the Ramshackle prefect, he’s shaking Grim for not telling him anything! 

You could probably catch him in Mr. S’s Mystery Shop buying party goods and presents, with him doing the haggling, dragging Deuce and Jack to do the lifting.

He’s also starting a competition over who gets you the best present. If you’re his partner, everyone rolls their eyes because isn’t it obvious? But if he’s one of your best friends along with the rest of the first years, the competitiveness does get to them. Ace has his ways. Deuce might be the number one sucker, followed by Sebek.

If you’re a Heartslabyul student like him, he contemplates when to tell Riddle about your birthday. He’s not that much of an ass to have a whole Unbirthday Party prepared the day of your special day, but he still wants a chance to poke fun at Riddle. Just a bit.

The day of, he’s definitely giving you at least one prank. He knows you well enough to know which ones you’d actually find funny, and up to what extent you can take. 

Gives you a joke gift in front of everyone, and then his actual gift in private. 

If you’re his significant other, Ace probably has his moment of reflection—after he told himself he’d swear off of any serious romance until a little later in life, here he was, not only in a relationship but actively making the effort to make your day the best it could be. If the mood is right, maybe he’ll tell you about it once the both of you are alone. 

Maybe. You’re going to have to work hard to get it out of him, to get him to talk for just long enough without him succumbing into embarrassment. Having the tables turn when it comes to teasing is still an experience he’s unused to.

Overall, you can count on someone like Ace to give you a fun birthday. With how much time he’s spent with you, he not only has enough verbal confirmation, but lots of information regarding the things you liked and didn’t due to his observant nature.

DEUCE SPADE

This boy… regardless of whether you tell him about your birthday in advance or too close to the date itself, he has rather… dramatic and explosive reactions. Panic being the most prevalent.

If you have a heart, please tell him early; give him the time to prepare. He would still be able to work under pressure since it has to do with you, but on the day itself he wants to be focused on you and not if everything is going well and if he’s a good enough (boy)friend.

Deuce is well-meaning, so it’s very plain to see how he not only wants to give you a nice present, but how he even wants to help you in planning and setting up your celebration, regardless of where it’ll be held. He can be a bit disorganized, but with some help from you (and possibly the other first years), his dedication and hard work when it comes to making you happy really shines.

Deuce messages his mom constantly when it comes to your birthday, regardless of whether you’re BFFs or partners. Everyone thinks it’s cute, though Ace does tease him once or twice about it. 

(Sebek, who admires his own mother, finds nothing funny about it. He gives a serious nod of approval)

You’re someone important to him, someone helping him on his journey to become a model student, so obviously he wants to make sure everything’s right! Because of his delinquent days, the whole preparing for birthdays thing is still new to him.

If Deuce either has a crush on you or the two of you are already together, Deuce is definitely on the receiving end of lighthearted teasing from his mother. It’s very well-intentioned, with lots of genuinely good suggestions thrown in, but he really can’t help but blush. 

Anyone who can see him talking on the phone probably knows the conversation is about you due to his reaction. His Heartslabyul seniors find it quite endearing, offering their own advice as well.

(And, well, the seniors are the ones who inform either Trey or Riddle about an upcoming birthday, of which Riddle cancels not just an Unbirthday Party, but any other occasion happening that day)

Money isn’t really an abundance for him so his gift options are a little limited, but he does use up a decent portion of his allowance getting you something nice. 

If he doesn’t have the time to get you anything outside, he’ll buy you something from the cafeteria. However, the closer you are to him, the more likely he’ll get you something that you can keep as opposed to something consumable. He might also have a matching one, tucked somewhere in his room. 

Deuce likes to think about the future, and he does think about how, when he gets a job and has more money to spend, he’ll go gift you the things he saw through the shop windows, things out of his budget but he figures you would like.

If you like eggs, he can always make you breakfast! The two of you could even eat it together… if you want.

If you’re a fellow Heartslabyul student, or if you just decide to celebrate your birthday with them, he’s the one trying to serve you—he pours you your drink, makes sure you get the first choice of flamingo, anything to make your life more convenient. He’ll stop if you tell him to not treat you too specially, but you know he means well.

If you’re his partner, he’s like Riddle in the sense that he takes the occasion as an opportunity to prove how serious he is about you. It’s most obvious through his time and his effort, and he swears he’ll always find ways to be around you, but even more lovely is how he actually tries to voice it out.

It’s so obvious he’s embarrassed. He’s unsure if the things he’s saying are coming out the right way, if his words are romantic, if you even believe him—but you do. You should reassure him of that much. 

Overall, Deuce might not be the best at actual party preparation, nor is he the absolute life of the party on the day itself, but it’s incredibly easy to look past that when you actually see not just the fruits, but the efforts as well.

(Also, he tells you his mom greeted you with a Happy Birthday as well. Most kids don’t relay their parents messages to their friends and vice versa, but the fact that he does is sweet)

“And she says you, um, can come over to our home if you want! Over the holidays!”

CATER DIAMOND

There is only one way to hide your birthday from him—if you don’t have it set on any of your social media profiles or you lied about it online, and you refused to tell him. Cater does ask about your birthday after all, especially if you’re close.

So unless you’re a particularly secretive person, Cater is more likely to find out about it early, have it stored on his phone, and the notif reminds him a good week before, allowing him ample time to prep.

Cater will also eventually tell everyone (that matters to you) about your birthday, and for some he will be the first source of news. If he’s the first you’ve told, however, expect him to keep that piece of information to himself just for a day.

Unless you’re telling him the day of, the day before, or even while he’s in the middle of doing chores for the upcoming Unbirthday Party. He’s telling everyone—in the DMs, the GCs, in the Heartslabyul lounge, you name it. He’ll be jittery in his seat during class to the point that even Idia will be compelled to ask what’s going on with him. 

He’s messaging Trey something along the lines of, “So how fast can you make a cake?”

That aside, his Unique Magic (Signature Spell) is perfect when it comes to doing the preparations, no matter where you want to have it. Cater may not have as much brawn as some other students, but he more than makes up for it with his eye for design. Not only does he tailor the party based on what he knows you like, everything is designed to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible, both to the eye and on photo.

He does get you involved in the preparations, it’s certainly more fun that way! The Cater clones, and Cater himself, are bouncing ideas off of you, constantly asking for your opinions, and of course, taking many, many pictures with you. The pictures increase tenfold on the day itself. He won’t post them if you seem uncomfortable, but, especially if you’re a close friend or significant other, he wants the memories. 

(Even more so if you’re the Ramshackle prefect in addition—the uncertainty of your stay…)

While his clones happily discuss their ideas amongst themselves, Cater pulls you away from the hustle. Alongside talking about the party, he’s definitely trying to get information of what you could want—and, of course, casually looking through your room to make sure he doesn’t get you something you already have (and don’t need more of).

Cater also has pretty good investigative skills. If made available to him, he goes through your online shopping cart/wishlist to see what things you happen to want. Of course, he already does have a vague idea based on your social media likes, posts, and following.

He’s an excellent and extremely thoughtful gift giver. He’s not the type to just give based on aesthetics. Due to the presents he used to receive from his sisters during his birthday, he understands how important it is to really put the thought in the saying, it's the thought that counts.

The day of, he’s getting his club to play some music live for you! Wherever you are, it’ll be a mini concert! Some of the song selections are chosen to keep the energy of the party up, but there are some songs that are definitely chosen with you in mind. These could be songs from a genre you like, but, in particular if you’re his partner, there could be a song or two to hint at the extent and depth of his feelings for you.

If you’re close friends or his partner, he’s definitely more attached to you on the day of your birth. He’s being incredibly affectionate—physically through hugs and kisses if you’re comfortable, considering touch is definitely a love language of his, and just through spending time with you in general.

In general, Cater is a total blast to be around for your birthday. He’s incredibly good at shaping your day to be how you most like it—whether it be a party going all night, full of energy and music, or a short but meaningful one with the people you care about—it’s so clear to see every decision was deliberately made with you in mind.

TREY CLOVER

Trey goes through so much shit please, please tell him about your birthday early. He’s going to go grey early at the rate things are going in Heartslabyul, and just NRC in general.

In the case that you tell him late, he’ll understand if it’s a case of it slipping your mind, or even something about not wanting to cause a fuss about it and wanting to either do the preparations yourself or wanting something simple, but…

If you’re just a little bit cruel and you want to play a prank on him, you can ask him to help you bake a cake, or some other dessert of choice, and if you have a good enough cover story he probably will help you. When you eventually reveal the truth to Trey, he’s gobsmacked, jaw on the floor, drops a plate—

“We were baking your birthday cake?!”

Regardless, even if you tell him upfront about it he’s still going to try to make whatever you want, for as long as he deems it in his skill level. He’ll accept the help, but you can notice he’s definitely a lot more conscious with you around. He definitely can’t afford to mess up with you watching him…

If you and Trey are close he’ll let you play around with the ingredients, whether it’s throwing flour at him or smearing cream or jam on his nose (what is he, a dormouse?), but expect him to do the same to you. It won’t become a full on mess or food fight, but just enough to require your uniforms to be washed later.

If you’re together, he’ll be extra sweet on you, especially with no prying eyes in the kitchen. He’s the one tying your apron around your waist for you, spoon feeding you everything to make sure you like the taste. 

If you’re bold, feel free to pull a line about how you want him to get a taste as well, before kissing him!

Trey’s the one who panics the least among the Heartslabyul members. He’s already used to rush orders from all the times he’s helped his parents, and while he would prefer to not work under stress, whether it be cooking or baking or helping set up the place, it’s easy for him to settle in the zone.

If you’re the Ramshackle Prefect or a Heartslabyul student, best know that the Unbirthday Party? Cancelled. Tea party? Cancelled. Trey doesn’t always use his Vice Dorm Leader privileges, but he uses it to convince Riddle to have your birthday party made to your liking instead. Riddle agrees, but it’s more to do with Trey (and perhaps you) being his friend as opposed to the leadership positions.

Even if you’re not the Ramshackle Prefect or from Heartslabyul, Trey is pulling strings to have other parties moved to another date. He’d want to be able to spend time at your birthday party instead of running back and forth between Heartslabyul and wherever you happen to be.

Definitely makes use of Doodle Suit (EN: Paint the Roses) on demand for you.

It’s a given that Trey will give you something he’s baked himself, taking note whether you preferred savory or sweet, what textures you preferred, as well the foods you loved and those you avoided, but if you’re close he wants to get you something you can keep as well. 

If you told him about your birthday early, he might have taken the time to shop in his hometown for something to get you. If you’re together or he has feelings for you, his parents and siblings probably side-eyed him like What’s going on? Who’s this for?

He’s not particular about being secretive so he does ask you what you want to receive. If there’s something you like, just tell him and he’ll try to get it for you!

Funnily enough, the best part of the gift would probably be the little card he wrote a note on. Trey’s not known to be the best with words but it’s just so Trey that you can’t help but treasure it.

Overall, Trey is an absolute sweetheart. Compared to the others he’s definitely more of a behind-the-scenes type when it comes to preparing for your birthday, and he’s not going to be the life of the party or getting you involved in all sorts of party games, but you recognize how the party would not have been possible without his help in the first place.

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR

If you tell him about your birthday early, it might seem like he doesn’t give a shit, considering he just closes his eyes and goes to sleep. However, the piece of information is stored at the back of his mind—he’s very conscious of it, and you wouldn’t even know that he’s already had everything prepared—the greeting he’ll give you, the gift he’ll give you, all of it is prepared even before the day itself.

If you tell him on the day of, well, he’ll be a little pissed if he’s the last to find out, but what are you waiting for? You have to celebrate, don’t you? Go lead the way now, herbivore.

He gets a headache if you tell him you have nothing prepared, or have no idea on what you want to do, or how you want to celebrate.

Planning is a no… on the surface. He’s not going to be getting up to do the work himself, but the gears in his brain are oiled and working. He’s spewing out ideas based on what he already knows works best for parties, as well as what he knows you like.

Ruggie and the rest of the Savanaclaw students will be the ones doing the brunt of the work, but you can’t deny that even the lazy lion is helping in his own way.

Of course, particularly if you’re close friends or his partner, the funds for everything come from his designer wallet.

If you choose to ask Leona for help to prepare, while he (and the rest of his dorm) does deliver, the one thing you shouldn’t expect is for it to be formal and stuffy. If you want something like that, go ask someone like Vil or, ugh, Malleus instead.

If you’re together, Leona is the first to greet you (in person. He can’t beat out the rest of your friends who have their finger hovering above the send button at 11:59 pm, trying to be the first to greet you). When you wake up, you’ll find Leona somewhere in your room—maybe he’s sleeping on a chair, maybe he’s beside you on your bed. Regardless, the shuffling of your blankets will wake him, and he’s there to give you your greeting and your gift(s).

(Even though it’s your birthday, still wants to be thanked with some form of physical affection in return, likely a kiss or getting to cuddle with you and sleep in a little longer)

Leona can and will pretend to not have put too much time thinking about not getting you, not in the sense that he just got you whatever but more in the sense of, “The perfect gift just popped up in my mind naturally. I just knew what to get you from the very start.”

However, he does spend a good amount of time thinking about it. You’re one of the few people in his life he finds important, so it’s important to him that you’re happy with whatever he gets you. Expense is not at all a problem for him, thus he has way too many options to filter through.

If you’re the Ramshackle Prefect, his mind probably automatically goes to things you might need to make your life living there easier. He’s slept over there a few times, it’s nice and quiet, so he knows what you lack, what could be better.

Whether you’re the prefect or not, Leona thinks about giving you a gift based on your hobbies. During his birthday, his dorm members were a little (too) focused on his hobby of playing chess, so that probably gave him the idea.

If you’re into art, he’s going to buy some nice quality paints or pencils. Athletics, maybe dance? A nice pair of sneakers so you don’t hurt your feet while training. Do you like video games, idols, or anime? Idia gets jumpscared by Leona, who asks him where to best buy the merchandise you like.

(Idia goes, “A normie, tho an SSS tier one, who buys merch for his cultured s/o… isn’t this every broke fan’s fantasy???”)

As a friend, his gifts aren’t the most customized or unique, but you can tell he actually thought of you while picking them out.

It’s a little different if the two of you are together, though. If you’re together and the two of you are already serious about each other, well, expect not only gifts from Leona, but his family as well. He might get you something from the Afterglow Savannah in addition to the things he’s already given you—maybe an accessory or article of clothing with cultural and romantic significance.

Also, you know, you could say the Savanaclaw members being overly respectful to you is a gift in itself.

Overall, Leona’s the type who seems like he’s being very laidback about celebrating your birth, but on the day itself you notice not only the gifts piling up from everyone, but how everyone’s really treating you like you’re the star of the show, and it becomes clear Leona has a lot to do with that. This one day, he’ll spoil you openly.

JACK HOWL

Jack doesn’t seem like the type to panic over how soon a birthday is, though he would prefer knowing in advance. The most he would do is scold you if you waited until the day itself (mostly because you narrowed down his choices in gifts, and because he’s going to cancel a bunch of his plans to spend time with you. Whatever he slacks on with his workout regime for the afternoon, he’ll just have to make up for the day after)

Given his good memory, definitely remembers your birthday even without writing it down somewhere. 

While Jack doesn’t outright pretend to not care about your birthday, you also won’t catch him fussing about it. If you choose not to involve him in the party preparations at all, you’ll be surprised with how he just comes up to you when you’re alone to give you your gift. Isn’t he a little too caught up with this lone wolf thing? It’s kind of cute.

When it comes to Jack, it’s far more interesting to see how his reactions differ based on your relationship to him.

If the two of you are friends, he’ll offer his help if you need any heavy lifting (or need help with any physical task) for the party preparations. It’s a good use of his strength, and he’s able to help you out—it’s a win-win for him.

He’ll try to be more involved in the planning process if you’re close—especially if you’re the Ramshackle Prefect and/or one of the first years he spends a lot of time with. To have a good celebration, everyone needs to put their best efforts, so Deuce says, so you’re all pitching in ideas on what food to serve, what music to play, and who to invite. 

He’s got crazy good endurance, so if you need him to run around the place either handing out invitations, or retrieving things from the kitchen, or be your errand-runner to buy things from Mr. S’s Mystery Shop, he’s got you covered.

If he’s your boyfriend, expect him to really want you to sit back and relax. This is how he knows how to spoil you, so let him. 

A typical gift from Jack would be buying you a meal either from the cafeteria or Mostro Lounge, but the closer you are to him the more he wants to get you something with a little bit more sentiment. Food is still an option, though if that’s the case, it’s more likely he’ll go out to town to look for a certain brand of snack or sweet you happen to like. 

(Jokes about getting you protein powder)

For a non-consumable gift, unless you tell him (or give a hint) about something specific, Jack wants to get you something practical. Maybe he’ll get you socks themed around an animal you really like (he’ll get a little flustered if you tell him wolves are your favorite, and raise his eyebrows if you say something like a lion or hyena). Other options include a scarf, or gloves, or…

You notice how he seems to be preparing you for the cold, and you can choose to point out that it looks like he wants you to visit him in his hometown. He’ll definitely deny it, but you can rely on his tail to tell you the truth.

You realize you can get away with a lot with having Jack as a close friend or significant other. Meaning, the wolf form—as long as the both of you are away from the public, he’ll use his Unique Magic for you. Being called fluffy and cute is a lot for him to process.

You might say the best gift of all is getting Jack to cuddle with you—wolf form or otherwise. It’s your birthday, your word goes. It’s embarrassing for him either way, but because he cares for you he pushes it aside and pretends he’s really not that affected by it at all.

To conclude, Jack may not be the most honest, but you can tell he’s pushing past his comfort zone to give you a good birthday.

RUGGIE BUCCHI

Another one you should have mercy on. Tell him in advance! He’s always running around all over the place, doing this for Leona and some other responsibilities that he needs time to prepare.

If you’re a Savanaclaw student, he’s already going to get everyone (execpt Leona, clearly) to set up the place for your birthday. He says it’s Leona’s orders and everyone believes him—the privileges of being his assistant.

If you’re not, he’s coming over to your dorm to help when he finds himself free—especially if you’re from Ramshackle. He doubts the capabilities of ghosts to help you.

Hey, if Leona’s in a particularly good mood (or if Leona happens to like you as well), Ruggie’s going to have a day off to help you out, and just hang out with you in general.

He jokes around that because you’re already getting a lot of love from people, you totally don’t need him to get you anything, right?

Even if you insist otherwise, Ruggie does want to get you something tangible as a present, so he probably works an extra hour at the Mostro Lounge to buy you something from Sam’s shop (or somewhere in town, if he knows a place). It won’t be pricey, but you can tell he knows you well enough to be able to get you something you’d like.

At the party itself Ruggie is extremely energetic. Yes, he alway enjoys them for the food, but getting to celebrate someone like you is what makes this particular party special. 

He’s no Kalim or Jamil when it comes to dancing, and he’s got no formal ballroom skills to date, but he can still show you a fun time on the dance floor (which is just the floors of the dorm of your choosing). Ruggie is certain to get you laughing along with him as the two of you pull out a bunch of wild and incoherent movements.

If you’re close friends or in a relationship with him, he especially wants to hog as much of your attention as possible. Is everyone’s attention on you? That’s great! But he’s more special to you than them, isn’t he?

If you’re in a romantic relationship, he’s using his time to show some PDA. He’s the type who thinks he really lucked out when it came to you, so he also wants to show that not only is he a good boyfriend, but there’s no way he’s giving you up—ever!

Though even if the relationship is completely platonic, Ruggie might still take the chance to give you some physical affection. Maybe it’ll rile up someone you like or someone who likes you! Maybe it’s to ward off someone with bad intentions—he might not be Leona or Jack… but he knows Leona and Jack, so they better be careful. And, well, Ruggie and his UM can be scary in their own right.

And, you know, you’re a comforting presence, so there’s also that!

Overall, he definitely shows his general appreciation for you through his actions, and he’s working extra hard to make sure you have a great birthday. Praise him, smile at him, and most of all enjoy yourself—he’ll appreciate knowing his efforts aren’t for naught!

masterlist

#twst x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #ace trappola x reader #leona kingscholar x reader #deuce spade x reader #cater diamond x reader #jack howl x reader #ruggie bucchi x reader #trey clover x reader #nathya twst writing #twisted wonderland x reader #twst #took a pause from my usual oneshot scenario writing style to try hcs for the first time lol

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 君子盟/A League of Nobleman

A League of Nobleman is the unfortunately translated English title of a 2023 historical drama about an idealistic country boy/genius detective/noodle seller, and a wealthy minister on a mission to exonerate his late father from charges of treason, even if he himself has to commit some treason in the process.

I watched this one not too long after it came out, and I was expecting there would be a lot of buzz as soon as fandom got hold of it. There wasn't, but I can understand why. The show is a lovely, ethereal drama that has some genuinely moving moments, stunning visuals, and charming character interactions.

It is, however, kiiiiiiiind of a hot mess.

What follows is an incredibly qualified rec. Unlike most of the previous shows I've recommended, this show is not something you could just throw at your Average American Television Enjoyer. Censorship got its claws into this one, and what's left is ... okay, imagine fliming all of Hannibal just like you want it, and then right before it airs, NBC comes in and says, okay, now we're just going to take out all the parts that are gay and violent and gory! You know what you'd have left? You'd have a League of Nobleman, is what.

(If you want a little more explanation of what's awkward about it, here's a take based on the first ten episodes. Note that not everything that bothers AvenueX bothers me, but they're fair critiques.)

Therefore, I'd have a tough time recommending this to someone who hasn't already built up a tolerance for the experience of seeing a scene end nearly mid-sentence, or hearing described something that happened just offscreen (while seeing no one's lips move). You need to be prepared to look through the jank to see the show we could have had beneath the show that actually arrived.

Even so, I have five reasons I think you should at least give it a shot!

1. That precious baby boy

Look at him. Look at his precious face. Don't you just want to stuff him down the front of your shirt and take him home with you?

That is Zhang Ping. He is the hero and he is a good boy.

He is a darling dumpling who grows up reading novels about how members of the judiciary nobly solve crimes and punish the unjust, so he decides that he wants to move to the big city and become a member of the judiciary to nobly solve crimes and punish the unjust! ...Until he gets there and realizes, no, baby, that was fiction. But gosh darn it, he's going to try anyway.

I have seen people say they read Zhang Ping as autistic. While I'm not sure that's specifically what the show itself was going for, that's kind of the effect -- which, I think, is why I've also seen a lot of people say they don't like Song Weilong's performance. I don't think he's wooden or unemotional; I think he just made a choice to play the character as not always real good about understanding why the people around him are having the emotions they're having. Similarly, I think what makes him read as anachronistic is mostly how he doesn't engage well with the rules of social convention that are such important parts of this historical setting.

Like, you see that picture above, with him and Lan Jue whispering at one another? Zhang Ping is doing this because he is absolutely convinced that this is appropriate subterfuge behavior. Lan Jue is matching him because he thinks Zhang Ping is adorable.

Just the goodest boy. A baby. Please care him.

2. the aesthetic

The show is beautiful. It looks and sounds amazing. For some reason I can't find a clip of just the opening credits, but here's a (strangely bloody) trailer that gives a sense of its general vibe:

As you can see a couple times in there, the show makes great use of tilt-shift photography -- you know, the thing where you change the focal length until everything starts to look fake? It creates a weird, dreamlike effect where parts of the frame are out of focus for no reason, or actual locations start to look like model-train miniatures. Many of the shots are framed like this, giving the entire thing a very pretty, very uncanny look.

And speaking of the dreamlike: If there's one thing I've come to expect from C-dramas, it's bad CGI. That is not the case here! The CG is used so sparingly that it's unobtrusive and actually quite nice. Much more of the weight of the show's look relies on practical effects that are supported and amplified by CG, which is the optimal combo. When it does go all in on CG, it's in the service of dreamscapes that are supposed to look unreal anyway.

The show does admittedly have a mild problem of using a cool effect and then largely forgetting that effect exists. For example, the first episode has a really neat "freeze time and walk through a crime scene" bit! And then we barely ever see that ability again. But the show's doing so many other lovely things that you don't really feel the absence until you stop to think about it all later. So don't stop to think about things! That's my motto! (It really isn't.)

The directors also just have a lovely eye for things -- which is extra-surprising considering that both of them are first-time directors. That can be fun, though, when you get people who haven't gotten stuck in their ways get, so they're still being new and weird with it. ...Of course, I bet that's also some of why so much of the show quite obviously got cut to ribbons, if you're also working with directors who also haven't figured out how to get away with things just yet.

Overall, the production values are very high. This show clearly had a fairly solid amount of funding behind it, but it also used its resources smartly. Most costumes are elegant but not extravagant. Detailed sets are small and beautiful locations are contained. While I have great respect for productions that try to create epics on a shoestring budget, there's something to be said for a project that sets its sights on the achievable, then puts its effort into doing what it can, well.

3. A ship for everyone!

There are so many potential ways to pair up them boys. The show's main pair dynamic is between country mouse Zhang Ping and city mouse Lan Jue, but it surely does not stop there. In fact, I've made a helpful chart that shows you all the potential flavors of gay you can enjoy at this particular danmei buffet:

(And yes, if you've seen the show, you know there's at least one more line that I could've drawn here, but I don't want to spoil anything.)

Now, whether you do read any of these dynamics as sexual/romantic is up to you. The point is that you could. For example, I personally am not that into Lan Jue/Xu Dong, but if you lose your shit when a competent sword guy owes a life debt to the defenseless noble he works for? You could have a lot of fun with what the show gives you.

Obviously, because this is a censored c-drama, there are no canon gay romances. However, a couple of them are more textual than others, especially the ones that center Lan Jue, because everyone clearly wants a piece of that fancy flat ass.

One of AvenueX's comments from the video I linked earlier is that the main couple has less sparkle together than each of them has individually with the man that's supposed to be his bestie. While that changes as the show goes on, these two side pairs never cease to be enjoyable. Whether you read them as sexual or not is up to you! Romantically or platonically, they're still a delight to watch bounce off of one another.

And Lan Jue/Gu Qingzhang (that one terrible ex from the chart) is, uh, basically textual? It's miles into "there is no straight explanation for this" territory. Again, avoiding spoilers here, but trust me. You get to see their secluded love nest and everything. Shit's real gay.

Then, of course, there's the main pair:

This is clearly the one that got hit real hard by cuts to the material. It's a damn shame, because this is clearly meant to be the core of the whole narrative. Despite that, the two of them have a fascinating dynamic that changes over the series from outright suspicion to cautious care to absolute trust. It's a great combo of someone who is too honest for his own good and someone so used to court politics that he lies as easily as breathing.

Ironically, the source material is Not Gay, to the point where the author has basically disowned this series as being so different from her original work as to be unrecognizable. You sort of have to wonder about the creative thought processes that led to taking a gen work and deciding to BL it up for the live-action adatation. I'm not complaining, mind you, but it is a little bit of an unforced error.

So whatever flavor of gay it is you're into, the odds are very good that this drama will have at least enough of it to keep you interested!

4. A very charming cast

I got to gush about Song Weilong's Zhang Ping earlier, but honestly I think everybody's pretty enjoyable, from the main cast to the recurring side characters to the one-off extras who show up for a single episode. Everybody's playing it weird and theatrical, so I get it if that's not your cup of tea. However, I feel all the performances are well-suited to the slightly surreal style of the production.

Here's just a couple of the real gems:

Jing Boran's Lan Jue has the perfect regal bearing of a fussy gentleman, but with a very endearing softness underneath. He spends half his time with eyes brimming with unshed tears, and the other half making heart-eyes at his boyfriends. You understand why everybody in the empire wants to ride him like they stole him, and that's even before he lets his hair down and starts dressing in slutty sheer robes. (I'm not entirely sure either he or the show knew how to play the character in the first few episodes, but he gets way better once he stops being so sinister and mysterious and gets to be cute and/or unhinged.)

There is one female character who shows up in more than one arc, and she is the Empress Dowager, and she is such a wonderful awful bitch. What a monster. Shi Yueling eats up every scene she's in by being the perfect mix of reprehensible and fascinating.

I was already primed to like Wang Duo because I liked watching him be a pretty snake boy in Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity. Well, now he gets to be a pretty metaphorical snake boy here. I'm not spoiling anything by telling you he's bad news. He shows up damn near the end of the show and you know immediately he's bad news. But you don't know what kind of bad news he is, and that's fun to find out.

And speaking of actors I already liked from other places! Guo Cheng has mastered the art of acting with his mouth full. His Chen Chou is a sweet, earnest anchor in a world of tricksy boys.

There is something about Hong Yao's handsome face that makes Wang Yan perpetually look a little red-eyed, like he's trying hard to pretend that he wasn't just crying in his office. It's the perfect soft touch to his incredibly wonderful chad of a character. I'm usually not into the cocky jocks, but I will make such an exception for him.

I love you, fortune-telling gremlin grandpa.

5. Raw materials

Look, I assume if you've made it this far in the rec and you're still hanging on, you're interested for one of two reasons. The more normie reason is that you're into c-dramas in general (and probably period dramas in particular), and gay stuff is a selling point, so you see the appeal of turning on a drama where cute boys have emotions at other cute boys. That is a perfectly good reason to watch this drama, and if this is you, I hope you have fun!

The other reason is that you like making fan stuff, and you need some new blorbos to blorb in new and exciting combinations. Friend, I have that stuff for you right here.

A League of Nobleman has problems -- but they are problems that may be appealing to people who enjoy fixing things. There are literal holes in the series where actual, planned, filmed scenes were deleted! If you're looking for source material that's just begging you to fill in the gaps, look no further.

Of course I'm partial to the number of queer DIY romance options there are (see point 3), but that's not the extent of it. The setting is fascinating: an unspecified premodern Chinese dynasty magical enough to have a Bureau of Incantations, where the emperor is (for once) a cool dude, secluded village people live in semi-communal families, and one of the main characters can play Inception with people's heads. I'll say it plainly: If you are into kinky dream sex, this is the drama for you.

I should note that one of the things that doesn't need fixing is the overall shape of the series. The individual little case incidents seem disconnected, but they all weave together at the end as part of a (let's be real, ridiculously complicated) plot, giving the whole thing a pretty satisfying wrap-up. The show does not just fall off a cliff like Moriarty; it resolves in a way that's more than a little convoluted, but still overall satisfying. Also, a lot of those ships from the chart above, when it's all over, are still together. Some days that's all you need from an ending.

Maybe I sound like a broken record at this point, but to give you a sense of how heavy the hand of censorship clearly was, understand several of these episodes don't even break the 35-minute mark, and only four are even over 40 minutes long, when ~45 minutes is about the episode standard for this genre. (For comparison, every Untamed episode at least 42 minutes long.) I think it's important to realize just how much actual connective tissue got removed, way more than just individual censored shots or single redubbed lines.

And speaking of redubbed lines, the last episode of this show contains possibly the funniest NO HOMO in BL history. You have to see it to believe it -- or, rather, to not believe it, because the first time I watched, I didn't even understand what the hell the show was implying. I'll say no more.

Where to watch it!

I hope I've convinced you to at least give it a try! It's not a perfect show by any means, but it's a show with many good elements, and if you can embrace what's there without getting too hung up on what's not, it's a pretty good time.

If you're up for it, you can find it on this YouTube playlist -- though be prepared that it often mutes the opening music. It's also available on Viki (with ads, but less muting).

Just look at those precious, pinchable cheeks. Adorable.

#a league of nobleman #a league of boyfriends #君子盟 #rec post #i made this

[arthrobug]

Here I go, over-analyzing a singular scene from Captain Laserhawk, and of course it's Rayman!

Minor nudity/minor sexual talk warning!

So this absolutely famous scene, am I right?

Few hours ago, I started thinking about every single thing Rayman had done in Captain Laserhawk, and how I could analyze it.

And so I realized a few things about this moment, or I just overthought a few things in this moment, but ANYWAYS!-

This particular practice is called Nyotaimori -Nantaimori for male models- and it's translation can be dumbed down to 'body sushi'. It's the Japanese practice of eating food, primarily sushi, off of a female model.

At first, I had this idea: "Hey, what if Rayman deciding to hire a Nyotaimori model is one of the ways he tries to futilely connect to others?" Here's a few notes as to why I thought this:

It's been clearly stated that Rayman is incredibly lonely, and there are a few scenes and things he does that shows he's a bit desperate for any sort of interaction. I mean, even if he was drunk and coked up off his rocker, he still listened to an ominous message on his TV and willingly went to go talk to a 'terrorist', and even was minorly friendly with Bullfrog even though they had just met. Rayman was also still under the impression that the hybrid was a terrible person that just happened to be a bit nice, but he still continued to talk to him even though he really had no primary reason to other than 'talk to the frog'.

Someone -even though it's a paid interaction- willingly undressing themselves to be completely nude and allowing you to eat food off of them while they lay on their stomach is a very intimate (non-sexual) thing. It could be a non-verbal feeling of trust that Rayman gains from engaging in this practice. He might not even know her name, but he might believe that she trusts he won't hurt her.

Rayman doesn't seem necessarily sexual with this model, he's just eating and watching television. Of course, he could've done something more sensual and/or sexual with this model before he saw his copy on the big screen, but we will likely never know if he did, so the assumption that he hadn't is more prominent. His goal with this practice wasn't for sexual gratification, it's just to have someone be there, whether they want to or not.

And so, I decided to do some more research on Nyotaimori, and even more things were brought to my attention. The main point I gather from this is:

This is a very unprofessional and likely unregulated meeting.

There are actually a lot of rules usually strictly set in businesses that sell Nyotaimori!

Sushi should not be placed directly on the body. There should be some form of divider, like a banana leaf or plastic wrapping. The model Rayman is eating off of clearly has no divider whatsoever. Additionally, you're usually not allowed to touch the model whatsoever. Rayman didn't touch her in this scene, but it just adds to the 'I don't think he was sexual or sensual with her'. (He's was 100% a rule-follower to the end at this point... Other than hard drugs.)

Not too surprising, but there are indeed body regulations (what a person's body should look like). Although the idea isn't surprising, the main regulation itself is. A model shouldn't be big-breasted, they aim for smaller cupped women, 'so the sushi doesn't roll off'. The model seemingly has very large breasts, although that could be the reason why she's on her stomach, but that's another issue.

As mentioned, the model is on her stomach. Nyotaimori models are placed on their backs, and actually have some form of covering most of the time! Shells, thongs, petals, and as seen with this model, some flowers! Another thing however, is that she's very nonchalant. She's swinging her legs, eating an olive, and subtly reacts to Rayman when he sees his look-alike. Models aren't allowed to react to what their patrons do, unless they are being incredibly inappropriate towards them.

The areas where models and their patron(s) are going to be eating/sitting still for very long periods at are set up meticulously, even in at-home sessions. In the background, you can subtly see a bra on the couch and possibly a pair of underwear hanging from a lamp, these are highly likely to be the model's. It's seemingly a very messy meeting, which is unusual.

SO! I can make the assumption from all this is that: This hybrid cow is a beginner model and doesn't care too much about professionalism; the business she works for just doesn't care, OR she's just some joe schmoe (which is a very unsettling idea to be honest) and was casually up for Rayman eating sushi off her ass and back, OR Eden's regulations for Nyotaimori are incredibly lax.

What does that all lead up to? Still the first idea: Rayman is desperate for any form of connection, even if they don't talk to him. He just wants someone to be there, whether they actually care about him or not.

This idea also contributes to how he stayed under the Council's clutches for so long. They gave him attention. Although they were definitely the reason he's needy for any type of attention, they gave him their eyes consistently sparingly and convinced him that was all he was ever going to get.

And tying this to his first interaction with Bullfrog and how he turned against Eden so quick and didn't just adamantly deny Bullfrog's vision, Bullfrog gave him the most neutral attention he has ever received in decades.

Not overly positive attention like he gets on his show (which definitely is fake to him), and not suffocatingly negative attention that the Council and some speciest people like Red have shown him- Bullfrog gave Rayman his real, raw attention, and it's probably going to be become like a drug to him.

#arthrobug #bugbrain #bugbrain bumblings #captain laserhawk #captain laserhawk blood dragon remix #bugsy rambles and overanalyzes a scene clearly meant to be a joke againnn #because of coursee he diddd #rayman #bullfrog #clh #cl #character analysis #cw #cw minor nudity #oh shit it's past midnight I started typing this at 10:50 uhhhh #i fucked up my amino streak AGAIN damn 😔 #duolingo's going to be so pissed off at meeeee wahhhh

[writtenbyred]

Something Bad // A Matt Murdock x Reader fic // Slow burn

Note: Okay so I finally decided to post something I've had in my docs as a draft for forever, because why not. A slow burn matt murdock x reader romance with a whole lot of original storyline and plot building in this first chapter if you're willing to stick with it until you get the entrance of wonderful and rageful Matt.

Warnings: Reference to sexual violence/assault in this chapter.

Disclaimer: I have, since writing up lots for this story and planning it out and becoming attached to my character, seen other fics using an 'empath' OC, but I have become very attached to 'Ana' and I guess daredevil and all its angst lends itself well to an empath story so I'm sending this out into the ether anyways.

Go forth and read if you would like to <3 - Red

Chapter 1. Emotions.

Sat at a cold, metal table on a particularly uncomfortable chair, you looked intently at the person sitting opposite. There sat a young girl. In her file it said she was 21, but if you hadn’t seen that and had to hazard a guess, you’d have presumed her to be around 18. The way her eyes were cloudy with tears, her hands shaking slightly as she held them up to her chin, elbows lent on the cold metal, it all contributed to making her look younger - small, in that moment. 

“It’s okay, Emma” You spoke, edging your hands forward on the table in a subconscious show of support. “You can take your time, we’re in no rush”

Emma looked upwards, then. You watched as a single tear slipped from her eye, only briefly tumbling down her cheek before Emma reached to wipe it with her sleeve. 

“I’m sorry,” Emma stuttered a little over her words, her voice raspy from emotion. “I’m being silly, I just-”

As her words cut off mid sentence, you reached your hand forward quickly to place a comforting hand on Emma’s arm. The dark tumbling of vivid feelings - sadness, shame and fear, that you were already feeling inside your chest (or stomach, mind, just about everywhere? You weren’t 100% where the feelings of others ended up locating themselves within you) multiplied until she felt overwhelmed, having to shake her head with an exhale to push through them.

“Do not apologise. You are not being silly, and have nothing to feel sorry for. This is something incredibly difficult you’re doing, and I’m here to help you through it.” You grasped the girl's hand at that point, and in the way that you still did not fully understand, a wave of whatever calm you could find within yourself washed over you and towards Emma for a moment, and the girl let out a sigh as you watched some of that pain leave her. In that moment you felt good, happy that she could provide this sort of relief for somebody, even if only temporarily and not without an increase in your own anxieties.

“Thank you, I… I think I’m ready to talk now” And Emma’s words came at a perfect time, as a few moments later your head turned to the door, a soft knock floating through. 

“You can come in” You called out to the officer you knew was standing on the other side, and then the door opened. 

A police officer with a kind face stepped into the room, you had spoken with him earlier when you had first arrived - You were pretty sure he had said his name was Brett. He sent a small smile towards you both, and his empathy for the girl's situation shone through, even if you knew he would never be able to understand her emotions quite as well as you could.

“Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to see how you were getting on” He walked towards the table and you realised then he was holding a mug in his hand, placing it down in front of the girl, he then gestured towards it. “It’s tea.” Emma reached her hand out to grasp it and looked to give him a smile in thanks.

“Sorry Miss Johnson, I didn’t think to get you anything-” You cut off the officer - still unsure if it was definitely Brett he had said, definitely something with a B - before he could finish.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” You shifted her attention back to Emma as she released the hand you had half forgotten she was still holding in order to bring the mug to her lips. She seemed more relaxed now, the awful panic of hopelessness and shame creeping in having dissipated slightly.

“So, do you think we’re ready to make a full statement, or?” He trailed off slightly, looking from Emma to you. You looked to the girl, letting the silence continue for as long as necessary, giving the girl the opportunity to make her own decision. You knew her ability to say yes or no had already been taken from her at least once that day, and you weren’t about to do it again. 

“Yes, I’m ready to talk now” Emma seemed to sit up a little in her seat, lifting her head higher in her decision. 

“Okay, great. I’ll be taking it from you, if that’s okay? We can try to find a female officer if you’ll be more comfortable.” Brett added, pulling the lone chair from the corner of the room to the table in order to sit in between them.

“No, that's fine. But, could Ana stay, please?” Emma’s eyes shifted to yours, and the subtle plea held within them was noticeable, even if you couldn’t feel the emotion rolling off of her. 

“That’s okay with me, If Miss Johnson-”

“Of course” You spoke to the room, and then to Emma. “I’ll stay.” 

And so you did. 

You stayed and listened as Emma spoke of what happened early that morning, when she had been finishing a night shift at around 5am. What had happened when the sky was still dark and Hell’s Kitchen still shrouded in shadows as she made the short walk through back streets towards a bus route. As she had been grabbed, attacked by rough hands who pulled her into an alleyway. You felt fear, panic rising in bubbles from her stomach, to her chest, to her throat. And so you leant forward, taking the girl’s shaking hand in yours when she’d faltered over her retelling, stopping to catch her breath through tears, the emotions intensifying as she worked to calm them. A subtle nudge from your mind, some quiet ringing in your own ears, and you saw as Emma’s shoulders seemed to relax slightly, her rapid breaths slowing and stabilising, allowing her to continue on. You offered her a weak smile in encouragement.

There were many times in your life where you had hated the fact that you were capable of this. When things had become overwhelming when you were younger, when emotions would feel like they were strangling you in some situations.

You hated hospitals, always. The fear, the pain, the hopelessness from so many had twisted painful knots into your stomach, caused your chest to tighten and your eyes to burn, when your Mum was sick, you had avoided the hospital as much as possible, often unable to visit her. your own home, after your mum had died, now that was simply unbearable.

But in rare moments like this, You were grateful for your ability to take some of the girl’s pain away, even if you had to feel it in turn. 

Once the difficult conversation was done, Officer Brett Mahoney (you had read his name tag) had stopped the recording and explained to Emma what would happen next. Through this, though, and whilst they left the room and left Emma waiting for whoever she had contacted to come, You’s world was blurred. your body was exhausted, and a deep ache had built within you as you still felt all the painful emotions, now overwhelming your mind after such time. you had to stabilise yourself against the wall in the hallway for a moment whilst Officer Mahoney had gone to talk to an officer, closing your eyes to wait for the momentary dizziness to pass.

Hearing your name made you open your eyes, stand up straighter to face Officer Mahoney.

“Miss. Johnson, thank you for coming down.” His face was serious but the warmth shone through his eyes, as well as his feelings of appreciation, which washed over You like a hot shower, a momentary recess from the dark and cutting emotions you still had swirling within your. “Honestly, I don’t know how you do it, but you really managed to calm her down. She was a mess before, understandably. I don’t know if we would have gotten that statement until morning otherwise. Gives us a much better chance of finding the guy”.

“It’s no bother, I’m happy to do it” You sent a smile at him, your head slowly returning to functioning more capably. And as much as it did take a lot out of you, dealing with the overwhelming emotions of these difficult situations and the police station in general, you really were happy to do it.

“We’re getting a lot of similar cases at the minute” He shook his head at that and a grimace came on You’s face. you knew that, you’d had to do this for far more people lately. “It would be useful to have you there in future.”

A wave of nausea passed over you as another rush of panic and grief washed over you. You stole a glance back to the room you’d just been in, only a few feet away, and you realised you needed to get as far away from it as possible. So you reached your hand into the pocket of your jacket and quickly picked up your card, handing it to Brett with a forced smile.

“Call me here if you ever need someone again” You spoke before lifting your bag on your shoulder and turning to head towards the door, as quickly as you could without causing alarm. On the way out you felt a mixture of anger, grief, happiness, and then some more fear thrown in for good measure, all flowing out of the people sitting in the station.

Once you reached the large entrance doors, finally pushing outside into the cool air, you breathed in a deep sigh of relief. Your hands anxiously patted at your thighs, leaning your whole upper body forward as you shut your eyes, willing your brain to just calm. The emotions within you started to simmer down, as the outside air filled your lungs, it seemed as you exhaled a lot of the pain went with it, and you welcomed that calmer feeling, though some of the dizziness remained.

You hadn’t always been able to do this. As a kid you could remember people praising your empathy, a kind warm child who always wanted to make people feel better, so you supposed maybe it had always lived inside of you. Not that you really understood what ‘it’ was, but it was as you got a little older that it really started. As you started hitting teenage years, it was… overwhelming. 

As other kids started being aware of themselves; feeling emotions more deeply, feeling embarrassment, starting to explore romantic interests - You felt it all, except not only for yourself. You supposed one of the first times you realised what was happening to you wasn’t normal was in 8th grade. A girl had come into class after a couple days away, her eyes looked a little lifeless, dark circles and redness that indicated she had been crying, but none of the other 13 year olds seemed to notice this, but You did, because as she walked into the room a pit opened at the bottom of your stomach, seemingly making room for the dark horrific feeling of a sad pain mixed with guilt, fear, hopelessness and anger to enter, taking You’s breath away. As it turned out, the girl had lost her father. That was the first time you had known what grief felt like, and it certainly wasn’t the last.

You checked your phone for the time, seeing it was 5:45pm, you’d spent far more time in the police station than you had expected to, and it was time for you to call it a day. You mostly worked alone, the card you handed over simply stating your name, and a description of Emotional counselling/Advocate/Representative to try and encompass the range of things you did for people. In reality this was everything from working with somebody to calm their nerves before giving a large presentation to, what you did far more often, coaching people who were scared and traumatised giving statements and later testifying in court. You were also part of a company who provided advocates to those who were vulnerable in any legal proceedings or meetings with law enforcement, but often once you had worked with somebody, you handed them your personal card, as agencies tended to pay jack shit.

You had desperately wanted to find any way you could put this curse some would call a gift to use, to try and help people if you could. You had too much experience of not being able to help people, especially the ones you loved, which was still eagerly eating away at you. 

Near the station was a coffee shop you’d been to a few times before or after similar trips, and as much as caffeine may not help the banging headache that you had building, in that moment you really didn’t care. 

On your short walk to the shop, the fluttering of different feelings inside you that you’d grown used to continued. Somebody on the phone was clearly in love, a warmth spreading through you as you pushed past the woman smiling at whoever she was talking to. Another was stressed, walking with purpose and tension in his shoulders which had passed through to you for a moment. You shook your head, willing yourself to try to tune it out for the moment.

You reached the shop, and headed to join the queue of people also craving their caffeine fix. 

You browsed the menu as you took shuffling steps as the line kept moving up, your eyes falling on a sweet caramel filled coffee, your heart tugging towards it. When you stepped up to the counter, however, you ordered a large black coffee. You had a guilty pleasure of sickly sweet coffee, however your life wasn’t so much about what you wanted anymore. 

You took a large gulp of the bitter and hot liquid that scalded your throat slightly, but it was better than feeling the remnants of the acidic feeling of panic you’d felt there all afternoon.

Back at your one bedroomed, simple apartment You had chucked your coffee cup into the bin, your body now slightly electrified by the caffeine content, of which you were glad. You expected the night ahead of you may be a long one, and the more awake you were for it, the better.

Grabbing your laptop, you placed it on your rectangular coffee table, taking a seat on the somewhat battered hard leather couch. You then pulled the laptop onto your lap, pressing the power on button.

Once the light finally flickered on and the screen illuminated, you opened up a document you had, very cleverly you thought, entitled Mom’s recipes. Scrolling past the few simple recipes you’d stolen from the Food Network, you came to the page on which you were keeping the information you had gathered. You bit your lower lip as your eyes darted back and forth to scan the things you had previously written.

There was only just under a page of short sentences, but it was a better position than you had been in 6 months ago, so you would take it. 

“Daniel - Previous chef at Le Frère Juste restaurant had been known to have fallen into the criminal network of Hell’s Kitchen, believed to be due to a substance abuse problem Mr.-”

You stopped reading that particular sentence, which was a quote from a police report you had obtained a couple months back through means that some would possibly frown upon, including the police that it came from, which meant that perhaps it wasn’t entirely legal. What you had been more interested in was the name attached to said report. One Officer Jenkins, who you had spent time trying to track down for more information, but was so far unsuccessful.

You weren't empty handed, however. 

At the beginning was the hardest, not knowing where to look for information,how to recognise the snippets of clues that could lead to more. But once you had finally gotten one name, you’d tumbled into another, then another. you should’ve been more shocked to discover the dark, tangled web of criminal factions that underpinned Hell’s Kitchen, but having lived here since you were 6 years old, you’d already seen (and felt) much of the darkness that shrouded Hell’s Kitchen. 

The names you had gathered were few, but you were hopeful one of them could provide you with information you needed. So far you had only approached one of the men on your list, who had been unable to give you any information about Daniel or what he was involved with before he had died. You had half expected that however, having picked what you presumed to be the weakest first, to test whether you would be capable of approaching them, if you could use your ability in the right way to cause them to fear you enough to hand over information. Information you may not have gotten, but the sight of the guy running away at full speed once you’d lightened your effect on him certainly improved your confidence in the matter.

You had attended some form of fighting sport since you were a teen on and off, completing a couple years of boxing, some karate, kickboxing also. You’d figured out that punching, kicking, generally throwing yourself at things in some way was a great method for releasing some of the intense emotions pent up inside you that spilled out from everyone else into you. However, you were not technically a fighter of any kind, so 6 months ago when you’d decided this was something you would have to do, for Daniel, you’d started taking self defence lessons, and then deciding you wanted something a little more on the offensive, you’d started one-on-one kickboxing. Of course, you hoped to be successful enough at using your ability against people, but you weren't stupid, and knew you were getting yourself into something dangerous, and thought it best not to rely on simply scaring gang members into not killing you. 

Even with trembling hands, you thought, surely a gun shot would eventually be on target.

Tonight, however, you were hoping for a more successful night. you eyed the second name on your list, and the information you had gained on where this Alex Peters would be this evening by doing some, as some may say, light stalking of Alex a couple of nights earlier this week. you’d known his favourite bar hangout, and after frequenting there many times, you finally got lucky and spotted him at the start of the week, and now you knew he was going to be meeting with some others tonight in Hell’s Kitchen. 

Planning on getting him alone, and asking him what he knew about Daniel, you slipped into your darker, more athletic clothing hoping to blend into the shadows. Once you had what you needed, including a small pen knife and mace on your keys, the only physical offensive weapons you had, the last thing you did before you left was pull up your dark hood over your head.

The air in Hell’s Kitchen was cool as an inky darkness had fallen over the sky, illuminated only by the light pollution spilling out of New York City. You sat crouched on a fire escape, one you’d had to wrestle with a pull-down ladder in order to get up on to. It provided you the perfect vantage point to watch what was happening below. You held a small digital camera in your hand, nothing special since you weren't exactly rolling in cash, however it took better quality pictures than your phone did. you weren't exactly sure why you were collecting photos of the criminal rings you had been tipped off to, or what you may use them for, but it made you feel like you were doing something.

Down below, you were watching 5 men interact. One of these was the guy who’s name you’d been given, with a possible connection to Daniel: That was Alex Peters, a relatively short man with a shaved head and tattoos littering his large, muscular arms and seeping on to his neck. Typically exactly what you’d expect from some sort of intimidating muscle man for a gang. Great, You thought, you weren't exactly looking forward to trying to get information from him.

The others seemed to be a mix of associates of Alex and another group. They were discussing something in tones too hushed for you to be able to make out what they were saying, but considering the fact they were a bunch of criminals attached to everything from drugs to murder, you’d hazard a guess that it wasn’t anything good. 

They stood within a half decrepit building, either a warehouse or an old multstorey car park of which only metal bones remained, You weren't sure, but either way the damage, which was presumably a result of The Incident, made for a great hotspot for criminal activities, but also thankfully allowed you a great view from your vantage point.

Alex started to split from the rest of the pack, and your attention peaked, quickly placing away your camera into the small over shoulder bag you had, standing yourself up, a little, in preparation. 

He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, shouting back to the others whilst he walked in the opposite direction to where they were headed towards a car trunk.

He shouted something incomprehensible, and you started to move. your footsteps light and you shimmied yourself back down the ladder you’d used to climb up in the first place. you could hear your own heart beating loudly in your ears, your chest thudding as you tried to control your breath before approaching this man. For somebody with the ability to manipulate somebody else’s emotions, you sure could struggle with your own sometimes.

You pulled your hood over your head even further, more as a comfort action than anything else. Alex had rounded the corner of a half broken down wall, You watching the light from his cigarette as you circled round in the shadows, crouching hidden behind a large metal waste bin as you ran over and over in your head what was about to happen. You would approach as quickly as possible, the minute he turned the opposite direction and then… Well you hoped that some muscle memory from your far too few kickboxing lessons and the somewhat unpredictable emotional manipulation powers would come into clutch in the moment.

In the distance, there was the loud sound of the other men, clattering of metal as they looked through their trunk and laughed together, but you couldn’t hear that. The world around had slipped away, a dull pressure building in your ears that made everything around your seem slightly slower, it built further as Alex Peters pulled his old phone from his pocket, his attention now turned away from your direction, and the fullness in your ears seemed to suddenly pop, and then everything was moving fast again; too fast.

In a swift movement, you stood to your feet, and gliding steps took you suddenly right to where Alex stood. He started to turn towards you, a breath of an almost word leaving his mouth as he instinctively raised his arm to push you away, but you stepped back, and threw your knee up quickly, your full body weight behind you as you jutted it into his stomach, winding him. 

“What the F-” Alex’s breathless words came out quickly, but you couldn’t have him alerting the other men to your presence, because then you’d seriously be screwed, so you quickly reached your hand out to his shoulder, and let an intense jolt of fear out of yourself. 

The man before you went rigid, confusion seeming to pass his face before a look of terror enveloped it. You had felt scared more than enough times in your life, and still carried enough of that around to pull it from yourself and throw it into him. So that’s what you did.

A continuous pressure of terror sent between two minds, and soon it was easy enough for you to grip him harder, bringing your other hand to his opposite shoulder, shoving him back against the brick wall. 

“Alex Peters.” your voice came out more gruff than you’d ever normally hear yourself sound. It was laced with anger, and presumably adrenaline, but you had to keep it quiet. His stuck wide eyes darted back and forth between yours and the vice-like grip of your hands. He seemed to try to speak, but was unable to, so you continued. “I’m going to give you a name. And you are going to tell me what you know.”

He just looked at you, so you moved your hand to his throat, reaching deeper within yourself to channel more intense feelings into him. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead he gave a quick nod, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead.

“Daniel, Daniel Johnson. Do you kno-” you couldn’t finish your sentence as your adrenaline fueled trance was suddenly broken by the clashing sound you heard from just past the wall. you whipped your head towards the sound. Your concentration was broken, your mind losing its grip on the channelling emotions for just a moment. But it was long enough for Alex Peters to regain some of his composure, clearly finding his voice enough to shout out, and push you backwards, causing you to stumble over your own legs. 

Your eyes were back on him just in time to see his still shaking fist coming towards you, ringing in your ears a moment later as you were too late to fully avoid his hand connecting with the side of your temple. you doubled over for a moment, and suddenly the nerve endings in the front of your face exploded in pain, his knee having connected directly with your nose. you leant back against the metal you originally hid behind, the coolness aiding the heat burning through you. You mustered up the adrenaline to lift yourself up, going after him. 

However, as your fingers were just grasping his jacket to pull him backwards, your eyes focused ahead and saw that the other men were now approaching. your fuzzy mind had only enough time to pull into focus one word; Shit.

All of a sudden, with the distant sound of a soft thud, there was another figure standing before you. In the dim light, it seemed like just a shadow of a man. But all of a sudden, one of the men was on the floor, and the others were now focused on a new target. 

The new development didn’t keep your attention long though, with the others now running to throw punches at the shadow figure, you could turn back to Alex and throw your arms at him again. 

You grabbed his forearm, and let your mind kick into action in a way that was becoming more practised, more perfected. you threw your body weight at him, stumbling you both back against the brick wall, Alex’s back thudding roughly against it at which he let out a small cry. 

“Daniel Johnson, tell me.” Your voice was rushed, desperation sneaking through into your tone, your need for answers burning at your already gravelly throat. His eyes however were focused to his right, where over his shoulder, the other men he’d been with were either choosing to run or being beaten to the ground. His fabricated terror seemingly having found a new perpetrator in the shadow man. And he fought back against you, clearly desperate to join his fellow cowards in escape. You were pushed backwards once again, your smaller frame at your disadvantage, and for a moment your breath caught in your throat, the flash of dark metal catching your eye, the gun in Alex’s hand being lifted up towards you, but almost instantly, Alex disappeared from before you.

You could feel your shaky breaths coming back, faster than usual, the quickened beats of your heart in your ears at full volume again. The gun was gone from Alex’s hand when you looked back to him, and instead he was being hit swiftly around the head with it, knocking him sideways. you watched as the shadow of a man grabbed Alex by the neck, his other hand clasped into a fist, quickly connecting with the side of Alex’s temple. Once. Twice. A third hit, and Alex’s eyes had fallen closed, his body grew limp, and it fell to the floor as the man released his hold on his neck.

For a moment you just stood there, watching the back of the man clad all in black, your quick and shallow breaths seemingly mirroring his as his tight shoulders heaved up and down in steady rhythm. For a moment, he just stood there also. Still, unmoving. 

Slowly, he turned around to face you. You weren’t sure how you were meant to feel, having seen this man just take out 5 or more men in the space of a couple minutes, standing alone in an alleyway with him, but the large amount of adrenaline was clearly still coursing through your veins because you didn’t take much notice to how you should feel. 

What you did feel in that moment, though, was a deep seated rage. you hadn’t the functioning brain power in that moment to ponder whether that emotion was bubbling up inside of you or flooding out of the man before you. 

You watched him as he seemed to consider you for a moment, his head twitched to the side, and you tried to study him also, but the majority of his face was covered by black cloth. You took a momentary glance over his all black attire, the thin material splayed across his thick torso severely lacking in protection. Before he had the chance to say anything, the thick and red hot rage was clawing at her throat to be verbalised. 

“What the hell.” Your voice was gravelly, pitched low as you stood in some sort of standoff with this shadow of a man. You couldn’t see his facial expression, only the slight tick in his jaw as he slowly cocked his head in the other direction.

“Excuse me?” His voice was deep. It was rough and came from deep in his chest, which was still rising and falling in rapid respiration. You simply narrowed your eyes at him, reasonable thought and any sense of self preservation clearly out of the window with the adrenaline still coursing through your veins. 

“I said, what the hell, man” You lifted a hand to your hair, roughly pushing away the wisps of it that had fallen in front of your face. “I was just about to- well, whatever, but you jump in here and ruin it.” Your voice was somewhat hectic. 

With Alex Peters having run off, your chance of getting some more information about Daniel had gone with him, and at that moment, all of your negative feelings about that outcome were being filtered and thrown straight at the man before you. It seemed those feelings were mostly anger.

His lips seemed to press into an even more grim line, as he shook his head in a movement ever so slight, it may have been a subconscious reflex in his disagreement.

“If I hadn’t jumped in when I did then you’d most likely be dead right now.” He stated matter of factly, causing you to scoff.

“I can handle myself just fine, thank you.” Your hands rested upon your hips, trying to hide the way they still shook slightly from the man before you, an attempt to exude confidence, despite the way your heart rate was still racing. 

“I’m not sure I would call having a gun pointed to your head, handling yourself, exactly.” Although his lips remained in a line, his voice still grim, it gained the slightest lilt of teasing to it, and flames of annoyance built up in your chest, escaping in the way of a groan of exasperation. 

“I would have been perfectly fine, without you showing up and chasing away my- That guy.” Words flew from your mouth a little quicker than you could filter them, realising you probably shouldn’t be telling details of your plans to the stranger in front of you. 

“Sure you would.” His voice and the feelings that flew off of him held no ounce of truth. “You need to be more careful, what are you doing out here trying to talk to these guys?” His head cocked to the side once against, an almost questioning taunt to his positioning. 

His near chastising tone brought a laugh from your lips. 

“What’s it to you?” You narrowed your eyes at him, taking a small step back from him, looking him up and down from clothed face down to a tough black boot, and it clicked for you where you'd seen this shadow man before. You drew in a sharp breath. 

The Man in Black.

You’d seen the papers as you walked past the stands, you’d seen the news and heard local radio all talking about this Man in Black. A vigilante sort, who seemed to be travelling around Hell’s Kitchen and regularly beating the shit out of people.

“Well, I’m just trying to-” He started again, less gravel to his voice now he seemed to have calmed a bit, but you cut him off before he could impart his opinion on to you. 

“Stop it. I know who you are” He stilled for a moment, taking you in as you purposely rolled your shoulders back, standing a little taller before him, still feeling those sparks of rage flickering. “The Man in Black” You added emphasis to his given title with the lilt of sarcasm in your voice clear. 

“I don’t need to take advice from some vigilante, going around and spreading violence. You have no idea what I’m doing, who I am,” For some reason you hadn’t quite realised, a lot of vitriol was building into your voice as you addressed the man in black. Thinking of the many people you’d heard of him having fought. The people he’d hurt. How was he to know if the people he fought deserved it? What if it was somebody just caught up with the wrong people. Someone like Daniel. “You’ve screwed things up for me here tonight, I have a banging headache from being punched, and also knee-d actually, in the face, and now no information, so thank you very much, Man in Black, but I think this is where I’ll be bidding you goodnight. 

His lips parted slightly, which was just visible to you under the dim glow of distant street lights down the alley. It looked like he was about to speak, but before he could you heaved your bag further up your shoulder, a wince as you jolted your head with your movement, and spun on your heel. 

“You’re hurt…” His gruff voice trailed off, but you simply waved a hand in his direction, exhaustion suddenly pulling at your mind, and knowing vehemently that you did not need saving by some guy in a black mask. 

You continued to retrace your steps towards the ladder that led you back to your vantage point and a way home, empty handed. However, the deep voice stopped you again whilst you were only a few metres away. 

“Wait.” You tilted your head slightly back in his direction. “The name you said, Daniel Johnson was it-”

Anger shot through your veins, your voice coming out as more of a growl. “Don’t say that name” You simply said, watching as the man in black stood still, his lips still parted in question. But you simply turned and walked away, having had enough of the night. 

Your legs dragged heavy beneath you, feeling like logs as you battled each step. Now the adrenaline was wearing off, every step felt more difficult, and exhaustion was truly trying to pull you under the whole way back to your flat. 

As you walked down dark back alleys and hidden streets, you tried not to think about the fact that you’d had a gun pulled on you this evening, the cool metal of it still a phantom feeling against the skin of your head. Tried not to think about the fact that you could have died, and that for all of that, you still had no new information, thanks to the Man in Black. 

A couple of blocks from the location of your night's altercation, you paused, a heavy stone in your chest as you lent your head back against the cold and rough brick of an alley wall. A couple of shaky breaths escaped you, and much to your dismay, now that you were alone, surrounded by nobody’s emotions but your own, a tear slid from between your lashes down and over your cheekbone. You shook your head, and pushed off the wall with a kick of your feet, desperate to get yourself home. 

You pulled your jacket closer around your body, your hood still tight over your head, and walked quickly through the darkened and unsafe streets of Hell’s Kitchen at night, in the direction of your apartment. You kept your head down, trying your best to avoid any trouble. You didn’t think you had it in you for another fight of any kind this evening. 

You weren’t aware, however, that were you to encounter one, the man in black would be right there with you.

#matt murdock #fan fiction #daredevil #matt murdock x reader #matt murdock x fem!reader #matt murdock x oc #matt murdock x y/n #matt murdock fanfic #here goes nothing #sending this out into the ether

[actual-changeling]

202X, London, Soho, Aziraphale's bookshop

"I never noticed that one."

Crowley gives a non-committal hum, too caught up in the soft rhythm of Aziraphale's fingers carding through his hair, and pushes his face further into his soft stomach. His shirt has ridden up while he has been teetering on the edge between dreams and wakefulness, and Aziraphale has never been able to resist a patch of bare skin.

While he technically does not need to sleep, let alone nap, slow afternoons like these are a simple pleasure in themselves. Two cups of hot cocoa, his head in Aziraphale's lap while he reads one book or another, the comfort of knowing that they're safe and free in the bubble they have created. He fully intends to drift back off, his eyes fluttering shut once more, when an odd pressure on the side of his ribs catches his attention.

Twisting his head as far as it will go, he watches as Aziraphale traces a long, jagged scar running almost parallel to his spin, although several inches to the left of it. Crowley cannot feel the touch itself, there are no nerves left in the scar tissue, but he senses the gentle brush of his fingertips right next to it.

"What happened?"

He blinks up at his angel and sighs, adjusting himself; it is not a pretty story, yet he knows he won't regain his peace until Aziraphale gets his answer.

"Remember Edinburgh?"

"Of course, but I don't—oh."

The second Aziraphale realises what he is getting at, all air leaves his body, his hand stilling, and Crowley can practically taste the pity rolling off of him in waves.

"My lot don't send rude notes, angel, and doing that much good all at once, well, let's just say Beelzebub wasn't pleased."

In the silence that follows, he absently considers simply falling asleep and leaving Aziraphale with his more than shortened summary of the events that followed their night at the graveyard, but a sudden rustle of paper and fabric tells him said angel has other plans.

Now pressing both his palms against Crowley's back, Aziraphale quickly bends down to kiss his hair before asking, "Does it still hurt?"

"Aches in bad weather, but no, doesn't hurt. Stop fretting, angel, it's-"

"If you say 'fine', Crowley, I swear I will- "Yeah, yeah, I won't."

It is fine, but he swallows the end of his sentence, and allows him to send low pulses of ethereal energy into his cells, smoothing over as much of the old injury as he can. Admittedly, it does feel nice after all these decades of distant pain, although it is entirely unnecessary. Once Aziraphale is satisfied, he kisses the back of his head again and tugs down his shirt, wrapping his arms around him and ignoring his book to hold him instead.

"Do I want to know what caused it?"

Crowley hisses contently and buries his face in the warmth of his stomach.

"No, but I guess you wanna know anyway."

"If you don't mind."

Letting out his second defeated sigh of the day, he tilts his head just enough to speak.

"They do this thing where they break your wings and send you down a chute to, eh, fall, for however long they want. I refused to show 'em my wings at first, Beelzebub threatened to rip out my spine, left the scar."

It's an incredibly condensed version of events. In reality, there has been a lot of blood, screams, and torn skin, but Aziraphale is already clinging to him like the earth will swallow him whole, so he decides not to elaborate. There is nothing one can say in response to that kind of confession, and Aziraphale doesn't try. Instead, he finally continues the drag of nails along his scalp. Crowley hums and closes his eyes.

"Can I please nap now?"

"Of course, whatever you want." Aziraphale pauses, and then, because he simply always has to, continues.

"I love you, dearest."

"Love you too, angel."

#alex writes good omens #good omens #ineffable husbands #crowley #aziraphale #good omens season 2 #go2 #aziracrow #crowley x aziraphale #injuries #hell sucks and im too tired to write proper whump so take this instead #another entry for the journal series i guess

[charcubed]

Hi. I tend to forget that tumblr exists and just shout all my thoughts about The Winchesters on Twitter @CharCubed, which is a problem, but for once in my life I'm posting something here!

Here are some broad Thoughts on where I've landed of what this season 1 finale of The Winchesters offered–

• I very much want season 2 of this show SO badly. I want to see how they all continue to build their lives now that we know tragedy need not be their end! THIS IS THE HEALING SHOW. That whole cast gets to write their own story... "the only thing that's worse than how it starts for a hunter is how it ends" is no longer the case, as Carlos already said... and Dean helped to free them? That fucks.

• In regards to those possibilities: now that Dean would no longer be framing the prequel as a story he's telling, it frees the prequel up to no longer be doubling as Dean's story through revealing mirroring–which is very much what it's been doing for 12 episodes. Now the monster plots and the storylines for those characters in The Winchesters can also be diversified, so every episode no longer has to include, for example... [checks notes] a situation where a character is literally and/or metaphorically trapped and has to confront their trauma, break cycles of violence, and speak truths to be freed. It's been very Loud and very much Like This Constantly because it's Dean's story, but now it won't have to be anymore, which is an interesting thing to contemplate! (To be clear, for those unaware of my history of yelling about this show: I love that it was Like This. This show is fucking genius.)

• Initially, this finale had some alarm bells pinging in my brain but then I parsed the Reasons for those things. Mary told John she had "Something to say," right? And then she never says it. That's a Chekhov's gun that's never fired and it's of course paralleling how Dean has "something to say" to Cas too. Them not speaking that truth is a problem. In addition, we also got a montage eerily akin to the 15x19 one. But these callbacks / parallels to s15 all loudly indicate something very specific: The Winchesters is an unfinished story, and this finale (like the rest of this show) is mirroring and revealing truths about the prime narrative of SPN. For one thing, with the prequel they originally expected to have 22 or so episodes and ended up having 13 to work with. For another... this is the START of their story, not the end. So along those lines, what can we deduce about the end of season 15? (Hint: that finale is not an ending either.)

• Speaking of which: We learn that everything Dean was just doing takes place in the ~heavenly~ time period before Sam “dies." This all functionally happened right after Dean died as he drove down that road. He is restless, unmoored, grieving, and–this is key–considers his "ending" to be an unhappy happy one. He's fucking around and finding out, looking for and unpacking (through his narration) what he needs and wants for HIS happy ending to look like. He found out about the Akrida being a failsafe from Chuck and couldn't resist meddling to save everyone. It's also worth noting that Dean says to Jack something like, "If you have to kick me out of Heaven then that's fine." Between the lines is the thought of "please kick me out of Heaven, I'm causing problems because I'm grieving and I'm not done, I don't want this 'peace' but would rather have freedom." That in itself is a massive subversion of the SPN finale, to say nothing of the previous 12 episodes we've received.

Anyway. So in terms of Dean's story, we now know that this all takes place smack in the middle of 15x20 timeline-wise. This checks out because Bobby's presence connects to him being the only one we saw in 15x20. And... what I personally consider to be Jack's incredibly fucked up or ~potentially taken over by Chuck~ vibes are, in that sense, consistent with 15x19 as well. (I'm so sorry but please let me drop this cursed "Alex Calvert playing Chuck" joke by Jensen from August 2022 which haunts me.)

So: nothing about the concept that @chuckwon at the end of season 15 has been confirmed or denied in canon at this point. The idea that Chuck LOST, as Dean says here, is simply what Dean may still be thinking (which makes sense). But nothing has fundamentally changed about the state of how season 15 left things in the prime narrative yet... largely because that's not what this story is / was about.

In terms of what this finale presented to us, I think "Chuck won" potential was all deliberately left open. And I continue to Call Bullshit on the finale accordingly. A Chuck won plot line COULD be used in a future sequel to great affect, or it could NOT be used in a future sequel. That will be totally up to the future authors / team behind that potential sequel to see what story they choose to tell, and where it all may or may not go. But until then (on that front) right now it's the same shit, different show, and deliberately literally nothing about that potential has changed.

• I LOVE all of the above now that I've parsed it all in my brain. It makes perfect sense. Much like we were never going see the gay angel pop up in this show and kiss Dean (with apologies to anyone who somehow thought otherwise?)... leaving other things open like this is fantastic and the objectively correct call. Dean's story is HIS story to be furthered elsewhere, whereas this show belonged and continues to belong to its cast of characters who must take center stage. But through this story within a story narrated by Dean himself, we learned a hell of a lot about his state of mind as it actively stands in 15x20. Or more accurately: the entire show reinforces and reiterates comprehensively and repeatedly that the SPN finale was wrong and bad and not the end of the story at all, and now canonically and openly and in no uncertain terms that that's how Dean feels too.

• AND THUS: season 1 of The Winchesters works as deeply clever and layered commentary on Supernatural's ending and presents the stepping stone for a sequel continuation for Dean and his family. It's also the beginning of a new chapter with endless potential for The Winchesters' cast of characters who are not tied to fate or main timeline.

I fucking love it here.

Truly, madly, deeply: ALL HAIL ROBBIE THOMPSON.

And seriously, I really hope we get a season 2 because I adore all of the prequel's characters on their own merit and I want to see what their story can become :')

#the winchesters #spnwin #spnwin meta #the winchesters meta #dean winchester #GO LITTLE ROCKSTAR. FUCK SHIT UP #chuck won theory #chuck won meta #char writes things #ON TUMBLR? NO WAY. #I will likely reblog this to the chuckwon blog eventually