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#as is my right as someone who is vaguely able to draw
hargr00vy · 4 months
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babes your glow is showing
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(For your lovely rollo event.)
Rollo, how do you feel about children? Either just in general or perhaps.. if you would ever want to be a father in the future?
Like Fire, Hellfire.
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“Children?”
He handled the word as though it were a skunk—innocent and harmless for now but primed to spray at the first hint of danger. A muscle in his face ticked. It was though he wished to shift into a different emotion but hadn't yet decided which one.
Handkerchief out, Rollo sucked in a breath through his teeth. The usual disgust or disapproval was not present in full force. Today, it was tempered by hesitance as he tip-toed around the subject.
"They have the capacity to be rambunctious. Like fire, difficult to tame. I’m not certain I can match their energy," he said vaguely. “The children in the City of Flowers are free-spirited, and that tends to result in acts of mischief. Whether their pranks and games disturb public peace depends on the time and place. I'm not fond of the instances when they do."
A slight grimace crossed his features. "There was once an incident when a boy blew hard into a magically charmed handkerchief, and the noise it produced startled the baker at the cafe I was frequenting. He had just pulled out a fresh batch of croissants from the oven. The croissants ended up all over the floor... What a waste of perfectly good food. The baker, too, was quite upset, as you can imagine."
"What happened to the boy?"
"Ah, him. He attempted to abscond from the scene of the crime. In his rush to escape, he paid no attention to his surroundings and collided with me." Rollo waved a hand. "The baker's rage was upon him in an instant. The boy was shaking like a leaf in the wind—he grasped onto my robes to keep himself upright.”
Rollo drew out a sigh that ended in a small smile. “I managed to smooth things over with the baker, though I also spoke with the boy and had him apologize. One must atone for one’s crimes—that lesson was surely instilled in him that day.”
"Aw, it was nice of you to step in and speak on behalf of the little guy." You found yourself smiling as well. Even though Rollo-san always has this stern air about him… "You really have a soft spot for kids, huh?”
His frown quickly returned. "No, I wouldn't say that. I was merely holding the boy accountable for his actions. Children can so easily be led astray without proper instruction and moral guidance. Who is to say he wouldn’t be a repeat offender if he was let off the hook?”
"Someone's in denial," you said in a teasing singsong. “It’s okay to confess that you’re good at taking care of kids, you know.”
“… I am not,” he insisted. “I am most content observing the children go about their simple days. I do not wish to take a larger part in their lives beyond that.”
A terrifying thought nipped at him from the dark crevices of his mind.
I don’t have a right to.
If his heart were a house, then a window had been thrown open, letting the outside in. A hole opened in the dark, and incriminating light rushed to fill it.
A flower of pain blossomed in his chest, its thorns driving deep into his flesh. The blood that rose to the surface was both hot and cold. Burning scorn, icy remorse.
A deadly duo.
Spiraling.
I wasn't able to protect the one that mattered most of all. My magic came too late. I'm in no position to be a big brother, let alone a father, a grandfather, an uncle, a guardian of any sort…!
I’m not worthy.
Rollo gritted his teeth. His soul ablaze, his mind jumbled with emotions running high. He pushed back with teeth and nails.
It’s not my fault. I’m not to blame!! The one who cast this flame is…!
“Rollo-san?”
You were staring at him, concern seeping into your eyes. Curiosity, too, had bloomed there. It was the same sort of expression one makes at a a stray on the side of the road. Sorry for it, but uncertain about drawing near to check its condition.
He gasped—realizing he had been making a most frightening face. Rearranging his features back into some semblance of calm, he cleared his throat.
“… Suffice to say, it is impossible in this current state of affairs for any child to grow up safe and free of sin. Around every bend and corner, there is temptation of magic calling out to them. How cruel!” he lamented pityingly. “The poor things, like lambs led to the slaughter.”
You shuddered at the gruesome image—human children like lambs.
Poor things, echoed your head. Poor Rollo, echoed your heart, thinking such things.
“Until I can bring about that magic-free world into fruition, I cannot commit my efforts toward any other endeavors,” he concluded. “A world without all the pain and suffering of this one… I intend to see my goal through to the very end. That is my utmost priority.”
A fairer world for all.
For the children.
For him.
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mybeautifuldelirium · 2 years
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Hi there ♥️ could U do a aemond x dothraki slave fanfic in where she works as a Maiden and aemond Takes and Interest in her because He has never Seen a dothraki before💕 thankyou love
The Wildflower From The East || Aemond Targaryen x Dothraki!reader part 1
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A/N this is my first Aemond fanfic so please go easy on me lol
but I hope you like it. It turned out longer than I had expected, but I really wanted to include some backstory and character build up, so lmk if you’d like a Part 2 xx
Summary: Aemond is so captivated by his sister’s new maid that he makes her help him bathe, just so he can hear the fascinating tales from her foreign lands, will he be able to take her out of his mind?
Part 1/?
Warnings: none
Y/N couldn’t remember how long it had been since she last saw her homelands of the Dothraki sea, oh how she missed riding through the mazes of tall thick grass while having the burning Essosi sun gently glaze her skin, she even missed all those ruthless conditions that no lady from the west would ever imagine surviving.
Alas here she was, miles away across the narrow sea in a foreign land. What a cruel fate she had, being sold by her own kin to the slavers of Yunkai only to be brought to King’s Landing as an exotic gift for the Targaryen princess Helaena.
Queen Alicent wasn’t keen on the newly arrived maiden, a filthy savage, she thought of her, unfit to serve her royal daughter. However much to her disapproval, the princess quickly grew close to her new companion indulging in her stories from the foreign lands.
The sun had just risen moments ago and the refreshing scent of the morning dew still lingering in the air. It was hauntingly quiet during this time of day, the only noticeable sound coming from the clashing swords in the courtyard, per usual the Targaryen princes were training with ser Criston. That was when Aemond first saw the foreign maiden.
Y/N was following closely behind his dear sister, who perhaps was once again looking for one of her dreadful creatures in the courtyard. Unlike his brother, the one eyed prince, never paid attention to the maids, however he couldn’t take his eyes off Y/N, she looked nothing like any Westerosi maiden he had seen, there was something striking about her, something so intriguing.
“Ahh the savage girl, a pretty thing she is” smirked Aegon making him turn with a puzzled look.
“Haven’t you heard? They say she’s a Dothraki, sold as a slave at that. Can’t imagine how mother allowed her to serve our beloved sister” he laughed.
‘A Dothraki?’ Aemond thought to himself, he had only heard vague stories about them, from the old septas, but she looked nothing like the images of the ruthless barbarians that these stories had portrayed.
Over the following days the younger prince would secretly throw glances at her every chance he got and although he wouldn’t admit it to himself he just couldn’t take her out of his mind.
The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky with bright colors. Y/N was wandering through the long corridors as princess Helaena had granted her the permission to go bathe herself. Y/N however had decided to use some of the time to explore the castle, indulging in the silence. She has never liked the feeling of being constrained by walls, even the lavish house of her master in Yunkai repulsed her, oh how she missed roaming free on the back of her horse. Consumed by memories of the past, she bumped into something, or rather someone.
As she slowly lifted her head, her eyes were met with a glistening violet gaze that was piercing right through her. The man had long flowing silver hair much like the one of her princess, he had a patch covering one of his eyes but it was unable to overshadow his handsome face .
“Ah so you are the Dothraki maiden” a cunning smirk was lingering on his lips. “Do you speak the common tongue?”
“Yes” she confidently replied, trying not to stare.
“Yes, your grace” he corrected her with a stern expression. “Well then, you are a maid, aren’t you? Go, draw me a bath” he pointed to his chambers with his smirk reappearing.
“I can’t do that, your grace” she answered, mocking his use of the title.
“You do realize, you’re speaking to the prince, how dare you disobey me” he said, now annoyed, but his smirk still apparent.
This nevertheless did not intimidate Y/N “I only serve the princess Helaena my prince”
This response however, only further angered Aemond, he grabbed her by the arm, now his eye staring directly into hers “You’ve heard of dragons, I suppose” he slyly grinned “I happen to be the rider of the largest one there is, all it takes is one of my commands” he twirled a lock of her hair without looking away from her eyes.
Y/N sighed, slowly entering his chambers, as she heard the heavy wooden doors closing behind them.
Quickly she went to fill in the tub, feeling the prince’s gaze never leaving her. Once the tub was filled with warm water and the alluring aroma from the herbs she had placed filled the room, Y/N finally stood up and faced the prince, no longer trying to hide the irritation in her voice.
“May I go now, your grace?”
Aemond locked eye with her, devilish grin playing on his lips “do you expect me to tend to this myself?” He motioned to his attire, covered with filth and dirt, or was it blood.
This time Y/N didn’t even try to object, she knew there was no point in doing so. She mumbled something In Dothraki to herself and cautiously began helping him rid himself of the dirty clothes. Despite her pride and stubbornness Y/N couldn’t deny the otherworldly beauty of the Targaryen prince. He resembled no other man she had ever seen, be it in Yunkai or in the Dothraki hordes. Targaryens were closer to gods than to men, she had heard.
Only when Aemond was left in his breeches did Y/N finally revert her eyes, waiting until she heard the splash from the water. She then kneeled by the tub and started scrubbing his pale skin, desperately trying to escape his gaze. Aemond however kept his eye on her, closely examining her features. Something about this Dothraki girl was drawing him in, he wondered what her story was, how did a savage girl find herself all the way across the narrow sea as a maid to the princess. Aemond could tell she had been taught basic manners and some etiquette along with the common tongue, but even those could not fully conceal her wild upbringing. Her untamed hair was cascading like a waterfall down her back, with several complex braids on top of her head as per Dothraki traditions. She looked rather uncomfortable in her dainty silk gown, he wondered what she was used to wearing.
“What happened to your eye?” Y/N suddenly broke the silence, now examining the leather patch that covered his eye. For a moment, the bluntness of her question caught the prince off guard.
“Curious, are we?” His smirk once again reappeared. “One day I might tell you, but first you owe me a story Wildflower”
“A story?”
“You think I’m unaware of the captivating tales you’ve seemed to tell my beloved sister?” “Don’t you think me worthy of hearing them as well” he gave her a challenging look, their faces now only inches apart.
“Ok then, my prince, as you wish” it was now Y/N’s turn to smirk. She loved telling stories of her lands, they made her feel close to her home, evoking memories of the time when she was free.
Aemond became so enamored with the way the young maiden was narrating her stories, he didn’t notice the water getting cold.
Suddenly Y/N dropped the rag and got up “I must go! The princess!” She rushed to the wooden doors, all manners long forgotten. The prince wanted to stop her, but his pride didn’t let him.
About to get out of the tub, he then saw something glistening under the murky water, it was a gold pendant shaped like a delicate flower, a simple, yet striking piece of jewelry. ‘She must have dropped it’ he thought.
That night Aemond couldn’t get her image out of his head, why was he - a dragon prince so preoccupied with the thoughts of a simple maid from the far eastern lands, he couldn’t explain it to himself, but even if he wouldn’t admit it, he knew that he had to see her again.
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chireikiden · 3 months
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Might be a pretty basic take by the standards of more seasoned yuri fans, but it's my perspective as someone who's mostly read yuri in a Touhou context (though a lot of it), and exclusively manga from the Japanese fans as opposed to i.e. written fics.
Touhou yuri (using it very broadly here to describe any kind of wlw shipping present) is, across the board, in a pool of fan literature going back twenty years, remarkably good at taking the lesbian part for granted. Not counting outright het content or works that simply don't bring it up, I have only very vague memories of a character's lesbian orientation being either denied or even brought to question (even in the cliche "But we're both girls!" manner, which even as a somewhat dead horse trope you might still expect to see, given plenty of doujin writing isn't exactly highbrow). You might be able to read "Does she like girls?" between the lines in the usual question of "Does she like me?" if you really want to, but the way it's still basically treated as default is fun to me. There's a reason Touhou basically has honorary yuri status on e.g. Dynasty Reader, even the stories with effectively zero shipping in them. You might not notice if you haven't browsed the site, but it's literally nothing but yuri + Touhou. We even got upload rights just so we could post more Touhou.
(Of course, Touhou being yuri city is part of the reason any hint of straight romance gets a really strong kneejerk reaction from people, including me. But that's also because the lack of usable male characters makes that shipping inherently hamfisted, up to and including literally making up cardboard villager OCs. Basically the only positive example I can remember off the top of my head is Hisona's An Old Poem for the Cuckoo Bird depicting Youki with a 1000-year-old mostly joking crush on Nue, which after some chin-scratching I decided I liked alright. And Hisona of course has plenty of yuri cred to cover for it.)
But although taken for granted, most Touhou yuri is one or more of: a.) On a "blushing maidens thinking about holding hands" level in its approach to romance, b.) Only depicting the starting moments of a relationship, at best - usually just pining, c.) Only off-handedly teasing, basically to acknowledge the ship is there, d.) Showing a very close and loving relationship but leaving the romance part subtextual, even if thinly veiled.
While those are all fine - some of my favorite artists like e.g. Ashiyama undeniably fall under d.) - it means that artists who depict more established couples, and couples that get depicted as more established, stand out. I love when a story is very blunt about two characters, whether the focus is actually on them or not, already being an item. Be it due to a difference in target demographic or what, many of these works seem to have a slight lean towards being more raunchy/horny even when not outright R-18, but I don't actually mind that too much when it does happen - as long as they're fun and raunchy, as opposed to only raunchy or, god forbid, unfun in raunchy ways.
I like how Moyazou depicts Mokou and Keine as basically-married. I like how Atoki depicts YuuParu or SakiYachi after drawing like twenty books of them (each). I like when Kawayabug depicts Tojiko as Miko's beleaguered wife. But the example of the day is obviously risui (of Ladies of Scarlet Devil Mansion), who you might have guessed inspired this ramble. Funnily enough, in LoSDM she seems to have walked back Meiling and Sakuya's relationship coincidentally at the same time she toned down the content to fit SCoOW's guidelines, compared to her usual works that have MeiSaku at a much more established and mutual stage.
But the point stands that it's really fun to see LoSDM almost rub it in your face from the very start - from Meiling's dream to every other conversation she has - that everyone in it is unapologetically and openly lesbian, assumes everyone else to be a lesbian, and doesn't hesitate to talk about it like a (romcom idiot) adult.
Also, risui draw lady very good
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20thcentwriter · 1 month
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Get him back [Michael Gavey x OC]
Chapter One- When Edith Met Michael
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Word count- 1.2k
Cw- swearing
Vaguely proofread
A/n hello everyone, welcome to chapter one of my series. I don't consider myself a great writer but I hope you enjoy this series I have planned. I kinda have no clue what I'm doing really and any tips and tricks would be very helpful. All I know is that I'm excited to discover the relationship between Edith and Michael.
Also apologies for this chapter being kind of short. I just wanted to establish the breakup between Felix and Edith and have her meet Michael. It will get more interesting
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“You’re breaking up with me?!?” Edith can’t believe what she’s hearing
… Well maybe she can a little bit but it doesn’t mean she thought this would really happen.
“Umm…Ed… yeah. You know we’re both going to uni in two weeks.”
“Felix Catton don’t you fucking bullshit me. you and I are both going to Oxford.”
”Okay umm…” Felix brings his hand to rub his chin. “ it’s just that this whole past year I’ve been so great and understanding about your boundaries regarding sex but I thought by now we’d have already done it though. I don't think it’s going to work.”
Through breathy laughter Edith can’t help containing her anger “Wait- So what you’re telling me is that you are done with me because I'm not ready to have sex and you’re horny ?!?!”
“That's pretty much the case, yeah.”
”You know what Felix Catton, I can't believe I thought you would ever be understanding.” Edith starts, heels turning to walk away so he couldn’t see the tears whining to spill. “You fucking suck and fuck you!!!!”
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“What a fucking asshole,” Edith mutters under her breath peering out the window of her room. She shakes her head looking at a completely okay looking Felix Catton chatting and laughing with other popular rich kids who some Edith use to call “friends” .
The term “friends” would frankly be a loose term for Edith because they were more of people she hung out with because she was dating Felix, they weren’t true friends. she’s never exactly had a true friend.
Eddie knows he doesn’t deserve anymore of her feelings towards him but it’s hard. All she wants to do is scream and cry, telling Felix that he’s so pathetic.
Edith knows she can’t, all those other girls would come right after her, saying she’s jealous and desperate. how could he just break her heart and be completely okay? He’s most likely even moved on already.
Taking her eyes off from her ex, Edith flops onto her bed with a groan. All she wishes to do for the rest of the day is sit on her bed and read her book, draw in her sketchbook and maybe play her guitar. She’s aware though that she has to go to the dining hall tonight. Edith hasn’t been able to eat all day as she’s been moving in.
The idea of having to potentially sit near a perfectly fine Felix makes her want to gouge her eyes.
It's also her luck though that she’ll be stuck with some maths loser who forces you to answer sums, showing off how smart they are. If she were to compare the two she would take the maths loser but still not ideal.
Completely done with reality, Edith grabs her ipod, headphones and sketchbook off her nightstand and drowns out the world with music and drawing until she has to leave her room.
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This is just great. I don't have to sit next to Felix but I also can’t find a seat in the first place. Edith can’t help but comment in her head, walking the dining hall in hopes of a spot to sit.
In a way she did luck out but she doesn’t know where to sit. That thankfully for Edith isn’t long lasting as she finds an open seat next to a boy with dirty blonde hair and glasses. Not thinking to whom she might have to converse with, she quickly walks over and sits down desperate to begin eating.
As she's eating, Edith can't help but feel uneasy and like someone to the right is staring into her soul through her ear. She looks up to the right and piercing blue eyes fill her vision. she whispers an awkward hi and smiles at the very strange boy and he in return moves his eyes down to her messenger bag.
Edith’s bag is decorated with little doodles that draws on it when she’s bored. The boy quickly turns his head away from muttering something under his breath that Edith didn’t pick up on but knew couldn’t have been nice.
What an ass.
The feeling of uneasy and bitterness doesn’t die the more she sits next to this guy. It was also not exactly possible to find a new seat either as the only other open seat was across from him and somehow for Edith that would be even worse. She feels bad for whoever would be sitting across from him
Like the universe reading her mind, another boy around her age with dark brown hair and glasses, who after struggling to find a place in the dining, eventually seats himself, somewhat reluctantly. right across from the strange boy.
The two boys stare at each other in silence for a few minutes, the brown-haired boy also clearly uneasy like Edith. it was the other boy who reach his hand out though to the brunet to introduce himself and Edith finally learned this strange boy’s name
”Hi I’m Michael Gavey”
The other boy accepts Michaels outreached hand and Edith learns his name is Oliver Quick. The boy begins to converse with one another. The last thing she got by fully eavesdropping was Michael asking Oliver if he was also a Norman no-mate too.
Not really interested, Edith turns her attention back to her half empty plate. the quicker she finishes the faster she can leave and not have to be in the presence of this Michael Gavey.
Even with half eavesdropping and half ignoring the two. Edith slightly laughs to herself as Michael tells Oliver even though he doesn’t like math, he is some math genius and to ask him a sum. Oliver clearly uncomfortable and telling Michael he’s fine and that he doesn’t need to ask him a sum
Edith though couldn’t expect was was to come out of a now agitated Michael.
“ WELL ASK ME A FUCKING SUM THEN!!!”
Jesus fucking christ Edith curses to herself while the whole dining hall quiets at the sudden intrusion of loudness. Among the same surprise, She is also intrigued and she smirks knowing something that would give her a little happiness asking Michael.
Before Oliver could clear the embarrassment he's feeling at Michael's sudden outburst, Edith interrupts. “What's 34+35?”
The attention of the boys are turned on to Edith as she smiles as Michael answers but then realizing what sum she asked, face turns to annoyance at the question, clearly knowing she is taking the mick out of him.
“Haha, very funny….” Michael’s voice trails waiting for a name
“Edith Pemberton and you said to ask a sum”
“Well Edith Pemberton i don't think I was talking to you Ms.” I'm wasting my money on an vapid arts degree”
“How fuck do you know what I'm learning.”
“Lucky guess based on how you're dressing and your… interestingly designed… bag.”
The gull this guy has to judge after literally yelling at someone to ask him a sum.
“Well Mr “I think math and science is better than the arts” you're wasting your money on a subject you don't really like so guess who's money is really wasted”
“Well at least I'll be making money post grad How about You? Oh wait Probably not.”
“Wow Michael Gavey you deserve a Nobel prize for solving the meaning of life!! Making money!!” sarcasm spilling from Edith’s mouth, not wanting to let this guy win.
Due to the bickering fight Edith and Michael were having, either of them failed to realized Oliver used it as a way to escape the situation
“God you're such a cunt Edith Pemberton.”
“Takes one to know one bitch.” a smirk reappearing on her face as she picks up her now almost empty plate and bag to leave a now bewildered Michael Gavey.
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Taglist- @fan-goddess @iamavailablesstuff @callsignwidow
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kerizaret · 15 days
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Hello everyone and welcome once again to my brain! Today I want to ramble a bit about
✨️ Tsukasa and Rakunosuke (Emu's grandpa) parallels ✨️
Because I feel like we don't talk about them much. Or at all actually
Now, I'm not pulling this out of nowhere. It's quite literally stated at least once, outright, in the game, that Tsukasa is really similar to Emu's grandpa (or even twice – but the other time I'm unsure 100% whether its about Tsukasa specifically, which I'll get to later). That's not to mention the other little things throughout the stories that I think similar between the two
So here's just some thoughts I've had on the topic after rewatching some events, more or less cohesive
1) Tsukasa's PXL auditon & WMS speech
Starting at the very beginning, we've known ever since the wxs main story that there's something in Tsukasa that has drawn Emu in to him already the first time she's ever saw him, at his audition for PXL, which made her hire him herself. She says "found you" at that moment, as if she's been searching for someone exactly like him. Out of all the possible candidates who applied who she might've seen, why Tsukasa specifically?
It could be just about him boasting about making fantastic shows, which of course is a part of it. But I feel like this isn't all, that there was something else that she noticed, that maybe she didn't fully realise at that moment
Then later, in Wonder Magical Showtime, after Tsukasa's motivational speech, Emu specifically thinks back to that audition and how she felt something special there. And, most importantly, she thinks it as if she's talking to her grandpa – like he's somehow tied to it, to her realisation that Tsukasa is the one
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Putting aside the fact they were fighting for Rakunosuke's park, which obviously makes Emu think back to him, there's something more. Emu doesn't think anything of the sort about Rui, even though he was the one who came up with the night show, or about Nene. Nor did she mention any kind of this strong feeling/conviction about having them on the Wonder Stage in the main story
She's focused on Tsukasa, because he's the one that brought all these people together and gave them the last push they needed to fight for PXL. He's the one they listen to, he who understands what this park was all about and why they need to save it. He's standing on the stage her grandpa built, looking at all those people working here, and he's leading them, telling them this dream CAN be made a reality and it's more important than anything else
And I feel like she could have looked at that and been reminded of her grandpa a bit, with how much he loved the park he built and brought people together with the same ideals and love and made dreams come true
2) Miles
Speaking of WMS, I'm sure we all remember Miles, the sorcerer Tsukasa played in the night show in WMS, and how he was a character very clearly based on Rakunosuke. It's not very surprising it's Tsks who got this role, but it's still interesting to me. It feels like no-one else would've been able to get this character right and neither would Emu as Shao with someone else playing Miles
I won't get into what "Miles" Tsukasa says in the play, because that's just the script and not a representation of Tsukasa himself, but I do want to draw attention to the specific scene where Emu's father is watching the night show and looks at Tsukasa, then says this:
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This is the first time that – i suspect – Tsukasa is outright "stated" to be like Rakunosuke. Here I say "suspected" since I'm not 100% sure of it for two reasons. One of them being that as we know, the ensekai translation is sometimes often bad. For that I looked up the original text as well as an old translation of the event on YT to check for differences
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The line ends up being similar in meaning, more or less, but a bit more vague. That also ties to my second doubt though, which is that Emu's father might be referring not to Tsukasa himself, per se, but rather to the character of Miles he's playing
I feel like both can make sense, in their own way (and the event is a Tsukasa focus for a reason, too), but for here I'm throwing it more as a hint than any kind of outright proof. Food for thought
3) Tsukasa and Rakunosuke's deams
Then, as we reach Popping in my Heart! and learn more of Rakunosuke from Riley's pov, there's another interesting thing that pops up. That is, the fact that Tsukasa and Rakunosuke share the same dream
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And then, that's when Emu confirms what I've talked about before – that this whole time, she's felt something about Tsukasa being so reminding of her Grandpa
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So Tsukasa has all this time "carried the same spirit" as Rakunosuke – which is possibly the reason why Emu has been feeling strangely drawn to him from the beginning
4) The Wonderland SEKAI
Hey. Hey. Remember this line?
(tl by tsukasa's #3 fan on YT)
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Yeah, this one. The same reason why wxs even has "Wonderlands" in their troupe name
You know what else has Wonderland in its name?
That's right! Tsukasa's SEKAI!
Tsukasa's SEKAI. A different world that's created from his feelings, that's a place born from his desire to make everyone smile with his shows. A world that just recently expanded to include plushies representing all those different shows – different worlds – wxs created as a troupe. It's a world that Tsukasa, in a way, made by himself (albeit unconsciously)
Oh did I mention the Wonderland SEKAI is also, primarily, pre-wl, a theme park? With a big ass ferris wheel and several stages and a castle and a train and a merry-go-round, a rollercoaster and more? You know, kind of just like Phoenix Wonderland? Which was built by Emu's grandpa?
Do you ever think about that? That both Tsukasa and Rakunosuke "made" their own "Wonderlands"? That the SEKAI is so similar to PXL? Because I do
Anyway. Those were the main similarities or references I noticed, but I still have some few other miscellaneous thoughts i had aside from that that I'll sum up a bit quicker
Tsukasa and Emu's grandpa both care more about the shows (& pxl) themselves and the effect they have on people to make them smile than any kind of fame or recognition
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A reminder, too, that despite the movie's popularity, nobody really knew that Rakunosuke worked on "Smiley" (or that it was even a Riley Entertainment movie at all)
There's also the fact that both tsks and rknsk get stuck more on the excitement they want their audiences to feel rather than on the technical sides or worries about how it would be possible – as seen with Rakunosuke convincing Riley to include all his dreams and ideas in "Smiley" without focusing as much on the budget and all to install that wonder in the viewers, and Tsukasa doing anything to perfect his acting, and also agreeing to most of Rui's stunts and experiments and production ideas as long as it gets the audience to become more immersed
I noticed as well that they're both people who wear their hearts on their sleeves, who easily get emotional and enthusiastic, who empathise a lot with the others' emotions and struggles, becoming happy when something good happens to them
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^ he cried here. And later at the fan festa seeing nene sing confidently and happily he teared up again
And also just *gestures vaguely at pandemonium event and Rui's "tsukasa's friends' happiness is his own happiness" line*. Yeah
Most importantly, Tsks and Rknsk both care so, so much about shows ending with smiles and not tears
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And overall about everyone smiling and being happy. Like Tsukasa telling Emu in the main story, on the ferris wheel, that when her grandpa meant making EVERYONE smile, it included Emu, too, and he wanted to make sure she's happy as well
There's also everything with Emu, too. The way she's very clingy with Tsukasa, always throwing herself at him (not that she isn't with everyone, but she does seem to jump at him the most often)
She's also implied to open up a bit more around him – in Smile of a Dreamer, when wxs expressed their worries about emu hiding her problems, KAITO implies that its unusual she "hasn't told EVEN Tsukasa"
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And it's Tsukasa who first understood that, despite how it may seem that "she always is so optimistic and says whatever's on her mind", in the end "the bigger the problem, the less likely she is to talk" (paraphrased quotes from smile of a dreamer). And also underdstood what's the most important to her and how to give her a push to voice her worries to them
It's Tsukasa who Emu first got so scared of leaving their troupe and her behind
I simply feel like Emu is aware of the similarities her grandpa and Tsukasa share and, subconsciously, trusts him a lot and gets attached to him easily
Anyway. This is just a bunch of thoughts that came to mind that I wanted to share and hear your thoughts on maybe too. I love emukasa so much they have such a great dynamic, and I feel the implied similarities between Rakunosuke and Tsukasa add a lot to that too. I'm really curious if it'll be something they'll explore more in future events. Because I feel these parallels are there for some reason
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christinesficrecs · 8 months
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I might be drowning in lost fic requests. 🤦🏻‍♀️ If you can help I would REALLY appreciate it. ❤️
Stiles started dating this really abusive guy, he cut off all contact with the pack, his dad Etc and the guy moves them away (maybe Chicago). Stiles eventually leaves him and goes back home and it turns out the pack and his dad have been trying to find him.
Lost River (never reached the sea) by scribespirare | 13.2K | Mature Three years Stiles has been gone. Three years, and then out of the blue he shows up on Derek's front porch, bloody and bruised and in need.
I am looking for a fic where there's the monster of the week (it's maybe an incubus?) and it shifts to look like stiles. It convinces derek to not turn him into the rest of the pack. Derek agrees just to be able to be with 'stiles.' scott i think figures it out? And tells derek that it would have slowly killed him.
Derek hates touch because of Kate and flinches whenever someone touches him. But Stiles does this thing where he never touches Derek, instead he lets his hand hover around him, allowing for Derek to initiate the contact if he wants to. Oh! And Cora’s alive and I’m pretty sure the one who notices this. She ends up confronting Stiles about it at some point. I know it’s pretty short, just one chapter/ a one-shot, and around 5,000 words. I think, I could be wrong.
i see that you've come so far [just like them old stars] by crossroadswrite | 2.3K But her big brother’s unwillingness to touch anyone, like he thinks he doesn’t deserve it isn’t the only thing she notices. She also notices how Stiles doesn’t touch him. Everyone reaches for Derek in some form or another, but Stiles- Stiles is something different altogether because he reaches for Derek but he never makes contact.
Hi! Could you please help me find this fic where Derek is an alpha but of like the whole town I think? Or something. Stiles keeps getting into trouble or losing control (or something) and he goes to stay with Derek for a few weeks to help him behave/get focused because hes the alpha. Derek helps him focus better on his homework and runs exercises with him to burn off excess energy and misses him when he goes back to his dad's. That's all I remember, sorry its so vague.
Do you know of a fixk where derek and Stiles kill Gerard together but when chris ask them about it they act surprised he did? I dont know anything other than this so sorry
Basically it's young Derek x Stiles, Derek is part of the basketball team and they end up going on like a trip for a basketball game. Stiles tags along and they end up staying at a motel (they share a room). At some point it's Stiles’ Mothers death anniversary and Derek brings him fast food back from his jog. And I'm like 90% certain that there's like a bonfire at the back of the motel and Derek brings out his guitar infront of everyone and starts singing abt his crush on Stiles.
Okay sooo, young Derek x Stiles but the hale family are still alive. There's this whole thing about them both promising to have a starwars marathon. Derek also draws a lot in this sketchbook thing, he's like rlly private abt it but stiles ends up looking in it and finding a drawing of both him and Derek. Then Derek kind of wolfs out? He like loses control a bit and is afraid of hurting Stiles. OH! And then there's another bit where theyre playfighting in the Hales' kitchen and Derek pins Stiles down and stiles gets really embarrassed abt it. And then at the end there's like a really cute line abt their hearts beating as one 🥺🥺
Hey! I hope you or your followers can help me out but I've been wracking my brain on this one for awhile trying to remember this fic where everyone loses their memory of Stiles' existence but this is where I get fuzzy on the details. All I can remember is that Stiles returns to his house and his dad threatens him because he doesn't recognize him and so he ends up at Derek's. IIRC, Derek doesn't actually recognize him either (he might reveal this right away or later?) but helps him anyhow?
Hi! Ive been trying to find this fic, it was a amnesia type fic and I believe Derek went to visit his family who live out of state, he planned on finally telling them about Stiles but hes in an accident, loses his memories, and his family starts trying to set him up on dates(?). I think some of his family were wellknown or famous or someone told Stiles about Derek going out and Stiles just assumes he'd wanted out of the relationship but didnt want to tell him. Its mostly the summary I remember😅
Hi, I'm looking for a fic where young Stiles meets Derek in the woods as a werewolf, helps him get back home, to thank Stiles he writes him a letter and Derek replies that they become pen pals. That's what I remember that's how it starts. thank you!
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tafferling · 3 months
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Dying Light 2: Game Story Rewrite
I have been tempted (and have since given in to this temptation) to write out one of the alternate Dying Light 2 story campaigns that'd been knocking around in my head ever since I started playing the game.
It sticks to the characters we already know, but aims to- I dunno. Add Taff flavour, I guess.
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Enjoy!
Dying Light 2, an alternate main campaign story, by Taff.
While this is not Latchkey Hero, a lot of the main plot rewrites in this does draw from what I cooked up for Monsters, We. So, if you don’t want spoilers for the MW endgame, skip this.
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The player character is either Aiden or Mia Caldwell. Because who hasn’t wanted a little more versatility? We start by choosing which one we’d like to play.
The Caldwell siblings are Pilgrims (I love the Pilgrims, okay? The world needs more Dying Light Pilgrims, please send me your Pilgrim OCs so I can give them platonic smooches) and they’re currently doing what they do best: helping people move across the territories. Specifically, you’re escorting a troupe (actors and musicians) from New Paris, who’re headed to Villedor to perform.
You get to know the siblings in the introduction, and see how they interact with not only each other, but the people around them, too. My aim here would’ve been to establish a relationship between Aiden and Mia, giving what’ll happen later more meaning. We learn about the Pilgrims, how they hold a fearful sort of respect from others, and just how good they are at this.
We even get a bit of combat! Defend against a bunch of biters. Fend off a banshee before nightfall. And, hey, we might even get to know some of the troupe a bit better! We’re having a great time.
Once we reach Villedor, we find out that there’s a bit of trouble brewing right now and that the troupe won’t be able to get to its actual destination (The Fish Eye), since there’s a blockade up. We don’t much care, we are getting paid already and we don’t plan on staying. So we stash them at the second best place, the Bazaar.
After that, our plan is to pick up some more work and then be on our way. Explore time! We find out that there are two different types of safe zones/holds in Villedor: Some which require a biomarker to get into, some which do not. The Bazaar, for example, has a no biomarker zone and a main only biomarker zone. We also find out that a lot of people here are infected. In our initial exploration, we get to go anywhere in Old Villedor except into holds that require biomarkers and places which have been sealed by the GRE.
We can do a few side quests! If we pay attention, we’ll also pick up on how there’s trouble brewing in Central Villedor, and also how, oof, be careful, newcomers, lotsa new people who come to Villedor just straight up vanish. Until one quest pops up for another escort. A man who’d like someone to help him get to New Paris. Fair. We’ve just been there, we can do the trip again, no sweat. Aiden and Mia agree and take the man (Dylan) back the same way they’d originally come in.
Things don’t go well.
We’re attacked by masked men (Renegades), who are trying to get something back from Dylan, who is wounded gravely at the start of the ambush. Aiden and Mia fight them off, but the noise attracts attention they don’t need (Volatiles!). It is clear they can’t do much, but before they run off, Dylan gives them something and tells them to take it and go and not let Waltz have it (whoever that may be, our two Pilgrims are not clued in).
As we try to escape, we’re eventually overwhelmed and both of our Pilgrims are (drum rolls) bitten. But before the GAME OVER screen can roll in, a set of Renegades and Waltz show up, ultimately saving their lives. Which may sound neat at first, not so much when we get punched out and dragged off. When our player character comes to again, it’s a vague affair at first. A bit of swimming in and out of it, really, where we realise we are in a lab (spooky) and have been injected with something (cue the OOOOOOOooOOO!). But never you fret! After overhearing a conversation that they’d be taken back to Central Villedor since they haven’t died and something something they have potential, our player character frees themselves. They get their sibling too and try to escape. During this escape, we see hints that some of those “vanished newcomers” may have met their end here, wherever here may be.
We also get our stuff. Which includes the GRE key (no one bothered checking our backpack, wee!).
But, once again, things do not go well. Waltz’s goons chase us, and while our player character manages to escape, our sibling sacrifices themselves and, for all we know, has just died. We want to do something about this, but we have our first full blown seizure, which leads to us falling to what everyone assumes is our death.
All of this is followed with an Oh no, am I turning? sequence, which ends similarly to the original intro of the game, where we are about to get lynched by a mob. Hakon to the rescue! Except this time the rescue is somewhat motivated by how we’ve already made some friends previously: the troupe! They recognized us and they are what we find after Hakon jabs us with our first inhibitor.
Afterwards, this version of the story follows the Bazaar VS PK story line, somewhat, with our player character motivated to reach Central Villedor to get revenge. Why revenge and why not have our sibling recaptured? ‘cause revenge can wait a little and it won’t feel so weird when we get side tracked by side quests.
To get to Central Villedor we must help Aitor solve his murder mystery of their slain commander and to do that we have to get a biomarker (which we can do since we have a GRE key). As we solve the mystery, we find out that the conflict with the bandits and whatnot and the PK’s hand being forced to suspect or even attack the Bazaar was being orchestrated by someone else.
Who, we aren’t sure.
There’s choices to be made of course! Some siding with the PK, or with the Bazaar, and all the while we also have our troupe friends to report back to and help with little side quests. Hey, we may even have a little devil and an angle in our troupe who try and sway us towards specific decision. Plus, Hakon, of course (who, by the way, is telling us he has an idea of where to go once we are in Central Villedor so we can get our sweet SWEET revenge). We also meet the usual suspects of the Bazaar, including Sophie, Alberto, and Co.
And in-between our chores, we are on the hunt for those inhibitors and like to jab ourselves with them like the dumdum we are. SURELY nothing bad can come out of this?!
Anyway.
Now that we have a biomarker, we can access other regions in Old Villedor. More exploring! And, eventually, we get the choice to help the PK see the Bazaar was innocent (and give the Bazaar their water tower back), or we claim the water tower for the PK cause we have a crush on Aitor (why else would you do this?!), OR we can cause absolute mayhem and botch the whole deal, leading to a war between the Bazaar the PK, which the PK narrowly win.
Then off we go into Central Villedor. Escorting our troupe, of course. Gee, maybe we get an LI in there?! I’m thinking too much about the troupe now. Down, Taff. But, seriously, there is someone in the troupe who is defo trying to win us over to “troupe life” maybe and sway us away from all the revenge talk. We aren’t having it though. We loved our sibling.
(No one blows up the windmill, btw. That thing is too damn pretty to die. Taff has spoken. Oh and we probably had another turning scare at some point and are figuring out that something may not be entirely right with us.)
Once we’ve survived some tense escort mission shenanigans (HEY those can be fun if done right, I promise), and as we are nearing the Fish Eye, we get into an argument about our desire to Do Revenge, which leads to use pointing the troupe to the Fish Eye and the fucking off with Hakon.
Cause we trust Hakon.
Hakon who has become a bit quiet now that we are alone with him.
Hakon who is getting a bit weird.
HAKON WHO LED US INTO AN AMBUSH TO GET THE DAMN KEY FROM US.
We are not happy. Especially since we are facing what seems to be a trio of WAY TOO strong people who remind us far too much of volatiles. Gee. Anyway, we manage to get away! Mostly thanks to the timely intervention of a crossbow woman (Lawan).
Fast forward, we end up at the Fish Eye, with Lawan giving us a bit of exposition about Hakon (who she was tracking when she spotted him near the Fish Eye), about Waltz and how he does some really creepy science stuff with young people.
We reunite with the troupe and get to know the Fish Eye. We meet Frank.
The Renegades attack.
Our valiant defense of it goes down just like in the game, which introduces us to the PK and properly begins ACT 2. ACT 3? Look, I am not counting. Also, I need a snack, be right back.
[one snack later; beware, Monsters, We. spoilers ahead cause all of this is ripped right out of my fic]
This act is all about Bringing back some light! The right (or wrong) people have noticed that we have a GRE key and are floating the idea by us that we should take our shapely ass over to the solar farm (ex “Tesla competitor” car factory) and do Villedor a solid. This is a big one, because we get to pick our team to do that. Do we go back to the Bazaar and bring Alberto and Co (if we didn’t botch Old Villedor), or do we go with the PK, organized by Aitor, and bring Tolga and Fatim? I mean Mitaf and Aglot, sorry.
Either way, Lawan comes with us.
As we gear up for this venture (which will not be an easy venture) we begin to also unravel some of the mystery around Waltz. The name X 13 is being floated by us at this point, too, which we begin to ask around about and are told to go get friendly with the Carriers (can I PLEASE rename them to Couriers?) since they hoarded a lot of communications and maps.
Anyway. POWER PLANT. Depending on how we left Old Villedor, our efforts at the power plant are challenged by either: The Renegades (if we prevented a war between the PK and the Bazaar) or the Bazaar (if we botched Old Villedor and the PK beat down the Bazaar).
This is when the “Renegade Mini Bosses” start showing up: Daylight proof volayouths. 20-somethings turned into weapons by Waltz.
During that particular fight, we experience another turning scare, but we’re good. Heheehehe. Yeah. We’re good. :sweating:
Then, after we’ve made it, cause, of course we made it: LET THERE BE LIGHT! This time, racing up to the top of a skyscraper is payoff and Lawan’s joy something we can relate to. We’ve seen Villedor dipped in darkness. Now we see it come alive with way more lights than our Pilgrim has ever seen in their life. It’s an emotional moment, ya’all.
We get a little hear to heart with Lawan, where she reveals some more about Hakon. This is driven by the VNC tower light coming on and her briefly recounting how Hakon betrayed the Nightrunners, the very people who took in Lawan when she was a child. She was a kid back then, but she will never forget the loss Frank (and therefore her family) suffered and she will always blame Hakon for it. Hakon was, in effect, outcast after this, and eventually fell in with Waltz. A lot of people do these days, mostly out of desperation.
After that:
The Courier quest line is turned into a bit of a main quest line this time around, at which end we find out what X 13 is: a massive GRE vault. And Waltz and his Renegades are looking for it. If they are able to crack it open, Villedor is in for a BAD time. Not only will he have all the supplies he needs to keep his operation running when it comes to turning people into whatever it is he is doing, but also because: guns. There is absolutely going to be a stockpile of them in there. Even working together, the PK and the survivors wouldn’t stand a chance against the Renegades.
And thus, the race is on!
To get there first, we need intel. And intel needs communication.
VNC tower time!
Frank and Lawan think its a terrible idea, but the PK are happy to help us; this one goes down pretty much identical to the original climb. I loved that mission, and hanging out with Rowe and his group was absolutely necessary to give the PK some much needed depth which they kinda lost after you lose track of Aitor.
The difference is though that Lawan doesn’t come after us. I felt her easily catching up with Aiden cheapened not only the player’s accomplishment, but the death of Rowe’s squad and the death of the Nightrunners. We do get help from Frank though, which is a big deal, since at that moment, Frank is facing his demons. He is going back to that day when his men died – and in doing so, he saves our life.
We celebrate.
We’re almost feeling at home, really. Our troupe performs at the Fish Eye. We get to see it all, and yeah, we still want revenge, but maybe we’re home?Maybe this is better than revenge? Maybe we don’t have to go back out onto the road (and how can we, we are infected, we are screwed anyway, we can’t go back to our old life, can we?).
Maybe this is good.
If you like romance, maybe there’s a bit of romance there (someone from the troupe? Lawan? BIG SHRUG! You choose!).
The next day the hunt begins: For X 13 and Waltz. This leads to us crossing paths with Hakon again (and a fight not unlike the one in the church in the game). Though this time, the fight ends in a revelation: Hakon tells us that (DRUM ROLL PLEASE) our sibling is alive! Yeah, I know you all saw this one coming.
We then get to choose to kill him or to let him live, but not before he tells us where they are.
And we see red.
Heeding no warnings, we head into what could easily be a trap (as Lawan tells us, cause Hakon is a bleeding liar, don’t trust him), but we don’t care. We go. We HAVE to go. Lawan, since we’ve grown on her, comes with us.
THIS IS THE POINT OF NO RETURN, FINISH ALL YOUR SIDE QUESTS
Surprisingly – it is not a trap. Not really. Not intentionally. We find our sibling, but they aren’t altogether themselves anymore, much as any of the other volayouths we find. They also aren’t leaving with us – and as we try and break them out anyway, Waltz gets in the way.
Forced to abandon our sibling, Lawan manages to get us to flee and come back later, with Waltz and one of his other volayouths chasing us. We manage to kill the volayouth, but Waltz is too much – but thankfully, Lawan is crafty, and she manages to get us out.
Except now its night. And we are kinda in the middle of nowhere with no UV light and– oh no, you know exactly where this is going.
We (as in you, the player, not Lawan) turn.
Look, Veronika was sweet, but I had absolutely 0 emotional connection to her. Let this moment matter.
We kill her.
:RECORD SCRATCH:
Unless! We allowed Hakon to live, in which case he realized just how harebrained we were and shadowed us, swooping in at the last second to jab us with an inhibitor, saving Lawan’s life.
The happiness we were so close to his absolutely shattered now. Regardless of whether Hakon helped save Lawan or not. What happened, happened. There is no coming back from that.
If Lawan is dead, we do not go back to the Fish Eye. We crawl into a hole after we come to and hope to die.
If Lawan is alive, we also do not go back to the Fish Eye. We refuse, even though both Hakon and Lawan insist.
It’s not until Waltz contacts us and says he will trade our sibling for the key and the location of X 13 that we spring (or crawl) back into action.
It is decision time.
We can now choose to either: (a) give up, betray all our friends, and leave Villedor with a half-feral sibling, or (b) return to the Fish Eye and go to claim X 13 for Frank or (c) go to Missy and claim X 13 for the PK.
(a) If we betray our friends, the game ends here and the credits are us returning years later to find Villedor in the worst shape it can possibly be in.
(b) If we go to the Fish Eye, and Lawan and Hakon are alive, Frank will put the Nightrunners back together and they come with us to X 13. If not, we go alone and it will be a lot harder than (c). In this case, Matt leads a squad (which includes Aitor) after us and what happens in that confrontation depends on how we handled Aitor and his situation in Old Villedor. Either Aitor sides with us and turns on Matt, or the Nightrunners stay behind to hold off the PK. If the Nightrunners have not reunited (Lawan is dead), we have to fight the PK alone.
(c) If we go to to Missy, Aitor and one of his squads will come with us. No one challenges us.
Assuming (b) and (c), we manage to claim X 13 in what I would hope is an epic battle. One where we fight through Renegades, volayouths, and, eventually Waltz, who has brought our sibling along and pits us against them. We fight both Waltz and our sister or brother, kill him, and are left to choose to subdue or kill what’s left of our family.
Credits!
If we claimed X 13 for the survivors, Frank has taken a reluctant leadership position and oversees things from the Fish Eye. If Lawan is alive, the Nightrunners have been reestablished for good. They control Villedor’s firearms and the supplies coming out of X 13..
If we claimed it for the PK, the PK control Villedor’s firearms and the supplies coming out of X 13, though the outcome itself depends once again on how we handled Aitor’s situation. If we have Aitor on our side, Matt is overthrown after being overzealous and Aitor takes charge and the survivors and the PK enter a reasonable time of peace. If not, Matt brings Villedor under a militant rule (before he dies).
If we have killed our sibling and/or Lawan, we leave Villedor, unable to cope with what we’ve done.
If, however, Lawan is alive and we subdued our sibling, our own credit is us looking for a way to help not only our sibling, but all the other volayouths still out there. Including ourselves.
EDIT! I forgot to mention that NG+ has you have guns.
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paintingwhiteceilings · 3 months
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Can you do Male Reader X EXO?
So, its basically when either Male reader or an EXO member is struggling with his homework.
❃EXO and helping with your school/uni work ❃
A/N: Heyyy, I am so sorry this took as long as it did. I had to take some time off of posting on Tumblr as I am about to start my graduation process for my RMA. In a way, it was super cathartic to write this prompt so it became a bit of a mix between school and uni work, I hope you don't mind :')
Regarding male x-readers: I try to keep my prompt as gender-neutral as possible, mostly so anyone can insert themselves regardless of whether they identify as male, female, non-binary, etc. However, I am totally open to doing any LGBTQIA+-specific prompts, so feel free to do so!
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Xiumin/Minseok:
✾ Considering this man is rumoured to have a PhD (although not specified in what), you would think that he would be an amazing person to have around when you are struggling through your homework/coursework. However, being smart doesn’t always equate to being able to offer understandable explanations.
✾ His brain skips so many steps when he is tackling a problem or working on an essay. He knows why something is right or wrong, but he can’t really explain how he got to his answers. It comes so naturally to him that he struggles to dissect his thought processes and convey them to someone else.
✾ Ultimately, he will convince you to email your teacher/professor; they can explain it much better than he can, anyway. After having corresponded so often with professors during his own studies, he is more than capable of helping you with formulating your email in such a way that they would agree to help you out.
✾ Still, after having studied as much as he has, he understands the struggle of keeping up with homework/coursework. Considering he got his degrees whilst being an idol, he is incredible at planning his work efficiently. Thus, he instead offers to help you with creating a schedule, giving you a more healthy work-life balance.
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Suho/Junmyeon:
✾ Well, considering that he has an MA in Cultural Management and talked at Stanford (plus it has been proven time and time again that Suho is incredibly intelligent), he is one of the best members to go to if you ever struggle with your homework/coursework. He strikes me as someone who, although they are incredibly smart, can explain his inner thoughts very well.
✾ Give him a whiteboard, and he will shine. Don’t ask me why, but I can totally imagine him being one of those people that is convinced that “you have to visualize things. Write it down to have more space in your head to think.” Does that work? Maybe. Is it annoying to be told time and time again to “just draw it”? Yes.
✾ If he isn’t familiar with the topic/class that you are struggling with, he will take time out of his busy schedule to familiarize himself with it. He will find a couple of sources or a handbook so that he can read up on it.
✾ A part of him enjoys studying and learning together, smiling the entire time as you do so. Despite your own stress on why you can’t seem to work through the problem/assignment, you can’t help but return his quiet enthusiasm.
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Baekhyun:
✾ Another member who went to university to get his degree (although I can’t find out whether he has a BA or MA, sources are so incredibly vague) and is probably used to studying whilst being unbelievably busy. Furthermore, Suho has said before that although Baekhyun tends to be the mood maker of EXO on camera, Baekhyun is a deep thinker and has many philosophical conversations with him in private. Therefore, I can imagine him being another member who would be good at conveying his thoughts very well, offering you a coherent explanation.
✾ He would be an expert on making studying fun. Instead of having to cram a bunch of facts or read a long dry article for your next class, he would find a way to gamify it, turning it from a long boring study session into a fun competition. Although he might not be a huge help regarding the content of your class, he would help you to keep your motivation while studying.
✾ At the same time, I can totally see Baekyhun being a massive distraction while studying. You will be trying to solve a problem or work on that lengthy essay, and Baekhyun keeps trying to get you to pay attention to him, as he is too restless to sit still and study. He strikes me as someone who tries to convince you to do it tomorrow instead.
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Chen/Jongdae:
✾ He has an MA in Media Advertisement so you can bet that he can sell a story. I am pretty sure Media Advertisement falls under either business or communication studies, so he will probably be not too shabby at statistics either. He will, therefore, not only sell you on why studying this particular subject is fun, but he will also be able to help you actually study the contents of most math-based subjects.
✾ Chen probably is too busy to delve deeply into the subject matter that you are trying to grasp, though. He will try, nonetheless, to work through it with you. He will sit next to you as you try to solve equations, and although he might not have mastered the theory himself, he will try to learn it with you, giving you a fresh set of eyes.
✾ I think rather than being incredible at explaining stuff, he would be an amazing person for emotional support. I can see him prioritize calming you down first and having you take a step back from studying to clear your head. He would make sure that you stay hydrated and fed while studying, preparing a bunch of snacks beforehand that he will hand out as a reward for making it through another chapter.
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Chanyeol:
✾ Am I tired of repeating myself and saying “This member is smart because they got their degree”? Yes. Am I insanely impressed with most of EXO going to university whilst balancing their studies with a full-time idol career? Yes, and I will never shut up about it. Anyway, yeah Chanyeol went to university bla bla, making him, not just smart, bla  bla, but also hard-working, bla bla. You know the drill.
✾ Regardless of whether Chanyeol is well-studied in the field you are struggling in, nothing will stop him from becoming an expert. He is reading up on it as if his life depended on it, driven by his strong dislike of being bad at something. It doesn't matter whether you tell him it is okay and that you can always ask a fellow student or your teacher/lecturer; he is having none of it.
✾ At this point, he is more frustrated about not grasping a particular part of the theory than you. Even after you two manage to work through your homework/coursework, he will continue to read up on the topic until he fully understands it.
✾ He might be an overachiever and perfectionist who could’ve very well used the time that he spent on a piece of information he will never ever use again more wisely, but if anyone ever needs to know more about that specific theory, he can tell them everything.
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D.O./Kyungsoo:
✾ Listen, I love him with every fibre in my body, and I will continue to do so until I turn to dust, but Kyungsoo has admitted, on several occasions, that he is not a big fan of studying. Sure, he got his degree, just like the others, and got his culinary license, indicating that he is more than capable of retaining a ton of information and working through difficult assignments/problems. But, does he enjoy studying? No, not really; he got it over with and seems glad to be done.
✾ So, when you ask him to help you with your homework/coursework, he will remind you, at least seven times, that he isn’t too good at studying and that there are better people to ask for help instead. He will try his best, albeit reluctantly, reminding you continuously to lower your expectations.
✾ In the end, he will try to help out in a different way, either by supplying you with a ton of study snacks or recounting how he worked through tough assignments back when he was in university, with the hope that maybe it works for you as it did for him. He makes sure that you are as comfortable as you can be, convinced he can’t do much more than that.  
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Kai/Jongin:
✾ Listen, don’t get me wrong, I adore Kai. However, I have to say that he is not the brightest when it comes to academia (at least compared to the rest of EXO) or, like, his common sense. Yes, he had his moments of genius in New World, and I am sure that when it comes to memorizing dance and lyrics, he is insanely good. However, give him a math problem, and he will cry.
✾ Kai strikes me as someone who was exhilarated to be done with school, not seeing the point of going to university like the rest of his members. When you ask him to help you out with your home/coursework, something inside of him dies as he knows nothing that will be leaving his mouth will be helpful. He is too sweet to say no and will try his hardest to help you with whatever you are struggling with. Nevertheless, he is even more lost than you upon reading your assignment, confused by all the fancy words the assignment seems to be using.  
✾ Nevertheless, Kai would be an amazing person if you need someone to talk to without necessarily needing any advice/answers, just to get your own ideas out of your head. He knows exactly when to nod and say “hmhm”,  aware that you don’t necessarily want to get his input, only needing him to work through your thoughts and ideas on your own.
✾ Honestly, he gets an A for effort for me. Kai is good vibes only, and he would give you a hug for support.
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Sehun:
✾ Another one who is glad he finished school and never has to go back. Again, don’t get me wrong, I love Sehun, but you can’t deny that he isn’t the smartest person in the room. As Suho said during EXO Ladder, “I think, they (the beluga whales) have the same IQ as Sehun” after noting they have an IQ of 60-90.
✾ Where Kai still tries to help out, he flat-out refuses. What do you mean you need his help finishing your work? He is so unapologetic about it too and slightly offended; why did you have to remind him about the horror that is school? He left that behind him and under no circumstances will he ever be dragged back in. He is rich, and he needs no degree.
✾ Such a bad influence on you as he tries to keep you from doing your work. “Well, if you are struggling with your homework you might as well take a break and go to the convenience store with me.” Funnily enough, it actually helps to clear your head. Sometimes the best thing to do is to step away and try again with a clearer mind. Sehun maintains that it was his plan all along; you doubt it.
✾ He will end up asking one of his members to assist you with your homework, calling in a favour with, for instance, Suho. They are all down bad for him, so you end up with the best tutors EXO has to offer.
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Masterlist
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dross-the-fish · 2 months
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Started hanging out with some new friends in a Discord server on days when work from home is slow but I'm not able to leave my desk to draw or write, and I'm honestly surprised by how good of a time I've been having, how at ease I feel. This is the first friend group I've had where most of, if not all of, the people in it are queer in ways that are similar to myself, and not just cisgendered gay or bisexual people, but people who are also non-binary/genderfluid and on the aro/ace spectrum. After a lifetime of being friends with people who were mostly straight or gay and almost all of them cis except for maybe the odd binary-transperson all of whom are allosexual. It also made me realize that I've been walling myself off from most of my old high school friends for the duration of our relationship and haven't even noticed it. I always tend to sit and let little comments slide because I don't want to get into a debate or call too much attention to aspects of myself I'm still figuring out. Dealing with behaviors that were vaguely phobic and excusing them as my friends just "not knowing better," because they seemed well intended otherwise and nothing said was overt. Feeling like before I presented ace characters to them that I needed to have some justification and explanation at the ready and brace myself for people to try and tell me that "well this character can still have sex right?" or "What's the point of making x aromantic?" because they were allosexual and alloromantic and couldn't enjoy characters that weren't "available" in that way. Debates about whether asexuality should even be part of the LGBTQ spectrum weren't common, but they happened. Being made to feel like not being attracted to my partner was unfair to my partner because "everyone deserves to feel attractive to the people who love them." "A stands for Allies" is a thing that came out of one friend's mouth. "Non-binary is trans-lite," is another. "I could never love someone I wasn't attracted to, it must suck so bad to have that part of you missing." When I eventually came out as gender fluid, they seemed accepting but never bothered to use masc pronouns because I still accept fem ones. So they just felt free to ignore my gender all together and one of them even slipped and tried to correct someone who called me "sir" because it was that easy for her to forget, even with me standing right there in a chest binder and men's clothing.
There was always been an element of being ready to defend myself, of weighing my words before I spoke them and agonizing over whether I'd have to hear empty platitudes, excuses of people just "not being used to it" and an obvious, palpable discomfort that no one was willing to unlearn, that would be left for me to bear and to feel like I was at fault for creating by simply existing. And I never noticed it because it was so prevalent and it was still preferable to the blatant hostility most of the conservative population around here has for the LGBTQ community. I can talk to these people about every other thing under the sun, call them when I'm in trouble and they'll help me and turn to them for advice and support in every other area...but the little things still matter. Even when I told myself they didn't. Being around people and feeling like I can be unguarded is such a bizarre feeling that I'm almost afraid of it. Hearing one person talk about how an aromatic character I write isn't broken and wanting strongly for that character to be told that by somebody made me want to cry. Being asked if I would prefer couple art to be sfw vs nsfw because the asexuality of one character was taken into consideration actually felt like a big deal because NO ONE HAS EVER DONE THAT BEFORE. I didn't know these things mattered so much until they happened and now I feel I'm at a crossroads and debating if I should make the effort to advocate more for myself among some of my old friends. Acceptance matters, community matters. I always knew this intellectually but it's a whole different level now that I've experienced it. I've learned that it matters to me.
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anonymousewrites · 8 months
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One Hell of a Love (Book 1) Chapter Fourteen
Sebastian Michaelis x Demon! Reader
Chapter Fourteen: One Hell of a Deer
Summary: (Y/N) loses their patience with the prince after he throws a tantrum.
            “How long do you two intend to stay for?” questioned Ciel as he, Lau, and Soma ate together and Sebastian, (Y/N), and Agni served them.
            “Once we’ve taken care of our business, we will leave,” said Soma.
            “That’s right. You said you were looking for someone, right?” said Lau.
            “And why are you staying here as well?” demanded Ciel.
            “Really, I wonder,” said Lau, being vague as usual.
            “I’m looking for a woman,” said Soma. He showed the really terrible drawing. “Her name is Mina. She was a servant at my palace.”
            “Sebastian, (Y/N), would you be able to look for her with that?” said Ciel.
            “No,” said (Y/N) bluntly.
            “But we shall endeavor to do our best,” said Sebastian.
            “So, why is that woman in England?” asked Ciel.
            “Mina was my personal attendant and like a caretaker to me,” said Soma. “I’ve been with her for as long as I can remember. My mother and my father paid me no heed, leaving me alone in the palace all the time, but Mina was always by my side. However, there was an English nobleman who had his eye on her, and he took her to England while I was away from the palace.”
            “In other words, you came to England to get a woman back?” said Ciel.
            “That’s right. I’ll definitely get her back, and then we’ll go home together,” said Soma.
            “It’s an extravagant trip for just one servant,” remarked Ciel.
            “It’s not extravagant!” declared Soma. He grabbed Ciel by the shoulder. “Do you understand my despair at having Mina taken away from me? Do you know how much I—!”
            “I don’t,” said Ciel. “I have no idea, nor desire to know, of the despair that can be caused by something as trivial as that.” He shoved Soma away. “There are things that you cannot get back no matter how much you struggle. There is also despair that you cannot escape. You may not understand that, though.”
            “Even so, I still had enough of being alone in that palace,” said Soma.
            “Tch.” Ciel passed by Sebastian and (Y/N) as he left the room. “Follow them if they leave the mansion.” The demons nodded.
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            Sure enough, Sebastian and (Y/N) spied Agni leaving in the dead of night. (Y/N) stretched down to the parlor window and opened it to where Lau and Ciel were playing cards.
            “Young Master, Agni is on the move,” said (Y/N).
            “Very well. Follow—” began Ciel.
            “Take me with you!” said Soma, appearing in the doorway.
            “You!” said Ciel.
            “I know Agni has been sneaking out after I fall asleep,” said Soma sadly. “I want to find out what he’s doing!”
            Ciel sighed. “Fine.”
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            “Whose residence is this?” asked Soma as they watched Agni enter a large townhouse.
            “A man who imports all the Indian goods he can get his hands on: Harold West,” said Ciel. “His business is coffee houses and emporiums. I met him once. He’s nothing more than a detestable rogue.”
            “Some coffee houses were caught up in the inverted-hanging incidents,” remarked Sebastian. “However, no harm befell Mr. West since he was coincidentally away that day.”
            “How fortunate for him,” said (Y/N), nose twitching.
            “Shall we take a look, then?” said Ciel.
            “Understood,” said Sebastian. He picked up Ciel under his arm and leapt over the wall, followed by (Y/N). Soma and Lau were quick to follow (But they had to climb).
            The group crept quietly through the halls of the townhouse until they were outside the one lit room where voices murmured within.
            “How about relaxing with a Scotch?” said West. “It’s a high-quality Scotch I bought from Justin and Brookes, who hold a Royal Warrant.” Agni didn’t move, and West sighed. “The plan up to now has been perfect. Well done, Agni. You don’t have to cause any more incidents. I’ve rid myself of my main rivals now. With your ‘Right Hand of God,’ the Royal Warrant is as good as mine.”
            “Royal Warrant?” murmured Ciel. “So, that’s what this is about.”
            “If I can complete this plan as you wish, can Mina—”
            Agni was cut off as Soma stormed into the room at the mention of the woman. “Mina?”
            “Who is that?” questioned West.
            “Prince!” exclaimed Agni.
            Ciel went to yell at Agni, but Sebastian pulled him back. “Young Master, your face and mine are well known. Let us sit back and watch.”
            “Agni, you knew where Mina was?!” cried Soma, grabbing Agni’s collar.
            “Ah, so that’s your master,” sneered West.
            “You’re the one who took Mina, aren’t you?” demanded Soma. “Agni, rough this man up.” Agni didn’t move. “Agni, what are you doing?”
            “Well, for now, let’s get Prince Stupid out of here,” muttered Ciel in the hall.
            “But they know all of your identities,” said Lau.
            “Leave it to me,” said Sebastian.
            “Agni, strike this ‘prince’ and quiet him down,” ordered West.
            “What?” gasped Soma.
            “Agni,” pushed West.
            Agni raised a hand, prepared to strike Soma, and the prince’s eyes widened in betrayal. The hand flew down.
            It was caught.
            Everyone’s eyes widened. A man with a deer head stood tall between the Indian men.
            “What the hell?! Is that a bloody deer?!” cried West in astonishment (and a little horror).
            Well, that’s a fun way to disguise yourself, thought (Y/N).
            “Yes, thank you for pointing out the obvious. I am a ‘dear,’ ” said Sebastian in the deer head, clearly amused at the homonym. He bowed.
            “Agni! He might be a spy!” cried West.
            “No, I am merely one hell of a deer,” said Sebastian.
            He loves that line, thought (Y/N) in amusement.
            “Kill him!” cried West. “Or do you want that promise to go up in smoke?! Do it!”
            Tears of blood dripped from Agni’s eyes. “I have only one god and master, and I decided to swing my fists for no one but him. Please forgive me for the sins I commit against you!”
            “Agni, you aren’t…!” Soma watched in betrayal as Agni unwrapped his right hand, and he began to glow with power.
            He lunged at Soma and Sebastian, but Sebastian picked up Soma and dodged. The wardrobe behind them shattered at Agni’s blow. The destruction continued as Sebastian jumped around the room and Agni’s blindly attacked.
            “No! The crystal glass I bought from Thomas Good!” wailed West. “The Royal Worchester centerpiece! My Tiffany stained glass!”
            He deserves this, thought (Y/N), grinning as they watched the man lose his material possessions.
            “Looks like it’s getting a bit rough,” said Lau. He picked up Ciel, who spluttered indignantly. “Let’s go on and get out of here.”
            “Put me down! (Y/N)!” cried Ciel.
            “Sorry, sir, orders don’t work on me,” said (Y/N), far too amused at Lau holding Ciel to help him.
            “Blood hell! Just grab the prince and escape!” said Ciel.
            “Understood,” said Sebastian, leaping out the window while Ciel, Lau, and (Y/N) exited the house.
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            “He far surpassed the scope of a human back there,” observed Lau once they were safely back and the three men were drinking tea.
            “That was the concentration technique known as Samadhi,” said Soma. “Once he gets like that, no one can touch him.”
            “Samadhi?” asked Ciel.
            “It’s a type of trance state,” explained (Y/N). “Through pure devotion, like that of Agni to Prince Soma, people are able to wield tremendous power. It is something we lack; the power of faither born of love and trust.”
            And yet… The demons glanced at one another.
            “Then why would he betray me?” sighed Soma. “Why does everyone around me disappear?!” He slammed his fists on the coffee table. He swept the teacups and tea off the table in a tantrum.
            “You!” cried Ciel.
            “Why is it? Why?” Soma’s shoulders shook. He ran out of the room.
            (Y/N)’s eyes narrowed as they stared at the broken porcelain on the floor.
            “Oh, dear, I brought that Haviland tea set out because I thought it suited you so well…” remarked Sebastian. He smirked. “It may be a good idea for him to be redisciplined.”
            “I never have liked the spoiled ones,” said (Y/N).
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            Sebastian roughly pulled the blanket off of Soma, throwing him to the floor.
            “You rude swine!” cried Soma.
            “Just who is the rude swine?” questioned Sebastian coldly. “This is the Phantomhive mansion in England. In this place, you have no authority to order me to do anything.”
            “You are nothing more than a spoiled brat,” said (Y/N). “A powerless, naïve child without Agni by your side.”
            “That’s right. I have nothing else left.” Soma hung his head. “I’ve lost everyone.”
            “Lost? My goodness, you have a most unbelievable imagination,” said Sebastian. He smirked. “You haven’t lost anything. You never had it in the first place.”
            (Y/N) leaned down towards Soma, and Sebastian recognized the demonic glint in their eye. It had been a while since he’d seen (Y/N) really lay into someone, tear their ego to pieces, and he was looking forward to it.
            “Your parents gave you status. Your parents gave you a palace. Your parents gave you servants. Tell me, what of that is truly yours? Nothing,” said (Y/N). The shadows around them quivered.
            “No…” murmured Soma.
            “Agni, too, of course, but you lacked the courage to confirm it,” said (Y/N) with a condescending sigh, like they were speaking to a child.
            “Y-You’re wrong!��� cried Soma. He ran for the door, but (Y/N) slammed it shut.
            “Me, wrong? No, dear prince, you’re just finally seeing the tragedy that is your life,” purred (Y/N).
            Soma sobbed and fell to his knees. “They all said they’d be with me forever.”
            “Quite clearly that was another service to you. There is no reason to serve someone for no personal gain,” said Sebastian coldly.
            And yet… whispered a soft voice in his head. And yet they are still here.
            Sebastian ignored the voice and continued. “In the slums, even a three-year-old knows that.”
            “You have not earned anything from anyone. You are just a brat,” said (Y/N).
            Sebastian’s eyes fell upon them. This time, he didn’t need a voice needling him. The thoughts of just how sinfully alluring they looked wrapped in shadow and moonlight as they lorded over a human came without cease. That was the demon (Y/N) was. And that was yet another side of them Sebastian simply couldn’t get enough of.
            “Let’s leave it there,” said Ciel, appearing in the doorway.
            “Young Master,” said Sebastian.
            “I might have been the same as him, if not for that month,” said Ciel somberly.
            “Wh-What month?” asked Soma, getting to his feet.
            “I was forced to taste the humiliation of having my house burned, my family killed, and being treated as less than a barn animal,” said Ciel. “I was a powerless child, but I returned here in order to bestow the same humiliation upon those who tortured me. My parents were in the way of those who killed them. If the Phantomhives are a nuisance to them, if I continue to hold the reins of this household, they’ll probably target me again. I am waiting for them to come for my life.”
            “Why would you go that far?” asked Soma.
            “What could come of sitting around sad and in mourning?” said Ciel. “Even a dead person can stay still, but I’m alive and standing on my own two feet. If I’m going to end up dying one day, I’d rather do it with no regrets. I wouldn’t call it something as grand as revenge. It’s all just to make me feel better. It’s a game between them and me to see who will win. Even if I’m flung into the depths of despair, if there is even a spider’s thread I can use to climb out, I’ll grab it and never give up. We humans have strength to do that. However, whether to grab it or not is up to each individual.”
            (Y/N) raised an eyebrow at the speech. Strong words for so small a human. But they respected the drive. They understood why Sebastian took him as his contract.
            “Now, let’s stop this ridiculous babble,” sad Ciel. “Sebastian, (Y/N), I have something to discuss with you on the West incident. Come.” He walked out of the room.
            “Yes,” said Sebastian.
            (Y/N) smiled, a stark contrast to the dark aura that had surrounded them as they spoke to Soma earlier. “Yes, my Lord.”
            “Ciel!” said Soma. Ciel paused. “I am seventeen, but I am totally idiotic and naïve compared to you! I’ve been spoiled only because of who my parents are. Even though I knew Agni was troubled, I didn’t hear him out, but now I want to know. I want to see them both and find out why they left me. That’s why! Please come with me!”
            “I refuse.” Ciel shut the idea down almost comedically. “There’s no way I’m dragging around the weight of a naïve idiot like you. I suppose the door to the living room isn’t locked, though.”
            “Ciel!” Soma’s face lit up and he hugged Ciel. “I’m sorry for lashing out at you like that before. Please forgive me.” He hid behind Ciel as he faced Sebastian and (Y/N). “I want to say sorry to you two as well.”
            (Y/N) waved a hand and smirked with Sebastian. “Don’t trouble yourself. This is quite interesting.”
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            “To think that West was after a Royal Warrant,” said Ciel as Sebastian served tea. “Well, I suppose that’s something a detestable rogue would think of.”
            “What exactly is a Royal Warrant?” asked Soma. He jumped as (Y/N) set a teacup down beside him, and they smirked.
            “It’s an endorsement given by royalty to shops they like. A Royal Warrant is the British Royal seal of approval,” said Sebastian. “A week from now, there will be a curry contest conducted at the Crystal Palace.
            “Curry?” said Soma.
            “Yes,” said (Y/N).
            “According to rumors, Her Majesty—a famed curry lover—may also come and observe,” said Sebastian.
            “That’s just a rumor,” said Ciel. “Since the death of her husband Prince Albert, Her Majesty rarely makes public appearances.”
            “How is the curry contest connected to the incidents?” asked Soma in confusion.
            “The main dish at West’s coffee house is curry,” said Ciel. “If he secures the Royal Warrant, his sales will undoubtedly go up. In other words, in order to reduce the number of rivals in that contest, he had Agni carry out those incidents. He then used the message to make it seem like the incidents were caused by Indians who were angry with England. Agni probably went along with the plan to save Mina for the sake of his ‘god.’ ”
            Sebastian handed Ciel a piece of paper, and the Earl regarded it before laying it on the table. It was a copy of the letter West had ordered written to divert attention from himself as a suspect. “Speaking of gods,” said Ciel, pointing to the tongue drawing. “Yours is the Goddess Kali with her tongue stuck out, and since Agni was the one who wrote this, and his god is you, it must have been all for your sake. He’s probably written all his prayers and feelings of regret here.”
            And now Soma has the choice to lay there and do nothing or rebuild himself, thought (Y/N).
            “Even though you’re apart, Mr. Agni still believes in you and lives for you,” said Sebastian. “You really do have a wonderful servant, don’t you?”
            “Agni…” murmured Soma.
            “Oh, my. All’s well that ends well,” said Lau brightly. “Well, then, we shouldn’t get involved any further. Let’s just leave it to Scotland Yard.”
            “Hold on! What will happen to Agni and Mina?” said Soma worriedly.
            “Who knows?” said Lau.
            “We’ve determined that there’s no underworld involvement, so it’s not our concern,” said Ciel.
            “Indeed. This is my problem. I’ll think of a way to resolve everything by myself,” said Soma.
            “That’s an excellent resolution,” said Ciel. “Well, then, I shall be getting on with my own work myself. I was called out to London in winter for this idiotic case. Don’t you think I should be compensated for my expenses?” Ciel was scheming. “Luckily, all of the other famous curry shops have been knocked out of the competition by West. If the Phantomhive company participates and beats West, we’ll receive the Royal Warrant. I’ve been considering expanding into the food industry, anyway. If we become the supplier to the Royal Household in our first endeavor, it’s sure to create a stir.”
            “But there’s one week left, right?” said Lau. “Will you be able to get the specialists and machinery in time to make the curry?”
            “I don’t need any of that,” said Ciel. “Isn’t that right?” He smirked as he glanced up at Sebastian and (Y/N).
            Sebastian smirked. “It is only natural for someone who serves under the Phantomhives to be able to do this. I will obtain the Royal Warrant without fai—”
            “That’s impossible,” said Soma. “There’s no way you can win. They have Agni, and he has the goddess Kali’s right hand!”
            “It is true that Agni’s prowess is formidable, but this time we are not dealing with martial arts,” said Ciel. “This is a contest of cooking skill.”
            “That’s why I’m saying it,” said Soma. “None of you know Agni’s true skill. Neither do you know real curry.”
            “Real curry?” asked (Y/N), raising an eyebrow.
            “Curry is based on a selection of fitting spices. The number of combinations is endless,” explained Soma. “Finding the supreme combination from those infinite choices is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It is akin to pulling the truth of the universe from thin air. However, Agni is able to do it. He is able to imagine the world from nothing. That power is truly of the gods’ domain. That is why Agni is known as the goddess Kali’s right hand. I have never eaten curry more delicious than Agni’s.”
            “I see. It is truly Kali’s Curry,” said Lau. He laughed at his alliteration.
            “So he says,” said Ciel.
            “My, my. That seems quite the challenge,” said Sebastian.
            “Could be fun,” said (Y/N), smirking.
            “Indeed.”
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            Days and quite literally hundreds of curries later, Sebastian was stuck. (Y/N) watched him return from serving Ciel tea with an annoyed quirk in his brow.
            “The Young Master not pleased with your progress?” they said teasingly.
            “No, but he did give a rather interesting order,” said Sebastian, holding a piece of chocolate in his hand, having gone uneaten by the irritated (and irritating) Earl.
            “Oh?” (Y/N) cocked their head in interest.
            Sebastian snapped off a piece of chocolate and handed it to them. “How does it taste?”
            (Y/N) placed the sweet in their mouth and allowed it to melt, savoring the tastes. One thing they were glad of after being born from a human life was that they still had a taste for human food. Sebastian had to relearn how to properly create human food when there were long breaks in time between contracts, but (Y/N) could still understand them (a fact that, once he learned it, irritated him to no end).
            “A perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness,” said (Y/N).
            “Excellent,” said Sebastian.
            “Why?” asked (Y/N).
            “The Young Master ordered me to put it in the curry.”
Taglist:
@technikerin23
@im-making-an-effort
@izzieg3987
@jinxxangel13
@alexpangender
@otomyoli
@neenieweenie
@nex-crowley
@anxious-chick
@bellacastiel
@v1l-ismissing
@agentdedf1sh
61 notes · View notes
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Mmmh I also don't agree much with the "Crowley is Malleus's dad" theory because it doesn't have solid proof or makes sense (yet) plot wise and because I believe Lilia would have recognized him. I think Crowley is somehow related perhaps? Given how his card dropped in the middle of chapter 7, maybe he has some sorta involvement without being Malleus's dad? Do you have any theories/thoughts yourself Miss Raven?
[Referencing this post!]
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I like “Crowley is Malleus’s dad” as a crack theory, just because the idea feels so ridiculous and feeds into “Crowley is a deadbeat dad” jokes that have been circulating in the fandom since the very beginning.
In terms of canon though?? I feel like the theory makes a lot of sense if you don’t squint too hard and just assume vague details are solid evidence. Once you do start squinting, then a bunch of plot holes arise that would take several parts to explain 💦 Questions like, “why wouldn’t Lilia automatically recognize him?”, and, “why did he run so far away and/or never go home?”, “why doesn’t his voice sound similar to Malleus’s?” (something Lilia comments on), “why is he now the headmaster of NRC?”, “why does he continue to neglect his son?”, etc.
If we have to start making up convenient explanations (that don’t even have a solid basis most of the time) like convenient amnesia, the mask is enchanted to hide his identity, Crowley is purposefully putting on a fake voice, or, "it's magic", I think it can detract from the overall credibility since it only leads to more questions rather than concrete answers. I’m open to the idea if it does become canon (my beliefs have definitely been proven wrong before), but then TWST sure does have a TON to explain about Crowley’s history and intent 💀
(Sorry if you were hoping for an alternate theory from me, but right now the main story is way too vague with details about Malleus’s dad for me to draw a strong opposing theory. I’ve heard some suggest maybe Crowley is someone who knows of/is in contact with Levan, or maybe is even his familiar?? But that doesn’t seem entirely right either, particularly the latter since we don’t yet have a set of rules for how familiars work in TWST. Are they even able to assume human form like how Crowley presents???? Can they even legally hold jobs like headmaster???? So yeah, unfortunately I got nothing until the main story gives me something substantial and super relevant to chew on 🍖)
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tavyliasin · 4 months
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The Abdirak Essay - Fandom, Pain, and Loviatar's Love
Another day, another Lia Essay - and if you're really really deliciously sinful my very dear darlings, I shall give you yet more when the sun rises again upon the morrow. So, today in Niche Fandom Adoration Hours, I give you:
For The Love of Loviatar: Why Discomfort Can Be Delightful, How Agony Alleviates Anguish, and All The Ways Abdirak Fans Are Also TavyliaSin's Very Favourite People (Who Also Probably Need A Hug) ((Do We Love The Long Titles?)) (((If No, Consider This Essay Title Part Of Your Penitance)))
The themes of this essay will discuss: BDSM, Kink, Chronic Pain, wounds/injury, Acute Pain, Mental Health, mentions of harmful behaviours, a discussion of psychological elements from someone with absolutely no formal training or experience, vague mentions of trauma, and the magic of friendship. So please make sure you are in a comfortable place within yourself if you feel any of the above might be difficult to read for any reason. It is ok to skip sections as each has a topic header, or you can leave at any time. Nobody is judging you for that at all. Additionally, NSFW discussion further through, so minors DNI as usual. Very little of my blog will ever be suitable for under 18s, for your safety and for mine. Editing in to add a link to the Abdirak fandom gift to chronic pain pals A Cameo from Declan (Abdirak's Performer) (Fully SFW)
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All that said, the main theme of this piece is actually:
To truly understand suffering is to avoid being its cause.
So, let's understand what "Suffering" is first, shall we, Dear Ones?
The Difference between Pain and Suffering
Lia hasn't completely lost the plot darlings, the two words may seem almost interchangeable but they are not. At the very least, this is the interpretation I have and the discussion that follows will stick with it too~ Pain is the sensation itself, whether physical or mental, it is the hurt, the bruise pressed upon, the moment a heart breaks. That is pain. Suffering on the other hand, is the effect that the pain has. It is the anguish, the torment, the overwhelm and the exhaustion. So, whilst two people might have the same pain, let's say a stubbed toe for a simple example, their suffering might be very different. One might feel able to walk it off, maybe swear a little and move on. Another might need to sit immediately, feel tears in their eyes, or even become utterly overcome by misery from the intense sensation. This might sound like a difference in tolerance, but it can also be seen as taking the bigger picture into account. One brick might not feel so heavy to someone with empty hands, but added to a pile of bricks already carried it may feel as if it weighs a dozen times as much.
What about Abdirak? How does he relate to Pain and Suffering?
When I first heard Abdirak speak, I knew he understood this concept to its very core. His goddess wants pain, but in himself he does not seem to want actual suffering. He does draw a different line, with pain being physical and suffering being the mental aspect, however the principles are very close to my own. Some people might see Abdirak and judge him as cruel, as a torturer delighting in anguish, but that could not be further from the truth. When he speaks of delivering pain with a loving hand, that really is meant. When he was speaking to the player character, for a moment I felt so intensely seen when he speaks of seeing a greater suffering.
"Forgive me, but that look in your eyes - something terrible has happened to you. ...I see those same eyes when I look in the mirror, dear one."
This, to me, was such a moment. He recognises trauma easily, and we also have this chance here to either interpret this as "oh, right, the tadpole stuff, the things in the game" or we can allow our own feelings about a player character's backstory as the interpretation of what he has seen. Either way, he immediately offers to alleviate that suffering with pain, something he is familiar with, something he knows to help from personal experience. There's the important point. His motivation is not to cause hurt, but to relieve it.
How does pain make anything better?
Deep breaths loves we're getting to the heart of a few things here and it may get heavy. At the most basic broken down level, right at the bottom of everything, it's about distraction. Pain is instant, sharp, a sensation that draws our nerves tight and fires off that electricity directly into our brains. It takes our attention and focus away from whatever else is on our minds. Usually? This would be detrimental, to be unable to concentrate on something because pain is intruding. However, think back here, "delivered with a loving and measured hand." This is precise pain, sensation that is welcomed and applied with expert care in order to reach that point right between where pain is suffering and where it cuts out the thoughts. BDSM darlings will know this as similar to "subspace" which I will discuss later~ Whilst there is some short term benefit to using strong sensation to distract the mind and alleviate intense distress, if taken into real life scenarios there are a lot of things to consider, and it is far better to speak with a therapist. Though the most commonly suggested low-harm methods can be things like gripping an ice cube for a minute or two, or even something like exercise that can push the mind to focus on the body instead of the source of the distress. The element of penance is also there. Abdirak brings to the fore those thoughts of struggle and guilt, so those are the thoughts that are stripped back by the physical pain. It's intentional, careful, and taps at the other core of using pain to alleviate suffering.
Why we love Abdirak, and the importance of recognising the weight of unwarranted guilt.
Remember my little villain essay? Back then I spoke of how a love for villains can also come from the way we are prone to judge ourselves unfairly, to heap undeserved guilt at our own feet, and to believe every slight mistake to be a heinous sin. Sorry, darlings, the only heinous "sin" you are allowed to believe in is me. Name puns aside... Part of the draw is indeed right there, believing ourselves deserving of punishment it's appealing to want to submit to that and find absolution from everything we judge ourselves for. And yet, it isn't a horrific thing, it's coloured by love and affection. The Love of Loviatar from Abdirak does not ignore that first part. But I do encourage you, if you are feeling particularly called out right now, to stop seeking punishment for things that are objectively not your fault, and instead treat yourself with kindness and forgiveness. By all means continue to indulge in our beloved priest of Pain and the joy he brings, but do so without any negative self-assessment, alright? Good, I'm glad we agre- THAT MEANS ALL OF YOU. No exceptions.
And what of the Fandom?
Ahh Abdirak fandom. Small, loving, welcoming, and utterly devoted~ Similarly to villain fandom (Abdirak is obviously not a villain, but is arguably villain-coded), his fandom also draws a lot of kindness and understanding. Despite how we might see ourselves, we are remarkably free from judgement in how we treat each other. There's endless encouragement, genuine warmth, and alongside spicy takes that might make lava look like a suitable spot for ice fishing there's a profound amount of respect and consent. By which I mean, there's no shame. There's no allowance for "I hate that character you like", or "that kink is bad because I don't like it". Tags and CWs are applied to posts and works with care and nobody is treated poorly for enjoying what (or who) they enjoy in the fictional space. To go back to the quote at the start of this essay, "to truly understand suffering is to avoid being its cause." I feel the vast majority of us have that depth of insight and recognition for suffering and have the empathy required to wish to avoid it. And that is why I would perhaps feel safest in the company of Abdirak fans (and likewise Raphael fans), there's another level of connection in those tadpoles~ Which leads me neatly forwards to...
Endurance: Abdirak and Chronic Pain Sufferers
Here, loves, we're going to get a bit more personal. Those of us with chronic pain conditions may find an even deeper connection. So I'll go over a little for those who are fortunate enough to not have personal experience here: Chronic Pain - This applies to pain which is constant or frequently recurring, that lasts (and/or is expected to last) for more than 3 months. It's not like a broken bone that heals and has an end, it's not like a few headaches that come and go with little consequence, it is either always present or always on the edge of flaring up at any time. It's different to acute pain, because most conditions have no cure, many barely have any treatment so all one can do is try to endure the worst of it. The other side-symptoms can be reduction in physical ability, exhaustion, mental health difficulties (because for some odd reason constant pain is not a path to happiness), low self esteem, and of course carrying the guilt of feeling like a burden if you need help from others (you are not a burden, and anyone who says so can receive the blessing of forever feeling like there is a stone in their shoe that they cannot find). As an aside, this can apply to chronic mental health struggles too - it is still pain, only a different kind. Though I will be looking primarily at physical pain here, as that's where Abdirak's focus is. Now, where are we going with this? The difference here is in how pain is treated. Abdirak speaks of pain as a wonderful thing, as something that is sought after, that is a way of worshipping Loviatar. This is something that might feel strange to someone who is plagued by pain, but there's another quote I'd like us to remember.
"Pain without purpose is a terrible thing, wouldn't you agree?"
Chronic pain has no purpose. It's there whether by illness or injury, or some other unseen cause. It was not a choice, it doesn't bring any relief, and often it drags us right down with it.
"Please let me alleviate this pain."
And there's another line, one we wish we could hear, one we wish so very deeply in the core of our being that we could believe. That there could be someone who could bring an end to the pain even if only for a brief time, a fleeting hope of relief.
How fanworks can be a means of coping with chronic pain.
So here's the next point... What in all the hells do I mean, how can fanworks help a single thing? Well, have some personal moments. I had a deeply unpleasant flare up the other night, so I put out a brief ask to writing groups for some comforting fiction shorts. In the past, I've written a few myself - like these: Abdirak - Migraine Comfort Yurgir - Migraine Comfort Tav - General Comfort, with Audio Multi-Character Comfort Drabbles (Including Abdirak) Full AO3 fic of Abdirak x Chronic Pain Reader (Spicy, NSFW)
These are the two I received from some writers very dear to my heart who have more talent and skill than I could ever hope to aspire to in their works. Elfvamp (who does not have tumblr) (image description is attached to the image)
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and this one from @morb-untamed
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Darlings, when I tell you there were tears in my eyes at these, I mean it. THIS is just an example of the understanding and compassion possible in the community, the care and consideration, and the emotion that words can carry through them that make things genuinely feel more bearable in the moment of distress. Both captured something that it took me too long to realise. Perhaps what follows might sound entirely unreasonable or unhinged, but for someone like myself who has not known a single second of what "0%" feels like in over 10 years, it's beginning to seem far more sane by the moment. What if, within the confines of my mind, I try to rewrite the understanding of pain as something different. Just tell myself each new pain is an offering to some vile deity who has decided my mortal vessel is worthy of enduring, rather than one that is being punished with suffering. Breathe through it and listen to those character voices, find my own purpose to the pain. Let it become inspiration, note it down, get that visceral and intimate knowledge to the page instead. Naturally, this probably isn't a healthy coping mechanism, nor one that is infallible, but there have been moments recently where thinking that has made the moderate levels less distressing, easier to tolerate for a time. Perhaps it could do the same for you, but perhaps not, either way - it is there. Please do read through the comfort pieces too, and if you would like to see more - even ones with more specific aims and pains, please do just ask and I will make them happen. Either through my ask box, or in comments/reblogs, or any other way you wish to contact me honestly.
Alright, Tavylia, we've covered personal pain, but you promised NSFW discussion!
Oh my very dear darlings I had not forgotten this part~ You may here people talk about "good pain" and "bad pain", and wonder how/why pain can ever be good. It's not just about a physical hurt sensation or using that as a distraction. Pain can cause a rush of adrenaline, and even endorphins - similar to how people enjoy extreme sports, horror films, or theme parks, it's a pleasant feeling from something that would usually be scary, because it's safe and controlled. Falling from a high place? That's terrifying, dangerous. Parachuting safely from that same high place? It's controlled, there's no real danger, but the feeling of danger brings that adrenaline rush. There's the key. In real life BDSM there is control in the safe signal, in knowing it can and will stop when needed, that although there is someone causing pain they will stop at a moment's notice. (Anyone who does not respect a safe word/signal is not someone you should be in that situation with, if you are engaging in or want to try BDSM with real partners please PLEASE do your research on safety, that's too long a lecture to add here) In the context of fiction, we can go a lot further. Could a real person easily withstand Abdirak hitting them with an axe in their back? Obviously not, that's far too much. But this is a world with magical healing, and our fantasy and fiction is quite safe to extend where we find is interesting. So when reading - and especially writing - with pain and pain play, I encourage you to remember these links to adrenaline, endorphins, and that it isn't about harm, it's far deeper, and finding an understanding of that (even if you never wish to experience it) might be of some benefit to understanding those around you who have this intimate relationship with pain.
A title for the End
I think I've covered a lot here, but I do just want to round us off now. If you have any questions about this topic (or any of my other essay posts), please do feel free to ask - that's why my box is there, for all kinds of discussions to open up. Not just for smut and creative writing, but for all the ways we connect with fiction and characters. There is so much more than a single story being told, each of us experiences it through the lens of our own experience, we all find our connections in different ways, and I will have more character essays on this later. There's so much more to see, to learn, from all the interpretations throughout the fandom. I'm very grateful to be here to witness it, and for you being here to share in these thoughts and explore them more with me. Pain can teach us many things, about ourselves and others. Empathy, kindness, compassion - when we know how much we need them ourselves, we begin to see how much others may need it too. Much like how Abdirak sees the pain behind the player character's eyes, and feels that strong desire to help in the ways he knows how.
A Final Note for the Pain Pals
To my Chronic Pain Pals, darlings you do not always have to be strong. It's alright. It will not break you entirely to let go of that incessant need to try and quietly endure. Find those places it is safe to let it out, look for those tricks you can use on your brain to make Loviatar's Favour just a little more bearable. You are worthy of kindness, support, and compassion. The same you are likely giving of yourself to everyone else. You are not a burden, these are pains you do not choose, and you deserve something more gentle without any guilt attached to it. You are also not alone, find community, find those who understand.
Pain without purpose...but have we given it one now?
So I hope this time the pain has had a purpose in teaching, in helping us connect in new ways, to find compassion and understanding. Until next time, Dear Ones, look after yourselves.
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Oh hey look I know who made that gif that came up in the search~ What an absolutely wonderful coincidence ;) (And a final final footnote, hello Abdirak fan community, you are perfect and I wish you nothing but the best in all things)
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ugh-yoongi · 1 year
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JEWEL CONGRATS ON 1K!!!!! 🥳
for the event, could i request a drabble inspired by the song strawberries and cigarettes for yoongi (or any member you feel comfy with!) ?
tysm and congrats again!! <33
nixie! thank you so much for the request. i've been on such a troye sivan binge and forgot how depressing this song actually is, lmao. so i hope you like this! <3
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smoke rings
pairing: yoongi x reader (no pronouns used) genre: vague established relationship; angst-y? i dunno warnings: unedited. swearing, cigarettes, mentions of being drunk, one mention of an implied hookup, the cops, wanting someone who's not good for you and may or may not actually want you back, etc. you know how it is sometimes. rating: e for everyone wordcount: 746
It’s always been like this with Yoongi.
Always a chase. You chasing him, him chasing you, and never at the same time. Timing never right. Always just off-kilter. Always a second late.
You’re used to chasing shadows. Used to chasing illusions, figments of your imagination. Desires. You’re used to chasing down dead-ends. Used to swallowing down one bad idea and chasing it with another. When you’re so used to chasing chaos, you shouldn’t be surprised when you finally catch up to it.
Like right now, when your hand is grasped so tightly in his you’re sure it’ll bruise. The two of you are running down some nondescript side street, lungs aching and breath materializing in front of you in the bitter autumn cold. Every so often he’ll slow down and turn back to you, the amber glow of the streetlights filling in the contours of his face. Those sharp cheekbones. He can’t seem to steady his steps, two left feet and all half-baked coordination as he smiles at you devilishly over his shoulder and winks.
Except, unlike all those times before, you’re not the only one chasing Yoongi.
So are the fucking cops.
Sirens whine in the distance, red blue purple lights reflecting off of every brick wall. There’s a threat looming around every corner, but Yoongi always peeks first. Always pulls you back at the last second. Every step has the keys jangling in your pocket, weighing you down, counting steps and seconds until you reach your car.
Ten, nine, eight.
It won’t be like this forever, you know. One day your youth will catch up to you and all that invincibility will disappear like smoke. What you have now will eventually be nothing more than a memory: you’ll forget how loud the sirens are, the names of the side streets Yoongi pulls you down, the sound of his footfall on the pavement. You’ll forget the way he smells, the brand of cigarettes shoved into his back pocket, whether the rip in his jeans was above his left knee or the right.
Seven, six, five.
What you’ll never be able to forget is Yoongi’s wild laugh cutting through the night. Loud because it’s right next to you, but still drowned out by sirens, boots on asphalt, the sound of your own laughter that dies when your car comes into view. A cracked windshield. You’re running out of time again.
Yoongi pulls the door open, falls ungracefully into the passenger seat. Doesn’t bother with his seatbelt, just digs out his cigarette pack and sticks one between his lips, still breathing heavily, hands still trembling. “Can you light my cigarette for me?” he asks, pressing the lighter into your palm. You’re shaking, too. Could barely get the key in the ignition and turn it over.
Four, three, two.
You flick the wheel once, twice. A spark and a flame. Yoongi leans in close, turns the filter cherry red, sucks in deep and lets it out slow. All of this is going to dissipate like smoke, but Yoongi’s smiling, cheeks strawberry pink, is close enough to kiss. It’d taste like nicotine, but you don’t think you’d mind the taste on him.
One.
“Let’s get out of here,” he says, rolling down the window to let the smoke out; parallels you aren’t going to draw. So you just nod, listen. Put the car in drive and keep your headlights off until you reach the highway.
Zero to sixty.
Another parallel.
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The bag of sour candy spills all over the floor.
Yoongi laughs so hard he cries, clutches at his stomach. You try to hush him, try to pick up all the individually-wrapped pieces and shove them back in the bag, but it’s late and you’re a little drunk and the two of you got stuck with the worst fucking driver in the entire city. You lean down and the cab jerks to the left, and Yoongi grabs your forearm to steady you. Suddenly goes all quiet, and quiet scares you.
Because he’s touched you before. Like this, protective and gentle, a little yearning, but he’s also touched you more desperately; touched you hotter, more intimately. It’s hard to forget a touch like that, so a gentle, protective touch feels like something far worse. Yoongi knows it. Loosens his grip, walks his fingers closer to your wrist, twines your fingers together.
You wonder why you do this. Why you haven’t let it go.
Maybe one day you’ll get it right.
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aerialworms-art · 3 months
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My chronic pain has been acting up this week so I wasn't able to draw anything new for De/Bones' birthday. I spent today looking after myself instead, like Doctor McCoy would have wanted :'3 So here are some doodles from my sketchbook instead!
Happy birthday DeForest and Bones!
(ID under cut)
[Image ID: Black and white doodles of Bones/Doctor McCoy from Star Trek: The Original Series.
Image 1: A semi-realistic sketchy bust shot of Bones. He looks vaguely annoyed and is glaring at something to his left.
Image 2: A doodle of him from the waist up. He's facing left, holding his hand up to Vulcan kiss someone in a Starfleet uniform who is cropped from the image. He is looking softly at that Vulcan. He is surrounded by wiggly lines and stars. Above him is written "Bones" and a heart symbol. Below him is written "The Moon".
Image 3: The heads of (left to right) Bones, Jim Kirk, and Spock, floating next to each other - the only details are their hairstyles and eyebrows. Below, the artist has written "Do not seperate!"
Image 4: A very wonky doodle of Bones, sans hair. His head is three times wider than its height, and he looks very grumpy. His triangular eyebrows are raised.
Image 5: A minimalistic rendering of Bones. There is no line denoting his face, just short lines to make up his face and his ears, floating either side. He looks exasperated. Below is written "Damn it, Jim." In the left corner, an unrelated bug, perhaps a spider, crawls up the page. /End ID]
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livesincerely · 5 months
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[Bits & Bobs] hungry like the wolf
My Halloween fic that’s longgg past overdue but is still chugging along. The little fanfic that could, if you will.
feat. Werewolf!Jack and Incubus!Davey. The E-rated section is deep under the cut
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Davey taps his fingers against the side of his glass, rolls his shoulders back, then says, “So, don’t feel obligated, is what I’m trying to say. I only want to do this if we’re both interested, and for the right reasons.”
“I promise ya, the last thing I’m feelin’ is obligated,” Jack drawls. “Jus’ as long as we’re both on the same page.”
But Davey still looks uncertain.
“And you’re okay with the whole…” He makes a vague hand-wavy motion over himself. “I’m told my aura can be a touch… overwhelming, once it starts to take effect.”
“‘M not too worried,” Jack says with a shrug. “Werewolves are immune to almost everything—lycanthropy doesn’t exactly play well with other types of magic. Mother Moon tends to be pretty possessive of her children, I guess.”
“Sounds handy,” Davey says.
“‘S got its uses,” Jack agrees. “So you don’t gotta worry ‘bout enchantin’ me or nothin’.” He offers up his most charming smile. “At least, not any more than you already have.
A laugh bubbles off of Davey’s lips. His entire demeanor seems to brighten several clicks, like drawing back a curtain to let in the sun.
“That was smooth!” he accuses, sounding utterly delighted about it.
“I try,” Jack says, just as captivated, grinning right back. “Hopefully, I’m doin’ somethin’ right. You strike me as the kinda guy that’s pretty damn hard’ta impress.”
“Oh, believe me, you’re already head and shoulders above most of my past failures,” Davey says.
“You’re joking,” Jack says, disbelieving. “Been seein’ some real gems, have ya, cariño?”
“If only,” Davey scoffs. “You should’ve seen the last guy, he couldn’t even—“
Davey stops. Then Davey blushes, a flush of pink warming his face.
“Oh, there’s definitely a story there,” Jack says, drinking him in. He feels a little intoxicated, and not from the alcohol. “Spill, Jacobs.”
“There’s not much to say,” Davey lies—so terribly that it’s obvious even without the tell-tale skip in his heartbeat. “The fact that you’re not groping me under the table or visibly drooling is already an excellent sign. If we actually make it to a bed without incident I’ll be thrilled. And even then, most of them usually can’t manage to… aren’t able to…”
He trails off, awkward, and all at once the heart of the problem becomes obvious.
“Oh,” Jack realizes. “They can’t keep up with you.”
Davey’s blush deepens, which is only more kindling for the fire.
“Of course they can’t,” Jack continues, shaking his head. “Eres guapísimo—it’s a miracle their damn brains didn’t melt out their ears.”
“It’s not funny, Davey protests, but it’s a halfhearted effort at best. “The last guy I tried to hookup with came in his pants in the back of an Uber—we didn’t even make it four blocks! I wasn’t even touching him. Then he didn’t understand why I was absolutely uninterested in doing anything except going home, alone. And then,” Davey leans closer, starting to gesture with his hands as talks, “he tracked me down on venmo a few days later and tried to stick me with his dry cleaning bill!”
Jack can’t help it: he barks out a laugh. “He didn’t!”
“Yes, he fucking did!” Davey insists. “And, honestly, I’m not sure if that even cracks the top ten of ‘David Jacobs’ Tragic Attempts at Romance’—“
“There’s worse?” Jack asks. “Christ, sweetheart, I’m startin’ ta feel like I should be properly wining and dining ya, help make up for some of the assholes.”
“You won’t be making up for anything if you don’t stop laughing at me,” Davey grumbles, but he’s not truly annoyed—there’s a playful spark behind his eyes, anticipation written into every line of his body. “Besides, who’s to say you won’t be more of the same?”
“Ain’t gonna happen,” Jack says, confident.
“Sounds like someone’s sure of themselves,” Davey muses, arching a brow.
“Sounds ta me like the bar ain’t that high,” Jack counters with a cheeky grin. “Don’t be an inconsiderate dickhead and don’t tap out pathetically early—shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“And you think you can handle it?”
“If there’s one thing a werewolf’s got in spades,” Jack purrs. “It’s stamina.”
Davey’s eyes go deliciously dark.
“You’re not cute,” he informs Jack pertly, and the challenge in his voice probably isn’t meant to be as enticing as it is. Probably.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Jack says, and he lets his fangs drop as he leans forward, running his tongue over the razor sharp canines that peek out from underneath his smirk. “I’m fucking adorable.”
He doesn’t miss the way Davey’s eyes drop to his mouth, the way his throat bobs around a swallow. Jack just barely resists the urge to preen under his attention.
Without lifting his gaze, Davey says, in a voice that’s gone whiskey-smooth, “Shall we head out then?”
“Don’t’cha wanna finish your drink first?” Jack teases. “An’ I still got half a beer left.”
In answer, Davey tips his head back and downs the rest of his drink in one go, then he reaches over and plucks Jack’s beer out of his now slack grip and tosses that back too.
The empty glass lands against the bar top with a solid thunk but it’s barely a blip on Jack’s radar. Because Davey cups a hand around Jack’s jaw and draws him into a long, searing kiss. He tastes of hops and wolfsbane, cranberry and vodka, and something that must be uniquely Davey—warm and smokey and with a hint of bite.
Davey pulls away just enough for Jack to see the deep blue of his eyes, the thick canopy of his lashes. “And now?”
It takes Jack a second to find his voice, the keys in the ignition but the engine refusing to turn over. He rasps, “After you.”
….
“Wait, wait,” Davey pants against his mouth. He twists out of Jack’s arms, then darts around the corner into the kitchen. Befuddled and horny, Jack lumbers after him.
He finds him rummaging around in his fridge.
“Do you have a preference for Gatorade?” Davey asks. “I’ve got red and purple.”
“What?” Jack says, stupidly. “Uh, red, I guess.”
Davey hums in response. Under his breath he mutters to himself, “I’ll grab two, just to be safe.”
He nudges the refrigerator door closed with his hip, then turns and opens a cabinet. He pulls out a box of granola bars and grabs a handful.
“Dave, what are you doing?” Jack finally asks.
“Getting supplies,” Davey says, as though this should be obvious. “Can’t have you passing out on me.”
“I think I’ll be okay,” Jack says, bemused, stepping closer. “‘M made of pretty stern stuff.”
“Oh, so lycanthropy protects you from low blood sugar, now, does it?” Davey asks, pinning him with a spectacularly bitchy look. God, Jack’s already so fucking stupid for this man, it’s embarrassing. “Keeps your electrolytes properly balanced? Wow, that must be one hell of a party trick—“
“Alright, alright, point taken,” Jack says, curling himself around Davey’s back, letting his hands settle low over his hips. “You’re the expert, I’ll let you handle it.”
“Did you already have dinner?” Davey wonders. “I should’ve asked earlier, while we were still at the bar… Do you want something to eat? I can get you something—“
“What I really want is to get back’ta kissing you,” Jack murmurs, pressing his lips to the hollow behind Davey’s ear; Davey goes gratifyingly still in his arms, his pulse fluttering delicately beneath his skin. “So, if I promise to let you know the moment I get thirsty and have a big breakfast in the mornin’, can we please move you and your Gatorade somewhere more comfortable?”
“…and the granola bars,” Davey bargains.
“And the granola bars,” Jack easily concedes. “I’ll even eat one right now if it’ll make you feel better.”
Davey chews at his lip, hesitating. “Would you?” he implores softly.
Jack’s never choked down a granola bar so fast in his life.
…..
“Jesus, sweetheart,” Jack murmurs, watching Davey’s wide-eyed expression as he bottoms out, a little overwhelmed at the absolute vision he makes splayed out against the sheets. “I didn’t realize how much ya needed it.”
Davey’s lips are red and kiss-swollen, his hands fisted into the bedding on either side of him, but he still manages to gasp out, his chest heaving, “You can still back out, if all this is too much for you.”
“‘S a little late for that, ain’t it?” Jack muses. He pulls out just a bit, then carefully thrusts back in, sinking even further into that exquisite heat. “I’m literally balls deep inside you.”
“Consent is a continuous contract,” Davey lectures, but his words are a breathless rasp, his voice threaded with aching, blatant desire. “It can be retracted or reassessed at any time—“
He breaks off with a gasp as Jack rolls his hips forward, nice and slow, then does it again, starting up a steady rhythm.
“Quierdo, unless you say otherwise, they’d have to drag me off of you by my hair,” Jack vows, not entirely sure if he’s exaggerating or not. There’s just something about Davey—the snark and sweetness and sin of him—that draws him in, beckons him closer, makes something deep inside of him pant and tremble and howl. “Is this good for you? Less or more or…?”
“More,” is Davey’s immediate response. “More, oh god, please more—“
Jack leans in and kisses him then, unable to resist, and Davey arches into him like he’s starving for it—Christ, he probably is.
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