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owlight · 1 year

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Strawhats men with a short s/o(crewmate) who is very salty about begin short

Headcanons

Characters: Luffy, Zoro,Sanji,Brook,Jinbe,Usopp,Franky + chopper

Tw: non ,fluff

Notes: some can be seen as paltonic I think,sorry for the Zoro slander here 💀🫰

Luffy

The fact he is short and you still shorter than him? Smh...He won't bully you for it but you were compared to chopper multiple times ,Yes he was the one to do so,no he wasn't thinking when he said that ,No he never think before he talk

You were both running from the Marine and Luffy had carried you to get away to the ship,it was chaotic,the moment you both back to safety Luffy let you down with a smile "(y/n) you're as light as chopper!-actually you're not much taller than him,I never noticed that before" He tease you light-heartedly ,you look at him with a deadpan face " say that again and I will stab you with a rusty spoon"

He find your very creative salty insults funny ,he love that you're fun sized and doesn't see why you are so salty about it, you're still strong and smart! Like height shouldn't matter ,but ofc he wouldn't understand the struggle of begin the shortest mf after chopper on this large ship

You are always picked up by him,you have no choice it's a habit you will have to get used to

Does Not allow anyone else to tease you about your height though,He Will fight for u 🫶

Do not stab him with a rusty spoon please 😔

Zoro

He tease you for it a lot Knowing you would throw one of the most Unhinge threat known to man kind always crack him up

"Hey shortcake need help with this?" Zoro tease you with a grin as he look down at you as you try to give him a kiss as you stand on your tip toes,he usually lean down for you but it seem today he decided to be a clown ,you quickly change your mind "I'm going to kiss Sanji" you simply say leaving wiping the grin off his face , Zoro Eye widen as he run after you " hey come back I was joking!"

He like to tease you about it light-heartedly only because your reactions are cute and he loves how much sass you got in you ,it turns him on

Like he would fight for you if anyone make fun of you,like he is the only one allowed to tease you about this , you're his lover and you know he mean no harm by it

He would carry you like a sack of potatoes all the time if he could, you don't like it but it's probably because you have short legs and he walk faster than you and it's how your life is with him

Good luck with him,just remember his kneecaps are very close and so is his balls,Never let him forget what Short kings capable of <3

Sanji

The most respectful guy out of all of them , you are not going to have him tease you about it,he would rather die than have you upset from him

He would be defending your honor with you,he would kick mosshead for you if he ever teased you about your height like He is fight or die for you , you're his Short beloved and he Drink (y/n) respect juice every day

Admire your sass and your unhinged threats when you get salty about it ,very adorable in his opinion, you're very cute

" hey shorty ,wanna train with me later?" Zoro asks you and you can't help but huff "Hey don't call me that ,you don't see me calling you a giraffe-but yeah maybe if you ask nicer!" you glares at him "hey mosshead! Stop harassing my love!!" " Oh shut it you stupideyebrows-" ah shit here we go again

Those moments happen way too much but at least you got Sanji to carry you so you can sass Zoro face to face 😔

He is your ride or die ,ur moral support but that doesn't stop him from carrying you at every possible and finding you cute,it's merely a small price you gotta pay for begin small😔

Usopp

He treat you normally 😭like this man see no problem with it since you're not that Short compared to him

Only because he fear your anger and salty side ,you did try to burn Zoro ass for teasing you once , you're a force he would rather not anger

Usopp was walking around the ship when he found you sitting holding few bottles of alcoholic drinks that for sure belong to Zoro " oh hey (y/n),what are you doing?" You look at him with a smile " hey love! Zoro had called me short five times today, I'm going to put salt in all his bottles" you tell him as you walk to the kitchen, leaving Usopp staring at you leaving,damn.

He find you adorable,he can admit that you look very carry worthy but he doesn't carry you unless you ask of him Because he doesn't want to offend you on accident

He is very sweet about it ,might tell Zoro to stop his teasing if he sees that it's making you sad

He is very sweet ,give him a hug and tell him you will let him carry if he asked nicely ): <3

Franky

Everyone is shorter than him but you're just SUPER Short compared to him haha yeah unscrew his dick for that joke for sure

" oh (y/n) don't be so upset ,I was joking!" He tells you as he watches you bring a screw driver " hey! What are you doing with that?'" He asks as he steps few step back,you smiles menacingly " I'm going to fix this!" Franky look slightly scared "hey my legs are still mine!" He run away and you run after him "they won't be after I catch you!"

You traumatized him for real but he deserved it ,he needed to be humbled and made example of ,never mess with (y/n) ,he no longer make fun of your height but you bet your sweet ass he still pick you like you're a sack of onions

Nothing will stop him from doing so,you can't kiss him unless he does that so you gotta swallow your pride for love 😔

He still tease you about it but more lightheartedly ,he find your reactions very adorable when they aren't very scary<3

He offer to make u taller if u want ,think about it and decide baby gorilla 💖

Brook

He is the tallest mf out there 💀 like idk what to tell u

He will joke and tease and pick you and you can't do anything to stop him,he might love you but You don't even reach his hips it's so funny to him 😭

You were both outside as a thunderstorm started ,you were both looking at the sky when brook broke the silent" Hey (y/n) how is the weather down there? Yohohoho" he asks you as he look down at you ,you look at him giving him the middle finger " I hope the next lighting get your tall ass" you tell him with spite,brook laughs as he pats your head ,you chuckle slightly as your wish come true and he is Hit by the lighting causing him to fly away from your side , karma is good

He pick you up and put you on his boney shoulders and it's a whole different point of view ,yeah he might be annoying but this is fun and he is a pervert who is doing this out of his desire to be crushed by ur thighs 😔 but you don't know that so it's still kinda wholesome activity you both do

He will be pleased to see you sassing to anyone who anger u about ur height like that's very hot of you ,he is as hard as a bone-yo know because he is a skeleton 💀🫰

Root for u when u fight Zoro for calling you short ,kick him in the nuts ,Win (y/n)!!!

Jinbe

Very polite about it <3 king won't even mention it ,most humans are shorter and smaller than him ,and he really doesn't really like to tease someone for something they can't control

He will try to help you with staying calm when someone tease you, channel your chaotic unhinged energy into something positive rather trying to poison Zoro for calling you a mouse

" he is your crewmate! Why would you try to fight him over a comment dear (y/n)?" He asks you as you grab your weapon of choice which is a shoe "to get a message across Jinbe,I can't let him keep calling me these names !" You huffs as you aim to throw the shoe ,Jinbe sighs deeply as he goes to stops you from giving Zoro memory loss

He does carry you around in a nice cuddly way and u allow it cuz it feel safe and nice when he carry you,this man is the best in begin a good vibe

He slowly teaches you to stop caring about what people says about you and start teaching you how to be more carefree about it so you don't have to waste your energy on begin a ball of salt nd sass

He does loves ur small salty self tho so don't worry if u can't stop fighting ppl he will still support u <3

Chopper (paltonic)

" you're just like me for real " he tells you as you both sits together on the ground,both drinking juice as he comfort you from an earlier tease from nami

He will defend ur Honor with all his might , short gang never leave each others fr

Even when he turn into his more monsterous and taller self,this king will still be in ur short team

He does not support ur salty plans of revenge but he understands and think Zoro always have it coming for teasing you about it so much

10/10 he wishes he had ur attitude sometimes 😔

#one piece headcanons #luffy x reader #zoro x reader #sanji x reader #one piece franky #franky x reader #One piece Franky x reader #brook x reader #jinbe x reader #chopper & reader #luffy d monkey #sanji vinsmoke art #roanoa zoro #usopp x reader #One piece #Franky Frankie #soul king brook #owl write

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beanghostprincess · 3 months

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I just thought of this so you have to, too.

Buggy being genderfluid but the Roger crew not really giving a flying fuck about it. Who cares how you dress so long as you're still you? Yeah, sure, go apeshit, just be loyal, strong, etc. You're one of Us and your pants or lack thereof doesn't impact that.

The crew disbands.

Shanks and Buggy get smth of a culture shock once they are no longer in that protective bubble. Buggy is getting hateful looks, comments, snide remarks. Shanks is at his side, completely taken aback and honestly pretty pissed. Buggy, on more Femme days, faces more animosity, misogyny, and it's astounding to the former apprentices who different men and women are treated. And if you can't tell by a glance, people can get so upset?? What the hell????

Buggy refuses to be anything but themself/himself/herself, depending on the day and vibe. Shanks refuses to comply with this newfound social expectation to be rude and mean for no reason to innocent people.

The Grandline is the most progressive of the seas, due in part to the natural insanity it breeds. The Blues aren't as open, but the East is the more chill of the four. Buggy chooses there for many reasons, but the Big Top and crew is open to any sea. There's an information network, smuggling division, crowdsourcing area, etc.

Shanks will drop tips at places he visits for Buggy to get a foothold if they don't already exist, and Buggy will drop tips for Shanks regarding pertinent information for adventures, expectations, and etiquette.

It's a good dynamic. They go for years like this.

Buggy's stint in Impel Down was.... not fun. Aside from the misgendering, general torture and absolutely overwhelming energy there, it was stifling.

Marineford was a hot mess, but by the end, Shanks offers Buggy a ride to the Big Top's docked location, and on board, he just leads Buggy to this little chest in his cabin. Says, "here, take your pick. You wear whatever is most comfortable for you." There's a dress or two, a few skirts, tops, pants, shirts, and while most of it is in different sizes, there's belts and loops. Buggy bites back tears when they find their old skirt. They'd left that one on the Oro. How did Shanks even get this??

The time skip goes down, and by the time Cross Guild is running, Buggy has had to decide between masquerading as a Cis person or just... being themself. One morning, they wake up and everything feels too TIGHT, too STIFF, too much and she's left eying her leotard, half skirt and thigh highs.

...

Well. If she dies, might as well die authentic.

Crocodile and Mihawk nearly do a spit take when she struts out of her tent or into the announcement hall. She is a bit nervous by this, but she has COMMITTED.

It... also helps that so many of her men are singing her praises and Ritchie is bouncing happily, Mohji and Cabaji are smiling, Alvida is giving an approving nod-

She's happy. She's not going to let fear rule her, even if she can feel the gazes of two very powerful men tracking her every breath.

((They're not mad, they're fighting every urge to swoop her into a kiss and maybe more, but also the fact that WHO GAVE THE CLOWN THE RIGHT TO BE SO HOT??? IT WAS BAD ENOUGH BEFORE, NOW THIS????? they're not good at flirting, they cannot HANDLE this-))

I adore this. Buggy being genderfluid is actually so important to me as a genderfluid person-- My beloved. The concept of cold reality suddenly hitting them both (because they were so, so supportive back at the Oro Jackson) when the crew disbands is so good. Shanks is extremely protective of them when that happens, refusing to let anybody talk shit about Buggy. It's just so sweet of him. Tbh, it hurts so much to think about Buggy having to hide that part of himself,,, But then they come out to Mihawk and Crocodile and it's not only that they support them but they also absolutely love them. These two men are having a whole crisis over a clown again (as usual). But yeah, it's actually really sweet to see Buggy finally being free with them in that way,, Thinking thoughts about Crocodile going full mafioso with money and buying Buggy all the clothes she wants (he does it more for himself and Mihawk but yeah).

#genderfluid buggy is so dear to me #i love her sm #one piece #buggy the clown #red haired shanks #cross guild #dracule mihawk #sir crocodile

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phantom-dc · 11 months

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Dad Hood - part 10

After a couple hours of screaming and yelling, Tim was very grateful that he put Danny to bed before Jason began his tirade. The kid didn’t need to see his dad and his uncle fighting like this. As he got back to the living room, he wished he’d stayed with Danny.

‘WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, LETTING THAT CLOWN ANYWHERE NEAR MY DANNY!’

Jason was almost as red as his helmet. Tim was worried he’d pop a vein!

‘WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THE KID’S A META! I WAS SO EXHAUSTED I COULDN’T EVEN THINK STRAIGHT!’

Dick was yelling right back. Seems like Danny made it difficult for him.

‘WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I GAVE YOU THE NOTEBOOK WITH ALL THE POWERS I KNOW OFF AND EVERYTHING!’

Jason pointed at the black notebook. Tim had a feeling Dick hadn’t read it.

‘YOU SHOULD’VE- wait, you wrote it down?’

Dick was feeling a bit sheepish. He really should’ve read that stupid thing. As Jason was starting another tirade, Tim decided to intervene.

‘GUYS! I know you’re tired and upset, but can you stop yelling? You’re going to wake up Danny!’

Jason and Dick calmed down. Dick apologized for putting Danny in harms way, but he made sure that Danny was ok. The kid had been more upset that he had to leave the cat behind then about what happened. Jason apologized for not being clearer about Danny and his abilities. He thought the book would be enough, but he should’ve told Dick what information was in it. Sitting down on the couch, Dick asked how their investigation went. Did they get some answers?

‘Well, yes and no. It’s complicated. We did find Talia and she was willing to talk to us. Turns out, she did have a kid about 6 years ago. She had him with Jason when he was recovering from his dip in the Lazarus Pit.’

Tim still felt weird about that. Jason had been way too young then, and it didn’t sit well with him.

‘Don’t give me that look. I was totally out of it at the time, I barely remember it!’ Jason misunderstood Tim’s look, thinking he was judging him, instead of Talia.

‘Since he wasn’t Bruce’s kid, she gave him up for adoption so he could have a normal life. She thought he had a good life, but didn’t keep an eye on him. She has no clue how he ended up in Jason’s care.’

Tim saw how surprised Talia had looked that they even knew of the child.

‘So what else did she say? How do Danny’s powers tie in all this?’

Dick was still curious. Surely they had all the answers now, and with he weekend he had he deserved answers!

‘That’s the part that gave us only more questions. She has no clue.’

Tim had been very disappointed that she had no answers. Talia had even gotten angry, suspecting her father of hunting the child down and experimenting on him.

‘And then there’s the age issue.’

Jason sighed. Damian had been aged up by artificial means, but that needed to be tested. Her father had forbidden her from wasting any of Batman's 'sample' on a test, but Talia had been desperate to make sure her Beloved’s son would be safe. That night she seeked Jason out, she hadn’t actually wanted him, but she needed a sample and he was there and still out of it. So the child had been aged up as well. He should look like a 14-year-old now, not 5!

‘So in short, Danny is Talia’s and mine’s kid. But he is far younger than he should be, has powers with no origin and still no clue as to how he got in my appartement!’

Jason was frustrated. He had hoped for answers, but came home with more questions.

‘I’m not even sure it’s the same kid. According to Talia, he had black hair and blue eyes. It might be a result of his powers, but there is a change we’re talking about a completely different kid here.’

Tim was worried. There were so many things that didn’t add up. What if they were getting 2 different kids mixed up?

As the brothers are talking, the bedroom door opens. Danny walks to the couch and crawls up, snuggling up to Jason.

‘Daddy, I can’t sleep. Will you read me a bedtime story?’

Jason pets Danny’s head. He wonders why the kid always has trouble sleeping. Maybe he wasn’t used to sleeping full nights?

‘In a minute, kiddo. Me and your uncles are almost done.’

Dick has an idea. With the amount of powers Danny tormented him with, maybe he could…

‘Hey Danny? Do you know anything about another Danny? With black hair?’

Danny looks up, sleepy. He thinks for a bit, before a ring of light appears. It splits in 2 and travel up and down his body, turning his hair black and eyes blue. His glow disappears and he looks like a normal kid.

‘Like this, uncle?’

The brothers were looking at the now black-haired boy, still snuggled up to Jason in his Martian Manhunter pajamas and his Wonder Woman blanket. At least one mystery was solved rather quickly. Jason rubbed his temple, before asking for the notebook:

Invisibility

Cryokinesis

Flight

Soul-pulling-out-powers???

Destructive scream

Super strength

(Flying) Superspeed

Photokineses

Shields

Doesn't need to breath (as often)?

Color changing (Camouflage? Different form?)

As Jason came to terms with another power, Dick decided it was the perfect time for a poor joke:

‘I mean, at least we know there aren’t 2 Danny’s going around?’

Jason gave Dick a look that said enough. But before he could tell Dick to buzz off, Danny decided to drop another bombshell.

‘But there are 2 of me! Dani is the best!’

The room immediately went silent. The brothers just looked at Danny. Jason gently shook Danny, praying he didn’t just fall asleep on them after that. He needed answers. NOW.

‘Danny, kiddo. What do you mean. Why are there 2 of you?’

Danny was beginning to doze off. He yawned and answered a bit groggily.

‘I was cloned. Dani is my clone. She is so cool. I’m so happy that she exists. Sometimes I wish that he cloned me sooner.’

Tim immediately followed up on that. Who cloned him?

‘Danny, who is this ‘he’? Who cloned you and made the other Danny?’

Danny puts on his thinking face. He still has trouble remembering things. But he knew exactly how to describe the guy.

‘I forgot his name. But he’s a rich, billionaire frootloop with adoption issues and a creepy lair underneath his mansion. He dresses like a vampire and he wants to get with my mom. I hate him.’

Hearing this, Tim and Dick looked up slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movements. Sure enough, Jason’s eyes were no longer blueish. They were glowing full, Lazarus green.

5 minutes later, Jason was calmy going around his appartement, Dick and Tim following in a panic.

‘Jason, please think about this!’

‘I just want to go talk to him.’

Jason was packing his weapons. Dick was trying to convince him to stop doing that, while also trying not to panic.

‘Seriously Jason, we don’t yet have all the info. There might be a good reason for this?’

‘I just want to go talk to him.’

Tim was very glad he had quickly put Danny to bed. The boy didn’t need to see what was going on with his dad.

‘Jason, please stop packing- Is that a bazooka!?!’

‘I just want to talk to him.’

Dick and Tim were at their wits end. They had expected screaming, anger, violence. The calm way that Jason was preparing a murder was unsettling to say the least. Especially since they knew who Jason was going to kill.

‘Dick’s right, Jason. What if it’s a mistake? Maybe it’s someone else-’

‘ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TRYING TO TELL ME THERE ARE 2 OF THAT FUCKER OUT THERE!?!’

Jason was livid. Tim admitted things didn’t seem good, but things had just been too strange. Nothing made sense anymore!

‘Look Jason, think about it. How could Bruce clone Danny? He didn’t even know about him!’

Dick was trying to reason with his brother. He couldn’t let Jason just try and kill their dad.

‘I don’t care how he did it! He knew I had a kid and he didn’t say anything about it! No, not only that, HE CLONED MY KID AND DIDN’T SAY SHIT! Oh, I knew that things had been going too well, I KNEW IT! I knew he didn’t trust me, that’s why he kept it from me! He didn’t trust me with my own kid, and now my kid has DIED AND BEEN REVIVED JUST LIKE ME! IM GOING TO KILL THAT-’

‘JASON!’ Tim actually slapped Jason across the face. ‘I know you’re furious, and you have every right to be! But we have no idea if Bruce really did all that! And before you start, when has ANYTHING about Danny been straight-forward?’

Jason actually put down his weapons, though his eyes didn’t change. Taking advantage of the calm, Tim kept pleading his case.

‘Look Jason. Things are really weird right now, and I admit, it does sound like Bruce did something he shouldn’t have. So, me and Dick are going back to the Manor. Give us a week to get to the bottom of this, ok? In the meantime, you can take Danny to all sorts of places now that he looks like a normal kid. How’s that for a plan?’

Jason calmed down a bit, the green finally receding. He knows Tim is right. He needs more information. And he can’t interrogate Bruce without strangling him right now. He relents:

‘Fine, one week. You investigate the Manor and I’ll try to get more information out of Danny. But if he did know-’

‘Then he’s all yours, Jason. We promise. Just, stay here and we’ll go. Ok? Bye!’

As Dick and Tim rush back to the Manor, they are worried. What the heck had Bruce done?

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#danny phantom #danny fenton #dc x dp #dp x dc #red hood #batman #jason todd #dad jason #dad hood #tim drake #dick grayson #nightwing #red robin

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wen-kexing-apologist · 9 months

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Rain, BL Boys, and Reciprocity

Made @bengiyo and @lurkingshanshan get up early today so they could experience me and @neuroticbookworm's reactions to My Ride Episode 8. Mostly because NBW has been wanting Por to get punched in his stupid goddamn face for the last two weeks, and because I think everyone knew I would lose my shit at that undressing scene. Which I did, in case you were wondering.

ANYWAY. Over the last couple weeks as I’ve been watching My Ride, these clowns have had to listen to me say over and over again how much I truly appreciate the dynamic between Mork and Tawan. And by that I mean helpers helping helpers, and because I have seen how Mork and Tawan interact with each other throughout this show, I have started developing a theory as to why so many BL boys get sick (especially when it rains or when people are stressed), and a lot of it has to do with reciprocity. Obviously, this will not hold for all shows but, nevertheless…

When I think of BLs where someone gets sick and has to be taken care of, I think of shows like The Eclipse, Bed Friend, and Our Dining Table (I know rain and sickness feature as a heavy part of Tokyo in April Is…but that illness serves as a completely separate plot device) and I think about how the dynamics of the characters play out in terms of how frequently they are being taken care of by their partners versus how often they are taking care of their partners.

And in pretty much every case, the person who ends up getting sick and needing to be cared for, is the person that spends more of their time caring for their partner. Which is to say, that there is frequently an imbalance in how much (typically) emotional support characters need. [And again, I will take a moment to specify that imbalances happen in relationships and that does not make the relationship bad, or toxic and that does not make a person or character who does not give or receive support as frequently bad people either. It is okay for people to have more needs, it is okay for people to require more support, it is okay for imbalances to exist in a relationship]

gif by @choikangho

In The Eclipse, Ayan spends a lot of his time throughout the entire show making sure that Akk won’t kill himself. Sure, he pokes and prods and is annoying about it at times, but it goes without question that Ayan is putting in a lot more time and energy, especially before they get together in trying to pull Akk out of the mess he has gotten himself in to. Ayan, who is himself grieving the loss of his beloved uncle, pushes that aside time and time again to hold Akk when he cries, to let Akk know he can be weak with him, to being patient and guiding Akk as he navigates his internalized homophobia, to push back against the mindset Akk has been developing thanks to Teacher Chadok. And, it is at this point I will say that Ayan is not alone here, Akk supports him plenty, but in the beginning it is much more tentative and in those moments where Akk wants to comfort or support Ayan, Ayan still has to guide him- Akk sees Ayan being targeted by the teachers, and part of him knows that isn’t right or fair, and he goes to seek out Ayan after Ayan does not appear in class, and all the support he is capable of showing Ayan is sitting there with him in silence. It is Ayan that puts his head on Akk’s shoulder, it is Ayan that asks Akk if he will treat him the same way the teachers are. Akk wakes up to find Ayan gone from the tent and crying outside alone and he takes the words that Ayan said to him when he needed support and gives them back to Ayan, and once again it is Ayan who sinks in to Akk’s shoulder, initiating contact. Ayan guides their first kiss, Ayan is honest about his feelings, Ayan does not get upset when Akk cannot at first admit his feelings for him, he does not get upset when Akk tries to provoke a fight. Akk holds Ayan when he’s having nightmares and that is the one time that he initiates actual physical comfort with Ayan before they kiss, and it is when Ayan is not awake to witness it, and Akk does throw it in his face a little bit the next morning.

But in Episode 9, Ayan gets sick and Akk takes him home, and Akk gives him a sponge bath, and Akk holds his hand, and Akk falls asleep next to him, and Akk jokes around with him when they are washing dishes, and you can start to see the shift. Akk has started to question his school, his place, himself and his desires, he has started to get more comfortable with his sexuality, to get more comfortable around the boy he likes and so Akk takes care of Ayan. Because Ayan needs to be taken care of too. Because Ayan is stressed out too. Because Ayan is depressed and grieving and angry. And that has suddenly become too much for him to handle, and so it is time for Akk to put aside his own anxieties, his own doubts, his own fears and focus on giving comfort to the person who has given so much care to him.

And it is worth mentioning that I do love the fact that after Episode 9 almost every single time one of them is upset, the other is also upset, especially in Episodes 10 and 11, I am so here for the way that both of them are comforting each other while they cry over different parts of the same problem.

gif by @kolaicendionysos

In Our Dining Table, Yukata is always going to Minoru’s house, he is always cooking for Minoru and Tane, he is always helping take care of Tane. While Minoru is unaware of the way that being around him and Tane has been helping Yutaka heal old wounds, Yutaka is spiritually and physically providing a lot of support to those boys. When Ueda-san is out, the burden of raising Tane has been lifted in part by having an additional set of hands. Minoru doesn’t have to worry about Yutaka being upset that Tane is with him, Minoru doesn’t have to worry that Yutaka will be annoyed at Tane for being a child. Minoru, who has given up so readily and so willingly so much of his life to make sure his baby brother has the love and support he deserves, finally has someone enter his life that loves and supports him in a way no one ever really has. Minoru doesn’t have a career, Yutaka does, Minoru has not completed his education, Yutaka has, Minoru has a lot of family responsibilities, Yutaka doesn’t. So in their relationship to and with one another, Yutaka typically needs less support. Then he gets sick. And that becomes Minoru’s opportunity to repay all the kindness Yutaka has shown him and his family. Minoru gets to cook for Yutaka instead of Yutaka cooking for Minoru and Tane (or Minoru gets to cook for Yutaka instead of with Yutaka), Minoru gets to replace the fever patches on Yutaka’s forehead, Minoru gets to stay there, with Yutaka and listen to him, to be a literal, physical support for Yutaka when he rests his head on Minoru’s shoulder. Yutaka finally gets to put all the things he has picked up aside, and just allow himself to be cared for for the first time in a very, very long time.

gif by @bird-inacage

And Bed Friend, as the show from my examples that feels most in keeping with the traditional tropes of the genre, highlights this give and take particularly well. Because Uea has been through what he has been through, and because Uea still continues to go through what he’s going through, he is heavily reliant on King for emotional support. Which is not to say that King is acting as Uea’s savior all the time, or that Uea isn’t capable of supporting King, but that objectively, fundamentally, Uea has much bigger, much more pressing, and much more intense problems than King currently has. Which means it typically falls on King to run emotional support for Uea. King helps Uea through his panic attack in Ep 1, he drives Uea to the hospital and pays for his mother’s taxi ride, he comforts Uea when he is nervous at the doctor’s, he bears witness to Uea’s trigger and tries to help, he is decently patient waiting for Uea to process that, he rescues Uea from Pock in Ep 4, treats his bruises, he notices when Uea is anxious and makes him take a bath and brings him birthday cake, he gets Krit fired, he helps Uea make a decision around what to do about his stepfather. And because Uea is constantly in some crisis or another, the only time he really offers any support for King for the majority of the show is when King is venting about not wanting to go home and the expectations his mother has for him. Then King goes out in the rain and gets sick, and Uea finally has an opportunity to spend all of his time taking care of and doting on King. He gets to give King meds, and cook King breakfast, and cuddle King and King gets to just be sick and sleepy and not have to worry about anything but getting better.

All of this to say, that I frequently view the reason BL boys get sick as a way to make a typically imbalanced support dynamic between characters have some reciprocity.

But My Ride doesn’t do that.

gif by @aejeonghae

My Ride is one of the first BL’s I’ve seen where I feel like both characters have an extremely reciprocal relationship the entire way through. Before they even really know they like each other, before they get together, every time Mork helps Tawan, Tawan almost immediately helps Mork in return. Both men are caretakers, Mork gave up his chance of education to pay for the tuition of his girlfriend so that she could get an education, Tawan is a doctor and always covers his coworker’s shifts all the time. He leaves the house early and leaves work late because he is always finding someone to help. When they first meet, Mork is crying over his break up and Tawan comes up to him asking for a ride, sees Mork crying and says: “Are you okay? Is there anything I can help with?” and from there the entire rest of the show is just Mork and Tawan see-sawing back and forth when it comes to taking care of each other (the next two paragraphs are every example but if you are like ‘wka there is no way in hell i’m reading all that, just skip to the tl;dr).

Tawan needs a ride to get stage props but doesn’t know where to go, Mork takes him to a market he knows and gives him a tour to orient him, Tawan buys Mork a drink, Mork holds the supplies Tawan bought and Tawan helps feed Mork the drink he bought

gif by @gabrielokun

Tawan helps a dog that has been hurt, Mork helps Tawan fix the props that got run over because he was inspired by Tawan’s kindness, Tawan takes Mork’s hand and is so excited and grateful that Mork would do something like that for him, Mork fixes the props and Tawan invites him to join the party, Mork drives Tawan around when he is off work to help him find Nadia, Mork is sick but crucially Tawan does not take care of him, only uses Mork’s fever and sore throat to make an in universe public speech announcement about not taking antibiotics for a virus, Mork goes with his uncles to the hospital and puts on a nice shirt and catches Tawan when he collapses from exhaustion and goes to buy him food, Tawan takes Cheep’s case so that Mork’s uncles can get treated faster.

Mork sees Tawan is bummed and brings him to the river where he usually goes to make himself feel better, Tawan invites Mork to Loy Krathong, Mork goes to indulge Tawan, Tawan gives Mork the popsicle flavor that is his favorite so he can share something he likes, Tawan helps talk Mork through his panic on the ferris wheel

gif by @maxescheibechlinichacheli

Mork runs back in to the park to look for Tawan during the shooting, Mork washes the blood off Tawan’s hands from helping the injured child and drives him to work, Tawan treats and loses a patient and Mork waits outside the hospital to make sure he has water and comforts Tawan when he breaks down. Tawan thanks Mork which is something that Tawan has always hoped the people that he helps would do for him and haven’t, Mork avoids Tawan cause he is uncertain about his feelings and then makes up for it by letting Tawan drive the pillon, Tawan crashes the pillon and makes up for it by treating Mork’s wounds, Mork brings Tawan chicken heart rice, Tawan brings Mork snacks to repay the favor, Tawan confides in Mork about his concerns around Por, Mork tries to comfort Tawan and lets him ride the motorbike to cheer him up, Tawan buys Mork food.

gif by @sollucets

TL;DR time and time and time again, for the length of the entire show from when Mork and Tawan were strangers, to acquaintances, to friends, their entire relationship has been completely reciprocal. Kindness is repaid with kindness is repaid with kindness, in a way I have truly not seen in most BLs, as I have told poor Ben, Shan, and NBW enough times they are probably sick of hearing it.

Which brings us to Episode 8, in which an expectation I had from BLs was subverted, because these boys spend half an episode soaked to the bone in the rain. Now, having watched approximately 60 BLs in the last year, I know what happens when a BL boy gets rained on…someone’s getting sick (off the top of my head I can name Ren, King, and Win who all get rained on and then immediately get sick).

But

THAT

DOESN’T

HAPPEN

HERE

That doesn’t happen in the slightest, and Mork and Tawan are in the rain for a very long time. Tawan doesn’t get sick even though he trudges through the rain to Por’s apartment, Mork doesn’t get sick even though he’s driving around on his motorcycle in the rain, Tawan doesn’t get sick even though he collapses on the ground in the rain, Mork doesn’t get sick even though he drives and then carries Tawan’s unconscious body through the rain all the way Cheep and Dej’s house.

And my theory as to why is because neither one of them needs to get sick in order to be cared for, neither of them needs to get sick in order to prove that they both can act as support for each other.

Because even when Tawan is upset, even when Tawan is heartbroken, the reciprocity remains: Mork gets in a fight with Por and Tawan treats his wounds, Mork finds Tawan collapsed on the ground in the rain and carries him to his uncle’s house and changes his clothes, Tawan wakes up and cooks Mork dinner in return.

gif by @save-the-data

This is a show about helpers helping helpers and I love it so much. I love that everything Mork does for Tawan, big or small, is revolutionary for Tawan (I mean, I don’t love it in the sense that Tawan should be being treated better by the people around him but just that Mork does things because he wants to, because he sees Tawan is sad, because he sees Tawan is tired, because Tawan was nice to him and it is wonderful that Tawan has found someone that will care for him like that). And Mork, Mork has someone that will do the same, Mork’s last partner left him and moved on to another man very quickly (and possibly while they were still together) even after Mork had spent so much of his time and money on paying for her education. Even in the happy memories Mork has in that apartment after their breakup have his girlfriend making comments related to money, that they are eating too many instant noodles, that the house is too small, etc. and it breaks my heart because Mork lives that way because so much of his money is going to fund her education.

Let me tell you what line will haunt me forever, it’s something Tawan says in Episode 5: “No one has asked me how I am for awhile. These days, people are always asking me to do things for them and I do it without expecting anything in return. But deep down, I guess I do. So, thank you”

Because this is what their relationship does and will boil down to, Mork does things for Tawan without having to be asked, without asking for anything in return, and Tawan does things for Mork without having to be asked, without asking for anything in return. And because of that they are both receiving care from one another in a way they have never been given before. And it is part of why I am so okay with them not getting together until the end, because we have seen from the very beginning just how well these two work together, and get a deep understanding of how they will navigate low points both for themselves and for when conflict arises between them.

gif by @save-the-data

Anyway all of this absurdly long essay (Captain Hands who writes 20,000 word essays returns @bengiyo) to say, that I am beginning to suspect the purpose of BL Boys getting sick is to balance the scales of physical care in stories where one part of a couple does not have as many support needs and that it is very lovely and refreshing to see a story where every single action is repaid in kind. (Again, not that disproportionate levels of care are inherently bad, but because so many BL stories rely on tropes around a character with emotional fortitude, and a character without it).

Loving this show, sad that it is ending next week and I don’t get to experience the rewatch live, but you better believe this is going to become a comfort watch for me going forward.

#my ride #mork x tawan #tawan x mork #morktawan #the eclipse #akkayan #bed friend #kinguea #our dining table #minoru x yutaka #my ride the series #wka long post

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lostfirefly · 2 months

Text

Life Must Have It's Mysteries (Ch.3)

Nobody asked me, but the thought of sending my beloved couple on a new journey didn't let me go. Welcome to a new adventure! No idea how many chapters there will be :) Pain continues leading me to art :)

English is not my native language, errors may occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts :) Masterlist is here.

Description: Buggy and Catherine have clues as to where to find the map. Our treasure hunt is picking up speed!

Warnings: Fun, fluff, adventureee! Shitty shit :)

Words: 4112 (sorry again)

Buggy x OC from my “You’ve Got the Same Dream as Me” series.

Taglist: @gingernut1314, @operationroots, @hey-august, @rorywritesjunk

The title is taken from "Life Must Have It's Mysteries" by Hans Zimmer (OST Inferno).

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Chapter 1, Chapter 2

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

“Could you be more focused, Buggy? Please!”

“What? I do nothing!”

“Stop grabbing my ass, asshole!! I’m trying to read and collect all the information we have into one whole. And you're distracting me!" Catherine threw his hand off her buttocks.

“It's not me! Baby, it's you!” Buggy made innocent eyes and poked Catherine's nose with his finger. “You're lying naked next to me. Can you imagine how hard it is not to touch you?!”

“You're pissing me off already! For the last time, I'm not naked! I'm in a t-shirt! See?” She tugged at her clothes.

“That’s mine! So it counts as you being naked!”

She rolled her eyes at him. “You're disgus… Hey! What the fuck?!” Catherine moved her hand under her buttocks and reached for his separated hand. "Really? Damn you and your chop chop abilities, fucking clown!! That’s it! You're behaving badly and I’m keeping your hand!”

“Hey, give it back!”

“Nope!!”

“You'd think that would stop me?” Buggy pulled Catherine towards him with one hand and began kissing her neck.

“No, let me go!!” She tried to fight back with the papers and his hand. “Can I ask you..oh, shit..a question, my blue-haired bastard?”

He nodded and continued kissing her neck.

“Have you ever.. oh, fuck so good… had a girlfriend before me? I feel like they've either been gone a long time or never existed.”

“Of course I had girls. But cotton candy, you are not just a random girl. You’re my one and only favorite pie.” He looked into her eyes and kissed her lips.

“That's it! Let me go, fucking octopus!!! Or I'll rip your Buggy Balls off.” Catherine playfully hit him with the papers again.

“Shit!” He loosened his grip.

Catherine finally sat down, leaning on the headboard of the bed. “Are you kidding me? We had sex for two hours! Give me a break!” She ruffled his hair with his hand she held in hers.

Buggy looked upset. Catherine glanced at him, smiled and pecked him on the cheek. “Oh! Don't be sad!” She pointed at her shoulder with his hand. “C’mere, my silly clown!”

Buggy happily scooted over to her, took his hand back, put his head under her armpit, and began to run his fingers over the sheets.

“Any of your favorite riddles in here?”

“I don't see any yet and hopefully I won't.” Catherine hugged him around his shoulder, kissed the top of his head and heard her stomach murmur. “See what you did to me, my insatiable clown? I'm hungry now!”

Buggy turned his head slightly and looked at her from under his eyebrows “Do you want me to go get you something?”

“Can you?” She stroked his cheek and made puppy eyes.

“Baby, for you, I'll walk through death, scary sea currents and I’ll even go to a cafe to buy you fast food.”

“Then get me a bucket of chicken wings, fries, and a Coke, please!” She kissed his temple.

Buggy got out of bed, exhaling loudly, pulled on his pants, t-shirt, sneakers and walked out of the room.

“Thank god I'll at least get a break from him!” Catherine pulled on her pajama pants.

She was lying on her stomach with her legs dangling when she heard the sound of the door opening.

“I'm back, my cotton candy! I allowed myself the nerve to buy you your favorite double cheeseburger with extra cheese. And just for your information, a nice girl wanted to ask for my phone number but I happily told her I was already occupied with some pretty red-haired bitch.”

“Oh, stop lying, clown. Who needs you besides me! No one will put up with your whining every day. This punishment went to me.” She pushed the papers aside, got up off her stomach and sat on the bed on her knees.

“Ouch! A blow straight to the heart!” Buggy flopped down beside her, placing a large bucket of wings on the bed.

“Your burger, ass.” He handed her the box.

“With extra cheese!! Thank you, my blue-haired hero!!” Smack, smack, smack. “Have I told you I love you?"

“Nope, first time I've heard.” He kissed her temple and stroked her back with his hand. “Did you find anything?”

“Actually, yes!” Catherine took the burger out of the box and took a bite. “God, it's delicious. Here, try it.” She brought the burger up to his mouth. “Tasty?”

He took a bite, nodded and mumbled with his mouth full. “And what did you find?”

“Geeez, I still have to teach and teach you manners! Chew on that first!” Catherine laughed, took a napkin and wiped his mouth.

“Screw you!” He swallowed the food and pecked Catherine on the cheek. He snuggled against her, put one hand on her waist and stared at the papers.

Catherine made herself comfortable beside Buggy. She couldn't contain her smile and gave him another bite of her burger.

“You're so warm, my Buggy Bear. I love you. So… While you were gone, I looked at what's available and what this girl told us-- Vivi or whatever her name is. Anyway, look. The map and possibly this cryptex are right here." She jabbed her finger at the map and then reached for a french fry and put it in Buggy's mouth. "You see, there are some coordinates and arrows mentioned in these copies. There seems to be some kind of building here. Vivi wrote down two letters in my notebook. BW. I don't know what that is..”

“I know only one group with these BW. Baroque Works. Shit! And if so, we have a little problem!”

“What? Why?” Catherine turned her head towards him.

“Let's just say I have a little problem with them.” Buggy smirked.

“What? Who are they?” She turned to face him and crossed her legs.

“Well.. They're a criminal syndicate." He scratched his cheek.

“What??” Her jaw dropped.

Buggy shrugged.

“Oh my God! What have you done?” Catherine blinked her eyes and didn't take her eyes off him.

“Oh, Cathie-pie, I did a lot of things.” He chuckled mischievously, took her hand and kissed it.

“My dear Buggy Bear. I love you and hate you with all my heart but.. Can I ask for a favor? If you gonna ask me to marry you, tell me more about yourself. Ok? So.. you know. There won't be any surprises later.” She took a couple more sticks of potatoes and put them in her mouth.

“What? Afraid of that one day I’ll run away and leave you with our ten kids?”

Catherine choked on french fries. “Are you crazy? We will never have ten kids. No…” She turned and pressed her back against his chest. “I’m just afraid that based on the information that suddenly came over me, one day you will be captured and put in some prison.”

Buggy scratched his head and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Well, I got out of an underwater prison once and I can do it a second time, I guess.”

“Holy crap, what?! You were in jail? For what?” She goggled at him.

“I'm telling you, I did a lot of things before we met.” He took and kissed her hand again.

“So you're not just a mentally unstable clown who runs the circus?” Catherine squinted her eyes, slightly pursed her lips and ran her hand through his hair.

“Na-ah!”

Catherine stared at him for a long moment and didn't know what to say back. She suddenly laughed, causing him genuine surprise.

“You're not running away from me screaming in disgust?” Buggy raised his eyebrows.

“Why would I run away? Are you still hoping to get rid of me? I have bad news for you, my silly clown. I'm not going anywhere.” She reached for the fries and put them in his mouth again. “Eat up. You've had a busy life and I love it. These are the things that make you special." She noticed his surprised look when she said the word “special”. “But you're gonna tell me everything one day, right?”

He kissed her temple. “Better give me some more fries, baby. It’s yummy! And from your hands it tastes even better.”

Catherine took one potato stick and put half of it in her mouth. “Take one yourself!” She looked at him intently and squinted her eyes.

He leaned toward her to take a second bite, hoping to kiss her and continue their evening as he wanted, but Catherine quickly grabbed a new potato stick and put it in his mouth.

“Ha! Gotcha!!” She chuckled and did a little victory dance with her hands.

“Little shit!” He hugged her around her waist tightly.

“Ok! Back to our business. I don't understand one thing. If it all lies in a building owned by these Baroque Works, why don't they go looking for this diamond? It's worth a lot of money.”

“I don't know. Maybe they don't even know they have the map.” Buggy rested his chin on Catherine's shoulder.

“Great! What are we gonna do? You're suggesting we break into a mob syndicate building, look for the map and cryptex, even though we don't even know exactly where to look.”

“Sounds cool, doesn't it?” He chuckled.

“No! Not cool at all, Buggy! Do you even think with your head once in a while? It's one thing when you're talking nonsense at home, but here–”

“Cathie-pie, don't forget you're with me! We don't need a plan!” He stroked her hands.

“That's what scares me, that I'm with you! And besides…” Catherine kept silent for a moment.

“What?”

“I'm worried about you now.” She took his hand and started running her thumb over his knuckles. “You said you have troubles with these mobsters, it's dangerous for you to go in there. They can't cut you up, but they can kick your ass or torture you. I don't want you to get hurt or.. to lose you.”

He hugged her tightly and kissed her temple. “Don’t worry, my cotton candy. I’m Buggy the Clown. And Buggy the Clown always gets out of trouble.”

“Maybe Buggy the Clown needs to stop getting into trouble?”

“How boring my life will be then!”

⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭

“Either you and I are the luckiest people in the world, or I don't know how to explain it.” Catherine sat cross-legged on the hood of the car, staring at the copies of the pages. “Look. Apparently, this building keeps the map here.” She pointed her finger at the map. “It may or may not have been bricked up when the building was built. I don't know exactly. A circle with a line below is mentioned. This is Shen.”

“What the hell is this?” Buggy asked when he was rearranging things in the trunk.

“This's a protective sign on stelae or in tombs, and also as an amulet. And it was closely associated with many gods.” Catherine tapped her toes.

“Oh, no! No gods again!” Buggy grumbled loudly.

“We live in Egypt, my little bear. There are gods everywhere.” She stared at her notes.

“What about the cryptex?”

“I don’t know.. Let me see. I don't know. It's somewhere…under the floor?”

“What do you mean under the floor?” He walked up to the hood.

“Directly. Two lines and a circle. You see, two lines and a circle are drawn here. And apparently we need to look under this drawing.” She ran her finger over the drawing.

“Sounds like their sign.” Buggy crossed his arms and look at Catherine.

“Whose?”

“Baroque Works. Two crossed swords instead of lines and a skull instead of a circle. You know, in the spirit of pirate Jolly Rogers. Shit! I like that! You and I are just like Bonnie and Clyde, cotton candy!” He rubbed his hands contentedly.

“I don't want to be like Bonnie and Clyde.”

“Why?”

“They were killed, Buggy. Anyway, what if the cryptex is not under this sign? I don't know when this building was built or when the cryptex was hidden there. I have one theory, of course.” She glanced at him. “Okay. So how do I get there?” Сatherine pointed at the large gray building near which they had been standing for a couple of hours.

“How do I get there? Have you lost your mind? You won't go there alone! No!”

“You won't go there either.” She called him with her hand. Buggy came closer to her. Catherine wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head against his chest. “I don’t want you to get hurt. I’ll find the map. I can handle it.”

“I know you can handle it, but I said no.” He stroked her arms. “There's no way in hell I'm letting you go in there alone. The conversation is over.”

“My hero!” Catherine hugged him tightly and glanced at him. “I love you.”

“Oh, my God. We're not dying! Why all the drama, Cathie-pie?” Buggy rolled his eyes.

“You spoiled my romantic moment, jackass.” She raised her head and straightened his ponytail with her hands. “So. What’s the plan?”

────┈┈┈┄┄╌╌╌╌┄┄┈┈┈────

“I don't even know how I got involved with you.” Catherine grumbled as they made their way through the underground passage. “Couldn't we have gotten to them some other way?”

“How? Through the front door? Oh, sorry, Baroque Works, we're looking for the map and the cryptex, can we come by your place for a couple hours and walk around the building. Is that how you envisioned it?”

“Oh, sorry. I bet you know better how to break into buildings, Mr. "You know, Catherine, I was in jail!” She imitated his voice.

“Quiet!” Buggy covered her mouth with his palm and looked up. “Do you hear footsteps? We're somewhere under the building.”

"Afhrjeen?”

“What?” Buggy turned around to her.

Catherine slapped his palm and pulled his hand away. “Where are we?”

“How on earth would I know where we are? We'll have to check. Wait here.” Buggy separated half of his body and reached up top, pushing back a small hatch.

“What's up there?” Сatherine asked in a whisper.

“The corridor.”

“Get me up!” Catherine continued whispering. Buggy gathered himself back, he placed one palm on top of the other and held his interlocked hands out for Catherine.

She climbed with her feet on his arms. “Why don't you use your chop chop thing and pick me up?” She watched him shrug in response. “Idiot!” She shook her head.

Catherine climbed through the trapdoor and found herself in a wide hallway decorated with large columns. On the floor she saw a red carpet.

“Buggy, where are you?” She leaned over to the hatch and gave him a hand.

“I'm coming.” He climbed out of the hatch and crouched beside her. “Further where?”

“I don't know! The notes said the east side of the building.”

“Where are we now?” He stood up and helped her to get up.

“Jesus, Buggy, I don't know!” Catherine grumbled in a whisper.

They heard footsteps approaching.

“Get back!” Buggy pushed Catherine behind a column. She pulled him by his pants toward her.

“Hey! Careful!!” He looked at her unhappily.

Catherine pulled him to her and glanced at his face.

“I bet you're getting turned on by all this!” Buggy winked at her.

“God, you're disgusting sometimes.” She rolled her eyes.

A man with two figures in the shape of swans on his shoulders and a fat tall man with the number 4 on his clothes passed by.

“Why do they look so weird?” Catherine asked in a whisper.

“Do you really want to talk about this now? Let's go!” Buggy took her firmly by the arm and dragged her behind him.

They tried to walk as quickly and inconspicuously as possible to the east side of the building.

“You know, I think there must be the cryptex around here somewhere. The buildings on the inside look like the ones the Tania communities built under the Pharaohs. You know, Cretan-Mycenaean cult and all that.” Catherine whispered and pointed at the walls and doors.

“I have no idea what you're talking about!” Buggy started grumbling and getting nervous.

“It doesn't matter. Listen, in buildings like this, cryptexes or something important was hidden in the central chambers of the chief lord. I wish I knew where the head lord's office was.”

“Over there!” Buggy pointed his finger at the door.

“How do you know?”

“Well, I was there once.” He shrugged one shoulder.

“Oh, my God!” Catherine squeaked loudly.

“Quiet!” Buggy put his hand over her mouth again.

They walked down the corridor, sometimes hiding behind columns so no one would see them. They were sneaking down one of the corridors when Catherine noticed the circle on the wall.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! We're close!” She quickly looked around the walls, peeked under the carpet, and looked at the walls again. “I don't understand. The map should be on the east wall. We're definitely in the east. It's still pretty early and the sun is still shining on this side.” Catherine felt the wall with her hands. “There must be some kind of ancient safe or something. It's the way they've always done it.”

“Maybe they moved it.”

“What do you think they were doing, tearing down the wall? No! The map's been buried here for a long time.”

“Dammit, someone's coming.” Buggy heard footsteps approaching and pulled her by the hand to hide behind a column. “Catherine, over here.”

“They're messing up the walls.” She pulled her hand away and began to move both of them along the wall.

“What?”

“They messed up the walls! Probably the building was built by people who don't understand geography.”

“I don't care about fucking geography! We need to hide now!” Realizing she wouldn't budge, he separated his arms and dragged her behind a column. “Are you even listening to me?” He looked at her angrily, attaching his hands.

As soon as the footsteps passed, Catherine looked around the spatialization once more.

“The office!!” She shrieked and rushed into the room.

“Сatherine, goddamn it!” Buggy rolled his eyes.

“Run to the other wall, look for the map. I'll look for the cryptex here.”

“No! I'm not leaving you here!” He ran after her into the office.

“The two of us can get out of here faster!”

“Are you kidding me? We're in the building of one of the most dangerous syndicates in the world! I said no!!”

Сatherine was poking around the office when a voice came from behind her. “Hey! Who are you??”

She froze and turned her head. Catherine saw a young man who wore a golden crown on top of his red hair and had number 9 written on his cheeks. He also wore a green suit with white lace along with a ruffled red scarf.

Catherine looked around the room but didn't see Buggy. “Fucking clown!” She thought.

“Me? Me..I'm your new cleaning lady. I'm cleaning up.”

“You're lying to me. Who are you?”

“I’m…”

He suddenly pulled out a bat and stood next to the table.

“Oh shit! You know it's wrong to hit girls, right?” Catherine took small steps backward.

“But you're not the girl, you're a thief.” He swung his bat in his hand.

“But still the girl!” She tried to look out into the hallway out of the corner of her eye and understand whether she would have time to get there somehow.

The man slowly walked away from the table. “Should I take you to our boss, baby?” Said the man.

Catherine was about to clam up but she saw a detached hand tap the shoulder of the man with the bat. The man turned around and a flying fist slapped him in the face and he fell to the floor.

“Shit, I hate it when someone other than me calls you baby!” Buggy crawled out from under the table and attached his arm back.

“Where have you been?”

“As soon as he came in, I hid under the table, but you didn't hear me or see me because you were yelling so loud that the whole building could hear you!” He came closer to her.

“I wasn't yelling, idiot! How could you leave me and watch that psycho threaten me?”

“I was right there!” He pointed to the table. “I was waiting for the right moment! Cotton candy, I realize you like to take it out on me but there's no time for our squabble. The cryptex, remember?”

“Right! Watch the hallway!” Catherine started to move the carpet, “Fuck! It's heavy. But the cryptex has to be here. It was always hidden in the center of the room!” She saw Buggy's hands helping her move the rug out of place. “I told you to watch the hallway. What the hell?”

She looked up and didn't know how not to laugh out loud. The body stood beside her while the head peered out the doorway. “You're amazing, my silly clown.”

They pulled back the rug.

Catherine looked closely at the pattern on the floor, it was faintly visible. “Look! Look! The drawing!”

“Better hurry up, because Baroque Works' agents could be here at any moment.” Said the floating head near the door.

“Yeah, yeah! Wait!" Catherine tapped the floor lightly. "It's moving! The drawing's moving! What was it like? Three east, two west, one east and one south.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It's a part of stupid old counting rhyme I read in a book about pharaohs and communities like that.”

“Jesus, have you ever had a life?”

“Shut up, clown!” Catherine rotated the drawing several times according to the words of the counting rhyme. “It's open! It's open!” She quickly put her hand through the gap. “It's gone!”

“What?” Buggy asked in surprise.

“There's no cryptex!”

“Are you sure?”

“No, I took it and then hid it again. Of course I'm sure. Where is it?” Catherine started crawling on the floor.

“Fuck the cryptex, someone's coming.” Buggy put his head back on his body and grabbed Catherine's arm. “Let's get out of here. We should at least find the map.”

“But-- “

“No buts. We'll figure it out as we go. If we get caught, trust me, it's gonna be bad.” He dragged her toward the exit of the office.

They both stuck their heads out the doorway and looked around.

“Where to now?” Buggy asked in a whisper.

“Well, if it's not the east side of the wall, we need to go to the west side. It's that way!” She pointed the direction with her finger.

“Let's hurry up then, shall we?” He grabbed Catherine and threw her over his shoulders.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” She started squealing.

“Can you stop yelling? Someone's coming this way!”

Footsteps and voices were getting closer by the second.

Buggy ran in the direction Catherine pointed.

She was hanging on his shoulder. “This is completely indecent, Buggy. I can see your ass.”

“Like you've never seen my ass before.” He grumbled and laughed.

“I hate you!”

They heard shouting coming from the office where they were a couple minutes ago.

“Ooh, this is bad. I bet they're sending their aides to search the whole building to look for us.” Buggy turned down another hallway.

Catherine tried to focus on the walls.

“Wait! Wait!” She started hitting him on the back. “The Shen!!!”

Buggy stopped and lowered Catherine to the floor.

She ran her hands along the wall. “Arrows. I got it! The arrows in the map weren't just arrows. There are serifs on the rocks. They need to be turned. Help me!”

The adjacent corridors were becoming noisier with each passing second.

“Catherine, honey, we don't have more than a couple minutes. Which way to turn?” There was worry in Buggy's voice.

“You turn these rocks, I'll turn these rocks. This way and this way.” She pointed in the right direction. “Ready? One, two, three!”

They turned the stones at the same time and heard a click.

“It's open!!! It's open!!!” Catherine put her hands on the rock with the drawning.

“Yeah, that's great. But hurry up!”

“Hey, you!” A man’s voice came from the hallway.

They both looked in the direction of the voice. The man with a number 4 on his clothes called out to them.

“Oh, my God. He's like an overgrown child!” Catherine's eyes widened.

“Shit!" Buggy pushed her behind a column and pressed the center stone.

The man rushed toward them. Buggy slipped his hand through the gap and pulled out a roll of paper from there. He quickly ran toward Catherine.

“Good news, my Cathie-pie. I stole the map. Second news, we have to run.”

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ticklishprincey · 1 day

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A New Kind Of Coffee

Can you tell that I'm hyperfixated on Helluva Boss? Like holy shit this freaking show has a CHOKEHOLD on me in the best way possible. Also there's like two fics of Asmodeus and Fizz which has me very upset so here's to satisfying my brain. Warning for implied depression, sex joke mention (passively like one time) implied eating disorders (not really but refusing food nonetheless) implied mental illness Fizz is having one of "those days" again, but luckily his beloved boyfriend is here to cheer him up! THIS IS PURELY SFW ALL NSFW DNI OR I WILL THROW A BIBLE AT YOU!!! (I’m not religious but damn some of y'all need jesus) Fizzarolli was tired. No, not the physical "I need to sleep tired" kind of tired. He was the mentally drained type of tired, like "I need to collapse in bed and never get up" kind of tired. But of course, he has to keep up his image of the clown that never shuts the fuck up and blows air horns in everyone's face, because what was he if not energetic? After a day of fake smiles and half-hearted sex jokes, the clown collapsed into the bed Asmodeus and him shared. He was absolutely exhausted. Nothing he did excited him. He was tired, drained, and depressed. Asmodeus, despite being the busy sin that he was, noticed. He was worried for his beloved imp, but knew he would never open up when there was work to be done or people around. Normally Fizz would be tired after a stressful day, but this was different. He had turned down any form of affection, which was not like him. He had refused to eat all day, even when Asmodeus had offered to take them out to his favorite burger place. This was more than troublesome to the sin. A gentle knock at their shared bedroom caused Fizzarolli to look up from where his head had been buried in a pillow. "You don't gotta knock, Ozz, it's your room too." The clown responded, burying his head back into the pillow. Asmodeus nodded, coming in and gently shutting the door behind him. He sat on the bed next to Fizz, laying a gentle hand on his boyfriend's back as he looked down at the imp in concern. "Fizzy Frog, what's wrong? You haven't been yourself today." The clown responded with a simple grunt. This wouldn't do. "Talk to me, love, what's on your mind?" Another grunt. Asmodeus sighed and ran his hand softly up and down Fizzarolli's back in an attempt to comfort him, startled when he received a muffled squeak in response. "Darling? What's the matter- Oh, my dear Fizzy, are you ticklish~?" To say the clown was embarrassed would be an understatement. Another squeak, then his head popped up from the pillow, a bright red blush ever so present on his face. "N-No! Why do you aSK!?" The sin chuckled as his boyfriend's sentence was cut short by his own squeal. Asmodeus ran his fingers up and down the sensitive spine, reveling in this newfound laughter which he had missed in the stressful work hours. "Oh, I don't know, maybe because your little squeals and giggles give you away oh-so easily~" Fizzarolli squeaked again, giggles pouring freely out of his mouth as he rolled over onto his back to try and escape the teasing hands. "Ah-ah-ah! Let's see how ticklish this little tummy is, shall we?" Despite the protests of his boyfriend through bubbly giggles, Asmodeus dug into the soft belly, awarded by the excited and bubbly laughter he had been looking for. "BAhAahAhBE!! CuhuHuhut iT OuHuhuT!!!" Asmodeus simply chuckled and kept up his attack, only to rest his hand on Fizzarolli's stomach. "Do you know what a tickle monster's favorite food is?" The clown squirmed and giggled before it even happened, releasing a loud squeal followed by

bubbly laughter as his lover bent down and blew a raspberry directly onto his belly button, his robot appendages rendered useless against the attack as they flailed left and right. "OHOHOZZIE WAHAHAIT STAHAHAHAHAP!!!" The attack stopped as soon as it had begun, replaced by the larger demon scooping his lover into his arms and cuddling him close to his chest. "Feeling better, Fizzy-Pop?" The clown nodded, resting his head on Asmodeus' chest before mumbling quietly, but the sin heard every word. "Thank you for loving me, Ozzie."

#ler!asmodeus #lee!fizzarolli #helluva boss tickle #sfw tickles #I have helluva boss brainrot #someone save me from myself #my asks are open #low-key running out of ideas #THIS WAS A MONSTER TO FORMAT

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yallemagne · 11 months

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New fuckin' Helluva Boss dropped and.

*whistles*

Fuckers gave me so much to pause and read. At least I didn't have to translate runes this time iojpger. But legitimately, the visual storytelling is cool. I did just... sit down after the ep and go on a monologue about how much the texting says about Blitz and Stolas...

Stolas gets a notification on his phone at the very start of the episode [0:22] for a "Deal @ Ozzie's Set" in 3 days. I have mentioned in a previous post (*cough* my only other Helluva post *cough*) that Stolas plans to give Blitz an Asmodean crystal as a substitute for the Grimoire. So, that's probably what the meeting is about, just to get that crystal made so he can give it to Blitz and let the man have his business, no strings attached.

In texts sent directly after the events of Ozzie's [17:24], he tries to reach out and make amends with Blitz for the events of the night:

"You seemed very upset and you took off so fast. But maybe I read too much into that, I'm glad if that's not the case. I wasn't upset either I just wanted to make sure you weren't and obviously you can handle any stupid joke a clown can make. Asmodeus can be very invasive in his humor, but I thought it was pretty funny myself. What he said about me at least, I enjoy being the subject of jest. Maybe you can say mean things to me too next time you come over."

sooo much insecurity. Though he is very worried, he tries not to come across as too clingy or as if he thinks Blitz can't fend for himself. He calls Fizzarolli's mockery "stupid joke[s] a clown can make". If he even remembers Fizzarolli from his childhood (who knows, he didn't seem to pay much attention to him), he would remember that Fizzarolli was more beloved by the audience. Meanwhile, Stolas was the only one who appreciated Blitz's strange humour. By dismissing Fizzarolli's jokes as stupid, he puts Blitz's humour above his more successful counterpart.

He also tries to say that he wasn't upset by the jokes made at his expense to assure Blitz that he's not ashamed of him. But he was upset, just not for the reason that hurt Blitz. He was upset that Ozzie reduced his first somewhat happy relationship to nothing more than a sex thing that tore his family apart.

At the end, there, he tries to cover up his worry by making a sex joke, because emotional weakness is not the norm in their relationship. An honest try, but all the uncertainty would read as insincerity to an outsider.

Stolas has been very anxious about holding Blitz to his part of the deal they made (exchanging sexual favours for the Grimoire each month), and in the texts he scrolls past, he offers to let Blitz keep the book for longer spans of time, even suggesting that he just pickup/dropoff the book with no sexual exchange needed whatsoever.

All the while, Blitz's responses are always curt and misspelled. Either he just has a writing quirk he commits to or he never learned how to spell properly and taught himself to do so phonetically-- which is likely considering his upbringing. Though he could get the resources to learn now, pride might be a motivation for why he hasn't. Either way, his short responses show his unwillingness to meet Stolas' level of vulnerability. Could also be that he's in the middle of killing people.

Oh, also, his "Git bevver swoon :(" is the only instance of Blitz texting Stolas first. Stolas replies first with genuine appreciation ("Thank you Blitz, that means a lot." one of the only times he has called him "Blitz" and not "Blitzy") and then an invitation for him to visit him in the hospital, masked with innuendo ("I might be here a while, if you ever want to visit. ❤️"). Blitz types a message but deletes it, once more unwilling to match Stolas' vulnerability, but also not wanting to humour the innuendo.

Also, words can't describe how disappointed I was that the episode ended on ANOTHER sombre note and not Blitz crashing in through the window. I was so confident that Blitz had stopped typing because he decided to visit Stolas (and, of course, he would choose the window because he couldn't get past the front desk). Ugh. Every single damn episode has been ending on either a threatening or a sombre note, bring back the last-second punchlines for some diversity!!

There's more I could say but that would be straying from the written messages. And none of my followers care about this ijopeg.

#helluva boss

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argisthebulwark · 1 year

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WIP Whenever feat. Arnbjorn & Vyrth

thank you my beloved @elfinismsarts for tagging me<3 <3 Here's a little snippet of what I've been working on in the background. It's unfinished and hasn't been edited quite yet, still very much a WIP :) Tagging some friends: @debaited @pav0-ocellus if u guys wanna share some bits of ur beautiful writing <3

Arnbjorn hated it when she looked at him like that. He hated her big eyes that bore straight into his soul and the annoyed wrinkle in her nose. Most of all he hated the smirk she always got when she caught him looking. He swore that he detested the Listener. Arnbjorn tried to keep his distance from her but the Sanctuary was only so big. It was nice when she took contracts - he could breathe a little easier, only had one clown to worry about. Sometimes Cicero tagged along on her missions and Arnbjorn got a few days of peace and quiet. He could go about his work mending everyone’s weapons without her shrill voice intruding on his solitude. Being around her raised too many questions. He’d decided long ago that it was easier to not think about them. Arnbjorn was comfortable in his life - wake up, work, eat, sleep, repeat. Sleeping was the only time his mind tended to wander but he’d learned how to avoid thinking about the things that haunted him. Despite his insistence, Arnbjorn couldn’t help but worry when she was gone for too long. The others didn’t seem too worried about her - ‘she’s fine. She’ll be back soon. She probably had other errands to take care of.’ If they weren’t concerned, why was he? Why did it worry him when the Listener didn’t return? Why did he want to see her? She always came back, of course. He had no clue how she was so effective as an assassin when she loudly announced her presence the moment she bounced through the door. She was always noisy - giggles echoing through the Sanctuary and regaling the new recruits with every gory detail of her contract. Arnbjorn kicked himself for lingering in the main hall for longer than necessary, nursing whatever meal he’d been eating just to hear her story. He noticed that she never talked about why it took so long. She’d laugh it off or tell some joke - ‘I considered abandoning you lot but decided against it.’ ‘Had to restock on candles since assassins live underground these days.’ For some unknown reason he yearned to know where she went. “Looks like it’s just the two of us.” The Listener sighed and Arnbjorn snapped out of his thoughts. He’d been so lost in his own head he hadn’t realized all the other members leaving, there was no one to buffer for him. No one to draw her attention away. She dangled her glass between lazy fingers, a flush in her cheeks from the wine. Arnbjorn ignored her pointed look at his own unfinished food or the knowing smile on her face. It was too easy for her to get under his skin. She could do it with a single look. No one had ever bothered him so much before. “You were gone a while.” Arnbjorn commented and willed her to look away. He noticed the dark bags under her eyes and fresh bandages lining her arm. She was exhausted. “You worried?” “Just making conversation.” “Maybe I have a secret life.” Her grin was predatory. Arnbjorn wanted to look away but refused to be the first to break eye contact. “I could have a whole family I never told anyone about.” “Sure, sure.” Arnbjorn began gathering his dishes, intent on leaving the room. He couldn’t talk to her this much, couldn’t stand being alone with her. “I could have a husband, maybe a couple kids.” That stopped him in his tracks. What the fuck was happening to him? His heart was railing against his ribs so hard it hurt. Why was he angry? The thought of her having a family shouldn’t make him upset but gods help him, it did. Rage sent his blood boiling in his veins, face undeniably hot. It was exactly what she wanted. “Would that bother you?” The Listener's head cocked, white hair spilling over her shoulder. Her eyes were locked on him. Arnbjorn cleared his throat and turned away, hoping it looked casual. “That’s your business.”

#skyrim #arnbjorn #writing #wip #thank u my friend!!! i appreciate the tag it made me use my brain #vyrth

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gidaryeong · 1 year

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2022 roundup

Watched less tv this year than probably any other year in my life because I was mostly pregnant and queasy beyond belief, but here’s a roundup of the stuff I did manage to cram. Not only kdramas, though mostly that. (I’m probably forgetting some but these are all that come to mind rn.)

The Red Sleeve: Didn’t actually finish this because of the pain, but it was so well-made. Ambitious cinematography, great storytelling and acting. Lee Se-young really gave us the range; having only seen her poised and regal in The Crowned Clown before, I loved watching her goof off in between the angsty bits. A serve.

Hyena: I normally dislike law dramas, but the leads are so mesmerizing (and so attractive) that you root for them even when they do objectively evil work. Have never seen such palpable yearning between two characters. Jung Geum-ja is the Most.

Into the Ring: Goo Se-ra my beloved! I want more romances like this: haggard social worker and the social justice gremlin whose daily complaints he has to resolve. Enjoyed every second.

Rewatch of Kingdom and Ashin of the North: Just as brilliant as the first time around. Come on Netflix, now that HBO Max is collapsing in on itself, get with that blood and gore and get to work on season 3 already. I want to see Ashin go apeshit!!

Jodhaa Akbar: Seven months later and I still get tingly thinking about this romance. Akbar dueling Jodhaa to win her back, and showering her with jasmine petals mid-fight. Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai both looking so hot it should be illegal. A soundtrack to make the sun rise even in the bleak midwinter. This was my first visit to Mughal India but not my last! (Thank you @rain-hat for the recs, you are a gift to tumblrkind!)

My Liberation Notes: Okay I was so into the first half that I cannot even tell you. It burrowed into the darkest, weariest part of me and lit a match. But I did not care for Mr. Gu’s backstory and the ensuing foray into the criminal underworld, and somewhere around there it lost its heart.

Love Between Fairy and Devil: Jam packed with tropes. A surprisingly touching and very entertaining fantasy for the Hades/Persephone girlies. Great visuals, too!

Alchemy of Souls: Speaking of great visuals! I will admit that I hop skipped my way through much of part 1. The world-building is claustrophobically boring, which is a shame because it is so charmingly costumed. I adore the premise of a villain body-swapping into a nobody. There is some good acting in this and there is also some very bad acting. I am upset with part 2 for filing the fangs off my darling Naksu, but I do admit that the dark fairytale vibe has got me hooked. (Evil mothers sewing golden thread into the bare skin of their daughters! Our hero tormented by the furies of hell! A marriage of convenience to the resident goth! I am eating it up by the spoonful.)

Stranger Things: I feel like I am in the minority here so this is probably on me, but I thought this was the least scary and also least emotionally engaging season. I think the problem horror-wise was Vecna and that they showed him too soon and too often in his campy monster makeup. All the Russia stuff was boring af, and I didn’t like that the kids were separated all season. Eddie was however a most delightful addition to the gang. Rest in power, babygirl.

First Love/Hatsukoi: I hate amnesia plots, and I don’t understand why the characters deal with it the way they do here, or why it is never resolved or even treated as something in need of resolving. However, the leads are delightful together and their chemistry is out of this world. Would happily have watched many, many more episodes of this. (I ragged on the color-coded families to my husband, before we realized we both wore the exact same shade of burgundy. So now I’ve decided that it’s cute and not weird at all.)

Things I didn’t finish, but might pick back up some day:

Business Proposal: Chaebol heirs are such a turn off that I couldn’t even finish it for my girls.

Bloody Heart: I only saw a few episodes of this because it was so difficult to find a good stream anywhere online. Goddamn Mouse gatekeeping Jang Hyuk from me!!

Under The Queen’s Umbrella: Too many princes.

#the red sleeve #hyena #into the ring #kingdom #jodhaa akbar #my liberation notes #love between fairy and devil #alchemy of souls #stranger things #first love hatsukoi #bloody heart #kdrama roundup

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toa-arania · 3 months

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Valerie Wester's Adventures In Necromancy

She's back, and she's been forced to take a small step of character development (sort of)

For those of you who haven't seen my posts about her before, Valerie Wester is a character of mine that I play in a game called Monsterhearts. I've made many fun posts about her before, such as attempts at revenge, the Psychic Doublebird Reacharound, the Birth of Claudius (who will be getting another post eventually), and that fucking Clown. She is the only one of my ocs to inspire a truly feral energy in me. I adore her with my entire ass. My beloved hot mess express.

This story is sort of a sequel to the PDR, in that it relates to something we call the Murder Basement, a location found underneath the school's library by resident ghost, Mei. No one knew about this location previously, but due to some cryptic messages and the fact that padlocks don't stop ghosts, we were able to get in and learn that someone down here has been investigating a series of muders. Val has of course been intrigued by this, as someone with a pathological need to know things, and has been trying to figure out what its deal is.

One of Val's "friends" is Darcy, who used to have a connection to something called the Dark Power. During the Psychic Doublebird Reacharound, we learnt that the Murder Basement is absolutely linked somehow to the Dark Power. That's why they're all blue. It is also why Darcy was not allowed in the Murder Basement. This is going to be a very blue post. One of the first things we learnt about the Murder Basement is that the person who was investigating things there was Darcy's Dead Sister (Mallory). We know this because she was investigating Something before her death, and because Darcy was able to identify wrappers from her favourite snacks in pictures that Mei took for her. Those of you who know about Val's antics may be able to guess the general direction this is about to go.

After a little while of being distracted, we were able to return our attention to the Murder Basement, and Val had an idea: since Darcy's Dead Sister is - well, Dead - she can't be properly contacted with the spell Watching (a scrying spell). Therefore, perhaps attempting to use it via one of Mallory's snack wrappers will instead show a different kind of psychic impression, perhaps a memory to do with this place. The logic was a little shaky, but it could work. Val collected some of the wrappers for use, and attempted the spell. She got a psychic impression of the way Mallory became Darcy's Dead Sister. However, Val's magic can be a little screwy. Sometimes (often) the spells go a little bit wild, and there are weird side effects.

Darcy was, at this moment, in a car with some other people: Levi (Werewolf), Mei (Ghost), and Aluber (Clown). Now an important thing to note about Darcy is that her soul is missing, due to fuckery with the Dark Power. Therefore, there was a vacancy. One that was filled when, in her attempt to contact Darcy's Dead Sister, Val accidentally pulled her soul to earth, where it magnetised into the vessel that held the most personal significance to it: Darcy. For abour an hour, Mallory was possessing Darcy, and incredibly confused by this. After a brief discussion Mallory was very clear: Do Not Allow Darcy Into The Murder Basement. Darcy was rather upset to hear this.

Now at this point, Val had no idea that this had happened. She had just assumed that her spell worked as intended but she didn't get the event she wanted, so she gathered up the remaining snack wrappers and left. It was only later that Val learnt Darcy had been possessed, and she put together pretty quickly that she'd done that. A sane person would say that happened and apologise profusely. A sane person probably wouldn't have tried this on their own without telling anyone in the first place. Val is not a sane person. And now she knew that she could pull a departed soul into a vessel.

She did a little research, and had a go at a seance to see if she could contact Mallory. It didn't work, and she couldn't tell why. She tried again. It didn't work. Next theory: she needs something of emotional significance to Mallory. Let's bring Darcy into the seance. This is when Darcy (and the others iirc) learnt that Val was the one that caused Mallory to possess her, and not even because Val intentionally said anything - she just let it slip by accident when trying to explain something. Darcy was understandably furious, but was so compelled by being allowed to go into the Murder Basement for this and the possibility of seeing her sister that she put that aside.

It still didn't work, and we have no idea why. Originally, I was going to end this post with some of Val's ideas for things to try next. However, there has been a different development. Because of Other Fuckery, Val and of all people Aluber ended up having a conversation where Val tried to explain herself, utterly convinced that she was doing the objectively correct thing, even admitting that the whole point of it was so that Darcy and Mallory could talk (and casually leaving out that if she can interrogate Mallory about the Murder Basement then that's a great bonus). Somehow, Aluber managed to convince her to apologise to Darcy.

Now I'd like to be clear: Aluber thinks he convinced Val to genuinely apologise. Mei thinks he convinced her to genuinely apologise (and has video evidence of Val apologising because it's so monumental). What he actually convinced her, and what I think Darcy suspects he convinced her, is that an apology will get Darcy to be way more cooperative with things in future. So she made Val promise (in front of Aluber, a fae who can mystically bind promises) not to try more of this without her permission. Val tried to wriggle out of it but Darcy's player is a law student so I knew there was no way I was loopholing myself.

Val's take-away from this is of course "I can try whatever the hell I want so long as I can convince Darcy it's a good idea". (With a side of "never admit anything again because these idiots keep trying to restrict what I can do"). Whether she'll get the chance to try and drag the soul into another vessel I do not yet know, because with this restriction in place, Darcy's Dead Sister is no longer the priority, and the Murder Basement won't be until Mei gets more notes. Right now her priority is Levi (trying to get him un-possessed and maybe a little bit trying to get dicked down) but that's a story for another time.

#oc: valerie wester #val stories #monsterhearts

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