#oh no it's even shadier than I thought

[thepromiscuousfinger]

Look, there's a reason your post hasn't gained any traction and it's probably because you know and everyone else knows how wrong it is.

You can't be making money off of fanfiction. Especially fanfiction you're already uploading to AO3.

If it was your own original works where you could set up a subscription like patreon, you'd probably gain the support you're looking for.

"Pay $5 for early access to fanfic chapters that are scheduled to be posted publicly anyway" sounds shady af and you know it. Especially for popular fandoms like One Piece, Naruto, BNHA, etc.

#Saw some shit today #Mind blown at the audacity #Fandom #Fandom discourse #Ao3 #Gives me sixpenceee heals vibes because it's obvious you haven't done any fucking research on WHY THIS IS WRONG #oh no it's even shadier than I thought #she's advertising the membership on Ao3. ff.net & wattpad #that's either ballsy or just willfully ignorant #This is how you get sued and/or get your works purged #Fanfiction #Naruto #BNHA #One Piece #<- the fandoms this person writes in

[grandline-fics]

Siren Song

DESCRIPTION: The first time they hear you sing captivates them

WARNINGS: None

CHARACTERS: Crocodile, Kid

WORDS: 1,428

A/N: Don't know where this idea came from but wanted to use it to test writing for two characters I haven't tried yet.

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

MASTERLIST

———————

CROCODILE

Crocodile hated any form of weakness, it was something he always strived to wipe out from any avenues in his lie. In Baroque Works any sign that his subordinates were slipping, they were eradicated. When he ran his casino in Alabasta it was run to the highest quality even though it was merely a front to hide his shadier activities in the country. He held that same level of ruthlessness since getting out of Impel Down and starting the Cross Guild. While the clown had a more infantile and infuriating method to seeking out recruits and managing them, he was not so soft and he was more involved than how Mihawk chose to be with his share of employees under his command. Because of his workload, he needed assistance in some form.

Which was were you came in. You were the perfect balance of professionalism and personable that he needed to act as a mediator and relay messages to Mihawk and Buggy when he was in a mood to deal with neither. You did your tasks efficiently and without complaint or any need for further explanation. At the end of the day his business was still his and if you’d been the kind to pry into it, then that would have been your one and only mistake. Thankfully you’d proven yourself to be exactly what he needed, the only startling thing was that your recommendation came from Buggy. “Oh don’t give me that look, Croc! They’re so talented that even you will approve of them. Just give them a chance.” Buggy had told him and now he had to begrudgingly admit that the clown was right for once. 

As he approached his private study for his day’s work he wasn’t surprised to hear you inside already assembling his tasks for his arrival. He was however caught off guard by the sound of your voice drifting through the partially open door. In all his travels he’d never heard singing quite like it and unable to resist he moved closer but tried to withhold any noise in his steps in fear you would stop. Crocodile watched you organise bounty posters and gathered intelligence into their appropriate piles and in order of importance, singing beautifully and unaware of your enraptured audience.

Suddenly the den-den mushi on his desk began to ring, causing you to stop your song and answer. Immediately Crocodile was snapped out of the spell you’d unintentionally placed on him and he entered, watching as your expression adopted it’s usual warm greeting when he appeared. As always he offered you a single nod but he eyed you almost warily as he slid into his seat at his desk. Quickly needing to be distracted from his thoughts of you and your voice he took over on the phone call while you took your place in your chair by the wall as you continued your work. 

Crocodile didn’t like weakness but it was undeniable that in the moments he was listening to your singing, he was completely powerless. It worried him to know that there was a part of him that could be disarmed like that and he didn’t like it. Throughout the day he tried to tell himself that it was just a one off thing, he was just taken by surprise because he’d never heard you sing before that was all. That had to be the reason. However when he heard you humming to yourself later that day he stopped what he was doing completely and found his gaze being pulled into your direction. 

Once again his reverie was broken only when you’d stopped. You tilted your head at Crocodile curiously, he hadn’t seemed himself all day. “You okay, Boss?” You asked watching as the man slowly blinked, snapping out of whatever daydream he’d been lost in. When he muttered out a sharp ‘I’m fine.’ you could only shrug and take him at his word, completely oblivious to the fact that he was most definitely not fine and it was all your fault.

KID

“I got a question for you,” You looked across the large table in the tavern to fix your gaze on Killer curiously, taken by his tone. The crew had only just arrived and had yet to have a single drop of alcohol yet. Usually the questions and more serious discussions arose after at least a few drinks. Still you let your expression show you were listening, intrigue getting the better of you. “Why don’t you ever sing?” That took you by surprise and you let out a small, unsure laugh that only grew when the others joined in now that it was pointed out.

“Yeah, you never join in when we’re all singing together and most of us sound like shit!” Wire joked while Kid barked out a laugh from behind you. “Speak for yourself, everyone knows I sound like an angel.” The table laughed loudly and you glance up as your Captain and boyfriend nudged your side to grab your attention. “So come on, why don’t you sing. You’re part of this crew so you can’t say it’s because you’re shy or anything.” 

Slowly you sighed and knew that there was no point in telling any of them to drop it. If you ignored them now it would be the main topic of conversation and what they would pester you with for the foreseeable future. They were all like children, hellbent on getting an answer they deemed acceptable. “I don’t sing because I’m shy. I don’t sing because I know none of you are going to react well to it.”

“Aw you can’t be that bad.” Heat grinned, trying to comfort you but you shook your head. 

“I didn’t say that. I’m not bad, I’m good. So just trust me when I say that if you hear me sing you will all react in a way that’s going to put a dampener on tonight.” You clarified just as the trays of drinks arrived. “Let’s just drink and have a nice time okay?” When everyone followed your lead and reached for their drink you really believed that the topic had been put to bed. More fool you. 

As you all enjoyed each other’s company and spent the evening telling stories and jokes, everyone at the table still couldn’t quite ignore your bold statement and their interest had been well and truly ignited. When the evening was winding down into the more relaxed and less boisterous, Kid decided that as Captain he should be the one to brave the consequences and return to the topic. Slowly his arm that had been draped around your waist moved to lightly tap your thigh. Comfy in your position with your back against his side, you tilted your head back to look at him with a bright smile. “Will you sing now?” He asked watching your smile immediately drop into an annoyed scowl.

“I know what you’re going to say but we did as you asked. We all behaved and had a good night that’s almost winding down. So what’d’ya say? Sing one song before we have to head back to the ship?” You searched Kid’s eyes and slowly looked around at your crew, seeing they all looked at your with the same awaiting expressions. You rolled your eyes and set your mug on the table. 

“On your own heads be it.” You warned as you settled back against your boyfriend. After taking a small breath you began to sing an old sea shanty you knew, letting your voice carry out over the tavern that immediately fell silent as the patrons halted their own conversations to listen. The second that you started to sing, Kid’s body froze and his loose grip around you tightened out of reflex, out of pure instinct to be drawn closer to you and your hypnotic voice. He didn’t think it was possible to fall even more in love with you.

At first he hadn’t truly understood what you meant that everyone would react badly to such a powerful and beautiful voice but when he felt the first tear fall from his eyes did he realise. Quickly blinking he looked around to see the rest of the crew and tavern were all staring with glassy, shimmering eyes while others were crying fully but just barely managing to suppress the sound. When you finished the song, Kid pulled you back to place a kiss against your hair. “Maybe you should only sing for me from now on. It's far too dangerous.” Well you did warn them.   

#one piece #one piece imagines #one piece x reader #one piece fic #one piece scenario #one piece x you #one piece fanfiction #sir crocodile #crocodile x reader #crocodile one piece #crocodile x you #sir crocodile one piece #eustass kid #eustass x reader #one piece eustass #eustass captain kidd #one piece kid #eustass x you #eustass kid x you #eustass kid x reader

[gaysindistress]

Sad girl - five

summary: James has an interesting new business proposal and one hell of a condition to deal with.

pairing: Mob!Bucky Barnes x Reader

warnings: cursing, guns, violence (it is a mob au after all), Bucky’s smartass, John Walker being a dick, jealousy, kissing

word count: 2.5k

part 4 | series masterlist

a/n: How are we feeling about the series so far? Are we liking it? Comments, questions, concerns? Thank you for all of the love!

taglist: @missvelvetsstuff @angelsincident @spencerreidisagorgman @ goldensunflowe-r @i-have-no-life-charlie @esposadomd @reader-without-a-story​ 

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest

Friday rolled around much quicker and smoother than she had anticipated. James is rarely home and when he is, he’s in his office working. Natasha’s ominous door policy turned out to be exactly what she’d thought.

“Door open means come in. Cracked open means knock and closed means go upstairs,” he’d told Doll one night during dinner. Of course, she’d rolled her eyes because the infamous Mr. Stark had the exact same policy. She did wonder if it was just a crime boss thing. 

After spending more time getting ready than she’d liked to admit, she found herself standing in the foyer now waiting for James to join her. Steve and Natasha were talking about the security detail for the fundraiser off to the side while his other men were standing statue like around them. Mr. Stark also had men around him but never this many which lead her to ponder if James was involved with even shadier things than her father. She didn’t get much more time to worry about if she would wind up kidnapped or dead because the famous sound of his expensive shoes hitting the hard floors drowned out every thought. Steve and Natasha stop their conversation, turning into good little soldiers as did the other men in the room, standing up even straighter than before. 

“Look at you, Doll,” James announces while walking up to her, admiring how the fitted black dress hugged her body.

“Finally. You took longer than me to get ready,” she huffs with annoyance and shifts under his gaze. 

His mouth opens to say something but closes when he spots the ring he gave her adorning her hand, “I see you’re wearing your ring.”

Glancing down at her left hand, she pulls it out from his view to smooth the side of her dress down. 

“Of course I am. We’re announcing our engagement, aren’t we? It would look suspicious if I wasn’t wearing it.”

Holding up his hands in defense, “Touché.”

Stealing a look at him, she curses to herself and her body’s reaction to his entirely black outfit. She flushes seeing how his shirt isn’t buttoned up all of the way, flashing glimpses of his tan chest and that stupid chain. James seems to have a habit of never buttoning his shirts entirely or just wearing V-necks and it’s starting to cause issues between her and her body. 

“Oh before I forget, I got you something,” he seems quite proud of himself as he pulls a necklace box from the inside of his suit jacket. He opens it, extending it out as an olive branch. Inside the box lays a silver and diamond ‘B’ initial necklace, damn near identical to the ‘S’ one she’d crushed days earlier. 

“You’re stupider than I thought if you think I’m wearing that,” she attempts to sound menacing but it comes off more in a defiant child-like way. 

Pushing her hair off her shoulders, he takes the necklace out and clasps it around her neck so it can find its place among the other chain and pearl necklace she never takes off. 

“Looks like you’re wearing it now, Doll, and I’ve gotta say it looks like it belongs there,” he says lowly in her ear, warm breath causing a shiver to race down her spine. Taking a step back, he replaces her hair over her shoulder and flattens the necklace down, cold fingers brushing across her warm bare skin. 

“Oh fuck…” dies on her cherry red lips. 

“Time to go, Doll.” 

“You’re lucky I don’t backhand you for that.”

With one hand on the small of her back, he ushers her out of the door and into the black SUV, “Whatever you say.”

_______________________________________________

The drive to the fundraiser is awkward, to say the least. Steve has been chuckling to himself like a schoolboy every time he makes eye contact with her through the rearview mirror and Natasha keeps slapping his arm to shut him up. James has been typing away at his phone the entire time, smiling to himself. 

‘What the hell is he smiling about?’ she finds herself thinking. 

‘Oh get over yourself. He’s definitely texting his side piece. Oh god am I jealous? Get a fucking grip! You’re not a real couple. He can fuck whoever he wants. It’s not like you’re his real wife.’

Another Steve chuckle breaks her thoughts as she shoots him the best death glare she can muster. 

‘This all fake. None of this is real no matter how heavy your ring is or have flustered he makes you. It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real,’ she keeps repeating to herself because god knows she’s going to be living in Hell if she doesn’t. 

The SUV rolls to a stop in front of her father’s tower, Stark Tower. People are streaming in the beacon of power, greed, and money and she can’t help but roll her eyes. Only her father would use his blood money to host a fundraiser and lord only knows what they’re supposed to be raising money for. All she knows is that there will be enough champagne to numb any emotions and decently terrible music that she’s sure her father picked himself without the help of Pepper. Exiting the SUV, hand in hand with James, they’re immediately greeted by her helicopter stepmother and unbothered father. 

“Darling! It’s so good to see you! You haven’t returned any of my calls, I was getting worried James had stolen you away,” her father lies through his pearly white teeth. Pepper just smiles beside him, eyeing her stepdaughter’s choice of dress. 

“Well, we were a little preoccupied celebrating,” James flashes a blinding smile at both of them as he continues to guide Doll up the stairs and into the tower. 

Her father wraps an arm around her shoulders, harshly ripping her away from James and into his side instead, “Smile. Everyone is looking at you and that rock on your hand.”

Smiling through gritted teeth, she pretends her father is being loving and supportive, “Let go of me.”

“Play nice.”

“Should’ve thought of that before you put me in this situation,” she whispers back through her forced smile and pulls herself out of his grasp. Her future husband’s hand finds its way onto her back again, keeping her at his side and professing a false display of affection. 

James leads them further into the fundraiser and away from her father but only to shove her into conversation with random people to announce their happy union. The old women smile fondly at James and his dazzling smile while giving her the fakest ‘congratulations’ they can muster. Their husbands leer at her chest causing the man at her side to clear his throat and pull ever closer to him, hiding her chest in his side. 

“You’d think the ring and the necklace would be enough to scare them off,” he whispers to her at one point. 

“And you’d assume these old bitches would stop trying to get into your pants at some point,” her remark causes him to choke on his drink and her to smile. 

“Oh James baby are you okay?” she feigns concern with mischief in her eyes as he recovers. 

“I’m more than okay, Doll,” he says proudly back to her. 

The night drags on and no amount of champagne will ease the pain of sucking up to the elite of the New York crime scene. The couple’s only relief is found in making snide comments to each other and when true friends come into save them from boring conversations. 

Sam Wilson was the first one to save them from a particularly disgusting couple. James has never been so happy to see his friend’s face before. However, the pleasure doesn’t last long when he feels her stiffen next to him. 

“Are you alright?”

She bats her eyes at him when she glances up, “Oh um we should probably move. Walker is on his way over here and unless you want a fight on your hands, I suggest we get out of here.”

Nodding, James leads her to the dance floor after hugging Sam goodbye. 

Taking her left hand in his right, he leads her into a dance as Julie London’s “Sway” plays. She curls her free arm around his neck and can unfortunately feel the heat of his other hand on her hip. 

“Is your father Italian?”

“What? No. At least not that I’m aware of. Why?”

His shoulders raised, “The music would say otherwise.”

She rests her forehead on his lapel, “Oh my god, he seems to think being a criminal in New York makes him some Italian mob boss.”

His chest rumbles with a laugh, “I’m sensing a story there.”

“Don’t even get me started on what he wanted to name me. Let’s just say I would’ve been the epitome of a mob boss daughter if he would’ve gotten his way.”

“Oh, I would love to hear it.”

“Antonietta Marie Stark,” an unknown voice speaks up from behind the couple. 

James spots John Walker in his pompous glory standing too close for comfort to Doll. 

“Can I help you?” she asks, incredibly bored and vexed by his intrusion. 

 “I heard you had gotten engaged so I came to congratulate the happy couple, sweetheart,” he says with a grimy smile. 

James pulls her into his side, away from John and further into his protection, “Thank you and you’re more than welcome to leave now.”

“I’m hurt, sweetheart, you didn’t call me to tell me that you had started seeing Barnes,” Walker continues to push his luck and in turn, James’ grip around her tightens. 

“Last time I checked, I didn’t have to run things by you, John. I’m not obligated to call you about anything.”

He shakes his head, laughing, “Funny how this all happened right after your dad got into some hot water with the government and only a few months after we last fucked.”

Her jaw drops at his crass words and the sheer audacity he has to say something like that in front of her supposed new fiancé.

“It’s time for you to leave,” anger is filling James’ body as John ogles her. He waves at Steve and some of these other men. 

“Get the fuck out of here before I put a bullet in you,” is the only thing James says to John as he nearly rips Doll’s arm out of her socket and pulls her towards the bathrooms. 

Not wanting to make an even bigger scene, she stumbles to keep up with his pace and doesn’t stray from his side. She can hear John trying to excuse his behavior as Steve escorts him out of the building but it’s lost on her because there is a very angry and dangerous man dragging her across the floor. He doesn’t say a single word or even look at her when he spots an empty conference and shoves her through the door, slamming it shut. 

“Sit,” he snaps, pacing as she sits down on the table behind her.  

“Care to explain what the fuck that was about?”

Rubbing where he had grabbed her, “It’s not anything to worry about. It was in the past.”

He stops his pacing to set his harsh and demanding blue eyes on her. The anger tensed his shoulders and rolled his hands into fists. He looks even bigger than he usually does which is a feat in itself. 

“Fucking excuse me?”

“I said it was in the past. It doesn’t matter.”

“Oh no, you don’t get to decide what it’s important or not. Start talking.”

She pushes herself back further on the table as James takes long strides to stand right in front of her, crowding her personal space. 

“We went out on a few dates and slept together a few times but that’s all. We weren’t officially together and he got bent out of shape that I was seeing other people too so he does whatever he can to piss me off.”

“How many times?” 

She stares back at him, his gaze burning holes into her with anger and jealousy. 

“How many times what, James? Are you jealous of that dickhead?”

“You know what I mean. How. Many. Times?” he punctuates each word by sliding himself in between her legs and planting his hands on either side of her hips. 

“Three,” her chest starts to heave at the closeness and the overwhelming feeling of him. 

“Three times and he’s that obsessed? Oh, Doll it must be heavenly if that’s all it took,” his hot breath ghosts over the column of her neck. He dips his head to kiss the side of her neck as his hands grab ahold of her hips, pulling her against him roughly. 

“If you’d just give up and stop being so stubborn, I could make you feel so good.”

His cologne fills her senses as she lolls her back, giving him even more access to nip and lick up her neck. He laughs darkly, ghosting a hand over her side and sliding it over the back of her neck. Grabbing a fist full of her hair, he pulls her head sharply to the side, “Are you going to give up?”

“Go fuck yourself.”

The hand slides to the front and grips her throat, a signet ring digging into her skin. Her hands fly up to hold onto his shoulders as his lips descend upon hers, hungrily devouring hers. There is nothing sweet or loving about the way their tongues are fighting against each other, red lipstick swearing across her face. 

Pulling back with her bottom lip in between his teeth, he admires the way she’s breathless and fluttering her eyes open, “Life could be so much better if you belonged to me, Doll.” 

“I don’t belong to anyone and most certainly not you,” she murmurs against his lips before capturing them in another clash of teeth and tongue. 

His hand tightens around her neck, choking the soft moan that escapes her mouth despite her best efforts to silence it. The moan only spurs him on as he pulls her impossibly closer, feeling the heat from between her legs on him. Moans continue to get up caught between their lips as he absolutely devours her. Her chest is pushed against his and he can feel the brush of hers against his every time she takes a breath and at the moment it’s very rapid. Her thighs twitch around his waist and it takes everything in to not sink down to his knees and explore. 

Resting his forehead against her, he pulls away panting. She’s the first to speak. 

“Keep kissing me like that when you’re jealous and I’ll only be more stubborn,” she laughs out of breath. 

The hand around her neck shifts to cup her jaw, thumb rubbing the ruined lipstick away. James shakes his head at her statement, eyes roaming her face. 

“I’ll just have to keep you locked up in that case.”

“I’d like to see you try,” she shoves his chest and he lets her push him away so she can stand on wobbly legs. He smirks at her, shifting to a smile when she gives him a look. 

“Let me help you, Doll, can’t have people getting the wrong idea,” he teases her as he wraps an arm around her waist and they leave the conference room to rejoin the fundraiser. 

#mob!bucky barnes x reader #mob!bucky #mob!bucky barnes imagine #sad girl - bucky barnes #mob!bucky barnes and reader #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes #mob au

[desdemonafictional]

The Woman Called...

Fujiko Mine was born into a family that did not consider itself poor, on account of they could afford to eat meat every week or so, unlike some families they knew who couldn’t afford it at all. Those were poor families, her mother would have said, not us.

Of course, they had been poor. They had been dirt poor. They had been secondhand shoes bought three sizes too big so you can grow into them, get slapped for breaking a dish at dinner, too-proud-to-beg poor. Whatever warm family feelings they might have had for each other were strained to the point of fraying by the time Fujiko entered middle school.

At age 12, Fujiko had looked around herself at the world—at the shining elegant faces in advertisements, at the delicate patisseries where it would have cost as much for one cake as her mother spent on dinner for all four of them, at the sneering faces of girls who had more than she ever had just for the stupid fortune of being born to a better class of family—and Fujiko Mine had come to a conclusion. Her conclusion was thus: the world was demonstrably not fair. And if the world was not fair, then what was the point in playing fair while the other side went on cheating?

Dumb luck might have given other girls family connections, money, and an easy life, but Fujiko had something most of them didn’t.

Fujiko was beautiful.

At age 14, she measured her bust religiously, noting the centimeters of growth and calculating her seams. She searched her face for imperfections and rationed out dollops of pale foundation as if the cream was gold. She walked tall, wore her hair short, and stood on tip-toe when she couldn’t wedge rags into her shoes. Men had already started to notice her years ago, but the extra help never went astray.

One day, on her way to school, there had been a man waiting for her a few blocks away. He explained that if she would come to dinner with him, he would buy her a beautiful new jacket for the winter, so she wouldn’t have to wear that old ratty one with the patches. Of course, she said yes.

He was a very nice man, as far as such men went. He took her shopping. He told her she was beautiful.

“You probably expect a story like that to end in tragedy,” Fujiko said, examining her cigarette with vague contempt. “Poor dumb little girl in the spider’s parlor. What was he hiding, what did he do, how did he hurt her? Well it was fine. Nothing happened. After a few weeks he went back to his sad little housewife in Kanto and lived a normal life, probably never thought about Fujiko Mine again. But I had the jacket.”  

There’s an impermeable barrier that separates the poor from the rich, and it’s all quantified in clothes. The better you dress, the more people believe you belong. A ragged slob off the street would be turned out of a high-end store before she even knew what was happening, for fear that she’d pocket something nice with her greedy nasty little hands. But the same girl, dressed in a nice coat that obviously cost a salaryman quite a lot of money? Oh, why would she steal? She’s obviously doing just fine. So come in, come in, if you have money to spend.

“I worked my way up,” she said, and took a drag. Her elegant red nails alighted only delicately on anything she touched. “Shirts first, then dresses. Just slightly above my class. Once you have slightly nicer down, you can shift another class up. But people notice if your shoes are wrong, it’s one of the first things to give you away when you don’t belong. Shoes are expensive. They’re hard to fit in your sleeve. So I worked at the hostess club for months to afford a pair of new leather shoes.”

At the hostess club, she met a lot of new types of men. She was too young to work at an above-board club, so she worked at a shadier one instead, the kind where touching was alright. At least up to a point. Some of the girls would call security on a handsy drunk, but Fujiko didn’t want their help—she’d deal with it herself, on her own terms. Anyway, a man who was busy grabbing a breast was probably not paying attention to his wallet. And he probably wouldn’t remember how much he spent, either.

She bought the shoes. She thought about quitting. And then she stayed anyway.

“I was good at getting men to buy drinks,” she said, “and I had a system for swapping out empty glasses with half drunk glasses. I used to hide them in the corner of the cushions. Or under my skirt. I was very good at getting other people to drink.”

She ashed her cigarette with a careless flick, her nails like quick shining beetles taking off.

“But it turned out one of those men I’d been getting to drink was a Yakuza mid-boss, the ambitious type, you know? And so one day this asshole pulls me aside as I’m leaving work—”

Sunglasses at night, that’s mostly what she remembered. Long jacket, with the sleeves pushed up to show the edges of tattoos. He’d smiled like a tiger on a diet, ever so polite, banked hunger and a rough rolling accent.

“I took the job, of course,” Fujiko said. “It wasn’t like I was attached to the guy, or anything. I let him take me home after a shift a few nights later, and when I had him alone and naked, I opened the front door for his rival. The trouble is,” and here, she contemplated the glowing cherry between her fingers, “once you’ve taken blood money, you can never really go back. You know how it is. There were always more men in sunglasses, always more jobs, always more money, and always more things to hide.”

She finished off the cigarette with a long, contemplative drag.

“One day you look up, and you realize that little by little, without noticing it, you’ve become someone who can’t go home.”

The silk of her dressing gown fluttered translucent and pink against her thigh as she stood. The wide high window glowed verdant with morning light over the garden that several men worked quietly and invisibly each week to maintain. She stood in front of the glass, staring out, still except for the restless flicking of her fingers at her side. Her shoulders tensed, like a cat watching a bird just out of reach.

Then, of course, there had been Poon. He hadn’t called her beautiful. He’d called her clever. Deadly. He’d admired that she was ruthless. He’d opened his hand, his portfolio, his heart, and offered her the chance to be more than set dressing. To take partnership in the business where for so long she’d been only pawn. Teacher, lover, friend—escape, ensnarement, she had wanted to be him, and yet she had wanted to be more than him. Everything she had was his, and the worst part was that he held nothing back. He gave and gave, and the more he gave the less she had.

They’d been unstoppable. They’d been a cataclysm. They’d been the golden pair. And when he died, he’d gutted her of everything he’d been.

“I liked killing less than the hostess work,” she remarked to the window. “But the hours were better.”

And then she turned, and smiled a wicked, insouciant smile.

“Of course, those days are long behind me,” she purred. “I’m a good girl now.” She dripped like water across the lounge, graceful legs and trailing silk, to climb into the lap of the man who meant to hire her.

 “Silly me, how I’m going on. I’m afraid I’ve quite lost my head around you, Mister…?”

“Lupin,” the man said, and his eyes reluctantly tore up from the place where her thigh was pressed to his side. “The Third.”

“How distinguished,” she said. She drew her fingers up along the length of his neck, grazing his ear. His pupils dilated. It didn’t matter what she’d said, really; he wasn’t listening. Men like him never did.

Easy money, she thought. I’ll have him chewed up in a week.

“So what was it you wanted done, exactly?” she asked.

#lupin iii #part one #character study

[astudyinfreewill]

ADAM INFILTRATING BOUDICCA!!!! YOUR MIND!!!! pls elaborate the people need this

oh boy!!! unfortunately my brain is a little too fried from work (i just think video calls of over two hours should be illegal unless you’re bantering with the besties) to come up with any actual plot but like. ok hear me out.

i simply think that it’s such a tragic waste of potential to have this guy who is paralleled with criminals not once, not twice, not thrice but FOUR times (kavinsky/declan/the gray man/mór o corra) and not have him be a little criminal at least ONCE. in fact i genuinely thought, after we were introduced to the fairy market in cdth - what a fucking cool concept btw, and hey isn’t it insane that these were marketed as kids’ books in some forums?? - that this was the direction we were headed!!! bc like declan brings ronan to the market, and tells him to be cool and calculated and wary, but of course ronan is ronan, so that doesn’t end up happening so much. you know however who IS cool and calculated and wary and would have done so so well in such an environment? yeah, you got it, good old adam “lizard son” parrish.

there are hints of this grittiness potential throughout trc as well i think. for instance, adam is the one who thinks to get his dad’s gun at the end of trb; and granted, he actually does so out of protectiveness for his awful mother (because the one thing that keeps adam distinct from his shadier narrative foils is that he has a huge heart, and he keeps choosing goodness even when it’s not his first instinct) - but he still is the one who reaches into that seedier world, where ronan would rather wield a chivalrous sword and gansey shies back from weapons altogether.

we also know what adam is capable of when he doesn’t chose goodness, even if he usually does it for sentimental reasons still: for example, refusing to spare whelk after whelk threatened to kill gansey; or, more glaringly, hatching a nefarious plan to blackmail greenmantle when he threatened ronan’s life. yes he had good reasons for his actions, but he can and WILL go darkside if need be. my dude plotted out a whole criminal case involving grisly child murders specifically to make sure that greenmantle would not only be put away, but put away for a crime that had very good chances of getting him killed.

the other characters are aware of this too - greenmantle himself, yes, but we also get admiring comments from the other two overtly criminal characters in the series - from declan calling adam “a creepily clever little fuck” to the gray man thinking that adam is “cool and resourceful” under pressure and would handle himself well specifically in the context of a shootout. his “criminal adjacent” characterisation stays consistent with that in the trilogy, from scamming rich kids with blatantly fake tarot readings, to oh yeah— hacking into several government databases apparently???

so yeah, when boudicca was introduced as a powerful, shady organisation operating within the magical mafia world, of COURSE i thought adam was gonna be a part of that plot. i was not entirely serious about him infiltrating them since it’s an all-women collective, but he could certainly infiltrate their records if he so chose. a guy who can both hack into your computer AND scry into your thoughts? a guy who’ll point a gun at you AND call down lighting from the sky? that’s a scary fucking opponent, man. i wouldn’t want him for an enemy.

anyway yeah these are my thoughts on mob wife adam who would actually be a lot better at the mob life than his supposed mob husband ronan “let me just hand over my social security number” lynch

#adam parrish #trc #tdt #answer #ambra.txt

[wri0thesley]

nat oml this thought has been plaguing me for AGES

ok i dont have a lot of time atm to write a full brainrot for this, but what are your thoughts on the ragnvindrs + the quote "it runs in the family"?

like, adelinde and elzer are implied to have already served the ragnvindrs for a long time, right? what if crepus himself was a yandere, who kept his beautiful wife locked away inside his mansion and hushed the city (and swiftly maneuvered around her powerful friends) when they started looking for her? it's kinda weird that we don't see any keepsakes/paintings or any sign of her in dawn winery or hear anyone talk about her like they sometimes do about crepus, and i don't think diluc had a bad relationship with her. so what if the reason why we don't know what she looks/was like is because crepus (just like diluc in my other yan!diluc ask) hid her away from the world and burned most of her paper trails?

how do you think adelinde and elzer felt when they watched their former master go from a respectable and virtuous man to... that? watching his descent into obsession and madness couldn't have been good for either of them, and maybe it's those years spent doing all they can to keep the lady of the house ("a rumored member of the hexenzirkel, if you could believe it." "well, our master has always been quite ambitious.") from escaping and throwing any interested parties off their master's trail that might have formed some of their shadier hobbies and skills. it's difficult to say if the guilt still lives in them even after all this time, but conflict has become an integral part of their characters now. they know that what they did was wrong, that they were essentially accomplices to multiple crimes, but as servants to the ragnvindr household (as head maid and head butler, respectively), their duty comes before everything.

and what do you think they'd feel once they recognize their old master in the way diluc and kaeya move now?

oh i LOVE this . . . ahh. i actually really love adelinde as a kind of 'enabler' to diluc; you know, the young master really deserves something to call his own, so if the situation calls for it adelinde is more than willing to be a helping hand watching over darling, ensuring they are safe, reminding them that their life could be so much worse and they are lucky to be diluc's - and in a situation like this? where perhaps she has even convinced herself she is in the right? master crepus, after all, was a greatly revered and respected man and diluc does still wish to make him proud, so--

and it also gives an entirely new meaning to diluc's character stories and the way he loved hearing "that's my boy", too. of course he'd follow in his father's footsteps! crepus would be proud. crepus would understand why diluc does what he does, would happily indulge diluc's saviour complex where his darling is concerned--

and though kaeya might make snide comments occasionally, off-the-cuff remarks that only someone who knew everything about the ragnvindr clan would truly understand . . . the fact is, if he were in the same position, he would do exactly the same. kaeya admired his adoptive father just as much as diluc did; and if it worked for crepus . . . well. who is kaeya to deny that the thought of having someone who was just his - who could never abandon him, who would be there for him through everything - is appealing in a thousand different ways.

if he needs to use dawn winery for such purposes in the future . . . better to let diluc get on with it for now. perhaps their darlings might even be friends. who knows if a little companionship might keep them sweet.

#nat.txt #genshin impact posting #yandere for ts

[filzmonster]

If I may, this brainrot has been eating away at me, I just need to hear someone else's opinion! ✨️

At what point did you start shipping Gil and Break? What made you go, "yes, that's it!"?

What do you like most about them? I beg, share as much as you can about your thoughts on them! I need to hear it all! 😭🙏

fuck yes of course you may! Thank you so much for asking! *cracks knuckles* I've been waiting my whole life for an opportunity like this, so let's dive right into it!!

So to answer your first question - how I came to shipping them - let me start by saying that it took me a while. Tbh at first I didn't really pay a lot of attention to Break and all the cryptic things he was spewing (I have no excuse for this except that at the time I was obsessed with another manga that had a similar clown-ish character, so Break, at first, felt a little bit too much like a copy of that character for me to really be intrigued by Break).

Also, I was very much blown away by the platonic ... whatever that thing is ... between Gilbert and Oz, so I didn't really put on the shipping glasses for a very long time.

I watched the entire anime without developing any ships.

Then I started the manga and by then I was already so very, very, very deeply invested in everything, so this time around when I got to the specific moment that made my brain go oh, there was nothing stopping it from going oh.

It started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this? a look ...

... and solidified itself with

1.) Break caring about the fact that Gilbert supposedly forced himself to act like he was still his friend after his past got revealed

and

2.) Gilbert caring about the fact that apparently the last ten years, in which he saw Break as someone he wanted to be trusted by, meant less to Break than they meant to himself.

(I could write an entire seperate post about what it means that Gilbert wants Break to trust him and the parallels to his entire "I want to be needed" issues because Gilbert is always more focused on being the person that "is needed/trusted/wanted/etc." by the people in his life, rather than being the one needing/trusting/wanting/etc. the other person - if that makes any sense. ANYWAY --)

There was no stopping myself after that.

My brain just went oh, this is very angsty from a platonic "my friend doesn't trust me as much as I trust him" perspective - let's make it EVEN MORE angsty by changing it to "my lover doesn't trust me" and the rest is history.

After that, I went back and looked at their other recent and significant interaction:

What was, up until then, a very significant scene for Gilbert (and for me - I was shook, and still am by this scene everytime I read it tbh) in relation to his issues regarding Oz and being left behind/no longer needed, re-wrote itself in my head into something Break said to Gilbert, a piece of very important advice, something said to Gilbert by someone who understood and even shared his desire to serve a Master, someone who already went through the exact thing Gilbert was scared of going through - losing his Master - and tried to help him, tried to push him in the right direction.

Break was the first person who looked at Gilbert and said "I want to fix him".

He saw what Oz couldn't see, which as how desperate and messed up Gilbert had become with the appearance of Alice in Oz' life, and understood.

This kind of understanding is what, in my eyes, is at the core of this entire ship.

Then the gang went to the ruins of Sablier and honestly, I ate that shit up:

This showed that, even though they understood each other, there was still some kind of power imbalance between them.

At this point in the story, Gilbert was still very much Not Aware of how messed up he truly was. Break, on the contrary, figured out that there's some other, far shadier stuff going on.

Break was admittedly smarter than Gilbert and tried to guide and help him. I love that he shows he cares like that, by slowly but not at all gently pushing Gilbert towards confronting his issues. He is definitely being a teensy-tiny bit manipulative about it, but who doesn't like a little bit of toxicity with their fictional ship??

Uuuuhhhhh after Sablier, the Isla Yura/Headhunter arc happened and while at that shitshow of a party, they had a lot of very nice interactions between them - alas, listing all of them in detail would make this already escalating post waaaaaaay too long, so here's the shortlist:

They confront Elliot together, and Gilbert manages to land a hit on Break

Gilbert realizes that Break is blind, all while Vincent is trying to lure him away so that he doesn't go to help Break

Gilbert's little flashback to probably the first advice Break ever gave him: get your priorities straight

Break sort of gives up the fight against Fang and Lilly

Gilbert shows up and kicks him in the back, going all "I'm his left eye" while also saying: you're my priority, too, you idiot.

Gilberts fixes up Break's wounds and then scolds him for not asking for help even though there are people he can and should ask for help - and isn't that a fantastic parallel to the very first scene I brought up in this post? How this entire thing, for me, started with Gilbert asking, desperately "Why don't you trust me?" and now we're here, with Gilbert, again, asking "Why don't you trust me?" Only this time Break doesn't meet him with the silent air of someone who sees himself as superior, more experienced, but answers his question with a request, finally accepting him as an equal: "please help me."

And then .... AND THEN ... it gets even better:

Listen. LISTEN.

Mere moments ago in the manga it was established that Break is utterly unable to fall in line with someone, unable to work in a team, unable to be a partner. He even repeats it himself: Sharon calls me Mr. One-Man-Show.

But here's Gilbert and he says: I don't care. Do whatever you want, I'll meet you halfway. I'll keep up with you. Let me show you, let me prove myself to you. I'll have your back. Trust me to have your back.

And Break does.

And then a lot of shit went down and it's all very, very tragic.

And then this happens:

And I realize that this is not The Most Important Thing in that chapter and that what happens right after is way more important than this little panel, but I want to talk about the perspective used here for a moment.

This is shown from a frontal perspective. We see Gilbert standing in front of Oz from an outsider's POV, someone who looks at them, someone who sees Gilbert stepping in front of Oz.

This is an important scene and an important perspective in more ways than one, so bear with me for a second, please, as I go off on a little tanget.

See, this scene is very reminiscent of a later scene:

A later scene that is shown from Oz' perspective. Because this time it is important that Oz sees Gilbert stepping in front of him, protecting him despite everything. This scene is for Oz.

The scene prior to that wasn't for Oz.

It was a little bit for us, as readers, foreshadowing that Gilbert, finally fully aware of all his memories, still choses Oz. It is the promise to us that Gilbert will pick Oz' side and ultimately safe him.

It was, truly, for Break.

Break, whose first priority was to get himself between Gilbert and Oz the moment he realized the truth about Gilbert.

Break, who wanted to protect Oz from Gilbert, who wanted to protect Gilbert from Gilbert himself.

Break, who saw, and realized and had faith without even knowing the whole truth.

Now look at all of that and tell me how I was supposed to NOT ship them.

Also, feel free to tell me why YOU ship them :)

Alright, now that I've spent ... an atrocious amount of length on this post to tell you when & why I started to ship them, let's move on to your second question: what do I like most about them?

Weeeeeelllllllll ... a lot of that is already answered between the lines of the "how this ship came to be" elaboration, so I'll start with a short little summary:

there are a lot of parallels between Break's past and Gilbert's present that allow them to understand each other in this very specific way no one else probably can

they push each other to grow/be better (with Break pushing Gilbert to confront his issues and Gilbert calling Break out when he's being a stubborn idiot and refusing help)

they support each other through their lowest points, again and again.

the fact that Gilbert accepted Break, truly, for who he is. That he looked at Break and went "this guy's weird and creepy, but I'm still going to work with him, I'm still learning how to cook for him, I'm still going to try to listen to his advice even though I don't really understand it yet, I'm still going to be his left eye and stand by his side and build a relationship with him that is built on trust, and I'm still going to look at him as a priority"

the fact that Break looked at Gilbert and went "I see you, I'll help you. I'll use you, sure, but even after you've lost your usefulness to me, I'll still help you figure yourself out. I accept you as my equal, please help me. I'll act like I don't care about you, but I do, oh lord, I do. And I'm so relieved that you chose well. I always knew you could do it."

Also, the thing is - I'm a Gilbert girly, so obviously I care about him and his relationships the most.

And for the most part of the manga, the most important relationship, after his relationship to Oz, is his relationship to Break.

Sure, there are Alice and Vincent and Elliot, and even Sharon and Reim and Oscar.

But the one who keeps showing up in all his most important scenes, the ones that deal with his issues, his struggles, his choices - is Break.

And not just that, they keep showing up in each other's important scenes that don't focus on them at first.

E.g., Gilbert is there when Break asks Oz "Where are you?", a question that will haunt Oz for a long time.

Gilbert is there after Lutwidge academy, when Oz and Break have another moment together, and vice versa Break witnesses another key moment between Oz and Gilbert.

Break is there when Gilbert chases after Zai Vessalius in the ruins of Sablier. Gilbert is there when Break wakes up blind.

Break is there when Gilbert regains his memories, and he's there when Gilbert choses a side; and he's there, always there, when Gilbert is confronted with his relationship with Oz. He's even indirectly there when Gilbert gets inspired by Sharon who wants to become stronger so that she can stay by Break's side.

They play a big role in each other's lives even when they aren't directly part of a main event.

Almost like they keep thinking of each other

They grow from "let's use each other for our own benefits" to "I'll risk everything for you". They inspire each other to be better.

They understand each other. Break gets a side of Gilbert that Oz, Gilbert's most important relationship, and even though he grew and learned to understand Gilbert better in the end, will never really get.

Likewise, Gilbert manages to cement himself in Break's life as someone he can trust and rely on, something that comes very hard to Mr. One-Man-Show. I'd even argue that not even Oz managed to become an equal for Break in the end, since Break's last thoughts towards Oz are still "I have to support and guide him", and Oz can't offer him any real solace - that position, ultimately, falls to Reim and Sharon. We're totally ignoring that Break and Gilbert do not really share a last, significant scene, just go along with me please

Anyway.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that their understanding of each other is the most important thing for me. That they are able to have this relationship outside of their other important relationships (Oz & Alice and Sharon & Reim respectively). That they help each other to grow and even teach each other how to better their other relationships.

They have such a big, positive, meaningful influence on each other without ever really trying. It's like they see no other choice but to be there for each other when one of them needs the other.

I love them, your honor.

Alrightttttt, with all of that said .... I think I'm done for now?

Feel free to add your own thoughts and tell me

a) How you came to ship them and why

and

b) What you like most about them and why

Again, thank you very much for asking!! This deep dive really did a lot for my general well being and showed me that while apparently I still know a lot about Pandora Hearts by heart, it may still be time for another re-read soon :)

Also, it's been sooooo long since I've had an opportunity to talk about Break/Gilbert and it was a lot of fun!!! I'm really grateful for that and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on them! <3

#lana7779 #asks #pandora hearts #gilbert nightray #xerxes break #breakbert #random rambling #gilbert baskerville #whups this definitely escalated #sorry not sorry #thank you for asking #this was so much fun!!!! #also it is waaaaaaaay past my bedtime and i really should go to sleep #please share your thoughts too i'm really looking forward to discussing them with you!!!

[winderlylandchime]

Hello and happy new year, i hope you’re doing good and that you had a good NYE.

Here are just some highlights from what you’ve missed in the latest episodes of ‘My brother is an idiot’.

In case you wondered how we spent NYE, let me tell you that originally we were gonna go to a bar with our neighbor and socialize but she got sick, so my brother changed plans and made her watch 3x08. That’s right, he calculated when to watch the episode so that Britin reunion happened exactly at midnight. We entered 2024 with Lover’s spit, ngl it was both amazing and impressive. And the clock went midnight right as the song started/their iconic reunion happened and we all yelled ‘AYYYEEEE HAPPY NEW YEAAAAR’ He also showed her 3x14 and not to anyone’s surprise, the ending still makes him cry.

Also a very important update: THE CAST IS OFF!! He walked out of the office and literally put a fist into the air like a dumbass and then looked at THE ENTIRE WAITING ROOM, pointed to his fist and went ‘I’m back, baby!!’ And then to me ‘I almost put that Proud song on to play it so I could walk out all dramatic and put my fist in the air like in that movie.. But I’m too fucking traumatized by that song cause of the finale so just imagine it for the experience okay?’

Btw our dad is coming in on Wednesday so that he can spend some time with us and then go home with my brother. So naturally my brother has spent the last day and a half going through episodes to decide which ones to show him. I fear my dad might strangle him when he realizes he’s being tricked into watching qaf. But i am curious what his reaction is going to be and which episodes he picks.

And the most important thing that I actually thought will be avoided: about 2 days ago, I left him at 10.30 pm to go to sleep. He was reading fan fiction and at the same time watching fan videos of Gale and Randy which…okay, go off. Please try and guess what the fuck happened next because i can guarantee you, you’re gonna be wrong.

He came into my room and woke me up out of nowhere and i asked what’s up, thinking it’s some emergency. And i can see on my clock that it’s like 4.45 am and he’s crouching next to me, holding the laptop, turns it towards me to show me some random site while almost blinding me and then whisper yells at me ‘this Hal dude is or was a fucking prick! What the fuck did Gale and Randy ever do to him? And why the fuck did those two old dudes hate Randy?!’ And then he just got up and walked out (leaving the door open because of course) and just says to himself or me ‘they did nothing and he’s acting shadier than a fucking palm tree!’ I woke up the next day, genuinely sure that I dreamt that and I come to the living room and he’s in the same position as I left him in and he goes ‘oh this dude is lowkey annoying, i just read this post from a convention and he doesn’t know how to let other people talk, why did he answer a question about gays and his gay friends when Randy was asked as a gay man? And I didnt know those writers sucked so much, they looked like they got along at that gay panel but apparently they hated each other? By the way do they still do these conventions?’ All this was said to me in one long ass breath, right as i woke up. Felt like a fever dream ngl. He was practically bouncing off the walls because of how much coffee he drank because he stayed up all night reading up on Gale and Randy and anything qaf related he found. He even found old Gale interviews from The Advocate and later found out Gale was also in a motorcycle crash and he texted that to our mom saying that clearly that means they’re soulmates of some kind and she just replied ‘or that you’re both stupid <3’

He said that after he finished his fics, he started watching videos and then he went to check bts videos and interviews and he looked all that up and got war flashbacks because they just asked whatever they wanted in the old 00’s tabloid era. And that somehow lead to him finding a link to a fan forum or something and then he just spiraled. He said that when he saw Hal being shady, it was either wake me up and tell me OR wake up our parents..

oh and during this all nighter he also put together a playlist that he named ‘Bri Bri in a nut (ha) shell’ and it’s songs from the show that he thinks fit Brian best. So now he goes back and forth between the playlists depending on his mood and how much he misses Brian. I created a monster and you all helped me. Thank you very much

Dear sweet anon!

I am so sorry for the delay in responding. I haven't been on tumblr because the new stuff at my job is cutting into ALL MY PRECIOUS SCROLLING TIME.

(And fic writing, so sorry everyone!)

NGL I am high key impressed that he figured out how to time the episode so that Lover's Spit was playing when the clock struck midnight. That is some dedication. What time does one need to start the episode for that to happen?

Congratulation to your brother on getting the cast off! I'm so glad he can return to making the ally fist.

But oh nooooo, he has fallen down the rabbit hole of the bts and what has been shared and pieced together and what can be observed. But couldn't he have sent you a voice memo rather than waking you up?

I'm curious if he has any fic recommendations for the fandom? And, also, what is in his Bri Bri playlist?

I like your mom's response to your brother's belief that both him and Gale being in motorcycle accidents makes them soulmates. Maybe they could be soulmates for another reason. Your brother could kiss Randy, for instance.

I hope your 2024 is lovely so far! I can't wait to hear your dad's reaction to being ambushed with QAF.

#ask winderlylandchime #dear sweet anon #queer as folk #a straight man watches qaf in the year of our lord 2023 #now 2024 edition

[innytoes]

Happy birthday @hawkguyhasstarbucks!

Between being rescued from the hell dimension known as the Upside Down, being brought to the hospital, being broken out of the hospital when it was found out he wasn't entirely human anymore, being brought to a different, shadier government hospital, being reunited with his Uncle Wayne, being broken out of the shady goverment hospital by his Uncle Wayne, Nancy Fucking Wheeler, and Jim Hopper of all people, and being brought to a cabin in the woods...

Well, Eddie had a long couple of months, okay.

So when he woke up from a long nap - being half-eaten by hellbats really took it out of you - to a kid with a short curly haircut, a flannel shirt that looked pilfered from someone a lot taller than her, and some denim overalls over a Hellfire shirt, he didn't even blink. If she was here, that meant Uncle Wayne or Hopper had told her were it was. And she was wearing his Club's shirt. Probably not here to kill him then.

"Hey, new member," he croaked. She cocked her head at him, confused. "Welcome to Hellfire, kid. What you play as?"

"I don't know yet," she said. "I like Will's new dice the best. They have shiny bits."

Will Byers, probably. The zombie kid. He'd been hoping to figure out what the hell was going on with that, but they'd moved away before he hit high school, and Mike and Dustin had been surprisingly tight-lipped about the whole thing.

"We can workshop some things," he decided.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you," she said, and suddenly he realised who she was. The girl. The one with superpowers. Eleven.

"I'm here aren't I?" he said.

"But you're different now," she said.

"I've always been different," he told her. "Now I just have fangs. They're cool, check it out." He opened his mouth, giving himself devil's horns with his fingers and hissing. She looked startled for a moment, before laughing.

"Bitching," she agreed.

Oh yeah, Eddie thought. He and this girl would get along just fine.

#stranger things #el hopper #eddie munson #aesthetic #fanfic #I made a thing #I wrote a thing #HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRIEND #can you imagine how annoyed hopper would be at El's new friend aka Eddie #Eddie would totally take her on as his little sister #and teach her it's okay to be weird and different #and to not give a fuck #so eventually hopper is like: okay fine he can stay I guess #until eddie takes her to get her first tattoo at 17 and then he's back to wanting to kick Eddie's ass

[theminecraftbee]

Fic Question - Stuffed Bird, For Want of a Nail

From what I can remember of Stuffed Bird (it's been a while), both Mumbo and X worked at ConCorp prior to the events of the story, but neither of them knew who the other were. What if one of them did? How would their interactions be different if X had found and read Mumbo's employment records and generally knew who he was, or alternatively, what would happen if Mumbo had found documents related to X and knew who he was?

so this is a really interesting question because. x didn't so much "work for concorp" as "was a creation of concorp" in most ways and mumbo was maybe trying a little bit not to know about a lot of the shadier stuff concorp was doing (and also being kept intentionally out of the loop in a lot of regards because concorp is the kind of company that makes their employees complicit in war crimes without telling them).

also, a world where x looks up more of mumbo's records than just "isn't he just immune and that's why they're keeping him around" implies a world where x like, planned anything, which is a world where i think mumbo would have been far more likely to die early into their partnership. on the other hand, this is also a world where mumbo knows x exists and knows to be... wary but probably also like. oh my god if you think stuffed bird mumbo has reasonable amounts of guilt get ready to multiply that by six. world where mumbo is ACTUALLY AWARE of the human experimentation to a higher degree than "there are decently high odds i am doing things to build weapons" would be...

...so i think the early dynamic here would be. mumbo is kind of a doormat early on but he'd be MORE of a doormat. and x... see the thing is that even if x had the employment records for mumbo and knew the fact mumbo was only sort of involved in everything. x still wouldn't forgive him. x is mad at mumbo for sheer fact he works at concorp at all. worse, this means x like, actually had a plan here for mumbo. like, actually thought through literally anything about what he was actually doing with mumbo. so as i said. mumbo's survival chances go down a lot if x like, actually thinks through or has a way to isolate the bits of mumbo that made him immune to the apocalypse stuff. x could do that without dragging mumbo all the way to the facility after all if he'd like... had the time to figure out anything about each other.

in conclusion. story definitely would have gone differently? do not know if this is a coherent exploration of how differently.

#answered #ask game #stuffed bird meta #<- this. kind of goes there? #parchmentengineer

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

one of the dataminers thinks that this is the split between ban and don’t ban merula from the circle based on the dialogue bubbles that show up during the activity.

ban: talbott, ben, andre, tonks, charlie, corey, george (and probably fred too)

don’t ban: ismelda, beatrice, chiara, liz, barnaby diego, and jae

With how late to the party I am, this is long past the point of datamines, so I don't even really need to tag it as such. (You know it's odd to think about but one day that Tag will be totally retired. Kind of surreal, actually.)

I'm getting distracted. This should be fun, let me just go through these characters one at a time. Starting with those who voted to keep Merula -

Ismelda and Beatrice are two characters that I'll discuss more in separate Asks (and I already have) but in general, I fully understand and support their choosing to vote in Merula's favor. It's a risk, to be sure, but frankly it's kind of a risk either way.

Chiara is no surprise, and bless her heart for being exactly the sort of caring, merciful person I know she is. Oh Chiara, you rock, never change Moonlight Bae, never change. In all seriousness, Chiara is exactly the sort of person who would give second chances, overlook betrayal, and offer the benefit of the doubt. We all know why.

Likewise, I expected nothing less from Liz and I respect her all the more for it. Let me give a self-indulgent example. I once wrote a scene where the Circle of Khanna was discussing a rogue Lethifold that had attacked Luca, and Liz argued that it was simply trying to feed itself. Because that's her. That's who she is. She's empathetic and understands the perspective of other creatures. Including wild, ornery Merulas.

Jae is fairly straightforward. He's had dealings with the shadier folk in the Wizarding World, in Knockturn Alley and such. I'd reckon he's much more likely to give Merula a second chance for that reason. He knows how it feels to skirt close to that line, and if anyone could tell the difference between the morally gray and the truly wicked, Jae could. Merula's no Dark Witch, not really, and I bet Jae can tell.

Diego is no surprise either. He's one of the only people in The Circle who genuinely thought of Merula as a friend. Unless they included some dialogue indicating that he felt horribly betrayed by this, having Diego vote any other way would have been downright odd.

Finally, Barnaby. He's treated simply enough by the writers, but this is still the right move for him, it's in his character. Merula was his friend once, and in general, he's an open hearted and forgiving person. While he's not as gullible as he used to be, I can definitely see him choosing to spare Merula rather than cast her out.

As for those who voted to ban her?

As far as banning goes, Corey is no surprise. This is personal for them and Merula is the reason they came within an inch of death. (I mean, for all they know, right?) They endured a traumatic experience with R because of her, so fair enough.

Charlie and the Weasleys in general are kind of whatever. Not to be dismissive of them, but they're only here for obligation and fanservice. (Apart from Bill.) This story isn't about them. And being blood traitors who detest Slytherin, The Dark Arts, and betrayal in general, this is no surprise.

Now Talbott, that is interesting. I would have half expected him to appear in the former list. Like Chiara, he has his own experiences and reasons for having a unique perspective on lawbreaking. However, he's also got history with Merula. True, his TLSQs are optional, but I think we can still treat them as canon in this instance. Either Talbott spared Merula once before, and she just blew that second chance, or, he already chose not to trust her once before, and is making the same choice again. Either way, it does work.

Andre. Hmm. Not much to say about this one. He's had such little interaction with Merula at all, to a large extent. I'm sure at least a few of these character's votes were influenced by the writers needing this vote to result in a tie, and though it's a bit cynical, I expect Andre was one of the people who could have gone either way for that reason.

Ben. I've talked about this at length before (and likely will again) but our poor boy is spiraling right now. MC and Merula have been the only people he's trusted at all since the night Rowan died, and now he has reason to believe he can't trust either of them. That puts the fate of The Circle entirely in his own hands. The other members of the chain of command are no longer to be trusted. MC at the very least, cannot be impartial about R, and Merula? She's a damn traitor. Of course he wants her out.

Now, of all the votes, Tonks is the one who truly surprised me, and disappointed me at the same time. Because Merula was hoodwinked into an impossible situation, and it's all the work of her wicked aunt, a Dark Witch. I kind of feel like maybe, just maybe, Tonks should be able to sympathize here? The parallels between Verucca and Bellatrix feel like a fairly obvious comparison to make here, but Tonks seems to go in the opposite direction. It's as though she's thinking "I have an evil aunt as well, and I never joined her cult, so there's no excuse for Merula doing the same in her circumstances." Which is a valid take, the problem is just that the situations are completely different. Tonks had people to protect her and raise her right. Merula was at Verucca's mercy.

Most of these votes make sense. There are a few shockers, but by in large, I'm just reacting as a biased Merula stan.

#Merula Snyde #HPHM Spoilers #The Circle of Khanna #HPHM R #Ben Copper #Talbott Winger #Chiara Lobosca #Nymphadora Tonks #Charlie Weasley #Corey Hayden #Andre Egwu #Diego Caplan #Beatrice Haywood #Ismelda Murk #Liz Tuttle #Jae Kim #Barnaby Lee

[jarchivussy]

Yo sorry if this is long but for the ask games

🥊 for kai (1,5,14)

🙌 for ed (3,6,19)

💀 morgan (4,9,23)

🎹 for Rel (16,27,44)

(The numbers were for the second ask bit. You don’t need to answer them all :] )

kai loves working out (his favourite sports are dance, kickboxing and parkour) and tinkering with mechanical stuff and eating yummy food and making morgan pay for said yummy food :3 he HATES math and confrontations and cleaning and swimming/anything with a lot of water ❌❌

his first date is hard to define cause he goes out with morgan a lot before they realise they like each other and even then they don't have much time to date :-( but i've been thinking recently it would be kind of funny if their first "date" to their fav restaurant was back when they still totally hated each other. and morgan saw him while he was out and she was like omg kaii hiiii ^_^ and she went to hug him and he was like ! wth but then she was like 'play along or we're both dead.' so they pretend to be besties and go out to a restaurant and make small talk which is really funny cause kai is bad at it but it works on the people spying on them. anyway of course morgan pays cause she has expensive taste and too much money and then they go out and through some shadier streets and defeat the guys following them (actually theyre only following kai but morgan doesnt say that) and kais like hey we make a pretty good team and morgan is like tch 😒 whatever but secretly she likes it

he doesn't argue for as long as he can and 1. dislikes confrontation 2. is really nice and forgiving so he doesn't argue a lot. except for morgan he loves bickering with her about everything cause she sucks and has awful opinions

as for pda he's ok with a smooch on the cheek or a hug or holding hands (i mean his favourite way to have a date is to visit his and morgan's fav restaurant) but he doesn't like affection for show, and prefers stuff like kisses on the mouth and other intimacy to be private. occasionally he does do embarrassing romantic stuff around other people cause he likes to see morgan get flustered but he never makes her genuinely uncomfortable :3

ed has one sibling and that's cass! though i was thinking about him having a brother that would die so like. cass could be a parallel but idk . anyway cass and ed are so fucked up they leave each other so much. that vee post that's like 'the love was there and it changed everything' that's them. i love them so much i could eat cement

oh man first impression. for morgan he thought she was super annoying and sucked and he genuinely wanted to kill her (based) and for kai. ed thought that kai was super hot and he hated himself for that. denial 💔

he hates arguing a lot and is bad with words so he tries to make it up through doing nice things! acts of service is his thing

19 is here!

MORGAN. PHOBIAS. YES this girl is so scarednervous. she's scared of the dark (ironically enough she as a character has a lot of darkness symbolism toed to her. something something she's afraid of herself) and she's really scared of intimacy, because she doesn't feel like she's good enough and she knows it won't last and it'll hurt when it's gone. she's really scared of disappointment and not living up to her own heightened standards for herself. i could go on 😆

she initiates affection less than kai but more than ed! it's cause she's evil and fucked up

for kai, she hates how selfless he is and how fleeting her happiness with him is. (esp because she's an elf and he's a human)

for ed well. she hates that they're both not very good at communicating so it's hard to work out their issues. but it's ok they have kai (for now)

defining characteristics huh. hmmmm well i'd say for morgan + kai it's soulmates + toxic codependency + divorced and remarried. for morgan + ed it's mutual hate/love + we're in love with the same guy let's either kill each other or have sex about it + verryy slow burn + eventually domestic

YAY REL he's such a hashtag weirdgirl ^_^ his hobbies are making toxic green slutch, gaslighting, overall emotional manipulation, evil politics, making plans and running mlms as well as clickbait craft channels on yt.

he has no significant romantic relationships so i can't answer those sorry!

#THIS IS SO RAMBLY #hope u enjoy #thank u so much for sending so many these were so fun to think about mwah mwah <3 #ask #ocs #astral tag

[heretherebedork]

And here we go on episode four and more, more, more! All the way to eight. It's definitely addicting. I wonder if I can actually catch the next episode live... I'd have to be on public transit, but I might be able to actually watch it.

@absolutebl and @clairificusrex I'm keeping everyone up to date because I'm not gonna stop!

Verdict so far? Yup. I'm in love. But I'm also kind of glad it took me a while to get into it because the first episodes were rough. But it just got better and better and now I'm in love with the entire story and the wait for next week is going to DESTROY me.

Predictions and thoughts from my dog walk: I think that all of this is going to include figuring out exactly what's going on with Rit and that it includes organs being sold illegally and that Tol might also be involved in his suicide. Tin has a lot to learn, I cannot wait for more Sing and Gap and Toy and I really do like all the side characters, lol.

Episode 4

Tin is slowly accepting that he's in a time loop and it's going to take a lot of time and he still accepted it faster than Prakan accepted that people die.

The Professor and his assistant (???) are shady AF. Like, shady as standing under a tree on a cloudy day in a single spotlight. Shadier than fuck. The shadiest.

Tin in the time loop is almost enjoyable but I still get this twitchy little feeling every time.

Oh, look, shadier than fuck lol lol lol so shady and so unsubtle.

"Yeah, that kid getting an ultrasound? you better find two kidneys or so help me!" sdgfdg well this time loop is very helpful.

Tin calling Art to try and look out for Tol getting drunk is cute but not gonna work, bae.

But also Art is adorable trying to listen to him. I love all the side characters. Seriously. Also, the fact that he smells like alcohol because it got poured on him and not because he's drunk.

Art also reminds me of one of the actors from GMMTV, the one that played Pai in MGAYG but he's actually Techno from TT and that's unexpected and shows how bad I am at recognizing people.

Oh, the realization that this time he's hurt both boys trying to save one of them. Awww, Tin. And now he knows them and it's hurting him even more. This is like a reverse Prakan, where the death becomes more and more meaningful to him.

I do like the proof that Tol wasn't drinking and driving. That's at least a relief but I did figure something like that. Thailand is pretty good at drunk driving = bad in their shows.

Sakda is just the worst.

Have I been clear about my love of the side characters? All of them are just the best.

What will win? Black coffee, exhaustion, spicy peppers or a tiktok dance?

Sing and Gap are just the best with whatever's going on with them. (It's me, Overlord of the Side Couples!)

Mmmm, hug. I do love a good hug. And the way Tol is looking at Tin is darling. That was a very good moment. Absolutely A+. Big fan.

THE MARRIED BABIES YESSSS LOOK AT HOW DARLING THEY ARE AND HOW HAPPY I WAS WAITING FOR THIIIIS.

Awww, Tin really is attached to Tol now. It's pretty cute. And finding out there might be underlying healthy issues to his death? Ooo. You definitely need more than two days, my boy.

Episode 5

So his memories of the loops aren't perfect. Interesting. They seem to be changing how well they work as the loops get longer.

No denials? I'm into this now. I'm a fan of these boys and I look forward to whatever this leads to. Oh, boys.

"How to trick that cute guy into coming to the hospital so you can check his heart for him subtly" 101 is not a common class but I feel like it could be taught to more people.

Subtle is not Tin's middle name, it's more like the name of his worst enemy.

I love Tin so much for the entire part where he gets to diagnose Tol with his heart issue and then rushes to save Rit and now this is just getting wild. And there's so much left to go.

Tin sitting on the floor with Rit and talking about his suicide attempt is painful but so it watching him try to figure out how to explain his sudden appearance to him.

But also poor Rit. He got blamed for what other people did and it ruined him. Ugh, this poor boy. I just want to rescue him the same way Tin does. Poor boy. Poor Rit.

Mmmm, opinion of Tol just went down a lot.

Tin is a darling and I do like him a lot and how he's being sure to help Rit and being so sweet with him and so worried. But also he probably shouldn't bring up Tol feeling guilty to Rit right after he, you know, tried to kill himself because of what Tol did.

Tin, never get into a relationship to change someone.

Dude, Sadka's... person-dude-thing... is the slimiest person I've yet seen. Seriously. He's so obviously trash it's not even subtle. Oh, Doi. He's Doi. I'll remember that someday. Doi is trash.

Sadka and Doi are trash together and it's so obvious that I want to just sort of laugh. Those two are gonna get fucked over by the end, I suspect.

Mai and her secret side boyfriend are interesting and an interesting twist to their relationship. I already like him.

Doi is the worst.

Awww, Tin's smile when Tol called him.

Rit and Sing! Awww. Rit is just the cutest boy. I want to give him the biggest hug of all time and promise him life is okay and he'll be okay and that life goes on and gets better. He's just such a darling.

The look on Gap's face when Sing spoke to him? Darling.

Tol and Tin are already finding their adorable niche. Too bad Tol is gonna die again and again and again before they can do this forever.

Oooo, cologne sniffing. Can that be a new trope? It's adorable and sweet and adds a very cute shopping trip plus you could absolutely do some really cute callbacks later on in the show.

Tol's turn to stare! Nice. Also, ooo, will everyone start to fell the deja vu of a time loop? I'd be down for that.

And a kiss! A very, very poorly timed kiss that isn't going to save anyone... but a kiss nonetheless.

Episode 6

Paused to get myself some chocolate.

Poor Tol. Tin's had so much time to fall in love and Tol's just like 'wtf?!?!' Awww. But also poor Tin.

Also, the subtitles I found cannot spell disease to save their lives and it's always spelled so it almost says deceased and I am struggling, y'all.

Lip touch!

Tin is trying so hard. He cares about Tol so much but he also desperately wants out of the loop and he wants to set him free and himself free and just... oof.

These posts are also why I don't do true liveblogging, y'all. I am so prone to rambling.

Oh, it's definitely illegal organ harvesting. Called it!

"Just get rid of them" yeah, that's how this works.

How much of the hospital is in on this scheme?

I like secret boyfriend.

Ugh, this is disgusting to watch tbh. Little fuckers.

Oooo, Tol is starting to have more flaashbacks.

And Tol dies in his arms this time. Rough. Especially as he dies starting to remember what's happened before.

Yeah, once he has the heart attack he can't be saved.

I love Sing and Gap so much, y'all. Side couple POWER.

I am worried about Tol still being alive on life support. This is just scary, tbh. Scarier than the time loop, almost.

Of course he knew him in childhood. How could they resist that? No show can resist that.

Mai is pretty heartbreaking to imagine having to date someone in order to afford medical bills and to hide your actual relationship from him to save your mother. Also rough.

Have I mentioned my love of Rit? I love him.

Oh no, they goons have come! I wonder if they work for Kinn. Ultimate crossover, turns out the mafia sells organs!

I like that we got an experience woman doctor, that was nice but surprisingly rare.

Also, have I been clear that Doi and Sakda are trash?

Once Tol has the heart attack, he's doomed. Every time. Cannot be undone.

Bur oof, this is a rough episode that shows all the butterfly effects of everything going on in the show and all the ways everything spirals and all the elements that Tin is going to have to figure out how to balance. You need more than two days, babies.

Jinta's back!

The idea of the length of the time loop being controlled by where Tin sleeps is fantastic, honestly. It's a wholly fascinating way to handle the time he needs and to handle changing what he needs and when he does things.

Episode 7

I do like that Tin is aware that he's taking longer to remember things the farther back he goes. And the slow way he's growing and changing with his memories changing. Very enjoyable. And starting to remember the more distant past as well.

I mean, you know what, it's nice to know that they both have to live in order for the show to end. Like, that's just a nice little guarantee for me.

"Tol must survive to fall in love with me" sjgkl Tin, you're in so deep.

Toy is the cutest. I love him. And I love that he has a boyfriend. Fantastic. Absolutely A+. Thank you for not making him single.

He's not making mistakes. He's stealing organs. I get that you don't know that. But still. Not a mistake.

I do love Fang. She's a very fun character. And very enjoyable. Just... in general.

The 'first meeting for you, I'm already in love' running into each other bit is working kind of cutely for them.

I do adore Tin. This is like... pining but on steroids because Tin is so lost to him despite himself. Time loop pining. Hmmmm. I suppose that's to my advantage.

Tol is a little bit of a brat and a little more of one in other places. I hope Tin can find a way to save Rit from being failed. He needs to save that poor boy so much.

Honestly, meeting Tol post-saving-Art is a lot more charming than he is now. This version of Tol is basically not charming at all. He's such a brat.

Awww, Zebra.

Sing and Gap continue to be fantastic in their own way.

Tin is very, very good at coming across as a creeper.

Tol's tiny worried face about his kitty is darling But seriously, Tin, fuck off with the whole tutoring thing. Don't make this a bribe.

Gap trying to talk to the irate parent while his son lounges around with his phone is just way too accurate. And I love Sing because he's just the Right Guy for the job.

Poor Rit. That poor baby. He deserves the damn world. So much better than they're treating him.

Tol is such a brat right now. You know you're treating Rit wrong. Stop it. Learn to be nice. My good will for you is being sapped away.

I love Gap and Sing so much. I really do. Despite it all, I love them both. They're just so different and yet they could get along so well.

Save Rit, please, make his life so much better.

You know, I know that Tol has to survive to end the loop. And that he has to learn a lesson about his actions. But I'm kind of struggling as we learn more about him and he turns out to be less and less of sympathetic character.

Seriously. All my sympathy is with Rit. Tol and co can just kind of fuck off. Meh.

Episode 8

Dear is adorable and fun. I enjoy having her around. And now Tol is being a brat again for his attention but... why?

I hope Rit gets an actual apology about the whole business thing. Because he deserves it. He's a good boy.

Tin is kind of an idiot. But I guess that works for Tol, so that's all that matters.

Tol needs to learn a lesson about apologizing to people and admitting fault. Because Rit deserves all of that.

Sing and Gap time! Gap is adorable.

Seudam and Zebra time! Why is Seudam in a crate? Let the girl out. And Tin said that he had a kitty who needed a friend!

Teaching someone how to cook is such a good trope. I love it. And it's such a sign of 'this one character is a rich stink' because that's always why they can't cook.

I just need to know what happened with Rit and Tol and Art and Win and Pair and everything. Where's my flashback to that? We already know they framed him for the cheating that he didn't participate in so I kind of don't trust their opinions on this.

Oh, the nightmare and Tin pulling Tol into his arms to comfort him in absolutely my JAM more of this, please and thank you. Everywhere. Just... nightmare comforting and gentle face cradles and being held. Please.

I do like the idea of Tol remembering the loops as well. It changes the dynamic a lot as well as adding a lot more layers to their interactions.

But Tin, you should really be telling him to get his heart checked now, right? Telling him that you'll take him to the hospital and check him? RIGHT?

Also those bed snuggles are good.

Yes, Tol, please talk to Rit. Thank you. Poor Rit, though.

Me, taking either episode to realize that Rit is played by Pure's actor... yep, that's a very me move.

hgfklhdfg If no one stands up for him this time, I will lose my mind.

Look at that, Tol made a better choice this time. And also, wasn't Rit your friend as well?! Why does everyone forget that he was their friend!? And it seemed to be a fairly recent friendship break as well.

JUST TELL HIM TO GET HIS HEART CHECKED, TIN.

Man, Pair and Win are the worst. They can join Sakda and Doi in hell.

I love Sing looking out for Rit and Gap trying his best to look on the bright side and everyone taking care of him. He deserves it. He deserves a good support system.

I love Toy.

Ah, the perfection of drama timing for Tol to walk in right then. And then get the text. I mean, at least he's in the best spot to have a heart attack... I guess?

Oh no, he sees them together when they were supposed to meet!

djgkldfh BOYS.

Seriously, is this the start of another loop? But we got so far. No, my babies!

I mean, there are four more episodes so this makes sense... but still. Rough. We're in nailbiting territory for me. This feels like it should be later in the show than it is.

Tol is my rollercoaster character. I like him and then I don't and then I love him and then I want to smack him and then I want to hug him and he's just up and down and up and down and wibbly wobbly everywhere.

And Tin missing his phone and missing him entirely is so painful because he has no idea. He has no idea what Tol saw or what Tol just found out and just... auuugh. Especially when he calls him later? That's rough.

This is going to end badly. I can already tell.

Yes, yes he did steal your nephew's kidney. You're right. Thank you for saying it.

Oh no, Tol in the clock tower alone with no idea what's happening to Tin and, honestly, no way of finding out until much later. I AM LOST. LOST. Damnit. Poor boys. UGH.

And now I have to wait a WEEK!?!?!

Tol, baby, I'm sorry you're waiting but he's kinda bleeding out right now.

#triage #triage the series #thai bl #thai bl series #thai series #bl series #thaibl #bl drama #thai drama #livewatching #lots of ramblings #holy shit #yep now i'm addicted

[reality-schmality]

Have a mini-magic reveal fic...

...in which Merlin tells Arthur about his magic after he pulls the sword from the stone.

I do not remember writing this, but I really love it? Enjoy?

“There’s more to the story,” Merlin called after him. Wearily, Arthur stopped walking and turned to face his servant.

“Is there?” Of course there was more to Merlin’s fictitious story about how Arthur could solve his problems. He had to hand it to the man; he was getting creative in finding ways to make Arthur listen to his counsel.

“Will you just listen?” Merlin pleaded again. Something in his eyes made Arthur look at him with more interest. He motioned for Merlin to speak.

“When the sword was thrust into the stone, the ancient king foretold that one day it would be freed again, at a time when Camelot needed it most. The man who freed it would unite the land of Albion and rule over the greatest kingdom the world has ever known. That man is you, Arthur.”

Arthur forced himself to smile and tried to follow it with a joke, but Merlin held up a hand. The king raised his eyebrows but kept silent.

Merlin’s face didn’t waver. He lowered his hand, stepped closer to Arthur, and dropped his voice slightly. “And he would have help.” Merlin’s eyes bore into Arthur’s. His mouth quivered just slightly, as if the servant was steeling himself. “The prophesies say that you will stand with a great warlock, the greatest warlock the world has ever known. Together, you will heal the land, right the wrongs of the past, and overcome the painful divides of Albion’s many people.”

“You’re making this up.”

Merlin finally smiled, but only with one corner of his mouth. “Why would I do that? Your head’s already as big as your waist. I believe it, though, and I believe in you. I always have.”

Arthur shook his head and blew out a breath. “I’m lucky to have you, Merlin. Despite all the wrong people I’ve put my faith in lately, I am beyond grateful that I have your honest, steadfast loyalty.”

Merlin swallowed and stared at the ground. Arthur’s eyes narrowed. Of all the ways to discover his innermost man was actually another traitor, it was going to be this? In a forest, surrounded by their people, whom Merlin had largely been responsible for bringing back together, and immediately after restoring Arthur’s faith in himself?

“I give you more than that.” The servant took a deep breath and said, “The warlock in the prophecy, Arthur…”

“Oh, so that bit’s true, too, is it?” Arthur asked. “Not just your pacifist cowardice making up stories?” Merlin raised his head so slowly with eyes that held all the sorrow ever felt in the world.

“It’s me.”

Arthur froze. The entire forest may as well have died around them for all he noticed. He couldn’t hear. He couldn’t breathe. He planted his new sword in the ground and leaned on it, never once taking his eyes off Merlin. But those blue didn’t change. They only blinked a few times and grew even more despondent. Arthur was drowning in them.

This had to be a joke. That’s it. Merlin was pulling one of his nonsensical, long-winded gags to raise Arthur’s spirits before going into battle, yet again, against the woman he once, and somehow still, considered his sister. Merlin was truly an idiot, but at least he meant well.

Except the servant was clearly about to cry. Except this wasn’t a joke.

Arthur glanced around them quickly. Isolde was leaning against a tree laughing as Tristan stood over her. Gwen was walking among the people, handing out food. Sir Leon and Sir Percival were examining weapons. No one seemed to pay them any attention or even notice them in the throng. So, the king snatched up his sword – not missing Merlin’s small flinch – and grabbed his servant by the arm to drag him further away. The trees were thicker here, shadier. The sun that illuminated the nearby clearing couldn’t reach them. Arthur fixed Merlin with a murderous glare and tried to sort the thoughts flying through his head.

“You,” he stopped. “All this time.” He couldn’t finish an accusation, let alone a thought. Merlin tried to speak, but Arthur raised his sword in warning. Merlin covered his face with his hands. He was crying now, pitiful silent sobs. “Explain.” Merlin wiped his face and gulped air. “Speak!” Arthur demanded.

“I-I have,” Merlin breathed heavily, “I have magic, and I use it for you, Arthur,” he took a step toward Arthur, but the king scoffed and turned away. “I use it only for you. It’s my destiny.”

Arthur knew he had to calm down. He had to give Merlin a chance. Hadn’t he just said that Merlin was the most loyal person in his life, probably ever? That was true, magic or not. The servant had sacrificed his life for Merlin more times he could remember anymore. He had risked his life for Merlin just as many times. They were bonded as closely as the knights.

He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Throwing his sword into the ground again, he turned back to Merlin and took in the man he’d known for years with fresh eyes. Those same bright blue eyes, that same ridiculous floppy black hair. That tattered neckerchief and shirt combo, that horribly thin brown jacket. He was such a small man, no one could look on him as if he was a threat. Sure, Arthur noted for the first time that his tiny wimp of a servant had put on some muscle, but he was hardly a fighter. He had the same compassion that Morgana had when they were children. He even hated hunting, even when it was necessary to eat!

But the sorcerers in his life were hardly ever fighters. Morgana and Morgause knew how to wield a sword, but they weren’t true warriors. The old crone who tried to kill him, long ago when he first met Merlin, certainly wasn’t a warrior. Neither were most of the Druids or the evil healer Edwin, the thief Cedric, or the ancient Anhora. In truth, Merlin did fit with the sorcerers Arthur had known so far. Unassuming, polite yet outspoken.

“It’s your destiny?” Arthur finally sneered.

Merlin closed his eyes briefly but explained, “My whole life is yours, Arthur. My destiny is to protect you so that you can build Albion and restore peace and magic to the land. We’re,” he laughed derisively, “we’re two sides of the same coin.”

“So, all this time, you’ve been acting like my servant and my friend, you’ve actually been practicing magic behind my back?”

“There was never any acting! Arthur, I do believe in you. I believe in the world you want to create, in your compassion and wisdom, and the Albion that will be under your rule.”

Arthur shook his hand and turned away again. This was too difficult to hear. Merlin claimed he believed in Arthur, but it sounded like Merlin actually believed in this fantasy world more than him. He believed in a land where he could be free to practice magic, and Arthur was just a means to that end. The silence stretched on, and with it, Arthur’s self-doubt. He noticed his sword again, still standing in the grass, proud and gleaming despite the lack of sun. He knew he couldn’t pull a sword out of solid stone! It was just another trick, more magic done behind his back.

“All these years I thought you had my back,” he muttered.

“Arthur, I do,” Merlin answered immediately.

“Then all these years,” Arthur asked, “why did you never tell me?”

Merlin barked an uncomfortable laugh. “You’d have chopped my head off!” Arthur allowed a murderous glint to return to his eyes, and Merlin scrambled to assuage him. “Uther most certainly could never find out, so I waited. But then after my spell went wrong and Uther died, you saw all magic as strictly evil again, I never had the right moment.”

Arthur had to admit that was reasonable. His father was inconsolable in regards to magic, always had been. Even if Merlin proved himself a force for good, his father would have had him executed without a second thought. The amount of times Merlin had saved Arthur’s life would have meant nothing. It likely would have ended with Arthur sneaking Merlin out of the dungeons and seeing him into exile for safety purposes. Then when his father died, Arthur was fully against magic again. That crazy old man had seemed sincere in his efforts to help Arthur, but it cemented in Arthur’s mind that he could never trust a sorcerer.

“Wait,” Arthur said slowly, working through what Merlin said. “Your spell?” He could hear Merlin breathe in sharply behind him. “Merlin?”

“The old man,” Merlin’s voice quavered as he spoke, “is me. It’s my disguise whenever I need to do magic in the castle.” Arthur couldn’t speak as shock and anger warred in him, so Merlin continued. “I first invented him to save Gwen. Morgana was trying to get rid of her and ruin your relationship so she planted that poultice under your pillow. I couldn’t let Morgana hurt Gwen, so I took an aging potion and let you bring me to Uther to clear her name.”

He paused to look at Arthur with hopeful eyes. The story did make him feel a little better, but he was waiting for Merlin to get to the part about his father.

“And then, when your father was dying, and you asked me about using magic, I – I saw an opportunity. Everything you were thinking that day, it was all right, Arthur! Magic isn’t bad; it’s all in the way people use it. I hoped that I could heal your father and convince you that not every magic-user is evil. But Morgana ruined it. After you left, Gaius found a token around Uther’s neck that reversed all healing efforts ten-fold. All of Gaius’ medicine and my spell were turned against us. I swear, I did everything correct, and that spell should have healed him.”

Arthur couldn’t meet Merlin’s eyes. The servant was staring at him with such profound pity and pleading that Arthur simply couldn’t handle it. All those years ago, he had told Merlin that there was something about him, something Arthur couldn’t quite put his finger on. Well, now he had it, didn’t he? This was what made Merlin special. Magic. That time he burst into the throne room, announcing himself as a sorcerer – it was real. But Arthur had covered for him. That time in Ealdor, the wind that came out of nowhere – but Will had covered for him.

Arthur thought back, tried to think of every single challenge he had ever faced and every single way Merlin had involved himself. More often than not, it involved magic, but Merlin was always on his side. Merlin was always fighting for him, in his own way.

“Arthur?” Gwen called. The king whipped around to see the woman of his dreams jogging toward them. He noticed Merlin hastily wipe his face some more before putting on a smile for his friend. “Sir Leon is looking for you. He wants to discuss strategy in approaching the castle.”

“I’ll be right there,” he told her easily. “Merlin, finish collecting firewood and then fill everyone’s canteens. We need all such chores done before nightfall, lest Saxons pick us off in the night.”

#bbc merlin #sword in the sone fic #fanfic #merlin fanfiction

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

Higurashi Month 2022, Day 23: Breakfast

Mion yawned as she flung the curtains open, letting sunlight stream into the room, glancing off wooden tables polished to a mirror shine and carpets so startlingly white you might have thought that they had been bought and installed yesterday.

"Gneh." A grumpy lump of blankets uttered from the second bed.

"Mm…" A second voice rose from a nest of blankets on the sumptuous leather couch, and a few seconds later, a head rose with it, copper-auburn hair tousled lightly around a sleepily-blinking face.

"Rise and shine, early birds!" Mion called, turning away from the curtains with a grin that showed she had not lost even an iota of her teenage enthusiasm in the last ten years.

"Morning, Mi-chan." Rena hummed, rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Just past seven." Mion said, stepping past the foreign bed which she had so recently been sleeping on  and over to the second luxurious mattress. "C'mon, Kei-chan! Rise and shine!"

At the last word, she grabbed the heavy duvet and snapped it up with a grunt, exposing the drowsing figure of a man about her age, defensively huddled beneath what had once been the covers. He groaned, pulling an arm over his face as the bright sunlight radiated into his once-dark and cozy nest.

"Go'way, Mion."

"Nope!" Mion replied, as sunny as the golden light streaming in through their huge window. "We've gotta get ourselves put together and then go downstairs for our meal before 8.30. We can't cross swords with the Sumadera group without a good breakfast!"

"Mngh. Why we gotta cross swords when we're here for busineszzz…" Keiichi's words trailed off into a snore.

"Oh, Kei-chan." Mion sighed, touching her face as though he had given her a coherent response instead of a drowsy mumble. "Our business is crossing swords. How else can we punish them for trying to shortchange our fine Sonozaki Co., headed by the beautiful and ultra-competent Mion Sonozaki?"

"Dun' fuck wi' S'nozakiszzzz..." Keiichi mumbled drowsily into his pillow as one arm stirred in a hazy fistpump against the sheets, apparently on reflex. Mion laughed and punched the air with much more exuberance.

"That's the spirit!" she agreed. "Rena, come drag sleeping beauty out of bed while I get ready."

Leaving Rena to advance upon the bed and its drowsing occupant with a certain glint in her eye, Mion sashayed into the en suite bathroom to freshen up. When she emerged fifteen minutes later, a groggy Keiichi was waiting gallows-eyed and unshaven at the door, passing her without a word as Rena, standing in front of the glit mirror, whisked a comb through her short auburn hair.

With a care for the open window that looked out upon the busy city street, Mion started getting dressed, wrapping the simple black folds of her business kimono around herself with the ease of long practice. Rena, with the disturbing perky chipperness that she was known for in the mornings, had already donned her prim business suit and skirt, an equally-serious dark purple as she fussed a little with her hair. By having Rena and Keiichi wear traditional Western formal wear, Mion’s reputation was enormously enhanced, and in the world of commerce, she needed every tool that came to hand.

Batcha had entrusted the family business to her at long last about three years ago, and Mion had set out with grim determination to repair the shadier aspects of her family’s name. Oh, her father may have been on a certain side of the law, and Mion may or may not have some personal acquaintance with any number of yakuza delinquents, but she had decided that it was more than time for her generation to remove some of the tarnish on the Sonozaki family’s reputation.

With her characteristic grit and guts, not to mention the unflinching support of Keiichi and Rena at her back, Mion had blown away her family’s expected profit margins in the first year. By the second, she had tripled their income, and now, in her third year of taking the reins, the Sonozaki Cooperation was one of the most famous and wealthy in all of Japan, fitting in with both the old and the new. Some clients prized the traditional values and ancient heritage of her family, while others enthused over how a young, modern businesswoman was revamping the entire industry, but either way, they were equally in the palm of her hand.

She, Rena, and Keiichi were currently staying in one of the most exclusive hotels in Tokyo, something that would have been unthinkable when Mion was still a child. The Sonozakis were powerful in Hinamizawa, sure, with almost unparalleled authority in the community, but that was just it. They controlled the community of Hinamizawa. Their influence barely stretched outside of Okinomiya at all, and never mind across Gifu.

Mion had changed all that. Seizing companies and distributing assets, Mion truly had become something of a modern-day general, and Keiichi and Rena were her two right-hand subordinates. There was no challenge they couldn’t face, no enemy they couldn’t crush. Really, her largest problem was keeping the business of running a company from getting too boring, and for that, Mion turned once again and always to her club’s games. If only some of her business partners could have seen the Sonozaki queen and her two minions in her penthouse office on some occasions, playing card games with increasingly humiliating and ridiculous punishments for the loser long into the night.

For now, though, Mion strode confidently through the plush carpeted halls, Rena’s low heels clicking sedately beside her and Keiichi, sharp-eyed and bound up in a dapper suit, marching on her other hand. She was a jet-setting, high-flying CEO that was known throughout Japan, and the Sumaderas had another thing coming if they thought they could deceive her.

#Higurashi Month #Higurashi Month 2022 #Higurashi no Naku Koro ni #Higurashi When They Cry #When They Cry

[kassandras-one-braincell]

After having a shitty day at work my one remaining brain cell decided to start continuing on w your villain hcs for our favorite murder ladies. Maybe Kassandra would be Deimos in this situation or an extremely bloodthirsty and law breaking mercenary, Eivor either an Order member or a brutal warlord? and I can't think of anything for Soma rn

Love me some evil murder ladies and thinking about all of the bad things they could and would do for me bc they love me 🥺

That and a mechanic au bc I have to take my car to an auto shop to get it fixed and like women fixing cars? Attractive and I would gladly listen to them explain literally anything about a car

Murder ladies best ladies 🥺

Yeah personally I can never picture Kassandra as Deimos, because that would imply Alexios is the Eagle-Bearer and he gives me the biggest ick conceivable. He doesn't deserve that title. Stinky.

So let's talk irredeemably evil women who care about one person and that's you 🥰 Minors don't even think about touching the cut

(it should be said that there is a lot of violence under the cut - torture, disembowelment, scalping in slight detail - and of course it isn’t healthy knowingly taking an evil woman for a lover, not that it would stop us lmaooo. but please read at your own discretion)

Kassandra:

The most feared mercenary in Greece. She excels at what she does, but she enjoys the bloodier contracts a lot more than what’s healthy. The sounds of snapping bones and the squelch of a blade cutting through flesh bring a smile to her face. Her crew aboard the Adrestia fears her, and the shadier figures around the country struggle to sleep with the looming possibility of waking to her spear.

The only exemption from her depravity is you: you’re the brightest ray of light in Kassandra’s life. Her blood-money ensures you can live safely and comfortably without ever having to lift a finger. A part of her wants to stow you away in a cosy palace on an island so you would never have to witness the atrocities she commits, but you’d both miss each other terribly. Instead, she has a small house on every island for when you aren’t sailing.

But with her notoriety comes enemies. People want her dead, but are too afraid to instigate a hit on her. Anyone who tried didn’t live long enough to tell the tale. So one day, a corrupt man with far too much money and influence thought it wise to lure Kassandra into a trap. He hired a group to kidnap her one weakness, tying you up in a dingy cave, instructing messengers to leave subtle clues on your whereabouts. With a harsh grip on your hair, he promised that if she didn’t show up soon, he’d start hurting you. The array of tools atop a nearby boulder told you all you needed to know about his candour.

Oh, she showed up alright.

Kassandra is a smart woman. Any soul guarding the entrance to the cave was snuffed out before they could blink. They died far too swiftly for her liking, but your safety was her priority. When she found you in the cave, tears streaming down your cheeks with the conspirer’s knife grazing your skin, the final tether of her patience snapped. She shot his hand with her bow, then his knee, before slicing the heels of every other guard and binding their wrists. With them incapacitated, she turned her full attention back to the man about to hurt you, stabbing him over and over and over and over until his blood drenched her face.

When the - now rather literal - red mist dissipated, she didn’t waste a second before enveloping you in her arms, stroking your hair and kissing your temple firmly, whispering how worried she was and urgently asking if they hurt you in any way, tears pricking the corners of her eyes because she was scared. After checking you over, kissing you one or two or a dozen more times, she scooped you up and carried you back to her ship, lying you down and staying with you while you got some food in your belly, not quite ready to leave you alone. She orders her crew to lug the immobile guards back to her ship.

That night, Tartarus is unleashed upon the deck of the Adrestia. She took her time torturing the men who tried to harm you in a plethora of ways for her own amusement until they were crying in puddles of their own blood and piss.

Their wails of agony woke you from your light slumber. It was a cold night and Kassandra didn’t come to bed with you, so you woke up uneasy, still shaken from the incident and unable to feel safe without your misthios’ protective embrace. You knew she didn’t like to be disturbed when “working”, but you needed her.

The moment you asked in your sweet, slightly frightened voice for her to come to bed with you, she dropped her weapon. You never had to explain yourself to her; you shared a soul, you being the good and her being the bad. Her current subject had his neck snapped - the most mercy she had shown anyone all year, really. And as she held you in the captain’s quarters, listening to your soft breathing, she swore she would double the pain she inflicted on those men for disturbing your peace with their incessant crying.

Eivor:

Oh, cruel warlord Eivor. The chieftain who raids with the drengir of her clan not for supplies for her settlement, but to hurt, to burn, to ravage people of their possessions and to hurt again. Her rule was that people had the chance to flee, and she and her men would respect their choice, but if anybody crossed her, they died.

Her title of the “Scourge of Mercia” wasn’t earned through the eradication of false kings. No, no, she purged the kingdom of anybody who dared stake a claim to a crown or sizeable plot of land, and thrived in the aftermath: a chaos-ridden, kingless land. She did debate taking the title of King for herself, but thought better of it; with kingship came taxes and politics, which left less time for raiding. Eivor liked to have fun, after all.

But that doesn’t mean she couldn’t have a queen. You were a princess, the stepdaughter of one of the “kings” she loathed particularly, about to be married off to some undeserving man. Eivor was smitten the second she laid eyes on you, when she was scouting your stepfather’s keep for infiltration points - your castle was well-fortified, and she wasn’t a fool, she would seize the land with as few casualties on her side as possible - and pledged to save you from your miserable fate. She courted you properly, not incapable of nobility herself, and swore to whisk you away before you were married. You fell for her alarmingly fast, even though she was a terrifying Pagan who you were raised in fear of. But nobody had made you feel loved before.

She stormed the castle on your wedding day. It was nothing short of a bloodbath, the decorative petals on the ground stained crimson with entrails scattered between them. You were crying at the altar, not out of fear, but because you thought Eivor had broken her promise and was about to desert you, leaving you to be married off. Gods, her heart shattered then and there. She dislodged her axe from somebody’s skull and ran to kiss you, ripping off your veil, reassuring you that she would never abandon you, that if you’d still have her she would make you so, so happy. Her men had never seen her so soft. They knew then and there that you were special and not to be trifled with.

As she carried you away from the carnage, she ordered her men to gather the blood of the castle army. She had Gunnar forge a necklace from the iron in the blood and weld a pendant to the centre: a hollow crystal that she filled with her own blood, so that she would always be close to your heart. When she asked you to marry her, she gave you the necklace. Your heart swelled, of course, but then your stomach dropped, thinking that you’d be expected to make yourself bleed for her in return. Eivor immediately put your nerves to rest, saying, “My sweet dove, for you to feel the slightest pain would pierce me like a knife. All I ask for is your love.”

But while she was sweet and tender with you, her foes outside of her clan (and the traitors within, moreover) were met with a sadist who tortured ruthlessly for her own entertainment. She preferred live targets to training dummies. She would read of a particularly creative method of torture or execution and be itching to try it. Her poems sung of the blood she spilled and the queen who knew nothing of her deplorable joys.

Well, sort of. You knew Eivor was well acquainted with torture, and assumed that the men she brutalised were holding incredibly important information. Not caring for details, you never asked what they did to be sobbing with dozens of carefully opened wounds. Raised a princess your whole life, you were terribly squeamish; upon witnessing your first Vikingr execution, you fainted at the sight. Eivor’s men caught you before you could hit the ground - they were like brothers to her, and wouldn’t risk you hitting your head. She paused the execution as soon as you were brought to her attention, leaving the traitor on the stand half-disembowelled, and carried you to bed, ensuring you were in the safe hands of the servants before resuming.

You mattered most. If there was an object your heart desired, you would get it. Growing up as royalty meant you rather fancied material possessions, which gave Eivor an excuse to raid, just to bring you beautiful jewellery and dresses and decorate your darling body with the spoils of war. She would take the pretty things by force if it came to it. Nobody, nothing, came in the way of seeing her wife smile.

Soma:

Conquest was never as important as kingdom to Soma. She cared deeply for Grantebridge...and that was it. The remainder of England lived as a collection of pawns for her to dispose of as she saw fit, and if a lord of some pathetic little shire thought to challenge her, she would send his people his head as a harsh reminder.

Her port thrived under her rule, and with a port comes trade. You were the handmaiden of an ostentatious merchant’s wife, abused and living in fear of her next command. Soma first saw you with a split lip, covered in bruises, trembling under the weight of her gaze, flinching the moment the woman opened her painted mouth. Her steel heart softened; she may have been nefarious, but the notion of forcing people into servitude made her blood boil.

The evening of your arrival, she managed to ease you out of the wretch’s grasp. She wrapped your quivering form in the bear’s fur draped across her shoulders as she cleaned your busted lip, asking how such a sweet little thing as yourself wound up in that old bitch’s hands. And you broke down, telling this stranger, who you knew hurt people, everything: how she beat you and broke your spirit with her words, and threatened to let her husband’s men do unspeakable things to you every time you misplaced so much as a strand of the hair she obsessed over.

Soma held you as you wept, infuriated by the words falling upon her ears. She offered you a new, free life, asking what your passions were, promising you the freedom to explore them without inhibition. She wanted to see the tender soul within you flourish, for a reason inexplicable to her.

That night, she told you to keep far away from the guest quarters where the merchant and your mistress slept. She gave you clean clothes and allowed you to sleep in her bed, where nobody would dare disturb your slumber - the first real bed you had slept on in a long time. Entering the guest bedchamber with a plan, she first took the eyes of the merchant - befitting of his apparent see-no-evil attitude - as to spare him from witnessing the wrath she was about to inflict upon his wife. She ripped the hair your mistress cared for so deeply from her skull, scalp and all, a feral glint in her eye as she sobbed in anguish. The couple, one blind and the other in blinding pain, were escorted to their ship during the night so the eyes of the town’s children would be spared.

You were kept awake by the sounds, and thought yourself diseased in the head for not being disturbed by her agonised screams. The Jarlskona would not want somebody so sick in her town, you thought, tears streaming down your cheeks. But Soma found you, apologising to you for her inconsideration. She embraced you as you were honest in your emotions, and she convinced you that you were the purest, loveliest soul to set foot in her town.

When Soma saw you sat bathed in the sun amidst a field of flowers, delicately weaving some into a crown, finally free from suffering, she was convinced you were a nymph who had wandered too far from the forest whence you came. You were the epitome of beauty, glowing in the sunlight. The gods had brought you to Grantebridge. She pledged to herself to take you as her bride. But you deserved to be treated with amity, so she courted you formally, never wanting to bring you discomfort. Birna and Lif joked that she had gone soft, to which she always grinned, but Galinn dared to speak against you, saying you were peasant blood and good for nothing but servitude. Her dagger shore open his throat faster than he could blink.

She now had one more reason to keep the port safe from plotters and bandits. Seeing you play with the town’s children, telling them Saxon tales of dragons and warlocks, lounging about the flowers and lending a hand whenever to help the port thrive filled her with more joy than bloodshed ever had. So she would annihilate those who threatened her town, torturing them for information on fellow conspirers, for your safety. But she would always wash her hands before caressing her darling, for you did not deserve to be tainted with the blood of filth.

( I could be persuaded to write smut snippets for each of the ladies with these depraved personas so do let me know if you would be interested <3 )

#tis unhinged hours my good bitches #so unhinged that i didn't proofread shit #murder murder ladies #❀ sugar and spice ❀ #tw: blood #tw: gore #eivor x reader #soma x reader #kassandra x reader #eivor #eivor varinsdóttir #kassandra #kassandra of sparta #soma jarlskona #ac soma