#// the duke allowed to have fun as a treat-

[dinomites]

"I had the feeling someone would intercept my letter... give it about five seconds."

[lanawinterscigarettes]

Unchaperoned (Anthony Bridgerton x gn reader)

Summary: the Duke and Daphne are the focus point of the most recent ball, which gives you and Anthony the perfect opportunity to slip away together

Warnings: mentions of drinking, somewhat rough makeout session (scandalous, I know), suggestiveness/implied offscreen smut, Anthony and the reader being alone together is treated as a big no-no but since it's gender neutral it's up to you to decide if this is because the reader is a lady who lost her virtue or if the reader is instead another gentleman who's inappropriately consorting with a Bridgerton son

A/N: I started watching Bridgerton recently out of curiosity and sure enough became quickly obsessed. this fic is set during season one when daphne and simon were pretending to be courting one another

Daphne Bridgerton was considered to be the diamond of the season according to the very queen herself, which made her prime courtship material. If her eldest brother would stop getting in the way, that is.

Nearly every suitor had been scared off by that point, and the only ones that hadn't been were certainly less than desirable. Not that it mattered much, as a certain Duke of Hastings had seemingly caught her eye.

Anthony Bridgerton, head of the Bridgerton household, scowled as he observed the two of them from the corner of the ballroom. He barely noticed you approaching, cocktail glass in hand.

"Lord Bridgerton," you formally greeted, chuckling in amusement at the eye roll he gave you. There was really no need for you to address him so properly, as you had been friends for years: you just liked getting on his nerves. "Having fun?"

You did your best not to laugh at the incoherent grumbling he replied with, making it clear that the answer was a no.

"I see your sister and the Duke have quite taken to each other," you noted while moving closer to him, watching as they swept across the dance floor.

He let out a scoff of disbelief at your words. "Hastings should have very well known that she is off limits. He's nothing but a rake, he'll never truly care for her."

You let out a soft hum in agreement as you took a sip of your drink. "Still, it's nice to see them so happy. And with him watching her, she doesn't need a chaperone." You added the last bit in a much lower voice for only Anthony to hear.

It was difficult to miss the way he seemed to perk up at your words, his grumpy demeanor disappearing right before your very eyes. "What exactly are you trying to suggest?" He asked in a curious whisper, doing his best to remain stoic despite the way his mind was already starting to race with the possibilities.

The corners of your lips curled upwards into a sly smirk. "Perhaps I should just show you what I mean."

A loud thud echoed throughout the small guest room the two of you had snuck into as you pushed him up against the wall, his face covered with a giddy grin at the action. Anthony let out a muffled moan of delight when your lips met his, allowing himself to let go of the stress that had been building up in him over the past few days as he melted into your touch.

"It seems as though perhaps we were the ones who needed a chaperone more than Daphne did," you commented with a smug smirk, visibly pleased with yourself for being able to unravel the eldest Bridgerton so quickly.

He groaned when you pulled your lips away from his, his desperate nature making him unable to handle even the slightest bit of teasing. "Hush, you," was all he managed to mutter before pulling you back in for another needy kiss.

When the two of you returned to the ball later, he was much calmer and a lot less tense than before, a look of content on his face rather than his almost constant gaze of disapproval.

"I see my brother appears to be much more agreeable now than he was earlier," Daphne said when she took a break from dancing with the Duke to have a drink. "I don't suppose you had anything to do with that?"

"I may have played a small part in helping him to unwind a bit," was your casual reply, choosing not to elaborate any further than that as you watched him chat with his mother from across the room. His face flushed slightly when his gaze met yours, and you could practically hear Lady Bridgerton's concerned tone ask him if he was feeling alright.

You couldn't help but think yet again about how ironic it was that out of the two of them, the Viscount evidently needed a chaperone a lot more than his younger sister did.

End notes: god I'm such a whore for this man I swear

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[escelia]

I took a prompt from @ghostreblogging and ran away with it. I have other parts in progress that I'd be willing to post if you guys are into it. I'm not saying it's good, but I definitely had fun with this and got wild with the next part.

Danny Fenton-Wayne: Big Brother

To say Danny was excited to be a big brother was an understatement. He was so ready to finally be the older one, in a position where he was allowed to be protective but not overbearing. Jazz had trained him well for this. And Damian was just the perfect little brother to him, though he was sure that was weird to everyone else. It was so refreshing to have a sibling that didn't treat him like glass. He reminded him a lot of a smaller, angrier, less tech oriented Skulker. And it was great seeing the others' confused but entertained expressions.

"I will slit your throat while you sleep," Damian had glared at his new big brother. "You are not my big brother!" He insisted. Danny thought it was so cute! Skulker would love him. The other Wayne's had looked mortified as though the comment would scare Danny away. Really, the threat was weak. Slitting Danny's thought wouldn't be nearly as effective as Damian was hoping, and it wasn't even that creative. But Danny was a good big brother, and rough housing was a great way to let off steam and get in exercise, so Danny just laughed and responded,

"You could sure try!"

Damian lunged at him in rage. The kid was fast and efficient; he'd give him that. But Danny had faced things much worse than a 10 year old with a penchant for violence. He dodged and snagged the back of his shirt, scruffing him like an angry kitten.

"Damian! No! Bad!" Tim scolded. "Danny, I would tell you not to take it to heart, but he really will stab you, so please be careful?"

"Stab me? That's adorable!" Damian squirmed in his hold while Danny manhandled him into a hug. This didn't really count as being overbearing if it didn't last too long, right? Besides, with Damian fussing so loudly about it, he was sure this was exactly how Jazz felt when she smothered him. It was amazing. Being a big brother was the best.

He eventually let Damian go and he sped away like Pariah Dark was personally nipping at his heels. No doubt to go plan Danny's demise. He was kind of looking forward to it actually.

~~•○•~~

Dinner that night was eventful. He'd learned that Duke was a meta with an ability that affected his sight. Not that he'd outright said so, but Danny could tell. He also gathered a few inklings about his family being the freakin Bat Brigade? They were all vigilantes, and they thought he was some normal civilian! So was Damian being protective of his family in the face of some stranger? That was understandable. Respectable even. Jazz would have said that he was a newcomer in their space and that he needed to respect that. He wouldn't pry if they didn't want him to. Across the table, his baby brother waved a fork at him menacingly. Danny snickered.

"Damian…" Bruce warned. Dick tutted at him from his seat.

"Sorry about him, Danny. You can just ignore him," Dick assured. Danny found he really liked Dick too, what with his similar penchant for puns.

"Thanks, but I think I can handle him. He's what, 10 years old?"

"I'm clearly 12, you imbecile!" In the next moment, Damian was scrambling across the table embedding his fork into the back of Danny's chair, but Danny was no longer in it. Damian hadn't even seen him move if his stunned blinking was anything to go by.

"Trust me, I would not be good for your diet," Danny joked.

~~•○•~~

Danny had gotten a great idea when several days later Damian rushed him with a whole sword. Even as Phantom, Danny was never familiar with traditional weapons. He'd always wanted to learn, but knew that with Fentons it just wasn't a safe idea. So when Duke came running to reprimand Damian and the child saw an opening, Danny redirected the blade down and out of his hand, offering it back with a question about lessons. Perhaps he could bond with Damian by letting him teach him about his favorite weapon.

Their "training," as Damian put it, was going well. Danny genuinely felt like he was learning a lot from him as well as about him. And even with his ghostly enhanced speed the brat was keeping him on his toes. When Damian nicked him with his blade for the time Danny had been so proud. He knew he wasn't easy to hit.

"Say cheese!" Danny exclaimed, shoving his uninjured cheek up against Damian's for a photo. It had turned out amazing, with Danny pointing to the oozing scratch on his face while Damian scowled at him for enjoying himself.

"Please desist. You're taking all the fun out of trying to kill you." Danny just laughed

~~•○•~~

Damian's new brother was just weird. And apparently Damian was the only one who really knew it. At first he'd thought the fool was underestimating him, but boy was he mistaken. He was a civilian, right? Then why could he not land a hit on Fenton even without the interference of his inferior siblings? The wretched thing was able to snatch him mid air and wrestle him into a hug like it was nothing. He was a professionally trained assassin! This was embarrassing! The others thought Fenton just had decent reflexes and a lack of self preservation instincts, but Damian knew better.

The day Fenton disarmed him quickly went from infuriating to intriguing. His brothers had admonished him for attempting murder again, but Daniel had stood up for him and handed his precious blade back to him, going as far as asking if he was willing to give him lessons. Tt, at least one of his brothers could tell he was a superior warrior. He obliged, eager to show off his skills with a sword. And Daniel wasn't actually bad at it per se, but it was clear he wasn't versed in swordplay. After a few sessions with Daniel, he noticed something odd. Not bad, but odd. The room was always cooler when they sparred, and he found that he didn't often overheat. Daniel was a quick learner and very light on his feet. So light, in fact, that he sometimes seemed to float. And Damien would swear on his grandfather's blade that when Daniel got serious, his eyes would flash a bright, toxic green. Damian was determined to get to the bottom of this, and because he was, in fact, the smartest of the Wayne's, he would do it on his own!

Turns out, he didn't have to try that hard.

Damian woke with a start at the knock on his door. He didn't have patrol so he'd tried to turn in early for the night. Grumbling, he went to see who it was. He swore, if it was Drake and he wasn't sleeping even though he'd been kicked off the schedule for sleep deprivation, he would strangle him. He cracked the door to see glowing green eyes. But Danny didn't seem irrationally angry like Todd did when the Pit Rage consumed him.

"Can I come in please?" Danny pleaded. "I had a nightmare and don't wanna be alone, but the others are out and Tim needs his sleep…"

Damian sighed and opened the door for Danny to come in. He sat at the foot of the bed and curled his knees to his chest.

"I don't know what you expect me to do for you. I'm not some counselor." He closed the door and crossed his arms with an annoyed huff.

"I don't need a counselor, I just need my brother." Danny's tired smile was soft.

"Why? I've been told I don't have a comforting personality." Damain took a seat next to him.

"I don't need to be coddled, I'm not a baby. I really appreciate that you're straightforward and rough toward me. I'm traumatized, but like, I'm not gonna break, ya know?"

"You… like that I'm rude to you?" This had to be the first time anyone had ever said that to him.

"Do you know why I'm here? Why I was taken in?" When Damian shook his head Danny continued. "My parents were always pretty careless when it came to raising my sister and I. Their science always came first. We had to grow up pretty fast. And once you grow up, it sucks to be treated like a kid again. It's what got my sister into psychology, and she was constantly trying to psychoanalyze me. Well, I'd had a lab accident that… changed me. When my parents found out, they vivisected me. Bruce found out and got me out of there, but Jazz was already 18 and in college so she couldn't come with me."

Damian was horrified. Even the League with their harsh rules and cruel nature would never do something like that. Even so, it did explain a lot, and Daniel seemed to know how to handle his trauma. An accident in a lab would definitely explain Daniel's more meta-like features as well. He wondered if his father knew, but figured he didn't because the boy had been very secretive about any abilities he might have gained.

"So to summarize, your parents were atrocious to you and now instead of being coddled or analyzed, you prefer to spend your time with people trying to stab you? I tried to kill you." He pointed out.

"Yea, well so has everyone else in my family at one point or another. It's sort of like a rite of passage and you're the only one that's done it," Danny smirked and nudged Damian. The younger boy could admit he found the humor in that, dark as it may be. "Besides, you get it: not wanting to be underestimated or looked down on just because you're young even though you've been through hell." Damian couldn't deny that. Maybe they were more alike than he had anticipated. Interacting with him didn't grate on his nerves like the others did at least. He sighed.

"So, what now Daniel? We sit in silence until you feel safe enough to go back to your own room?"

"I strongly prefer Danny for reasons I'm not willing to talk about yet, but I get the feeling this is as good as I'm gonna get, huh?"

"Correct."

"Well then, do you mind if I call my dog? He's a good boy, I promise," Danny pleaded.

"I do like the company of animals. I didn't know you had a dog, I haven't seen a new one on the grounds." Danny took this as a go-ahead to summon Cujo.

"I don't take him many places, he can get rowdy and protective sometimes. But I'm positive he'll love you." He let out a sharp whistle and the green ghost puppy phased into the room from under the door. He trotted over to the boys, tongue flopping as he did. He pounced excitedly on Danny before giving Damian a thorough sniff and deeming his presence safe and acceptable. He happily let the boy scratch his belly.

"He's… uh, green. What breed is he?"

"The ghost kind," Danny replied sadly. The implications were heartbreaking. "My accident turned me half-ghost so now I have a ghost puppy," he said as if that explained everything. "You uh, won't tell the others about this, right?"

Damian tilted his head in thought while he scratched Cujo behind the ears. He'd definitely want more details on what exactly Daniel meant by "ghost," but for now, he felt pride at being the one family member Daniel actually felt comfortable talking to. He could lord that over his siblings later.

"We'll, you're no longer in any danger, and your past is none of their business unless you want it to be, so I don't don't see a reason to tell them."

Danny grinned at his little brother. He knew Damian would be his favorite! He already knew he would do anything for him.

[brucewaynehater101]

I want Duke included in batfam family fics. being the older sibling Damian needs, relatable yet guiding. Tim being ‘Dukes robin’ and having lots of respect for Tim yet he’d also steal his slice of pie. Duke and Jason hanging out, and Jason appreciating how he never tries to lecture him. Duke and dick matching vibes (or as much as they can) when on patrol and somewhat in the family, and both trying to make their brothers calm tf down. Bruce trying desperately to not fuck up with Duke like he did his other sons, only serving to confuse and slightly alarm Duke. Alfred and duke being the only ones with more then *1* braincell.

he also has so much potential for angst of being a meta in a family everyone thinks hates metas, and people somehow forget him???

(I have more just don’t have the energy to write it all down)

Heck yes! I agree that Duke needs to be included in more batfam fics (and especially as a more pivotal role). I personally try to add him a bit, but I fear I do not include him enough as a key member of the batfam.

Duke is hella important and should be treated as such. I'd love to see more fics with him pissing off GCPD for fun. Just chaos and pranks against GCPD, rogues, Batman, and the Batkids. Also, he should he allowed to punch (or kick) as many JL members as he pleases (Hal was just the first).

Duke and Dick having similar fashion ideas is a cute idea I've seen in the fandom. I would also just love to see more fanart of Duke rocking some fun outfits for galas (especially if the galas follow the AU of Gotham being super weird with their social norms). Duke being featured on magazine covers, being asked to model, and being interviewed would be cool fanwork ideas to play around with. I've seen so many of the other batboys and none with Duke as a magazine cover.

Here's my ideas on how Duke could interact with different batfam members. Feel free to reblog if you have ideas yourself or think the dynamic should be different.

I feel like Duke and Cass would get along really well as chaos gremlins who get away with their shenanigans. Messing with Commissioner Gordon is a favorite pass time of theirs. For some reason, even when presented with evidence, Bruce doesn't believe that Duke and Cass would do the things they get away with. It's both impressive and annoying to the other batkids.

Duke could have a weird relationship with Tim. On one hand, Tim is Duke's Robin. The cases he's solved, feats he's accomplished, and respect Gotham has for Tim's Robin in general (for being Batman's therapy kid) are unfathomable. On the other hand, he's seen Tim walk into the same wall four times within three minutes. They both share a love for riddles, but Tim can be an idiot at interpersonal relationships.

For Damian, Duke has seen how the world picks up kids and spits them out. He's seen kids lashing out, how they merely want to defend themselves, and how fantastic they are once you get to know them. He's been angry and spiteful at the world too. For Damian, Duke's hella impressed at the kid's heart despite all the shit he's been dealt. Duke would encourage chaos, talk with the kid about how different emotions have impacted Duke's actions and life, and is an overall supportive figure. They can often be seen doing both wild stunts and "common for their age group" activities for fun (although the game Sorry is banned because of them).

Jason and Duke would probably have a complicated relationship due to Red Hood's actions. Their similar childhoods (as far as economically and location based) would lead to jokes and shared customs that they chat with Steph about (such as Creepy Toe Joe or that specific gas station or the phrase they say as they passed that one pothole). Despite that, they have different viewpoints on Bruce and murder.

Duke is probably one of the more emotionally intelligent and communicative batfam members. If Alfred is the sassy version, Duke would get a good laugh out of those remarks and the astute observations.

Bruce and Duke angst could go hard. Bruce is trying so hard not to make his past mistakes. Duke and his perception of Bruce (he holds Bruce in high regard) and how that affects their relationship.

As far as Duke being in a "perceived to hate metas" family, that could either be hilarious or angst. I imagine people trying to intervene or "save" Duke from the Bats would be infuriating and sad to see.

Duke could also laugh at the batkids' superhero friends and how they, even as adults, are banned from entering Gotham. Duke is free to live in the manor and come and go as he pleases. Any of the batkid's meta friends have to be snuck into Gotham.

[pruneunfair]

"My feelings on" part 5. How to get my husband on my side and how it properly tackles abuse, eating disorders, and relationships.

Another super popular manhwa that I can understand why it's so beloved. The Borgias were actual people in history that inspired characters like the protagonist Ruby, and the title itself already feels different since the world of OI is all about being a perfect badass woman, funnily enough, HTGMHOMS does this better than most.

Rudbeckia/Ruby starts off with the behavior of the og fls that a lot of OI make fun of. She is surrounded by what appears to be loving family members and is already being prepped to be married of to Izek, she looks excited and ready to do whatever her family wants until her inner monolog reveals how she really feels about them especially her older brother Cezar. She hates almost all of them and her real reason for being excited for marriage is so she can get away from her abusive household and avoid death which shouldn't be hard since the transmigrator doesn't plan on poisoning her sister in law like og Ruby did. She's a master of hiding her feelings already which is attributed to her past life in a similarly abusive adoptive household.

Right off bat, Ruby is shown to be strong in the mental sense. Not only is she walking on eggshells she also suffers from an ED (likely bulimia), there a quite a few scenes where she's throwing up, refusing to eat a lot, or in later chapters, eating a lot more out of stress. Her family too is whole new level of psychological horror. They aren't cartoonist evil, for example Pope Borgia is usually kind to his daughter and treats her with respect until he feels like she's defying him, all of a sudden that kind caring nature is gone, then he becomes threatening, or her older brother Cezar who has been abusing her for years both physically and sexually, he keeps her in place through fear, intimidation, and attacking her on occasion which is only enhanced after he kills Rubys bird and feeds it to his turtle which gives Ruby a phobia of turtles. It's actually heartbreaking with how eerily realistic it is when these types of people are easily placed like normal family members in certain scenes, because that's often how abusive family members blend in, almost no one knows what they are really like and if you looked at a first glance without context, you'd think "Ah yes, that's just a brother next to his siblings." They're never truly gone, they just know how to hide their true colors so well.

This is why Ruby is so much stronger than a lot of people give her credit for, she's dealing with all of this at the same time and her only hope of respite is being as far as possible from her home country. It's easy to jump to the conclusion that Ruby is just a weak stereotypical protagonist everytime you see her pretend to fawn over Izeks presence but if you read further, you'd know that Ruby doesn't like it any better but she thinks she's doing what's right to avoid Izeks Wrath since she's the only one who knows what he is the one who kills the og Ruby in the novel.

Speaking of which, while Izek isn't my favorite ML ever, I still was shocked to find that I liked the typical cold nobleman persona on him. Unlike a lot of ML's Izek is allowed to be flawed and his negative traits and moments aren't brushed aside, they cause some issues like Ruby going out of her way to appear dainty and sweet so Izek won't kill her. He acknowledges how he has hurt her and grows from it and doesn't push her boundaries. It's possible for the cold Duke archetype to work but a lot of the time, the whole war hero past gets thrown to the side for baseless fan service or they're just unapologetically abusive. Izek however is in the in between. His cold and dangerous persona stays consistent but that doesn't make him one note and he gets to have geninue moments of care for those in his life rendering Izek to still be likeable.

Ive noticed that the narrative also makes sense instead of twisting itself for a stupid chance at a fan service plot. An example is Ellen and Freya.

An unfortunate sideffects from the fandom was on and off hatred of Ellen for considering what Freya had to say, taking her side or not even choosing a side at all. The readers know that Freya tried to get Ruby killed by tricking her into going into a monster infested forest or when she tried to frame Ruby for poisoning her, but does Ellen know that? Realistically she's not going to immediately turn her back on Freya since they were childhood friends along eith Izek but that doesn't mean she screams at Ruby either. Ellen does care about Ruby but she knew Freya longer than she knew Ruby. From her perspective, it' makes sense that Freya would be innocent.

But perhaps the best part about Ellen that makes her my favorite character is how she notices the little details on others. She's the first to find out that Ruby has an eating disorder and it's not out of nowhere either, Ellen and Izeks late mother also suffered from a eating disorder that Ellen witnessed more than once so it gives an explanation on how she can tell what Ruby is going through.

Side characters are treated just as well as the main cast too. From the other guards to the friendly monsters to minor antagonist and even the children are all given attention to be their own beings, it doesn't have to be a lot since most of what I mentioned are minor characters but then you got characters like Ivan who has a life outside of just being by Izeks side.

Out of all the side characters I gotta say the monsters are my favorites. It makes me wish there was a side story where Ruby successfully runs away forever and lives as a little witch with monster companions.

Of course like all media, HTGMHOMS has its flaws but I think I'll chill on this one since the flaws aren't large enough to ruin it and I want to stay positive on something I like for once.

Conclusion: This is a story that does such an amazing job with its commentary. Instead of just saying "Cezar abused Ruby in the past! Feel bad for her now!" For example, we are given actual flashbacks to respect the show don't tell rule. Other characters besides Ruby suffer from their own traumas and they get their own arcs on their hardships and how they recover from it, it handles eating disorders and trauma responses in a respectful way that has an actual effect on the plot. Most of all, it does all of this with the type of protagonist that has been deemed as "weak" before in the manhwa community. Ruby isn't a boss girl who is always successful and smart. She makes reckless decisions, she cries, she isn't always able to one-up her enemies like Freya. She's a human woman stuck in a world that's not her own but she still rises to the task at hand even with all her blunders. Ironically making her more feminist then many of the female leads before her.

[chickenkupo]

Treasure Hoard

Summary: As Neuvillette returns from his spontaneous trip from Liyue and delivers some gifts to Wriothesley, the duke starts to notice odd things happening around their shared living space. More objects keep appearing in their bedroom, treasures that don't make sense to Wriothesley such as shells, trinkets, gemstones and even various different type of tea cups. He swears up and down he hasn't been the one to purchase any of these goods, and when questioning Sigewinne about it, she's just as lost as he is.

What exactly is going on, and why does Neuvillette seem so pleased with himself?

Recommendations before reading: This little short story is a continuation of I Promise and Now For the Next Act. But, if you don't feel like really reading those, just know that Wriothesley and Neuvillette are mates, and they live together in a little sanctuary in Fontaine that was created for Neuvillette specifically by the Focalors.

Also, I'd highly suggest playing through the Lantern Rite event. I did most of it tonight and it was amazing and the adorableness of Neuv and Wrio was just MMMMM.

Warnings: This is a tame work, a little cute fluff treat. I told ya'll I'd be keeping you fed the week of Valentine's, and I meant it, so take this as a little sweet treat for you all. A Tumblr exclusive, if you will. You all have been wonderful to me here, and I'm glad to bring some entertainment to your days.

NOTE: This has not been beta-read, and I'm literally just typing this up on the Tumblr page thingie so it's gonna be a mess, but we are going to have some fun.

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Wriothesley scratched his head as he took in the sight before him. In their shared bed lied a copious amount of seashells, scattered in every direction. Some were small, others almost comically large, but all of them unique in their vast differences in coloration and patterns. In fact, a lot of these shells were ones that he had never seen along the shores of Fontaine before, so he began to wonder just where exactly did this come from, and who would have done this.

Okay, let's be real. Neuvillette would have torn up anyone that had dared crossed into their chambers that wasn't himself or Sigewinne. Wriothesley had already confronted the Melusine about this, thinking that this must have been some sort of prank against him after he told her about how much tea Neuvillette had brought back, as well as the stone slate that contained a legal codex. It confused the man at first, but taking into account how loyal Neuvillette was to his position and status, it took a moment or two for him to realize that such a gift from Neuvillette was a great thing. Hence, why he did make a little section of his office in the Fortress of Meropide to house it, something that he could stare at everyday to remind himself that he was always on Neuvillette's mind.

So, Wriothesley concluded the only logical answer was that for some reason, Neuvillette had began to hoard all sorts of trinkets he must have found on his now random outings. The duke and the traveler made sure to convince him to take more breaks and to go out and see the world as much as he can, and it looks like the mighty dragon took their words to heart and had started doing just that. Only, it seems that for some reason, Neuvillette had begun to bring back all sorts of things he found during his outings. The young man only prayed that Neuvillette would break out of this mood soon, but didn't mind allowing it for now, just as long as the dragon was happy on his adventures and seeing Teyvat for what it really was, in all of it's mysteries and splendors.

As much as he wanted to daydream about how his man would look during different locations, such as the grassy hills of Mondstadt, the electrifying peaks of Inazuma, or even how the Sumeru sun would reflect beautifully off of the elegance that was entirely Neuvillette, he had to bring himself back to reality.

This was all getting ridiculous. The shells on the bed covered it almost completely, and he had no real room to put them in, maybe some storage containers they had from where Wriothesley's belongings had to be moved once he began residing there. The duke sighed as he grabbed an empty container, getting to work and putting the myriad of shells into it, tired from the work of the day and just wanting to relax in bed for a bit for a quick nap. He made sure to keep the box of shells close by, knowing that it would crush the dragon if he had tossed whatever he had decided to collect.

Yawning, Wriothesley removed his coat and clothing, stripping down and getting dressed in a pair of simple black boxers, before he snuggled underneath the soft sheets of their bed. He had been craving a nap all day, no amount of tea drinking seemed to deliver enough caffeine into his body to keep him awake. Surely a small nap wouldn't harm anyone, right? Besides, if he slept in too late, he knew that Neuvillette would wake him up and demand attention from him in one form or another.

Yeah, a nap sounded pretty good right now.

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As the young man started to awaken from his slumber, he began to stretch out his limbs with a loud yawn as he normally did, until both hands and legs seemed to crash into something, the sounds of various things falling off the bed as he continued to stretch out his limbs. This startled the duke who immediately woke up in a state of confusion, causing his limbs to turn and twist more, causing even more items to fall, crashing into the floor.

What the hell was going on?!

The man arose, being careful not to make anymore sudden movements until he could gather exactly what was happening. His eyes widened in further confusion and panic as he saw just how stuffed the room was now. Sure, the area where the water surrounded the bed was clear, but the pathway out of the bedroom and around the bed itself felt like some sort of ancient loot hall from a temple of old. Dozens of gold and silver trinkets littered the floor, statues and plates, necklaces and gemstones of various colors and details. There seemed to also be random boxes of tea scattered around, as well. Some were new boxes that Wriothesley had become recently familiar of since the Steambird's articles began releasing after the Lantern Rite event. Others seemed like old brews that were, at this point, probably more for show than for actual consumption.

There were other goodies laying about as well. Books that dealt with true crime or laws of old, scrolls that were in languages that Wriothesley was very unfamiliar with, but there was one thing that seemed to stand out to the duke. It appeared that the bigger gold and silver pieces were placed near or on the bed, as if he were the one that was sleeping in a treasure vault and taking joy in all of the splendors, the further away the goods were from Wriothesley, the less vividness and preciousness the items seemed to hold. It was as if Neuvillette kept his closest valuables towards Wriothesley, with the duke himself seemingly being the most valuable one.

As Wriothesley was about to get up and try to figure out what to do with all of this, he heard the door connecting the bedroom to the living room open, Neuvillette walking through with even more goods in his arms. This time, it appeared to be various fruits and wrapped baked goods, a large smile appearing on his face as Wriothesley took in the scene, a slight glare in his eyes.

"Neuvillette, what the hell are you doing?!" the young man growled out, still stuck in place as he was afraid to move and make anymore of a mess.

The dragon put the items down in one of the few free spaces still left, his eyes never leaving his mate, as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Oh? What do you mean? I saw how happy you were when you received those gifts from Clorinde and I, and I couldn't resist. I was awful before, never thinking to shower you in actual physical possessions, because of my ignorance and fear of leaving my position for any sort of leave. Now, however, I have all of the time in the world to make up for it. See, here even, I ventured out all the way to this bakery on the outskirts of Fontaine, the breads appear to be truly delectable, at least that is what Furina told me. Here, you can see-"

"Neuv! Honey, you don't need to do this you know!" Wriothesley uttered out as he shoved away the trinkets and treasures near him, so that he could create a path for himself to reach his ridiculous lover. Neuvillette merely paused, blinking in confusion as the duke wrapped his muscular arms around his dragon, hugging him tightly and sighing.

"W-Wriothesley?" the dragon questioned, obviously welcoming the hug as he began to return the favor, wrapping his own arms around the broad chest of the man, as best as he could.

"You can be such a big idiot sometimes, you know that? You know every law of the land, every crime with every punishment to match it, laws old and new never forgotten by you. But you just don't get the simple stuff sometimes, do you?" the young man asked, kissing Neuvillette on the cheek, which made the dragon blush, still blinking with questioning eyes.

"Listen, Neuv, love, I don't need all of these things. Sure a gift here or there is nice for anyone, but I never held it against you that you didn't really do that before. We're both busy men with schedules that drive us insane sometimes. Look, just being able to come home to you and spend time with you and being able to look into those eyes of yours every night before I drift off to sleep, and waking up to look into them too, that's the best gift I could ask for, okay?" Wriothesley relayed to his mate, in such a calm manner that it almost seemed like a whisper.

The dragon's eyes widened as he listened to his lover, holding him tightly as his mate continued explaining. In a shocking show, small droplets of tears started to form at the edges of his eyes, before a few started to roll down his cheek, which Wriothesley wiped away, smiling softly and understandably at his mate. As much as Neuvillette was such a stoic and strict man, Wriothesley knew that he was starved for genuine love and appreciation, and even though his life was forever changed by this man and his want to keep him at his side forever, it was now more of a blessing to him than a curse would ever be. If he now had an eternity to live, then he would spend every waking moment of it showing that Neuvillette is appreciated and loved dearly, in return.

"Now, let's try to clean up this mess so one of us doesn't trip and break our necks just trying to get out the door, okay?" Wriothesley chuckled, planting a few more kisses on Neuvillette's cheeks, loving the way that his man's blush would deepen with every kiss received.

Neuvillette merely chuckled as he smiled a most gorgeous, heartfelt smile that he had ever mustered, in all of his centuries of existence.

"Of course, my most precious treasure."

[loosingmoreletters]

Gay Rofan Dads Snippet

Nichye stared at his cousin indignantly. “You of all people are not allowed to make fun of me.”

Despite his tone, or perhaps because of it, Nanesha only kept on laughing. “You fucked— you fucked your daughter’s biological father. While sober.”

“I wasn’t going to fuck him while drunk!” Nichye hissed, realizing only belatedly that perhaps admitting he’s actually put some consideration into sleeping with Leonar previously to dragging him into his bed.

“Sure, sure, Nini. And then what? He took the carriage back to the duchy?”

“No.”

Gods, it would’ve been better if Leonar had just left. They could’ve chalked it up to some temporary madness, but no. Leonar had dragged them both to the bathroom for a washing up that took much longer than it should’ve and then they’d gone back to bed to sleepy. Nichye actually preferred sleeping on his own, easily stirred by surrounding energies, but hadn’t minded sleeping next to Leonar.

Or waking up next to him.

His sensitivity honestly had made Raeth’s toddler years a bit of a nightmare as his son, despite his cold demeanor, actually preferred physical contact. Nichye wondered whether that was sort of his succubus heritage, or the natural consequence of being carried around for a month straight as a baby because Nichye had been too afraid to put him down.

“The kids were having a sleepover,” Nichye told Nanesha instead. “It was the reason Leonar stayed over in the first place.”

“Mhm, sure. So you had breakfast?”

“Yes.”

Painfully awkward breakfast. He was sure Arlen hadn’t noticed, but Lysia had raised a brow at them at Raeth—

Well. That had been a whole other conversation.

“Didn’t you say Raeth inherited none of your lover’s abilities?”

“He’s not a demon, no,” Nanesha replied, frowning for a bit before her face turned gleeful. “Oh, don’t tell me—“

Nichye thought it was rather convenient that he was already lying on the sofa so he could just bury his face in a pillow. The conversation he had with his son had been nothing short of embarrassing. The worst part perhaps being Raeth’s disappointment that Nichye hadn’t even bothered to ‘gather the ambient energy’ and ‘turn it into something useful’.

Nanesha laughed again before patting Nichye’s back. “Poor, poor Head of the House. And now you’ve called me to console you.”

“Who else was I supposed to talk to? Mother?”

The Lady of the Deep was still under the impression that it was only a question of time until Nichye decided to kill the owner of the Vernissard. She considered it a disgrace to have a member of the Holy Knights Order anywhere within the vicinity of Nimian. Nearly fourteen years since Nichye had been sent to end a war he shouldn’t have participated in, and his mother did not forgive easily.

“No, I suppose that would go well,” Nanesha muttered.

Then, surprisingly gently, she ran her fingers through Nichye’s hair, reminiscent of their actions when they were both children still.

“You’ve lived for others for the last sixteen years,” Nanesha said quietly. “You’re allowed to make choices for yourself too.”

“And do what? Ask Duke Vernissard if he might consider marriage?”

The hand in his hair stopped. “Well. I was thinking of going on a date, but I suppose you already consummated—“

Nanesha did not get to finish her sentence as Nichye banned her from the room with a flick of his finger, sending her to the kids’ room. It wasn’t her usual date to go spend time with Raeth, but he’d enjoy having his mother treat him and his sibling. Siblings.

Hadn’t Raeth said so when he announced Arlen staying over?

Nichye say up and stared out the window, relieved his office did not oversee the training court, where Leonar was sure to be repeating sword stances under the warmth of the sun. Maybe he’d gotten worked up again to lose the shirt?

“Fuck.”

Nichye needed a solution to this problem quick.

(.)

(Leonar, meanwhile: very excitedly plans to tell his dead wife’s grave he managed to get a hot boyfriend.)

[catesartworks]

Isekai Maid Asks Pt.3

More asks under the read more! Very long, I go into depth about some of the titles from the maid slapping masterlist

Content Warning, I talk about slavery, human trafficking, stalking and physical abuse within the context of the story

Made some edits on 7/5/2023! :D

Thank you so much! :D

I did like “No More Turning a Blind Eye” at first until the gentrification storyline where the main couple decide to kick out all the people living in poverty so they could build an art center and destroy their homes. Apparently I was supposed to root for them? It was so disturbing I had to stop reading it and I couldn’t enjoy it anymore. Now it serves as a reminder of just how low nobility can sink to get what they want.

For the next one, I wouldn’t say I hate “I am the Real One,” I still love a lot of things about it but after a certain point it kind of became slow so I had to take a break from it. I also wasn’t a fan of how they handled Cosette’s maid. She’s basically Kira without the money, and I think she would’ve been a good character if they gave her a chance. She did it all for her younger brother, who was ill, and was going to risk hell and high water to make sure he was provided for.

Thank you so much! I have a few:

Beware the Villainess  (Great to start after watching Bakarina)

The Monstrous Duke’s Adopted Daughter

The Villainess’ Stationary Shop (So fun!)

Not Sew Wicked Stepmom (So Cute)

Master Villainess the Invincible (Martial Arts Villainess, we need more of this!)

Thank you!

As for Erica, she lived in a part of Limpette was being colonized by the invading nation of Teffrah. They set up segregated neighborhoods with only Teffrah nobles, which is where she grew up. The nobles in Teffrah like to come to Limpette for it’s environmental beauty, but discriminate against the population that lives there.

Erica was set up with Mr. Katopodis because his family had a summer home there and they wanted him to get remarried so he could have a male heir. 

1) Yes, Nasir regretted killing Zoe. He was definitely gro//omed by the female lead, Belliana and was taught that she “saved him” by buying him and turning him into a slave. He thought that because she did favors for him and allowed him some level of freedom that he was better than other slaves and that Zoe didn’t appreciate the female lead’s supposed generosity. He ends up killing Zoe by accident, but he convinces himself that it was for the best.

It wasn’t until he wanted to get married to a woman he met that the Belliana showed her true colors and forbid him. She was one of those people who thought, “if I went back time and there was slavery, I would buy them and treat them nice!” But at the end of the day she was just another slave owner.

Belliana refused to let him get married because she wanted to avoid her own death flag, and she even had the woman he wanted to marry sent away to die. In a rage, he kills Belliana.

2) Bridgette tends to internalize the justifications that the stories make for female leads to abuse their workers. It’s true that stealing is wrong in general, but she was basically a slave to the female lead and was never compensated. Belliana stole the fruits of her labor from her.

Bridgette has done wrong in the past, but cannot always remember. Her memory isn’t perfect, but she has done things like murdering a noblewoman, delivering poison, hitting other maids.

3) Clara’s ending had her being given a sum of money by Phoebe after Phoebe dies. She leaves the manor and lives happily.

Clara as a character wasn’t liked from the beginning due to audiences being distrustful of any female character other than the protagonist. Comment sections were waiting for Phoebe to stand up to Clara, who they thought was too greedy for a maid because she was beloved by people in the story.

Audiences hated it so much that they harassed the author into making a new version of the story to cash in on the isekai craze. The author noticed that a crack ship formed between Prince Dimitri and Phoebe, it shot up in popularity and audiences wanted them to be together.

 That is how “Flowers Thrive in Autumn” became a new novel starring the reincarnator Phoebe called “The Wicked Woman Delivers”. In this version of the story, Clara is secretly revealed to be a “white lotus” character who frames the newly reincarnated Phoebe and must “be taught her place” as a maid. It sold very well, but the author hated it and she took a break from writing because of all the stress it caused her.

4) Reincarnators, when discovered are quietly approached by the military and asked if they have information on weapon development. The Teffrah military is especially interested in trying to build airplanes and colonizing surrounding countries.

Reincarnators, particularly ones in nobility are allowed to roam around as long as they contribute to society and bolster Teffrah’s “superior” image.

The abundance of reincarnators also play a huge role in the general support the nobility has for eugenics and maintaining the class system, because they want the general population to believe that only nobles can create generation defining art, music, and technological advancements. It also fuels anti immigrant sentiment.

A lot of reincarnators are from the commoner class in the future, but many usually get caught up in the glamor of being a noble and allow inequality to continue because the class system personally benefits them, or they’re overwhelmed and prefer not to get involved in trying to tackle societies problems.

The type of reincarnators that come into the world are extremely specific, and not to get into spoiler territory, but there is a reason why so many office workers get isekai’d into Teffrah.

5) I’m not sure I would want to do that trope. It’s been used a lot and I don’t think I can do anything new with it that hasn’t already been done.

Thank you! As a fellow autistic person, I’m happy you identify with Marina! 😊

Thank you very much for reading Isekai Maid! I really appreciate it. ^ ___ ^

1) I’m not entirely sure I can add more to the list, but I’ll try and update it. I know there’s more to the list than what I’ve listed, but the maid slapping trope isn’t a pleasant one for me to look at so it might take me a while.

Reading those kinds of scenes gives me flashbacks to when I worked in fast food service, and seeing the comment sections basically cheer for the kinds of people who made my coworker’s lives miserable,or made them cry and over the pettiest things like food not being hot enough is kind of exhausting.

As for Villainess Reverses the Hourglass, I have to say I do enjoy the manwha a lot since it’s my gateway to Otome Isekkai, but it has some ISSUES, especially with it’s discussion of politics. Some of my issues goes into spoiler territory, and I feel like some twists end up undermining the themes of the overall story. I love a good revenge story, though, and it was one of the earlier stories I read in Otome Isekai. So yeah, not everyone’s cup of tea and I get that.

2) For “Author of My Own Destiny”, yes, it’s pretty gross to give her dirty mop water. Yuck! But this maid character doesn’t act like a person, she is an obstacle to be hit and smacked by the noble MC Fiona as a cheap power move with little to no true consequences.

Hitting maids (even terrible ones) as a trope has never been about justice. It’s always been about reinforcing class dynamics and suppression of the lower classes by portraying commoners as greedy and abusive to prop up noble protagonists. It implies that if nobles don’t “correct” commoners, they will get “out of control.”

Protagonists, who when confronted with nobles who do identical things, let them off the hook/delay accountability or attempt to be cordial with them (such as in the case of Fiona).

Let’s not even get started on male leads in romance fantasy/Otome Isekai, who do all sorts of crimes like stalking, harassment and other forms of abuse and are romanticized for it because they are nobles.

These stories are power fantasies, ones where readers who might have been abused by people in power themselves and want justice vicariously through fiction. But between a noble and a commoner, there are no stakes if the MC is a noble. The noble has everything at their fingertips to win.

And what is odd about the whole sequence in “Author of My Own Destiny” is that Fiona (the MC) does the following:

She slaps the maid twice

Splashes her with the mop water

Calls her lowly due to her class, mocking her for being a commoner

Threatens to cut out her tongue

Threatens her with magic

Internally is disgusted that a commoner/maid would look a noble in the eyes.

In the next chapter, Fiona directly passes by the stepmother, Countess Green, the cause of all of this. Her stepmother who verbally abuses her, makes her life miserable and has most likely been encouraging the evil maid’s behavior. The ultimate showdown, right?

Since what happened to Fiona was such a horrible experience, you’d expect her to unfold the same amount of abuse tenfold on the stepmother. Right?

But she doesn’t. Fiona, who the chapter before was slapping a maid and making threats to cut out the maid’s tongue, suddenly goes “I don’t want to cause any trouble.” 😔

She even says “I wish I could slap her (Countess Green)” UM what?? Fiona, girl you were slap happy last chapter, what’s stopping you? SLAP that noble!

Literally a chapter before she was hitting a maid for all of the abuse she suffered, but now when she has the ability to stand up to the person who made all of this happen in the first place, NOW she backs out?

From a meta point of view, Fiona lets the noble slide, but gets violent with the commoner. There is no true accountability if one party is condemned due to status, but the other gets away scot free because they’re a noble. Who’s power fantasy is this? Who does it serve?

The only reason is because she knows she would get struck back, and it would cause a problem she can’t prepare for. This isn’t the power fantasy I want. Accommodating to the nobles who do harm to you, but smacking any commoner who crosses you. That isn’t power, I don’t know what that is, but it’s not justice.

Edit (07/5/2023):

SPOILERS for chapter 24:

The stepmother only gets smacked once she loses her status. Not only does Fiona refuse to confront her stepmother on the abuse she instigated through he maid, but she is also allowed to get away for presumably weeks after in incident where Fiona slapped her maid around.

Another interesting note is that Fiona is much more violent with the commoner maid than her noble stepmother. Even when she does finally slap the stepmother, it’s only one and done. She doesn’t manhandle her like the maid.

And that was only when she was sure there would be no consequences for her actions and her stepmother lost her status. When it comes to nobility, only when she is sure their wealth would be stripped does she begin even thinking about striking them. 

End edit

It’s interesting that the justifications of hitting maids is often brought up, because every comic I have on the list justifies the maid abuse by basically saying “those dumb lowly maids were being uppity to me, a noble! >:(”

I am the Real One: A maid badmouthed Keira’s lineage in “I am the Real One” SMACK!

The Lady Needs a Break: Rubia wanted breakfast and was given a lower quality than usual food - SMACK!

Duchess’ 50 Tea Recipes: The maids didn’t tidy up Chloe’s room and help her get dressed, they were also, like, totally mean girls to her even though she is the lady of the house and could easily fire them -- SMACK! Slap the head maid and threaten her coworkers!

Solitary Lady: The maid gives Hillis cold water, is slightly annoying? Hillis throw water on her and threatens to chop her hands off (this is actually what I based Lady Deliliah’s remarks on)

These stories all have the same excuses. All of their maid abuse was justified in some way by the story by making them all stereotypically evil. It’s easier to overlook the social implications of a noble hitting a maid if the maid totally deserves it because she secretly kicks puppies and steals food from orphans?

That’s why I tend to look at the meta implications of the trope more than the in- universe explanations because these maids dress like working class women, many come from lower status,  so the logic would be that they would be trying to supporting their families and want to just do their jobs. But these evil maid characters don’t act like they have anyone who depends on them to keep their job.

The maids are essentially a stand in for what are essentially high school/office level “mean girls.” Why not fire them if they’re so bad at their jobs and harass people? You can’t fire “mean girls,” you work with you HAVE to interact with them at some point. You can, however, fire a maid because being a maid is a job and she works for you.

Even a noble household, no matter what they would think of the MC, would be in big trouble if they let commoners mistreat their family member and drag their name through the mud. It could easily be a gateway to disrespecting them and their own power/influence.These stories pretend that maids have so much power and the nobility who employ them have very little to stop them.

But at the same time, noble MC’s can hit, smack, and thrash their maids with no consequences whatsoever, but can’t fire them? The power dynamics are completely dishonest.

And what pains me is that people in service positions CAN be dicks, or abusive. But at the same time, many don’t last long and there is a reason. If someone is spreading rumors, talking shit about their employer’s kids, not doing work, etc then ideally they’re outta there because work needs to get done. But even so, toxic workplaces exist everywhere and people slip through. People who are horrible do end up with those who are vulnerable. And when this happens, accountability is essential and justice is needed. 

If majority of these stories even touched on this subject knowing this, and how someone like these maid characters even made it in such a workplace while being uncooperative and unhelpful, then it would be really fascinating and open up questions on how to better improve workplaces. You could talk about how who gets promoted, favoritism, discrimination, etc.

But most on my maid slapping masterlist don’t. To these stories, a maid’s status is the worst thing about them if they aren’t submissive. 

This evil maid trope also undermines the impact of abuse main characters have suffered too, because it makes a big point on how low the status of the maid is committing the abuse, instead of the abuse itself being detestable and worthy of accountability.

And that honestly really sucks. It’s not right, that isn’t the author’s intention, and I feel like that shouldn’t be what I take away from this story.

[krawlernyannyan]

PENACONY LORE POST

Been doing some reading and wanted to put everything we have about Penacony in one place, because there's a lot to take in thanks to new Ornament sets.

BACKSTORY

Penacony was originally an IPC prison world in the Asdana star system. Prisoners were moved here in some kind of collaboration with the Garden of Recollection (the followers of Remembrance) to help diminish some kind of ongoing catastrophe.

Prisoners in old Penacony were kept in "spherical work chambers" indefinitely, ostensibly because it made it easier to move them around.

"At some point in time" the prisoners became detached from reality (likely thanks to the continuous sensory deprivation of being stuck in a bubble for who-knows-how-long) and became lost in their own memories and dreams. This progressed to a point where their dreams linked together, allowing them to communicate with each other in spite of their ongoing imprisonment.

The Aeons eventually intervened on this planet thanks in no small part to a Stellaron crisis - the Annihilation Legion arrived and the IPC abandoned the place, The Trailblaze connected Penacony to the Star Rail, and the prisoners reached out to The Harmony to save them.

Xipe the Harmony saved Penacony and brought a new era of peace to the planet, with the inhabitants being absorbed into The Family (Xipe's pan-cosmic hivemind).

This ancient history is not a secret but generally not acknowledged very often or just treated as, basically, fun trivia.

MODERN DAY

Penacony was developed from a vast desert into a massive metropolitan complex built on entertainment and indulgence, "seemingly omnipotent" in the scope of feats it's capable of. Under the philosophy of The Harmony, all parties are welcome to come to Penacony.

The central pillar of Penacony is the Reverie Hotel (seen in the Penacony set's Planar Sphere), hosting guests before they spread out to the specific facilities of the megacity.

Penacony is split up into twelve distinct sectors, each titled as a "Moment". Specifically named Moments are the Moment of Daybreak (featuring underground tunnels), the Moment of Scorchsand (featuring vast fields), and the Moment of the Stars (with a large star-studded stadium).

The main form of transportation on Penacony are Spheroids, which are modified forms of the prison spheres from old Penacony. These move along metal tracks that criss-cross through the airspace, and can be seen in the Penacony set's Link Rope.

ONGOING EVENTS

Penacony has sent out invitations to pretty much every major faction in the galaxy for a grand banquet, which is a big deal since it's the first time something like this has occurred. To wit:

The Nameless and the Astral Express crew were explicitly invited.

The Interastral Peace Corporation were explicitly invited (Aventurine and Topaz are likely to be involved).

The Masked Fools are implicitly involved (the only confirmation is that a female Fool that Sampo doesn't get along with is arriving to Penacony).

The Annihilation Gang (followers of the Destruction not associated with his official army, the Annihilation Legion) might be coming as well. The new "Ashblazing Grand Duke" set talks about a leader in the Gang, a fire demon named Ifrit, being invited to Penacony and him planning to arrive for the purpose of destroying the planet with his cronies. Only hangup is that it's not clear if that's referring to a past event or current events, but figured it was worth mentioning here for your consideration.

And that should be everything available to us at this moment in time. Version 1.6 doesn't look to see us traveling to Penacony yet but I'll be interested in seeing if we get more lore to attach onto this post.

[ereana]

Wrioney (Wriothesley x Lyney) - Don’t let your fears dictate your life

Lyney doesn’t think he’s ever run so fast since the day he almost lost Lynette. His feet hit the ground in a rapid series of thuds, a far cry from his usual stealthy movements. The only noises he can hear is the harshness of his own breath and the accelerated beating of his heart.

One foot in front of the other.

It’s all he can focus on. All he can allow himself to focus on, because if he lets his mind wander for even one second.

“What’s got you looking so pensive this evening? Finally tiring of my company are you?”

A wry smile and a pair of hands tug him closer in response.

“Never.”

No. No he can’t think about it. Can’t think about anything but fleeing from the townhouse behind him and losing himself amidst the streets of the Court.

He won’t think about quiet conversations, whispered secrets, heated kisses that turned soft in the morning light, the feeling of scars under his fingers as he danced them across a broad back, the feeling of–

“Lyney, wait!”

The cry — desperate, ragged not at all how he usually sounds — nearly sends him stumbling. He barely catches himself in time. But it’s too late because he betrays himself, craning his head back to look at his pursuer.

A rookie mistake.

Wriothesley almost crashes into him, it seems neither of them are in top form tonight, and Lyney feels frozen by his mere presence. He’s never seen the Duke with such a wretched look in his eyes.

This has to be a dream, some figment of his imagination that has spiraled out of his control. Any second now he’s going to wake up in bed and shake this scene from his memory.

Wriothesley reaches for him and Lyney flinches back, the brush of fingers against cheek proof enough that this is no dream. Not with the way he shivers in the crips night air, swamped in a shirt far too big to be his own.

That hadn’t stopped him from stealing one had it? Claiming the discarded piece of clothing like a treasure and stuffing it to the back of his closet. 

Wriothesley isn’t wearing his coat. He must have ran after Lyney the second he’d jumped down from the window. But isn’t that what they do? Chase and run and nipping at each other’s heels. It had been fun. It was only ever meant to be fun.

Wriothesley clenches his fists and lowers his arms to his sides. Lyney wishes he didn’t know what that little gesture meant; wishes he didn’t know that Wriothesley wanted to pull him close but was forcing himself not to after Lyney’s reaction. Somewhere down below a Melusine officer skips along the path with a garde by her side, he can hear their voices.

Lyney smiles widely. It feels so fragile that he’s astounded it doesn’t shatter with the pulling of his facial muscles.

“It would be most scandalous for the Duke of Meropide to be caught in such a state of disarray at this time of night, and with company as well. I shudder to think what the Steambird would make of such a tale.” He teases lightly, keeping his voice sweet and a little mocking. If he treats this like any other performance maybe he won’t shatter into a thousand pieces.

Wriothesley frowns, he looks pained.

“Lyney, please—”

“On the other hand your reputation is quite fearsome, they wouldn’t want to risk angering you. Perhaps they’ll settle for a less than subtle anonymous article in the gossip column.”

“I know you don’t—”

Lyney carries on, pushing through the ache in his chest at the miserable expression on Wriothesley’s face. How odd to think that several months ago he would have rejoiced at seeing Wriothesley look so forlorn. He would have reveled in it.

“Still, you shouldn’t risk it; a reputation takes years to build and only a second to destroy.” He laughs and tries not to wince at how hollow it sounds. “And being seen with the likes of me will only—”

Wriothesley drops to his knees.

Lyney panics and steps forward.

“What are you doing?” He snaps a touch hysterically. “Get up!”

Wriothesley looks up at him but doesn’t move and Lyney feels the rest of his patience snap.

“You can’t do this.” He hisses fiercely. “Do you have any idea what this—”

“I’m sorry.” Wriothesley says, cutting off the rest of Lyney’s tirade. “I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m sorry for making you run.” He sucks in a deep breath and Lyney trembles at the resolve in his eyes.

“But I’m not sorry for what I said. Every word was true.”

Lyney closes his eyes as something in his chest breaks. His hands shake as he reaches out to clasp his hands around Wriothesley’s neck. The Duke always runs cold and Lyney always run warm, the skin under his palm is ice cold.

“Why? He asks brokenly. “Why did you…You know we can’t go back after that. I can’t let this go on if you’re going to say such stupid things to me.”

Wriothesley slowly moves to encircle Lyney’s waist. It would be child’s play to escape now. Lyney stays still, letting out a shuddery breath when the cold of Wriothesley’s hands sinks through the thin fabric of his borrowed shirt.

“I said because I meant it, because I looked at you and I couldn’t not say it and because I think you must feel something for me or you wouldn’t be running like this.”

Lyney snorts despite himself. “Confident of that, are you?”

Wriothesley grins but it’s a fragment of its usual brightness. 

“No, but even the damned can’t help but hope.” His smile drops. “And if I’m wrong. If you truly don’t want this because you don’t feel the same then tell me and I will not speak of it again.”

Lyney stays silent.

“But, if I’m right and the only reason you’re running is because you’re scared then I am begging you to stay.” The grip around Lyney’s waste tightens. “Lyney, please don’t let your fears dictate your life. Whatever it is, we can solve it. I promise to keep you and your family safe.”

Wriothesley is on his knees, the muck of the street sinking into his trousers, and he is pleading with Lyney to stay. 

Lyney feels tears start to prick at his eyes, he runs his fingers through Wriothesley’s hair watching the way he nuzzles into the touch. One of the most powerful people in Fontaine is at his feet and all Lyney wants is for him to stand.

I love you.

He bends down until their foreheads are touching. The evening chill is nothing compared to the blaze of warmth and terror in his chest.

Even the damned can hope?

“Alright. I’ll stay.”

[razorblade180]

Breakfast Banter

Charlotte:Aether, are you okay?

Aether:Hmm? I’m fine. Lost in thought I guess.

Charlotte:Does it deal with Lady Furina and The Knave?

Aether:!? What makes you say that?

She points at his breakfast. Aether looks down to see his bacon strips crossed over each other on top of his pancakes to make two make red eyes. Part of the pancake was ripped away and resembled a dangerous mouth that was next to his grits that conveniently had two teardrops traced into it and a squiggly mouth to express worry.

Aether was in complete disbelief and only snapped out of the state when Charlotte slowly raised her camera to the table and took a photo of the fatal first meal of the day.

Aether:Don’t publish this.

Charlotte:Nothing to publish. I was just amazed by the craftsmanship. Though if you would like to tell me everything on your mind….

Aether:Sorry. I don’t think I’m actually allowed to. At the very least, it wouldn’t be safe. There’s just a lot of puzzle pieces I have yet to add up or come to terms with.

Charlotte:Been there. I can’t tell you how many investigation boards I’ve made that seemed to lead to nowhere.

Aether:I’m sorry I’m distracted. After all, it was my idea to treat you to a meal after not getting much of an interview with The Duke.

Charlotte:Eh my intuition tells me you had a lot to deal with. Also, you’d have to take me out for at least four more meals to average out how much I paid for last time.

Aether:So what you’re saying is I get to take you out again?

Charlotte:*smiles* Nice rebuttal. We’ll make a Fontainian out of you yet! Never a dull moment with you. Seriously though, don’t feel bad about anything. I like listening about your life. It’s pretty exciting!

Aether:And if it wasn’t?

Charlotte:I’d still show up. There’s a nice view myself and my camera seem to adore.

Aether:Really? Well the open air restaurant is in a nice pla-

Snap!

A quick camera flash went off as Charlotte got herself a picture of Aether holding his fork as he looked around the area. She lowered the lens and revealed the smirk on her face to him as he finally understood what she was talking about. His face got a little flushed and he lowered his head a bit, looking away hide behind is face.

Charlotte:Has anyone told you that you’re very photogenic? If this whole adventuring thing doesn’t work out then let me know. I can introduce you to a few model companies.

Aether:I wouldn’t count on that, but thank you.

Charlotte:Daaaw. I think you’d like our clothes.

Aether:Frankly I’m surprised you’re not the one in front of cameras.

Charlotte:The background work is the fun part!!!

Aether:….*smiles*

Charlotte:…Oh! Thank you. Hehe…

Aether:How are you both incredibly observant and not at the same time?

Charlotte:You’re no better! Anyways, do anything else since the last time we spoke?

Aether:Uuuuuhhh

xxxxxx

Aether:*swims out of water* Okay Paimon, I think we got enough starfish to- What the!?

Giant ancient underwater forge

Aether:Why is there more hidden factories and labs here than in the nation built around a education institution!?

Paimon:It has to be in funding budget…

xxxxx

Aether:And then I created an ancient ore.

Charlotte:…Your modeling career really will have to wait. Now I don’t want to be rude but do you mind if I…

Aether:Knock yourself out.

Charlotte:Great! *pulls out notepad* Hehehe~ *starts writing*

Aether could only chuckle at the visible excitement in front of him. He gives her a moment to write her thoughts down while he finishes his breakfast,

[lovesosweeet]

better left unsaid // cth

chapter eleven

in which orion has leukemia, and calum doesn’t know.

calum hood x fem!oc

read other chapters

july 31st, 2018 los angeles, california calum

Saying goodbye has never been my strong suit. I wish it would've gotten easier over time — with as many goodbyes as we've had to give, it should be easier. It's not.

I guess it's gotten easier with people who mean less. Friends, distant family. It's fine if we don't see each other too often, because the time we do spend together ends up feeling more valuable. I don't mind the few times we see each other each year having more weight than they used to, but with Orion, it's so, so different.

She's my absolute best friend. She's my unconditional, unwavering biggest fan. She's my voice of reason. She makes the good days even better and the bad days a bit less bad.

I had a life without Orion, before we met, but I never want to live a life without her again.

From the moment we woke up yesterday until now, both of us have been a lot more somber. We cling to each other as much as we can, needing to be as close as physics will allow. The only times we are apart are when one of us uses the bathroom.

I tossed and turned all night, my mind racing with thoughts. Why didn't I try harder to convince her to come with us? How often will we actually be able to talk? Between her classes, work-study, LSAT prep, press interviews, soundchecks, performances, traveling, sleeping, and time zones, how often will our lives line up?

I love touring. I really do, but I love Orion more than anything else in this entire world. I would do anything for her as soon as she asked.

I try to remind myself we’ll be back in time for the holidays and for O’s birthday, so while we’re missing time together, we aren’t missing any important days. Orion already has a Friendsgiving planned and I’m sure she’s got Secret Santa in the works too. I try to just think about the good parts of traveling and all of the fun things we’ll get to do when I get back. Emelia and I have already been trying to plan a trip for her and O to come join us on tour for their fall break, but we’ll see if that actually ends up being possible.

We’re not flying out until 3:00 this afternoon and don’t need to leave for the airport until 12:00, but I wake up at 6:00. I don’t wake Orion up until 8:30, but I spend my two and a half hours of silence in bed, holding her as close to me as I can without squeezing her so hard that she’d wake up. She looks so peaceful like this, her hair loosely cascading around her face, her skin makeup free, and her eyes closed, making it even more apparent that she has long, thick lashes. This is the last time I’ll wake up like this for a few months. I sneak a selfie of us, hoping to use it to remember how it feels to sleep next to O while we’re a million miles away.

To wake her up, I just start peppering kisses all over her face. First, her forehead. Then, her eyelids. Each cheek. Her jaw. Her temple. I wait for her eyes to sleepily blink open before I press my final kiss to her lips.

"Mornin', baby."

She smiles, sleepily gazing up at me. "Morning."

I could get lost in her eyes forever.

"Wanna get pastries and coffee?"

Her smile grows into a grin. "Yes, please."

—

After a morning of flaky croissants, weird lattes, and a long walk around the neighborhood, Orion and I took our last shower together for a while. We stood under the steamy stream of hot water, just holding each other in silence. I'm going to miss those moments.

Following the shower, I dress in an all black sweatsuit and slides. Orion pulls on the shirt I wore yesterday — "it smells like you" she explained — and a pair of sweat shorts, slipping her Birkenstocks on. We cuddle with Duke on the couch while we wait for the van that Matt sent to pick us up. I make sure to pet Duke a ton and give him a few treats so that his last interaction with me is a happy one.

The call that the driver is here comes far too quickly, and we buzz him up to let him get my bags. I don't make him carry all of them. He gets my two larger checked bags, and I grab my duffel bag, and Orion carries my backpack. I probably overpacked, but things seem to mysteriously disappear whenever we're on the road.

"Are you going on vacation?" Ron asks when we're clambering through the lobby with all my luggage.

"Cal's going on tour," Orion explains. Her sad expression hurts something in my chest.

Ron smiles. "Oh, wonderful! That's so exciting. Calum, I hope to hear about your journey when you return. Best of luck!"

I smile graciously and nod. "Sure thing, thanks Ron. Keep an eye on this one for me, will you?" I motion to Orion, who glares in response, and Ron agrees to make sure she's safe.

We throw my bags into the trunk of the black van, the driver opening the sliding door for Orion and me. I let her get in first, of course, and then climb in after her, closing the door behind me. We sit as close to each other as we can in the backseat, my arm wrapped around Orion's small frame, her head on my chest, my other hand intertwined with her hands while she traces over my tattooed initials.

She's already crying, and I have to look away so I don't follow suit.

The drive is silent; the driver doesn't even play a shitty top 40 station. All we listen to is the GPS navigation.

Our driver takes us to a special entrance at LAX where we don't have to mix with the public, and as we pull up, I see Michael and Crystal getting their things out of the van that brought them.

"Hey guys!" Michael cheers.

Of course, they're happy. They're not spending this tour apart and are going to get to travel the world together. They're looking forward to this whole thing, meanwhile I'm dreading it.

Okay, I suppose dreading it isn't quite how I'd describe it. I'm excited to tour and see fans all over the world and perform the music we just released. I am dreading being apart from the girl I love most.

Orion doesn't say anything, she just waves to him.

When Michael catches onto our mood, he frowns and runs over to us, wrapping us into a hug. "Don't be sad, guys! This tour isn't that long. We'll be back before you know it, O."

She sniffles and nods, pulling back from Michael. "I'm gonna miss you guys." Her teary eyes catch Mike's gaze and then I see something in him shift before he hugs her again. Orion keeps her hand in mine while she hugs him back.

"You're gonna make me cry too! It's gonna be fine, OK? We all love you and will miss you just as much as you miss us."

Once Orion manages to regain some of her composure, we head inside. Our bags have already disappeared, except for our backpacks and Crystal's tote bag. When we get in, Matt, Ashton, Luke, Sierra, and most of our crew are already in there, milling about.

"Great, you're here," Matt says while he walks up to us. "Let's go ahead and start going through security."

Again, we're in some separate part of LAX that the public doesn't have access to, but we do still have to go through TSA like everyone else, it's just a separate, far smaller one.

Unspokenly, everyone lets Orion and me go first so we can have as much time on the other side as we can together.

Once we've gone through security and have our shoes back on, I pull Orion off to a secluded corner and just hug her as tight as I can. I can feel her tears soaking my sweatshirt, and I try to console her by smoothing my hand over the back of her head. Her small hands clutch at the back of my sweatshirt, balling the material into her fists.

It takes a lot of effort for me not to cry.

Why is saying goodbye so hard?

I don't know how long we're standing there for. I'm just trying to be here with Orion for as long as I can.

"Boys, time to board," Matt calls.

Fuck. It's time.

"Say your goodbyes," he adds.

Even though he says boys, he's not talking to Mike or Ash or Luke. Crystal and Sierra are coming with us, and Kay is at the hospital with her grandma, and the rest of our crew wasn't allowed to bring guests into the airport at all. He's just talking to me.

Orion squeezes me closer to her as hard as she can, and I just keep smoothing her hair. It's so soft.

I take a few deep breaths, preparing to speak without my voice cracking. "I'll see you when I get back. I love you."

She sniffles, and I feel her back shake while she cries. It breaks my heart to be the cause of this pain. She doesn't deserve it. "I love you," she manages to say.

I pull back so I can look at her. Her face is red and puffy, tears shiny on her cheeks, and yet, she's still so beautiful. I could look at her forever. "You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen, even when you're crying," I tell her, meaning every single word. I wipe away her tears with my thumb.

She scrunches up her face and blushes, looking so cute while she does. Everything about her is just... perfect.

"Flattery isn't getting you anywhere today, babe," she starts. I pretend like she's wounded me. "I love you. Go, board. I'll be cheering you on every night."

Instead of replying, I lean down and kiss her again. How can I not kiss her every day? I lived a life without Orion before, and I never want to do that again. I want to kiss her every day for the rest of my life. I want to make her laugh every day. I want to love her every day. God, I can't imagine not loving this girl. How can anyone not fall in love with her?

"I love you so much. I'll call you when we land, okay?" I kiss her nose. We're going to Japan first, so it'll be quite a long travel time. I don't want her waiting around trying to time the call correctly, so I'll just plan on calling her the moment our wheels touch down in Tokyo.

"Did I mention I love you?" I ask. That makes her grin, and my heart hurts a little less.

"No, I don't think so," she teases.

"I did!" I pout.

Orion gently pushes my chest. "Go."

I sigh, nodding. "I'm gonna miss—"

I'm cut off when a hand grabs my shoulder and I feel a body behind me. "Cal, mate, we've really gotta go." It's Ashton. I hang my head and nod.

"It's not easy to say goodbye to the love of your life, dude!" I defend myself.

Ashton grins, but his eyes are sad, too. He must be thinking about how Kay isn't joining us yet, either. He gets how hard it is to leave. "She also literally just told you to go!"

"I'm gonna miss you too, babe," Orion chimes in. She kisses me again and then she steps several feet away from me, too quickly for me to try to catch her and pull her back. "Go!" She laughs.

I know she doesn't mean it negatively; she's just trying to let me do my job and what I love, but it hurts somewhat that she's telling me to go. I can't explain it. I sigh.

"Okay, fine, I'll go," I decide sadly.

Orion blows me a kiss as I walk backward toward the door, and I numbly leave, trying my hardest not to cry. Once I'm through the door, I let a few tears fall. I realize then that no one else has gotten the chance to say goodbye to Orion, so I'm the only one getting on the plane from our group.

The crew, Michael, Luke, Crystal, and Sierra join me soon, each offering me sympathetic glances.

"We're gonna have fun, mate," Michael says, throwing an arm around my shoulder. "Orion's a strong girl, she'll be fine without you."

I just nod, not saying anything.

I take my seat on the plane, watching the rest of our crew clamber past me. I wonder what's taking Ashton so long to board. I know he and Orion are close, but it's odd considering now we're just waiting for Ashton and Matt. I quickly send a text to Orion while we wait.

To: my love + stars i love love love you. i wish you could come with us, maybe next tour? you say the word and i'll fly you out wherever and whenever you want. i miss you already. xxx

When Ashton finally boards, his eyes are red and he's wiping away tears, too. He sits next to me, sniffling quietly.

"I'm gonna miss her," he admits.

I smile sadly. "Yeah, me too."

From: my love + stars i'll miss you far more i promise. love you the literal most ever. go take on the world.

“She loves you so much, man,” Ashton mutters.

I’m not sure where that came from, but I know emotions are at a high. “I love her so much.”

He nods. “I know.”

Once everyone is on the plane, they shut the door and we start taxiing. Ash gets out his headphones, signaling to me that we aren’t going to be talking on this flight, at least not now. I get mine out too, send Orion a few heart emojis, text my family that we’ve boarded our first flight of the tour, and then put it into airplane mode.

I check the time. It’s 2:32. Underneath the numbers, I stare at the picture of Orion and me from the other day when we got ice cream. She looks so pure, and happy, and the sun reflected in her eyes in a way that made them almost look lit up. I can’t wait to be back and see them in person again.

God, this is going to be a long tour.

read next chapter

[offscriptif]

I just came across your IF and wooow the Villains backstory is so sad 😞😥, they were evil no doubt and hurt a lot of people unjustly, but they were made so, I mean their own mom calling them a curse?? 😢💔 I mean they seem like they're the sort of person who was dealt a terrible hand by life and after suffering all that abuse chose to lash out to whoever they could(which is bad) until they turned into the monster they were treated as 😔

1.If its not too spoilery when the Villain returns, is their Mom alive? Did she ever regret treating her child the way she did?

2.Can we choose our relationship with our brother or is it ? I read they love the Villain but I can see the villain especially when they were younger being jealous of their brother and how they were treated by their mom and servants and feeling a little distant like stepping into a space you know you're not allowed in 🤔, isolated from them or even a little bitter about never receiving their moms love? So would it be possible to care about them but be a little distant or rather not know how to interact with them because of their relationship

3.Do people find out about how the villain was treated or rather mistreated growing up?

Oh yes, the Villain's backstory is arguably tragic, because funnily enough, in most Isekai's of the genre the villainesses' backstory tends to be tragic as to explain the reason why they act as they do. They are some in which the villainess is just evil for evil's sake and while those are fun, the story I wanted to tell was one of growth so this trope seemed like it would fit perfectly into the story.

Nope! Andromeda Navis is long dead by the time the Villain returns to Ophiuchus Kingdom! The setting is that Orion did inherit the title of Duke of Navis but he soon realized that he was not up for the task because his skills focus on magic research and not diplomacy, and because of the Villains exploits he realized that his sibling was much better for the job so they asked them to take his position and the Villain agreed.

Yes, definitively! I have mentioned before that while the Villain does love Orion at the beginning of the story, they don't have to have the best sibling relationship. The love is there, because otherwise why would the Villain return to Ophiuchus Kingdom so close to the time they are supposed to die in the game? But it can be so that the Villain doesn't know how to communicate said love, or is distant to Orion due to their childhood. I am hoping to add familial scenes in which Orion and the Villain talk through their issues, but frankly speaking what I have planned is the overarching plotlines and scenes so it is very possible that it might not happen so I don't want to promise anything just yet about the Villain and Orion communicating.

This question steps into spoiler territory so I will just say that you will have to wait and see ❤️

[firstagent]

Digimon Ghost Game #67 Review

When you’re piecing together what the ideal Ghost Game ending would look like, there’s quite a bit to cover. More than can fit into one episode for sure. The finale solves this in two ways. One is limiting the climactic battle to only its key spots, throwing out bombastic traditions like super-final evolutions that look amazing but cover ground that can be accomplished more efficiently. The second is to speedrun through all the explanations as fast as possible to conserve time for the good stuff. That part of it is as rushed and confusing and absolutely wild as you would expect, especially since there’s way more to everything than we could have anticipated. But when the result of these time-saving measures is a first act with so much heart and a second act featuring Hiro finally acting on the dream he’d been idealizing all series, why let a little thing like a surprise alien conspiracy ruin our fun?

After the Siriusmon vs. Regulusmon showdown last episode, it was appropriate to do a reset and make the fight what it really has been all along: a psychological conflict for control. Gammamon’s trying to preserve his world, Regulusmon is destroying it, and Hiro jumps in to lead his little brother to the light. This has been a mind game between Gammamon and GulusGammamon the entire time, and rather than escalate the physical conflict, treating it as a fight within their headspaces works. Even when Gammamon frees himself and we’re back to duking it out, it’s he and Hiro winning through all of his forms rather than some massive power. GulusGammamon is allowed to live—the show’s just pacifist like that—and Gammamon passing along Hiro’s rule-setting is a lovely payoff.

Fast forwarding through all the alien doomsday prophecies and weak closure on the dark Digimon surrounding Gulus (this is why some shows just don’t bother explaining things) and we end up with string-puller Quantumon declaring that research on human-Digimon interactions (courtesy BlackTailmon) shows that the two mingling is hopelessly toxic, fated for disaster, and the two worlds must be severed immediately. Hiro and friends do what they’ve been doing all season: they use words and reason. Rather than live in fear of a far-off disaster, they want to spend time with their Digimon and work to create a world where the two can co-exist peacefully. Of all the things repeated through the show that needed to pay off here, none was more important than Hiro pondering what such a world would look like. And as annoying as it was that he never worked towards that before, he and the others defiantly demand it here. Then they follow through by actively putting in the work, making noise, and turning this into everyone’s problem. Without saying as much, this world is what every major character had been striving for this entire time, and embracing the immense challenge of creating it is as well suited an ending as Ghost Game could have received.

Initial Grade: A-

Want to support my site and/or my work? Buy me a coffee!

[brotherslayer]

Darkest derrick x og Penelope headcanon

I have a few

Penelope is attracted to men who resemble Derrick (dark haired, elder brother type, obsessive/possessive yandere) but isn't aware of it. Derrick is attracted to women who resemble Penelope and he is fucking aware of it.

she's a magnet to batshit crazy men

he never said "I love you" to her. The only time when he might have said it was when she left him behind to die. It was so out of character for him to say such a thing that she didn't turn around, because she didn't trust her ears and later she believes she might have misheard him because "I love you" are the words she yearned to hear the most.

I don't think there is any love between them. Not even a little bit. It's the relationship of an abuser with his victim. For Derrick it was only about power and control.

The strange thing about Derrick is that at times I can see him acting like he doesn't enjoy it. As if he is disgusted with Penelope even though he lusts after her. He'd wash his hands compulsively after having touched her, rinse his mouth after having kissed her, sometimes he doesn't even look at her and just looks at her reflection in the window. He'd throw away his handkerchief or any of his belongings that came into contact with her as if he was afraid he could catch an illness from her.

I don't think he likes being the one to initiate things either. He'd perceive the one who chases after love as the weaker person. So he would make her come to him. He'd give her affection in small doses just to make her realize how much she hungers for it and then turn cold and ignore her for days whenever she rejects any sexual advances. It's absolutely vile. He'd repeat that pattern until it gets to the point where she is the one knocking at his door and throwing herself at him and begging him not to tell father.

She'd have a really unhealthy view of sex. There is no association to love and intimacy. It has become something that you trade for other things. Once she has managed to escape from Derrick, when Penelope has found someone she really likes, there might be the possibility that she is truly horrified of the idea of having sex with them and thinks it could ruin their relationship. She'd push them away ("If I won't allow you to be close to me you can't be intimate with me/hurt me.") But there is also the possibility that she offers sex too quickly for basic acts of kindness. Basically she'd have very little self respect in these regards.

if Derrick gets her pregnant with a child she might try to abort it illegally (or die trying to self-abort because she has no medical knowledge) or, if it ended up looking like Derrick, murder her child after giving birth to it (and then she'd get sentenced to death for child murder or she would commits suicide beforehand shortly after she has regained her senses and regrets everything)

I can also imagine that she attempts to be a goods mother to her son or daughter and manages to raise them decently most of the time but when her child reaches a certain age (the age she was adopted into the Eckart duchy) she just can't be in the same room with them anymore because she is so so afraid that she might end up abusing them even though she never would

Derrick could be the type of yandere who keeps the corpse of their s/o and refuses to bury it

after Penelope's death Derrick starts treating Ivonne/Leila like Penelope as he gradually loses his mind and, if you want it even darker, he eventually ends up having sex with her to cope with Penelope's death. It'd be an ironic twist of fate if the original daughter of the duke in whose shadow Penelope stood, always unable to live up to her image no matter how much she tried, would turn into nothing but a fake and replacement for her. Leila would certainly have her fun to doom another soul to hell

[msweebyness]

DuPont School for Monstrous Youths- Headcanons

Here are some fun facts about the kids from the Monster Universe! As always, @imsparky2002 and @artzychic27! If you guys want to follow up with some of your own, I’d love that! Enjoy these little tidbits! Leave thoughts in the comments and reblogs!

The effects of Alix’s stone gaze varies based on her mood at the time and whether or not she did it on purpose. The time frame can vary anywhere from around half an hour to a full week, so watch yourself with this Gorgon!

She has eighteen snakes in all, named as follows: Corkscrew, Iggy, JuJu, Flicks, Nyssa, Twister, Fitz, Ripper, Duke, Marty, Dodger, Jazz, Kit, Babs, Turbo, Rambo, Glimmer, and Bastard (or Bas).

Ondine needs to douse her gills with water every twenty minutes or so, or else her skin will dry out. Her friends usually have spare bottles with them in case she forgets to bring her own.

Simon is frequently getting hit by things he didn’t see coming. In a literal and physical sense. Cyclopes have terrible peripheral vision.

Kim hates vegetables and anything sweet due to werewolves being carnivores. You will only find steak in this boy’s lunchbox!

His friends all keep treats and toys on hand to distract him when needed. His favorite toy is a squeaky bone that is rarely not kept in his backpack.

Ivan and Denise have a habit of engaging in random wrestling matches no matter the time of day. They could be sitting at lunch and one will grab the other in a headlock. Their friends and partners have accepted this as a Sasquatch/Yeti thing, and it’s not like anyone can stop them.

They also have a hype-up ritual of sorts that they perform when in competitive or battle-adjacent situations, consisting of punching each other in the stomach as hard as possible, letting out a loud scream/roar in each other’s faces, before finally violently cracking their heads together. It’s…frightening.

Waving any kind of fabric in Cosette’s face will enrage them and cause her to charge. Playing matador may seem like a funny idea at the time, but it’ll end with your ribs broken.

Aurore’s alien species can learn languages and read people’s minds and feelings by touching their foreheads. So if she asks for permission to do this, that’s why!

Mireille can contort and flatten her body to fit into the smallest and strangest spaces possible, and they often use this skill to find somewhere to hide when they need time to unwind.

Nathaniel is as heavy as being made of solid stone would suggest, only Ivan and Denise are capable of lifting him. For this reason, he never goes swimming.

The war between vampires and werewolves ended centuries ago with a peace treaty, but Juleka and Kim often pretend to be rivals, trading playful insults and mock-snarling at each other. (They’re actually good friends.)

Vampires have a special kind of industrial sunscreen that allows them to walk in daylight, so don’t worry about Juleka and Luka. They still don’t show up in photos though!

Marc is attracted to bright lights and can often stare at them for hours on end. Nathaniel often gives him lanterns, lamps and other light fixtures as gifts.

Nino’s charges last around a month before he needs to plug in again, and it takes a full day, so he has a pass from class and his friends take notes for him on those days.

Jean never sings opera because when phantoms do this, it makes people go completely mad. He suspects it has something to do with a certain ancestor.

Alya can only pick up solid, non-ghost objects if she’s focusing on doing so. The second she loses concentration, it phases right through her body.

Mylene’s vines have to be trimmed regularly due to growing very rapidly and in great numbers, and people are frequently tripping over them.