#“I think people do stupid things when they're lonely. But I like people.”

[heybiji]

(and is that not reason enough?)

[anarchy-and-piglins]

Tommy tries not to stay too long because Mareep gets sad when she's lonely.

She can't tell him this - she's a sheep and all. But she shows it in the way she nuzzles her gentle head into Tommy's chest when he returns, as if she's trying to push out all those sharp and bunched up feelings that get stuck there. They're not bad feelings though. Not good feelings either.

Just feelings. A lot of fucking feelings.

But Tommy likes visiting the cabin. Even back when, it always felt so far removed from everything else. So quiet, not always in the positive sense. He loved it and he hated it. That seems to sum up about everything he remembers from that time.

(He went in once, the first time he visited. Not anymore. Everything was covered in dust, hollow and empty, and Tommy couldn't breathe for reasons beyond the stifled air.)

Being there doesn't hurt the same.

Tommy still marvels at that. Yes, it still hurts and yes, it always will. But there's more than the hurt now. He remembers the laughter and the stupid jokes and the bench and Henry and man, does it feel as if he's aged a decade. He hasn't. He's young. And there's so much ahead of him.

Then the snow shifts behind him with the soft crunching of footsteps. He turns around, and a person Tommy has thought about pretty much every other day for the last eight months is standing against the treeline.

"Hullo," Technoblade says, as if they have seen each other yesterday. He looks a little less exhausted, and a little less jumpy than Tommy has ever seen him before. Tommy's hand curls around the handle of his sword and then relaxes.

"Hey," he says. Then he swallows. "I didn't know you still came around here."

"I don't," Techno says. "Just came to pick up some stuff I left behind."

"Yeah?"

Techno walks around him in a little arch, and in a way that keeps him facing Tommy at least from the side, never the back. Tommy hates that this is who they are now.

And then Techno scoffs lightly, kicking at some rocks Tommy had been piling into a tower once when he was deep in thought. "Bruh, you're not ruining my property value again, are you?"

Automatically, Tommy laughs. Bright and sudden, and sincere. "Wha- Fuck you, you just said you don't live here anymore."

"I could be on my landlord arc," Techno says dryly.

Tommy should leave it at that. The part deep inside him that still feels raw and scared - as if he's sixteen again and the ocean is endless before him - recoils at all of this. But Tommy knows that part of him can be wrong, sometimes, in how it reacts to things. In how it refuses to embrace change.

"What have you been doing?" he asks. Techno watches him for a moment, a little guarded. He shrugs.

"Farmin'," Techno answers after that small second of hesitation. "Hibernating. Just doing my own thing, away from everybody. I'm done being hounded by people." He brushes some hair from his face, longer now than when he was living on this server. Tommy doesn't think he has never seen Techno without fresh scars or bandaged knuckles. It suits him.

"Sounds nice," Tommy says. He thinks about his little cottage, and Tubbo's honey, and how he's been starting to grow his own flowers.

"It is," Techno agrees.

Tommy leaves quickly after that. But when he returns two days later, there is a glint of round netherite hanging from one of the fence post. A compass with an emerald inlaid in the back, that points to a place very far away.

Tommy doesn't think he's quite ready to follow it. But someday he will be.

[yuri-is-online]

Love it how we as a fandom of Jade simps have all simultaneously agreed that he is jealous. as. shit! He sees Yuu half cuddling with Ace, deuce, and grim om the couch and he's planning some murders.

Jade eats a lot and you decide to cook for him sometimes- and he loves that! Awww look at you! Acting like his cute little spou- oh you're cooking for ruggie and sebek too. Oh.

Well :) Isn't that just lovely :)

I almost looooost this ;-; apparently tumbler desktop has been eating some of my asks, thankfully mobile still had them otherwise I would have mc lost it.

Look Jade hasn't had much of a reason to think about his jealousy. When people have something he wants he's used to taking it, that's just how life works under the sea. It's when he arrives on land he starts to have a real cause to be jealous, he's very lonely being the only one in his club while Floyd and Azul have a bunch of people in theirs. Floyd seems to get along with the lounge staff decently well, but Jade... his efforts always seem to be more solo. In a way he's in a similar position to Yuu where he is seen as "normal" so people ignore the ways in which he might be lonely. Not that he realizes he has that in common with you, he just knows he craves being around you. He wants you and your attention, but that's not exactly something he can just take in the same way he would a funny looking shell or a precious treasure.

Well he could but that's not an acceptable courtship method on land. Anyway Floyd tries to encourage him to see the cooking thing on the bright side, it'd be considered sort of stupid to just give something to Octavinelle's Vice Warden for free, so little shrimpy needs an excuse! That's why they're cooking for Sebek and Ruggie too, and sure. That could be an explanation for why but Jade doesn't like it. He's jealous as shit he just wants you, you, you and he's so glad you came to him first so he has the excuse to "forget" what you said you were doing and eat Sebek and Ruggie's portions too. He's a big healthy eel prefect, how could you tempt him so? T��T ¬‿¬

[winged-self-indulgence]

In light of the new Leander image (which is honestly going right on my Yandere Leander cork-board) I have to tackle the one part of the demo that's been tripping me up, which is when Leander "forgets" to tell the MC that there are monsters running around at night.

First of all, no he didn't. I know the demo really hypes up his whole charming himbo party boy persona but Leander is much deeper than that. Sure, he loves to drink and have a good time, but this man can scheme like a mf. He is a liar and a manipulator and I need him to do terrible things to my MC

Anyway, I suspect he didn't tell us on purpose. Having just basically offered to be our sugar daddy give us free food and accommodation, it's super clear Leander wants the MC to stay with him for some reason. So how can he ensure that we run right back to him? That we see the Wet Wick (and by extension, him) as a safe harbour? Well by showing us how dangerous Eridia can be when we're alone.

"Okay but that sounds stupid and dangerous! We could have died!"

Could we? When it's heavily implied Leander had already taken out a hit on the Soulless in the city and probably knew Mhin would be out hunting? Although we don't know much about the Bloodhounds, we know they're a large and well-known gang, and that means intelligence. Spies. Having an in with the community and the gossip that comes with that. Granted I'm making assumptions here, but it's plausible.

"Sure but in that case, why let Mhin save us? Why not swoop in and rescue us himself?"

Why bother when he can let Mhin's abrasive attitude sour our gratitude? I don't believe Leander is the the ditzy playboy he portrays himself as. He knows Mhin, knows they aren't all that friendly. And if by some fluke we are still interested in Mhin (i.e., choosing the nice option when Leander asks what you think about them), he will happily tell you that Mhin is a lonely bitch who hates other people and you shouldn't hang out with them. You know. For your own sake.

TLDR: Leander is a sneaky ass mf and I hope he locks my MC in a cage. I hope he tries to do some unforgivable black magic as some sort of fucked up love language. "we will be bound together forever, whether you like it or not" type shit

[o-sachi]

Cowboy, Pirate, or Samurai? pt. 2 ₊⊹ Blue Lock Chars.

ଳ how the blue lock boys respond to, “would you rather be a cowboy, pirate, or samurai?”

ଳ characters; rin itoshi, sae itoshi, shidou ryusei, michael kaiser, alexis ness, hiyori yo, kiyora jin

ᯓ Rin Itoshi - Samurai

He'd find the question a bit stupid because is his answer not obvious? "Too noisy," he'd say about the pirate and the cowboy. Rin's more of a lone wolf—moving in silence and always planning his next move. I don't see him choosing anything else aside from the samurai. Also, I have a feeling he's not too fond of water, especially the wide and deep waters of the seas that pirates have to traverse. He looks like the type to have motion sickness, but he's too prideful to admit it.

ᯓ Sae Itoshi - Pirate

Have you seen that one official art? I mean... I think Sae has the qualities to be the leader of a ship. Our idea of that has probably been influenced by Jack Sparrow or Luffy—both having loud and vibrant personalities. But even though Sae is more of the silent and brooding type, he has the potential to be a good leader if he wanted to. Canonically, he is also a strategist which is something very useful to commandeer a ship. And as we can see in the main story, it's easy for him to get people to follow him purely through his reputation and skill.

ᯓ Shidou Ryusei - Pirate

Unlike Sae, Shidou will probably choose pirate entirely due to Jack Sparrow. He has seen the Pirates of the Caribbean once and vaguely remembers thinking, "He just like me for real," about Captain Jack Sparrow. So upon asking this question to him, the eccentric pirate was the first thing to come to mind. Oh and if he hears Sae's answer then he's just likely to copy him regardless of what he might initially thought.

ᯓ Michael Kaiser - Cowboy

Out of the three choices, cowboys seem to be the ones that are cherished by their people. They're viewed as the hard working heroes—fighting off thieves or whatnot in exchange for little to nothing at all. Kaiser probably imagines what it would be like to be needed by the people—to be loved by them. He might not be too interested in the whole saving-the-public part of being a cowboy, but he can't pass up the opportunity to be revered as the hero of the people. I love you, Kaiser :((

ᯓ Alexis Ness - Pirate

He'd grumble when asked about the question. "Why are you only giving me lame choices?" he'd retort. Obviously, he'd rather be a wizard. What's the point if you can't do the unthinkable? But he digresses. Pirates aren't magical in any sense, but they're the closest to doing the impossible. They travel far and wide over dangerous seas, collect treasures, and plunder other pirates' bounty. Plus, their bodies are built different to adapt to the tumultuous waters. When you put it like that, pirates seem to be in a different realm compared to the cowboy or the samurai. Even after that tangent, however—he'll still make it clear that he's choosing wizard.

ᯓ Hiyori Yo - Cowboy

"Cowboys have pistols, right?" Well, he's sold. It hardly matters that samurais have katanas or that pirates have literal canons—Hiyori thinks those aren't practical at all. Besides, we can't really blame him for being largely influenced by the shooting games that he plays back at home. He's quite confident that he'd win in every standoff he'd find himself in. Sure, he has never tried it in real life, but if he's hitting no-scopes in game then it should be the same thing, right?

ᯓ Kiyora Jin - Samurai

He probably doesn't really care for being a pirate or a samurai—like he doesn't see anything appealing about it. With that being said, does his replica katana collection and extensive knowledge of the Shinsengumi entice you? Well, it should. I dunno... but Kiyora seems like the guy that's super into swords for no other reason besides he thinks that they are "rad." He has definitely played sword fighting with his siblings when they were younger. He may or may not have pretended to be Okita Souji when he was a young lad.

[🐟]: Should I do the other characters?

ε( ε ˙³˙)ɜ ��° ⚬ ｡ likes and reblogs are appreciated

o-sachi © 2024

[inkskinned]

something that stuck with me once, way back in middle school when i was still learning how to write - my teacher said "writing shock and tragedy is easy, it's humor that's the hardest."

i have been up and down the halls of academia. i have the fancy degree and the experience in publishing. i think i paved most of my own road with the little bricks of sorrow i had stored inside of me. i know i did it mostly with works that are blisteringly lonely. i know why we write like that. it's lifesaving.

but yeah, i mean. i also know how much people think that "sad" media is the same thing as "good" media. our human desire to connect is so hard-pressed that we immediately latch onto any broken themes. the bullied kids and the tales of inspiration. people keep saying things like "glass onion" and "everything everywhere" weren't actually good. because, you know, they're. happy. or happy-ish. happy enough. and we only value art if it's grimdark-adjacent.

do you know - people still consistently whine at me that my writing would be so good if i just capitalized things. i used to flinch. i get kind of a weird, vindictive little rush these days - i get to say thank you for the comment! i have chronic pain and this is how i conserve my hands so i can write more during the day :) grammar isn't real anyway! and now they're trapped in the room with me, you know? i get to pull out my map and show them how grammar is not the same thing as good writing.

writers have this thing. we scratch at our insides, constantly, prying our lives apart into splinters. prying the splinters apart into atoms. when we combust something into poetry, we control it. it cannot hurt us if it exists outside of us rather than burning a hole through the bottom of our lungs. it's not a wonder to me that so much of what i make comes out like a death gasp. i spent a long time at the bottom. i keep going back, too. when you're down there for so long, the only thing you can exhale is fumes.

but humor is hard. humor needs timing; which i can't promise in a paragraph. i can kind-of force it through careful spacing, but i have no idea how fast you're reading these things. humor needs a somewhat awareness of your audience, when really - anybody could be looking. humor needs us to understand what the joke is, why it's a joke, and to think - ha! that is funny. in tragedy, everyone understands the metaphor of a kicked puppy. in humor, you need to introduce them to the concept of a dog.

and forget about positivity. forget about anything not made for adults explicitly. every time i see a well-made children's media piece, i feel fucking horrible for the creators. most of the time, people see children's media as being sort of "not worth" applause, even though i'm pretty sure they have to work twice as hard. i have no idea how hard it must be to not be able to have your character just say. "well, fuck." something about a message of peace or friendship or caring - for some reason, that makes the media not for adults. like, okay. i'm pretty sure my father actually, out of all of us, could use a good book on how to control his temper and talk about his feelings.

but whatever. i write a short story about my ocd, and how it's fucking killing me. it gets an award. it gets published. i write a short story about my ocd, and how i'm overcoming it, and how my days are getting lighter and starting to flourish. i keep getting ghosted. no response. it just is lacking... something.

is this it, forever? you can be an artist, okay. but the trade off is that the things you make - if they're happy? if they're joyful? people will say it's stupid and pandering. you bite your nails off. you file your teeth. you hear something inside of you breaking.

the other day in a writing group, someone i'd thought of as a friend said: "you write so much better these days! i love what you make when you'd rather be dead."

[twstjam]

Lost Invitation (Part 2) - Respond, if you please

Sorry, I said half an hour, but blocking people took a bit longer than expected <3 Starting from now I'll be blocking everyone who likes Lost Invitation without reblogging it. If you reblog it onto a sideblog and I've blocked your main, do tell me or you might miss out on updates!!

Characters: Malleus Draconia, Meleanor Draconia, Levan Draconia, Lilia Vanrouge, Silver (brief), Sebek Zigvolt (mentioned), Yuu (mentioned) Word count: 4.6k (sorry, I got carried away writing the draconia fam lol) Summary: You're committed to helping Riddle Rosehearts and his card soldiers in a war against followers of the Jabberwock looking to usurp the rulers of Red and White. You're also in love with a stranger you met in the woods who wants you to run away with him. Whoever said that love and war weren't so different might've been onto something. In your experience, they're both equally difficult. Nobody ever said that you had to choose between one or the other though. Masterlist | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Prince Malleus Draconia is not lonely.

He hasn't been since before he hatched, his mother had made sure of it. He has faded memories of dozing off to his mother's soft singing, listening to his father's long ramblings, and curling up in the safety of the right-hand general's presence.

After hatching, his mother had doted on him like any prince of the Briar Lands deserved to be. Her and Father had indulged his every whim and desire. The servants bowed and trembled before the wrath of a newly-born dragonling who, though only three feet long, snarled his grievances accompanied by licks of fire and brewing snowstorms. Lilia Vanrouge was the only one to not kneel so easily.

Malleus Draconia was a prince and a hatchling, but Lilia did not treat him as such. Lilia scolded him like he would Mother, a matured dragon, and only complimented or rewarded him when he earned it. Needless to say, he was not favored amongst the little prince's guardians… or so Lilia says as he laments on the times Malleus used to set his hair ablaze. It had enlightened Malleus as to why the general currently wears his hair so short as opposed to the portraits he'd seen, but the prince—as it is the nature of fleeting old memories—cannot vividly recall his caretaker's tales. They also struck him as incredibly odd and he concluded that as an infant he had been a foolish thing (despite his parents' insistence otherwise). After all, Lilia is his most favored caretaker. This favoritism had even led to Malleus seeking Lilia out when he had hidden himself away one day, giving the prince the honor of being the first to meet the general's adopted son.

Silver had been an enigma to him. How could a meek little human infant, a species which his mother mocked frequently for their weakness and stupidity, appeal to a hardened fae general? It was even stranger to him that Mother seemed to completely forget her disdain for humans when she saw the little bundle in Lilia's arms. Though he would never say it aloud, Malleus had felt betrayed when his mother had asked to hold the child and took him from Lilia eagerly.

This little… thing, could not even hold itself up or eat solid food, let alone seek it out itself. It was useless and weak and nothing like the fierce creature Malleus had been when he broke out of his shell. Or at least, that's what Malleus used to think.

Truly, Malleus must not have been as exceptional of an infant as his parents insist. Malleus had spent 20 years crawling, meanwhile Silver mastered walking on two legs in mere months. Instead of cawing and snarling, the child babbled and laughed, elicited smiles from those around him, made warmth swell in Malleus's chest when he called the prince's name for the first time. The boy had still been small, not even 5 years old, and yet he had been able to climb up Malleus's legs and sit on his lap when he had invited him to read with him.

Sebek exhibited similar speed in growth. Malleus had blinked, and suddenly the little halfling had risen from a screeching newt into a strong guard that rivaled his own grandfather. Sebek likes to shadow him, always quick to see to his every need and always eager to win his approval. It's overbearing at some points, but the boy is growing and learning and has come to put his loyalty to use for only matters worthy of it, learning from Lilia and Silver to not merely agree to Malleus's every breath.

The revelation for such a change brought all four of them closer. It's not rare to see the two young knights by the prince's side, the former general watching after them from not far off.

Suffice to say, Malleus Draconia is not lonely. Absolutely not.

As a matter of fact, he quite likes being alone; the peacefulness of isolation, the escape from his demanding responsibilities. He has to return to the castle at some point of course. He has duties to his kingdom, but no matter how brief, he takes the opportunity to have some time for himself. To have some time to indulge his desires instead of being Prince Malleus; to be away from the expectations of his subjects and parents and instead cater to only himself.

He never quite expected to meet someone searching for something similar. At the very least, not at the same place, and you continued to surprise him in ways he could have never imagined.

After all, who could have predicted that a revered dragon prince of the fae would fall in love with a human?

----

Perhaps to any other, days at Wild Rose Castle could be considered dull, either because of the dim lighting and black walls or the castle staff that always hurry by without a whisper of a breath and with bowed heads.

If one were to ask Malleus however, he would say that days at the castle are always hectic. It's a good day when the castle is serenely dark and gloomy, but on others…

"Your DISGRACE of an offspring is a pathetic sprite unworthy of my son! How DARE you even consider a courtship between them?!"

Lightning fills the throne room with a bright purple light. Three aristocrats yelp and scramble to avoid the strikes of lightning coming down from the ceiling. Princess Meleanor's glare is deadly as she lifts and aims her staff to bring down another volley of lightning.

"P-p-please forgive us for our transgressions, your excellency!" the patriarch weeps as his family collapses to the floor in frantic bows. From his throne, Malleus can see the family's young heir trembling with choked sobs. His mother isn't the least bit appeased, her glare hardening and her staff crackling with power.

"ENOUGH! I will not tolerate any more nonsense out your blabbering mouth! You have come into my home, insulted my son, and dirtied my floor!" Meleanor raises her staff with a furious snarl. The magic surrounding it strikes the ceiling and deflects into multiple bolts of lightning throughout the throne room. "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AND DO NOT DARKEN MY DOORSTEP EVER AGAIN!"

The nobles scramble back onto their feet and skitter out with fearful screams. The wails of Malleus's attempted suitor echo through the halls of the castle until the doors slam shut behind them.

Meleanor raises her head proudly, huffing a satisfied plume of smoke out of her nostrils. Beside the sighing Lord Levan, Lilia Vanrouge has his head in his hands.

"What nerve, to ask permission for our Malleus's hand whilst showing such disrespectful behavior!" Meleanor spins around with a flare of her cloak and seats herself on her throne, one leg crossed over the other. "I should have incinerated that child where they stood!"

"I'm quite certain your outburst had spoken the message quite clearly, my lady," Lilia says with no small amount of disapproval.

"I agree with Lilia." Malleus's mother whirls around to face him with a betrayed expression on her face. "It is no fault of theirs that I failed to give my full attention to them. They had every right to call out my rude behavior."

Meleanor scowls and tosses her head again. "If you exhibit overly courteous behavior then those stuck-up aristocrats will become too comfortable to speak ill of you. As a dragon, you must present yourself as one!"

"That courteousness is the only reason the staff does not perish within breathing distance of him," Lilia argues. Meleanor shoots him a glare but he isn't deterred. "The poor boy already has issue forming relationships. Your volcanic temper is not doing him any favors."

"I will deal with those interested in the future king of the Briar Lands and my son however I wish! In case you have forgotten, I am your princess and his mother!"

"He is 178, he is not a hatchling, Meleanor!"

"Regardless of his age I have no intention of allowing him to be mistreated or his heart to be broken."

"At the expense of others?!"

"Yes!"

"Ah, there he goes."

Meleanor straightens up from how she had been bent over to glare at the short general and they both look over at Levan. They follow his gaze and briefly see Malleus's tail slipping out of the throne room.

"Darling!" Meleanor gathers her skirt to dash after her son. As Malleus makes his escape, Lilia groans and slumps over the arm of Levan's throne. His friend pats his back in sympathy.

"You really must do something about that wife of yours," Lilia grumbles. Levan laughs nervously, but there's also fondness in his eyes.

"She is simply doing what she thinks is best for our son."

"It isn't and you know it is!" Lilia huffs, craning his neck to glare up at the lord. The corvid fae smiles sweetly and leans towards him with his elbows resting on the armrest.

"Have I told you how much cuter you look when you're angry?"

Lilia sputters, face turning vibrant red. "Be serious!"

"I am serious," Levan hums as he reaches to tuck some hair behind Lilia's ear. The other general swats his hand away and he laughs at the flustered pout on the smaller fae's face. "I pity those nobles, truly I do, but like you and I, I have a feeling our Meleanor knows that our young prince is keeping a secret. So at the end of the day, there is no harm done, hm?"

Lilia gapes and blinks at Levan in bewilderment.

"He told you?"

Levan smiles secretively, a hint of mischievousness in his eyes. He must know as much as Lilia does then, and though he is relieved to know that his friend is supportive of Malleus's feelings, he still dreads the inevitable of Meleanor discovering it for herself. Meleanor is both temperamental and viciously protective of her child, especially since his life had been threatened after she laid his egg during the human invasion centuries ago. It's quite easy to imagine her most likely reaction to her son being interested in courting a human.

"He did. He also requested assistance from me." Levan looks up and his eyes brighten. "There it is now."

Levan waves his hand. Lilia's keen ears catch the sound of beating wings and he turns around to see a window opening. A raven flies into the throne room and settles on Levan's offered arm. The bird caws a greeting to Lilia before bowing its head to the lord.

"Welcome back, my friend," Levan coos as he strokes its wing. "What news do you bring from the Rose Queendom?"

Lilia perks up at mention of the Rose Queendom and looks at the bird with interest. The familiar makes a series of clicks and squawks. Lilia isn't the most fluent in corvid speak so he waits for Levan to translate, but when he looks to his friend, the other fae's smile has turned into an ominous frown.

"…It's not good news, I'm guessing."

----

Malleus typically finds comfort in isolation. It brings him the silence he requires to think and focus on both official and personal matters. Unfortunately though, for his current predicament, his most trusted method of comfort only seems to distress him more.

The conflict between the Rose and Lily Queendoms is taking it's toll on you. It's inevitable—He sees it a lot in Father and Lilia, how their gazes would sometimes look haunted by ghosts unseen to him even when doing the most mundane tasks —but that does not mean Malleus has to like it, or that either him or you should simply allow it to wear you down.

Sometimes, when he is speaking with you, you would get a faraway look in your eyes, lost in thought. During those moments the bags beneath your eyes look more prominent, your body thinner, your skin paler. You would apologise for losing track of the conversation and Malleus would excuse it, but within his chest a pit grew deeper and deeper, filling with irrational concern for you.

The desire to hoard and care for those most cherished to him isn't a foreign feeling to Malleus. He recalls that at a young age he would nest with his parents at night and steal Lilia and his father's weapons to stop them from leaving the castle for their duties. Now, he watches over Silver while he sleeps and sits at the water's edge when Sebek practices his swimming.

It is something normal for dragons to want their loved ones happy and safe, but the way he feels it with you is incomparable. He cares for you, (which had initially surprised him, to care for a strange human) there's no doubt about it, but more than anything else he wants to be the one to care for you, to ensure your safety. To take you away and tuck you inside his wings, to gift you all the luxuries you could ever need so that you would no longer be hurt or troubled.

And the strangest thing? He desires the same thing from you as well. For you to care for him, cherish him, want him, love him. For you to take his hand and let him whisk you away to somewhere the two of you could see and speak to each other every day, where you could sit and listen contentedly to him and him to you and help him with his woes like he wishes to help you with yours.

Confiding in Lilia had been what led him to realise his feelings for you. The older fae's recollection of his parents' courtship had been… concerning, but it reassured Malleus that his desires were not unusual and that, most importantly, his beloved caretaker accepted you.

It had taken more courage to approach Lord Levan, but he should have known that his understanding father would support him wholeheartedly. At Malleus's request, his father had sent one of his ravens to the Queendom and Malleus now spends almost every waking moment anxious for its return.

Telling his mother about you is… another matter entirely.

You were right that it wouldn't be wise to bring you into his home. He loves his mother, but like him, she possesses the nature of the dragon. She is caring, excessively so, and… incredibly protective, to say the least.

And to say that Malleus is fearful of her discovering his romantic feelings for you, a human—a race she loathes with her entire being—is an understatement.

You are fearless, perhaps a little foolish, but not saneless. She will chase you off as she has many others. The incident today was only one of many.

Regardless of his mother's ill manners and your reluctance to be with him, Malleus's heart does not stop yearning and yearn he does as he sits alone in his rose garden, innocent red rose in hand, plucking each poor petal after the other as his thoughts whirl around his mind uselessly.

Perhaps he should have been more insistent. Perhaps he should have taken you back anyway. Perhaps—

"Malleus?"

The click of his mother's heels on the garden's stone path grow louder with each approaching step. Meleanor appears beneath the rose arch to the gazebo and Malleus hurriedly brushes off the petals that have gathered on his lap.

"There you are. I have been looking for you, dear." Mother smiles as she walks up the steps of the gazebo, the long train of her skirt dragging behind her. She eyes the rose petals scattered around him. "What are you doing?"

"Ah. I am picking rose petals… for tea." His mother raises an eyebrow at his reluctant tone so he quickly diverts the topic. "Am I needed somewhere, Mother?"

"No, no." Meleanor sweeps up her cloak to that it isn't trampled beneath her when she takes a seat next to him. "I was merely worried." With gentle claws, she cradles Malleus's chin and lifts his gaze to hers. "I did not scare you, did I?"

"No—" Never, he wants to say. Even if she can summon the most destructive storms and move mountains with a snap of her fingers, Malleus can never be afraid of his mother, but the churning feelings in his gut lodges the words in his throat.

Malleus pulls away from her touch, looking away before he can see her frown. "I apologise, Mother. I exhibited behavior unbecoming of a prince in front of our visitors."

Instead of reprimanding him, his mother laughs. She's always so self-assured; with her magic, with her choices. It's one of the many things he admires but also envies about his mother. If only he can reach that point of confidence in his life much sooner.

"My silly little beast. There is nothing to apologise for," his mother coos, brushing a lock of hair out of his face with a careful talon. "You did no harm. After all, you have been so distracted because you already have your eye on someone, don't you?"

Malleus turns towards his mother, wide-eyed, and her eyes glitter with excitement as she grins.

"How did you—" Malleus stops himself. How is he supposed to tread this? "…Did Father tell you?"

Meleanor's smile falls. "No, but I am hurt you chose to tell him before me."

Malleus swallows. He laces his fingers together in an effort to make himself feel less unsteady. "How do you know, then?"

"Come now, you didn't think a mother would not be able to see that her son has fallen in love, did you?" Meleanor giggles behind her claws, eyes bright with eagerness. She leans in towards her son and lowers her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Tell me, tell me; what are they like? How did you meet? And most importantly: When will I meet them?"

Malleus opens his mouth and pauses. What does he tell her? Every scale on his being is restless, eager at the presented opportunity to talk about you, but certainly, he cannot tell his mother about you. About your humanity. She would, as Lilia frequently describes it, erupt. He did not need that display from earlier in the throne room to know this well.

(He grew up all his life with it after all; His mother losing her head at every slight insult or threat towards him and striking it with bolts of lightning until it runs away screaming.)

Malleus does not fear his mother, let alone resent her, but he does rather often catch himself wondering what it would be like if she were not so hot-headed.

"They are…" Malleus quickly trails off as soon as the attempt begins. He glances at his mother warily. She is giving him her full attention. The support should be encouraging, but the dread within him only increases. "You cannot meet them."

His mother reels back as if he had shocked her with electricity. Her eyes widen and then narrow. Her brows furrow and her lips pull into a displeased pout.

"Whyever not? …Are you ashamed of me?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Embarrassed, perhaps?"

"Far from it."

"Then do you fear that I would scare them off?"

"Yes— Ah, I mean—!" Malleus screws his mouth shut and looks away again. Meleanor chuckles in amusement.

"Silly beast," she tuts. Behind him, Malleus's tail thumps agitatedly and she twines her own around it to soothe him. "I am flattered that you think so highly of me, but I assure you that any mate worthy of you will not cower so easily before me."

Malleus wraps his tail around his mother's offered one, but his expression is one of scepticism. "How do you know for certain? Do you truly have so much faith in my choice of a partner?"

"Oh, of course not! You are still just a little beast after all," Meleanor teases with a light pinch to his cheek. "What I mean is that, whoever you choose, we shall know if they are truly the correct mate for you if they remain beside you regardless of any trials."

"Oh… I see…" Malleus lowers his head. He clasps his hands tightly together. He can still remember the phantom feeling of your own hands on them, of you pulling away from him. Of him watching your retreating back after once more rejecting his offer to take you away.

"Darling?" His mother places her hands on his and the memory fades away. "Is something the matter?"

"I… I want you to meet them, truly I do, but…" Your face flashes before his eyes again, with it your shy smile and your voice whispering,

"Someday."

Malleus gathers his resolve and faces his mother. "Not anytime soon, I fear."

His mother pouts again. "Oh, come now—!"

"I don't think they would fear you." There's no way to know for certain until you actually meet her, but it is something he's fairly confident in. "It is that… they are currently occupied and will not be able to make time to come to our lands in the near future."

Meleanor's eyes light up with newfound interest. "Oh? They are not of the Briar Fae?"

Malleus bites his lip anxiously. "Er, no. They are—"

A bird sings overhead. The two dragons on the gazebo lift their heads and see a silver-haired knight walk through the rose arch.

"Lady Meleanor, Lord Malleus." Silver dips into a quick bow and rises again. "I apologise for interrupting."

"Oh, Silver! What a pleasant surprise. Have you finished your training today? Come, come. It has been too long since we last spoke." Meleanor beckons to the young knight to sit next to her.

"Er, if I recall correctly, we spoke just this morning—!"

Meleanor doesn't let him hesitate for long. She crooks her finger and wisps of purple magic tug on his uniform until he's standing on the gazebo.

"I apologise profusely, my lady," Silver stammers as her magic fades off of his clothes. "But I'm afraid I cannot stay long, my father requests to see Lord Malleus—"

"Does he!" Meleanor's eyebrows are arched, her expression devious in a way both boys know does not hold good intentions for their respective fathers. "How fortunate, I was hoping to speak to him about Malleus."

"Mother—"

"Lady Meleanor—"

Before either boy could get a word in, magic begins to swirl around the princess's fingers and she chants, "Come, my eyes and ears, my wings and feet."

Magic swirls and shimmers around her. Beneath her feet, her shadow ripples, and a raven bursts out of it with a frantic caw.

"Now why are you in such a hurry?" Meleanor tuts, easily catching the bird out of the air before it could fly off. The bird squawks and flaps its one wing that hadn't managed to be caught in her hand. She directs a firm gaze on it and it freezes, letting a pathetic noise out of its beak. Malleus winces in sympathy.

"Where is my Right?" Meleanor looks down at her shadow, displeased, but quickly smiles again when she turns to Silver. "Give me a hand, dear."

With them pointing downwards, Meleanor pinches together the thumb and forefinger of her free hand. She makes a pulling motion and a squealing bat emerges out of Silver's shadow. It manages to escape the princess's grasp on it but only briefly before she catches it by its legs.

The bat squeaks and screams, no doubt profanities blasphemous when directed at the crown princess, but she is unfazed. Silver looks down at the poor creature apologetically as it clings to his uniform in an attempt to shake off the dragoness's claws.

"What is the matter with you? Stop behaving so childishly. Look, your son is being much more mature than you, how embarrassing." Meleanor forces the bat to let go of the boy and holds it upside down, continuing to be unfazed as it claws at her lace gloves angrily. "You should know better than to ignore a summons from your mistress."

She shakes the bat in a not-so-gentle manner and the animal grows in size and changes shape until Lilia is hanging by the ankles. The raven does the same, but Meleanor lets Levan go so he can perch on her arm more comfortably.

"—the matter with you! You absolutely insane princess!" Lilia yells once he's finally taken his two-legged form again.

"Yes, you're very adorable, dear," Meleanor says dismissively with a pinch to his nose. Lilia hisses at her, but despite his complaints there's no real heat to them and he calms down quickly. "Now, my loves, when were the two of you going to tell me that a secret someone has caught our Malleus's interest?"

"I sincerely apologise, darling," Levan says mournfully, and any amount of aggression in his wife's expression fades away when he pecks a kiss on her cheek. "but it was not our secret to tell."

"Alright, I suppose I can forgive that. I'm sorry, dears." Meleanor looks at her son and husband fondly but scowls when she turns to Lilia. "Not you."

Lilia sticks his tongue out at her without remorse. With difficulty, he twists around to address Silver. "You've found Malleus! Well done, my boy."

"Thank… you, Father."

"What is it that you wished to speak to me about?" Malleus asks, tilting his head in an effort to meet Lilia's eyes. The bat fae exchanges a look with the prince's father and then glances at the princess holding him captive.

"Perhaps we should wait until later—"

"Wonderful, since I wished to speak to both of you about a different matter." Meleanor's expression turns into a deceptively sweet one that immediately has Lilia's face souring. "My loves, would you tell Malleus that you also desperately wish to meet this secret potential mate of his?"

She flutters her eyelashes for good measure. Malleus sighs and shakes his head.

"Mother…"

"I know what you said, but perhaps with encouragement from all three of us we can twist a few rules…"

"Actually, my love, what we wish to discuss concerns this… person." Meleanor raises an inquisitive eyebrow at her husband sitting on her arm.

"What?" All eyes turn to Malleus. The prince suddenly rises from his seat, pupils thinned to slits. Leftover rose petals scatter to his feet. "Has something happened to them?"

"I apologise, Malleus, but Lilia is right." Levan casts a quick look towards Meleanor and Malleus understands immediately.

Meleanor looks frustratedly between her son and husband, unhappy at being the only one uninformed. "Now what is this about? Why are you so reluctant to speak of this person within my presence?"

Lilia purses his lips, determined to not say a thing, meanwhile Levan looks towards his son again meaningfully.

Malleus takes a breath.

"It is what I have been meaning to tell you. Mother…" Malleus glances at Silver standing to the side, at attention. "Silver is a human."

Meleanor blinks. She looks at Silver, back at Malleus, and then bursts into laughter.

"But of course he is, silly beast!"

Malleus attempts to continue, but she doesn't stop laughing like it's the most hilarious joke she's heard in a century. He looks to his father helplessly. Levan gives him an encouraging smile but the doubt that twitches the edges of his lips isn't very reassuring. Meanwhile, Lilia sighs exasperatedly and Silver frowns in confusion.

"Well, Mother…" Meleanor keeps laughing and the longer the seconds tick by the more his confidence falters. Perhaps… If he says it now, she won't hear and she can remain in ignorant bliss. "This person I am in love with is a human as well."

The laughter stops so abruptly that the deadly silence sounds as loud as a crash of thunder.

"What."

[slackerlifewhere]

What Kim Rok Soo probably thinks about Cale Henituse

Okay, so I mentioned that I'm rereading the first part now so I can finally read the second part of the novel.

While reading, I noticed how calm and normal Kim Rok Soo is about Cale. Like yeah, he finds him amusing and interesting, but coming from a man who has read five volumes and notices (and remembers) every little detail about it, it makes me wonder what he truly thinks about Cale Henituse.

[✋Possible SPOILERS for the first part of TCF ✋]

As I reread the story in the first few chapters, despite how little Cale Henituse's importance is in The Birth of a Hero or how few his appearances are since it focuses on Choi Han's adventure, Kim Rok Soo somehow describes moments that make Cale look like trash but it's like he understands why the noble was like that before they switched bodies (except for the Harris village since he didn't know about that until OG Cale mentions it).

Like think about it. We all know KRS grew up with his abusive uncle. He knows how bad it is to live with an alcoholic but he doesn't judge Cale's antics when he's "drunk". We also know that he's been alone most of his life so he probably thinks that Cale is just a lonely person because of his reputation.

Guessing that there are some assholes during the apocalypse (I haven't read the side stories yet but I can guess), he probably thinks that Cale is more complex than what he shows in the books because he has seen the worst kind of people that makes Cale look like a normal person. After switching bodies, Venion, White Star, Arm, and Adin are definitely 1000% worse than Cale.

Kim Rok Soo is very sharp when it comes to understanding people. He understands Choi Han and Alberu's problems and understands the trauma the kids went through. He also understands how corrupt nobles and priests are and doesn't judge Mary and the Dark Elves all because of a stupid religion. He understands how hard it was for Lock during the war and was comforting about it his own weird way.

He's a perceptive and understanding person.

Although he's incredibly bad at judging himself, he's good at judging a person through their motives and actions. It's why he somehow befriends Toonka and Bud. It's why he became allies with Hannah and Fredo. It's why he quietly listens to DHB later on. He understands people and it's why people like and trust him.

In short, he knows that there's something more than what the books say about Cale Henituse.

It's kind of the reason why it made me pause a bit when he finally meets OG Cale.

Their conversation was so calm, it's as if they knew each other for a very long time instead of just literally a few minutes ago. He easily accepted what OG Cale has to say about his mother and his new life as Kim Rok Soo and he trusts him with his former team. Like I've mentioned before in my other post, he's happy for both of them because they're both content with their new lives despite their regrets in their last lives.

Cale looked at Kim Rok Soo, who was laughing and making gestures that he would never have made, and nonchalantly added on.

“I guess you’ve really been happy.”

He recalled the moment he met with Lee Soo Hyuk and got the ‘Embrace’ ability.

Lee Soo Hyuk had handed Cale the ability and told him about the real Cale Henituse as he disappeared.

‘Oh, by the way, the original owner of your body is living well too. He’s happy. That is why Jung Soo, I, and everybody is happy.’

Kim Rok Soo had a bright smile that suited a twenty-year-old person and not someone in his mid-thirties.

- Chapter 656: Everything can be connected

I'm guessing that when he read the parts about Cale throwing bottles at a random asshole in the books, he probably thought that he might do the same thing. Remember how badly he reacted when he learned about the slaves being sent to the Empire? He basically used the same tactic but instead of throwing the bottle at someone, he drank a lot because of how pissed he was and made it look like the "trash" he is while waiting for everyone's signal.

He even has some thoughts about how annoyed he is whenever the knights or butlers would flinch away since he knows Cale never tried to actually harm them. And he knows about Cale's troubles with the staff back home in the Henituse territory.

So yeah, it's pretty sweet in a way that Cale Henituse has someone who kind of understands him and won't judge him for his actions even though Kim Rok Soo doesn't know everything about him because of the books (like his conversation with Basen).

“It looks like you will need to struggle a little longer, but anyway, live well. Please take care of my family.”

“Please take care of my team members.”

Both men let go of each other’s hand with a small amount of sorrow visible in their eyes.

- Chapter 657: Everything can be connected

[nunalastor]

Serial Roommates

Anonymous asked:

Lucifer and Guy having the weirdest dynamic imaginable. Lucifer is jealous of Guy having Alastor's affections (he does know it's not romantic) but knows better than to do anything to him. Guy doesn't know what to feel about the devil from the bible being obviously smitten with his best friend.

Then one night they get drunk and Guy mentions how lonely it is in heaven without Alastor, the one person who understands his trauma. Lucifer understands that feeling being without Lilith, and Guy grows on him a little. Then Guy starts talking shit about Micheal and how insufferable he is ("I understand I'm a detective so he appreciates my profession, but every time he looks at me it's like he wants to sleep with me"), and Lucifer decides he actually really likes Guy.

Anonymous asked:

Made Alastor and Guy in the Sims 4 to see what chaos unfolded and Guy got abducted by aliens and impregnated. Alastor keeps staring at the wall as though saying "oh thank god it wasn't me" like he knows the shit that happens to him on this blog.

Anonymous asked:

The “Vox assumes Guy and Alastor are lovers” ask made me think about the Thunder Saga and the song “suffering” with a siren pretending to be Odysseus's wife Penelope.

Vox sends a fake to impersonate Guy to get to Alastor, and sends a fake Alastor to get to Guy. This is how everyone finds out Guy and Alastor may be on opposite ends of the law but they are in some ways cut from the same cloth, having the exact same response of “this isn’t my friend but I am going to play along in song form to get information." (Alastor has the violent way of the other shoe dropping whereas Guy just leaves, but that comes after)

It gets so stupid that they are saying the same things and somehow harmonizing. The hotel seeing both and able to cleanly turn it into a duet leaves them wondering if this was rehearsed to troll Vox. It wasn't, but Alastor and Guy would be delighted to find out that's how it got interpreted by literally everyone.

Anonymous asked:

Was just binge watching Dexter and at the end of season 4, Rita dies and Dexter had already killed Trinity before he found her.

So is this angst piece, Alastor manages to kill the serial killer that the police were taking too long to find. But when he returns to his shared apartment with Guy, he finds that he was murdered in a similar fashion as the killer’s victims.

Anonymous asked:

Guy is the only one in existence who can talk Alastor into freeing Husk. Husk wants to be grateful but he's actually terrified. Who is this person and how does he have that kind of power?

Anonymous asked:

That headcanon description of Guy being dark hair, grey eyes, and tan skin and then an ask on the same post-list compares him to a Lois Lane with basically that same physical description feels like a sign from the universe that's what he looks like.

Anonymous asked:

Guy and Alastor really do embody if a golden retriever and a deer became friends. Nobody knows how it happened, one should have tried to kill the other by now (golden retrievers are hunting dogs), but they're best friends.

Anonymous asked:

The only thing stupider than kidnapping Guy is whatever Valentino would try to do. Let's be honest Guy's a looker, and Valentino would be interested in that.

Velvette should resign herself to being a one-person show from now on, because Vox and Valentino are about to have lessons in natural selection. Guy was probably the one to warn them too.

Anonymous asked:

Guy and Alastor being asexual/ace-spectrum roommates together. Alastor doesn’t know the term asexual which means Guy probably doesn’t either. They lived together and because they were both like that assumed that’s how sane people were and didn’t understand everyone else’s love of sex. Would it magically happen when they found the right person? Apparently not because they both died never experiencing it. 

Charlie tries to explain asexuality to Alastor, and Alastor is confused because his roommate was the exact same way and what were the odds they were both this way? High, because the hotel meets Guy and everyone instantly clocks “yeah, they are both like that.”

Anonymous asked:

What if Guy is the more insane of the two? He is the nicest person you will ever meet and it takes a lot to bring out that side of him, but if push comes to shove and something causes him to well and truly snap, Alastor looks like nothing in comparison.

Anonymous asked:

Serial Roommates - Vox kidnaps Guy edition

Vox would have an interesting time with Guy as a prisoner before Alastor arrives to rescue him. Either Guy is so jaded from the Baker Estate he doesn't care and makes light of the situation, or the flip side that he has a panic attack because part of his mind broke in that house, and trauma-dumps the entirety of his imprisonment onto Vox.

How Guy reacts to the whole kidnapping determines how screwed Vox is, something he figures out real quickly during an attempt at damage control post-"kidnapping Guy was a suicide mission" realization.

Anonymous asked:

Guy has a spirit medium channel Alastor post-death because he needs to know which religion is correct.

Anonymous asked:

Serial Roommates + Husk

Alastor and Husk didn't know each other when they were alive but Guy and Husk sure did. How they met? No idea, but they met in the time after Alastor died but before Guy succumbed to his illness. Husk heard all about Guy's dead friend Alastor, so he had a positive view of him based on that.

Then he met Alastor in hell and upon realizing this was the dude, he has to sit himself down and have a crisis. How was this the man Guy spoke so fondly of, and what was wrong with Husk to low-key agree with him in spite of literally everything.

Anonymous asked:

Everyone knows hurting or killing Guy is suicide, so Vox decides he is instead going to seduce Guy to get back at Alastor (Valentino knows and is into this plan). He could use a love potion or hypnotism to sleep with Guy, but no, he has to do this legit.

Somehow this goes worse than seducing Alastor. Guy does not retort back, he doesn't fight, he gives a soulless dead-eyed stare the entire time. He's a detective and Vox is a cult leader, Guy knows how to deal with these types. A complete lack of engagement and refusal to in any way feed into Vox's ego will do devastating emotional damage.

Vox ends up returning him and retreating to scrape together what's left of his pride.

Anonymous asked:

Alastor ironically having the best understanding of mental health of the entire hotel because of needing to help Guy through the horrible psychological damage he experienced (inhumane confinement can cause symptoms of schizophrenia + PTSD + Guy's physical illness).

Does Alastor know any mental health terminology whatsoever? No. Could he put this knowledge into words and teach others how to do it? Not really. Would he use that knowledge to help anyone outside his close circle? Absolutely not. But he does have the knowledge and can use it, Charlie just has to figure out how to get the key to her entire hotel plan out of him.

@kitsunesongs asked:

So I was wondering why Guy took so long to start trying to get Alastor into heaven, and came across the ask where he was actually investigating hell cause he thought something was off about Sera and Adam - and what if the moment he got into hell, he was hit by memories of his old friend.

Who he had forgotten, while in Heaven, because Heaven makes Winners forget their loved ones who are Sinners.

Anonymous asked:

What if Guy was investigating Vox’s cult before his death? Making a cult takes time, so Vox’s cult was probably established sometime in the 30s if he was dead by the 50s. We didn’t decide how long after Alastor’s death does Guy lose the battle with his illness, but he would have to keep working until he drops dead because his roommate who could take care of him is dead and American workforce/healthcare are just like that. He used all his time off  for the rest of his life being a kidnapped prisoner. He needs to work and knows he is on limited time, so what the hell else is he going to do besides investigate a cult? 

Vox thinks he won when the detective on his ass dies from illness and didn’t think of him after that. He then got punched in the face by the realization his rival Alastor is the dead best friend of his other rival the detective—a detective who happens to be a walking cockblock. Now they are teaming up on him in the afterlife. 

Anonymous asked:

What kinds of powers would Guy have? He would probably have some mold-based powers like Alastor because of their connection to it (like that one ask said less than Alastor because Guy got the cure and died from post-exposure) but Alastor also has radio powers directly tied into his human life. Wouldn't Guy have his own personal magic?

[like-rain-or-confetti]

Hi! Can you do the rogues (BM, TF, Scarecrow, Riddler, Penguin) and the moment they realize that they are in love with the reader?

Realising they're in love.

Black Mask: It was when you went above and beyond to take care of him. He had never thought about love or any real committed relationships after Tiffany died. She was the first who he really was able to see him spending his life with. There was a giggle. Black mask looked over to see one of the board directors smiling at him. "What?" He huffed at her. She gave him a knowing smile. "You're in love." He answered in pure instinct and immediately grimaced at how desperately in denial he truly sounded. "Am not." She didn't believe him. "You keep staring off at (Y/N) like you're silently begging them to look at you." As if trying to save his dignity, he emphasised his next response. "I do not beg." Yeah that didn't help matters. Then he sighed. "...ah shit."

Scarecrow: It was after he spent months with you on a regular basis. It was so slow that he didnt notice but then all at once when he noticed. Like you had the ability to distract him and he never even noticed. In that very moment he knew you had power over him. Something no one else had. Everything seemed to slow down. The room filled with people now just colours and shapes that didn't have any impact on him. Except for you across the room. You weren't doing anything special, simply talking to a stranger. Yet he couldn't look away- he couldn't breathe. He couldn't believe it. He didn't think he was capable of it. Yet here we was. His heart pounded at the very idea. His stomach dropped with...anxiety? Longing...? Fear? Awe? It all seemed to meld into one now. A feeling that was uncomfortable, yet filled him with reason, drive. It all had a point now, even if meaningless. It hardly mattered. He let out a shaky breath before saying to himself. "Now that's...unexpected." It was hard to say those words with how tight his chest got.

The Riddler: It was when he realised you actually listen to him and take interest. However he knew he was a goner when he wanted you to tag along with him everywhere. He considered love to be a weakness. Being in love made his chest flutter and as happy as can be. Remembering being in love was the worst feeling he had ever known. What came after love stained the purity of each and every love hes ever had. He didnt want it. He wanted to feel self suffient. He wanted to look out for him and only him. Falling in love only reminded him how lonely he truly was. Denial then set in. No, he wasn't miserable. He was not lonely. That was impulse talking. A fleeting stupid thought he didn't have to pay any attention to. Though he couldn't really account for the sinking feeling of doom that came soon after. A feeling only (Y/N) could provide genuine relief from.He sucked in a sudden gasp. He couldn't help but notice her absence more and more as no one took interest in what he said like (Y/N)- "No!"

Penguin: It was when you saw his worth. It hit him like a ton of bricks and he knew it immediately. Like he got grabbed by the throat. So it's a little inconvenient but he doesn't hate it. Although it does make him extra insecure. He also doubts that you'd actually be interested in him. So whilst he wasn't denying his feelings, he wasn't exactly keen on telling you about them... or anyone else. "...oh..." He put his head in his hand. This was a mess. An awkward mess he wanted no part in. Yet here he was in the thick of it. This is why he can't have nice things because he falls in love with them damn it. He needed a drink...and ice cream.

Two-Face: It was when he looked out for you. He was the type of man who would swear off love. Although apparently, if he could swear off love, it was a whole other thing. He promised himself after his divorce to Gilda that he'd never fall in love again. It did nothing for him. It was useless and a bottomless pit of pain. A drug. When you're on it, it's great until you get a bad trip. (Y/N) stumbled and on pure instinct his non-scarred arm shot out and grabbed you, hauling you back up. "Careful..." Harvey grumbled to you softly. Then he caught himself. You carried on with your day but he was stuck in place for a moment. He knew this feeling well. Why wouldn't he when he was married for years!? He wasnt supposed to do this. This wasn't supoosed to happen. "son of a-"

[the-froschamethyst4]

A Cold Beating Heart

𖤐Pairing: Gaz x Zombie! F! Reader

𖤐Pronouns: She/Her

𖤐Warnings: fluff, language, smoking, dead coming to life, L bombs, kissing, mute! innocent! reader, age gap (34-44), pink = Y/n's writing,

𖤐Summary: Gaz did something stupid, messing around with a so-called 'spell book' going to a graveyard and going to the first grave he sees and practice some so-called spells on this abandoned grave.

————

————

Gaz sat at the bar with his friends, they all laughed and joked, Gaz circled the rim of his glass as Price elbowed him.

"Smile, Gaz. You have some beautiful options," Price says, talking about the women in the bar close to Kyle's age.

"Nah, not tonight, I'm not interested in anyone right now." Gaz has been feeling down lately, Price doesn't know why, they thought about bring Gaz to a bar to cheer him up, but guess not.

Gaz looks over his shoulder at some girl, they were laughing with each other and all the girls just seemed to out for drinking and their friends, no funny business tonight.

"I think I'm going to head out for the night," Gaz says.

"Really?" Price says.

"Yeah, I got a busy day tomorrow," lie.

"Alright then," Price says, they exchanged goodbyes as Gaz heads out, walking down the street and lighting up a cigarette. As he walks down the street admiring some of the lights in the nighttime.

As he walks he passes a shop that was open a little late then other shops, the bright neon lit sign was the only thing one drawing his attention. On the sign the word 'open' was in bright purple lights, a cat sitting on the O and the Witch on her broom stick flying above it.

He walks in and was greeted with a small bell ringing to let the shop owner know someone has came inside. Gaz looks around at the creepy things sitting in jars of liquids, some dead things here and there and then a whole wall full of books.

Spell books.

Kyle scoffs at the books reading the titles.

"A Witches guide to know all? Test your potion skills? Love Charms and Spells...The Book of the Undead?" He says, looking around some more.

Why was he even in here? He doesn't practice magic, he does summon things. He was in here because it was the only place open and he didn't want to go back to that bar.

"Hi, how can I help?" A girl dressed like a Witch came from the back holding a box labeled "body parts" and a black cat sitting on her shoulder.

"Hi, no just looking," he says.

"Well, if you need anything, my name is Kiki, just yell," she giggles.

Gaz keeps looking at the books, till he finds one. "The Book of summoning."

"Oh you don't want that one, it's outdated," she yanks the book from Kyle's grip. "You'd want this one," she shoves a book called.

"Summoning the all Dead? Won't I be summoning all the dead, like the title says," he says with a cocky smile.

"Not if you do it correctly. You seem...lonely? Am I right?"

"The hell is that suppose to mean?"

"I'm really good at picking up on people, and when you walked in, I felt loneliness coming off you."

"If anything, that's my buddy, Ghost, you should meet him," Gaz says, putting the book back on the shelf.

"If you really want to find someone, I suggest the dead...they're good at listening." Kiki says. "Try it," she gives him the books, she opens her hand for payment and Kyle pulls out some cash for her. "Thank you," she says with a smile.

------------------

"You seem lonely," Gaz mocks Kiki. "The hell she knows?" He mumbles. As Gaz walks he walks by a graveyard. He looks down at the book in his hands.

"Cannot believe, I'm about to do this," he says, walking into the graveyard and walks around. He reads off the names one by one, but none spoke to him.

He finds a concrete bench and sits down on it. He let's out a sigh and feels like giving up. He turns just slightly when seeing a grave...it looked abandoned.

He gets up and walks to it, there was a grave. He bends down wiping his hand over the name.

"Here Lies Y/n L/n, a daughter, born 1837-1871. 34 years old huh...you passed too soon," he says, he looks down at the statue of what he thinks must be this Y/n woman.

The statue was on her laying on her back, hands holding some flowers, and she was dressed in Victorian era clothing.

Gaz sits down in front of her grave, legs crossed and he opened the table of contents to see where he needs to go to find the summoning spell.

"Here we go." As Gaz starts reading, then the small chants with his voice the wind starts to shift, blowing harder each time he would speak, the leaves landed wherever they could, once Gaz was done and was being a bit dramatic, rising his arms up to the sky as just perfect timing thunder cracked making him yank his arms down.

"Jesus," he says. He waits patiently but nothing, he closes the book and stood up. "What a waste of 20 bucks," he closes the book and walks off mumbling curses under his breath.

As he walks Gaz felt the ground shake, he stops thinking maybe it was an Earthquake, but he turns when seeing green light poke out from the ground, he falls on his back from tripping over a small grave.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" He yells getting up and then seeing a woman before his eyes. She was dressed in Victorian style clothes, but they were ripped to shreds, her face had flesh on one side and bone on the other, her arms were bone.

"Get the hell away from me, you-you demon!"

She just stops and stares at him confused. This is what he wanted right? To summon her.

She puts her hands up and waves them at him getting his attention.

"What?" He asks, confused. She points to the book then herself. "I-I don't understand-speak goddammit," he curses.

She looked offended that he would even speak to her like that. Even men in her era even knew not to curse in front of a lady.

"Why aren't you talking?" She holds her throat indicating that her vocal cords don't work anymore. "Right," he says.

"Sign language...do...Victorian era women know sign language?"

She shakes her head no.

"Great, will do this my way then."

----------------

Getting the zombie lady home was easier said then done. Most people thought the lady was dressed for Halloween which wasn't far away, then it was the dirty looks from people who thought she was being "too over the top."

Once home Gaz was just pacing wondering what the hell did he do, how long will this last, and does he need to do something else to send her back to her grave?

"Okay so..." she sits in front of him. "You can't talk, so maybe we can try...pen and paper," he gets up and walks to his office and grabs a notebook and a working pen and he hands them to her.

"Okay so...do you know you're dead?"

"I do."

"Okay, so, how did you die? Am I allowed to ask that?"

"I died by a carriage, not really that eventful."

"That's fine, I wasn't looking for a bad accident, just to know...what happened I guess...ummm h-how do I send you back?" He asked.

"Send me back? But I just got here."

"I know, I know, but...i-it was a mistake," he says.

"Mistake? So...I am not needed?"

"No not really, it was a dumb and stupid idea to do that, and I was just seeing if it actually worked or I got scammed by some witch."

Y/n looks like she was thinking and then started to write. "You are lonely."

"How the fuck-"

"Men, I know, also don't curse in front of women," she pops the notebook over his head.

"Okay, okay, I'll try and not cursing...just don't hit me again."

"Fine."

"Do you know a way for me to send you back?" He repeats his other question.

"No, I do not, maybe ask your witch you got that book from maybe she knows, but other then that, could I have a bath? I stink." Even when dead she cared more about her hygiene.

"Yeah, I'll go draw you a bath," he leaves her alone and heads to his bathroom.

---------------

He makes sure it's the right temp and she walks in, her dress giving her away from the loud movement.

"Your bath is small."

"Well, it's just me, I don't need a big bath-what baths were you using?" She just shrugs her shoulders.

She placed her notebook on the sink and starts removing her dress.

"WOAH! WAIT TILL I AM OUT OF THE BATHROOM!" Gaz says, covering his eyes. He leaves shutting the door leaving Y/n to strip and get in the tub.

"Are you in the tub?" He asks. Expecting a 'yes' but forgets she can't speak, he cracks the door seeing her in the tub. Her legs had flesh on them her stomach and torso did too, just her arms and half of her face were all bone.

"I-I don't think I can wash your clothes...they might disintegrate in the washer." She motions for him to give her the notebook and pen.

"That's okay, surely you must have clothes that fit me?"

"I might, let me go look." He leaves once again. He quickly comes back with some clothes. "I found an old band tee, and some running shorts...they're not mine."

"You are putting me in someone else clothing? Not even your own?"

"You want MY clothing?" She nods at his comment. "Fine, I'll go look for better clothes for you, your highness." He jokes before leaving the bathroom.

"I am NOT a royal," she wrote angrily and showed Gaz.

"I know you weren't...it was a joke."

"Joke?"

"Did you guys really not tell jokes back in the Victorian era?" She wonders.

"Men made it impossible to enjoy a lot of things," she wrote.

"Still like that today, I guess-not saying I'm like that, but I like cracking jokes here and there, but most of them are corny or stupid." He says shaking his head.

"Tell me one," she wrote with a happy face.

"No, no, I shouldn't," she keeps circling 'tell me' till Gaz smiles and shakes his head. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you one...let me think...Knock knock..." he waits. "You say 'who's there'?"

"Who's there?" She wrote.

"Candice."

"Candice who?"

"Candice joke get any worse?" He smiles waiting for a reaction from her. "You didn't get it did you?" She shakes her head no. "That's fine. Let me try..." he taps his chin. "Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Iva."

"Iva who?"

"I've a sore hand from knocking," she cracks a smile. "See funny right?" She nods.

------------------

It was close to midnight now and Y/n had walked around Gaz's apartment, Gaz was trying to contact Kiki, but she wasn't answering the phone.

"Come on, Kiki!" He yells.

Y/n walks around going to his bookshelf, she sees the amount of books he has, she pulls one off the shelf. 'The Idea of Working', she rolls her eyes and puts it back. 'The history of Germany', she puts it back.

Then she grabs one 'Taste of the Night,' she flips to the back and reads the back. It was a romance book. She goes to the coach and makes herself comfortable, bring her knees to her chest and flipping to the first page.

As she read Gaz came into the living room seeing her read the book.

"I've never really read that book. It didn't really go with my flow, and I'm picky when it comes to my books," he says, sitting next to her.

"I like the main character already." She wrote.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, she's how you say...a badass?"

"Should a lady be cursing?"

"No, but it's the only way I can describe her."

"Keep reading, I'll make up the guest bedroom for you," he says, tapping her knee and walking to the guest bedroom.

---------------

It's been 3 days now, and Gaz was walking on the same sidewalk before walking into Kiki's shop, but when he made it to the where he remembered the shop, it wasn't there anymore.

Just a big empty spot where the shop would have been, he was confused looking around like maybe he was on the wrong side of the street, but no, he remembers the book store and the flower shop, but where the hell did the Spell shop go?

Gaz then walks into the book store going to the front desk to ask the question.

"Hi, I was on this street a few days ago, I had ran into the spell shop...where did that go?"

"Spell shop? There was never a spell shop there? Not that I know of," the girl giggled at Gaz like he was crazy or something.

"No, no, no, no," Gaz left the store and paces outside.

-------------

Y/n had walked to the bathroom and touched her face, she felt like Gaz was embarrassed of her, which makes sense, she's dead and no one has ever seen the dead before, and someone might think she's a scare actor or something.

Y/n walked to Gaz's room, opening his closet and pulling out a shirt, she could smell his scent on it, she brings it to her nose and smells a husky scent of pine and wood, she takes a deep breath and sat on the bed, she removes the shirt she was wearing and put on the shirt she was holding.

She brought it to her nose and fell on her back, she loved the scent, she loved the feeling of the cotton on her upper half, she loved everything about wearing Gaz's shirt.

She walked to the living room and grabbed the book off the coffee table, she reads and every once and a while sniffed the shirt.

"MOTHER FUCKER!!" Gaz yells slamming the door to the apartment. "Apparently Kiki's spell shop is fucking gone! I'm so pissed off, I don't understand, where the hell could she have gone? I need to know how to send you back."

"Have you checked the book to see if there's a reversal spell?"

"The book doesn't have anything like that, just summoning the dead in different ways," he says. Sitting on the couch next to Y/n, he looks over and sees the shirt she was wearing. "That's my shirt."

"So? You gave me one of your old shirts, so what's the harm in wearing this one? And it smells amazing."

"I get that," he chuckles.

-------------------

A month, it's been a month and Gaz can't find any sort of trace of Kiki and her shop, but he started to grow...some sort of feeling towards Y/n, not wanting her to leave his side, he did at a point give looking for Kiki, and started to spend his time with Y/n.

Clothes had came in for Y/n she showed off her new wear to Gaz, from dresses to jeans.

"Women in my time weren't allowed to wear pants only skirts and dresses, I love pants," she smiles holding the tight denim that hugged her thighs.

"They look nice on you," he says, leaning back and smiled.

"I like this shirt too."

"Go try in that skirt, I know you weren't so sure on it." She nods and heads off to the bedroom.

Gaz smiles at the girl as she leaves to go put on a long skirt, Y/n was so nervous about it because the skirt had a slit on the right side, She comes back showing it off, he smiles.

"You look good."

"Not too revealing?"

"No, never. Do you feel comfortable?"

"Yes."

"Then it's perfect."

Gaz watched as her face lit up with a smile and her eyes showing the glint of happiness, she would never feel this good when she was alive in the Victorian era. Gaz gets up off the couch and walks to her, spinning her around.

"You look amazing," he says. He cups her face, he wasn't ever afraid of her, but grew to love her and like her.

"Did you give up?"

"On what?"

"Sending me back?"

"I did...I don't need to when you listen to me, and you...complete me in a way."

"Do I?"

"Yeah."

"Have you gotten use to me writing to you instead of talking to you?"

"I am, I...I do love you, I know it's too early, it's been a month, but you listen to me, you're like my friend better then my actual friends," he jokes.

"Don't say that, I'm only here because...you summoned me."

"I know." Gaz leans forward and his lips touched hers, Y/n didn't push away from him, but instead held him tightly her arms going around his neck to hold him close, his hands resting on her waist and then picking her up and while still kissing her, walking towards his bedroom with a smile on his face, and kissing her neck here and there.

The room was silent and all Gaz could hear was how fast Y/n's heart was beating, even the dead has a beating heart, he smiles when seeing her face slightly become pink and then she covers her face from the embarrassment.

"Don't hide from me," he says, pulling her hands back. She just shakes her head indicating she wasn't being shy, but she was. He smiles and kisses her lips.

"I know women during your time didn't really...have sex before marriage, I want to respect your boundaries."

"I'm fine...we...we can try, I won't feel anything."

"You won't?"

"I don't have a uterus or ovaries, and I've been numb since I've died. So if anything you feel something more then me."

"Right, maybe not."

"No, not right now, but we can still kiss," she hid behind the notebook when showing him what she wrote, he chuckles shakes his head and slowly pushes down the notebook cupping her face and deepening the kiss.

[duchezss]

All my favorite moments in blue beetle: a very long and silly list because this is my new fav movie ever (latinos on top fr)

The fact that the entire movie is low key a representation of how lost people can feel after they finish college and don't know what to do with their life.

How celebrated it is that Jaime is a first gen college student

As much as I loved him being from el paso, I love that he now gets his own city that it still deeply rooted in latino culture

How despite the fact that everything is going bad for the family, Jaime still tries to keep moral up and be positive

Jaime stands up for Jenny without thinking

How his persistence is what ends him landing up with the scarab, and subsequently keeping it out of victorias hands

Am I allowed to say his entire family? The scene where they're all pushing him to open to the box was so funny. Their dynamic felt so real, and it makes even more sense because apparently any time they were bickering it was improv.

How well the movie handled micro-aggressions against latinos. Like the receptionist didn't even attempt Jaime name, and how Victoria would never get her scientist's name right. They are subtle, but very real problems.

Maybe this was just me, but from the trailers I thought Jenny and Jaime already new each other, but I liked that they just met. It made their story more interesting.

The body horror route they decided to take with the suit was so cool.

The suit in general. I missed practical suits so much, and it just looked so amazing.

Another thing, that has already been talked about a lot but idc, is that I still am so in love that his family knows from the get go. Of course it wasn't really his choice, but I love how there is never any big secret, and they are constantly in the picture.

I know the Khaji-Da doesn't have as much personality compared to the comics, but the whole sequence where Jaime first gets the suit was so funny.

Notoriously in the comics the beetles were sent out to worlds to be the harbingers for their creator species to invade said world. I loved the small detail in the intro of the blue beetle crashing into the green beetle and then having a flash of electricity. I wonder if that was to hint at a malfunction, since the Khaji-Da never goes to evil with Jaime.

I love Rudy's truck. It's stupid but that's why it's so good.

The whole family debrief was was funnier than it should've been, and the beetle on Jaime spine looked wicked as well.

I thought it was interesting how much of a presence Ted Kord had on the movie, mainly because. of Jenny, but it was still there.

Every. Single. Latino. Reference. I could barely keep up there were so many good ones omg, the details were amazing.

For Jenny being an original character I thought she was done very well

I love how Rudy was useful and basically got them into kord industries.

I love the way we only see Jaime eyes in the suit. It's a different approach to what we've seen with masked heroes so far and I love it

How much they talked about the first two blue beetles, I thought adding that context made it better

They made it very evident how lonely Jenny feels, and I think her small emotional moments really paid off in the end.

I love how Jaime was so openly affectionate with both Rudy and his father, it's something uncommon with men in latino cultures and I loved seeing it.

The entire sequence where Jaime's house was being raided was so uncomfortable. And it was in moments like this were I thought Soto did a great job of weaving real world problems latinos face within a superhero movie.

The moment when Jaime's father had a heart attack, and Jaime was being dragged away, and his sister was screaming was just so heartbreaking and powerful. All of them were hurting so much.

I loved how active his family was, and how all of them immediately went to go rescue him.

Side note: the bug ship looked so cool and goofy and I loved it so much

How Jose was actually very curious about Jaime's connection to the beetle, but Victoria didn't care

The whole dream scene with Jaime and his father. I thought it perfectly mirrored their conversation from the beginning of the movie, and I thought it was incredibly moving. Not to mention I loved the detail of Jaime wearing the last outfit he saw his father in.

I loved that Jaime saved himself, but that his family greatly aided him. I thought it was a great metaphor for the fact that you can do things on your own, but having support can really make the difference

I thought it was so funny that Jaime absolutely refused to kill, and his family members did it was a smile on their face lmaoo.

I know it's cheesy, but I always love it in superhero movies when the main character finally accepts their destiny and it was a very cool moment for Jaime too. But I will say I think they did it with an interesting approach. For most superhero movies the big moment is the superhero finally deciding to go out of their way and fight the big bad, but in this movie he just finally fights what's right in front of him.

How once Jaime accepted himself as the Blue Beetle, Khaji-Da started speaking to him in spanish and adopted his ideologies, further proving their relationship is a two way street.

I loved that Khaji-Da stopped Jaime from killing Carapax, because he was justifiable angry, but he would've regretted it at some point

The low key plot twist of the locket Carapax had not being his wife and child, but being him and his mother. That was genius tbh.

I loved that Jaime had the iconic 2000s superhero half masked fight. This movie felt so 2000's but in the best way possible.

How the entire final act was circling back to the point of loving his family making him weak, but throughout everything we've seen, it's clearly the opposite.

I liked how once Jaime bonded with Khaji his mask would come on and off on command.

How Jaime started wearing his father's necklace in the ending :(

I loved the entire score so much, the synth wave vibe they decided to take was fantastic. I also love how iconic and recognizable they made blue beetle's main theme. Like the bum bum bummm that kept showing up was so good.

I really loved how they aged Jaime up to 22 as a newly college grad. I feel like superheros are always either 16 or 40 and there's never any in between, so it was nice to see.

And for my last point to a very long list: I loved that in the end Carapax helped Jaime and Jenny. Because the real villain was Victoria making them fight each other, and in my opinion that was such a powerful metaphor for latinos and any pocs

[starstriix]

Jo's dynamics with other characters are all usually fun and engaging due to her being such an entertaining and adaptable character herself; but they can honestly be so much more interesting if people explored them a bit more?

For example, take Jo and Lightning. They have a hilarious dynamic with Jo having to deal with Lightning's stupidity and learning to manipulate his self-centeredness to her advantage. Except one thing I don't see explored enough is their similarities??

They're both overconfident athletes who are willing to do bad shit in order to win. It makes me think that Jo might’ve had a similar upbringing to him where she had to deal with the pressure of winning? Like, a cut-throat attitude doesn't just develop out of nowhere. Except whilst I think Lightning's ego developed from being constantly praised (and eventually pressured with having to live up to others' expectations), Jo might’ve been constantly belittled and underestimated (for yknow, being a girl) and she would've had to work hard to achieve recognition from others. Episode 6 pretty much confirms that she uses a false bravado and anger to cover up feelings of insecurity. I just think their possibly similar yet different upbringings and perspectives would be cool to explore.

Jo and Zoey is one of my favourite duos! They definitely should've become friends; I think they would've been a fun dynamic, and gen 2 could've used a proper female friendship. I think them both having the "Not like other girls" aspect is quite interesting?? As well as them both initially lacking actual friendships (with Zoey's lonely childhood, and Jo's... Just Jo) which is. Pretty common amongst the gen 2 girls. Huh

Zoey could've been a MUCH more interesting character (I always just use the cool epic version of her I have inside my head). Let her be weirdddd or let her be super basic and intentionally pose as "indie" to seem cool and different. Maybe she looks down on other "basic" girls to cover up how she feels insecure around them for being weird and having unconventional interests herself idk. I think the dynamic of both Zoey and Jo hating on pretty, popular girls and overcoming that is super neat. Especially since they're both something that the other hates; Zoey is a typically feminine girl and Jo is a jockette. Let them become friends and be like "okay well you aren't so bad" and then eventually stop judging other girls for being "feminine" or "basic" pleaseeeee it'd be so good. Even better: let ALL the revenge girls be friends. I just want them to be happy OKAY? Okay.

Finally, Jo and Cameron! Another duo I'm fond of. Awesome brains/brawns combination, and the whole arc of Cam standing up to her and Jo respecting him for it is absolutely peak. Jo's elimination in roti was pretty much perfect, but I also think she could've worked well in the finale. Her being a combination of brains and brawns would have encouraged Cameron to use both, which would be a neat callback to Jo's earlier line of needing to get physical in TD. (Still think she should've rooted for Cameron over the guy who insisted that she was a dude for most of the season but whatever)

I haven't really seen this take on their dynamic, but the whole thing of Cameron's development being stunted from the over-protective environment of his upbringing and Jo being toughened by the harsh environment of hers adds a fascinating layer to their relationship. Whereas Cameron was prevented from being able to properly grow up and experience things like normal teens, Jo grew up way too soon and put more focus into winning than making positive relationships and allowing herself to just be a teenage girl (I personally believe Jo got the """tough love""" treatment). Idk I just think this would be cool to delve into and see how their opposite childhoods impacted them and their core values when interacting with each other

Cameron clearly saw her as both a role model and an opponent, which is a really fun dynamic! She was a bully, yeah, but she also presented herself as someone who was always in control and knew what she was doing, so it's understandable that Cam looked up to her. She was pretty much the opposite of overprotective too, which is probably what drew Cam to her since she didn't coddle him (and instead made fun of him LMAO). And of course, Jo learned to not underestimate the tiny nerds and gave her respect in the end. Super fun and intriguing duo, and probably the only td pair I would actually compare to siblings.

So yeah basically I think we should start looking into TD relationship dynamics more because they're awesome and filled with potential. Especially Jo's because she is the best ever and if you think otherwise then you're wrong

Also have a gold star if you just read through all of that ⭐️ great work soldier

[yuri-is-online]

ruggie to (unknowingly) his kid: imma flirt with your mom and potentially erase your existence, sorry not sorry

*cracks knuckles* nothing but the best for my favorite hyena.

notes: they/them used for Yuu, for context on the fyuuture kid au can be found here and here.

The entire Yutu situation gives Leona a headache.  He sees the portal, takes a sniff, rolls his eyes, and goes looking for the only hyena he (or to be more accurate Yuu) knows.  He doesn't outright say “congratulations you're a dad” because he doesn't know if that would be too much to believe but Ruggie takes the whole "time traveler related to Yuu" idea fairly well.  I mean, Yuu’s from another world and Ruggie was pretty convinced that was impossible until .  What bothers him is Leona's saying Yutu is a beastman.  That can only really mean one thing, but Ruggie doesn't want to bug Leona for any more details because what if his first thought is wrong and all his hopes are crushed?  I mean he never said that Yutu was Yuu's kid... just that they are related. Maybe it's an ancestry thing and he can just adjust the streams a bit?

Meanwhile Yutu is thrilled to see what a great partner to his parent his dad is. It makes him feel very warm and safe, something Yutu hasn't felt in a very long time.

Ruggie! Yutu is a bit oblivious to certain things.  He tries to socialize with people, really he does but things always just sort of come out wrong and leave him upset, lonely, and embarrassed. He doesn't have Ruggie's charisma or ability to schmooze, but he does have his laugh. Something that endears him to Yuu which is all he really cares about at the end of the day. Hyenas tend to be more solitary and stick to their clans/family units, and while he might not have his ears and tail in your world he still has his instincts.

Yuu remembers Ruggie as someone who took care of them and took a great deal of pride in that. They tell him about how Yutu shares his laugh, and how they know in their soul he would have loved Yutu to bits. Ruggie has a voice line about how he used to make flower crowns for the neighborhood kids back home, and I can see him teaching Yuu how he made them when they were preparing for Yutu so they "could make some for the kid when they get here." Yuu might not remember that's why they know how to make the little crowns Yutu loves so much, but it makes them nostalgic to watch their little dandelion prince run around their backyard in his crown.

Dandelions are his favorite flower from how often Yuu uses them to make flower crowns, and he quite likes making wishes on them.  When he was a child he used to bring them up to Yuu and insist on them making wishes too, he never told them but he was convinced that one day Yuu's memory loss and pain would go away if they just kept wishing on them. He still makes wishes on them sometimes, but he feels very silly about it now.

He likes being useful, especially to Yuu, and is surprisingly good at negotiating for someone who isn't as unflappable as his dad.  People tend to think he comes off as a bit stupid, so they're very blindsided when he knows all his figures and what to charge for his work.  He doesn't fully realize this which tends to annoy people, which he does pick up on but he's too stubborn to let that affect negotiations.  He needs that money more than whoever is dunking on him.

What does he use that money for? Well he wants Yuu to use it on bills, but you keep saying no so he spends it on fabric and yarn. If he's going to spend so much time alone he might as well be able to clothe himself. And you always praised him when he made you something new. Like I said, he wants to be useful.

As described here upon being transported to Twisted Wonderland, Ruggie! Yutu found himself transformed into a hyena beastman. His hearing is overwhelmingly sensitive, Crewel has to speak to him in whispers for the first few weeks, and still finds himself doing it sometimes. Losing Yuu clearly struck a massive blow to Yutu's sense of self, and now Crewel has to tell him about what happened to his dad.

Yutu really likes the idea that the dead in Twisted Wonderland become stars. He starts stargazing to cope with missing his parents, even picking out where in the sky he thinks you and Ruggie are watching over him. It evolves into an interest in stargazing that he keeps up when he travels back in time.

Now Ruggie. Ruggie. When Yutu meets him he's surprised at how accurate Yuu's memories of him were. He loves showing off how good he would be at taking care of Yuu while providing them the room to take care of themselves too. Ruggie has so much respect for what Yuu can do without magic it makes Yutu a bit teary eyed, he had always worried about Yuu feeling alone in Twisted Wonderland since he knows first hand mages can be very judgemental so seeing one not like that-

"Well it's just nice to see." His father can't see it but his tail his wagging underneath his hoodie. For some reason, Ruggie doesn't seem proud of himself though, he's just staring at the ground long and hard like he's thinking about something.

"Are you sure you should be thanking me?" Yutu thinks that Ruggie sounds sad, and he's instantly worried that he's said something wrong somehow but has no idea what it could be or how to explain himself if he had.

"Um- is is there a reason I shouldn't?" Please don't make him guess that's his least favorite game and he always fails-

"Well I mean I'm flirting with your parent ain't I? That could potentially erase your existence." Ruggie is so serious about it that it shocks Yutu out of his spiral.

"Oh. I don't think that will be an issue."

Listen the instant Ruggie learns he can flirt with Yuu to his hearts content without causing timeline issues he gets three times as "insufferable" (Yutu thinks it's cute) with how direct he is to Yuu. He's still more reserved than some of the other boys, he wants you to make the first move, but he's happy that he wasn't misinterpreting your relationship up to this point. Really happy.

He is significantly LESS happy with what Yutu tells him about the future. Ruggie was raised by his grandma and while he loves her to death the last thing he ever wanted for his child was to A) have to struggle like he did and B) have to struggle alone. Don't get him wrong, he trusts Yuu to have given Yutu the best childhood possible given their circumstances but those circumstances never should have existed. It's literally the one thing he has been working for all this time and vowed never to accept failure for.

Very worried about Yutu's health now that he knows he's been a Hyena beastmen all this time under that hood. He uses his new found freedom to take up Yuu's time to keep them away from Ramshackle (until Yutu is ready to tell Yuu) so Yutu can have a bit more time to relax outside of his disguise. he's very impressed by Yutu's sewing skills and takes the time to teach him how to alter his clothes to be more friendly to his tail and ears.

From the bit of reading I did on Hyenas, and some of Ruggie's voice lines, bringing back food for the cubs is very important to them so Ruggie starts being very concerned about seeing Yutu eat enough. He won't even charge for it if he thinks his kid didn't get enough to eat, Rugginald is going to find that boy a sandwich if it's the last thing he does (but not really he's not going to die on Yutu again.)

Surprisingly, Ruggie is more than fine with Yutu's lack of charisma and social awkwardness. It takes all sorts of peoples to make the world go round and Yutu clearly has a good head for figures and a strong work ethic. He knows what his weakness are and he tries to make up for them, what else could a survival minded guy like Ruggie ask for? (One of those sweaters he made Yuu, a matching one preferably he wants to take holiday pictures he's heard rich people do that.)

Ruggie is another one who has no idea how to fix the future, but he's sure Leona will be willing to make it his problem if he learns just how much more work is waiting for him in the future if he doesn't stop things now. In the meantime he tries not to think about the death that could be awaiting him in favor of working to maintain what he has now, and that's you, your not cat, and your star gazing son from the future. Ruggie's never been one to take stock in the idea that a person can be poor in wealth but rich in friends, but damn if he doesn't feel like it every time Yutu asks him to show him something new.

[nivenus]

The thing about Joker 2's mutual rejection of the first film's fandom is it seemed perfectly clear to me when I finally watched the first film that Todd Phillips held nothing but contempt for Arthur Fleck.

He wasn't an anti-hero or tragic villain in Phillips' eyes: he was a pathetic sicko.

The hysteria (which I participated in) about whether the film romanticized lonely angry men completely missed the point, as did fans of the film that claimed it was a sympathetic portrayal of mental illness or economic inequality: the film fit neither narrative.

Instead, Joker is a deeply cynical, almost voyeuristic film about watching someone who's already beneath contempt following an almost inevitable spiral into mindless violence, which the mob eats up because they're dumb sheeple.

Arthur isn't portrayed with empathy: we don't get a sense for who he is besides "sad" & "unhinged."* He's clearly creepy & unsettling even before he turns violent and the movie makes a point that his perspective isn't trustworthy. His fictional condition is used to make him inhuman, not relatable.

The same is true of the film's alleged social criticism about inequality and mental health treatment: the film portrays those who are angry at the system as, at best, delusional, and at worst nihilistic. Sure, Thomas Wayne is an asshole but he's also normal.** Neither Arthur nor his fans are.

The closest the film has to a point of view is, IMO, Murray Franklin, the Johnny Carson like night show host who Arthur murders in the final act. He's treated as a voice of reason and his derisive rejection of Arthur is treated as "calling it like he sees it:" Arthur is a terrible comedian.

Likewise, though this exchange has become memetic as a way of talking truth to power, I think it's perfectly clear in context Murray's shock and dismay is supposed to be relatable while Arthur's admission to enjoying killing is supposed to be monstrous.

The problem is... the movie is about Arthur & so the fact that he's such a vapid, uninteresting character means the film is also very hollow. Not only does it have little to say about mental illness or inequality but it also doesn't have anything interesting to say about violent psychopaths.

So it's easy to see why people projected messages on to it the film doesn't actually support: because there's nothing actually going on underneath the surface, for all its obvious aspirations to "high cinema."

The movie gets by entirely on its trappings: it looks and feels like a 1970s Scorsese film and even if you haven't seen Taxi Driver or The King of Comedy that lends it a uniqueness that makes it stand out.

But scratch below that and there's nothing there.

Ultimately, I'll admit to a certain schadenfreude with the second film bombing so terribly, because it honestly feels like what Todd Phillips' efforts deserve: a film where the only real ideas it had were that the mentally ill are contemptible and empathy is for the stupid.

*Also can we talk about the homophobic trappings of Phoenix's performance? I can't be the only one who noticed the effeminate mannerisms and gay lilt Phoenix and Phillips gave Arthur nor the way his obsession at Murray Franklin reads as homoerotic.

This, along with what I've read of Harley's (excuse me, "Lee's") portrayal in Folie a Deux gives me no sense that Phillips' contempt for Arthur has less to do with violent masculinity rather than a general abhorrence of the neurodivergent and those outside a straight, white male neurotypical POV.

**(Also worth pointing out that the central villainy of Wayne, that he had an affair with Arthur's mother and possibly fathered him, is revealed to be quite possibly all a delusion by said mother and not at all real.)

[bunitivity]

I don't know if you've answered something similar but do you have any ZoLuSanUso headcanons for when they're sick? (Let's ignore canon for a moment, I know none of these monsters actually ever get sick, but that's no fun! We want angst, and hurt and comfort!)

No I’ve not lol but sure I can give some hcs. Out of the four of them I feel like Usopp would be the most likely to say anything if he got sick followed by Luffy and then Sanji and then Zoro who I believe wouldn’t even know if he was sick. He would just say something like I’ve been feeling weaker lately better up my training and then train harder like an idiot.

Sanji would be coming over with some refreshments and be like wait you’re breathing weird and you’re all red are you okay?/that’s what happens when you train maybe you should try it some time and then before Sanji has a chance to give a scathing respond Zoro just fkn collapses in front of everyone. Luffy would be fkn inconsolable thinking he’s dying bc anything that can fell someone like Zoro must be fatal and Usopp tries to explain that it’s just his hubris catching up to him and this is what happens when you train shirtless in the fucking cold.

Zoro would be the worst sick person bc he’d insist he’s fine and try to sneak out of the infirmary any chance he gets which is why it’s a good thing he has three boyfriends who can take shift to prevent that from happening. Though they don’t really need to take shifts bc Luffy won’t leave his side and is there under the covers with him fiercely holding him which was fine at first until it becomes too hot and it gets uncomfortable. Zoro is dying but would rather die before saying anything so it’s Sanji who has to break it to Luffy.

“You know I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing I’ve heard the easiest way to get rid of a fever is to sweat it,” Usopp points out.

Luffy’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Usopp darling my love,” Sanji pinches his nose. “I love you but please don’t encourage this. At this rate they’re both going to get sick and then we’ll have two ppl to take care of.”

“And here I thought you’d do anything for the people you love,” Zoro opens up the blanket. “Are you really going to let something like a measly cold stop you?”

Sanji sees the space Zoro opens up for him and the way Luffy looks so snuggly by his side and takes a step towards them and almost falls for it until Usopp snatches his wrist. Zoro clicks his tongue.

Usopp sighs. “God you’re so easy. I can’t believe you’d let him bait you like that.”

Sanji flushes. “What? No! I wasn’t going to fall for it! I was just going to check his temperature and nothing else!”

“Sure babe,” Usopp says. “Sanji you’re the cook you’re the last person we need getting sick please don’t let this idiot tempt you.”

“Yeah which is why Usopp should join us!” Luffy rises in the bed and grabs Usopp’s hand. “Double the people means Zoro would get better even faster!”

And then he drags him into bed.

“Wait Luffy! Ugh Zoro you’re so sweaty! Gross!”

Zoro just smiles before plastering himself all over Usopp making it that much worse. “Oi stop that! I fucking hate you!”

Zoro hums “sure” while Luffy just laughs. “Don’t worry Usopp you’ll get used to it.”

“That’s the last thing I want!”

“Wait wait wait,” Sanji interrupts their tomfoolery. “If Usopp sleeps here then who am I sleeping with tonight??”

“That’s what you’re worried about? This idiot is trying to infect me with his stupid germs and that is what you’re most worried about??”

“It just gets so lonely~”

“You’ll just have to figure that out because it’s already too late for Usopp I’m afraid,” Zoro kisses Usopp’s cheek and then looks up at him through his lashes. “But the offer still stands.”

“Well-“

“Sanji!”

“Okay fine! I’ll just sleep all by myself in our big stupid bed while the three of you get to cuddle here all warm and happy.”

He does not do that and just ends up sleeping on the infirmary floor because he’s an idiot and he occasionally reaches out to touch Usopp’s hand that’s dangling over the side of the bed because he’s crazy like that.

Of course the next ones who get sick are Luffy and Usopp. It doesn’t happen right away it doesn’t even hit them at the same time. Luffy is the one who goes down first because he’s the one who spent the most time with Zoro and unlike Usopp he was willing to kiss Zoro while he was sick because he genuinely didn’t believe he would get it but he does.

Luffy does not like getting sick. Does not like how weak it makes him feel and most of all how lonely it is when his boyfriends or friends aren’t there to keep him company. Reminds him too much of being small and being sick and alone because Ace went out to hunt and he couldn’t go with him. And now he’s thinking about Ace which is a whole bag worms and fuck being alone with his thoughts like this is just torture.

So he gets extra clingy because he can’t stand being alone. And of course his boyfriends indulge him holding his hand and talking to him to distract him to keep the bad thoughts at bay.

“I’m sorry,” he’ll tell Sanji. “I should have listened to you. If had none of this would have happened. It’s okay you can go back to work I’ll be okay.”

Sanji would normally chastise him but he hears the vulnerability in his voice and just squeezes his hand and then brings it to his lips. “Nonsense, my love. I’ll stay with you until you feel better.”

Luffy tears up a bit. “Even if you get sick?”

“Even if I get sick.”

Usopp would make a makeshift bed out of chairs and lay down so they’re at the same eye level and it feels like they are on the same bed even if they aren’t and reaches across the vast distance to hold his hand and make him laugh with his stories some fantastical some real(albeit exaggerated) about the things he has missed. Luffy will listen with rapt attention until he dozes off. Sometimes Usopp will fall asleep holding his hand and Zoro and Sanji have to come collect him.

Some nights Zoro will sneak in after the two others have fallen asleep. Just to watch over him and if Luffy is awake he’ll wrap him up in some sheets from head to toe to prevent himself from getting sick again and then cuddles him to sleep. Luffy is so happy despite how stuffy and uncomfortable it is. Just happy not to be alone.

——————

Sanji is just in the kitchen making breakfast one morning when Usopp comes up behind him and wraps his arms around him and rests his head on his shoulder. “Sanji I think I’m getting sick.”

“You too??” He checks his forehead and sure enough Usopp’s burning up. “You guys are going down like flies. But before we tell Chopper give me one final kiss.”

“Do you really think that’s a good idea.” Then he laughs at the downtrodden look on Sanji’s face and kisses him. “Guess it’s fine I don’t think it’s that serious anyway.”

It’s that serious and he ends up joining an overjoyed Luffy in the infirmary. Hurray a sick buddy!

“I really do not like how happy you are that I’m sick. Feels like a red flag.”

“What?? I’m not happy you’re sick I’m happy we’re sick together!”

“Diabolical.”

“I’ll show you diabolical!” Then he just starts kissing him all over.

Sanji is just distraught that they’re both sick now. “I haven’t gotten any Luffy kisses in so long.” Okay maybe that’s not the only thing he’s distraught about but still!

“No one’s stopping you.”

“Shut up Marimo this is all your fault! If you’d just learn to wear a shirt none of this would have happened!”

“Oh please you love it when I don’t wear a shirt.”

“When it’s hot out! …wait did you just say nothing is stopping me?” Sanji’s eyes go wide. “Don’t tell me you have been making out with Luffy this entire time!”

“What moron would do that!”

Then they get kicked out of the infirmary for being too loud.

It hits Usopp a lot harder than the other two. Because unlike his boyfriends he’s just regular person and whatever felled them straight up knocks him out. He’s delirious and barely conscious for the most of it which makes the others quite distressed. Especially Luffy who is the closest to him(proximity wise) and who ends up seeing the worst of it. He will try and talk to Usopp but only gets short responses back and sometimes they aren’t even coherent and make no sense. This just makes him even more distressed which leads to Luffy staying up all night despite also being sick and needing his rest just to watch Usopp sleep afraid that if he falls asleep Usopp will just stopped breathing. No matter how much Chopper reassures him Usopp will be fine there will be this tiny voice at the back of his head whispering what if and he just can’t risk it.

Even after Luffy gets better he’ll lie and say he is still sick just so he isn’t forced to leave. He’ll wrap around him several times cocooning him in his arms in the dead of night whispering in Usopp’s ear to please not leave him he couldn’t bear to lose anyone else. And then sigh a breath of relief when he feels Usopp squeeze him back.

Sanji is just as bad as him staying up late at the infirmary not leaving until Zoro has to physically lift him and carry him out. He redoubles his efforts whipping up dish after dish that he hopes will help. Zoro often have to force to take a break. Zoro is worried too but unlike Luffy and Sanji he knows restraint(when it concerns others that are not him lol) so he ends up looking Sanji so he doesn’t overwork himself and ends up bedridden too. Two sick people are already bad enough.

Once he gets him in bed Sanji would still stay up worrying and confiding in Zoro that he’s afraid that they may not get better alluding but not outright telling him about his mother’s illness. She had been looked a lot better than Usopp and she still died and so what if the same happened to either Luffy or Usopp?? Then were would he be? Just all alone with stupid Marimo he would say all while burying his face in Zoro’s chest trembling. “Don’t be stupid they’re a lot stronger than some stupid cold they’ll both be fine In no time especially after you made that dish? What was it called again?”

He will try to distract by making him talk about those legendary dishes he learned from Iva until he falls asleep.

Zoro who’s usually so unflappable ends up infected by all Luffy’s and Sanji’s anxious energy and just ends up feeling useless since there’s nothing he can do but watch over Luffy and Usopp while they sleep and helping Luffy get out of his spirals once the waiting gets to be too much.

But because Sanji can’t be stopped(Zoro is too m he just isn’t as vocal about it) they end up sleeping in the infirmary too. Making a makeshift bed on the floor much to Chopper’s chagrin.

Usopp wakes up early one morning finally released from the ravages of his fever to see his three boyfriends in the room with him. Luffy clutching his waist and Sanji holding his hand which has started cramping from the impractical position. He looks up and makes direct eye contact with Zoro who smiles with heavy eye bags under his eyes and says “took you long enough.”

Usopp reaches out and touches his face and brings it closer so he can kiss it. “Thank you for waiting.”

There’s a little bit of a celebration once the other two wake up and everything is right with the world.

Until Sanji gets sick.

“And this is why I said you shouldn’t work so hard stupid cook.”

“Are we cursed? Is this why this keeps happening?? Feels like we’re stuck in a bad dream!”

“Don’t be stupid this is because Sanji was stupid and worked himself sick.”

“Maybe so but-Luffy!”

Luffy stops where he had been crawling into bed into Sanji’s outstretched arms who’s crooning sweet nothings to him.

“What? You can’t get sick twice from the same cold. I stayed with you even after I got better and I’m feeling just fine.”

“That cannot possibly be true.”

“You gotta admit he has a point.”

“I do not want to hear that from you patient 0. I blame you for all of this.”

Zoro just shrugs and makes Sanji scooch over.

But because there was no one there to correct them and both Zoro and Sanji agreed with Luffy outvoting Usopp 3-1 he had to let it happen. And to no one’s surprise they all got sick again.