#Anyone who is here who thinks I'm not having the time of my little impish life rest assured

[bonefall]

SKYSTAR DOES WHAT TO ARC

Man send this guy to cat hell let his dark forest edition be one eye eating him

HE MAULS HIM

Arc goes into his territory and Skystar RIPS! THAT! BOY! UP!!!

And then later Skystar uses the will of StarClan to justify his invasion of RiverClan, which BTW is 10000% consistent with A Forest Divided (a post redemption arc book) where he completely misinterprets Fluttering Bird in a way that would get him more power.

So if you just ignore the fact they tried to write him as being so scared :( he doesn't know what he's doing :( for the 400th time, it totally tracks. That's Skystar. That's who he is.

[shiny-jr]

not my world [ prologue ]

– Summary: One day you wake in a foreign world with nothing to your name except the clothes on your back. A talking cat named Grim, gives you your only lead to return home. Seek out the seven gods and pray they answer your plea.

– Warning: Yes, this series is a yandere thing, although this post really isn't. Gender-neutral reader.

– Characters: Grim.

– Note: Think of this like a test, just to see how it's received. Yes, this is based off that outlander post I made a while ago. I was thinking I could make this a long-lasting series. However, it really depends how y'all like it. There's not too much going on here, because I'm trying to set the scene and I wrote it all fairly quickly. However, it's just a small taste. So, let me know what y'all think.

– Pages: 11

“So… you’re saying that you woke up here on this beach with no explanation, but you’re from another world so you have no idea where you are? You fell asleep in your own bed, in your own home, and now you’re here, with no way to go back?” 

As far fetched as it sounded, you could only grimly nod. A dream, this should’ve just been a nightmare. But that was confirmed to be false when you pinched yourself multiple times and tried to splash yourself with the nearby ocean water. Everything felt so real, from the sand between your toes to the breeze in the air and the sunlight drying the water off the surface of your flesh. You wanted it to be nothing but a dream, especially when you found a talking cat with a forked tail and blue fire in his ears. 

This was your third attempt trying to explain things to this impish but rather harmless little furball, and each time he seemed more puzzled than the last. His little black nose twitched as he sat in front of you, his paws digging into the sand as those strange eyes of his studied you closely. His voice was grating, high-pitched, speaking with a tone of doubt. “You don’t look like you’re from any of the seven nations. No pointed ears, no beast features, not even a magestone to your name! Well, it makes sense. A nobody like you obviously wouldn’t have a magestone anyways.” 

That was probably meant to be an insult, but considering you didn’t even know what a magestone was, you didn’t really take any offense at all. Pointed ears, beast features, magestones, annoying talking cats�� you really didn’t care about any of that. “Because I’m not from whatever seven nations there are. I already told you where I’m from.” 

“Yeah, well I never heard of wherever it was you said. So get lost, would you, human? I’ve claimed this beach alrea–” 

A low growl rang in the air. Swiftly you scanned your surroundings, fearful that you were about to be attacked by some mythical beast. However, when you looked back to the feline who now looked quite ashamed, you realized the noise came from his stomach. Actually, the little fellow seemed pretty scrawny, and you could just barely make out the shape of his ribs poking out of his sides. 

Standing up, you brushed off the sand clinging to the oversized t-shirt you fell asleep in. Thankfully, you at least had sandals, which was better than waking up here barefoot. With one look around, there didn’t appear to be anyone for miles, and no sign of civilization here. Leaving the cat as your only option to turn to, as jarring as it was to be speaking to a cat. “Er… Look, if you could at least help me find people, a shelter, a city, something– then I’ll see about getting you something to eat. Deal?” 

“I don’t need your help! But… I’m curious, so I’ll follow anyway.” 

“Great…” You sigh, as you decide to follow a path that leads away from the shoreline and into woodlands. At the very least, you were not completely alone. This would be much more terrifying if you had woken up and there was absolutely no one around. “So, do you have a name or are you, like, feral?” 

“I’m not feral!” It hissed as it walked in tandem beside you, keeping up with your steady pace. “Since I am so great, I will allow you to know my name. I am the all-mighty Grim! One-of-a-kind and destined to one day become strong, powerful enough to defeat even the seven gods!” 

“Seven gods…?” Was this some sort of fantasy setting? It had to be. First he mentioned pointed ears and beast-people, and you were having a conversation with a talking cat! Maybe seven gods were the least outlandish thing you’ve heard today. “Well, I’m (Y/n).” 

“You’ve never heard of The Seven? How stupid could you be?” 

You frowned at his toothy little grin as he ridiculed you for your knowledge on a place you just ended up in. “Well excuse me for not knowing anything about this place I just ended up in!” Tearing your gaze away, you saw a cabin up ahead. It appeared abandoned, so there wasn’t any hope of seeing another person yet. Still, there may be something useful inside, so you approach. 

Trying the knob, you found the lock jammed. The wood of the front door was rotting, some of it in splitters and the windows were shattered. With a few strong kicks, the door became dislodged and finally gave way beneath the pressure. 

“You’re excused– hey! Tuna!” You didn’t even bother stopping the feline when he rushed into the abandoned cabin, sprinting after the few cans of tuna he spotted on an old table. At least he would get to eat. 

You didn’t particularly care for canned fish that’s been sitting there for who knows how long. In practically a blink of the eye he had devoured three whole cans of the stuff and licked the remnants off of his whiskers. 

“Okay, okay, since I feel so bad for you, and because you found these tuna cans, I’ll be your guide. That way, I don’t owe you nothin’ after this! Maybe one day, if you’re still around, you’ll see me ascend to the ranks among the archons and you can brag like I knew him! Isn’t Grim so cool and praise worthy? I might even remember you and accept your prayers! You can thank me now.” 

At his smug expression, you squinted incredulously as he began walking down the path in the middle of the woods once more. Following hesitantly, thankful there was daylight and this seemed like a particularly nice forest, save for the very depths of it further away from the road that were dark due to the cover of leaves and branches above. However, the trees closest to you weren’t so dense, and the sunlight filtered through the thin foliage. The dirt road was wide, but slightly covered with scattered blades of grass and underbrush, as if no one had used it in a long while. Squirrel-like critters darted about in trees, strange fruits hung on low-branches, and foreign flowers sprouted alongside little ponds. 

“I’ll thank you after an explanation and a little help. So, what’s this about gods?” 

“Let’s see… I’ll put it so simple that even a baby can understand! There are seven nations, and each one has a god. These gods are super-powerful! I’m talking crazy-strong, like they can level mountains and raise the sea type of miracles!” 

As he strolled beside you, his forked-tail swished back and forth. For now it seemed like he knew where he was going, so hopefully that was a good sign. Right now, you had no idea what to do or how to get home. However, if magic existed in this realm, then surely there would be some way to get back. There had to be, for your own peace of mind. 

“Maybe if you pray to one, you’ll get an answer. But the chances of that are pretty much zero, because only idiots rely on the gods since they almost never answer. You’d have a better chance trying to actually meet one of them and try to talk to them in person, but good luck with that!” 

As the road neared a cliff, you caught a glimpse of the scenery. It was a kingdom, a whole city that began right at the edge of a vast meadow. The rolling valley ended at a river, across a wide stone bridge where the city began. Miles and miles of cobblestone roads lined with two to three-story buildings, and rising above it all was a white palace with red conical roofs that pierced the very sky. It looked fantastical, like something straight out of a peculiar little story book, especially considering how unnaturally bright the flowers were and how there was the occasional mushroom as tall as a tree. 

Never before in your entire life had you ever seen a single place like this. Some stupid naive little part of yourself had hoped that perhaps you were still in your world, but this was simply proof that tore that little shred of hope to bits. “What is this place…?” 

He paused to scratch a spot behind his ear. “That’s the capital city of Heartslabyul. You see that big palace all the way over there? That’s where the god of fire lives. One day, I’m gonna live in a place even bigger, grander, than that! My worshippers will build, brick by brick, a towering temple that reaches the very heavens! It’ll make that palace look puny in comparison!” 

Dumbfounded, you nearly get left behind in your stupor once the feline begins to walk down a rocky slope again. You follow, as Grim yammered on and on, “Fire is harsh, just like that place. Trust me, I tried staking a claim there, but I was kicked out! Can you believe it? Me! They just threw me out as if I were nothing! Anyways, I already forgot what you were looking for, but whatever it is, you’ll probably find something there––” 

“A way home?” You reminded him, a tiny bit irked that he seemed to forget so easily. For such a haughty little beast with nothing to his name, he was very conceited. 

“Ooh yeah, right. That. Gods have all this magic and wisdom from their years and stuff, so they gotta know something. But if I were a god, I wouldn’t answer you, to be honest.” 

Grumpily you point out the obvious. This cat-like creature was far from the divine that you were currently picturing. “You’re not a god.” 

Yowling in response, Grim shot back with irritation, “Yet! Not a god yet!” When he spat, a small puff of smoke and a spark of flames he tried to aim at the dirt caused his blue ear flames to flicker stronger until one stray flame popped like a hot scorching coal. It went flying directly at your face, and all you could do was react quickly enough to try and step back while your arms and hands covered your face. 

However, no pain ever came. “How are you doing that?!” 

“Doing what? And you need to watch it with––” When you began to lower your arms, you saw it. When you had shielded yourself, your knuckles had been against your cheek and so your palm was facing outward. Floating in your open palm, was that small spark that came from his ears and nearly burned you. Immediately your eyes widened, and the surprise didn’t end there. As if fluctuating with your shock, the fire became a small yet harsh monetary crackling burst that caused both you and the feline to yelp and stumble back in disbelief until your palms were normal once again. 

“You big fat liar! You do know magic! Where’s your magestone?” 

Seeing his gray fur stand on edge, you quickly answered, seemingly just as confused as he currently was. “I-I don’t, I swear! I don’t even have a wizardstone! That has never happened to me before! This, magic, stuff like that, talking cats, huge mushrooms, none of this is supposed to be real!” 

“Magestone! Not wizardstone! M-A-G-E!” 

“Same difference, what do I care?” You had to double-check your hands, wanting to trick yourself again into believing it was something that could be easily explained. Yet this didn't seem like that. This was something else entirely that didn’t make sense, it couldn't be explained. Not while you were still reeling and staring at your own two hands in utter disbelief. “What the hell was that…?” 

Sniffing the air around you, Grim paced slowly around you as his whiskers twitched with each sniff. After several rounds circling you, he plopped down in front of you and peered up at you quizzically. “I really don’t smell a magestone on you… but you used my fire! It was blue! Everyone knows you can’t use magic without one! Wait a moment… this is perfect!” Immediately brightening up, the little creature gave a toothy grin as he declared, “From now on, you will be my servant! One day when I am a god, I will make you a demi-god! Everyone knows the great gods have divine or mystic servants of some kind! So you will be my henchman! Count yourself blessed, human.” 

“What…?” For now you didn’t even want to touch anything, especially yourself. What if you just tapped something and it was set ablaze? Although you felt fine physically, you were not completely okay. Mentally your mind was scrambled with trying to comprehend everything going on and being said, and now you had the additional burden of accidentally burning everything you touched. 

“Maybe it has to do with the fact that you aren’t from here, so this world’s rules don’t even apply to you… yeah, that’s it! This is great! Does this mean you can wield other elements? We should try! If it storms tonight, we’ll stand at the highest cliff and wait for lightning to strike!” 

“Definitely not!” You screech in reply, currently trying to prevent yourself from panicking and having a destructive mental breakdown all at the same time. Keeping your arms away from your body and fingers spread apart, you tentatively try grabbing stones and sticks and blades of grass to test the ability and see if anything would be set ablaze. And yet, nothing happened, so you slowly began to relax, as much as was possible in that moment. 

Grim watched with great intrigue, hoping, wishing, to see you burn something straight with your hands. However, when he saw not a single spark or sign of smoke, he sighed, “Don’t you realize the possibilities! A small chosen few can wield magic like that, and even then, it’s only one element! This means that you might be able to do more! We’ll be legendary, beating every foe we come across!” 

“Woah, woah, woah, who said anything about beating foes?” Cutting off that idea right now before it would get out of hand. It had only been a few minutes, not even an hour, and even you could see that Grim was a handful. “I am no fighter. If I magically somehow have these weird abilities now, doesn’t mean I want to fight with them. Are you insane? The most I’ll do is like… instantly heat up my food or make a light in the dark. That’s it. Actually, that first one sounds pretty useful…” 

Angrily throwing his paws up in exasperation while falling back on some patches of grass, he groaned, “Ugh, but that’s so boringggg! Where’s your creativity? You could become a god among gods!” 

Choosing to ignore his less than enthusiastic response, you proceeded, drawing his attention back to something he recently mentioned. Awkwardly you grip your hands, twisting your wrist between your fingers, yet nothing hurts. Everything felt normal, as if you hadn’t just wielding fire a minute ago. “You said a god of fire resided over there in that city, right?” 

“Yeah, you’ll fit right in with all those hot-headed fire-breathers now that you have a bit of magic.” 

As the two of you neared the bottom of the cliff and approached a smaller section of the forest that would lead directly to the road that branched off into either a vast meadow or the gates of the kingdom, the world seemed to stop when a loud rumbling rang through the air. The birds ceased their singing songs and the squirrelish creatures paused their chittering chattering. The ground shook and in the far distance, miles and miles behind the palace where there looked to be nothing but untamed wilderness, balls of fire spewed forth from what you had thought were mountains but were actually volcanoes. Seeing the smoke pour out from the peak, you debated running right back to the beach which was in the opposite direction of the rupture in the earth. 

While initially startled, Grim quickly relaxed and began his walking again just as the sounds of nature resumed their tune. As if by some miraculous work of magic, the volcano stopped its rumbling just as quickly as it began, and the smoke receded as well. Like a pot popping on a stovetop and simmering over with water, but its vapor and contents contained by a top, that’s how rapidly it started and ended. Grim proceeded to walk in front of you to lead the way. Sensing your question before you even voiced it, he called out over his shoulder, 

“Don’t look so panicked, we’re not gonna die. That happens like once a week. It used to be more sparse but… well, like I said, all the humans in the kingdom are a buncha hotheads. Especially their king! Everyone knows the god of pyro has the worst temper of all the seven, that’s why the volcanoes go off when he’s all angry! All you gotta do is gather up the courage to ask him what you want to know, and pray that he doesn’t incinerate you where you stand.”

[demon-country]

The fact that I have already seen a good number of people complaining about how mean Stolas was supposedly being to Blitz in his song and thinking that he legitimately believes that Bliz is a wretched little worm that he owns is just. Utterly baffling. I'm genuinely unsure how anyone could miss the fact that it was an act. It was all a ruse he threw together on the fly in an effort to protect Blitz, wherein he pretended to be a big, bad, masterclass manipulator who was just using Blitz as his pawn.

For anyone who doubts it, here's the truth straight from the song writer's mouth:

This is literally the same exact ploy he pulled in Truth Seekers. He came in at the last minute and put on a big show to convince the people threatening Blitz and the rest of I.M.P that he was a big, scary demon who was so much more powerful than them (which he is) and practically owned them as his minions used to carry out his evil deeds (which he doesn't).

Though, perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised, since pretty much everyone I've seen talk about that scene fails to realize that that and his "who dares threaten my impish little plaything?" and "what's the matter, demon hunter? Never seen a real demon before?" comments were nothing but an act and he didn't actually believe any of it, too.

In Mastermind, he was trying to make sure that all of the blame would be put on himself, so that, as shown above, they would give Blitz the same treatment the others got when Blitz claimed they had nothing to do with it and were just following his orders.

In Truth Seekers, he was trying to intimidate the humans and make them so scared he wouldn't need to resort to violence to stop them. Why else would he put on that whole horror movie display and announce himself and his relationship with Blitz at all, if his entire goal was anything other than to incapacitate them with fear? If all he wanted was to get I.M.P out, he could have quickly and easily killed them without saying a word. Calling Blitz his plaything and saying that he was a real demon served to a) establish that he was the kind of person who had playthings, because that's the kind of cruel, domineering creature that most humans expect demons to be, and b) further intimidate them by implying that he was exponentially more powerful than the demons who just decimated their whole entire team.

He didn't mean any of it either time (except for when he called Blitz an idiot, maybe); those weren't things he actually believed. Why would he legitimately think of Blitz as his plaything and someone he owns when in both cases it was far enough in the timeline that he was already in love with Blitz and wanted a real, genuine romantic relationship with him and not just the fleeting taste of one he got while restrained by the full moon deal?

Those were classist/racist things to say, of course, and that was the point. That was language he deliberately used because it fit the persona he was using to appear villainous. Where he went wrong the first time and how his actual internalized racism came into play was in how he didn't for even one single second think about how those statements would look to the members of I.M.P, because he'd never once had to think about the fact they must get those kinds of demeaning comments all the time and had no way of knowing that he was faking. Calling them "little creatures" while he was scolding them probably wasn't part of the act though, and he didn't realize that it was classist/racist to say those things at all, regardless of intent, so he never apologized or reassured them that he didn't actually believe Blitz was his plaything or that they weren't real demons.

But with the power of hindsight and a more omniscient view of the characters that we get later on, it's so clear to see that all of these comments were only said as part of his theatrical portrayals of a villain, rather than things he truly believes, because he doesn't talk like that after Ozzie's when he realized just how much he had unintentionally been hurting Blitz. Don't fall for his ruse, guys, especially not when it's as blatantly obvious as it was in Mastermind.

[akirathedramaqueen]

The bias is not always conscious

And that's the case with Stolas. That's it, that's basically the post, so you can count it as your tl;dr, but let me elaborate. :)

(A little gratitude note! Sorry @tealvenetianmask, I failed being concise here, but I thank you for encouraging me to put it all together :3 I also thank you for our conversations about Stolas and about museums in particular which heavily contributed to it)

I think there's some misunderstanding when people get offended by the suggestion that Stolas acts classist/racist. It seems that people assume we’re implying he is malicious and intentional with it, but the actual problem is that he doesn't think.

S2EP2, Seeing Stars, 1:29

The problematic behavior we're discussing is reflexive and internalized. Stolas was raised in an environment where the lower demon class is looked down upon, and while he believes he expresses nothing but deep respect for Blitzø and treats him as an equal…

Goodnight, Blitzø. S1EP7, Ozzie's, 14:50

And while you can see from this bow that this intention is sincere, which is both wonderful and fascinating—he preserved this profound gesture ever since he was a kid, despite being actively discouraged from doing so!...

[Stolas]: I'm Stolas! It's nice... Ouch! [Paimon]: Don't bow to that one! He bows to us! Idiot! S2EP1, The Circus, 7:40

He was still raised in privilege and influenced by the narratives around him. For him, it's acceptable because that's what he was taught is fine. It's part of his everyday speech, and he never actually asks Blitzø, or anyone else, how they feel about the literally belittling nicknames (like literally—do you notice how often he uses the word "little" when referring to imps?).

I mean... there's a lot, okay? I'm just going to pull out some examples off the top of my head. All of them are from Season 1, and I'll explain why later.

I was hoping you brave little imps would accompany us! S1EP2, Loo Loo Land, 5:15

Ugh, that's better... Where's Blitzy? He's my knight in shining armor, not you, littler ones! S1EP2, Loo Loo Land, 13:22

And it [grimoire] isn't supposed to be lent out to itty-bitty imps like yourself. S1EP5, The Harvest Moon Festival, 0:30

Greetings, tiny Wrath Ring imps! S1EP5, The Harvest Moon Festival, 8:22

[Stolas, in the background]: Who dares threaten my little impish plaything? S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 18:20

How the fuck did you get caught by humans? Are you little creatures not being careful up here? S1EP6, Truth Seekers, 19:38

He also takes pride in being part of Ars Goetia. That pride seeps into his mind whether he wants it to or not. He lives in a huge palace, never worries about money, can arrange a seat in a club that’s always booked out, and gets admitted to a hospital immediately, while hellhounds wait five years for a Hellbies shot.

Being part of the Goetia family is rather valuable, you know. S1EP2, Loo Loo Land, 4:39

Most of these examples come from Season 1 because, after the disastrous Ozzie’s date, Stolas begins to unconsciously cut back on this language. He seems to sense that something is wrong, though he doesn’t fully understand why. However, he is acutely aware of the problems with the transaction and the unfair dynamics it creates, and he is serious about putting Blitzø on equal ground by providing him with the means to run his business independently of Stolas.

And still, he maintains full control over the conversation during the Full Moon meeting, immediately dismisses Blitzø after one mistake, and throws him out. He continues to impose his narrative on Blitzø and…

I don't look down on you! How many times do I— When have I ever?! S2EP9, Apology Tour, 2:45

When have you ever indeed, Stolas? You literally look down on Blitzø saying that. This moment illustrates the problem clearly. He isn’t lying when he says he doesn’t look down on Blitzø because he genuinely believes he doesn’t.

Despite all said, Stolas is making a tremendous effort and is progressing, and he is far ahead of Stella, who is openly classist/racist and very conscious of her biases. So I believe—no, I know—he will get there one day. But not today.

This is something I take quite seriously, and I think people need to understand how dangerous this subtlety can be, as it happens all the time in real life too.

How often do you ask yourself why medical research groups are predominantly represented by white, cis, upper-middle-class males, and how this affects the efficiency of treatments suggested in these studies for everyone else—women, people of color, non-binary folks, and those who struggle financially?

How often do you visit museums and see art created by wealthy aristocrats who defined what constitutes 'fine art,' while 'folk art'—often created by marginalized communities—is overlooked and lost to time?

I could elaborate further on how deep and cruel this bias is, but I’ll stop here. I just ask you to consider why you might get offended when someone points out Stolas's subtle bigotry and why you might downplay it compared to the loud, aggressive Blitzø, whose anger and avoidant issues are obvious.

Just sit with it.

[eldritchcreatureofwords]

So, About the Original Look my Way

-and why it's a heel-face-turn villain redemption song. What the fuck, you ask? Oh, please, let me ramble. Drop everything you know about Our Stolas for a second. Blank slate. So, originally, Stolas was a villain. The entire reason that he became a protagonist was that Vivz and Bryce thought he and Blitz would make a cute couple, and he was re-voiced and re-worked into the Stolas we know and love. So take that into consideration listening to the original Just Look My Way, particularly with it's lyrics. "My little imp, why must you be so...difficult?" This is not a loving or affectionate statement. This is pure frustration and annoyance; not to mention the ownership and lack of personalization in the phrasing. It's a possessive diminutive. He also refers to Blitz as Blitzy at the end of this monologue, a nickname Blitz openly dislikes and expresses annoyance over (this song came out around Harvest Moon Festival/Truth seekers, so that would have been a Known Thing by the fandom at the time.) 'Come now, my little impish plaything, we've both made our choice.' This is someone trying to talk sense into someone else. You knew what you were getting into, you chose this, you chose me, stop being a pain in the ass and do/give me what I want. Stop being hard to understand and frustrating. Again with the diminutives, too- 'little', 'plaything'. 'My'. Possessive. He's frustrated, upset, and confused; trying to talk sense into 'his little imp' who is refusing to give him what he wants. 'I can give you what you need'- I can give you anything, everything, just let me. Then we get to the middle of the song. He's breathless, confused, and angry. Just say it, Blitzy, I deserve that at least, don't I? Entitled and demanding, even angry, though it's born of frustration and confusion. And it leads to the abrupt, jarring realization. The heel-face-turn. This unspoken contract

A deed we forged for mutual gain

If that's all this was when you're not here

What is this rooted pain? And here we go. He's not felt like this before, not for or with anyone- save maybe Octavia- and now there's a twisting in his chest, a knot in his stomach, a longing and an ache and nothing he does fixes it. Gets rid of it. He wants, he hurts, and that's new and confusing. 'Cause I'm terrified. He's feeling feelings. This is probably as scary for him as it is Blitz, because quite frankly he's also been taught that being anything other then a perfect model Goetia, controlled and cold and better then anyone and everyone around them, is not ok.

Unless it's me?... A real-time-realization that he's been a prick. That he's abandoned his daughter in favor of this situationship and his own pleasure. That he's treated Blitz like a toy and a favored pawn. That he's been missing a lot, so wrapped up is he in his own desires, thoughts, and wants. And no matter what in this world I can give

It's not enough to get through the walls you conjured up to live Is this how she'd feel?

Finally, finally, stepping outside his own head and connecting to the fact that he's been making other people- not just Blitz- feel like shit. The face-turn part. I have to do better. I have to be better. Abandoned all alone and left to fend For herself? For some semblance of happiness that doesn't have to end? He's still a sad, lonely figure, and he knows what it feels like to feel cold, alone, uncared for. And he's made Octavia feel that way. He's fucked up royally, no pun intended. I will try to make amends. And there it is. He has, in real time, realized that he's been a selfish prick and also that he's gone and fallen head-over-heels for this little imp he's in this little transactional fuck with, and he's got some 'splanin to do to both of them. I think this Stolas is 'canon/relevant' up to Truthseekers; at least to some degree. Obviously he hasn't been 'evil' or a villain since the pilot, but I do think some of this mentality is still with him until that point. In our, official Look My Way, he's already grown- he doesn't need to have a real time realization of anything because he's already realized it. The official Look My Way is a far more traditional I love you and I want to make my mistakes right song, because he's already realized he made mistakes and cares about Blitz. Anyway, I don't really know how to end this rant so, uh, that's it, I guess. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk?

[gigimarvels]

OLD POKEMNON GIJINKAS FROM 2023, IM NOW MAKING A NEW THING WITH MOST OF THESE DESIGNS (FEATURING NEW CCHARACTERS) SEE THEIR NEW UPDATED ART!! *this will be a long post* WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF GIJINKAMONS In this world Pokemon have evolved so much they have now taken a human form, Gijinka if you will. This story revolves around a group of gijinkas and some side characters that all reside within Cobblevale City. we follow 6 Individuals who work as one of the general teams for the Legendary Entei who is part of the city's "nursery sector" meet the team

Team leader, Tally-Ho or Tally for short Cetitan Gijinka Age- 32 Nature- Sassy She is very head strong and takes no shit from anyone but enjoys being the Dotting older sister of the group

Tox the second in command and overall "badboy" Toxtricity Gijinka Age- 27 Nature- bold he doesn't like getting wet, so don't rain on his parade has a soft spot for the Talonflame in their group named Ames has a band, enjoys music A LOT

Mochi the youngest member of the team and the silent little sister Pyukumuku Gijinka Age- 20 Nature- Quiet She sees both Tally and Tox as her older siblings, and will protect them with all her might she talks in sign language cause opening her mouth can be catastrophic Graham the Morgrem of the group ate her pudding from the communal fridge 3 years ago and she hasn't let him live that down she loves getting hugs from Ames

Umi the Loud heavy hitter of the group Breloom Gijinka Age- 28 Nature- Hardy Tally's Ride or die, AND LOVES TEASING THE SHIT OUT OF TOX Thinks Graham is a bit of a pretentious ass, but he wears his heart of his sleeve so she deals with it extremely protective of Mochi and Ames (insert they asked for no pickles meme here)

Graham the Shiny of the team Morgrem Gijinka Age- 27 Nature- Impish? Funny his nature says Impish but he acts more bashful when he's out in public? Graham has an everstone on him because he doesn't want to evolve even if it means he will never reach his full potential as a pokemon, he just doesn't want to deal with his families expectations shines in general are because of a virus, they need to use substance packets to keep their daily metabolism from dropping most shinnies don't try to become Arena fighters, but Graham feels he has something to prove he falls hard for a shiny Ribombee who's a receptionist at the battle arena.... "you sure you ain't bashful bruv?"

Finally the last team member and the newest to join Ames Talonflame Gijinka Age- 23 Nature- Jolly she moved to Cobblevale city from her small hometown of Whistleleaf village, she was personally invited by "Uncle" Entei himself she has a secret she can't fully share yet but in due time it will be revealed with her flame body she GIVES THE BEST HUGS, kinda oblivious to Tox's flirting

I'LL SHARE THE SIDE CHARACTERS IN THE NEXT POST!!! BUT HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS FIRST POST ABOUT MY MAIN 6 CHARACTERS!!! this is another side project I'm happy to be working on because honestly i love gijinka designs TO DEATH

[madefate]

hi welcome to me thinking too hard about a fictional character, blitz & ozzie's well, apparently all of season one now edition

i've been doing a pretty deliberate rewatch because it's really easy for me to jump the gun on things timeline wise & conflate where a character winds up, growth wise, with where they are at any given point in the timeline. & i want to do my characterization of blitz justice, of course, but i'm also just fascinated by why he acts the way he does, and boy oh boy is his character arc in season one almost entirely about loneliness.

( also, keep in mind that despite this taking place in hell, no characters actually act with malicious intent, & blitz is an unreliable narrator w/ communication issues ! no character bashing here, just examination. )

o1. murder family

we're introduced to the infamous deal ! which we know, we know, but some things to note that really inform blitz's mindset, and also just some interesting details:

stolas presents this transactionally. generously, sure, but transactionally, & blitz agrees to it transactionally. i will never call this coercion - it's just a deal with actually very clear terms.

the connotation of the whole arrangement, though, is a little condescending. that's kind of the nature of their relationship - blitz bitches at stolas, stolas patronizes blitz, and this feels like a familiar status quo. ( yes, personally i believe this is literally where the miscommunication starts, especially with the context of season two ! it feels obvious to me that this is stolas taking a page out of a romance novel & treating it like foreplay - it's just that blitz doesn't know that! )

the context of blitz talking over this deal while he's in mortal peril and doesn't know where his employees are, or if they're still alive, i think provides some reinforcement for his own feeling that he, himself, doesn't matter. it's easier to call this a business deal than actually communicate that the bad time is, like, imminent death of the people he's in charge of.

this episode establishes the entire season one pattern of stolas continuously referring to blitz as an imp, impish, a thing that's owned, or a thing in general - which does come up & isn't played entirely for laughs.

i think the dirty talking, though, is meant to be played for laughs, so we'll leave that as a joke.

the other major theme of this episode is moxxie's crisis about this being the murder of a mom and the destruction of a family - which is vitally important to BOTH his & blitz's characterizations and backgrounds.

& oh no, the boy is on fire. again. at least this time it doesn't hurt!

a very small moment that does grow: moxxie & millie have each other! they have someone who prioritizes them - which is played a little for laughs here, but we know that it canonically does bother blitz.

o2. loo loo land

DOES ANYONE LOVE YOU, BLITZO ??

hi there, first of two episodes in a row that are literally just bad memory after bad memory !

blitz makes it clear from the get go that he does not do bodyguard work. but, of course, he needs the money & wants the money and so, here he is! making bad choices for himself yet again. obviously, the bitching at / condescending to nature of his & stolas' relationship continues, & we get a few key nuggets of characterization:

blitz takes ❛ first shift ❜ watching stolas - and never actually tags M&M in at all. they only take over when the fire starts & blitz is having his trauma war with a fucking fizz bot, but otherwise he, importantly, tells them to have fun, and is actually seen taking his job super seriously - this comes up again in his flashback with fizz & his guarding of fizz during the mammon special ! so it's pretty clear that guarding someone is something he takes a lot more seriously than killing humans, which makes sense given everything he's been through.

i don't need to elaborate - facing a fizzbot is one of the worst things that could happen to him, ever. it's eclipsed only by seeing barbie, fizz himself, or confronting anything about his mother.

the question of does anyone love you ? and the eventual flip of it, do you love anyone ? is going to continue through the rest of the season

o3. spring broken

personally, i think verosika & blitz had the most toxic fucking relationship, and i don't think it was one sided. i wouldn't be surprised if there was more miscommunication here - i do believe that verosika had real feelings for blitz, that he did too, and that he self destructed the relationship when he realized that. but i also believe that verosika's apparent defense mechanism of being extremely flippant and dismissive hit blitz's buttons exactly.

his biggest fear, we see, is being rejected, and i think it was this unfortunate clash of neither of them letting their real feelings show, blitz feeling blown off, and then destroying the whole relationship when he was desperate for it to be over and the bridge to burn.

so, yeah, this fucking blows. this is contemptuous, and it's fairly obvious that verosika is taking the chance to rub salt in the wound with taking over his space - and he's throwing it right back by challenging her. which would probably be easier to deal with if he hasn't spent weeks basically having his negative self image reinforced at every turn.

which is why he latches so hard onto loona. it's very clear that loona is still working through her own abandonment trauma, and that blitz is usually fairly good about being affectionate and supportive while letting her lashing out roll off his back because FUCK does he understand that.

but he goes in way too hard with the protective thing - he's terrified of what could happen to her in the human world, and he doesn't have the greatest impression of romantic interests in general so he projects hard when he sees her start to fall for tex (something that he doesn't seem to worry about in later episodes, which makes this seem like an anomaly). but she's ALREADY dealing with the normal insecurity of having a crush and her own social anxiety.

so, of course, she blows up.

one of the MOST TELLING LINES in the entire series is "because i adopted you! that should mean something!" this, to me, is the thesis of how blitz interacts with the world: you're either a stranger or you're a family and there's no in between. that's the boundary crossing that happens with M&M all the time - that desperate need to be a family with them. that's what he has with loona: he clings to being her father, because it's, in his mind, the best thing he's done with his life. and of course he goes overboard, and of course loona lashes out, and of course so does he -

and it just, kind of never gets resolved.

but, he'll get over it. he always does.

o5. the harvest moon festival

that's STRIKER, sir!

i think this is, by far, the most interesting breakdown between stolas & blitz and it's so subtle. as a standalone, it really does seem like blitz is simply incredibly grumpy whenever stolas talks to him in wrath, but it's not that simple. looloo land may have been a public outing, but blitz was clearly and absolutely working. the harvest moon festival was posed as a social outing, and he's not on the job at all.

so when he reacts to the nickname blitzy, he's irritated at being condescended to in public when he's not being paid for it. to him, it feels more mocking and purposeful than it ever had, and it's clear that the only times the attention bothers him is when it's - to him - patronizing (even if it's just meant to be teasing!)

then, there's striker (sir). to my knowledge, striker is the first person who pays blitz any semblance of actual respect / admiration in the series, which is something that lights him up immediately. he may feel worthless most of the time, but he's proud of the business he built, and to be working with M&M - employing only imps and a hellhound, likely one of the few, if any, businesses in hell that actually does so - according to striker. what he did was rare and flies in the face of hell's socioeconomic hierarchy, and his mood is noticeably lifted the entire day.

he gets to do things he loves! he gets to play in the pain games, he has a good bonding moment with loona, he got to meet millie's family - fuck, he thought he was making, if not a friend, a work acquaintance - which is a big deal when we know he conflates work with family.

so when the betrayal hits? it hits HARD on EVERY LEVEL. blitz opened up to someone new for the first time ever on screen that we've seen - and striker attacked his employees and tried to kill his business partner. and thought that blitz would want to join him - so what does that say about blitz ? is he like that - he's certainly bitter, he's certainly been kicked around by society, he was charmed by a snake in the grass.

and striker's words don't go away, because, until this point in the series, he's not fucking wrong. the one who treats you like a plaything - is stolas genuinely just fucking around with him? is this all a game - he's so fucking flippant, so is their back and forth of bitching and patronizing not just ... their thing? is he being used ?

& then blitz lets him get away - fails to do his job when he has a weapon that can kill demon royalty in his possession, and blitz - failed.

o6. truth seekers

are you afraid to love people, blitzy ?

there's literally so much here in this episode that i'm speeding through a greatest hits, because we KNOW that we have canon confirmation that blitz pushes people and pushes them away until they prove him right and leave, thanks moxx:

even if blitz WASN'T coming off his failure with striker, he'd be just as protective of moxxie throughout this entire episode. he consistently shields moxxie, makes loona close the portal on them, and watches moxxie the entire time he's still knocked out. family is serious business.

uh oh ! the humans got them ! failed again - that twice in a row now, bud?

this is where those easter eggs of blitz third wheeling M&M comes in - that little truth gas outburst is such a major clue for just how lonely he is. he knows, logically, that he's taking it too far with them - that he's bitter and jealous, but he has no idea what to do with that because the only solution is, uh, letting someone in?? are you NUTS ??

his gas induced fight with moxxie DID hurt them both! both what he'd heard and what he'd revealed - blitz spends so much energy locking away his true feelings that it's like being raked over the coals to have them forcibly dredged up, against either of their wills.

okay, alright, the dream. i'm not even going to dissect it - i just think it's Neat™ that the ghosts that haunt him are his major failures: striker, the most recent; fizz, the oldest; verosika, freshly on his mind and direct contrast to stolas.

(a fun small thing that drives the knife in is blitz's aggravation with moxxie's intellectualism, rubbing the old wound of being seen as stupid or uneducated himself.)

i don't know! eventually everyone goes ! / 'cause you're thoughtless and cruel and you'll end up alone !

you're gonna die alone, blitzo !

you TRIED the solo act - it didn't work out so well / but you don't WANT to do things alone, blitzo

we see it spelled out: blitz is constantly fighting against that instinct to push everyone away, while always craving that closeness - love, someone to spend the rest of his life with. a family that stays. the fear that he will absolutely destroy them so better to fuck it up NOW and send them packing before he can really do some damage.

right now, the closest thing he has to consistent intimacy is stolas. it's stolas he runs to in order to escape the ghosts of his past - but when he realizes that, he needs a fucking leash to let himself crawl the rest of the way. he needs the illusion of no choice - fuck, even the illusion of someone wanting him badly enough to pull on the other end.

are you afraid to love people, blitzy?

absolutely yes. he's his own worst enemy - the only actual constant companion he has, and boy is he sick of himself.

blitz's brain: a currently on fire dumpster

we learn that blitz is capable of being more than physically available - he's been emotionally available for moxxie in the past, and he's emotionally available here, too. all it took was weeks of failure, hours of interrogation, and a REALLY bad trip.

honestly, by the time the girls show up, both of the dumbass twins are ready to just FUCK THESE HUMANS UP. it's been a long day, a long week, a long life, and why not just fall back into their core competencies.

you know my name. use it. thanks blitz. names are so, so humanizing. he just wants to know that his friend - his best friend, let's be real - is okay.

so ... the impish little plaything, huh. honestly, it wouldn't sit as badly if blitz hadn't just had the emotional whiplash of being captured by HUMANS of all stupid things, but then a moment of true competency with his team - and then back into the dread of failure, this time with millie and his daughter at risk, too.

breaking into the facility and getting them home seemed like child's play for stolas. in fact, he's a real demon, apparently. so, what does that make blitz?

exhausted. honestly, after they fuck that night, blitz passes the fuck out.

fuck, he hates needing help.

i also have a fun pet theory that One and Two have a recording of either the wonder twins' hallucinations, or them babbling about said hallucinations.

o7. ozzie's

ah yes, the culmination. he gave it all for a thrust, didn't he.

the sheer desperation of fucking following M&M on their goddamn anniversary. he's not even TRYING to self destruct that relationship - he's just endangering it out of abject loneliness and bitterness.

he's completely unreceptive to stolas' changed behavior - his seeming genuine interest in him, his dropping of all the patronizing and teasing, his actual happiness at being out together. that wall he's placed himself behind is practically impenetrable at this point - there's just been too much shit and they haven't talked enough at all, so there is no part of him that assumes that stolas' affection is in any way sincere.

so, he almost expects the rejection. isn't that exactly what moxxie said? you push people away until they leave - and it takes two to tango, here, of course, but that is the mindset he's in in the aftermath of ozzie's. even if it's unfair, or even if it's just confused or naive or hopeful, blitz thought - maybe, just maybe, he might have at least an ally in stolas.

instead, he got a menu. and blitz bitterly proved himself right.

so he can't see stolas' genuine attempts to reach out in the aftermath for what they are. he's not going to until he starts actually trying to take those walls down - opening himself up to the possibility of trusting someone else. fuck, trying to trust himself. right now, all he can do is look this kindness in the eye, call its bluff (the one he imagines exists), and drive away.

because, fuck, he's going to die alone, isn't he. and that's on him.

[grox-empire]

ANOTHER propaganda post for @voidspace-bubble's spore tourney.

GROX SWEEP BABYYYY!

There is a reason my blog is themed around them. There is a REASON my fursona, Who I own a fursuit of, is a Grox. There is a FUCKING REASON they are one of few holdovers from Spore in daybreak. I am SO autistic about them you have no idea. Spore in general is my special interest but something about these little guys specifically just has me ENTRALLED.

They're the big bads of spore. The main villains of space stage. They're built up from the beginning of space stage and are a major obstacle even towards the endgame. You can either ally with them, Which is far easier to do but comes with MANY penalties... Or take on the grueling task of wiping out their entire empire, Which is roughly 2000 planets large and circles the galactic core. And they are one of my absolute FAVORITE parts of the game. First off, The way they're built up. They're built up as a big, scary empire. the antithesis to life. But then you meet them and they fucking LOOK LIKE THIS

Which??? Can I just say. Is fucking IMMACULATE. The sheer contrast with how these guys are described and how they actually LOOK is just... amazing. They're built up as a force to be reckoned with, Everyone is TERRIFIED of them... And yet when you actually meet them? They're short, impish, vaguely cat-like aliens with the saddest, wettest eyes you have ever seen, And incredibly low-level parts at that. The best part? They do genuinely live up to their reputation, Too! I definitely know a lot of people aren't a fan of their design because it's not scary or threatening enough but I personally think the sheer contrast between how they look and what they are makes them MORE scary. What would drive something like that to this point? And that's not even taking into account how goddamned fun they are to draw and stylize. Due to their design being pretty simplistic you can interpret it in many ways... I personally see them as vaguely cat-like, Child-sized humanoid aliens with short fur, But i've met several people out there who see them totally different to how I do. It's VERY interesting.

Second of all, The sheer amount of PERSONALITY these little guys have while you talk to them. Spore's dialogue is great and highly underrated but The Grox? Honestly they're just... The absolute PEAK of what spore's writing can be like. They're super fucking charming. Like there's CLEARLY so much more to them than what you see on the surface... But unfortunately because spore is spore and worldbuilding isn't their top priority, You never really learn what their deal is beyond what is shown to you. But that doesn't stop me and MANY others from having headcanons! I have a whole BOATLOAD of headcanons that I am fucking refraining from talking about here since... This isn't about my own version of them that i've come up with in my head, this is about how they are in canon spore. That IS to say, though... If anyone is interested in hearing more about that please for the love of god LET ME KNOW I could go on for HOURS about my thought on these guys

I'm tired as fuck and this probably sounds SO incoherent because I have so many thoughts that i'm unable to articulate, But i'm so autistic about these guys especially. They're genuinely one of my favorite fictional characters of all time and I really want other people to be able to appreciate them too ^^ They're definitely the creature I would personally like to win the poll. I know it's a pretty damn obvious choice but these little guys genuinely mean a lot to me and I don't think i'd really be the same person I am now without them. I've been fixated on them since like... 2019?? and it's lead me to creating my passion project which I plan on sticking to for years to come.

So, To make a long story short? GROX SWEEP!

[gepgep]

Prof. BLOOM: I think that Shakespeare probably founds his extraordinary figure of King Lear--irascible, jealous, intense, immensely awesome, angry, bereft, dangerous--on the Geneva Bible's version of--which is essentially not very different from what is now the authorized, the King James...

ELLIOTT: I mean, I've got to interrupt you and just say that those descriptions that you just gave are not what we think of when people of faith think of God.

Prof. BLOOM: No, they are not, dear. But if they would read the Hebrew Bible or read the authorized version of the Hebrew Bible, the King James Testament, we have a little problem here. There are four different layers in the five books of Moses. The original strata of Yahweh as written by the author we call the Yahwist is of a remarkably impish kind of a person. He is not God the Father. He is something of a mischief maker. He conducts on-the-ground inspections all the time to satisfy his curiosity. He is very much a human being. He prefers the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden because evidently he gets hot as human beings get hot. He picnics on the side of Mount Sinai with Moses and 70 elders of Zion, who stare at him silently while he sits there silently and he eats and they eat. He closes the door of Noah's ark with his own hands. With his own hands, he buries his prophet, Moses. And most of all, with his own hands, at the beginning, almost like a child playing with a mud pie, he plays with the moistened Earth and makes there a figurine. And then he breathes life into that figurine, and man becomes, as the Hebrew Bible says, a living soul and this is Adam. That is not what most people, I admit, think of as God.

ELLIOTT: No, I think most of us have this image of God the Father.

Prof. BLOOM: Yes. But God the Father is a later invention, on the one hand, of the Talmudical rabbis but primarily of Christian theology when they devise the Trinity, when Jesus of Nazareth, the more or less historical figure, has become an absolutely different figure, a Greek dying and reviving, God, a theological God. Yahweh is not a theological God at all. He is a human, all-too-human God. But I'm not saying any of this to startle or shock anyone. I'm doing this in the same spirit in which I teach my students to read "King Lear" or to read "Hamlet," to pay close attention to what is on the page.

[faiirytopias]

continued for @atrickrtreat featuring andi and ash !

"Well, you've at least found one lost soul in the world that appreciats it. Like, I don't know exactly how to describe it but you don't try to go over the top? Everything feels like it could be something that could actually happen because there's this sense of realness to the haunts." Did that make sense to him? It made sense to her but clearly this was her element and when Andi got excited about things, she didn't really think before she said it. "No shit, that explains everything. We're friends huh? Well I'm real fucking honored about that, Ash," she grinned brightly, not able to stop that little warm fuzzy feeling that washed over her for a minute there. It was always great to make friends with someone that shared the same mindset as her. "I still remember the whole vampire one you did, it was my favorite because I felt like I was actually there. Can I quit my job and just come work with you?"

"It's the precursor for what's to come," she said in response to his words about the graveyard. He was right, it was a little weird without fog around them. "So if you watch video feeds, I'm incredibly sorry if you get your ears blasted by a very high-pitched scream? That was my friend. I hid behind the stone over there and jumped out at her. Couldn't resist." She gave an impish little smile, circling the gravestones before stopping in front of him. "How'd you get into this anyway? What sparked your love for horror?"

That was probably the highest form of praise that anyone could’ve ever given him, Ash’s smile only widening in response to her compliment. “That’s absolutely intentional. As fun, as it is to go in those haunts that go all out, it’s usually so overstimulating that you don’t even get to appreciate the art and effort that goes into creating these walkthrough attractions. I like to rely more on my scare actors than cheesy prop over-the-top prop pieces and sets — that’s where the real magic takes place.” While it was rare that Ash ever felt understood, one simple conversation upon first meeting Andi made him feel seen. “I should be the one who is honoured. You have a brilliant fucking mind.” It might’ve been a weird or presumptuous compliment, but he felt like it was necessary to say. He wanted her to make her feel as good as he had made him feel in such a short amount of time. “The vampire one was one of my personal favourites too. I’m always looking for a way to utilize elements of gothic horror.” He chuckled as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Honestly, if you’re being serious… I would hire you in a heartbeat. I always need fresh minds on the creative team here. It’s only me and my two best friends who come up with the ideas for the concepts.” Plus, it would be an excuse to have her around more often. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the mention of scaring her friends in the house, his amusement deepening. “See, you’re already doing a great job by helping out with the scares.” He took a step closer to her, barely a few inches of space left between them. “My dad was a film professor so he thought it was crucial to introduce me to classic horror at a young age despite my mom not necessarily being pleased about it. That was the spark that led to a lifelong love for horror. I started out working as a scare actor and told myself one day I would open my own haunt attraction and now…” His words trailed off as he gestured with his hand. “Here we are.”

He wet his lips as he stared down at her, unable to look away. “What job would you be leaving to come to work for me? Surely you must be doing something creative.” He was genuinely curious and wanted to know more about her.

[quickdeaths]

"No, no," King corrected her with a smile. "Nothing like that. You're welcome to stay as long as you like, especially if the drinks are flowing." Anzu snorted at that, having seen firsthand how thriftier customers had tried to stretch a single bottle across an entire night. "It's entirely at Anzu-san's discretion when we end things for the night." It wasn't only for her own benefit, and Sonia's. King had been drinking a good amount with them as well, and while Anzu knew he could handle himself, like any respectable host, she didn't want him to feel rough in the morning. This late, he'd probably just be sent home, rather than stay on until the club closed in a couple hours.

"But, it was nice to get to know you, Sonia-san, and you know I'm always happy to see you, Anzu-san." King flashed the two of them his bright, winning smile as he discretely slipped Sonia her receipt. "Thanks for your company as well." As the pair gathered up their things and headed out, Monsieur gave a smile and a nod as well. "Thank you for coming, and don't be a stranger." One of the other hosts gave Sonia a grin and seemed about to say something, before Monsieur's hand yanked him back by the collar. "Hopefully next time you're in, Anzu-san, our little prince will be back to see you."

With a wave over her shoulder, Anzu nodded, even as she walked arm-in-arm with Sonia. "Yup! It was nice to see everyone, have a nice rest of the night!" And with that, they were back outside in the cool winter night. "I know you've got your people, Sonia-san, and it's not really that bad, but stay with me, kay?" With her arm linked with Sonia's, she gave a light flex to imitate a squeezing hand. "It can get just a little sketchy by this time." The seasoned drunks could stay in until closing, and the responsible adults were out long before this point, meaning that most of the wandering people on the street were lightweights who'd been cut off, or troublemakers who'd been kicked out. "I'm here all the time, though, so we'll be fine."

Besides, they were heading towards the older entertainment district, which had a different vibe for sure. "I hope you had a good time at the club, by the way." The smile she gave Sonia was a mix of cheery and apologetic, as though she wasn't quite sure what to make of things. "It seemed like it wasn't totally your thing, so I'd feel bad if I dragged you around and made you pay for something that wasn't fun." Even if she couldn't understand not wanting to be adored, it seemed like that was Sonia's situation, and that meant she had to respect it.

"But you're going to love the ramen, definitely." Again, she squeezed at Sonia's arm, giving a certain frosty expression to anyone who might have been looking at them and thinking of shooting their shot. "It's a mobile food cart, so they set up in the late afternoon, and then tear down in the morning. They used to be really popular in the Showa era, but there aren't a lot left in the city anymore." Kyushu still had a culture of them, but elsewhere, they were a dying breed. A shame, in her opinion. Even if it was before her time, the vision of pull-carts with little paper lanterns and small stools had such a nostalgic feeling. "It's the best ramen in Tokyo, though, and my little secret." An impish, conspiratorial smile grew on her lips as she gently bumped her cheek against Sonia's shoulder. "Bestie privilege that I'm taking you and Shinobu-chan."

And speaking of Shinobu, Anzu thought, there she was on the street corner. "Shinobu-chan! Over here!" With a large, beckoning wave, she was impossible to miss, with Shinobu walking over towards the other two girls in short order. "Good evening, Miss Nevermind, Anzu." "Oooooh!" Disentangling her arm from Sonia's, Anzu stood in front of Shinobu with an appraising look. "You're looking good, Shinobu-chan!" Like a child, she jumped into a hug, and then, like a fussy parent, began to try and adjust Shinobu's collar.

It was true that Shinobu looked a bit different from her typical school attire. High-waisted slacks accentuated her long legs, and a more relaxed, casually feminine cut of her open blazer, sleeves slightly pushed up from her wrists, softened her overall look from the cold prince's more severe styling. The top pair of buttons of her white shirt were left open, with no tie but rather a silver necklace around her neck with an arrow-shaped pendant, the tip of which disappeared just below the fabric. Along with their typical eyeliner, there was just a hint of color on their lips, and they'd swapped their usual dangling earrings for a pair of sterling silver studs with rich, red inlaid garnets.

"You're one to talk," Shinobu answered, lightly pushing Anzu's hands away before gesturing to her kimono. "That's a rather expensive outfit for a club night, don't you think?" "Nah, it's not too bad. It's a cheap one, honest." Shinobu shrugged, not willing to argue the point. If Anzu's kimonos were damaged, that was her business. "You look nice as well, Miss Nevermind. I hope Anzu hasn't dragged you into too many unpleasant things tonight?" To that, Anzu rolled her eyes, grabbing at one of Shinobu's hands, and then at Sonia's as she began to walk-pull them in the direction of the promised ramen some blocks ahead.

"We had fun, and now we're going to get ramen - at that food cart you and I went to that time you came to my opening night, remember?" Shinobu hummed to herself before nodding. "Ah, I remember - it was excellent. If I'd known, I would have had a lighter dinner, but I'll manage." Hmm, so she had been on a date, Anzu thought. Well, if it was important, she'd hear about it sooner rather than later anyway. "Sounds like you'll have some extra money in your pocket then, huh Shinobu-chan?" With an impish smile and a cheesy wink towards Sonia, Anzu nuzzled closer to Shinobu. "So you'll treat Sonia-san and me, then, right?"

She'd gone from champagne to wine to whiskey, and yet it hadn't felt like time had passed at all. The only indication was the empty bottles that had been taken away and Anzu's gradually increasing sense of comfort and ease amongst the hosts, King in particular. It would be impolite to show her shock, especially in a country where restrained physical affection was the norm, but Sonia couldn't believe how her friend regarded the hosts. Currently, Anzu was draped over Mr. King's lap with the sort of intimacy Sonia only found in committed, dating relationships and in turn, he seemed to be entirely comfortable with the state of things. She had to wonder if it was an act, or if he truly relished in such affections. Something about him gave her pause on his interest in women in general, but again, she was too polite to say.

"Is our scheduled time finished, then?" She asked, still unsure of how it all worked, particularly at the end. Did the hosts cut off clients who were too drunk, or did they simply not wish to pay for their time anymore? What she did know was that conversation had flowed smoothly, a testament to Mr. King's skill, and the bill was brought over discreetly. There was a subtle art of reaching for it before anyone else had the chance, and it was ingrained in her whenever she went out. It was a rare situation that someone was more financially well off than she was, and thus she felt responsible to cover whatever fees accrued. After all, she had been the one to suggest champagne.

But even the bill had earned several looks their way, from other patrons at their tables to, Sonia noticed out of the corner of her eye, about half a dozen hosts peeking out over Monsieur's shoulder from the curtain leading to the back of the club. They'd appeared for the early champagne call and now found it a challenge to hide their interest for the newcomer who had requested it. Just as well that they were leaving: once she settled the bill, her name would be recorded in the financial statement and she could be traced.

With Mr. King's departure, though, Anzu's full attention had returned to her and their evening together, this time sharing what Shinobu had planned for the very same night. "I am not opposed to ramen, that would be lovely. Thank you, Anzu-san," Sonia replied with a smile. Though, the question that sat on the tip of her tongue was 'Why would Yaguchi-san agree to a lame date? It sounds like a waste of time, if it is already considered to be unwelcome.' She had to remind herself that not everyone dated the way she did: careful, hesitant, and only agreeing if she truly felt some sort of pull, a connection, to the man who asked. She turned down far more requests than she agreed to, from anyone from princes and other members of the aristocracy to the likes of Kazuichi Soda (many, many times). Her friend, however, seemed to do the opposite: she agreed to far more than she turned down, if any. It all sounded rather taxing to Sonia, though she wouldn't voice it. To Anzu, at least.

"Thank you for your company and conversation this evening, Mr. King," Sonia told him as he approached the table with the bill and a credit card reader. "You and Monsieur have made this an intriguing and relaxing experience, I must commend your good work." She tapped her chip card against the reader with no hesitation. It was, perhaps, one of her faults: Sonia had little idea as to what made a total bill not be 'too bad.' She'd seen her uncle purchase several new cards at once, and her mother acquire enough luxury fashion in one trip to go well over six figures in Euros. While Anzu grimaced and Mr. King looked apologetic, Sonia was simply confused as the card reader gave an affirmative 'ding!' that her payment had been processed.

"Shall we be on our way?" She asked, before quietly thanking another host as he helped her into her coat. Doing up the buttons and belt, she grabbed her clutch and followed Anzu when she was ready. Her friend was far more familiar with the area after all, and had suggested a late dinner.

[blog-name-idk]

Everything Falls (Into Place) | 15

*Banner by the incredible @bangtansmauyeondan

Pairing: OT7 x Fem Reader

Genre: College!AU, Roommate!AU, Fluff, Humor, Smut

Summary: Your new roommates are unbearably nice and unbearably hot. Good thing you're an adult who is fully capable of platonic friendships with the opposite sex, right?

Word Count: 2581

~~~~~

Hobi

Can someone check my room for my literature essay?

Yoongi

again?

You

Is this like a monthly thing you do?

Hobi

:(

You

I found it. Where are you?

Hobi

We're at the Intramural Sports Building again, same studio as last time! 2B!

You

2B nice and bring you your homework again, or not 2B…

Hobi

[Y/n]!! 😭😭😭

You

Kidding! I'm already on my way.

You chuckled as you sent your last message, amused at how so much time later, you were bringing Hobi his homework once again. You weren't really bothered, the building was on the opposite side of your classes so you never had an actual excuse to see them practice.

You had already blocked out the entire day of the dance showcase in your phone calendar. Even though it wasn't that far off, you weren't about to pass up the opportunity to see your boys in action. You idly wondered if you were a masochist - watching Jimin and Hobi move was definitely not going to help the state of your heart. But they were so good that you couldn't resist.

You were walking through the halls of the sports building when someone called your name. You turned to see one of the members of the dance team jogging up to you.

"Dongmin, right?" you asked when he reached you, pleased to see a friendly face. "I'm impressed you remembered me."

"Can't forget a good handshake," he joked with a grin, and you smiled. "I was wondering if we'd ever see you around these parts again."

"I'm actually here to once again drop off our good Hoseok's literature paper," you explained as the two of you began walking to the studio.

"That's really nice of you. I thought we might have scared you away with the sweat and general stench of the studio after dance practice."

"Nothing can keep me away from saving my roommate's English grade, not even your horrible odor," you said with an impish grin, and he staggered and clutched his chest as if you'd wounded him.

"That hurts, [y/n]. I'll have you know that I was voted 'best smelling' in the second grade," he complained good-naturedly, and you had to laugh.

"Ah, so you were the first to start wearing Axe?" you retorted, and he winced.

"That's honestly more accurate than I care to admit."

You snorted, enjoying his sense of humor. He grinned at your reaction.

"Well, I know I shouldn't be hoping hyung forgets his homework again, but I kinda do if it means you'll be visiting again."

You realized he was hitting on you, and you took a split second to consider. He was cute, funny, and had the added bonus of not living with you. But you had literally just told Taehyung you weren't seeing anyone, and your reasons still hadn't changed - it wouldn't exactly be fair to the guy if you had seven gorgeous roommates and you had feelings for most of them.

Then again, maybe the reason you were so hung up on them lately was that they were the only ones you had been hanging out with. It was harder to be objective when they were constantly around you emitting their "I'm amazing and perfect and beautiful inside and out" beams. Well, a little flirting at least couldn't hurt. If it developed into anything more you'd have to do something about it, but for now maybe a distraction was just what you needed.

"Hm, I don't know, what else could there possibly be to interest me?" You teased, giving him a sidelong glance that he returned appreciatively. Yeah, you still had it.

"I guess I'll have to think of something," he responded with a warm grin as you entered the studio. You smiled back, then waved at Hobi and Jimin who had seen you come in and were walking towards you.

"Well, I'll actually be seeing the dance showcase," you told him teasingly. "I guess I could add you to my list of people to cheer for."

"I'll have to put on my best moves, then," he said with a wink, then went to join the rest of the group. You made a point to say goodbye, though to be honest it was hard to remember he existed when your roommates were right there, gorgeous and glistening with sweat.

"What was that all about?" asked Hoseok, looking between you and the other dancer's retreating back with an unreadable expression. A bead of perspiration dripped from his collarbone down below the loose collar of his shirt, and you tried your best not to picture it sliding down his torso.

"Oh, we were just joking around," you said distractedly, and Jimin gave you a cute pout.

"But [y/n], why would you talk to him when you could have me?" he whined, wrapping a damp arm around your shoulder.

"Hey! You're all sweaty and gross!" you protested, wriggling away. You had to stay strong. Yep, that mixture of sweat, deodorant, and Jimin was definitely gross and not in any way delicious. There was absolutely nothing about it that made you want to be a total creep and take a big whiff of his neck. You were chill.

"Oh! Here's your essay," you remembered, grabbing it from your bag. You held it out to your friend, but he still looked deep in thought. "Everything okay?"

Hobi gave himself a shake, then took his papers with an apologetic smile. You ignored the way it made his bangs sway attractively in his eyes. Man, you really needed to get laid.

"Yeah! Sorry about that, just an intense practice today," he explained. "Thanks for saving me… again."

"No problem! Don't overwork yourselves, okay?" you gave them an admonishing look, knowing full well that Jimin in particular had a tendency to overexert himself, before heading out the door. You had meant to watch them rehearse, but there was only so much sexy dancer testosterone you could take in one sitting. You completely missed the long look that your two roommates shared.

~~~~~

Hobi frowned uncharacteristically as he stood under his shower, the hot water doing little to soothe his mood. Dongmin hadn't stopped asking him and Jimin about you throughout the rest of practice, and it had been increasingly difficult not to snap at him. Even the younger boy had started getting testy with his responses.

He couldn't help but feel protective over their cute new roommate. After all, you had just had your heart broken! He was just looking out for you. Even if you seemed totally over it. And it had been several months ago. A lot of people bottled up their feelings and pretended to be okay!

Ugh, who was he kidding? You had planted seeds into his heart, watering them little by little, and he had only realized it when thorns had appeared upon seeing you with Dongmin. Now it was too late, and you had firmly rooted yourself into the depths of his being.

He sighed as he turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. He should be happy for you. Dongmin was a decent guy, and you deserved more than some dance-obsessed, overly energetic dork like Hobi anyway.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that when the door slammed open, he didn't immediately react. You stared back at him with wide eyes, frozen, until he watched them travel to his shoulders, down his chest, and down…

His reflexes chose that moment to finally kick in, and he let out an embarrassingly high-pitched scream. You jumped and came to yourself with a jolt, leaping out of the bathroom and slamming the door behind you, yelling muffled apologies.

The dancer slowly slid down to the floor, still dripping water, and groaned.

~~~~~

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck, your brain screamed as you slammed the door to the bathroom, screeching incoherent sorries over your shoulder. Hobi had been one of the guys safe from your stupid feelings!

Why hadn't you knocked? Why was his body so perfect? He was lean and muscular in all the right places, slender but with an undeniable wiry strength to his form. And that was without mentioning his - nope. Stop it. You had to get out of here before your sleazy stalker brain made you go back to ogle him some more.

By the time you made it to the corner store, your mind had calmed down a bit, and you were now feeling decidedly guilty. The poor guy had just been minding his own business. Not only had you walked in on your friend in the shower, you had then proceeded to eye him like a piece of meat. All of him.

You had sent him a slew of apology texts, each one more frantic than the last, but he hadn't opened a single one. Was he that angry? He must be. You couldn't blame him - you had completely violated his privacy. You prayed this would become one of those funny roommate stories you two could laugh about in the future.

In the meantime, how could you get him to forgive you? All of the boys liked food, maybe that was the path forward. Perhaps you could wow him with a meal so delicious he completely forgot about what a total perv you were? It might be a stupid plan, but it was the only thing your currently frazzled brain could think of.

Spying the soda aisle, you made a beeline for his favorite drink. An additional bribe couldn't hurt, after all.

~~~~~

Hobi walked back into the house, feeling much refreshed after a long walk. So what if he had screamed like a little girl in front of you? So what if you had apparently been so horrified by his naked body that you were nowhere to be found after he finally gathered the courage to leave the bathroom? It was just a silly mishap that could happen to any set of roommates.

Well, it would've been nice if you'd looked mildly appreciative, or at least anything other than the blank look of shock that had been on your face. But it was fine. You didn't find him attractive. That was fine. He was fine.

As he closed the front door, the savory smell of cooking beef momentarily chased his brooding thoughts away. Jin must have tried a new recipe today, and it smelled divine. In all the, er, excitement, he had completely forgotten to eat anything after practice, and his stomach reminded him that he was starving. He followed the scent to the kitchen, only to find you in that cute little apron the eldest had gotten upon anointing you his "official sous chef". You jumped in surprise when he appeared.

"Hobi!" You said in surprise, clutching your chest. "Um, did you get my texts?"

He blinked and pulled out his phone, realizing he had set it to silent. He opened it to find a barrage of texts, all from the girl in front of him.

You

OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY

You

I HAD TO PEE REALLY BAD AND DIDN'T EVEN THINK TO KNOCK

You

I WASN'T TRYING TO PEEP ON YOU I SWEAR

You

I'M SORRY I STARED FOR SO LONG YOU JUST HAVE A NICE BODY

You

Wait fuck that doesn't help my argument that I wasn't creeping

You

… Hobi?

You

Are you gonna be back for dinner?

You

I'm really sorry

Having reached the end of your texts, he looked up to see you watching him nervously.

"Please don't hate me." You looked so adorably miserable that Hobi found himself striding quickly over to you and engulfing you in a bear hug.

"Aww you're so cute, [y/n]" he cooed into the top of your head, patting the top of your head like you were a puppy. You felt just as perfect in his arms as he remembered, and you smelled like a weird mixture of shampoo and cooking meat that should've been off putting, but wasn't. "I'm not upset. I just went for a walk to clear my head because I was embarrassed. I didn't mean to worry you."

"But you have literally zero things to be embarrassed about," came the muffled protest from where your face was squished against his chest. He went a little pink at the implications of your statement, remembering exactly how far down your gaze had wandered. Huh. So maybe the look on your face hadn't been of horror after all. Deciding to mull over this discovery at a later time, he pulled away and gestured to the stove.

"So what are you making?"

"I uh, made Japanese-style hamburger steaks," you mumbled, looking sheepish. "I remembered you said you like hamburgers so I thought I'd try to bribe your forgiveness with food. I'm an idiot, I know."

"It smells amazing," Hobi said honestly, and clearly his stomach agreed because it suddenly rumbled loudly, making you giggle.

"Well sit down then," you urged, gesturing to the bar stools at the island. He watched in appreciation as you cracked an egg onto a smaller pan. While it sizzled, you plated his steak with rice, veggies, and some sauce that had been simmering on one of the back burners. You completed the dish with a perfectly runny fried egg. And if he hadn't been melting already, he was certainly a puddle by the time you grabbed a lone soda from the fridge.

"Sprite?" he asked delightedly as you set everything in front of him. You grinned at him again.

"I might have grabbed some at the store while I was panicking," you admitted, plopping down onto the bar stool next to him. His eyes widened. He was touched that you remembered his favorite foods, and you had gone out of your way to prepare them. All this just because you thought he was upset? He felt the roots you had planted in his chest sink a little deeper.

To distract himself from the sensation, he took a large bite of the food. Oh, it was delicious. He wiggled happily in his seat, making you laugh.

"You should walk in on me naked more often," he sighed without thinking, then froze when he realized exactly what he had just said. You stared back at him with wide eyes, face a little pink. Luckily, before either of you could react, a trio of gremlins burst into the kitchen.

"FOOD!" cried Jungkook. He made a beeline for the stove, Jimin and Taehyung in quick succession. They pouted when they realized there was nothing left and scurried over to make a ring around you like the scavengers they were. You snorted and vacated your seat.

"There are more in the fridge, you heathens, just let me fry them up," you scolded as you shooed the younger boys to sit next to Hobi. His eyes were riveted to you as you bustled around the kitchen. Of course you had made extra. It was just like you to think of everyone in the house.

"Wait, why did hyung get a fried egg?" Jimin whined, noting the distinct lack on their plates when you presented them their food.

"Because he's special," you retorted, and Hobi felt the fluttery warmth of flowers blooming in his chest. He took a long sip of his Sprite, pointedly ignoring the glares of his younger brothers. His heart clung to your words and he decided he would do anything to make you realize that you were special, too.

~~~~~

Next | Masterlist

Tags: @singukieee @persphonesorchid @xmochiloverx @taestefully-in-luv @meavie @silscintilla @forpunishers @jnghs

[railroad-migraine]

May I request how each of the campaign 3 characters act with a blood hunter order of the Lycan s/o (maybe their a teifling and instead of turning into a werewolf they turn more demonic?)

Ooohohohooo nice idea! I included a lot of characters here, so enjoy!

Lads, I'm so busy with college, hope y'all understand why I've been quiet :)

~ Poet

S/O is a Demon!Bloodhunter

Ashton

Is your number one fan. His favourite person has a deadly curse that they have mastered and full control over - what's not to like?

At this point, things between you can't get any weirder, and they're convinced that y'all are simply meant to be. They jokingly suggest eloping after seeing your demonic form for the first time, and laughs it off with you, but fuck, that was hot. Absolutely is certain that you guys are soulmates at this point.

He thinks that you're the most badass person he knows, and he won't let anyone not worthy of this side of you say otherwise. Tiefling, demon, bloodhunter - it's a package deal, and Ashton is all for it.

Chetney (lol)

Holy shit, you too??? Thanks for stealing my thunder there. In all honesty though, he's only teasing, because you also having two sides to you puts him at ease - he's not alone in this weird situation, not anymore.

Probably the most unfazed of the party whenever you start shifting forms, because he's got his own stuff to deal with ie. not get stepped on/trip someone up. Plus, he trusts what you're capable of - you don't need his short ass telling you how to fight when you're like this. You guys may share respective curses, but he gets the fact that you both understand and deal with them differently.

Place Chetney on your shoulders and parade around the battlefield with a cackling lycan-gnome wielding woodworker's tools while in your demonic shape. Y'all will either make the enemy cry, retreat or laugh themselves silly; it's a win-win situation.

Dorian

Is so so so accepting of who you truly are, and is so proud of you for revealing this part of you just as the party's ass was getting kicked. You were his knight in shining armour, hellfire wrapping around your body as you fought the enemy; Dorian has committed that image to memory for a future song.

Softly cups your face after the battle, because yes, in moments like this you are far more intimidating in appearance, but he can still make out that impish look on your face. It's you, but at full power, harnessing your curse's ultimate potential.

Will happily argue with Chetney throughout the night that his lovely tiefling partner changing into a demon is NOT the same as transforming into a short and squat werewolf - they actually have the decency to wear clothes, he says with a flushed face.

Fearne

When in your demonic shape, you and Fearne are arguably the most noticeable and eye catching of the party. She's a seven foot tall, drop dead gorgeous faun, and you're a stunning tiefling in your most hellish of forms.

Power couple goals, honestly. Look, we match, she coos as she winds poisonous flowers around your horns in a similar fashion to hers. Who says power can't be pretty?

She has a goal to time one of her own transformations with yours, shifting into a direwolf the moment your eyes burn brighter and your frame heightens. Such a badass way to make an impression at the beginning of a fight, and Little Mister screeches enthusiastically from behind you as you fight with newfound primal determination - Fearne can't help but huff with affection.

Imogen

Squeaks every time you switch forms. It doesn't scare her like it did the first time she saw it happen, because now she understands that it's still you under the guise of a demon - she just doesn't expect it to happen so suddenly and with little notice. That'll never get old, y'know that right?

If you are just as curious as her, while she's venturing through libraries and flicking through ancient tomes trying to figure out her strange dreams and powers, she'd love to find some books to help you understand your infernal bloodline and bloodhunter talents. Knowledge is power, and she already knows you're pretty powerful.

She gets a little shy when you stand next to her in your transformed state. You exude a different energy, magic and strength and wow, it's a lot to take in. She feels so safe at your side, and it's enough to mute the voices she hears and give her own thoughts back, just for a little while - even if they are mainly all about you.

Laudna

As your limbs twist and elongate in the middle of a particularly tough battle, with horns emerging from the crown of your head and your eyes blazing... you hear delighted applause from the warlock-sorcerer beside you. She cheers you on as you tear your way through enemies, whooping and pointing as she looks at the party, because did you see what they did? You're doing splendid, darling!

Laudna is equally fascinated and enamoured by your transformation, but should it cause you any pain during it, she is so gentle afterwards. Makes sure you're spoiled rotten when you return to the form she's more familiar with.

She's even more convinced that you're meant for each other now - you're scary, she's scary - both very *fun scary* in her opinion though. You just get each other, understanding that some people may not understand you both, but that's okay cuz you have each other and this strange found family you have. Match made in heaven (or hells...?) <3

Orym

He's heard of people like you before. Not much, but a little. He already knew that some tieflings were simply born this way, while others change over time. Either way, your heritage combined with your blood hunter curse only accentuates how special you are to him.

Finds it fascinating how it's all still you, but your entire body changes shape, as if formed by some divine template. Laughs as you grow in height, asking if you've got a few extra inches you can lend me?

He can't really put it into words, but to him, he sees you as nothing short of an angel. You were meant to bring harm and despair to this world, and yet you chose good. Orym sees past the hellfire and sharp edges; all he sees you, and how much you care for your friends and for him. And that's enough for the halfling.

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Tell us about Oskar before he was Oskar!

"Tell us a little about yourself," The woman says, folding her hands in front of her on the desk. She has a kind, welcoming smile, narrow rectangular glasses with bright green frames, and hair so black it seems to soak up light without giving any back.

The little sign on her desk reads DARYA RANDALL, DONATION COUNSELOR. Like he's giving up a kidney and not his entire life.

Cole clears his throat, shifting nervously. "Uh, not much to tell. I was born in Memphis-"

"You've come a long way," The woman notes. She writes something down on the paper in front of her, and Cole struggles not to crane his neck to see what it is. "What brought you to California?"

"My dad. Or... my dad's new wife. He met her online. He just... He was just dating all the time. He met this new woman, and she wanted him to move to, um. To her city. So he did, and Zae and I were dragged right along with him."

"Zae is your younger sister?"

"Yep."

"Did she also spend time in state care?"

"Nope." He pops the 'p' to cover up the gentle swell of bitterness. "Her mom wouldn't let her leave Tennessee, and it was in the custody agreement, so." He shrugs. "She's still back there. With her grandparents now, I think."

"Ah. So you were half-siblings."

Cole bristles a little, but the look of empathy and compassion in her face soothes his nerves. "Yes."

"And you had no family to-"

"Look, I came here because I give the fuck up," Cole says, but there's no anger lacing the words, just despair. "You think I have some kind of family to run back to, if I'm sitting here?"

"I'm sorry," She says, softly. He gets the feeling she actually means it. "We've already preverified your age and ability to donate. We just like to have some details for our own records, in case..." She trails off.

"In case someone reports me missing?" He suggests, and sees by the way her eyes sharply focus, suddenly, on him that his guess was correct. "Nobody, ma'am."

"Please, call me Darya." She smiles, and has a crooked tooth on one side. It's cute.

Cole smiles back, relaxing a little. "Okay, well, Darya... There's nobody. I aged out of care and maybe someone else can do better with my life than I have, you know? I'm just really tired. And I want someone else to fix it, change something."

She takes her pen and makes a little check next to something on the paper. "Well, as you know, WRU is in the business of changing lives. You sound pretty sincerely committed. Have you given thought to what designation you would prefer?"

"Whatever the cooking and cleaning one is. I don't want to... You know." He wiggles one hand in a vague gesture.

"Of course." Her smile turns slightly impish. "That would be Domestic, but Cole, what if I suggested Platonic? It seems more up your alley."

"What's that?"

"Well, sometimes they end up working with senior care, but... A Platonic is... a friend. A family member, if you will. Some other uses, but mostly... company."

Cole wrinkles his nose. "Like a dog?"

"... Not unlike one, yes. What do you think?"

Her pen is poised over the paper, and her smile is sweet and soft and kind. When is the last time anyone was kind to him?

"Sure," He says, finally. "Whatever works. I just want to hand all this... all this mess off to be someone else's problem."

"Of course." She makes another check. "Welcome to WRU, Cole. I'm going to step out and grab someone from legal and we'll get your contract signed right here and now and check you in, okay?" Darya stands, smoothing wrinkles from her pants automatically.

She's at the door when Cole says, "Wait, can I ask-"

There's a flicker of irritation overridden by her kind expression again. "Of course. Ask away."

"All that stuff online about what WRU does, hurting people and kidnapping them... That's all a lie, right?"

Her smile shifts - an oh, this question again look. "WRU had never ever taken on someone who didn't sign the contract of their own free will," She says, bright and cheerful. "You know how people are on the internet. They'd rather tell a good story where we're a James Bond villain than admit there are just... problems WRU can help people solve. You know? I wouldn't do what I do if I didn't know I was helping people. Does that answer your question?"

"Yeah." Sort of, anyway. He watches her leave, then looks down at old scars on his knuckles.

Cole feels like a problem, all right.

Maybe WRU is the solution.

When she comes back, she has a dour-looking man in a suit and two of the WRU Handlers with her. They have all the paperwork for him to sign.

And they have a leather dog collar.

"Wait, I have to wear it right away?" Cole goes to stand, but one hand gently pushes him down by his shoulder. "I thought you-... took away memories first-"

"We will. Just stay right there, Cole."

"You sure about this?" One handler asks Darya.

She smiles, putting a hand on Cole's other shoulder. He has the surreal sense of being surrounded by hungry wolves. "I think he'll do best with a lighter touch, Connor. Let's get the ball rolling, shall we?"

The dour man - the lawyer - sets some papers down in front of Cole. Cole, hands shaking, signs them without reading, and then the collar is fastened around his neck.

It's as fast as that.

Three signatures and that's it. It's done.

"Welcome home," Darya says, shaking his hand. "WRU Trainee 332009. Thank you for handing us your life. I promise we'll take amazing care of it."

Her compassion is gone - all that he sees now is a very pleased predator.

Cole realizes, suddenly, that he's made a terrible mistake.

But when the handlers lead him from the room, he goes, eyes on the floor. He doesn't look up.

After all-

This is what he just signed up for, right?

[nirikeehan]

Thalia, Samson and Pravin, crime sentence starters: ❛ i don’t think you fully understand the situation you’re in. ❜

Okay okay, so this really is just the start to something, but I wanted to see Pravin and Samson facing off so badlyyy and I'm sure I'll continue it in some form soon.

For @dadrunkwriting

WC: 525

CW: Samson is a creepy sad sack, you know the drill

---

“I don’t think you fully understand the situation you’re in.” 

The dagger stabbed the wood in the table between them. It was a fine piece, well-made but not ostentatious. A dagger made for stabbing, not ornamentation. 

Samson looked from the glinting metal blade and the wrist that twisted it to the face of the man opposite. One of those insultingly handsome men, who had no right to walk around looking as good as they did. Dark-skinned: Rivaini or Antivan at a glance, piercing green eyes, a flamboyant sense of style and flair for the dramatic, if he was willing to mar the wood to make a point. 

“Not sure I know what you mean.” Samson had no intention of giving the fop what he wanted, whatever it was. Play it cool, close to the chest. Admit nothing. “The Lady Inquisitor is most generous. She offered me quite the deal; I took it.” 

“Yes, though I am told you led her to believe you were dying at the time.” 

A close friend, then. At the least. The girl came to Samson in secret, all teary and looking for a soul to save. He doubted she would have told just anyone about it. And here this bloke was, cross enough to drag Samson from his cell and lock him in this windowless chamber, strewn with bookshelves and covered in cobwebs, for an impromptu confrontation.

Wasn’t there an Antivan on her small council? No, two Antivans. There was the pretty one, Josephine Montil-something. This must be the other one. The bard. 

Samson flashed a grin. “Figured I ought to give her a show. Something I’m sure you know something about, Messere Talavera.”

The cough overtook Samson then, a theatrical flourish if there ever was one. Pity he couldn’t control it. The hacking left his throat raw and his chest aching. 

Talavera’s eyes narrowed. They were a tad darker than the emerald leaking from Lady Thalia’s hand. Samson’d had a damn good look at that during their talk in the dungeon. The anchor’s gash across her dainty little palm had sung to him, a song almost as sweet as the red lyrium. So much work down the drain, all because the little miss had snooped in the wrong room at the wrong time, and now paraded the consequences around for all to see. He could have reached through the bars and snatched her wrist. Caressed it, maybe. She was a compelling creature. He’d had prettier, but there was something impish about her face that he liked. 

“Am I supposed to be impressed that you know my name?” Talavera deadpanned. “It’s been public for quite some time.”

“And a good deal less ridiculous than Fidencio Frye.” Samson guffawed. Yes, he remembered the intelligence reports now: Sister Leliana, Josephine Montilyet, Cassandra Pentaghast — and Cullen, of course — and Fidencio Frye, real name Pravin Talavera. Third cousin to Lady Thalia Trevelyan. Aha. 

“I see how it is,” Samson said, wagging his finger at Talavera. “This is some familial intervention, ain’t it?” 

“Not sure I know what you mean,” Talavera retorted, throwing Samson’s Lowtown accent back at him. “This is an interrogation, Messere Samson.” 

[papercutsunset]

Find the Words

I decided to take up the open tag on @gwens-fiction's version of this, so here goes!

[QUICK NOTE: I wrote this back at the very beginning of this blog and just... forgot to publish it? I'm telling you, my brain is gone and is never coming back. Here it is, though. All of these are from Impish. Apparently, I have never once written the word "dusk" in my life, because I couldn't find it anywhere.]

My words: haphazard, fun, wood, dusk, moon

Haphazard

So I move to the next fridge over, which is full of little plastic tubs of ingredients. One is full of canned mushrooms that have been emptied into the clear container, juice and all. Another is full of haphazard stacks of bright red pepperoni. It sits on a shelf next to a container of gray sausage that looks simultaneously wet and chalky.

Fun

The outside of the building is painted with vertical red and white stripes like some sort of big top; the neon signs decorating the pole out front spin. I squint up at them, only slightly confused. They're shaped like clowns, with giant heads of curly orange hair and bright red circular noses. The front doors are just as bad. They resemble fun house mirror doors. Clowns are everywhere. I can’t escape them.

Wood

Someone knocks on the door to the bathroom. Doug immediately starts speaking through the wood. "Mikey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. We're the same, you know? I’m sorry."

Dusk

[not found]

Moon

By the time we get to the hotel, the sun has almost finished setting and I think Roux has almost forgiven me. It paints a picture of oranges, pinks, and deep, rich blues across the cloudy sky. The moon is peeking out of its hiding spot in the ever-rotating sky.

Thanks for reading. I'm going to tag (no pressure) @sleepysera, @themusesthrall, and anyone else who wants to do this!

Your words are: Talk, Theme, Trip, Tree, and Lay