#Anyway I saw someone else make a similar joke to one of these and realized I never posted them outside of my private Twitter

[katamari-of-luv]

Sketches from December-ish

[active-mind-15]

Headcanons for Akashi when he's angry? 😡

Been a hot min since I've done one of these long ass headcanon posts exploring different Akashi emotions/scenarios, so here I am again. Anger was per the suggestion of @japeneselunchtimerush, so shout out to Aura for once again feeding my Akashi brainrot. Let's get into it!

Usually, before I get into the headcanons, I talk about if there have been any examples of it happening in canon, and for anger, there have been! The most prominent example was during the Teiko arc, when Murasakibara was not listening to Akashi anymore and later confronted him, causing Akashi to switch for the first time. The anger I would argue is more apparent in the anime version, but it's still there in the manga, just as more of an undertone, though. Aside from that, though there aren't really many other instances I can think of apart from during the Winter Cup finals when Akashi realized his team was being overwhelmed and tried to make a comeback. Although, I'm debating classifying that purely as anger since he was clearly having a breakdown. But let's move on to the actual headcanons, I've rambled on this bullet point for long enough.

Firstly, what would make Akashi angry? Going off canon, we already know that one of these things is disobedience/belittling, especially when it comes to Akashi's own authority, but what else can we say makes him angry? I would say he's similar to Kuroko in the sense that he can't stand when he sees people being rude to others. I can imagine him seeing someone being the victim of harassment and bullying and he stands up for them, kinda like how everyone stood up for Kuroko in Extra/Last Game when Team Jabberwock attacked him. He's especially protective over his friends and would never let anyone say one bad word against them, lest they face his wrath.

(^^ As an extra thought to my previous point, I wonder if he ever had to reckon with being angry at himself for the scissors incident during the Winter Cup. I'm sure he's probably beaten himself up over it many times over.)

The examples I've given thus far are all serious things to get angry over, though. So, to lighten it up, I'm going to talk about situations in which I think Akashi would get mad for pettier reasons.

He'd for sure get mad at people disrespecting his height. Y'all saw how he dunked on Seirin in the WC finals just to show off and said "Did you think that was a move for tall people?" Technically he's above average height for his age, but when you put him next to his teammates, he looks so tiny since everyone else is freakishly tall. I'm sure his intimidating captain aura prevents most people from making jokes about his height anyway, but someone on an opposing team might be meanspirited enough to do it and he'd get pissed, like how Kuroko got pissed when Papa mistook him for a child.

Another petty reason I think he'd get mad is if someone isn't paying attention to him while he's speaking. I can especially imagine this happening with the Teiko gang because you know them mfs cannot collectively focus on something for more than five seconds. So imagine him talking about something serious only for him to turn around and almost nobody is paying attention. I've said once before that I think Akashi would be petty enough to pinch or kick somebody for something, so I think that this would be one of the times where this is applicable. He seems like an ear-puller to me, too. Just saying.

I'll give one more petty example for funsies, but I think he'd be mad if he didn't get what he wanted/things are not going his way. Not in the "I'm on the brink of defeat and the meaning of my existence is about to be nullified" type of way we've always seen for him, but in a "the cafe I frequent is out of my favorite drink and I'm about to make it everybody's problem" type of way. He just gets dramatic about minor inconveniences.

So now that we've talked about what could make Akashi angry, let's talk about what he would look like if he was angry. From what we've seen in the series, even when he's angry, he remains calm. He chooses his words carefully and is not the type to shout. The only time he's really raised his voice is when he was arguing with himself in his own headspace, but raising his voice at other people seems like a serious no-no for him. Even though he's calm while he's angry, the anger will still show on his face. The knitted brows, the deep disapproving scowl, anybody would be able to tell that Akashi is mad from a mile away. But if he's only mildly angry, I bet he'd look more pouty than actually mad, much to Mibuchi's delight because it makes Akashi look very adorable.

Come on. Look at that face. You're telling me you wouldn't pinch his cheeks?

How do other people react to him being mad, though? If he's seriously angry, it's like the air shifts. Nobody gets in his way when he's really angry. But when he's just mildly irritated, I think as time goes on, his friends will try and make him feel better, especially if the reason why he's mad is trivial and something that can easily be remedied. Like "Oh, Midorima's not free to play a game of online shogi with you right now? You can play shogi with me instead!" or "You forgot something in the gymnasium? I'll go get it for you!" I just like the idea of Akashi's friends, especially Rakuzan, going out of their way to do things for Akashi the way he does things for other people. It's what he deserves.

Overall, Akashi is a person who does not get angry often, and I feel like part of that reason is because he's always been taught to compose himself and not express emotions that can be perceived as negative. So, I can imagine what a struggle that must be for him, especially when he truly is angry but feels like he's not allowed to show it. So I would hope as time goes on that he feels more comfortable being open with that while still being able to show emotions in a healthy manner.

Alright, I've yapped enough, time to pack it up. Hope you guys enjoyed.

[hammysamhah]

hello peoples i’m about to sound real crazy right now but hear me out cus i’ve been thinking this for awhile now while binge watching TBGO and Trollstopia and i need to know your thoughts!! and buckle up folks cus this is gonna be a LONG post

so okay basically, i think that in the shows Guy Diamond has some sort of generational trauma/ daddy issues/ faced parental neglect or however else it can be phrased.

this theory is only show specific and i don’t know if i sound crazy for thinking this AND i know i’ve made a post similarly about this except with Dareth from Ninjago but i actually have some real evidence this time to back up this theory/headcanon

look, this theory started off as kind of a joke at first after watching TBGO episode: “Trolly Tales 3” where Guy is seen telling a bunch of children a story based off of the nursery rhyme about jumping over a candlestick.

the story is seen with Guy as the main character, wanting to pursue a life of entertainment involving jumping over candlesticks. Sky Toronto, whom is Guy’s dad in this story, doesn’t agree with this lifestyle and insists he starts thinking more seriously and be part of the company. Guy rebels and pursues his dream anyway, but in the end it fails after the candlestick drops Guy and becomes a solo act. Guy, now at his lowest, goes back to his dad’s and tells him he’s ready to be serious. Sky responds to the statement that he has seen Guy’s shows and that he doesn’t want Guy calling him dad anymore, but to instead call him his #1 fan. it was a small but sweet twist there at the end where the dad accepts the son in the end.

now i didn’t really give much thought to the story until i saw the way Guy reacted when the kids didn’t like it. now i’ll make it very aware that i very much know Guy is just super dramatic (they even acknowledged that in the scene i’m mentioning rn), BUT as someone who loves to overanalyze cartoon characters and expressions, he kind of looked genuinely hurt. he was also fairly offended when poppy said his story was too dramatic.

mentioning again that i know Guy is just a drama queen but i like to overanalyze stuff like this

now after i noticed these details, i jokingly remarked that it seemed like Guy took the dislike of his story personally, as if that was a semi-true story. like as if something like that did happen to Guy when he was younger and he twisted the story to fit the nursery rhyme. i don’t think that Sky Toronto is his actual dad, there’s too much proof that shows they don’t have any personal connection like that. but i do think that whoever his dad really was did push him the same way Sky did in the story. and that maybe Guy twisted the ending to be happy when in reality it probably didn’t have his dad accepting him and loving him for who he was.

now everything i have been talking about is all just speculation. there’s no real proof that this story isn’t anything more than just a story. BUT!!! by overanalyzing it is what made me realize that Guy being neglected in some way by his dad (or mom if he has one) would make some sense considering his personality.

Guy is very reliant on being the center of attention, he doesn’t like the idea of anyone being better than him and just has some confidence issues in general (at least in TBGO). there are many episodes centering around this. this is even stated in Guy Damond’s wiki.

now, attention seeking is a very common occurrence in people that were neglected as a child. his attention seeking and huge ego are both things that show signs of trauma or neglect as seen below

this is just a slice of what i have in store though because i think that this ties into the way he parents Tiny Diamond in Trollstopia.

Guy and Tiny have a few episodes centered around their relationship, they’re all pretty heartwarming and a little sad (while also being funny because the show’s a comedy). these episodes have a pretty similar moral which is ���i’ll love you no matter what” and i feel like there’s a reason they all pretty much have this moral and it’s to show how Guy is growing as a character and parent.

let me just summarize these episodes i am thinking of realll quick for ya

Extra Tootering (s1 ep 12a): Tiny wants to learn how to glitter fart like his dad to impress his friends, Guy tries to teach him how but it doesn’t work. time comes where Tiny is meant to show his friends his trick and ended up faking it so no one could know he couldn’t do it. feeling guilty for his lie, he runs away and Guy finds him and tells him that whether he can glitter or not he and his friends will still love him the way he is.

Dad-urday (s2 ep 1b): Tiny thinks of his dad as his hero and Guy doesn’t wanna do ANYTHING that could ever break that image, so Guy participates in Dad-urday events that he hates just to make Tiny happy, only in the end to find out that Tiny will always view Guy as his hero even if he can’t do all the typical dad things that others can do.

Funder Construction (s7 ep 5a): Guy tells Tiny about how their family has a legacy of building extraordinaryly cool blanket forts and unintentionally pressured Tiny into feeling that he needs to make his own super impressive fort or else he won’t be considered a Diamond, Guy immediately comforted and reassured Tiny that no matter what he accomplishes in life he’ll always be a Diamond because he’s his son and that he’ll love him no matter what.

now let me break down these episodes a bit more to show you how i think it could prove Guy has parental trauma and how it plays into how he parents now.

for Extra Tootering, there’s this specific scene that spoke to me. when Tiny tells his dad that he wants to learn how to glitter like him, Guy tells him that he was also a late tooter and that Tiny should be patient, as it comes with time. but then Tiny starts saying that he’ll just hide his true self away until then. when Guy heard his son say those things, he was tearing up and even freaked out a little literally shouting a dramatic “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” and he immediately decided that he was going to help his son learn to glitter fart despite his earlier statement that Tiny should be patient.

now i know the topic being about farting glitter makes this feel so unserious but that isn’t gonna stop me from overanalyzing it LOL

the main thing i noticed was how upset that Guy was when Tiny started talking about hiding himself from the world. Tiny was wanting to hide himself because he couldn’t glitter like Guy could. Guy didn’t wanna be the cause of his son hiding himself!! any parent would be upset in this situation. but if i consider my past point of that story Guy told back in TBGO, where the dad didn’t want his son to be himself, being a real thing that Guy could’ve gone through, Tiny wanting to hide himself could very much upset Guy!! not just for the basic reasons of wanting your child to be happy but also because he doesn’t want Tiny to go through what he went through.

later on when Guy finally finds his runaway son, this interaction plays out:

(direct quotes from the ep)

Guy: “don’t you see? i love you just the way you are! we all do!”

Tiny: “but you’re my daddy, daddy! you have to say that.”

Guy: “…you’re right, Tiny. i guess because i’m your father, in a way, i do have to say it.”

and the way Guy said that last sentence just felt interesting to me. the pause before he said it, and using the words “i guess” made it feel like he never really got that treatment from his own father ? ofc i could just be grasping at straws there a lil bit but it’s what i’m thinking.

now by the end of the episode Tiny has learned how to glitter and used it to save himself, his dad, and friends from falling to death lol— but what Guy says to Tiny afterwards was very sweet.

(direct quote from ep)

Guy: “TINYYYYY! HAHA! you did it! YOOOOU did it!!! for the record, i’d still love you if you couldn’t, but i’m glad to not be dead.”

i just like how Guy specified that he still would’ve loved Tiny either way. this doesn’t directly lead any points to my theory other than maybe Guy feels the need to make sure Tiny absolutely knows that he’ll love him no matter what. but any parent should feel that way about their child. i just really thought the moment was sweet and worth a mention.

now onto the next episode, Dad-urday, and let me tell you this episode probably spoke to me the MOST when it came to defending my theory.

for the entire episode Guy was stressing over disappointing his son. Tiny thinks of Guy as his hero, and Guy doesn’t want to do anything that could ever shatter that thought and make Tiny think less of him. so he and Tiny participate in a thing called Dad-urday, where all the dads in Trollstopia do a bunch of stereotypical dad things (like grill, play catch, fish, stuff like that). but Guy isn’t good at those things, so he goes to his friends for help and this interaction pursues.

(direct quotes from ep)

Synth: “Tiny’s gonna love dad-urday! he thinks the world of you and what-not!”

Guy: “exactly! Tiny thinks i can do anything! but tomorrow he’ll realize i can’t, and i just don’t want my little boy to lose his hero…”

Guy is seen here putting so much pressure on himself for no reason! he should know that Tiny would love him despite his lack of ‘dad’ skills, but he’s convinced himself that if he isn’t perfect and amazing at everything then his son will think less of him. this is totally rooted in Guy’s confidence issues and probable parental neglect i think.

so Guy forces himself to do typical Dad-urday things (with the help of his friends) to make sure not to disappoint his son. but things go wrong when Guy has to participate in a boating event to which he gets into a dangerous position. at this point Guy’s friends finally told Tiny the truth and Tiny immediately just wants his dad to get out of the danger he’s in leading to this interaction

(direct quotes from the ep)

Tiny: “daddy! your daddy friends already told me everything! you gotta get out of there!”

Guy: “b-but— this isn’t how i wanted this to go, Tiny! you’re my little boy! and i want you to keep on believing i can do anything! so you don’t lose your hero!”

the way that Guy sounded so panicked and upset in this scene really hurt. to me it feels like Guy is desperate to not end up being a bad dad, he wants to be someone his son can look up to and to be the first person he goes to if there’s a problem. i really think this shows that Guy never had a good role model himself, as he doesn’t understand that he doesn’t need to do all the things he’s making himself do in order to achieve this goal.

this mindset even had Guy forget that Tiny already knew he’s not perfect, as Tiny pointed out he already knew he’s not capable of everything and specified about when Guy tried to build his bike and failed, which made Guy finally remember. Tiny then proceeded to list a bunch of other things about his dad that aren’t the most charming, like his bald spot, or his fake calves lmao

anyways the next bit of dialogue here seems pretty meaningful

(direct quotes)

Tiny: “there’s only one reason you’re my hero, daddy…. *BECAUSE* you’re my daddy!”

Guy (tearfully): “…really?”

the fact Guy was crying in this scene just showed how touched he felt that he didn’t actually have to be perfect to be a good dad. and that he already was one. the mere fact that being his dad made Tiny think of him as his hero definitely made him realize he was doing a good job. he needed to hear that after all the pressure he put on himself earlier.

now onto Funder Construction, which is a pretty big one too cus they actually talk about their family in this episode!

this could potentially put a little dent into my theory since Guy is the one who talks about them and he didn’t seem like someone who didn’t like his family. but i might just put it as he didn’t wanna have his child worry about it. i mean Guy is an actor in the show, it wouldn’t be too crazy for him to ignore his feelings for a minute and talk a little kindly about their family’s legacy to inspire Tiny, because Guy did play a fair part in it after all.

now to put it simply this episode hurt my heart so bad 😭 Guy’s parenting in this episode is so good it hurt. Tiny found an interest in making blanket forts, so Guy tells Tiny about how making blanket forts runs in the family and that they’ve all made huge creations out of them. and now Tiny wants to do the same.

Guy supports Tiny throughout the entire thing until Tiny starts rushing it and the fort becomes unstable. by then Guy is begging Tiny to stop but Tiny is consistent on getting it done. then the tower starts wobbling over with them on it and they fall off the side! luckily they were able to hold onto some loose blankets but they still were in a very unsafe position. and even then, still Tiny is consistent about finishing this fort and thus, this interaction pursues:

(direct quotes)

Tiny: “i have to build something the world has never seen before!”

Guy: “BUT WHY?!”

Tiny: “because if i don’t…i’m not a Diamond.”

Guy: “…not a Diamond..?”

and dude. Guy’s face after Tiny said that. that brief moment of just an emotion change felt like Guy was realizing that he unintentionally pressured Tiny into thinking that if he didn’t build this fort he wouldn’t be considered part of the family. this is the exact thing Guy wanted to prevent Tiny from feeling.

so now continuing the scene, tiny is crying at this point:

(direct quotes)

Tiny: “it’s like you said, ‘every Diamond built structures that would stand until the end of time.’ so, if i don’t do that… how can i be one of them?”

Guy: “…Tiny Diamond. young man, you listen to me, and you listen good, because i have something that you need to hear. first of all, the things the Diamonds of the past did took them their entire lifetimes. if they caught one glimpse of what you’ve accomplished as a child..? it would blow the hair right off their heads!”

Tiny: [smiles and sniffs]

Guy: “and second of all, and way way more importantly, none of that matters! i don’t care if you build a thousand skyscrapers, or if you never touch another blanket again, you are always a Diamond. because you.. are my son.”

this scene is so important not just for Tiny but for Guy too. Tiny is learning once again that his dad will truly love him no matter what. and unlike last time with the glitter fart, (which Tiny was able to achieve in the end), in this episode, Tiny’s plan doesn’t work, but now he’s okay with it. because his dad made him feel less pressured and more loved. Guy Diamond truly said some powerful things to his son. this will most likely be a memory that Tiny will remember forever and that’s such a good thing.

coming back to the theory though, Guy had accidentally made his son feel how his family probably made him feel in the past. maybe not about specifically the blanket tower stuff but possibly something similar or just anything in general. pressure to live up to family values can be traumatic if your family makes you feel outcasted for not living up to it the way they want. and considering i think Guy either got disowned or ran away himself, (solely based on the story he told those children in TBGO), it obviously didn’t end very well.

the fact he made Tiny feel that pressure was probably heart breaking to Guy. and he made sure to immediately make sure Tiny knew he had no reason to feel like that. he became so serious so fast to make SURE tiny didn’t feel out of place in their family.

and that just shows Guy’s development not just from the trauma im theorizing but just in general in the show. Guy was never really the most serious character in this show. i mean, he’s a naked sparkly troll who’s main character trait half the time is farting glitter or being super dramatic in comedic ways. but seeing how serious Guy gets when it’s about his son just goes to show how seriously he cares about him. and that’s how you break generational trauma yall, Guy Diamond mastered it.

so um yeah this is pretty much all i have to say about this theory. i just wanted to show how i thought that Guy didn’t have a good childhood but made sure his son had a great one. really sweet stuff for this mostly unserious show. i know this is probably super dumb but i don’t care i just love dumb things. and if you actually read all of this thanks and here’s a cookie 🍪

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for making a stupid joke about white people names?

a group of friends and I (all 18+) were chatting, and one of them, Patty, mentioned how certain ethnic names have odd spellings that throw people off, or how some names might be spelled the familiar way but pronounced differently. that conversation eventually devolved to making jokes about obnoxious white people name, like adding 'eigh' instead of a 'y' or 'ie' etc, y'all know the meme. lakynn and other shit like that. I was under the assumption that, because we were now joking around about something similar but NOT ethnic names, the conversation topic changed.

so anyways, I made an edit of the woman with the sign and circling the weird spelling she was choosing, the blond pregnant woman wearing a blue shirt meme? I put one of the weird spellings we were talking about earlier in it, and we all had a good laugh bc imo it was genuinely funny at the time. for the record, I was not the only one making these jokes, but I was the only one who made a meme about it.

later on (like over a couple weeks, I think), we realize Patty hadn't messaged in the group for a while. I eventually find out through another friend, Greta, that Patty was super hurt by my joke about white people name spelling, saying that it was super rude and disrespectful to her and her (real, ethnic) name.

honestly, I saw where I fucked up and asked Greta if Patty was open to talking to me, as I wanted to properly apologize. I get that making a white people name joke after JUST talking about how ethnic names were disrespected was in bad taste, and I really do appreciate and value Patty as a friend. Greta then tells me that Patty refuses to talk to me, doesn't want an apology, and wants us to forget this ever happened.

I end up telling Greta that, while I regret what I said, it was hurtful that Patty, someone who I had a good relationship with previously, waited so long to say something and that I had to find out what happened through someone else. I've stated multiple times in this friend group that I'd want someone to call me out/in, rather than let me keep hurting people because of my ignorance. I always try to be receptive, and it hurt that Patty waited so long to talk to Greta to then tell me I fucked up so long after the initial conversation.

After all of this, I was pretty hurt too. not because Patty didn't decide to educate me, but because the relationship I thought we had was apparently flimsy enough that Patty would cut me off and give no chance for us to actually talk. it felt like a slap to the face, because we had known each other for years at that point, and this was the first incident between us. But then suddenly Patty was gone and refused to talk to me.

later on, after "dropping it" per Patty's request, I tried messaging them. not even to talk about what happened, but just to see how they were doing and try to rebuild our relationship. I simply got a message that Patty was busy with life and didn't have time to talk.

I realize that's a lot of information, but I guess my question actually is, AITA for trying to apologize for the stupid joke? For being hurt that I wasn't told anything until it was too late?

Other information: as far as I'm aware, I was the only one who Patty had an issue with after the joking conversation. Patty has continued to talk to other people in the group, but pointedly ignores me. I've tried a couple times to join a conversation that Patty was in, but they tend to go quiet after, so I gave up doing that and just try to keep my distance.

What are these acronyms?

[ileftmysoulinnorway]

We all had a tough end of the week, so I thought I would put together something about my IWTV set lurking experience in Prague, hopefully to cheer someone up and show you that the people working on our little show are incredible, everything is well thought out, and we have a lot to look forward to.

Locations

I am confident that Prague will be a good substitute for Paris. I love this post comparing Prague's Théâtre des Vampires location with a real Le Grand Guignol in Paris. But similar care is given to other locations as well.

I like to joke that I enjoyed a month-long tour of Prague's most famous landmarks, only to have the actual filming take place in nondescript alleyways right next to them. But it makes perfect sense. They want to capture the nicer and older parts of the city that suit them, but not anything that would tell you it's Prague.

Production design, costumes

I saw them build everything from scratch on several sets. And I'm in awe. From putting up posters that will probably only appear in the background of a single shot, to street names that fit the exact topography of Paris and make sense in the context of the scenes that take place on them, to storefronts that they really didn't have to pay that much attention to, or a menu at Le Dakar Café that you could only read up close, but someone took the trouble to make it anyway?

And maybe this attention to detail is normal, I don't know, but I still think Mara and her team deserve all the praise they get.

S1 showed us how much attention is paid to the costumes. I can assure you that has not changed. All the hats, coats, capes and dresses. I can't tell you how many times I've been pleasantly surprised. By the choice of colors for Lestat. By how beautifully all of Armand's black clothes come to life with little details.

People

There are so many people (and I mean SO many) working on the show and they all know exactly what is expected of them, everything runs like a well-oiled machine. I haven't seen any problems, any conflicts, any excesses.

I'm not under any illusion that everything was trouble-free, but really the only complaints I heard were about the horrendously hellish schedule (I guess that's normal) and then the occasional person wishing they had finished earlier (they never finished earlier).

They are all heroes to me.

Directors

Levan is the only one I saw. He seems so focused and professional. His "rolling...and action" is unforgettable.

Actors

After six locations and about fifteen scenes (and countless rehearsals and takes), I think I managed to get at least some idea of them, and yes, they really seem to be such nice people.

- Jacob, I don't envy him at all the emotional strain of playing Louis, but at the same time I love his portrait of Louis so much.

- Sam's transformation into Lestat is something to behold.

- Assad was the only one present on every set. I don't think we've fully realized how big a role he's going to have (at least in S2).

- Delainey, Ben, Roxane and everyone else 💜

Scenes

They were far from finished when the strike started, but at least (in my opinion) they got to the last block of episodes. 

I'm not going to pretend to have a concrete idea of what to expect from S2 based on what little I saw. But I do have a few guesses, and I'm insanely excited and thrilled. And, in the case of the 1700s flashbacks, totally confused. I can't believe they're going to do so many unexpected things, or other things so soon.

I truly believe that S2 will not disappoint any of us. We just have to wait a little longer. But if this strike means that everyone gets a better deal and the studios are forced to change their ways, it will be worth the wait.

[microknifeyuri]

AYO! NEW CONTENT FOR THE GKGG AU?!

Also shotout to @burgycreeper405-blog cause she helped a lot on Trophy's looks/design and generally helped a lot in developing this AU you're very cool compadre :]♡

YES!!! AND IT'S WITH THIS GROUP OF QUEERS!!

lets start with the basics + what changes with them here!

Trophy: Okay.

Trophy takes the role of Tissues that is, but he's somewhat similar to canon again. Back then he was a jock who was confident on himself but had his heart on the right place. He was admired and well-respected by others for how strong he was and how charming he acted as well, generally being considered a light amongst objects.

So... what went wrong? He was settled, everything was going okay and he was happy.

At one point of his life, the condition came to him. He probably always had it, but it was only at that moment where it "woke up" in a way. He started feeling constantly dizzy and tired, which led him to not be able to work out as much as he used to, constantly started fainting and was unable to do much physical activities, and due to the stress of this, and him not being able to understand what's wrong with him, he cut off ties with everyone that knew him and just... kind of disappeared of everyone's minds.

He felt like he was messing things up and that he wasn't helpful at all, and saw him as an failure. Just because of his condition. He went to many doctors to check what was going on but no one really knew either and they are still figuring things out to help him.

When he arrived to the show, he was absolutely demolished. He was known back then so like. Showing your face to the public after years of being gone was definitely something that shattered his confidence, since he wasn't the same bright and golden loving jock everyone adored, but... just a sad, sick man who can barely even exist without coughing every second or so. He's shy and delicate, and didn't want to stay on the show for too long anyway.

He does feel guilty over infecting Cobs with his condition since it has ruined his own life so like. He didn't want to ruin the life of someone else with it.

So he tends to hide from others. After he arrived to Hotel Origami properly, Paper started to look after him and Trophy started taking his medicine again. He's slowly getting better, the condition still unbearable, but there's some progress on the methods to help him out. He tries to be more social with people and that certainly did help.

Tissues:

Tissues wants to be a magician here. The only thing is that his magic tricks end up being dangerous/harmful for others.

He gets consumed too easily by his desire to be a great magician and make his shows, and meanwhile he has a lot of potential, he needs someone to put his feet at the ground and make him realize that MAYBE a REAL cannon isn't the greatest idea.

At the begin of S2, he acted like a somewhat sly and confident bastard, on a good way, always wanting to impress Fan with his magic tricks since nothing seemed to amaze him, and the knee slap remains since he's a bit of a jokester as well! Uses comedy and magic! But a lot more of magic.

Since Tissues wasn't exactly conscious/aware of the fact that his tricks were hurting/could hurt people, but he was pretty good with the jokes though, he kind of forgot that he had to keep his audience alive.

He almost killed Fan with a small trick and that led Fan to yell at him and say "SEE?! THIS IS WHY YOU WILL NEVER HAVE AN AUDIENCE! YOU'RE HURTING PEOPLE! TALK ABOUT BEING A MONSTER WHEN YOU DIDN'T LOOK AT YOURSELF YET! ... go away. I don't want you near right now. Please."

So that led Tissues to being self conscious and feeling like he was only capable of hurting people. So his cockyness went down and he was somewhat sad, hopeless even, as he felt like some type of awful monster thanks to what Fan said. And magic was the thing he truly adored and was good at, but needed to work on a lot more. But what was the point of doing something that brought distress to others?

He knew he was going to get eliminated anyway and he simply cooled down a lot. He felt like a failure. He thought he found something that he could actually do and enjoy, but maybe he was just... broken. Maybe he had to make commercials again and forget about his dreams. So many years passed, wanting to be recognized by others. And he did now, but not in the way he wanted to be.

Perhaps he deserves to live in the shadows...

But he managed to work those things out in the end (will later on post a drawing + text of it!)

After he arrived to Hotel Origami and properly settled down, he began to rework his tricks and jokes, so his method of doing shows is somewhat like stand up comedy but he tells a story of his life/a joke meanwhile he does the trick itself.

He's charming and sweet, always listening to suggestions and is generally a pretty kind guy. A lot of people come to see his shows even AT the island.

And... Trophy goes to support him too.

And Cheesy, too. Even though Cheesy is there to mock him, he never misses one show.

Tissues swears he heard Cheesy going "wow" once.

Cheesy:

Cheesy is a fun case so to speak (not really). Years ago he was a pretty loving and sweet guy, and wanted to help everyone in anyway that he could. However, this made him an easy target for others, since he was naive.

He didn't have an easy life to put it shortly. He wanted to be happy the way he was, but could never really be since everyone made him a target for jokes. So Cheesy decided that if he can't make them love him, he's gotta adapt to them and make them fear him. But how? He was a lil' guy and not very... you know, intimidating.

But he was completely done at one point. Completely frustrated with life that is. He felt ashamed and completely shut down the kind persona he once was. Started to put his anger on working out, training and that. Relies on some unhealthy habits such as smoking too for stress.

He got into numerous fights and that roughed him up a bit. He's always alert and doesn't want anyone to look at him with pity. Cheesy's pretty strong too, being able to kick Trophy without much stress as well.

Even other jocks fear him too.

He's constantly focused on being the best and being respected in a way, sure, he's not loved, but people definitely fear him.

However... he does feel pretty lonely at times. He does want a friend. But Cheesy doesn't know how to have or make friends in a good way. Heck! Even the other jocks he befriended were still assholes to him! So you can imagine how awkward it is for him.

Test Tube was... someone that he actually wanted to befriend. But she was not interesed on the slightest, which is fair, she has never been the type to *do friendships in the middle of the show*, but that still felt unfair for Cheesy. But perhaps it was also for the fact that Test Tube was actually just... chill with him as she said "sorry, mate, i'm not really interesed, good luck tho".

And when he found out about the Hello Kitty doll... well. He did what others did to him.

If they don't want to be your friend, force them.

But the difference is that he was... actually not that shocked with being kicked out. Just angry with himself in a way and got that out on Box.

So that results in him being kicked out by Test Tube herself.

Once he settles down in Hotel Origami, his life does take a whole ass spin.

He's still a jock but. He found himself caring for Trophy and his condition slowly, even if he tosses the subject away and says that he's just frustrated because he can't sleep well at night thanks to his roomate. He acts kind of like a dick, and is almost always alone, since no one really hangs out with him out of fear or frustration. Paper and him do argue a lot in the beggining since Cheesy is careless.

But... as time passes by, and the closer he starts getting to Trophy and Tissues, the softer he gets. And he *fucking hates it*, he doesn't want to go back to who he was, everyone will make fun of him again, he thinks. He's always there with/for them, mocking them, but still there. He doesn't have to be. But he adapted the mentality of "I'm the only one who can make fun of these two idiots", since he gets protective with them as well.

He starts to become more chill as time passes by, his relationship with Tissues and Trophy still being uncertain, but they did "turn him into the softest bitch he knows".

He started to hang out calmly with the other residents. Actually made some... connections not based on fear but genuine enjoyment. His relationship with Paper got better as he helps with the Hotel. Started getting the help he needed.

Instead of photography, his hobby would be painting landscapes and or animals based on photos he takes.

And even other objects sometimes but... He's too ashamed to admit that golden and teal are colors that he uses too much.

He sucks at jokes but he's great at pick up lines.

Have extra art of these three:

not too fond of gay people /j

[cowboymantis]

Y'know what since it's pride month, I'll do a little random rambling about my identity, bc hell I am 22 whole years old and I am still struggling with my gender lmaoo 😭😭

But also, nowadays I think it's really funny that I took so long to properly realize I was trans and aroace

There were. So many signs. 💀

I almost dreaded to come out as trans to one of my old online friend groups, not bc I thought they were transphobic (bc we were always a heavily lgbtq group), but because I thought I took so long and now I'd have to explain myself. (Stupid I know, but my family is very transphobic, so I never got to be my true self irl, and idk if I ever will as long as my family lives, but maybe I'll be brave enough one day)

But one of the first reactions I got was just yeah I always thought you were gonna say that 😭 And us all talking AND OTHERS COMING OUT TOO it was just such a weight lifted from my shoulders, it was so great.

Because of my family, I'm not 100% sure how I feel about my gender, if I feel more nonbinary or male, it's more something in-between, but more towards male,, but that's why I just feel most comfortable without a label, I'm just me and I'm here 🛌

When it comes to figuring out I'm aroace, the thing is, I kinda thought about it before, but I wasn't sure. Even then, it wasn't too long before I realized.

I always hated romance and cheesy scenes, kissing and especially sex scenes in anything I watch make me super uncomfortable, I'd sometimes think about, if I'm grown up and in a relationship, I have to do all of that... And I was actually scared of needing to get in a relationship, or something like that. Part of it was pressure from my parents to tell me I need to find a partner, to, I guess properly live my life or something. And this is essentially what a lot of people think, that you NEED to have a partner to be complete, and I always found it so weird. I don't want a partner I just wanna sit in my room and play videogames all day :'D

Oddly enough, No Straight Roads, one of my favourite games ever, has indirectly helped me- NOW HEAR ME OUT. One name: Eve.

Omg I love Eve so so much, and her whole arc just made me slowly go ... I feel that omg

I was in one relationship in my life, I'm actually still friends with that person, they also came out as trans, but are in a poly relationship now, which is kind of funny to me because we went pretty much the exact opposite route, I love it 😭

Anyway, I never had any feelings of love how people describe it, I never had any attraction to people. But I was so desperate when we broke up, like I lost my one opportunity in life to be in a relationship, like I needed to have someone else no matter how uncomfortable I felt being in one.

And I just saw my younger teenage self in Eve and I think this is one of the reasons I am so attached to this character, gahhHH I love No Straight Roads so much. It has helped me in a time I was feeling down, it indirectly got me into kpop (😭😭yeah), which then also came at the right time when I had a downer phase, and the community of the game on release was just so sweet.

But yeah, to come back to it, throughout my life, I basically went from "I guess I'm pan or something, because I don't have a preference"

To "Okay the thought of being with a man disgusts me, so I have to be a lesbian"

To "Okay, but I just like looking at people in an aesthetical way, I simp for characters or actors as a joke, I just like looking at them or think they're cute, but that's about it"

And then I was just like oh. Oh wait. it's all coming together.

Realizing you're aromantic and/or asexual can be really hard, and I've seen others' experiences be similar to mine. I think, in a way, it's so hard bc pursuing relationships is the norm for most of the world.

Thinking back to that one lesson we had in ethics class I'll never forget, we had to write down something about the meaning of life. And then everyone should say what they have written down and what their idea was. Most people wrote down having a family. I don't even know what I wrote down (probably something like a happy life or something basic), but I talked about how meaning of life doesn't have to be having a family. And the teacher basically laughed at me for saying that bc that's the whole point of being a human!!!

And I guess from that day I had this one sided beef / grudge against this teacher bc how the hell are you an ethics teacher and think so one-sided 😭 Sure, humans start families so they don't die out, but not EVERY human needs to start a family to have a purpose in life?

So yeah, anyway. Aspecs are very nuanced, there are those who have platonic relationships, people who enjoy sex although they are not attracted to someone, I myself am absolutely repulsed by anything sexual and I don't ever want any type of relationship, I don't like being lovey dovey, and I hate being too close to someone, like hugging, etc. On the outside I've always been very distant, but on the inside I have all the love I don't have for romance, for my friends and for this world instead 😌🙏

I guess I can really seem too cold or maybe even angry, bc it's hard for me to properly show my emotions, and that's why I prefer text over word, I can express myself so freely and can add all the silly little emotes I want :3

Also, I always loved the I do not perceive and do not wish to be perceived bc yeah . Me fr jfhdjdhr

Also, I'm not too fond of sexualities and genders all having weird stereotypes, but god damit I love robots/androids etc sm I always would love to be one fr ‼️‼️ I guess that's one of the reasons I was immediately hooked on Tokusatsu- NO THIS IS NOT GONNA BE A TOKU POST THIS HAS DERAILED WAY TOO FAR

But speaking of-- Naki me belobed and ofc their actor, I love Nakayama sm man and recently read an a bit older interview of him and he's so real 😭😭 I've never literally me-d for an actor so much 🥲

[cloudwhisper23]

I spent two days on this prompt, lol. Yet another story for @grow-bettah's Grumbo Month event! I am still pushing the limits of what counts for these prompts by the way. XD

Day 13: Long Day

He knew the rules well. Hot Guy had impressed them in harshly, the glint of sorrow in his eyes as he’d explained it. Don’t get attached to the tech working with you. Don’t get attached to anybody. That was how they’d get you.

So Cute Guy was rude to the people around him. He was harsh on his technician, who shied away whenever he so much as looked at the man. If the pain of clearly hurting Mumbo got to him, he’d find a puddle to splash himself in and pretend to be someone else. Someone better.

The difference between Grian and Cute Guy was stark enough that Mumbo never noticed their similar height. His tech worked well enough that he never realized it was used against him. Mumbo never suspected a thing. It was perfect, ignoring the fact that Cute Guy had broken the first rule: don’t get attached to the tech.

But Grian wasn’t Cute Guy. He was better.

Mumbo didn’t seem too sure. No matter how much Grian tried to put down Cute Guy for his harsh jokes and cruel flirting, Mumbo always had a defense ready.

Grian saw it as a challenge, digging up more of his terrible deeds to point out to Mumbo. The media caught a lot of it, so it was easy to convince Mumbo that he’d seen it on the news somewhere.

“Some hero,” Grian often said. “How can you be a hero and be so cruel?” It was a question he asked himself.

“I think…” Mumbo would always start, hesitant. “I don’t think he means to be. I think he’s worried about letting people in.”

Grian always scoffed, finding some other way to poke at Cute Guy.

“You just like him because you’re well off,” Grian said one night, the cool surface of window glass against his back.

Mumbo flinched. “Am I? My job is quite demanding, Grian.”

Mumbo wasn’t allowed to share what he did for a living. It was a safety measure. But because Cute Guy knew, Grian knew. And he always suspected it was because of him that Mumbo was constantly exhausted. The glint in Mumbo’s eye only existed when he was with Grian. It was certainly never present around Cute Guy, nor with Hot Guy. Not even Hot Guy’s tech, Cub, could get more than a few words out of Mumbo on the job.

Mumbo was shy, a realization Grian reached rather quickly. He stuttered when he was unsure of something. His laugh held more energy than Grian could ever give.

“What do you do for a living?” Grian asked, the pressure settling over Mumbo like the collapse of a building.

“You know I can’t tell you that.”

“Is it dangerous?” Grian pressed further, knowing he was pushing Mumbo’s buttons. “Are you a super hero?”

“Goodness gracious no!” Mumbo smiled nervously. “Grian, please. Drop it.”

“Fine.” Grian tightened his shoulders. He didn’t need Mumbo to tell him. “What’s so demanding about your mysterious job, anyway?”

“Grian.”

“You don’t have to give details! Just like, blame your boss or whatever. Be as vague as you need.”

Mumbo swallowed. “I don’t know…”

“I’ll tell you about my life if you do it,” Grian said, peering at Mumbo from the windowsill. It wouldn’t be hard to tell small truths, like where he’d been before the program decided to use him. It wouldn’t be hard to recall his old life.

Mumbo’s mustache twitched. “Fine. It’s not my boss so much as one of the people I work with. A client, if you will.”

“Go on…”

“He’s…” Mumbo struggled to find words. “Well, he certainly tries to make things harder for me.”

He must be talking about me, Grian decided. Tilting his head, Grian nudged Mumbo into elaborating. “So he’s a jerk.”

“More than that! He’s the boss of a few other people, and I just know he’s rubbing off on them because there’s no way they’d be so-“ Mumbo clamped his mouth shut. “I guess he’s what the good people of the city would call a villain.”

Grian flinched at that. Surely not? If Mumbo was so defensive of Cute Guy, why call him a villain?

“Your turn,” Mumbo said softly.

Grian remained silent.

“Grian, you promised,” Mumbo’s voice sounded small. It tugged at Grian’s heart.

His shoulders sank as he looked into Mumbo’s eyes. “What do you want to know?”

The facility felt cold the next day, when Mumbo walked into the laboratory. Hot Guy nodded to him, the faintest acknowledgement.

It was the most polite anyone ever was to Mumbo. Aside from Grian, of course.

Mumbo swallowed the noise in his throat as he recalled their conversation and the way Grian’s voice sounded dead when he told Mumbo about his life. About the scavenging to survive, about the way his younger brother had succumbed to an illness he couldn’t do anything about. About the way he described the many times he’d been kidnapped for the sake of experiments. Experiments.

Mumbo kept his eyes on the broken visor on the table. Hot Guy burned through these fast, and oftentimes Mumbo was stuck fixing them. Cute Guy’s equipment rarely broke, as his skills lay more in a subtle category.

“On the table there,” a voice said, and it ran chills up Mumbo’s spine.

He kept working mechanically, watching with his peripherals as Hot Guy sighed and jumped up on the table. “Time for more?”

“Don’t backtalk me,” Hot Guy’s handler snapped, black wings flicking out with irritation. “It’d be a shame to have to find you someone new to repair your equipment.”

Mumbo’s fingers worked quickly, finishing up his work on the visor. “Repairs are done,” he said as though he hadn’t been listening to the conversation in the room.

“Good.” The handler didn’t spare him a look. “Now get out.”

“Yes sir.” Mumbo exited, taking a deep breath once he got into the hallway.

Just in time to see the news report. “-receiving word of multiple building collapses, and no heroes are yet in sight. Most of the Lower East Side has been completely destroyed. We advise everyone to evacuate to the Higher West Side if at all possible to avoid further tragedy.”

Mumbo’s hand shot to the pager at his belt. “Cute Guy, do you copy?”

No response.

Mumbo tried to calm his trembling as he tried again. “Cute Guy?” Please answer. Of all the times to ignore me, now is not one of them. Grian lived there. Grian worked there. He was in danger, and Cute Guy wouldn’t spare Mumbo the time to ask for help.

“Cute Guy, do you copy?” Mumbo’s voice thickened with tears as the news continued. “Cute Guy, please answer me.”

Determining that this was not going to work, Mumbo stormed back into the lab. Hot Guy met his gaze solidly, his muscles tense as the handler inserted a needle into his arm. The handler whirled on Mumbo immediately, shouting at him to get out.

“This is an emergency,” Mumbo stated, his voice quavering. “For one thing, Cute Guy won’t answer his communicator, and for another, something has gone wrong on the Lower East Side. They need a hero out there. Cute Guy is unresponsive, meaning whatever you’re up to needs to wait. There are civilian lives at risk.”

Hot Guy’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing. The handler glowered at Mumbo. “Cute Guy is unresponsive?”

“To my pager, yes. I am not entirely sure where he is.” Truthfully, Mumbo hadn’t even thought to look for Cute Guy. The hero avoided him like the plague unless he needed something, and even then, he was harsh and snippy. Hot Guy was right here, so he was the faster option regardless. Especially if Cute Guy stubbornly refused to respond to communication.

The handler walked toward Mumbo, his grey eyes darkening to something more akin to black. “You are to go find Cute Guy and report back to me.”

“But the Lower East Side-“

“You are to go find Cute Guy.” Wings bristling, the handler grabbed Mumbo’s shoulder. His talons sank deep enough to draw blood. “Is that clear?”

Mumbo shot Hot Guy a look. The hero shrugged at him. He was in no position to resist either, clearly. “That is clear. I’ll find Cute Guy.”

The handler stared at him for another moment. “One more instance of this insubordination, and you’re out.”

“I don’t work for you,” Mumbo snapped, unthinking. Hot Guy betrayed the slightest wince.

The handler’s grip tightened. “I think you’ll find that crossing me will be very unpleasant for you, Mumbo Jumbo.”

“Yes sir.” Mumbo was nearly shaking with his own rage now. Grian could be dead on the pavement for all this man cared, but all he could think about was Cute Guy.

“Answer your damn comms, mate!” Mumbo practically shouted into the pager when he was alone. “Where are you?”

No response.

“Cute Guy!” Mumbo yelled into the pager.

“Why are you so loud?” Cub asked, plugging his ears as he approached Mumbo.

“Cute Guy won’t answer his comms, and the Lower East Side needs a hero right about now.” Mumbo scowled at Cub. “And apparently no one in this building even knows or cares.”

“What are you talking about?” Cub blinked, pulling his fingers from his ears. “We would’ve heard something by now-“

Mumbo pointed silently at the hall broadcast, something implemented into every hallway to ensure that everyone was constantly updated on the events around the city. Images of crumbled buildings and bodies littered the screen. Mumbo’s stomach heaved as he saw the smashed remains of a child’s doll, splattered with blood, in the image.

Cub paled significantly. “This isn’t a job for Cute Guy, Mumbo. Even if you could find him, they need both: Hot Guy and Cute Guy.”

“Yeah, good luck with that one, mate. The handler is in there with Hot Guy.”

“You’re joking.” Cub pushed his glasses up his nose. “Okay, new plan. We’re going to sort this out ourselves.”

“How do you figure?”

“We’re tech guys. We’re smart enough to figure out the technology we work with every day, surely.”

“In theory,” Mumbo replied. “But probably not in practice.”

“Look, man. I saw how hysterical you were. And this sort of thing never phases you. It’s the only reason you were hired, actually. You can keep a cool head under pressure. Clearly, this stuff means something to you.”

“But-“

“Mumbo, either we do this, or the entire Lower East Side goes down. Are you with me?”

Mumbo’s resolve wavered, and he recalled Grian’s expression from the night before. His grave resolve. “I’m with you.”

Things were decidedly not going well. Cute Guy cursed the thick black glow coursing through his veins as he hoisted a sobbing toddler into his arms. The girl clung to his neck, her sobs slightly muffled by his torn uniform.

The Lower East Side had been positively ravaged. Cute Guy cursed the idiot who’d thought necromancy was a good idea as he deposited the child at the evacuation point.

Someone came forward immediately, shouting for his baby. Cute Guy gave up the child with little effort before running back into the danger zone, despite the protests from the police officers at his back.

They didn’t register him as Cute Guy.

And why would they? He had his mask on, sure, but the effects of that… thing sank deep. It was on his clothes, in his hair, and most definitely under his skin. He could feel it draining his energy even as he hurried back into the destruction.

Like an idiot, Cute Guy had tried to confront the biggest monster on his own. It had launched explosive skulls at him, roaring fiercely.

The first attack took out his main equipment. Now he just had a weird glowing blue sword that Mumbo had handed him once and his wings. Thankfully, he wasn’t in the worst shape. The black skeletons were somewhat manageable with the help of the sword, but without the help of Hot Guy’s bow, the big monster couldn’t be dealt with.

Staggering as a wave of pain overtook him, Cute Guy let himself take a moment to breathe. He felt the dust on every inch of his body, and his wings tried to dislodge the debris that had managed to get in between every feather. It was a hopeless fight. Until backup arrived, all the news would hear about was the lone civilian continuously running back into the destroyed district to save as many other lives as he could.

Distantly, he heard screaming and the roar of the monster. Cute Guy’s wings twinged, and he forced himself to launch into the air to fly toward the noise.

Mumbo and Cub both heard the screams at the same time. They ran toward the sound, stumbling as an explosion rocked the ground. Cub had emphasized that the wings were experimental, and even if they needed to cover ground quickly, they were only to be used in absolute emergencies. Still, Mumbo couldn’t help but feel miffed that they didn’t have the helpful advantage of Cute Guy soaring overhead. Hot Guy liked to call him “the eyes in the sky,” and Mumbo could definitely see the lure of that in a situation like this.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Cub said softly. “How should we do this?”

Mumbo stared in terror at the scene before them. A grotesque, three-headed black skeletal creature floated in the air above two kids. It looked as though it was gearing up for another attack, even as Mumbo glimpsed a third body lying motionless beside the other two.

“You evacuate the kids while I distract that thing?” Mumbo asked without thinking.

“You’re crazy.”

“Yeah, well, that’s the plan we’re going with.” Mumbo shot out of hiding, even as Cub cursed behind him. “Hey! Over here!” He steadied his crossbow and shot the monster.

It whipped around immediately, roaring its displeasure at the interruption. The kids screamed again as Mumbo scrambled to ready another crossbow bolt. He dimly recalled Hot Guy’s distaste for crossbows, and he was suddenly aware of their major flaw: reload time.

Ditching the effort with the crossbow, Mumbo started running. An explosion hit the ground at his feet. Mumbo tumbled to the pavement, cement tearing through the shoddy armor he and Cub had managed to cobble together. Something crunched against his back, and Mumbo figured he was dead if he didn’t get up.

Staggering to his feet, Mumbo heard the blood roaring in his ears as the giant monstrous creature continued to chase him. With no weapon in sight, Mumbo ditched the remains of the equipment. It hadn’t been a viable plan to begin with, and Mumbo had known that. Still, he let Cub pretend there was hope, if only to ensure that Cub didn’t go into this alone.

Just keep running, Mumbo told himself. This whole thing was too dangerous for civilians. Even if there was that tiny voice telling Mumbo that Grian would be the type to run back in here to save countless others, he knew his friend didn’t have a chance. He didn’t have a chance.

Maybe Cute Guy or Hot Guy would’ve, but Mumbo had no idea what they would’ve done in this situation. They weren’t here, and they probably wouldn’t make it in time to save anyone anyway.

A step onto cracked and uneven pavement sent Mumbo sprawling again. Pain shot up his leg as his ankle made an unpleasant crunching noise. Mumbo crawled forward, but the monster was right there, and oh God, he was going to die, and-

Something flew over his head, wacking the monster with a solid crack. The monster roared in fury, shooting at the thing, but it couldn’t seem to connect.

Mumbo watched in dazed shock as the grey blur ducked in between the explosive attacks and landed hit after hit on the monster. The thing finally crumbled, literally, as withered bones exploded everywhere. One of them scratched Mumbo’s face, but he hardly flinched.

“Hey, Mumbo? Can you hear me?” A warm hand cupped his face.

Mumbo struggled to focus his vision and failed.

“Mumbo?” the voice persisted.

“…Grian?” Mumbo said hopefully. Maybe they’d both died, and Grian was here to guide him on his way to the afterlife. At least he got to see Grian again. That was nice.

“No, Mumbo. Hey, can you look at me? Can you manage that?”

Mumbo scrunched his face, trying to stop his vision from swimming. “You sound familiar. But you’re not Grian?”

“No, I’m not Grian.” A huff escaped the other person. “You know me, though. Don’t you, Mumbo?”

Finally, finally, Mumbo’s vision settled, and he saw the familiar curve of Cute Guy’s mask way closer to his face than it had ever been. Mumbo flinched, aggravating his ankle again as he attempted to get away.

“Hey, hey. None of that. Mumbo, you need to stay still for a moment.” Cute Guy caught his arm.

Cute Guy was more grey than Mumbo remembered. He was fairly certain Cute Guy had black and pink wings, not grey. Then it finally clicked that of course Cute Guy was coated in the same debris coating his own body. And then he registered that he must still be alive, as his ankle was in such complete pain that there was no way he was dead.

Mumbo didn’t realize he would be so disappointed to be alive. But he swallowed his pain and scowled. “You’re late.”

“Excuse me?” Cute Guy’s mouth twisted. “I’ve been here the whole time! If anyone’s late, it’s Hot Guy!” His wing twitched irritably. “This is what I get for coming to save you. Not even a thank you.”

“Maybe I would’ve given you a thank you if you’d answered your comms,” Mumbo snapped right back, a tiny bit relieved that things hadn’t changed too much. “How was I supposed to know you were here? Nobody’s seen you!”

“They’ve seen me. They just can’t recognize me easily when I’m coated in pulverized cement.” Cute Guy looked like he was about to elaborate, but then a flash of something black flickered under his skin. He shuddered as he fell into Mumbo, knocking both of them to the ground.

“Whoa, mate.” Mumbo wrapped an arm around Cute Guy and attempted to sit up. Pain flared in his ankle, but he ignored it. “You alright?”

“I’m fine.” Cute Guy pulled himself away from Mumbo, expression guarded. “What are you even doing here?”

Mumbo opened his mouth, but he didn’t know how to explain. How to tell Cute Guy that his best friend in the whole world lived here and was probably dead. That he’d been desperate for someone to save him, only to find out that Cute Guy had already been here to save people the whole time.

“None of your business” was what Mumbo settled on, slightly satisfied to see Cute Guy’s annoyance slip through his careful expression.

“I think it’s safe to say this is my business, especially since you tried to get yourself killed.”

“I wasn’t trying to. I-“

“Then what,” Cute Guy said with what sounded like exaggerated patience, “were you doing?”

“I was looking for someone,” Mumbo finally said. He didn’t want to listen to Cute Guy’s barbed response to that, but he had to say it. “I was looking for my best friend.”

Cute Guy seemed surprised. Actually, a tinge of red appeared on his face. Finally remorseful of your actions, are you? Mumbo looked away from Cute Guy. He didn’t want to hear what Cute Guy had to say.

“And I know you and Hot Guy are always going on about not getting attached, but technically, I am still a civilian, so-“

“Who were you looking for?” Cute Guy asked.

Mumbo’s lip quivered. He didn’t want to expose Grian to Cute Guy’s unrelenting bullying. Especially after Grian tried to convince him countless times that Cute Guy was terrible.

But Cute Guy was unrelenting. “Who are they? Mumbo, you may not like me or even trust me, but I need to know if I should be looking for someone.”

“His name is Grian.” Mumbo squeezed his eyes shut. “And he’s the kind of person who’d run back into a destroyed district for the sake of someone else.”

“Hmm.” Cute Guy didn’t have much to say about that. “Well, let’s get you out of here, at least. Come on.”

Mumbo blinked. Right. First and foremost, Cute Guy was a hero. Of course, he’d be concerned about Grian more as a civilian than anything else. Relief shot through Mumbo’s veins as Cute Guy lifted him into the air.

Grian was going to be okay.

Mumbo made his way to his living room, sighing in relief when he reached the couch and could put his crutches aside. He was completely and utterly exhausted. His day had been far too long.

A tapping at his window jolted him from his sleepy haze. Grian. Mumbo tried to stand up before remembering his broken ankle. Even with the extra jolt of pain, Mumbo managed to get over to the window and open it for his friend.

“Having a bit of trouble there?” Grian asked, steadying Mumbo on the walk back over to the couch.

“A bit yeah. Broke my ankle.”

“Mmm,” Grian’s face scrunched. He sat gingerly on the edge of the couch, looking quite pale.

“Are you alright?” Mumbo asked, his gaze sweeping over Grian. “I heard about the incident in the Lower East End. Some kind of monster?”

“Yeah.” Grian shuddered. “I almost didn’t make it out.” He cleared his throat. “The um. The doctors said I got an infection from them. They called it Wither. After the monster, that is.”

“The doctors knew what it was?” Mumbo hated the sound of that word.

“Mhm. I mean, they kind of have to, if it can get people sick like this. Just one touch can give you infection.” Grian said this quickly, as though he didn’t want to think about it.

“Is it curable?”

“Yeah. It’s not a pleasant experience, given that my diet is going to consist mainly of milk for the next few weeks, but its better than the alternative.” Grian shrugged. “I’m out of work for a while too.”

“There’s worse things than getting some much needed rest,” Mumbo remarked. “They aren’t letting me go in for at least a week, if it makes you feel better.”

“Unpaid or paid?” Grian asked.

“Paid. Wait a minute, are you out of work? Completely?”

Grian shrugged. “Maybe.”

“But you’ll starve!”

“I know.” He smiled. “You know, I think you’re the only person I’ve heard protest about the problem so far, actually.”

“I’ve been thinking about this,” Mumbo shrugged sheepishly. “The entire Lower East Side was destroyed. Banks, stores, houses. I mean, you’re not the only person with this problem, I’m sure, but I did think of you first. That’s where you live, right? And presumably where you work, too. An entire district of people who aren’t getting compensation for losing everything shouldn’t just be left to die.”

Grian was staring at him. Mumbo felt like maybe he needed to justify himself a little bit.

“The hero foundation has a lot of money,” Mumbo said softly. “All that money spent on technology that never leaves the labs. Surely they could spare some, right? For a destroyed district?”

Grian still wasn’t speaking. He was just looking at Mumbo, an odd expression on his face.

“Grian? Are you still listening?”

“Yeah… Just…” Grian blinked, shaking his head. “You care so much about all those people.”

“Of course. I mean, just because I have a better paying job than them doesn’t make me better than them.” Mumbo shrugged.

“Yeah…” Grian blinked at him again.

“Hey, are you feeling okay?”

“Mmmm…” Grian let his eyes fall shut. “You know, I don’t think most people share your sentiment. I doubt heroes do, anyway.”

“You and your hero nonsense again! Cute Guy was there, I promise you.”

“How would you know?”

“Because I was there, Grian. I came to find you.”

“And they just let you go into the restricted part of the city on your own, I suppose? Is that how you broke your ankle?” Grian's eyes flew open again as he challenged Mumbo. “You went to play at heroics, even believing that our so-called heroes would come save me?”

“Well, as you said, no one had seen Cute Guy.” Mumbo shrugged. “I was worried, so I went looking.”

“But why?” Grian pressed. “Why would you risk yourself like that? You knew it was dangerous, obviously. Why do something that could get you killed?”

“Because you could’ve been dead,” Mumbo said. “No, listen. I can’t- I can’t lose you, mate.”

Grian looked away at that. “I’m nobody, Mumbo. You would’ve been fine.”

“You aren’t nobody. You’re my best friend.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that before.” Grian hugged himself, distancing himself from Mumbo. “Cute Guy passed on your message, by the way. He gave me quite the scolding.”

“Nothing more than I got, I’m sure.” Mumbo smiled ruefully. “So Cute Guy did end up finding you?”

“Yep.” Grian remained further from Mumbo. “You think I’m the heroic type.”

“Am I wrong?”

“No.” Grian finally met Mumbo’s gaze again. “But Mumbo, you can’t go around doing stuff like that anymore, okay? Because as much as you think it’ll help, you can’t try to save me on your own.”

“Leave it to the big guys, huh?” Mumbo asked weakly.

“You aren’t allowed to get yourself killed.”

Mumbo blinked. Grian’s voice was authoritative, almost aggressive. “…Alright. But you gotta check in when things like this happen.”

“I’m here, aren’t I? Checking in.” Grian finally seemed to release the tension he’d been holding the whole time he’d been here.

“Nah, more often than this. I know you like coming here at night, mate, but surely you can visit during the day too. Especially since you’re out of work right now.” Something occurred to Mumbo then. “Actually, wait. Do you even have somewhere to stay at night? Now that your district is…”

“Not really. Why? You offering?” Grian’s mischievous look returned. “Can’t say I’m not flattered, Mumbo.”

“What? Why are you taking it that way!” Mumbo’s cheeks burned. “Can’t a man just be nice to his friend?”

“You’re obsessed with me,” Grian replied. “Running into a destroyed district for the sole purpose of seeing if I’m okay. I dunno, Mumbo, but that seems a bit-“

“Okay, no.” Mumbo pointed a finger at Grian. “You can’t use that card because you did it for complete strangers.”

“Not complete strangers. I knew some of them.”

“Yes, but as I’ve already said, you’re my best friend. I’d say that’s a higher level than people you’ve met before, yeah?”

Grian rolled his eyes. “Fine, sure, yeah. Harsh words, mate.”

Mumbo shrugged. “You can still stay here if you want.”

“Even if I pretend it’s because you’re in love with me?” Grian giggled as Mumbo made a protesting noise in the back of his throat.

“Even then,” Mumbo answered, certain his voice sounded higher than usual. “Yep, perfectly fine for you to pretend something like that.”

“Alright. I think I’ll take you up on that offer then.” Grian shuffled back over, settling in on the couch, despite the fact that Mumbo hadn’t moved. He was laying across Mumbo’s lap without a care in the world.

Mumbo made another strange noise, even as Grian grinned up at him. “Good night, Mumbo.”

“Grian!”

“Yes?”

“I need to get up still.”

“Should’ve thought of that before I laid down. You’re my pillow now. Sorry.”

Mumbo’s mouth twitched. “You’re going to give me back problems.”

“Sounds like a you problem. I’m going to sleep now. Today has been way too long.” Grian closed his eyes with a soft sigh.

“Yeah.” Mumbo’s voice quieted. “It has been quite the long day.”

[whomstress]

What it Takes to Feel Real (Part 2)

[Part 1] So this was only supposed to have 2 chapters but I can't help myself and took advantage of my chronic insomnia and wrote until 5 am to finish this chapter. The next next fic I write after this will be very wholesome promise, but this ones a major angst if you couldn't tell from the last chap lol. SO anyway next chapters last one! Oh and it's a doozie.

It’s been a year of being on and off, and eventually a fully fledged couple, to get him to really open up to her. She was his confidant, and he was hers. But it was different with him. Ragatha, though really not liking to bother anyone in the slightest, did occasionally let someone know if she was a little bit down or worried about something if someone had caught on. She’d gotten better at it since being with Jax, but she's still a people-pleaser at heart, rarely wanting anyone to worry for her.

Jax, on the other hand, never gave the slightest clue to his being in a bad place. Sure, he didn’t hide it when he was annoyed or angry, but anything deeper than that, and if someone even mentioned it to him, he’d find a way to make them back off as quick as he could.

Ragatha had always been different about it, though. As much as he wanted her to back off, especially when they were not as close, she may have stopped asking verbally but made sure to be watching him from the corner of her eye, and if things got worse, she made sure to check on him even if he hated it. He appreciated it.

Well, for the most part, when she finally got through to him, he would “allow” her to comfort him. He’d let her into his room or come into hers, most of the time at some hideous time in the middle of the night, where not a soul could see them, and sit silently in his presence. Every time he wouldn’t say a word and wouldn’t let her touch him, besides once or twice, they would stay as completely still as possible. But he would let her lay on the bed, not too far from her, sitting on the floor against it, and slowly let his tense body relax in her company. He’d sometimes allow her to sing soothing songs, all as he stared blankly at the wall, like he was looking beyond all this and nowhere at all. She appreciated when he did because he would relax faster, and depending on how bad his mood was, he would too.

She eventually realized that what had really comforted him the most was that he just didn’t want to be alone. She had no idea what he was thinking about the long, mostly silent nights. She was there, relaxing barely an inch at a time, but she was happy she could help him. Helping people and helping him made her feel useful. As if she was needed, and it made her alive and made her feel human again.

At times, Ragatha truly didn’t like him, and she was sure his feelings were mutual. Still, they understood each other like no one else.

They were two sides of the same coin. Even if it was for the opposite reasons, neither wanted others to worry about them. Both engaged with the fellow characters more than anyone else because focusing on other people allowed them to ignore what was going on with themselves. Keeping other people at arms length while refusing to live alone. Because of this, they saw through each other like a window. They both constantly needed to be reminded of what was real and what was fake.

When no one else had a single clue, they only needed to see the slightest crack in each other's mask to know something was wrong. They were so different and yet so similar. She supposed that’s why they got together; opposites attract.

Finally, when they were together, she allowed him to comfort her. She knew it had always been a surprise to him how the girl, who couldn’t go a single day without checking in on someone, pushed people away from herself so far when she was down. So, when she finally came to him for a change, he made a joke if she was sure, and she almost left, causing him to roll his eyes and literally drag her back in.

Unlike him, she needed touch, warmth, and something to hug; even when she was alone, she’d hold a pillow of plushie for dear life. He was definitely uncomfortable with this, never being one to like this sort of touch, but sooner or later they fell into a familiar pattern. She started spending more nights than not, sleeping in his room wrapped in his arms. It even became a favorite pastime. Not needing to sleep, they really never felt physically tired before, so the deep desire to be drifted to sleep by the comfort of his warmth was one of the few luxuries she’s had since she’s been here. She’d occasionally wake up to find him blankly staring at her with a relaxed expression, studying her face. Which was kind of weird but also endearing if she was being honest.

However, as wholesome as that was, they were still adults. Adults with needs and wants that would be highlighted when their bodies were intwined and their kisses turned from soft to passionate. Ragatha knew Jax had always made crude jokes, but she tried to never acknowledge them before. Not until she knew they weren’t quite jokes anymore, from the way his eyes bored into her when he made them. He was testing the waters and asking if she would let him swim. Without going into detail because, well, she doesn’t think that’s possible from how she turns into a blushing, bumbling mess at even the mention of the stuff. Things between them escalated.

It was after three months of them. Ahem, as they were getting “busier.” Before the news of her lifetime came.

She wanted to tell Jax the second she found out, hop into his arms with what she believed to be great news, and have him spin her around and kiss her senseless in joy. But that wasn’t Jax; it never was, so she’s not surprised by his reaction.

“How was this even possible? This isn’t real.”’ That was the first thing Jax said to her when she told him the news Caine confirmed the day before.

Yes, not surprised, but still disappointed.

He’d finally told her what it was that helped him stay sane. He said none of this was real, and as long as he knew that, he’d be okay. She did have to admit it hurt when he said it, especially when he’d sat and “wished” it was after an intimate moment between them. Because in those moments, that was exactly what made her feel the realist. Though she did not agree and they had small spiffs about it, she let it slide because if that’s what kept him here, she really didn’t mind. Until now.

“How can this happen?” He added instantly.

Ragatha tried to laugh it off, saying, “I’m pretty sure of all people you know how this happened.”

He didn’t laugh—not even a smirk—just stare at her with a slight furrowed eyebrow and a blank expression. She frowned; she didn’t like that look, which never meant anything good. She couldn’t stand it anymore and looked away, but he didn’t. The silence got to her after a while, and she held a hand over her abdomen and said, “Caine says it's a girl.” She looks up at him to see him studying her face, like he was trying to figure out a calculus problem in his head. She looks back down at her hand and smiles softly. “I’ve always wanted a girl, you know.”

It’s silent a long time again before she hears him thump his foot hard on the ground, causing her to look up at his angry expression. She’s so shocked she couldn’t even get a word out before he marches out, saying, “I’m going to kill the mother!#$@%!" This isn’t right! How dare he do this to you!"

It takes her another moment to realize he’s not angry at her; he’s angry for her. Like Caine, had heard her dreams and took advantage of them for his entertainment. As if he did her wrong. She couldn’t see how he would think that. Ragatha was ecstatic about the news. Call her cliche, but one of her dreams since she was a child was to have a baby with the love of her life, and she did. That and to own a candy shop, but that wasn’t important at the moment.

She didn’t care about the circumstances, and she told them that eventually he was locked back in his room in a “time-out” after apparently somehow getting Caine to open the basement and pushing him in. It took her a long time, but after he accepted, she really wasn’t upset and saw how genuinely happy he was about everything. Looking forward to their baby more and more every day. He calmed down. And they mostly stopped trying to murder Caine.

No matter how much he helped or was careful with her, she knew his feelings were all messed up about everything. She had to ask him to stop saying out loud how strange all her symptoms were if she wasn’t even “really” pregnant. She knew it helped him, and maybe it was her hormones, but she really couldn’t put up with things like she used to. Especially when the father of her child keeps telling her that the aches, pains, and literal kicks growing inside her every day aren't “real.” Not a single soul couldn't tell her this was real. She knew what she felt; she was going to be a mother. No one could deny that.

As much as Jax was grossed out, he was there for the whole birth, allowing Ragatha to practically crush his gloved hand into cartoon silt. He joked more than usual, she supposed, because he was nervous. It was comforting to see that the only other people in the room were medical staff. Ai’s Caine had no faces and could somehow still talk. It was beyond creepy, but Ragatha barely had time to complain. She tried to have Pomni and Gangle come as her best friends, but Ponmi instantly fainted the moment the doctor went to check on her. Jax rolled his eyes, calling her a surprisingly bigger wimp than Gangle, who had to physically drag the other girl out. Ragatha was still happy; she tried her best when she warned that this might happen.

Their daughter was finally born, and Ragatha happily cried at how beautiful she was holding the newborn to herself, like she was the most precious thing in the world. Which she was.

As ironic as it was, they named her Marionette when they finally got to see her for the first time. They had other names planned, but for the little purple pastel rabbit girl with the sweetest curls on her head, who looked like a custom doll, the name was all too fitting.

She was everything Ragatha wanted and more. Her pupils were the cutest little blue buttons; she had no nose, but still, her face was mostly human-looking. Her fur was as soft as a real rabbit, like Jax, and the itty-bitty curls on her head matched Ragatha. She hushed her baby as she cried until she calmed down. Fianlly was able to kiss her head and feel her warmth and breath against her. She was finally able to hold her beautiful baby, which had been growing inside her for the last nine months. She was a mother; this was her baby, she had made out of love. Nothing could ever change that.

Jax, though looking fondly at them, snapped her out of her thought, saying, “Jesus, Ragatha. How are you crying louder than a literal baby? That’s the only thing she knows how to do.”

She laughs at that. “Okay, okay, that’s fair. But, just look at her, Jax!”

“I am,” he said, but there was something about him she only noticed now. He may have had a lazy smile on his face, but his whole body was tense as a slab of stone, and he was standing only as close to her as possible to not cause suspicion. His arms were tightly crossed at his chest, like he was scared to touch anything.

A frown slowly went to her lips, devastation coming over her. “What’s wrong?”

He looks like he desperately wants to say something, but still looking at Marionette with an unreadable expression, he says, “Nothing you’d want to hear in the moment.” When he looks up at Ragatha and lets out a sigh, forcing himself to calm down by reading her mind, he says, “I’ll tell you later. I promise… It has nothing to do with you two. It’s me.”

Searching him like she figures out everything with a blink of his eyes, she accepts that whatever it is, he means it. It’s not about them. “Would you like to hold her?" Ragatha asks without thinking.

Jax's eyes widen, but he looks at the little girl again, and then at Ragatha, with a shit-eating grin stretching back on his face. “I mean, I think I deserve it after all the pain I went through today. Seriously, sitting in that chair so long with my hand, ooh, aaah, that's got to be the worst pain I’ve ever felt. They should really do something to make things more comfortable for the people doing the hard work."

Her face is deadpan before he even finishes, and though she’s happy he’s joking, she is too tired to deal with his nonsense right now. “Will you please just hold your damn child and shut up?"

Jax laughs; she uses one of the few words that passes the censors and moves over to grab the half-sleeping baby. "Yeah, yeah, lemmie, finally see this twerpet up close.”

"I’m going to hurt you. I mean it.” She says holding on to the baby a little longer before he coaxes her to hand her over.

"Alright, let’s take a look at you,” he says as the baby shifts a little, opening her eyes a bit more. He looks over her a little intensely, but still with a softer expression than before. He comments and jokes every once in a while about which features are his and which are Ragatha's, but for the most part, he stays silent. As much as she wants to hold her baby again, she is more tired than she’s ever been in her life and decides to let her eyes drift shut as she watches him be more soft with her than she’s ever seen.

She’s a second away from sleep when she sees her baby's tiniest little hand wrap around his finger, and the saddest look fills his face as a tear falls down. She was unable to keep her eyes open any longer. But there is one last moment before her world turns to black; she unmistakably hears him. A whisper of desperation: “Why can’t you be real?”

[msperfectsheep-posts]

Okay Note here. CHARACTER ASK. i7 Torao, Haruka, and Nagi. Ouran High School Haruhi. Batman Jason. Anyone in persona you must talk about (I don't know anyone there). Did I miss someone? (You don't have to do all. I am mereky curious)

THANK YOU NOTE!!! I'm gonna put all of these beneath a cut just so I don't clog up people's dashes <3

Torao Mido: (IDOLiSH7)

Torao is the kind of character where you're like "literally why is he in the main cast when everyone else is a banger" and then you realize that his arc is just 4-5/6ths of the way into the story and you go Oh. Oh. I get it now. That's him. That said, I want to blast him with a fire hose.

Haruka Isumi: (IDOLiSH7)

Haruka was my discord pfp for several months and I think that says a lot already. I love him so much, he's like. so bulliable and he should be bullied. Dramatic ass teenager baby that dresses like an e-boy. I love him so much and every time he bleps (:P) in official art I want to Die. Prime blorbo material.

Nagi Rokuya: (IDOLiSH7)

I'll admit outright that, as someone who had Ouran High School Host Club change my brain chemistry forever when I was a child, and with i7 having a main character named Tamaki, I CONSTANTLY called Nagi "Tamaki" during the first season just because he was the silly blond weeb guy!! I was like holy shit there's two of them. And then I got to parts 3 and 4 and I was like Oh Holy Shit they're even more similar than I thought :'). Nagi is a BELOVED character of mine but it took a moment for me to grow into loving his character. I wish I saw more fan content of him because he fucking rocks, but he's also just on a different plane from a lot of the more popular characters and I get it. I love how everyone respects him as they should though. My king forever and ever.

Haruhi Fujioka: (Ouran High School Host Club)

SPEAKING OF OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB. Haruhi's arc in the anime and manga is a little different, and obviously the anime wasn't supposed to end where it did, but with the changes the director and writers made, I truly believe that it would be impossible for the animeverse to end the same way the mangaverse did. Anyways Haruhi is a really funny character because she's supposed to be the straightman in a lot of the jokes, but she's just as dramatic and silly as everyone else. And it's great. 10/10 protagonist, every time I think of her I think of that tumblr post about her with the big brown eyes and I go Yeah. yeah.

Jason Todd: (DC Comics; Batman)

(If you can't read that square, it says "SCOTT LOBDELL")

Jason was NOT my favorite DC character or even Robin for a long, long time. I only really got into his character when I started working on my fic, Beyond Imagination, and had to start analyzing what a younger Jason was like and how he would interact with the world in a modern day and age. All of the Batman characters get flanderized and mischaracterized by fanon and canon a lot, so it's hard to figure out what was generally agreed upon as canon unless you read yourself, but Jason's got a strong story and personality that really shined with his resurrection. I'd say it's one of the best uses of reviving a character thought to be dead, and every time I think about his death and like. both the in-universe and real life events that lead up to it, I get emotional. Great character that makes me deeply ill to think of from a meta-perspective.

Maya Amano: (Persona 2 Innocent Sin & Persona 2 Eternal Punishment)

Okay so. You may have noticed I tagged two Persona games for her and that's because, spoilers for Persona 2, the first Persona 2 (Innocent Sin) is a timeline that fails. The game with you resetting the timeline because you fucked up that badly, and the second Persona 2 (Eternal Punishment) is your second shot and doing things over. HOWEVER. Maya changes with the timelines because she was doomed to die with how things were set up in Innocent Sin, and fixing that to give the timeline a shot in Eternal Punishment changes her as a character. This bingo is more about Innocent Sin Maya, who is a 23 year old girlfailure reporter that makes me Deeply Deeply Ill. If you're ever curious, you can send me an ask and I'll talk about her more in depth because Persona 2 isn't the easiest game to play

Thank you for the ask!!!

[unknownzapy]

HII!! I saw your requests are open so I wanted to request a matchup if that was alright, im looking for a platonic relationship if that’s fine and since I saw that someone requested for helluva boss I would really like that and also the amazing world of gumball and FNAF ^^ so now I shall introduce myself✨

My name is Joey I go by a nickname which is Asmo (as Asmodeus), im 14, i use he/him pronouns, im transgender, aromatic and unlabeled, my MBTI is ENTP, im also adhdtistic and I’m 5’6 with brown shoulder length hair, i wear glasses and im pretty much in between skinny and chubby? i dress in a lot of styles actually which are goth (trad goth, romantic goth, mall goth and nu goth), gyaru (hime gal, himekaji, agejo, rokku, manba, and kogal), scenemo and also ouji and lolita

My personality is ENTP but I’m usually pretty awkward when I meet someone so it may take some time to get used to the person before I start emoting freely, i love to ramble about my interests to people that I’m comfortable with, im also not afraid to get snarky if someone bothers me to much, im also pretty protective of the people I love and my interests LMAO, also I love making sexual jokes and I love making the goofiest jokes to exist like “im the ohio god” and I also love to make fun of kids on voice chat in roblox

My hobbies/likes: anime/manga, fashion, art (drawing, pottery, painting, digital art, animation, etc), cooking, learning new languages (like Japanese and Spanish), i also like to do gym which most people don’t like, listing to music/making music (I’m a vocaloid producer), musicals, hanging out with my friends, gaming, going shopping, and hotels

Dislikes: negative mentions of my voice, comparing me to people/saying stuff like “you remind me of ____”, also spiders I scream whenever I see one… no joke, insulting what I love, fish, uncomfortable places like sleeping on a couch

Thanks!

Helluva Boss Matchup Is…Loona!

Let’s be honest here, Loona and you would be friends immediately. The both of you are quite awkward when trying to put effort into meeting new people you like, have similar fashion senses (*cough cough* More so on anything Goth, Emo, or anything remotely “edgy” and “cool”), and finally both of your protective natures for your loved ones, even if Loona doesn’t show it that much.

At first, the Hellhound didn’t care for you as much as any other bystander, seeing you only as another sap living in Hell (or Earth, if you prefer). But then again, she’ll warm up to you and give a new friendship a chance, Loona couldn’t help but laugh at your vulgar jokes and vibe to your music tastes, which is a rarity in the I.M.P Business.

Blitzo, on the other hand, is rather protective of his daughter after realizing that she’s becoming slightly more extroverted lately, though he is happy that she’s making friends on her own and having a social life outside of the business.

Face it, Blitzo would definitely join you in the sexual jokes and light banter after a week of meeting you. Though, if you’re uncomfortable with him egging you on about these unfiltered puns, then he’ll back off entirely and potentially diminish your friendship with his only kid because of it.

Anyways, onto other details. Loona loves your body shape and doesn’t really care what you look like, as long as you're cool in her book, even if she’s snarky about it with her fellow coworkers (such as with Moxxie). Speaking of being snarky, Loona feels as though she can be her true self with you without any form of consequences, especially with the two of you playfully going at each other’s throats over video games or face to face.

Whenever someone else gets smart with you or tries to bully you for whatever reason while she’s in the room, The Hellhound will pause her fingers above her phone and stare at the one who offended you, giving them a bombastic side eye and silently daring them to repeat what they just said to you. If the offender continues to mock you, then Loona will forcibly take matters into her own hands and kick their ass, literally and figuratively.

She’s the type to watch over your shoulder slightly as you work on your favorite hobbies, and maybe even tries to do some of them herself. However, she admires you for doing pottery and art better than she can, seeing as though you’re more crafted in the subjects than she is. Please gift her a piece of your talent, I’m begging you 🙏🏼 🥺 Loona will definitely keep a drawing you did for her on her wall in her bedroom because she sees you as her younger sibling as this point.

As a transgender person, The Hellhound was pretty open minded and accepting, given the fact that her dad is having an affair with an already married man, but that situation is for another time to talk about. It’s complicated as it is. With you, however, Loona always opt to use your proper pronouns and surprisingly remembers them without mistake.

If anyone isn’t aware of your preferred pronouns or simply refuses to use them for whatever reason, then you can bet your ass that she’s standing up for you until the other person backs off. On a completely unrelated note, I’d also like to add that the two of you horse around like real siblings, rough housing and all, if you’re down of course.

For your sexuality, on the other hand, Loona was a teensy bit confused, but with enough explaining, she understands completely and is quick to question others if they decide to bring you harm because of it. She knows when push comes to shove real quick, so don’t worry about your safety too much, she works with an assisation group after all.

For Millie and Moxxie, they sort of see you as their own nephew and treat you as their own. Of course, the I.M.P are your new family now, so get used to a lot of action and various forms of platonic love 🥰.

Five nights at Freddy’s Matchup Is…Ballora!

At first, Ballora was the one who confronted you firsthand for whatever reason she may have had, though realizing your discomfort, she backs off and takes her time speaking to you. She is an unfiltered and honest character, which is why she hates “playing pretend” (or in my mind at least), May it be bad or good is entirely up to you.

She’ll most likely remind you how talented you are, wanting you to be your best, authentic self, despite what others may think of you. However, Ballora can’t force you to do something you are uncomfortable with, and will hold back with her advances.

In theory of the FNAF fandom, She is the mother and wife in the Afton Family, and her maternal personality will be directed to you as well, even in death. If the theory is false, then Ballora will treat you similarly to the children that come and go, though with more respect of course, considering that you’re a little older.

Now, onto your appearance. I feel like she’s the type to admire and adore someone despite their looks, and will tell you how amazing you look. For you, though, she’s astonished that you have varying clothing styles that even she hadn’t realized existed before. She’s beyond flabbergasted and speechless, which is a good thing; Plus, she wishes to dance with you someday in these clothes and show you off to the minireenas, even if you aren’t good at dancing at all.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but Ballora will show your art (and yourself) off like each one is your best prized possession. Though, she will avoid giving you the limelight if you seem to be uncomfortable with her high praise and try her best to take it back a few notches. She’ll most likely keep your art on her walls in her Gallery room, however kept in a more secluded area where kids, or anyone in general, can take them down. Only she can admire them, so she hates it when someone rips them up; Ballora learned the hard way.

For your singing and music tastes, Ballora will most certainly dance to it. You sing, she dances, the perfect duo 💪🏼. Sometimes, she allows the Minireenas to show off their own skills as well or join in on her dancing too. Wholesome, is it not?

When it comes to your gender and sexuality though, it takes some time for her to understand due to the fact that she was built in the late 80’s, where people were closeted for many reasons. Plus, she basically “lived” under a house for god knows how long. Though, I doubt Ballora will dislike you simply for your own preferences, and a matter of fact, Ballora has a newfound respect for you. Personally, as stated earlier, I feel as though she is the type to value honesty above all else, however will not push you to do something you’re not comfortable with. So with the fact that you trust her enough to reveal this information, Ballora can’t help but feel honored.

If anyone brings you trouble for who you are and what you like, her Minireenas (and maybe some Bidybabs, too, if Baby allows it) will take care of the offender, don't worry too much. Also, she can’t leave her stage during the daytime unless rented out, so the news of what happened will depend on the day. By the end of the day, Ballora will always be there to comfort and soothe you as best as she can if need be.

Lastly, your sense of humor. I feel as though Ballora has a dry sense of humor, while yours is more “wet”, if that makes any sense at all. Her laugh is similar to that of Fenneko from the anime “Aggretsuko”, but she genuinely will laugh at your Ohio jokes, even if her steel face says otherwise, so being an animatronic has its faults for being non expressive.

Ballora, as a whole, admires for who you are and supports you through and through. She’s the animatronic to praise you, even in your lowest of lows, she’ll be there to comfort you.

The Amazing World of Gumball Matchup is…Tobias Wilson!

As the best for last, Tobias will treat you with absolute royalty in a way that spoils you rotten. For example, he will buy you the art supplies you wanted for a year now or even go as far as to (platonically) “rizz” you up with incredibly, yet ridiculously, expensive gifts that no one else is able to buy and show off his “buff muscles” along with it.

At first, Tobias genuinely thought you hung around him purely because his family was rich as hell. The more the two of you did hang out, however, the more he realized that you actually wanted to be his friend, albeit in an awkward manner from the start.

From that point on, the little guy tried his best to act like a real friend and not be a jerk for once (like in the show itself), so it takes him a hot minute for him to be more of a decent person. Instead of buying you expensive items, and depending on your (platonic) love languages, Tobias will try to meet your expectations as a friend from then on.

When it comes to hobbies, Tobias will stare at you like “👁_👁” in amazement and astonishment, mesmerized by your talent. May it be your pottery, cooking, or even learning a second language, he tries to either show off to get your attention or one up you in a playful manner, covered in clay, paint, and pride. Tobias probably summoned his paralysis demon in Latin by accident thanks to you, so there’s that/j.

Tobias will always question you as to how you got so many hobbies and still manage to create masterpieces, even if he does watch you create them like a child wondering how the Detachable Thumb Trick works, despite it being explained to them more than 12 times. Homeboy will praise the literal floor you walk on just by this alone 💀.

When it comes to Gym class, though, he will definitely get competitive with you while everyone else is exhausted, especially with Dodgeball. The two of you are wild with it, either you throwing the balls and him dodging with ease or the other way around, making the both of you that “one kid who becomes Goku” in Gym class. During this, most of the class will choose sides as to who would win or record the scenery before them. By the end of the period, everyone left with stunned bafflement and amazement, all in a good way. Now these classmates have a reason to go to Gym now, all thanks to the both of you, lol.

Besides this, Tobias totally vibes with your humor, especially the sexual ones. He’s the best one on the list with your sense of comedy and the type who would egg you on like a wingman, though if he accidentally goes too far with someone such as offending them or making them mad, he’ll immediately apologize and find a way to make it up to them. Especially if they were a friend of yours or a loved one, seeing as though he does try to be a better friend and person in the canonical show.

Understanding your sexuality and gender is a whole thing of itself. Considering his age, he’s new to all this, but understands the meaning behind them on the first try, absorbing this information like a sponge. Surprisingly gets your pronouns right on the bat, and will definitely swing at anyone who misgenders you. Tobias will treat you the same like always, but his respect for you has risen by 9,000. The rainbow child understands you the most when it comes to this stuff, so the two of you are immediately best friends from then on.

When it comes to other people giving you trouble with your interests or gender identity (or any part of you at all), Tobias will defend you like a white knight in shining armor. But in all seriousness, he’ll be by your side through thick and thin, even if he isn’t the best athletic and physically built person in the school.

By the end of the day, Tobias is your best friend until the very end. He deeply respects you the most out of everyone around him, most likely outweighing his envy for Gumball and his wild adventures and that’s saying something. Which is a good thing, by the way.

Additionally, He would never be the type to put you into situations where you’re uncomfortable, including to subject you to your fears (spiders, in this case) or compare you to someone else. Even if he did, it would probably be by accident and will apologize profusely after realizing this mistake.

While Tobias spent some time with you, he genuinely changed for the better; Not flirting with girls (even when they’re explicitly taken), showing off his money and “muscles”, ect. and decides to just be a relatively normal kid. He still has his moments but it isn’t as bad as he used to be, plus he always backs off when a girl tells him “no” or shows hints of uninterest.

Tobias became more of a class clown overtime, knowing when to take a joke and being the subject of a quick laugh. After all, Who wouldn't want to be friends with this rainbow goofball 😉.

[candyskiez]

for the toh ask game- 2, 12, 20?

2. Already put my first favorite, so let's do second! It's...honestly a tie. I know, I know, cop out. But I can't decide which I like more. The two I'm tied between are Willow and Hunter. They're just SOOO. God. I love them. Okay. I know Hunter is. Basic favorites wise, but I like him okay. He's such realistic abuse rep, realistic religious trauma rep, it's,,, man. Man. It's. God. He's just a guy who's trying so hard to be good and do the right thing that has the odds stacked against him. He's a little unhinged and not like, a perfect victim. He's mean, he drops uncomfortable details about himself not realizing he isn't supposed to, they show the messy parts of depression which is a fucking REFRESHER. Also I just. Have a thing for clones that find themselves. I have a thing for characters that grow beyond their programming. I like how they go "Actually, growing up believing you're the chosen one would, realistically, SUCK." He's also really fucking funny. He's a sad wet cat, he's an extremely complicated character, he's also a basic bitch. I love him. I want to put him in a washing machine. Fucking loser.

Tied with Willow! She's. Man. I didn't like her much at first, I just couldn't get into her. But I love her SO MUCH now. Seeing the "bullied girl gets stronger" trope except it acknowledges being bullied sticks with you for life, actually is so nice. I love how so much of her development and healing is from learning to stop repress her anger and her sadness. In her mind, people start liking her again when she's strong, so if she stops being strong NOBODY will like her. She equates half a witch Willow, being weak or sad or in anyway lacking, with losing Amity. If she isn't cool and confident, people don't want to be around her. If she slips up for a second, everyone hates her (in her mind.) She views her emotions as the remnants of "who she used to be" that ruined everything. Hell, she views Amity treating her like she's weak as treating her as who she used to be. Like half a witch Willow. Like someone who would deserve that treatment. She needs time to get used to her not being that pathetic anymore. It's INTERESTING. She's so interesting. Chews on her like a squeaky toy. She's everything to me. I love her.

12. Honestly? Difficult question. First one that pops into my mind is the "do not underestimate me" azura quoting, because god it is SUCH a Luz thing to quote her special interest as she kills the guy who wants her friends dead, love her. But what else hm. I think also Luz realizing her greatest want. It's so...man. Man. Because it explains so much about her. Why the camp hurt her so badly, why she immediately latched onto someone who seemed similar to her, why she wanted to have some set in stone path made specifically for her. It's also just such a beautiful scene. Camilia apologizing was SO FUCKING cathartic for me. Healed my inner child a little and I'm not joking. Having a parental figure apologize for trying to make their kid normal just. Healed something in me, man. It healed something in me. The egg hatching was animated so beautifully, the color scheme, Luz crying, it's so BEAUTIFUL. It's such a. Good fucking scene. Man. The neurodivergent generational trauma is so real and then breaking that....wah. Man. Hm what else. Honestly? The duet. It genuinely made me realize "oh hey if I'd die it'd probably affect people", and I know that sounds dumb but. In my defense I was really depressed when I saw that scene for the first time. It's so gorgeous visual wise, fantastic visual representation of what's going on, SO well done, the music is beautiful and always gets stuck in my head, it's just. Very memorable for me.

20. Hmmm, difficult. I think probably Willow and Amity and Hunter. Bullied kids, disabled kids, repressed rage and constant anxiety of being in an abusive household. The abandonment issues of losing a friend. It's just. A lot man. It's a lot. Yes I know this is also a cop out shh.

[sexybabystevie]

I agree with what you said about b/lers viewing the Duffers as their friends and allys and therefore watch the view in a different lense and make it out to be this carefully thought out masterpiece that it simply isn't. Like they forget Stranger Things was supposed to be only one season, b/ler wasn't a thing. Yeah, they queercoded Will but not with the intention to have him pine over his best friend. Plus, like you said, Will is more of a plot point than a real character, esp in s1. In s2, he also wasn't much of a character he was again a plot point, and we never saw his real personality on screen. In s3, he was almost nonexistent, and that's sad, but I genuinely don't think the Duffers know how to write him. So his stans have to rely on the crumbs they are given and then delude themselves into thinking this is all part of a big love story bc that's easier to admit than the show being not that great and Will being a flat character.

Similar with Steve, we also only get crumbs and make the best out of but we can see the Duffers as our enemy because we have no problem to admit that they are shitty writers when it comes to characters. Like we never delude ourselves into thinking he is the main character and the Duffers know what to do with him and the lack of information is this big twist we will get paid off in the last season. I don't think he will die, narratively, it doesn't make sense, especially with Dustin involved (who is arguable one of their faves) so I'm thinking we get a shitty end for him (aka St/ncy). Like I still have hope for Stobin best friend shenanigans in the big city after s5, but it's only slim. I don't trust the Duffers that much, and like you said, b/lers whorshipping them is setting them up for failure if their "clues" turn out to be false.

For b/ler to happen, m/leven had to break up for sure in s4. Like Mike's monolog is a pivotal point in s4. And even if b/lers say he was lying, well that makes it everything worse, because El thinks he loves her. M/leven breakup has to be handled with care in order for b/ler to start.

I hate when ppl say st/ncy = m/leven and j/ncy = b/ler, and they view this as something great. Objectively speaking, the st/ncy breakup was so messy and unfair to Steve that I don't get why people want El to go through the same thing. Because the foundation of j/ncy was cheating and not them being a cute sweet couple, star-crossed lovers style. Every time people joke about the Wheelers not saying I love you to their respective partners bc they fancy someone else I want to puke because it's not a cute parallel and the other person in that relationship is lied to which is horrible. Plus, it already makes b/ler about 3 completely different characters that have nothing to do with it. There should not even be the want to compare relationships because everyone is different. And I need people to realize j/ncy getting together was done in such a disastrous way you don't want that for your couple.

Sidenote people who get mad at Steve stans for giving him trust and abandonment issues after Nancy are not getting the severity of what emotionally cheating does to a person. Steve wasn't aware of problems, Nancy told him she loved him a day prior, and then it all came crashing down. Plus him not committing to anyone because he is scarred from that experience is valid and it's an explanation for his behavior in s4. It doesn't make Nancy a bad person, but her actions hurt him, and he should be allowed to feel that way, especially if she was his first love. If El went through that with Mike, I also think she would develop trust issues (on top of her already abandonment issues).

Anyway, I think b/lers are in this secluded bubble, and if things don't go exactly their way, it will break them, and I'm actually scared. Like even in s4, I had witnessed complete meltdowns over b/ler, and I need everyone to chill bc we talk about two 14 year old kids. Especially when older people (mid twenties and up) are overly involved in shipping children, I get this weird feeling. There's nothing against ppl going into fan spaces, but it's weird obsessing over the love life of two children in such an intense cult-like way.

response under the cut again! <3

yeah, i honestly don't even know where this entire narrative about stranger things being a secret love story started, because the primary theme has always been friendship and the power that people have when they come together platonically. it's bizarre to me too, because i've been in this fandom for years (not always on tumblr, some on instagram or whatever) and b/ler just kind of massively grew up out of nowhere. i'd seen maybe one or two people before talking about it during previous seasons, but there was just this huge uprising of the b/ler community after s4 (which sort of makes sense but is still a little odd to me that they came up out of nowhere? i also don't remember previous b/lers being this exhausting to deal with). anyway, yeah, it all pretty much comes down to the fact that they all believe that the duffers have been hinting at this for years (which, hindsight vision is 20/20 so that's not really a valid point tbh) and fully believe that they're getting this picture perfect endgame.

honestly, i think another thing people are neglecting to think about is all of the stuff that we have to wrap up in 8-9 episodes. there is SO much going on now in this show that plot holes are pretty much guaranteed, not even considering the possibility of b/ler becoming canon. i'm honestly not really sure what they think is going to happen - the show will just take an entire shift into being solely about mike and will JUST to resolve the possibility of b/ler happening? i'm not even trying to be bitchy and put these people down or something, it's just crazy that people think that the show will take this massive shift in direction or that they'll just add in a whole new plotline when we probably won't even have enough time to satisfyingly and properly wrap up everything else.

also, there are so many characters that i think the duffers just don't know how to write or what to do with now. jonathan, will, erica, probably dmitri and murray now that they've basically joined the giant cast. and the sad thing is that fans come up with plotlines and stuff all the time for their fics or just for silly posts online, but the duffers just seem not to know what to do with most of their characters ever. (cough cough st/ncy s4 revival for NO reason).

the setup for b/ler just ISN'T there, like you said. yes, there are a few cracks in the foundation of m/leven's relationship, honestly, but that's not enough to wrap everything up and end AND start a whole new relationship in 8-9 episodes. whether b/lers want to realize it or not, b/ler is NOT the main plotline. defeating the upside down and vecna is. those are just obvious facts, and therefore this is the priority when it comes to things that have to be addressed and finished by the ending. maybe, if we have two more seasons to go instead of one, or if this was a show with 22-26 episodes per season, i could see where s4 was the setup, but it just isn't. we don't have the time to focus on it.

mike's monologue may have been a lie, who knows, but again, like you said, this is just... bad??? like why would you want that. there are already parallels between the whole st/ancy = m/leven thing at this point, but that was so messy and it's still not resolved to this day, and that was from s1!! again, we don't have the time to reenact all of st/ncy's breakup with m/leven because it was a disaster. and also no one ever knows how to hold fair accountability over people, so i'm 100% certain that that happening would lead into people shitting on el even more than they do already and blaming her for everything.

also a small point that's been in the back of my mind lately that i want to point out, as a queer woman myself, is that this ship would not be so popular if it was two girls/women instead of two boys/men (speaking in terms of actor ages since they're adults now). it's a thing that happens where everyone LOVES mlm rep and shits on anything wlw because theres always some bullshit reason to hate seeing a wlw relationship portrayed in the media. i know this isn't a primary issue but it still upsets me so much because it's so obvious, just from the treatment of robin and her literal canonical love interest vickie!! there's some fucked up misogyny in all of this, and also in the way that everyone will throw el to the side, putting this idea onto her that she either doesn't like guys so she can't possibly like mike or that she just is basically "too traumatized to know what love is" and i'm so tired of it. i'm SO tired of it.

back to the st/ncy = m/leven thing, i REALLY appreciate you pointing this out, "Every time people joke about the Wheelers not saying I love you to their respective partners bc they fancy someone else I want to puke because it's not a cute parallel and the other person in that relationship is lied to which is horrible." because that's exactly how i feel. it's not cute or funny, it's immature and deceitful. and yes, they're all children/barely adults at this point, but still. it's not some parallel that you should be happy about. i've been in that situation, i've been the steve harrington of the st/ncy & j/ncy love triangle, it's not fun. it hurts, someone is quite literally saying they don't love you (or perhaps worse when they CAN'T say they love you because they don't) and it's traumatic and everyone yet again ignores that.

j/ncy's getting together WAS chaotic and messy and honestly i'm not even surprised that they're falling apart in canon right now because you can't start out like that and then expect a good, happy, fairytale ending. it just doesn't work that way. everyone's mad about them having issues and raged about them being "couples goals" and the "best ship of the show", whatever, but honestly it was quite literally just someone cheating and lying to try and escape a relationship she didn't want instead of having proper communication. and i get it, it's hard to do that, but the show and the fandom never hold nancy accountable and always blame steve for everything, so i'm honestly annoyed with it. seeing all this mess, how could you possibly want that for your ship?

LOVE your steve sidenote there, because you're so right. everyone ignores the fact that steve has trauma, both from nancy and the upside down (seriously, how can we agree that EVERYONE ELSE except him has UD related trauma but he doesn't?? i don't get it). and i get it to an extent because the duffers ignore it just as much, but still. for some reason steve fans adding onto his character with realistic things is just a horrible thing to do, despite the fact that will fans have to do this as well and it's fine when they do it. i don't know how any of the st/ncy fallout was 100% steve's fault, and i will defend it until the very day that i die, honestly. the show has a narrative, and then it was to equate being popular and being a jock to being a villain, so they tried to make the audience take nancy's side and sympathize with her. which, again, is fine, but don't go and attack other people for wanting to see from multiple perspectives here.

i quite literally saw a post the other day that was like "the people who go and add all this stuff to steve's character are so annoying because none of that would happen in the show." well sweetheart, it's not happening in the show because the duffers don't care and also don't know what the hell they're doing lol.

"Plus him not committing to anyone because he is scarred from that experience is valid and it's an explanation for his behavior in s4." THIS. why are we all just glossing over this??? the pining after nancy again for old time's sake, the serial dating that never develops anything intimate - some people for some reason think it's just "proof" that he truly wants/belongs with nancy, but no! it's literally him being afraid to commit to anyone again, and honestly i don't blame him. and like you said, it doesn't make nancy a bad person, but honestly i just wish canon would at least have them talk about it so he can have actual closure or something for once. that's the best ending for him i can think of - st/ncy closure and stobin platonic besties forever.

absolutely agree with getting the weird feeling about shipping two children. it gives me an odd feeling too, honestly. which, i'm not taking it too seriously, it's just a little weird. other than that, they definitely are in their own little bubble of delusion and when that bubble inevitably pops, i'm not even sure what to expect, because it is a little scary. they attack anyone who disagrees and are genuinely so rude for no real reason, so who knows what they're gonna do when they realize that they don't get this happy ending that they've manufactured? honestly this is just another solid reason that i'm glad it'll take a while for s5 to come out.

[isuckatwritingsobenice]

Can I please request poppy from homesick, with a male reader that's pretty similar to Nikolai from BSD? He's also infected

A/N: Hi!! Thank you so much for your request!!! I haven’t written for homesick in a while so I hope this is good!!

Warnings: None!

Navigation!!

Poppy’s relationship with you is volatile yet strangely intimate, shaped by shared struggles and your chaotic, boundary-pushing personality. You’re a man of extremes—erratic, theatrical, and carrying the air of someone unshackled by conventional morality. You’re the kind of person who views existence as a playground, even while it’s crumbling around you, and Poppy doesn’t know whether to hate you or admire you for it.

From the beginning, your presence threw him off balance. Where most infected souls fight desperately to cling to their humanity, you embraced yours as though it was just another aspect of life to toy with. You’d waltz through danger with that unsettling grin, treating the infection like a fascinating experiment rather than a curse. Poppy wasn’t sure if your attitude stemmed from true resilience or if it was just an elaborate performance to hide how much you were breaking inside.

What he did know was that you were infuriating. Your habit of turning even the most serious situations into absurd spectacles grated on his nerves. “You’re not helping,” he’d growl after watching you dangle from the rafters of some collapsing structure, laughing hysterically as debris rained around you. “Oh, but I am,” you’d respond, still grinning, your voice dripping with amusement. “You just don’t see it yet.”

For all his frustration with you, Poppy couldn’t deny the strange allure of your personality. You were impossible to predict, an enigma that defied logic and reason, and for someone as grounded as him, that was both terrifying and fascinating. Your philosophies—about life, freedom, and the nature of suffering—challenged his worldview, even if they bordered on madness.

He couldn’t help but be intrigued by the way you approached your infection. While Poppy treated it like a wound that needed constant care, you wore yours like a badge of honor. You’d joke about the inevitability of the infection taking over, likening it to some cosmic punchline that only you were in on. “Why fight it?” you’d say with a shrug, your eyes glinting with an unnerving intensity. “We’re all a little broken anyway. This just makes it official.”

And yet, for all your nihilistic musings, there was something undeniably human about you. Poppy saw it in the way you protected him without hesitation, stepping in whenever things got out of hand. Your recklessness wasn’t entirely self-serving—beneath the theatrics, there was an unspoken loyalty, a fierce protectiveness that he couldn’t ignore.

He hated how much you got under his skin, how your laughter echoed in his mind long after you were gone. You had a way of making him question everything, from the infection to his own fears, and it infuriated him. But it also made him think.

Despite your chaotic nature, you understood Poppy in a way no one else could. The infection wasn’t just a physical affliction—it was a constant reminder of your mortality, of how little control either of you had. You didn’t shy away from that reality; you embraced it, and in doing so, you forced Poppy to confront it too.

There were moments when your bravado slipped, when the weight of your condition became too much even for you. In those rare instances, Poppy saw the cracks in your armor—the exhaustion, the fear, the quiet desperation that you tried so hard to hide. And in those moments, he realized just how similar you really were.

Your bond wasn’t perfect; it was messy, volatile, and full of tension. But it was real. For all your differences, you found a strange kind of balance in each other. You challenged Poppy to loosen his grip on control, to embrace the chaos every now and then, while he grounded you just enough to keep you from spiraling completely.

Neither of you knew how long you had before the infection took over completely, but that didn’t matter. In the fleeting moments you shared, there was a sense of freedom, a defiance against the inevitability of your situation. And for Poppy, that was enough.

[heliads]

Hiya,baby. I saw that requests were open and I just had to jump on that chance. Can I request a Nikolai Lantsov imagine where reader is a princess from a neighboring kingdom. She and Nikolai are engaged but they both want to marry someone else. Unbeknownst to reader though, that someone else is Nikolai as Stumhond. They were both in similar situations and were tailored but fell in love on the ship. They are both forced to travel across the true sea to get to their wedding venue and at first they're wary of each other but they each start referencing inside jokes and stuff and giving the other mental whiplash as to how they know all of these things. Super fluffy all throughout with a cute reveal at then end. Sorry if this doesn't make sense, this is my first time requesting anything.

hiya,baby yourself, anon

masterlist

Nikolai Lantsov never planned on getting married. Objectively, he knew that it would come at some point, but his eventual wedding always seemed like one of those things of the future that would never truly come to pass. At some point, he would grow older than his brother. At some point, he would outlive his father’s reign. At some point, he would be married.

All of those, now, are true. They happened earlier than he expected, but yes; they are still real, still something that he must recognize at every dawn and every dusk. Far more discoveries have happened along the way, but they still hold strong. With them, too, must stand his marriage.

Marriage is not a thing of love to a Lantsov. That Nikolai knew even before he understood the responsibilities of royalty. His parents may have loved each other at some point, when they were starstruck young things with eyes brighter than their crowns, but nowadays the whole business is more of a hassle than a net win. Nikolai will be married for a political union, but not for him. Never for him.

The contract has already been drawn up. There’s a young woman of significance, a princess from a neighboring kingdom, who will be claiming his hand. Nikolai doesn’t know a whole lot about her, but no one does. She disappeared from the public eye to further her education years ago and just popped back up on the map a matter of months back. 

Regardless  of her recent activities, her country is wealthy and she is an eligible bachelorette. Nikolai needs a queen, Ravka needs a future; so the lines are drawn. He has yet to meet her in person, but that hardly matters. Y/N L/N will be his wife and there is nothing he can do about it.

He sets out in a week for the wedding. Seeing as her country is located across the True Sea, they’re going to meet up in the Southern Isles, a venue exactly halfway between their two homes. It’s a brilliant display of political maneuvering, and definitely not an excuse for Nikolai to delay the end of his bachelorhood as possible.

By all accounts, this marriage is more than serviceable. Nikolai has sent diplomats and ambassadors over to Y/N’s country countless times, and they’ve all come back bearing messages of her wonderful sense of humor and excellent character. She’s actually a good person, and Nikolai has come to realize that’s worth quite a bit. Factor in the fact that Nikolai can finally count on at least one other nation forced to ally itself with Ravka, and this whole ordeal is technically golden.

To him, though, it is still less than perfect. Actually, this is about as far as Nikolai can get from a flawless celebration, and that’s not just because it won’t be happening on Ravkan territory. No, despite the fact that Nikolai knew since he was a kid that he was never meant to end up dying by the side of someone he loved, he made a mistake anyway.

There’s a woman. Of course there is. Nikolai has no idea where she is. He met her when he was still king of the seas as Sturmhond. He had needed support in a naval battle, she had been the nearest captain, so he asked her for a favor. Proximity hadn’t been the only reason for his asking her specifically, just the one that he told her. Truth was, Nikolai had been hearing about a fearsome captain patrolling the waters for years, and the fact that she robbed only crooked merchant vessels in the interest of helping the needy caught his attention.

Nikolai knew from the very first day of encountering her that she would be on his mind forever. She went by Maradi, named for her favorite saint. According to the legends, a long time ago two lovers from rival fishing villages attempted to run away together. An angry father found out and had one sweetheart’s vessels dashed to pieces. The other dove into the sea, trying to find her man; Sankta Maradi cleared the storm, letting the lovers reach each other. Ever since, the lost and the lovers traveling the waves pay their homage to Sankta Maradi. Nikolai’s favorite privateer happens to count herself among the number of believers.

Maradi is lost to him now, if she was ever his at all. There was a blessed period of a few years in which Nikolai almost thought that he could get away with loving her. He kept that traitorous emotion tucked away behind his lurid teal coat like yet another revolver, but he thought about it, oh how he did. He harbored a secret belief that maybe Vasily would take the throne and Nikolai could stay out there on his ship forever, but of course that was not to be.

So he misses his love, so he feels like he’s betraying her through an engagement of political chessboards and strategically posed kings and queens. There is nothing Nikolai can do about it, but of course his heart will always beg to differ.

At least he has these meager days in which he could still possibly be hers. So he thought, at least, until Zoya arrives at his office door two days later and informs him that Princess Y/N’s ship just touched down on Ravkan shores. Turns out she needs to be there to fulfill some archaic Ravkan tradition regarding the nomination of its rulers. Nikolai knows Zoya kept this information from him so he would have as little time to fight it as possible, and she chose well. 

Nikolai wants to run. He can’t, but he wants to. That evening, he’s hosting a banquet in the interest of meeting his soon-to-be wife and forcing smiles just like always. Princess Y/N is as good as they say, quick as a whip and twice as clever, plus pretty to boot. However, even if she were a saint incarnate, she wouldn’t be Captain Maradi, and to Nikolai that’s as good as nothing at all.

Nikolai tries his best to be civil. His country needs that, at least. As much as he complains about the engagement, it would be far worse if Y/N’s country felt insulted and retracted their offer of Y/N’s hand. Nikolai keeps up a perfect demeanor of kindness, but it isn’t legitimate, not really.

Y/N must feel the same way, because even after a few minutes Nikolai is able to detect a hesitation to her smile, a thin veneer of apathy hidden behind the glossed lips and easy laugh. Every now and then, when she thinks someone isn’t paying attention, Y/N gets this look in her eyes like she’s a caged bird wanting nothing more than to fly for miles. She glances at the door just as often– well, just as often as Nikolai, which means that it happens quite a bit.

The night ends eventually, as does the week, flying by in a blur. Nikolai throws out his hands, trying and failing to stop the passage of time, but who can? Certainly not him. Soon enough, he’s standing on the dock of a ship, watching Ravka disappear into a tiny speck of green on the endless blue, and then it’s gone for good and he is stuck on a vessel headed towards a marriage he wants nothing more than to avoid.

Y/N is somewhere on the ship, but Nikolai doesn’t want to think about her right now. Instead, he leans his hands up against the railing of the ship, listening to the creak of the timbers and remembering better times. Sturmhond had only been a temporary dream, of course, a fantasy useful to keep useless younger sons occupied, but Saints, if he hadn’t loved it like nothing else.

It had been intense and crazy and dangerous, far more work than expected, but Nikolai had done it all himself. Not because he was a royal, but because of his own wit and grit. At the end of it, Stumhond was a captain in charge of a fleet, and that sort of power was intoxicating. Even now, standing on a king’s ship run by someone else, Nikolai feels that same sort of tantalizing rush.

After some time, it occurs to Nikolai that he is no longer alone. Someone else has thought the same thing as him and taken it upon themselves to scout out the endless horizon. Nikolai shoots his visitor a quick glance out of the corner of his eye and feels a ripple of shock course through him when he realizes it’s Y/N. He hadn’t known that the princess had an affinity for the sea, but she looks just as heartsick to be out here as him.

She catches him staring about half a second later and a grin slices its way onto her face. “What,” she says slowly, drawing out the syllables, “would you rather I go hide away in my quarters until the voyage is over? You’d have to threaten me at swordpoint.”

It’s more verve than he expected from a dulcet princess, but then again, Nikolai really doesn’t know her all that well, does he?

Nikolai smiles back. “I wouldn’t dare. Unless, of course, you attempt a mutiny. Then I might have to threaten you for real.”

It occurs to him about half a beat later that connecting his future wife and any sort of threat in the same sentence is probably not a good idea. Usually, Nikolai wouldn’t slip up like this. It’s just, well, being out here again is messing with his head. It reminds him of being on his own ship, wearing a different face and answering to a different name.

Sturmhond would have taken it further, he thinks. Sturmhond would have taken out a weapon just to prove his point. And, in return, Maradi would have challenged him to a duel or something even worse than that. No matter how deadly he was, Maradi matched him measure for measure every time. Standing here with the sound of the waves echoing through his ears, he can’t help but think of her.

Saints, he even remembers having a similar conversation several times again. During the early days when Nikolai had just asked for her help on the job, they usually said goodnight by promising to wake the other with a blade to their throat and their ships taken over by morning. Never ceased to make him laugh.

Nikolai blinks hard, trying to drag himself back to reality. He opens his mouth to come up with some way of softening his remark, but Y/N doesn’t look offended or put out. Far from it, actually. Her sharp grin just deepens, clearly pleased.

“If you threatened me in the slightest,” she whispers to him, words half disappearing on the salt breeze, “I would carve out your tongue while you slept and assume command of your vessels. That would be a proper mutiny.”

Nikolai feels as if the ground has just given out beneath his heels. The way Y/N says it, so casually but so intensely, it reminds him of Maradi like nothing else. In fact, he swears she said that exact same line to him before. He had teased her once about not wanting to get salt stains on her sleeves. In return, she had promised to cut out his tongue if he ever dared mention prettiness to her again. They had both laughed and gotten drinks. It had been a wonderful evening.

Nikolai needs to remember, though, that this isn’t real. This is not Maradi. His captain is somewhere out there in uncharted territory, still just as free as the day he met her. This princess, no matter how beautiful nor how dangerous, is a stranger to him and nothing more.

Nikolai straightens, forcing himself to pretend as if he isn’t doubting his own mind. “That would certainly be a sight to see,” he says smoothly, “unfortunately, I tend to keep my doors locked. I find it a far more pleasant method of security than trusting princesses willy-nilly.”

A furrow creases Y/N’s brow, and she seems lost in thought. Nikolai turns his attention back to the sea, but for some reason, he can’t sink himself into it just as easily as before. Now, instead of just hearing Maradi’s voice whispering in the back of his brain, he hears Y/N’s too, the two tones mixing in the mess of his consciousness.

The pattern doesn’t leave him after that first encounter, either. Throughout that day and well into the next few, Nikolai feels like he’s half in a dream. Y/N casually references jokes that Nikolai swore he’s only ever heard when he’s conniving with Maradi. As a test, he does the same thing, name-dropping inside secrets and jobs they did, just the two of them. Every time, Y/N has the same reaction as him, a slight tension appearing in her shoulders, her eyes growing wide.

Maradi would never share his secrets. Sturmhond never shared any of hers, either. Yet how is it that Y/N, Princess Y/N, would happen to know the exploits of Nikolai’s alter ego like the back of his hand? It’s driving him mad. For what might be the millionth time since he left the seas behind, Nikolai wishes that Maradi were there with him. He misses talking through things with her. Nikolai always swore that he made his decisions after even an hour with her, and he knows, he just knows, that if he were to see Maradi again, all would be well.

He has one last night on the ship. They’ll probably dock sometime around late afternoon tomorrow, which gives Nikolai a short window of time if he wishes to make a move while they’re still on board. With the salt air blowing through his hair, the waves providing background symphonies with every step, Nikolai knows that if he’s going to do something, it has to be now. Once he gets on dry land, his ghosts will stop haunting him and Nikolai realizes that he’s been wrong all along. If he’s going to make this mistake, he might as well do it now while he can still believe in himself.

Nikolai heads out to the deck once moonlight falls upon the sails. Most everyone is in bed save for the skeleton crew necessary to keep the ship on track. Still, there’s one portion of the rail where no words can be overheard, and that is where Nikolai finds Y/N. It’s where he used to find Maradi, once upon a time. It is where they always met.

Y/N looks up when she sees him approach. “You know, I’ll be glad to see solid ground, but I’ve always liked being at sea. It feels like home.”

Nikolai gathers up his courage and convinces himself to take this risk. “What do you know about Sankta Maradi?”

Y/N freezes for a moment, and Nikolai watches as she physically forces herself to relax. “She protected lovers at sea. I always liked her best.”

Nikolai nods solemnly. “So did I. Do you think she’ll protect us tonight?”

He meets Y/N’s eyes slowly. She looks more wary than he’s ever seen her. “Only if you think she’s close by,” she replies quietly.

“I do,” Nikolai says, and pulls something out from behind his back. 

It’s a knife, blade shining in the light of the stars. It’s well preserved, due only to Nikolai’s careful polishing. The burn of sea salt on the air has a way of wreaking havoc on any weapon to bear its force. Well, technically Nikolai isn’t the one to watch over this particular blade. That was Sturmhond’s task, one that he treasured above any other because Maradi is the one who gave him this knife, and that meant he kept it like his own flesh and blood.

Y/N’s lips part, and Nikolai knows by the gasp that leaves her that yes, his suspicions were right all along. “You’re Sturmhond?” She breathes, seeming only half able to believe the syllables.

Nikolai inclines his head. “I had one of my crewmates tailor me. It wasn’t best for a prince to be seen terrorizing the seas, even a lesser, younger one. I captained the Volkvony, and that is where I met you, isn’t it?”

Y/N nods, eyes shining. She reaches into her pocket and retrieves a signet ring, which she slips onto her finger. Nikolai feels an ache in his chest lessen, something like having a blade removed from his heart. It’s her. This is all the proof he needs. Nikolai remembers seeing that ring on her hand a thousand times:  signaling her men to take a ship, reaching for his in the dark of night, wrapped around a pistol or sword. It is the very essence of her, and thus priceless beyond anything else.

“I was tailored too,” Y/N murmurs, “for the same reasons as you, I think. I didn’t want to be a political puppet, I wanted to feel like I was doing something real. And being Maradi was the best part of my life. She was braver than me, more daring, more capable. The day I had to step down, I thought I might die.”

Nikolai leans over to her on impulse, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “You still found me, though. I’d say that’s pretty capable.”

Y/N chuckles. “It wasn’t on purpose. You were an eligible prince. I was informed that I was to be married to someone within the year. Besides, I had no idea you were Sturmhond until we set sail. If I figured it out any earlier, I wouldn’t have suffered through those banquets quite as unhappily.”

Nikolai pretends to be offended. “You didn’t like my banquets? But Y/N, dearest, I had my stuffiest advisors show up just to make them more fun.”

Y/N laughs. “I seem to remember you being just as miserable as me. You were excellent at hiding it, though.”

Nikolai ponders this. “If I was so excellent, why could you see through me?”

“Because you reminded me of someone I knew better than anyone,” Y/N admits, and Nikolai thinks he must have drowned in the very sea sparkling before him, because nothing else could explain the desperate pang in his heart and lungs.

She smiles at him again. “You’re him, though. Somehow, we found each other, and we’re to be married. Not the worst coincidence in the world.”

Nikolai grins, tries not to let himself implode. “Certainly not. In fact, I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d want to be my bride in all the world. I’ve missed you, my Maradi.”

Y/N accepts his embrace, allowing Nikolai’s arm to pull her close. “No one else but you, Nik. I promise.”

He has trusted her unthinkably for quite some time. He is not about to stop now.

grishaverse tag list: @rogueanschel, @deadreaderssociety, @cameronsails, @mxltifxnd0m, @story-scribbler, @retvenkos, @thatfangirl42, @amortensie, @gods-fools-heroes, @bl606dy, @auggiesolovey

[fiction-box]

Okay I know you haven't finished my other request yet so I feel a little bad about sending in another one but I am having so many thoughts about my children dsfjagdhdh

I don't wanna monopolize your time so please don't feel rushed at all!! I'm just so glad that someone is making my silly little daydreams a reality <3

Anyway, I recently got to the white heron cup on my replay of 3H which gave me some more ideas 👀 this one is with Felix and Ferdinand:

The professor chose Felix to represent the Blue Lions in the White Heron Cup, despite his very vocal protests (I did this to him on my first playthrough bc I wanted him to have the sword evade skill lmao). Reader was chosen as his practice partner. Reader was never all that passionate about dance—it was just one of those skills they had to learn as a noble—but they're realizing now that maybe it's about the partner? Bc dancing with Felix always leaves their heart racing in the best way possible

Alternatively, reader was chosen to represent the Black Eagles and the one and only Ferdinand von Aegir was assigned as their tutor/partner. Although the professor saw reader's great potential, reader, as a commoner, had never been formally trained in the dances of the nobility. During these practice sessions, reader gets annoyed at Ferdinand for being so particular about everything and for going on about the history of various dance styles. Little do they know though, that this is Ferdie's way of saying "I love you, please spend more time with me."

Feel free to go wherever your inspiration takes you!! I can't wait to see what you write :D

Sorry this took me so long! My life suddenly became quite busy, so I was unable to find the time to write for everyone. Happy October to you and all the others reading this!

I think I did a fairly good job with following your request this time, my lovely! I felt railroaded in a way that still allowed me to provide my own ideas and experiment. Your specificity made things slightly easier on me, and this was such a wonderful idea to write for! I know I say something similar to that line each time, but it's true. These prompts help me indulge in my mind and my hobby without needing to commit too hard to forging a dream out of a few strung-along thoughts.

So, after what must have been a month, here is the fulfillment to your request. My inbox is open, so anyone that wants to send anything in is invited to do so. Until then, enjoy this work!

The stories will be continued under the cut.

Felix:

“Are you considering me as our representative for the White Heron Cup?”

You paused, your walk to your dorm from the library interrupted by what sounded like Felix and Professor Byleth conversing through the walls of the training grounds.

The professor’s voice was muted, but Felix’s reply was all you needed to hear to understand what was going to happen.

“I was joking. You really couldn’t find anyone else?”

So, your teacher had chosen Felix to dance for the White Heron Cup, then? Things could have been worse. She could have elected you, instead.

As you continued your trek back to your dorm, you let out a small sigh. What reason did Professor Byleth have for choosing Felix of all people to participate. Surely there were more eager, more experienced candidates. Annette and Sylvain came to mind.

Whatever her reasons, it really was none of your concern. So long as nothing bad came of it, you were certain she knew what she was doing.

You came to the entrance of your dorm on the second floor, setting down your things on your bed with a sigh (the desk was rather messy from personal notes). Maybe you ought to clean up a bit. It would not do for someone to come into your room, what with it in such a state.

But time got away from you while you tidied up, and soon it was time for lunch. You had no classes today, which was a blessing both because you needed a break and because you needed more time to study for your upcoming certification exam the next weekend.

The trek to the dining hall was much less eventful than this morning’s small commute to your dorm. Everyone else was probably interested in eating, too. Just as you thought, upon entering, the hall was filled with students and knights squeezing in a meal before getting back to work.

You walked up to the line, grabbing your own meal and heading to find somewhere to sit. Scanning the cafeteria, you noticed Annette and Mercedes sitting together in one area, and Sylvain, Dimitri, and Ingrid were sitting together in another. There were Adrestian nobles near them, and the Golden Deer were scattered around the knights.

Maybe it would be better if you just sat alone. Interrupting anyone’s conversation would be rude, after all.

A small table near the back of the room was open, so you took a seat and began to consume your meal. It wasn’t anything special today, just something made with vegetables you suspected your own professor had harvested. Good, but not worth the breath to say so.

Not that there was much else for you to think about.

Lifting your head up, you decided to pay more attention to the people in the dining hall. People watching had always been a small hobby of yours, but getting caught doing so tended to leave you embarrassed.

There was a group of knights sitting at the table across from yours laughing about something. You wondered what it could be. Nothing to do with their job, you hoped.

Marianne and some green-haired Alliance boy were discussing something fervently. Well, it was more like the boy was talking to her and she was just nodding along. The poor girl.

And then here, coming toward you now, was Professor Manuela with her own lunch.

“Hello, dear! What are you doing back here all by yourself? Surely your friends didn’t give you the cold shoulder, now, did they?”

“Oh, no, of course not,” you assured her, “I chose to sit here of my own volition. I have a free day, and I suppose I have been choosing to spend it alone.”

She gave a small sigh, moving to sit across from you, “I hear that. Some days, a girl just needs some alone time.”

You nodded, taking another bite of your meal.

“You know, if you aren’t too busy, would you mind if I asked you a small favor? I need someone to head to the greenhouse for me and grab a few herbs for the infirmary. I just so happen to have a list with me here,” she noted, pulling out such a list from…well, you didn’t want to think about that. “Why don’t you go take a trip to collect them, hm? It would be nice and therapeutic, and I’m in no rush to get them sorted. Take your time in there and enjoy yourself, dear. Just so long as they’re in the infirmary by the end of the day, I’ll be happy.”

As she handed it to you, you accepted the scrap of paper from her hands and scanned over it with your eyes. Nothing too stressful or complicated to grab. Some of these were quite common, and the list was not long in the slightest.

“I would be happy to help! What a wonderful idea.”

Wasn’t it? You would get some much needed relaxation, and once you had more peace of mind, you could focus better on your studies.

“Wonderful! Oh, and there’s no need to let me know when you’ve finished. I’ll be in tomorrow morning to double check everything you collect.”

You finished your food, cleaning everything off the table and preparing to leave, “You can count on me, Professor! I hope the rest of your day goes well.”

Leaving the dining hall, you headed back to your room to get some gloves. It would probably be best to have some form of protection on your hands before handling any of these herbs.

What you did not expect, however, was to run into Professor Byleth instructing Felix on his dancing.

Thankfully, it seemed they hadn’t noticed you yet. Felix was moving with practiced ease as the former mercenary tipped him off on the smallest of errors. He really was doing quite well for what looked like such a simple, boring dance.

Unfortunately, you must have been staring a moment too long. Flicking her eyes away from her student, the professor’s eyes met your own

“Ah, perfect timing! I was just thinking about having someone stand in as a partner!”

Stand-in? 

Before you could process what she meant, your teacher had approached you and was leading you by the arm further into their practice area.

“Professor, what are you talking about? I’ve been watching for a moment or two already; Felix was doing just fine on his own! You’ve been working for this long, and I know he’s no stranger to dancing. What is having a partner going to change?”

Quick as ever, she responded, “A partner brings life and flow into a dance. Think of it as communication; we aren’t meant to do it alone. It’s unnatural.”

“Oh…wow, I…did not expect that from you,” you managed.

“It’s something you pick up on by your third festival.”

“Okay then, I guess I don’t really have an excuse…” you began. “If it’s for the house, I’d be happy to help.”

Felix scoffed, “Don’t I get a say in this?”

“Oh?” Professor Byleth challenged, “And what is it you have to say?”

“Maybe I’d rather not be seen doing any of this? I didn’t choose to be here, and I certainly don’t need an audience.”

“Better get over it, then,” she frowned, placing you in front of him, “you’ll be having a larger audience than two people when you actually perform.”

He muttered something you couldn’t quite make out.

“Not to interrupt, Professor, but I don’t exactly know the dance he’ll be working on.”

“Oh, that. It’s just an easy foxtrot, nothing too difficult. We’re just working from the ground up, so we’re refraining from implementing other steps until he gets this down.”

“You said I had it down. An hour ago.”

“Felix, I promise you we have not been out here for half that time.”

At the professor’s count, you both began. One of your hands rested on his shoulder while the other was supported by his own hand. You followed along with ease, only slipping up twice in the countless cycles you were made out to perform.

It was strange, though. You almost felt nervous about slipping up, which was different from the nonchalant waltzing you put on with your previous partners. No matter; it was probably just because the house was relying on you both to get this right.

That, and Professor Byleth had more scrutiny in her expression than you thought possible.

Even when you thought you were getting used to the feeling, though, the butterflies never quite went away. It was a simple four step, so what was the big deal?

Actually, what was the big deal? You both had been doing this a long time, and neither of you had received so much as a comment from the professor for at least a few minutes.

You turned to look at her, still remaining in the rhythm of the dance, “Um…Felix is really good at this, professor. He looked fine before and he’s doing well now?”

She gave a tense smile, “Just making sure it stays that way. Doing “well” isn’t going to impress any judges.”

Allowing yourself a small sigh, you turned back to Felix, whose face had turned a light shade of pink. It was surprising. You didn’t think Felix would be tired just by repeating the same four-step.

“Alright, fine. We’ll go with that,” she waved her hand in the air flippantly.

You both stopped, moving apart to stretch and give your legs a small break.

“Okay, now that you two have the base steps, it’s time to incorporate the other aspects of this dance.”

You were practically pushed back into one another, the Professor relentlessly rattling off instructions.

Both of you needed a natural sway. Then, you had to maintain that while spinning continuously throughout the four-step. Relax a bit more, move closer, let your arms look more fluid.

“Thank you for cooperating, so far. The last step is to incorporate the dip at the end of each four-step cycle.”

A…dip?

Felix raised his own brow, “What?”

“What do you mean, “what?” Go on.”

You chimed in, “Professor, I don’t know what a dip is…”

Felix gave a curt nod in agreement, and the two of you waited for an explanation from your instructor.

“You genuinely have no clue what I’m talking about?”

“Would you just get to the point?” Felix scowled. “I’ve wasted enough time out here like this.”

“Maybe it just isn’t part of any traditional Faerghus dances?” you offered. “I can honestly say I have never heard of it.”

It was your professor’s turn to sigh as she put her thumb and middle finger at her temples, “This is going to take longer than I thought.”

She lifted her head, walking toward you and offering her hand, “If I may?”

You took her hand, and with that, Byleth demonstrated the whole dance you both had learned so far to Felix. Then, the time came for whatever this “dip” was.

“You’re going to have to trust me to hold onto you for this to work, do you understand?”

Hold onto me? “I’m not so sure that I do, but I do trust you.”

“Wonderful.” She then turned her head to Felix, “Now, you’ll want to end up with a  sort of complimentary stance. One of your feet should be somewhat between the two of hers. This is both for balance and flow; otherwise, this next part will be awkward and unstable.”

Felix allowed himself a moment to study both of your stances, but then your teacher faced you once more and said in a voice loud enough for both of you to hear, “As for you, you’re going to lean back on my hand as I lean forward into you. You’ll keep your feet on the floor and try to balance yourself slightly throughout, but your partner will be the one supporting you. It’s my job not to let you fall.”

You nodded, hoping you understood.

“Okay. Here we go.”

Your grip on the hand holding your own tightened in nervousness as your professor began to lean you back. The further you went, the less balance you seemed to have, you noted. Fortunately, Professor Byleth stopped lowering her arm the moment before you thought you would lose your ability to balance.

“Just remember to relax,” she smiled. “You don’t need to waste energy on holding unnecessary tension. Try easing your grip on my hands and loosening your arms.”

You did so, immediately feeling a sense of ease. It was much better to hold your balance like this.

Slowly, she lifted you back onto your feet, “So there. Hopefully you were watching closely enough to understand, Felix. Now, it’s your turn.”

“Honestly, couldn’t I do this on my own? How hard can it be to bend down and rise back up?”

“Funny. Those sound like the thoughts of a runner-up. Second place is only first for losers, Felix. From the top.”

His brow furrowed as he swapped places with her.

The dance was going wonderful as usual (but that wasn’t normally usual, was it? You remembered feeling bored with your partners at the last party you attended.) until the professor made you both pause. Professor Byleth instructed him as you went through the motions of relaxing and leaning back.

But somehow, this felt different than your dance with your teacher. You knew it wasn’t just because you were being watched, either. Felix was watching you earlier, and the butterflies didn’t appear then, did they?

Perhaps it was the tinge of pink returning to his face, but…

No. No no no. Don’t even go there. He’s just tired, like I must be! You two had been dancing for quite a long time, now. The sun had made considerable progress on its trek through the sky. Not to mention…

You were certain your own cheeks were dusted a similar color.

“Excellent!” your teacher’s voice permeated your thoughts with what must have been the nicest comment on your dancing she had given all day. “Just like that!”

“Again, I-I could have done this without a partner!”

The green-haired woman brought a hand to her chin, “No, no, you have a point.” She turned to you, “Do you think you could get out of that position without Felix moving? I want him to know what this exact pose would feel like if he were actually performing.”

That could prove difficult. The only exit was turning out of his arms, which would mean letting yourself fall to the ground. You weren’t afraid of a little fall from such a short distance above the grass, but Felix would still need to shift his hand to accommodate the movement of your body weight. Not to mention there would be movement required to let go of his hand.

“Sorry,” you answered after looking around for another solution, “I just don’t see how that would be possible.”

A bit of air came from her nose as her lips pursed ever so slightly, “I feared as much. Okay you two, why don’t you come up and we’ll have Felix dance alone one final time before we call it a day?”

“Finally,” Felix groaned, lifting you back up as you quickly recovered from a twinge of vertigo.

You moved a few paces away and turned back around to watch as the professor counted Felix off. He was much more skilled at the dance than he was when you originally observed him. That was saying something since he was already skilled when you first saw him. For the swordsman to perform even better? There would be no mistaking the winner for anyone but the Blue Lion House.

At the end of it all, you said your goodbyes to your teacher and classmate. The greenhouse was still owed a visit, so you scanned over the list once more on your way there.

Maybe Manuela was right. Studying for certification exams could wait. You had already done so much today, so committing to relaxation would be a nice break.

Needless to say, you spent a lot more time with the flowers that afternoon than you had in a long time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ferdinand:

“That wraps up our time for this morning’s class!” Professor Byleth announced. “I just have a few notes for you all, and then you’ll be free to go.”

The overall mood in the Black Eagles’ classroom seemed warm to you as the sun peeked through the windows. Sure, the seasons were meant to be getting warmer, but Garreg Mach’s central location resulted in only minute climate changes.

“Edelgard. As the leader of your house, you are expected to compel everyone to come to class. Please find a way to ensure Bernadetta arrives next time.”

“Of course,” the Adrestian heir nodded. “I will make a more compelling case in the future.”

A sigh escaped the professor, “It isn’t your fault. I would do something about it myself if Count Varley hadn't sent a notice to the Church about his…displeasure with a commoner's teaching.”

“The rest you already know. Lindhardt, don’t sleep during class…Caspar, don’t shout during class. Dorothea, remember that your seat is next to Ferdinand and not Lady Edelgard.”

As everyone packed their things to leave, Professor Byleth called you to speak with her privately.

“Good morning, Professor,” you greeted. “Was there something you needed?”

“Yes. Do you know anything about the White Heron Cup?”

“The White Heron Cup…? I think Dorothea was telling me a bit about it, earlier. Isn’t that the dance competition held before the Garreg Mach Ball each year?”

“That would be the one.”

“Good to know I’m right,” an amused look was shared between you two, “but I doubt it’s important enough to single me out and talk with me about it.”

“Correct again. For the dance, each House is to choose one representative to compete. I was just informed that I would need to pick someone last night, so I’ve done a bit of thinking.”

“A…representative? Surely you aren’t intending to choose me. I don’t even know how to dance. The most practice I have is from the festivals in my hometown, but even then I tended to sit out and watch.”

Professor Byleth began to ready her own things to leave, “I do intend to pick you. Don’t worry about that too much, though. 

“No. I can’t. I refuse, actually, so you’ll just have to go and choose someone else. Have a wonderful day, Professor. Good luck find-”

You were interrupted by your teacher’s hand on your arm pulling you out of the classroom, “Glad to see you’re on board. Now, I’ve already spoken to Ferdinand about helping you learn the waltz. He agreed so quickly I almost thought I misheard him. You know him, though; always ready to do something elegant and noble. Like helping a lady learn to dance.”

“Ow! Wait, you can’t be serious-!”

As you approached the practice area Professor Byleth cleared for the two of you earlier, Ferdinand was already waiting.

“I expect you to know the dance well enough to perform by tomorrow. It’s rather simple, so I can’t see you having any trouble with it.”

“Tomorrow?”

“It will be no problem, Professor! She will practically be an expert by nightfall, I assure you!”

“Nightfall?”

She practically already took her leave, “Well then, I’ll leave you to it.”

“Shall we begin?” Ferdinand turned to you with a small bow, offering his hand.

It all happened so fast you almost thought you had dreamt up the whole encounter, “Begin? I…I’ve never danced before. Not in a way that counts.”

“There is no need to be nervous. We can start slow, and I will tell you everything you need to know!”

You took his hand, and the lesson commenced. He positioned you so that one of your arms rested on his shoulder while the other was held out to your side. Apparently, men led forward with the right foot, so it was your job to lead backwards with your left foot. Back, left, forward, right. A simple box.

But there were other things you needed to remember. The two of you always spun in a circle. Ferdinand always took the same stride, which you would have to match in length to avoid stepping on him.

It all felt like too much, in the moment. Your results were not poor, so long as you gave all your energy to your awareness of your body.

“You are a natural! Surely you have performed this waltz before?”

At the shake of your head, he continued, “Perhaps you are aware of its history, then? This dance was originally created…”

That wasn’t good. Back. Left. It took practically every nerve in your brain to manage shaking your head while staying in the waltz. Now he wanted to ramble about its history? You’d never be able to pay attention…Forward. Right…and learn well simultaneously. Why did he care how good you were at picking it up, anyway?

None of it mattered. There was no way you were going to stay here listening to him go on until nightfall. You would dance until he said you had it down, and then it would be time to leave.

However, with how caught up you were in your thoughts, you hadn’t realized how that affected your dancing.

“S-slow down! It is a dance, not a race!”

“Oh. Sorry,” you weren’t sure if you meant it. “I can’t really focus on what I’m doing when you’re giving me all this information.”

Hopefully, he could take a hint, you thought. But if Ferdinand von Aegir was anything, he was dense. He did not take hints, and throughout your time at the Officer’s Academy, you’ve constantly found yourself cursing him for it.

“That is alright. I am sure you will get it eventually,” the two of you finally managed to bring the tempo back to normal. “After all, this is quite a late age to be learning formal dance for the first time. In fact, I myself began my first lessons when I was…”

Wonderful. Honestly, did the noble do anything but talk? You were sure he heard you when you spoke, but he never actually listened to what you were saying. 

Back. Left. Forward. Right. Always spin ever so slightly. Do not step on Ferdinand’s feet. Lead with your left unless you’re moving right. Your arms-

“...that is how the White Heron Ball came to be a Garreg Mach tradition! Interesting, is it not?”

“Wh-what?” just how long had you been dancing? You could have sworn he was just talking about his own history of dance.

“What is it? Is there something wrong?

Back. Ri- no…Left. Forward. “Ferdinand, I don’t know how to put this lightly, but it is really hard to focus with you talking about all of that. I can keep up a conversation, or I can dance. I can’t do both yet.”

“But as I have told you, it is easy! You simply need to count through the beats, match each step to a number, and then keep continual rules in mind.”

At this point, you had lost the rhythm of your waltz. The heel of your boot landed on the toe of Ferdinand’s own, and the two of you stumbled awkwardly until Ferdinand caught his balance. Unfortunately, you weren’t as lucky and fell backwards onto the ground. 

“Not quite like that-”

“You don’t say?” you cut him off. At least he was kind enough to help you back to your feet.

He brought you back into your initial position, preparing to pick up again, “Remember to lead backwards with your left foot.”

“I was remembering. Until you distracted me, that is.”

“Distracted you? I have only been helping you this whole time, have I not?”

You took a breath. It would be so easy to blame him for this, but you knew nothing would be solved through an argument. The sooner you figured this out, the sooner you could leave. No reason to hurt one of your allies over it.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, I’m just a little frustrated.”

The Adrestian noble began again, prompting you to follow suit almost immediately, “You must adjust your steps to that of your partner’s.”

A frown painted itself on your lips, “Good thing I won’t ever have one.”

“What are you talking about?” he questioned, “This waltz is commonly played at various events. Surely this will not be the only time you will partake?”

You sighed, “Ferdinand, enough. I’m a commoner, remember? I don’t go to…events. We don’t even have dances like this.”

“All the more reason to learn! It would be helpful to incorporate this into the skills of the common people so as to create a more refined society as a whole. Then-”

“I said enough!” you snapped, pushing away from him.

The shock on his face was nothing compared to the anger you felt at his ignorance.

“E-excuse me?”

“Stop talking about commoners like they’re…beasts! We are not animals to be tamed, Ferdinand, we’re people. Real, actual people.”

“I was not trying to imply otherwise-”

“But you did. You do it all the time! Humanity is not found solely within tradition, noble or otherwise. We can be civilized without being formal, you know!”

He didn’t seem to know what to say anymore, it seemed. Good, then. Maybe he would choose to listen for once.

“Take this practice as an example. You’ve been doing this waltz with me for how long now? And I haven’t hurt you or acted without considering you this whole time.” You paused, your throat closing up, “Honestly, I’ve been pitying us both for this position we’ve been placed in. Is an uncivilized, unrefined society capable of pity, Lord Ferdinand von Aegir?”

Nothing. Again. Maybe this was too much? But it wasn’t as if you were going to let him keep talking like that.

You stepped back farther, “Sorry. Here I go ruining it. I talk about being civilized, but I can’t even keep myself in check to verbally defend the people I grew up knowing and loving. Let’s…we can be done, now. I’ll go find the professor and tell her I won’t be able to perform tomorrow.”

So much for relations between allies. Your mind wandered to what you were going to say to your professor. It would be a bad idea to blame it on Ferdinand; Professor Byleth might do some digging, and you didn’t trust him to keep his mouth shut.

‘W-wait!” you had only made it a few paces before the knight called after you.

As you turned to face him, you gave a tight lipped smile, “Don’t worry about it! Really, I’m sure it won’t be any trouble for her to find someone else. I can probably talk Dorothea into it if she isn’t already interested.”

“That is no excuse. Whether you are our representative or someone else is, that does not make up for the things I said,” regret filled his expression, and your own turn came to respond in silence.

He made his way toward where you were standing, his eyes never leaving yours, “I am deeply sorry. I truly did not mean to insinuate such terrible ideas. Perhaps you can help me to…be more aware of these things in the future?”

At last, he had listened to something you told him. Even if he didn’t pay much attention to anything else you said to him, you were glad he at least chose to react to this.

“Of course,” your smile went from tight lipped to full and genuine. “You could start by focusing on teaching me the dance rather than its significance.”

“But both are equally important!” he argued.

“Are they? I am going to have to know this dance for the competition, but I can’t imagine any future where I would need to know the history of it. Or that of any other waltzes, for that matter.” 

As soon as the words came out of your mouth, something in his face seemed to fall.

“You…cannot? There is no future where you would see yourself dancing more waltzes?”

“Quite frankly, it doesn’t seem to matter what I imagine. Once my time here is through, I’ll be sent off to lead some noble army. Not much waltzing in that future, I’d guess.”

“I see…”

Why was he acting so weird?

“But,” you tried to cheer him up, “at least I’ll have this one. I can pretend for one night that I have the ability to choose my future. So long as I would be happy in it, I don’t see the problem in dreaming of a life where all I do is dance at formal events like this.”

“Really?”

“Sure!” you laughed, “Though I don’t think I’d be as comfortable dancing with anyone else. I might not be able to get used to a different rhythm, yet.”

That seemed to get his energy back, “Of course! I will be ready whenever you wish to dance, and we can go at whatever pace you wish.”

“Let’s make sure I can actually do the steps correctly, first?”

“Right,” he led you back to the practice area. 

The two of you danced a few more times before you finally got the hang of the waltz. Sure, the ball was not for another several days, but you had a feeling Professor Byleth would be pleased with your progress. 

Eventually, when the time came, you knew you would need to learn a new dance for your classmates.

But you were getting ahead of yourself. First, you needed to win the White Heron Cup.