#Gilbert is just. Based off my friend

[satyrcatartz]

u guys know those “giving my Italian husband (x) food/(x) American thing” tik toks. well yeah Hetalia Prumano semi-rare pair attack

my friend and I have been. Obsessed with those. Why does she. Why. It’s like aggravating a chihuahua for views and it’s the most entertainment. Tbh. This art looks SO shitty but the Prumano brain rot is too real for me… Also I saw the pizza burger irl the other day and I don’t wanna talk about it

[deadboystims]

˗ˏˋ꒰ 🪦 ꒱ ) deadboy’s 300 follower event !

welcome to the graveyard..

thank u all for the support & patience !! this is genuinely a fun hobby & community that i’m glad to be apart of,, i wanted to celebrate this support & the stimblr community as a whole for my 300, so i’m deciding to do an event !! yahoo !!

use the tag “#deadboy300” ! i want to see everyone’s creations ! i’ll likely reblog every (sourced/credited) board that i’m tagged in !!

now lets get onto the prompts,, i’m providing 2 options, mostly just in case ! do whichever one you want :)

DAY 001 : make a stimboard based off of your queer identities !

OR : make a stimboard based off of one of the general pride flags (progress pride, gilbert pride flag, rainbow pride flag, etc)

DAY 002 : make a stimboard based off your favorite song / album

OR : make a stimboard based off of your favorite musical artist / genre

DAY 003 : support each other ! make a stimboard based off of your favorite stimboard/stim gif creator ! or, use their original gifs !

OR : make a stimboard based off a friend, qpr, or partner ( they don’t have to be on tumblr )

DAY 004 : make a stimboard based off of your favorite spooky/halloween/horror movie !

OR : if u don’t like horror/halloween, make a stimboard based off of your favorite movie/show/book

DAY 005 : make a stimboard using your favorite kinds of stim gifs (ex : dice , slime , etc )

OR : make a stimboard based off your favorite fruit !

DAY 006 : make a stimboard based off your favorite aesthetic !

OR : spin a wheel(link) and make a stimboard based off of what you get! re-rolls allowed :)

DAY 007 : catch up day / free space ! do whatever you want !

OR : make a stimboard based off of yourself ( or your system, if so desired ) !

DAY 008 : make a stimboard based off of your favorite color combo !

OR : make a stimboard based off of your favorite color

DAY 009 : make a stimboard based off of your favorite ship !

OR : make a stimboard based off of your favorite duo / group

DAY 010 : make a stimboard based off of your favorite animal !

OR : make a stimboard based off of your favorite plant !

DAY 011 : make a stimboard based off of space !

OR : make a stimboard based off of the ocean !!

DAY 012 : make a stimboard off of your favorite season !

OR : make a stimboard based off of your favorite holiday !

DAY 013 : make a stimboard based off a character you kin !

OR : make a stimboard based off of a character you relate to

DAY 014 : make a stimboard based off of your favorite fashion style !

OR : spin a wheel(link) and make a stimboard based off of what you get ! re-rolls allowed :)

DAY 015 : make a stimboard based off of your favorite villain !

OR : make a stimboard based off of your favorite hero !

and.. thats all the prompts !

thank you all to those who decide to participate in this ! i know some of the prompts are fairly basic but i hope they’re fun regardless !! i did my best to be inclusive nd all. also, feel free to apply these to moodboards or anything else! tho i’ll primarily be reblogging stimboards :)

no pressure tags, feel free to ignore this and/or not participate - please let me know if you wanna be removed !!

@demolding @kurt-stims @sprinkles-stims @gaystims @talos-stims @garfieldstim @heartnosekid @stimboardboy @starstruckstufful @squishsquishy @clwnstim @nanmo-wakaran @sweet-stims @sponge-stims @sigmxnd @bloomics

[lvstgojo]

my kind of crazy - satoru gojo

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: ̗̀➛ contains: satoru gojo | sfw

☁︎ summary: gojo is obsessed with you and thinks about some of the crazy moments that made him love you

₊˚ෆ warnings: none, just a sappy gojo

˚ · . word count: 718

✎ this was based off the song "my kind of crazy" by brantley gilbert. i have loved this song since i was a child. i thought he seemed so in love with the woman he was singing about.

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

The sunshine had begun to sneak its way into your shared room with the strongest sorcerer in the world, Satoru Gojo. While you lay sleeping soundly, Satoru had already awakened and was staring at you, thinking about all the reasons why he loved you. He often woke up before you, but he would never leave the bed until you were awake. He didn’t like the thought of you waking up and thinking he had left. If there ever was a chance he had to leave before you woke up—he was a teacher, after all—he’d wake you to let you know he was leaving. You would drift back to sleep after he kissed you goodbye.

This morning, however, he didn’t have to leave. Satoru was a busy man, but today, he finally had the chance to relish the peace and quiet of his home with the love of his life sleeping by his side.

You were a wild one, but he loved that about you. You matched his crazy, if not surpassed it.

You’d come into the living room wearing one of his t-shirts and his blindfold, proclaiming that you were “the one and only Satoru Gojo” and “the strongest and most handsome guy to ever exist.” You’d be blocking the TV, but Satoru had long forgotten about whatever he was watching the moment you graced him with your presence. He would much rather watch you, anyway.

“Well, Satoru,” he would say, “how about when you’re done saving the world from curses, you let me get your autograph?”

You’d smile and lift up the blindfold so you could see him, complaining about not being able to see through it and not understanding how he could. He’d explain his Six Eyes Technique to you as you listened intently, and he adored how you always paid attention when he spoke.

You’d visit him at the school sometimes to sit in on his class. You weren’t a sorcerer, but he loved having you there. You got along with his students so well, and he even loved it when you mocked him and made the kids laugh. He’d pretend to be upset about his girl making fun of him, but secretly, he didn’t mind at all. It made him excited for the future, for the children you’d have together.

He hated attending meetings with the higher-ups, but he knew that once he left, he’d have messages from you, telling him about whatever you were doing or whatever was on your mind. You worried it might annoy him, having to read it all, but he looked forward to it each and every time so he encouraged you to continue. Satoru loved coming home to you after those meetings, eager to rant to you about them.

Anyone with eyes could tell how obsessed Satoru was with you, but Suguru really got to hear about it. If Suguru let him, Satoru would talk his ear off, not that it bothered him anyway. Suguru loved seeing his best friend happy. Satoru would tell him about all the crazy things you did—how the way you’d pout made him want to drop everything and give you whatever you wanted. How you never lost any disagreement, though you didn’t have many. He just thought you were too cute to stay mad with. He never wanted to be upset with you. Satoru spoiled you, and you loved every second of it.

“She’s a wild one,” he’d tell Suguru as they watched their students practice on the training field.

“She’s my kind of crazy. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

While he was thinking about you, he had pulled you back into his side and fallen asleep again. It wasn’t long before he heard your beautiful voice.

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

When he opened his eyes, he couldn’t help but smile, wondering how he had gotten so lucky. He couldn’t believe that he got to share his life with all your crazy antics. He loved you so much that it was all worth his while.

- kasai ☁︎

[wormconsumer]

Based off a post I saw with the idea that Robert Smirke had fourteen friends, each falling too/representing a different entity, with Smirke himself being the Extinction.

To get the obvious ones out of the way: Jonah Magnus as the Eye, Mordechai Lukas as the Lonely, Maxwell Rayner as the Dark, and George Gilbert Scott as the Buried; these ones are all canon. Not directly canon but a pretty reasonable assumption is Simon Fairchild as the Vast; we know Simon had Maxwell Rayner help him with his Awful Deep ritual in 1853, which was only a few years before Smirke died, and Smirke hung out with Rayner a ton, so it makes sense for Simon to be part of the group (though by a different name; he only started going by “Simon Fairchild” in the 1930s). Another fairly reasonable assumption, in my opinion, is John Franklin for the Hunt. Franklin is canonically a Hunt avatar in The Magnus Archives, his real-life timeline overlaps with Smirke and the rest, and Rayner was canonically interested in his expedition, which was probably because he wanted to use Franklin’s knowledge of arctic exploration for his ritual, but could also imply they knew each other, and therefore, Smirke’s gang.

For the Corruption, my first thought was John Amherst, but he only became an avatar during the Second Boer War, which was about half a century after Smirke’s time. Instead, John Snow is a better fit. He was an English physician who lived during the same time as Smirke, and he had something going on; his descendant Neil Thompson has a syringe that belonged to Snow that had Corruption properties, so Snow fits. For the Slaughter, we could go with Charles Fleming. We know he was in China from at least the beginning of the First Opium War in 1839, and Smirke and Jonah and the rest were up and active on their supernatural studies since at least the 1810s, so it’s theoretical Fleming could have hung out with them, even though he didn’t become touched by the Slaughter until he went to China. Maybe he came back later, though he was in China at least until 1862. Alternatively, William Hall, the actual captain of the Nemesis, could be an option, his lifetime overlaps pretty well with Smirke’s, though there is no evidence he interacted with the Slaughter besides his interactions with Fleming and the Nemesis. Still, he was probably a bit more high-society that Fleming, so I kind of prefer him. Finally, for the more reasonable ones, we have Joey Grimaldi for the Stranger. Grimaldi’s timeline overlaps with Smirke’s, and we know he was affected by the Stranger even before he was turned into Nikola Orsinov. The reason I’m choosing Grimaldi instead of Gregor Orsinov or Nikolai Denikin is that we know for sure he was in England while Smirke was, unlike the other two.

Now for the more out-there guesses. For the Flesh, there are a few options. One is Eustace Wick, the Lutheran priest-turned-cannibal, who did live at the same time as Smirke, but he became an avatar in 1832, died in 1845, and has no evidence that he’d even been to England, considering he’s American. The other options would be Benjamin Carlisle, Benjamin’s unnamed wife, or possibly some other relative or descendant of theirs. I find this one the more likely choice, because Jonathan Sims specifically wonders how Benjamin Carlisle’s wife was able to give her statement to the Magnus Institute, considering she starved to death in a cave on the Oregon Trail in 1845, as well as the fact that an apparent descendant of her, Toby Carlisle, is living in England by the 21st Century and has enough of a connection with the Flesh to be pretty severely affected by the failure of the Last Feast ritual. The unnamed Mrs. Carlisle being the Flesh representative does mean she presumably gave in and cannibalized her husband, and the timeline only gives her about a decade to have hung out with the rest before Smirke’s death, but I think that fits, considering what Smirke said about just coming up with theories about the Flesh in his statement.

The Spiral has similarly not a lot to go on. I would just say the Distortion, seeing as it’s an immortal manifestation of the Spiral itself. We know that Ivo Lenshik’s father was tormented by the Distortion in a human form, and apparently Lenshik’s great-uncle did too, implying that the Distortion did assume a humanoid form sometimes, before it was forced to by the failure of the Great Twisting ritual. Plus, Jonah Magnus clearly knows who the Distortion is, which yes, he could have learned at literally any point from the past two hundred years, but seeing as we’ve got nothing else, I’ll choose to believe. For the Web, the only older avatars of the Web we’re aware of would be the historical owners of the house at Hill Top Road. We don’t know who owned it during Smirke’s time; the closest we have are the unnamed blackmailer who died during the English Civil War in the mid-1600s, and Walter Fielding, who died in 1923. Walter’s son and grandson both owned the house for about thirty years before dying, so with the same amount of time applied, Walter couldn’t be our Web avatar. Honestly, the answer might just have to be “whichever Web avatar was owning the house at Hill Top Road during the first half of the 19th Century.”

For the Desolation, we have even less. Diego Molina founded the Cult of the Lightless Flame at some point prior to World War II, but we have no idea when, and it couldn’t have been that long, considering what Eugene Vanderstock says about the immortality of Desolation avatars having some kind of limit. The same is true of the End. The only known End avatar who was alive during Smirke’s time was Nathaniel Thorp, who was a Death at the time, and didn’t become human again until 1970. It’s unlikely that Deaths got breaks to socialize.

So, in summary, we know for sure about:

* Jonah Magnus — The Eye

* Mordechai Lukas — The Lonely

* Maxwell Rayner — The Dark

* George Gilbert Scott — The Buried

We can make some reasonable assumptions about:

* Simon Fairchild — The Vast

* John Franklin — The Hunt

We can make educated guesses about:

* John Snow — The Corruption

* William Hall — The Slaughter

* Joey Grimaldi — The Stranger

We can make complete guesses about:

* Mrs. Carlisle — The Flesh

* The Distortion — The Spiral

* Owner of the house at Hill Top Road — The Web

And we have nothing for:

* The Desolation

* The End

If anyone has ideas or things I missed, let me know.

[bakersgrief]

Ikepri with a Masc Lesbian Mc part 3

Sariel:

Ok

Actually this is good. No chance of a romance plot with any of the princes.

Hey STOP flirting with the maids

It doesn't matter if they approached you, you need to be studying!

Please for the love of god at least TRY to pass as a noblewoman.

Should you try to pass yourself off as a nobleman instead?

Listen people are going to get SUSPICIOUS of a noblewoman in trousers please it's just for a month-

Rio:

Aw man :(

That's okay! He'll still be your loyal best friend! Forever!

Wingman extraordinaire

Hey look at my best friend she's so cool and charming and guess what? She likes cute girls like YOU! :D

Your golden retriever buddy. Your emotional support hound.

Will. Fight. Anyone. Who questions your attraction or gender presentation :)

Scopes out all the clothing stores for your preferred types of clothing and updates you on where to shop when you need something new.

Silvio:

"You think I give a shit?"

He's seen a lot in his time, he just wants his money.

Kick his ass pls pls pls

Respect women, bitch

Actually you probably make him question a lot of his perceptions of women.

Silvio could really use a friend who's a girl tbh so if you become buddies good job the dog is slightly less intolerable.

If you're the kind of lesbian that wears a lot of rings you guys can be matchy :)

Keith:

Oh, that's nice!

He knows what it's like to stand out from the crowd based on the way you look. This mountain of a man couldn't hide even if he tried.

So if there are ever unwanted stares he's the perfect companion to act as a shield for you.

Feels kind of protective over you. If Mireille came out as lesbian he would want to support her the best he could, so he'll start with you.

Alter doesn't think much of it.

Girls are real cute, of course you prefer them to some of the absolute bastards he's met.

You 🤝 Keith

Making cute girls blush

Real talk, both of them know the weight of putting on a facade and hiding your true self. They're proud of you and happy for you for living your truth. (And just a tiny bit jealous.)

Gilbert:

Oh.

I mean, he already knew. He knew you had dated several women before.

But man 😔

Gets really greedy for your platonic affection.

HE will be your new best friend :) *threatening*

Always cockblocks (coochieblocks?) You when you try to flirt with someone 😔

Very jealous that he doesn't have the ability to steal you away from any potential suitors. Unless he takes up too much of your time for you to maintain a romantic relationship >:)

[needlesandnilbogs]

writer asks! 13, 36, 81

ask game in question

13. talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

uhh... I have too much of a Complicated relationship with mirrorverse to totally call it pleasant, but it's nice that I've managed to stick with it and I'm still happy to write it most of the time, that should count?

really, a better answer might be the recent fic I published about mb going to the equivalent of the state fair, which popped mostly formed into my head, complete with both format and several lines already written, so it didn't feel like I was ever stuck on it! I liked that a lot lol

36. do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.

Sort of. I steal bits of outfits and personality from people I know for canon characters, but really the one-off OCs are more of real people. Two examples come to mind obviously: high school au mensah, who is very much my school's stage manager during my jr year, a senior who was like the epitome of coolness to me that year and remained enough of an inspiration to be a big part of HSAU Mensah, and Arden fairoak, a character I made up for a one-off mirrorverse thing who is now. not a one-off character. and also is very much based off my high school best friend.

the rest of the mirrorverse one-off OCs, excluding Arden's family who are all except for Bharadwaj named for local libraries, are named and loosely personality based off of historical figures or fictional characters, including: Caroline Bingley and Emma Woodhouse from Jane Austen books, Nikita Gill, Vikram Seth, Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert...

81. if you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of writing advice specific to you, what would it be?

Okay, there's two answers to this. both apply to my past self in 7th-9th grade

Generically: Stop being embarrassed of your stuff, idiot. (Expanding slightly more on that, you're not going to be seen as stupid for writing fanfic and (tagging @kellumnights and @clustxr because they'll know who and what I mean and laugh) if kellum could literally do That Story and JdS could do Hot Day in Hotwrong about it, you could totally put your stuff in the writers guild magazine and not just rolls and role-players original flavor.)

extremely specifically, re a thing I started then which became my favorite original universe:

Dear Past!Prime!Bardic,

actually write down exploring frontiers, please. I want that stuff now and I want more than I put on paper.

relatedly, you did not need to write the whole boring story to introduce everyone before you wrote the fun chapter. but thank you (genuinely) for the seven paragraphs of auri lore that I needed in eleventh grade when I restarted it

you did not need to feel so embarrassed about Plory and Ara having A Thing. it was what you needed to write at the time.

stop naming characters after your irl cousins bc eventually they find it and mock you

don't name the main character after yourself. they might be a self insert but you'll make it ten times harder to share it when you're my age because then you have to check every snip and make sure you renamed [name] to Ampara every freaking place.

seriously. names. Ampara, not [name]. Danessa is good, keep that. Savfira is gonna become stupidly hard to get spellcheck to understand but it's fine. Zynnia's great. dump Ariya and find a better R name that still lets you use Rya as a nickname. Ladira, not Lady. also by the way you add a seventh house later.

love,

present!prime!Bardic (PS we change our name.)

[scummy-writes]

I'm going to talk about Constance for a minute, and while I could do this on her blog, this was moreso concerning the characters in the universe rather than *just* strictly Constance. I was kinda hoping for opinions that didn't stomp all over the idea but to help make it work instead.

I've debated on her selective mutism for a while, I at least decided to keep it a vague 'difficulties talking' in general for her in the meantime. One of the things holding me back is that one of the ways Gilbert ends up being 'easy' for her to talk to in ways, is because of sign language.

It's. difficult to explain, but some reasons for this would have been 'nobility have more time and resources, they would be able to learn something like sign language.' and that makes a lot of sense to me, right? Because my thought process was along the lines of how those who have to constantly work most of the day to survive, they wouldn't really have the luxary/time for such things unless it strongly impacted their life in a way. Instead they'd make do, with paper and other gestures.

Aside from likely huge historical inaccuracies based off of that, even if that were the case, it still leads issues to who knows it and who wouldn't know it. Because in Constance's story, I have it to where Chev and Gil know it, but someone like Rio, who has been close to her for years, does not...? And that seems odd to me.

(That, and now that I think further on it, I feel like Clavis would know it too.)

My first jump is 'well wouldnt they all know it?" but then I feel like it wouldnt impact Nokto or Jin or some of the others as much as it could impact someone like Clavis or Sariel knowing it? I could even make an excuse as to why Silvio would know it as well.

So then why would Rio, who is following the same level as normal Rio since Constance is mainly an Mc replacement at this point, *not* learn sign language, if he didn't already? He's a good dude who is hopelessly devoted to friends/loved ones- if he thought it would ease some burden for a close friend, why wouldn't he?

Would he listen, if she asked him not to learn it due to her being worried about the difficulty of it? Because Constance likely learned from Akatsuki and possibly thought it was a burden if he struggled with it a bit. Or she learned from someone else in the town, and it was clear there were a lot of struggles with her learning it.

I feel like even if asked, he wouldn't listen, unless it was a harsh argument, but then he'd still learn it in secret? I cannot come up with a good reason of why he wouldn't know it.

[apple-of-my-eye1]

Wally Darling (Welcome Home)

Some songs that remind me of Wally Darling. I’ll be sure to update it over time.

This playlist might be one of my longest.

⚠️Spoilers Ahead ⚠️

———————————————

Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You by Frankie Valli (I don’t think I need to explain this one, also puns)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? By Mr. Rogers (again, I don’t think I need to explain this one)

It’s You I Like by Mr. Rogers

Under The Wool by K-Modo (again, self explanatory)

Beautiful Dreamer by Roy Orbison (again, self explanatory)

Im Looking For A Friend by Mr. Rogers (I can imagine Wally singing this about Barnaby, and I find that, in his own words, just the absolute most!)

Apple Village by Louie Zong ( purely based on vibes and name sake)

Paintbrush by Kero Kero Bonito (purely based on vibes and name sake)

Man Or Muppet from The Muppets Movie OST (purely as a joke)

Movin Right Along from The Muppets Movie OST (I can just imagine Wally and Barnaby singing this)

Dream by The Pied Pipers (purely based on the name and vibes)

Welcome To The Neighborhood by Brian David Gilbert (I haven’t seen a lot of people bringing up this song. Honestly? I can see Beta! Wally Darling singing this more).

Paint It Black by The Rolling Stones

Rule #4 Fish In A Birdcage by Fish In A Birdcage (I can see Wally Darling singing this, talking about The WHRP. Particularly the one member who had a nightmare about him. As well as reminding me of the hidden record player audios from the old website)

Puppet Boy by Devo (I don’t think I need to explain this one)

Dreamy Eyes by Johnny Tillotson (I don’t think I need to explain this one, also puns)

I Lost Something In The Hills by Sibylle Baier (Reminds me of this one guestbook response he wrote)

Everything Is New To Me from Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinnocchio OST

Birdhouse In Your Soul by They Might Be Giants (I can see him singing this to The WHRP, but also to the fans who watched the original show)

Polite And Good by Secret Pie (I can see him singing this to The WHRP, particularly the one who had a nightmare about him)

Apple Shampoo by Nelward (mostly based on the name, and vibes.)

The Tornado by The Owl City (Honestly I can see this applying to Eddie Dear as well)

Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs (purely due to the name and vibes)

Spiral of Ants by Lemon Demon (purely due to the name and vibes)

Fallen Down from The Undertale OST

Fallen Down (Reprise) from The Undertale OST

Just Take My Wallet by Jack Stauber (for the tragedy and angst fans, I can see this from Wally perspective, talking about Barnaby)

Frozen In Time by Infinite Frequencies

The Descent by Infinite Frequencies

Drifting by Infinite Frequencies

You Got A Friend In Me from The Toy Story OST (I can see Barnaby singing this to Wally)

[icarusbetide]

my friend just said that the washingdad & alexander dynamic in a non-military, met-when-alex-was-younger setting would be joel and ellie from the last of us.

snarky protege & grumpy old man hitching their wagons together? protege showing some ride or die tendencies both out of self preservation and begrudging loyalty?

protege going off the rails at the death of the grumpy old man?

full disclosure i haven't played these games myself and all this is based off of her word and the knowledge i've absorbed via contamination but hmmmmm.

would gilbert be the dead biological daughter in this scenario or

[klaineccfanficlibrary]

Hello To All!

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend! I read on my phone and I’m not able to find stories. If there’s a way, please tell me how.

Please suggest adult stories for me with a great/happy ending. I prefer chapter stories of adult Klaine. Any suggestions are welcome. Need something to read tonight. Thank you for all you do!

Hello, when I search from my phone, I go onto our libary blog and into the "magnifying glass/search" at the top. I type in a particular word like "adult" or "enemies to lovers" and then a whole lot of previously recommended fics appear. Alternatively download A03 app, and you can search and filter on it.

Also on AO3 check out our 2023 Klainebingo which has 191 tagged stories written 2016-23 that fandom have recommended - not all adult klaine, but definitely worth looking at.

What I've done is made a list of recommendations here of some of Klaine fics I've enjoyed, where they are adults, or mostly post college age. Some newer, some older. ~ Jen

Seven by @scatterthestars

How far would you go for someone you love? For Kurt, that means doing the unimaginable. But if it means saving his dad, he's willing to take that risk. A risk that has him leaving his home to go states away to spend a week with the last person he ever expected to meet. Over the course of the next seven days, things don't go as planned, or thought.

Can seven days change everything?

~~~~~

Feel my heart's intention by @kurtsascot

Blaine started to hate Kurt on his first day. And it was a shame, really, because they could have been cute together. 

~~~~~

Falling for You By @caramelcoffeeaddict Coffeeaddict80

A fic written based off a mash-up of these two prompts from the @gleepotluckbigbang prompt page -- Prompt1: During rehearsal I tripped and fell into the orchestra pit and landed on you Prompt2: I have to share a dressing room with the most obnoxious, self-centered jerk; and when you sent flowers to our dressing room, they took them assuming they were for them but they were really for me Featuring: Broadway!Kurt, PianoPlayer!Blaine, Obnoxious!Broadway!Sebastian

~~~~~

Rock, paper, scissors by @gleefulpoppet

Kurt and his seven-year-old daughter are moving from the hustle and bustle of New York to the Rocky Mountains for a fresh start. On a connecting flight from Atlanta, they meet a warmhearted man who captures their attention with his enthusiasm. Will they ever see him again? And even if they do, how will he fit into their new life?

~~~~~

Nashville! by @hkvoyage

Kurt lands the lead role in a new musical, but it flops during the previews. However, his performance captivates Nashville’s newest country music sensation. They share an instant connection and it grows deeper as they get to know each other. Will Kurt be able to save the musical and keep the man of his dreams? An AU meeting featuring country singer!Blaine and Broadway!Kurt.

~~~~~

Made to keep your body warm by @quizasvivamos

Blaine is a meteorologist who works as a weatherman for a local New York news station where he's especially well-known for predicting storms. But, when a huge nor'easter blows in and the news crew is trapped at the station for three days by snow, can he predict what happens when he meets a young new intern?

~~~~~

If music be by @blurglesmurfklaine

Kurt’s just trying to survive his last semester of college, which means making it through student teaching in one piece.

~~~~~

In my place by @heartsmadeofbooks

Blaine has always been shy and introverted, so after his father dies, he looks for comfort into his childhood dream - owning a bookstore. But then Kurt Hummel walks into his life, turning his dream into a complicated affair.

~~~~~

These inconvenient fireworks by @redheadgleek

After an unexpected Tony award, Kurt Hummel is Broadway's hottest up and coming star, which comes with expectations and some admirers that won't take a hint. When his best friend Elliott Gilbert suggests that they pretend to date to get the leeches to back off, Kurt takes him up on the idea. It's all working out great - until Kurt starts to fall hard for the dark-haired music director of his latest musical.

~~~~~

Scenes from December by @spaceorphan18

An exploration of Kurt's life throughout various Decembers. The story of family and how the definition of family changes over time.

~~~~~

Home away from home by @lilyvandersteen

Cooper buys a hotel sight unseen and asks Blaine to run it for him over the summer. Only, the hotel is a health and safety hazard and Inspectors Hummel and Abrams are hell-bent on closing it down. Can Blaine spruce the hotel up in time and save Cooper's investment?

~~~~~

Living Haphazard by anna_timberlake @shame-is-a-wasted-emotion

Have you ever thought of getting cheated by a house broker and getting to know that you had to stay with another stranger who was also cheated? What if you are getting stuck up with the stranger in the apartment due to unavoidable circumstances? What if you hate him as well as have a crush on him? What if you had to fight your inner self and the stranger? What if he agreed on helping you which can only happen in dreams? This is a real living haphazard, isn't it?

~~~~ Someone like you by @iconicklaine

Kurt and Blaine keep up their very own version of "When Harry Met Sally" for years, a friendship fraught with sexual tension and longing, until the agendas of Adele (yes, THE Adele), a bored NY socialite and a super-sweet hetero couple bring our boys together. The only problem is... they're both in committed relationships.

Note: This story is AU after "Sexy" and assumes Kurt and Blaine graduate from Dalton in the same year. In this future fic, set in 2025, Blaine is based off of Season 2 Blaine. Originally posted on LJ and S&C.

~~~~~

The Journeying By @flowerfan2

Freshly graduated from music school, Blaine is thrilled when he is chosen to stay in the cast when the production of Into the Woods he was lucky enough to be part of in Boston moves to Broadway. He knows it’s going to be hard returning to New York City – the scene of his epic breakup with his fiancé and the emotional meltdown which cost him his place at NYADA. But he’s determined that this time, everything will be different. Little does Blaine know that out of thousands of potential castmates, his director has chosen none other than Kurt Hummel to play the part of Jack. Blaine has worked hard to recover from their breakup three years ago, and struggles to find a new way to relate to Kurt and simultaneously protect himself, especially when tragedy strikes.

This story looks at what would have happened if Kurt and Blaine had reacted differently to the break up in 6x01 than they did in canon; if events hadn’t brought them back together as soon, and if forgiveness hadn’t come so easily.

[lady0ctavia]

As We Ponder Belief

(2p!Prussia x Reader) - Chapter 36

Note: This story is based vaguely during the mid 1200s in Eastern Europe where the Teutonic Knights fought the Northern Crusades to try and convert the native pagan population to Christianity. As a result, this story will have heavy religious themes all throughout. It should also be noted that, while referencing real-life events and locations, I am not striving for full historical accuracy. This is for the sake of the story I am telling.

Once again, this series will have heavy religious themes throughout, including discussions of bible stories, doctrine, and scripture verses, as well as critical analysis of Christian doctrine and beliefs. So, if you don't like that, you will want to skip out on this.

Gilbert paced up and down every hall in the fortress, racking his brain for an explanation he could give to the captain as to why both their resident doctor and his short-term apprentice were missing. Having not slept a wink that night, he could feel his body growing weary, begging for a chance to lay down and recharge. But the rising sun told them otherwise. Whether he liked it or not, morning was here. Captain Nikolaus and the other knights would be waking up any minute. And he was going to have to tell them what had happened.

How do I tell them? What do I say? 'Hello men, I thought you ought to know that our dearest doctor and my beloved brother, Sir Gillen Beilschmidt, has run away under the cover of night with Miss (y/n) (l/n) in tow!' The captain will lose it! But what else can I say? I mean, what other explanation for their absence can there be?! Nothing I can come up with will account for the rampant evidence! Surely they'll notice that we are missing a few things from around the fortress, especially now that we're short one cart and horse!

He ran his fingers through his hair as he saw the coming light, getting progressively more and more stressed as time stretched on. A sense of panic began to overwhelm him, his brain running in circles. As he paced, he attempted deep breathing to calm himself down. While it didn't completely do away with his panic, it at the very least settled his mind enough to think straight. Stopping in the middle of the hallway, he turned to look out the window, toward the direction where his brother and friend had run off.

I don't know what will happen here when the news gets out. Or how people will react. I just hope it won't be anything terrible. I want to believe there's a chance Gillen and (y/n) won't work out. But I could be wrong. In fact, I know I am. And I wish I could apologize for all I said. None of that was right.

He sighed, continuing to walk down the hall, his steps far slower and more measured than before.

The way they looked at one another. That's the same look our father had with our mother. And the same Elizabeta had with Roderich. If anything, I wouldn't be surprised if they end up getting married soon. And seeing as the two of them ran off so that they may be together, that's the most likely outcome.

Gilbert proceeded to dive deeper and deeper into the depths of his own mind. Only breaking out of his trance when he heard the familiar call of Albrecht.

"Sir Gilbert!" He called out, his smile bright and shining.

"Guten Morgen, Albrecht. Sleep well?" Gilbert asked flatly.

"I did. Captain Nikolaus just wanted me to assist you in fetching Miss (l/n)," His smile faltered only a little, becoming small and bittersweet. "She goes home today."

"I know. Um, Albrecht? I'm going to need a word with you," Gilbert droned, knowing what he had to say. There's no use. I have to tell him the truth. At least him and Nikolaus.

"Oh, alright then. What is it?" Albrecht asked inquisitively.

Gilbert's heart sank. He knew of the friendship that young Albrecht had formed with (y/n). And it hurt him to know that, however he responded, it wouldn't be easy for him. It's never easy to take the news of someone you care for abandoning you.

"It's probably best I tell you about this news alongside the captain. I don't want to have to repeat this twice," Gilbert sighed and placed a hand on Albrecht's shoulder, guiding him along as they made their way to find their commanding officer.

"She left? In the middle of the night?!" Captain Nikolaus said loudly, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open in a state of shock. His eyebrows nearly reached his hairline as he stood in the middle of his quarters, having just barely finished getting ready and dressed for the day. He gawked at the two who had knocked and entered his room. Whereas Gilbert stood there deadpan, Albrecht looked up at the albino knight, his face appearing heartbroken.

"But-But why would she leave?" Albrecht gasped. His eyes glistened with small, barely-there tears. It could be because of his emotions, but it could also be the result of the sunlight streaming into the room. It was hard to say. Gilbert braced himself before responding, his eyes closed, and fists clenched as they hung at his sides.

"You see, that's the other part of the news. When (y/n) left, she didn't leave alone. She and my brother fell in love. And so, they decided to run away. To be together," Gilbert spoke slowly and deliberately, choosing each word carefully. But it didn't matter how carefully he chose his words. The message was still the same.

For a brief moment, there was nothing but stunned silence. Even the birds went quiet, as if they too were shocked by the news. The one to break air was Captain Nikolaus, whose face began to contort. Switching between expressions of shock, confusion, and overall anger.

"So you mean to tell me that Gillen, who is not only one of our best knights, but our resident doctor, allowed himself to be seduced by Miss (l/n)?" His voice was low, but threatening, causing a shiver to cascade through Gilbert's entire body. Even Albrecht seemed unnerved.

"Well, I wouldn't use the word 'seduced'. But yes, Gillen is gone," Gilbert tried his best to remain stoic, hoping to not make the situation worse. He glanced over at Albrecht and used his head to gesture to the door, asking him to leave. Albrecht complied, but not without giving them one last teary-eyed look.

The captain's mouth moved, as if trying desperately, and failing, to find the words he wanted to say. Once Albrecht had finally left the room, he turned all of his attention to Gilbert. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to calm himself down from a potential burst of rage.

"You clearly knew about this. And we've been discussing our concerns regarding them for some time. So I cannot imagine you knew about this for long."

"That's correct," Gilbert told him. "I was actually worried about something like this happening for the past couple of days. So, I tried to keep an eye on them. I caught them at the stables last night, all packed and ready to go."

"And you allowed them to leave?" The captain's face began to go red, his anger just barely restrained. He was clearly trying his best to hold back.

Gilbert gulped. "Yes, sir," He relented. The captain took a few steps forward to stand practically toe to toe with Gilbert.

"Why?" Was all he asked, his voice hard and cold. A stark contrast to his usual warm and pleasant demeanor. It was here that Gilbert could finally see the rage burning within those dark blue eyes. It was almost terrifying.

"Be-Because," Gilbert cursed internally at his stuttering. "Th-They have their free will. They can do as they please."

"You are his older brother. Why did you not stop him? Is it not on you to be your brother's keeper? To hold him accountable for his sins?! To hold him accountable for deliberately deciding to run off and break his vows?! VOWS HE MADE WITH THE LORD!?" By the end of his words, Captain Nikolaus was yelling into his subordinate's face.

At this point, Gilbert was no longer able to hold his expression as he held his breath. His face was fearful as he stood in the shadow of his captain, bearing down on him. The captain spun around and walked to the other side of the room, pacing. The force of the movement nearly causing Gilbert to fall. Allowing himself to breath, Gibert watched the captain about to rage.

"We all know first aid, but Gillen was one of the best trained doctors this fortress has ever seen. And now he's off cavorting around with some faithless whore, carnally breaking every vow we have!" Captain Nikolaus fumed, waving his hands in the air.

"Don't you dare speak of her that way!" Gilbert finally snapped.

"I will speak of her however I like. Both of them!" The captain snapped back, this time storming forward and savagely grabbing Gilbert by the collar of his tunic. "And you do not speak to your captain that way. Am I clear?"

"(y-y/n) and my brother don't deserve to be spoken of like that. They are good people, and I believe they know the value of waiting for marri-"

The captain cut him off by shaking him and practically raising him in the air. "I do not recall asking about that traitor and his vile little-"

"I said don't speak of her like that!" Gilbert shouted, kicking his captain in the shin, causing him to stop and drop him. Gilbert landed on his feet, but only barely as the captain smacked him across the face. A bright red mark began to gradually appear on the left side of the knight's pale complexion.

"Am I to believe she has seduced you as well?" He asked darkly, glaring down at Gilbert.

"Never," Gilbert insisted, lightly touching the reddening spot on his face. My heart already lies somewhere else. Always has. I wonder what Liz would say if she saw me now. I must look pathetic.

"Then you should have no problem fetching them," Nikolaus walked past him and toward the door.

"Wait, what?" Gilbert's head spun around before walking after his captain, the latter of which stopped at the door and turned to face him.

"We need Gillen here at the fortress, as is his responsibility. Meanwhile, (y/n) will be sent off to a convent," His voice returned to his usual calm tone almost immediately, giving Gilbert whiplash at the sudden and eerie change in tone.

Gilbert shuddered. Has he always been like this? I've seen him angry before, but this is different.

"Gilbert, if you think you need time to prepare for your journey, then do so. But understand that the longer you wait, the better chance they have of getting away," The captain left with these words, striding out of the room and down the hall.

Gilbert stood at the doorway, watching the captain proceed in the direction of the dining hall. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his mind was racing from the intense confrontation. He could hardly describe what he was feeling. Anger? Fear? Sadness? Shock? Perhaps it was all four.

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

And so... The captain finally goes mask off. As always, please let me know your thoughts!

[burningvelvet]

More thoughts about The Tenant of Wildfell Hall after finishing it…

1 good movie adaptation WHEN?

2 the themes of universalism and the idea that everyone can change if they want it bad enough and nothing is permanent and we have the ability to make choices and self-destruction has social repercussions bc it affects the ppl around you… yeah, my heart is full!

3 helen successfully microdosing her own child with poison to give him a pavlovian response to alcohol so he wouldn’t end up as an alcoholic like his father and grandfather because she intuitively knew he had a genetic predisposition to addiction despite having no modern knowledge of science or psychology. excellent.

4 the shit helen goes through in this novel is unreal. our girl is basically trapped in a frat-house — complete with the booze, drugs, laughter, fraternizing, sportsmanship, anti-intellectualism, infidelity, and rape culture.

5 as a sad aficionado of the romantic era & byronic studies i can 100% without a doubt say that not only is arthur based on some popular victorian conceptions of lord and lady byron and their marriage, but the brontës must have been familiar with biographical writing on byron’s life! i’ve found several academic texts to support this and it’s 100% true.

6 also, as a person who grew up with relatives who suffered from severe substance abuse and mental illness, i’m pretty confident in saying that the brontë sisters must have had some inside knowledge to spark their sustained interest in writing about these subjects. there are specific details and feelings pertaining to these topics which are documented with so much acuity it must have been personal to them. it seems a lot of academics theorize this as well — however, i still don’t know enough about the brontë family biography to form my own opinions on this topic yet!

7 helen is such a progressive mother (considering her circumstances and level of education, and the non-harmful drugging aside which is questionable today but within the narrative understandable) and her theories on education and parenthood are so advanced.

8 i think arthur’s friends (especially mr. hargrave and annabella) are as bad as he is, considering the fact that they enable him and they could easily use their influence to try and sway him considering but they choose not to — only partly because he’s the “leader of the pack,” but partly because they also have zero respect for helen and enjoy openly bullying and abusing her in her own household

9 big shoutout to the servants in this novel who are the real heroes. all throughout the novel (especially starting from Gilbert’s POV considering he and his family are a little poorer off than those of the Huntingdon circle) we see the lower-classes and smaller owners gradually triumphing against the upper-classes, gentry, and larger land owners. i love the line about rachel having to sell helen’s fine gowns for cheaper ones, and how helen notices that rachel still looks decent while dressed like a more common woman.

10 the very ending with everyone’s resolutions was a bit choppy and rushed but i don’t mind because everything went how i wanted it to go lol. but the ending for arthur/helen — the fact that he never repented, but helen still believes in universal salvation nonetheless, and still took care of him even though she didn’t have to, after everyone else abandoned him — the person he treated the worst still cared for him when no one else did — she fulfilled all her marital vows and he fulfilled none of his — his fear of death — her letter of december 5th, her holding his hand until the very end — his last words, “pray for me!” don’t leave me!” — all the unspoken words on her part, her feelings of helplessness, her telling him that she cannot save him, his crying and cursing the world — her fainting from exhaustion — him continuing to act like a brat on his death bed — her taking control, her cleverness with the contract — her lack of closure — aahhhh! just so heart wrenching and frustrating and angsty yet also cathartic and realistic.

[sadcupcake]

Winchester in Mystic Falls Part 7

Here is part 7 sorry for the short part and the late upload. I've been a bit busy as of late but getting back into writing.

Elijah POV

I was at the Grill with Kol when we both sensed the girl. She looked unremarkable compared to most people but the feeling we both got off her was anything but unremarkable. I looked over to Kol to see if he sensed the same thing as I did. Based on his expression he did. The feeling was like none other, it was like family. We both hadn't felt the warm feeling of true family since we were humans. I had missed it.

If this human girl was giving off the feeling of family towards us it could only mean one thing. She was mated to one of our siblings. If it were Kol he would have already been over there and whisked the poor girl away. Which leaves Rebekah, Finn and Niklaus. The girl is in for hell regardless of which one of my siblings she's mated too. This is the first any of us have found a mate. We always knew that the rest of us would feel some sort of affection to the others mates, but this is beyond affection. It is as if she has been by my side since I was born. My sister in every sense of the word. I would die for her and I hadn't even met her yet. I suppose if I was lucky enough to find my mate one day I would want the others to be as protective of my mate. I wonder if this feeling would also be shared between our mates.

I can tell that there is some history between her and the Gilbert girl. I hope that Niklaus can see past his need to the doppelganger blood to accept this girl into our family. It would be a real shame to see him squander yet another chance at family, even potentially a mate just for his obsession in creating his hybrids. I myself have been quite fond of the Gilbert girl but as I see her and her friends ready to fight the mystery girl I get ready to strike her down where she stands. If she is threatening my future sister in law then she is threatening me as far as I'm concerned. 

thankfully the mystery girl has a sharp enough tongue to talk her way out of any altercation with three vampires and a witch. From the nature of their conversation I realise that she knows about the existence of vampires and our presence in Mystic Falls. That will make her meeting her mate a little easier. I also got that she is Elena's sister and that their relationship is almost non existent. Another positive, at least in regards to her joining our family.

[animehusbandharem]

I’m curious of other’s opinions on this: out of all the suitors, who is the most believable and least believable for “Belle” to actually fall in love with? Basically, how realistic would it actually be for her to fall in love with one of them?

I based my rankings based off a mix of Belle’s personality and the actual story and how it plays out - i tried to be as least biased as i possibly could lol

My ranking would be:

1. Leon: i picked Leon as most believable because of how quickly she warmed up to him and how compatible their communication styles are. They’re honestly almost too perfect that it makes me wanna gag (sorry Leon lovers lol)

2. Keith: He comes in 2nd similarly to Leon, the nice Keith and Belle get along so well and it seems like she has a soft spot for him from the get-go. It’s believable to me also because of how his story was written and i could definitely see MC ending up with him.

3. Rio: The boy next door has to be believable. Poor Rio lol. I put him 3rd because she has to get past seeing him as a friend which is a small obstacle, but it is totally believable because theyre already super close and it would make sense.

4. Chevalier: the “true” route. I love their story, and given their personalities, i think it was very well written for both of them to compliment each other. They have just enough in common to keep the stability, but also love languages to help learned and keep the spark alive.

5. Gilbert: the “bad boy”. He is believable to me because the slow progression makes sense, and you can see how both of them compliment each other and pique their interest of the other as well. It seems like a natural progression, and it’s one that we can see coming.

6. Clavis: the class clown. One of my favorite routes 🥰. I think the dynamic between Belle and Clavis are so quirky, that it works. It makes sense once she learns more about Clavis that she would fall for him.

7. Licht: Sweet emo baby. My first love. I put him lower on the list because he’s harder to actually get to know, so the likelihood of her truly being interested in him at first is likely low, but once she finds out he’s a sweet baby - she will be smitten and will fall.

8. Sariel: Daddy issues. I actually really like his route and i genuinely believe this could happen, the only reason hes lower on the list is because i think it would be less likely that Belle would sacrifice her “professionalism” but i do still think it’s a believable story!

9. Silvio: Loveable asshole. Okay, listen - i’m sorry Silvio stans… i ranked Silvio lower because it would take a lot longer for her to warm up to him… especially the way he talks to her - and quite frankly, with all the other options around, why would she fall for him when theres so many other princes?? BUT… i do think his route is very believable for what it is and i did enjoy it personally

10. Nokto: emo playboy. Let’s be real, she would be so turned off by his bullshit, i find it hard to believe she would even think twice about wanting to get to know him. When she does, i don’t think she would want to be more than friends.

11. Luke: Baby bear. I cant picture them together because of how young he seems honestly 😣

12. Jin: Titty idiot. His route felt so wrong and weird to me… it felt forced and awkward. This just doesn’t feel like a good match and it doesn’t seem like a natural progression to me. He doesn’t have much of a personality, and they both just don’t seem to fit

13. Yves: Baby girl. I cant take him seriously as a lover when even the game suggested that Belle questioned he may be queer. (Nothing wrong with this at all, just doesnt fit the narrative they are selling). I LOVE YVES and everyone needs one in their life, but he’s not believable as a lover… and we all know why 🙃

[websitewizard2005]

A guide to my OCs!

hey guys, figured i’d make this post because i have a shit ton of OCs that i post a lot of and i haven’t really explained most of them. they’re all part of different stories/universes, so i’ll be listing them based off of that.

Rex Sucks at Bass

Rex Sucks at Bass, or RSAB, is my webcomic. as of making this post, i’ve posted the entire first chapter! i’ve been planning this comic since late 2021 and i’m holding myself accountable to finish it no matter what. it’s a supernatural/coming of age story that takes place in 2009 about young adult named Rex who has to deal with relationship issues, worries about his future, sexuality crises, and of course, the impending apocalypse. also all the characters are anthro animals but that’s mostly because they’re easier to draw than people. some prominent characters from RSAB are Rex Xavier, Frederick Zhansky, Henri Bal, Sylvia Rose, Alex “Cowboy” Lorenzo, Lola Ramon, Scott “Spott” Simmons, and Marvin Xavier.

We’re Just Young

We’re Just Young is a fake sitcom about teenagers making bad decisions and friendship. it has a bunch of storylines i’ve planned out, but i mostly just draw the characters out of context. its main character is Gilbert Quarters, who is a gay bass player just like every single other character i’ve ever created. its main story takes place in 1997-98, during the characters senior year of high school. there’s also a “spin-off” to We’re Just Young, which follows Gilbert and a few others in college as they form a band called The Halloween Goats and gain some mainstream success as both musicians and ghost hunters. some prominent characters in We’re Just Young are Gilbert Quarters, Gerry Dawson, Marzy Lee, and Jackson Jefferson. some more prominent characters in the spin-off are Raymond Emerson, Wallace Waxman, Leo Hall, Jimmy Nickel, and Sebastian Ingalz.

Untitled Space Story

when i was 13 i read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and thought “I need to write my own sci-fi story” and then this past summer i got really into Star Wars and ELO and decided to revamp the whole thing. Untitled Space Story follows the adventures of a small crew assembled by infamous space pilot Sonya Blasmo, who is essentially the butch lesbian version of a cross between Zaphod Beeblebrox and Han Solo. she was “retired” because she accidentally turned her wife into a robot but nobody knows that! all they know is that she’s taking to the skies again! the other characters in Untitled Space Story are Alexis “AL3X15” Goldberg, Mindinoma Lycentine, Mariella Young, Sheldon Spinelli, and Casper “Capers” McFarlin.

Heartstake Heartbreak

a really shitty, simple love triangle story about lesbians at some sort of shitty boarding school in the mid-2000s. the only three characters are Maxine “Max” Dallas, Phoebe Jean Weathers, and Francesca “Frankie” Knight. i created this one like a week ago.

Friends of Daisy Harrisson

Friends of Daisy Harrisson is a musical i wrote, and i don’t draw the characters too often, but i figured i’d still put it on this list. it’s got a really vague story, essentially Daisy goes missing and her wife (Freyja Windsnap), ex-husband (Jim Hartley), and childhood best friend (Barneston Williams) are all brought together through her disappearance.

i have a few other miscellaneous OCs that i draw on occasion, but those are all the main ones! thanks for bearing with me on this long post. if you’re curious about these guys/their stories, feel free to check out their tags! i’ve posted a lot of other character/story info outside of this post. also feel free to send me asks about them like please send me asks about my OCs that is my dream.

fun fact: Rex Sucks at Bass, We’re Just Young, Friends of Daisy Harrisson, and Max Dallas is Not a Lesbian all take place in the same town! mostly because i do not want to create another town. the only reason Untitled Space Story does not take place in that town is because it takes place in space.

[olympeline]

I've definitely been bitten by the writing bug for Hetalia. I just started a FrUK superhero AU fic based on a certain mid-00s movie. Going well, but I'd still love to have a beta look over it. Especially since I've been out of the fandom for so long and am rusty on details. My usual beta isn't into Hetalia so she can't help me, which is a bummer

So yeah, if you're a beta who's available and might be interested in taking a look over this fic, maybe get in touch? I'd be super grateful!

If not, please just enjoy some FrUK fun :>

Mr. & Mr. Bonnefoy-Kirkland

He was going to be late.

Francis rolled back the silk sleeve of his costume and checked his watch. Night had fallen outside the dingy warehouse where he and his allies were waiting, but on the ceiling a light blinked weakly. Providing just enough illumination for Francis to see the numbers on the face of his rolex. Scratch that, he was already late. Arthur would not be pleased, and Francis’s husband was never one to be shy about sharing his displeasure. Especially recently. Francis wasn’t foolish enough to have his phone on him at times like this but, if he had, he knew it would soon be blowing up with texts from his rightfully irritated spouse.

They’d quarreled about Francis’s lateness just last night when he’d come in long after dark. Francis’s excuse was work as always. Arthur hadn’t been in the mood to hear it.

“Too many nights in a row, Francis! For God’s sake, tell someone else to do it!”

“I can’t, cher. We are just so busy with the new line. They need me.”

“You’re telling me there’s not a single designer at Saint Bonnefoy who can fill in for you for one sodding night?” Arthur’s angry tone was laced with disbelief. “What the bloody hell did you hire them for, then?!”

“Forgive me, mon amour. This is too important. I will try to be home sooner tomorrow.”

Arthur had glared at him, eyes narrowed to green slits. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but had stomped back to the kitchen to stress bake instead. A plate of charcoal scones for his dinner was a fitting punishment, Francis supposed. He also supposed that Arthur might not have let Francis off the hook so easily if not for the fact he often worked late himself.

“Sorry, love. Had to look over Lovino’s latest before leaving. Needed a lot of revisions.”

“Of course, lapin. I understand.”

Francis was a fashion designer with his own label and a permanent slot on the roster of every catwalk in the world. Arthur worked as a journalist for the French branch of a world renowned London newspaper. Both of them put in long hours and had done so ever since they’d met. They each knew the demands of the other’s career and Arthur, like Francis, usually showed a lot of understanding. Usually. His patience had frayed recently from night after night spent alone in their apartment. Missed dates, dinners, and outings galore. Guilt gnawed at Francis along with deep seated irritation and regret that he couldn’t just explain his constant absences. His other life had been making great demands on his time as of late.

What was Francis’s other life? An outsider might have guessed an affair but Francis would never. No, no, nothing so gauche as cheating. The truth was that Francis Bonnefoy-Kirkland was a supervillain. A deviant with an alter-ego known and feared throughout Paris and beyond. By day, he was Francis: the gorgeous, chic, undisputed king of couture. By night, he was Rose Noir; florakinetic, thief, and - before he met Arthur - gentleman seducer extraordinaire. Sometimes he worked alone, sometimes as one third of Night’s Europa: a villainous trio composed of himself, Matador, and the Teutonic Knight. Or Antonio Fernandez Carriedo and Gilbert Beilschmidt to their friends.

For three years Francis had balanced his marriage, his job, and his heists with the practiced ease of a multi-tasking, metropolitan CEO. Recently, this had changed and Francis suddenly had far less time to devote to Saint Bonnefoy and, more importantly, Arthur. Antonio and Gilbert were in the same boat and often brought gloomy tidings of the diminishing harmony in their respective personal lives. 

All thanks to the man who had become the default leader of Night’s Europa for the last half a year: General Winter. The villain that all members of the trio now had to listen to whether they liked it or not.

And Francis most certainly did not.

Neither did Antonio or Gilbert but unfortunately there was nothing they could do. Not if they wanted to go on living. Life had been so much sweeter when they were a simple team of three out for riches. Then one day Matador walked into their hideout with a strange, tight expression that Rose Noir and the Teutonic Knight could see even through his mask. He told them he’d been approached by Killer Frost (one of the General’s subordinates) with a “request” from the big boss: an alliance between the Blizzard gang and Night’s Europa.

From a tactical standpoint it made sense. Many villains had migrated to Paris in recent years, which in turn led to a surge in heroes arriving to try and control them. Once heavy hitters like Freedom’s Eagle and the Jade Dragon arrived and started throwing villains in jail left and right, the writing was on the wall: making friends was a good idea if you wanted to stay free. Francis, Antonio, and Gilbert all wanted to refuse the alliance even so, but they couldn’t. Everyone - hero, villain, or civilian - knew what happened to those foolish enough to cross General Winter. Even Freedom’s Eagle, the world’s current no.1 hero, struggled when up against the General. Feared him too, if villainous scuttlebutt was to be believed.

Saying “no” was off the table. So the three villains reluctantly sent their acquiescence back with Killer Frost, and Night’s Europa entered an uneasy alliance with the Blizzard gang. They met with them soon after in the dockside warehouse that the four Eastern Europeans used as their base.

“I am very glad you all are agreeing.”

The General’s voice was high-pitched for a man of such huge stature. His blank, white mask hid his face completely, but Francis could hear the smile in his voice.

“I am thinking we will be very good together, da?”

Francis, Antonio and Gilbert nodded in silence. Da.

Everything had changed after that. The alliance between the Blizzard gang and Night’s Europa was supposed to be an equilateral one. General Winter had promised that they would decide on the details of each heist democratically. Technically, he had told the truth: they did vote. The reality was that Killer Frost, Snow Warning, and Ice Winder all voted however General Winter did. Not out of loyalty, but because they were simply too terrified of their leader to do otherwise. They’d seen his brutality up close.

Night’s Europa had that pleasure not long after the first meeting. A bank job interrupted by a naive, suicidally stupid, young hero trying to punch far above his weight. Heroes were enemies and Rose Noir took pleasure running rings around them, then leaving them bruised and humiliated. That didn’t mean Francis would ever forget the look in the young man’s eyes as he died. The sounds of his screams as the General slowly broke and tore him apart, inch by inch.

“You are very naughty boy,” the General cooed over all the pleading and sobbing. “Very naughty. Naughty children must be-” a wrench, a snap, a shriek of agony. “-taught.”

By the time the hero was dead, the white of the General’s costume had been dyed a deep red all the way up past his elbows.

They’d been forced to watch the entire sadistic spectacle. Afterwards, once alone, Francis had staggered to the nearest alleyway, pulled up his mask, vomited everything in his stomach, and kept retching long after that. Then he went home and clung to Arthur all night. As a supervillain, Francis was certainly no angel, but this was something else. This was evil. This was sick.

“Don’t,” Killer Frost said when Matador and the Teutonic Knight had confronted him after that first murder. “I know what you’re going to say. Just don’t. Please…just do what he says. Just obey him.”

“Why stay with the psycho?” Gilbert demanded. “You saw what he did! He’s fucking insane!”

“I know,” Killer Frost replied in an accent Francis guessed was Lithuanian or close. “I know that. How could you think I don’t?”

“Then why listen to him? Why not fight back? It’s three against one!”

“Six with all of us,” Antonio put in.

“Ja, totally! Come on, freezer burn, we could take him!”

But Killer Frost just silently shook his head and would not be moved. Neither would Snow Warning or Ice Winder. Without their support, what could be done? Francis wasn’t confident they could take on the General even with their help. Without, it was suicide.

“If you try to leave over this, he’ll kill you,” Frost said dully. “It’s you or them. And if he can’t get to you, he’ll get to someone you love.”

“He doesn’t know who we are,” Francis argued.

“He’ll find out. Trust me, he’ll find out somehow. And then…”

Killer Frost’s breath hitched.

“Just…don’t make trouble, Rose. Please. Please just don’t.”

Francis wanted to brush off Frost’s words, but they had sparked a sickening fear in him in spite of himself. Francis thought of Arthur. Winter getting to him may have been an empty threat, but could Francis really afford to take that risk? He pictured coming home and finding their apartment wrecked, the General waiting for him in the rubble, his costume once again soaked with blood.

Blood staining the carpets. Blood splattered on familiar furniture. A body on the floor. Blond hair turned scarlet hanging limp over a caved in skull. Green eyes open but seeing nothing.

The terror was too much. Francis decided to behave himself. Antonio and Gilbert must have felt the same fear because they didn’t raise any more objections. Just kept quiet and pretended not to see or hear what they could never hope to forget.

What bitter irony that the man who called himself their ally was giving Francis more turmoil and sleepless nights than his nemesis ever had.

Francis heard the metallic creak of the door opening and pulled himself free of bleak thoughts.

“We are here! And look: I bring someone for a visit.”

The General was back at last. Back and dragging another unfortunate victim. A very familiar looking victim. Francis did a double take.

Speak of the devil.

The man General Winter dragged was a hero. One that Rose Noir knew well; from the white plume on his hat, down to the hem of his famous red coat:

The Pirate Gentleman.

One of Europe’s premier superheroes and a member of the international J7 team led by Freedom’s Eagle. Famous in equal parts for his aquakinetic powers, his checkered past as an ex-supervillain, and his hot temper complete with salty mouth and angry tirades that would put the most ornery sailor to shame. He also happened to be Rose Noir’s arch enemy.

“Though not a very nice guest, I am fearing. So rude. Very uncooperative, also.”

General Winter shoved the Pirate Gentleman out in front of him and the smaller man staggered and then went down hard, unable to keep his footing. Francis saw blood matting the back of his hair. This and the way he moved suggested a concussion. The Pirate was bloody all over: battered and bruised like he’d been set on by a heavyweight boxer. Which wouldn’t be far from the truth if he’d been brawling with General Winter. Who was nearly as strong as Freedom’s Eagle on top of his infamous cryokinetic abilities.

“But then we talked,” the General suddenly giggled, high pitched and chilling. “Talked and talked and talked, yes, yes! YES!”

He drew back a steel tipped boot and slammed it into the Pirate Gentleman’s unguarded ribs. The hero choked, heaved and spat out a glob of blood mixed with saliva. Francis tried not to wince and risk drawing attention to himself. That kick had to have cracked a few bones. Those that weren’t cracked already.

These last four years, the Pirate Gentleman had been, if you’d excuse the irony, a real thorn in Rose Noir’s side. Ever since he’d left his native London to help combat the French capital’s rising supervillain problem. Prowling the streets looking for trouble, he’d soon bumped into Night’s Europa and, rather than wait for backup, jumped into the fray to take on all three himself.

“Fucking ballsy,” Gilbert said afterwards. “Gotta admit it. I’m gonna break every bone in the shitty limey’s body next time I see him, but still. Gotta say it like it is: guy’s got a pair on him!”

Francis and Gilbert had to grudgingly agree. Grudgingly because they’d just lost the night’s jewels to their pop-up foe and giving him any kind of compliment stung, however deserved. Such beautiful specimens of emerald. Much better to be adorning Rose Noir’s elegant hands than cooped up in some stuffy museum. Francis still might have forgiven the Pirate Gentleman and allowed him to slip down into the category of “easily ignored irritation” like most of Paris’s other heroes. If the foul mouthed rosbif hadn't had the bare faced nerve to insult Francis’s professional pride the next time they met.

“Didn’t realize I was still in the West End! Who designed your outfit, frog? Andrew Lloyd Webber?”

Francis’s jaw had dropped. Worse, he was so distracted by the hero’s appalling remark that he’d let his focus slip enough that the Pirate had almost pinned him. If not for Matador and the Teutonic Knight, Rose Noir would have ended the night in jail.

After that it was on. Oh, it was on.

Rose Noir’s gift gave him power over plants, including the ability to grow them fully from seed in seconds. Meanwhile, the Pirate Gentleman’s gift was controlling water. A substance in plentiful supply thanks to the pipes and canals that ran through the city. Butting heads, scuffling, and brawling, they soon found out they were evenly matched. All over Paris they’d played their game of cat and mouse and Francis lost many a treasure to the Pirate’s exasperating dogooder ways.

Even so, Francis would not have wished this on him. The man was a foul mouthed, uncultured, pest, but even he didn’t deserve what was surely coming to him. All he had left to hope for now was a quick death.

“But perhaps all is too hasty. Perhaps our friend has been thinking it over and now has a new perspective, hm?”

General Winter rolled his prey onto his back and pressed his boot down on those wounded ribs. The Gentleman Pirate gasped and wheezed, a line of blood bubbling and trickling from the corner of his mouth. He probably had a punctured lung.

“Perhaps he reconsiders the Blizzard gang’s kind offer? Perhaps he remembers his past and knows the leopard isn’t changing its spots so easily? Perhaps he sees friends of snow all stronger and better together, rather than sad and alone…?”

Ahh, so that was it. The General took pride in the fact that all the snow and ice based supervillains were part of the gang he’d founded. Making them part of his twisted family whether they wanted it or not. The Pirate Gentlemen’s power over water gave him some cryokinetic skills. He’d be a perfect addition to Winter’s little “collection.” General Winter must have approached him the way he did Night’s Europa, but the Pirate Gentleman would have turned him down flat. Everyone in the hero/villain community knew he was reformed, ferociously so. Too bad for him the General obviously hadn’t taken the rejection well.

The Pirate’s lips were moving. General Winter bent down and cupped a hand to his ear.

“Sorry? You are saying what?”

“F-f-fuck you…”

The General slammed his boot down. They all heard the sickening crack. The Pirate Gentleman jerked forward as much as he could while still pinned, mouth open in a silent scream. Then he fell back; twitching, jerking, and choking on red froth. Even Gilbert looked nauseated.

“You are very silly man,” General Winter said serenely.

He reached down and pinched the corner of the Pirate Gentleman’s mask between his forefinger and thumb. Francis’s eyebrows jumped up in shock. Surely, he wasn’t going to-?

“Silly, silly, silly. Let’s see the silly, silly face.”

The General tore off the Pirate mask in one fluid motion. Revealing the bloody and bruised face beneath.

Francis’s heart stopped.

Arthur.

Arthur. It was Arthur. Francis’s husband. The man he’d pledged his life to and promised to love till the end of his days. The Pirate Gentleman was Arthur. His Arthur.

He had been all this time. Every time they’d fought, it had been Arthur under that mask.

Francis couldn’t take it in. It was like he’d stumbled into a dream, it was-

General Winter’s hand was wrapped around Arthur’s throat. Francis had seen him snap necks like toothpicks many times.

“NO! STOP!”