#I also just don’t want it to be a whole discussion. I’d rather just not be perceived actually lol

[grimm-writings]

HI IT'S EAVESDROP ANON YOU GAVE ME AN IDEA what if izutsumi and reader faced the succubi together, and izu sees that one of reader's succubi looks like chilchuck !! maybe she promises to keep it a secret, but also talks to reader about it? bonus points if izu and reader have a sort of unspoken mother/daughter relationship :')

to the grave

…ft! chilchuck x fem! reader, izutsumi & reader

…tags! headcanon format, slight suggestive points, motherly reader

…wc! 623

…notes! give it up for One Whole Request Complete omfg. sorry for how short it is eavesdrop anon it’s been a rough few weeks for me 🫶 this is absolutely not my best work, but i did what i could!

“Come on… I know you always thought about how I’d look underneath you.”

Hearing the words come from his mouth renders you still.  It’s his face, his voice, yet completely wrong.

You had thought he had somehow recovered and came back to help you, but of course it isn’t as easy as it appeared.

You’re lucky to have Izutsumi with you.  If it weren’t for her pushing you out of the way to claw at the succubus, you probably would have dropped all pretence and leaned down to where you had Chilchuck – or the succubus, rather – pinned to the floor to kiss.

Still, you can’t miss the look of absolute disbelief she gives you.

Silence fills the air as the succubus is reduced to nothing more than slob on the floor.  You refuse to look at what, to you, is eerily similar to Chilchuck’s visage.  Disturbingly so.  For just a second, you consider reaching out to it (him?) again.  However, Izutsumi is quick to swat you away. “Hey, we have a mob incoming,” she tells you.  You are about to retort, interrogating if she even felt remorse for hurting someone that looks like your ally, but Izutsumi’s quick to interrupt.  “We’ll discuss this later.” She leaves your side.  Preparing your weapon with a deep breath, you prepare to fight off the waves of succubi ahead.

It’s only when you and Izutsumi assemble all the bodies of your allies does she finally speak up.

She really isn’t interested in the ‘hot gossip’ like Marcille would be.  In her own rough way, Izutsumi is more just expressing worry for you.

She doesn’t overall react to the fact it’s Chilchuck that you saw.  It was just sort of an “Oh!” before she remembered that this succubus will steal your life force.

“So, you just wanted to protect me?” At your conclusion, Izutsumi growls.  She faces away from you as she drags over a succubus to drain into Senshi’s pot. “When you put it like that,” she grumbles, “it makes it sound all virtuous and sappy.” You laugh, reaching over to pat Izutsumi’s head.  “I appreciate it very much, thank you Izutsumi.” Maybe it’s the fact she just had to confront this ‘mother’ the succubi took the form of, but the cat girl feels at ease when you show affection to her.  She sighs, giving up on the argument quicker than she normally would.

That is to say… she wouldn’t not tease you.

She’d hand you some of the milk, poured into a bowl.  “Here, for Chilchuck.”

Your face contorts in confusion.  “Why me?”

“So you can get all close and intimate and stuff.”

“Izutsumi.”

She wants to support you both!  She just… doesn’t really care.

The party has woken up, and by now Marcille has spoken up, “what were your succubi like?  Laios?  Oh, what about yours?” She turns to you, her green eyes glimmering with curiosity.  Cheeks and tip of her ears flushed, it’s hard to miss what exactly she’s on about. You sheepishly laugh anyway, your mind recalling the lowered eyelids, the words spoken to you by the succubus.  “I don’t know if I…” “Hey, don’t pressure her to say things like that.” Chilchuck’s voice cuts through the air, and makes you jump.  He’s at your side, shooing Marcille away.  “That stuff’s usually private for a reason.  If she wants to say, she will.” It doesn’t go unnoticed how Chilchuck doesn’t say a word when Marcille instead asks Laios for details on his succubus, though. Though you should be glad Izutsumi isn’t awake to see this.  If she was, she’d be rolling her eyes and bemoaning how nauseating the pining was to herself.  So, maybe taking things to the grave is for the better.

[liahaslosthermind]

𝑬𝒍𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏

Summary: The 4 times the Night Court’s Shadowsinger mentioned… someone, and the first time his family got the promise of an answer. 

Content: Angst, with the promise of future fluff

Warnings: Angst, I like making Azriel sad sorry, I also take the ‘mate talk’ in the Azriel/Nesta/Bryce bonus chapter and rewrite it to fit this story. I also haven’t read CC yet so apologies if Bryce is OOC Azriel x OC [not introduced in this part]

*Slight spoilers for the Azriel/Nesta/Bryce bonus chapter

Bryce turned to the fae female next to her, “You have a mate, don’t you?” Nesta simply nodded in response, a slight smile forming on her face, followed by a deep blush. “Do you?” The red head directed at Azriel.

Nesta’s stomach dropped. She knew it was a sore subject for the Shadowsinger. What with everyone else in his family being mated except for him-

“I do.” He said, a trace of apprehension in his voice. Nesta’s head snapped to face him so quickly that her vision spun for a moment, causing her to stumble.

Regaining her footing, she barked out, “Azriel? What the fuck do you mean?”

The trio stopped walking for a moment, tension settling over the once calm night air. She gave him a demanding, and slightly betrayed, look. Even though his eyes met hers, Azriel kept quiet. Bryce simply looked between the two, face wrinkling in the awkwardness of the moment.

“Ah. A sore subject, I guess?” Bryce laughed, or tried to, it only came out forced and uncomfortable. 

“Who, Az? How come I had no idea? Does anyone know?” There wasn’t anger in her voice, just hurt. 

He had to bite back his usual replies, the ones he gave to his family when they tried to ask questions or bring up the topic without him bringing it up first. Not that he ever did. 

“She’s-” he swallowed. Cauldron, when would he finally be able to talk about her without wishing the world would swallow him whole? “It’s not something I want to discuss right now, especially with present company.” He sent a pointed look at Bryce. He couldn’t hide the misery in his tone this time though as he took a deep breath and continued, “I will tell you about her, Nes. One day. I’d just rather do it on my own terms. On my own time.” Nesta opened her mouth, seconds away from arguing, when he put a hand on her shoulder, “Please.” he begged, softly. 

The glimmer of silver in his eyes caught her off guard, gave her such a knee jerk reaction of protectiveness that she gave him a crushing hug. It was strange, this feeling. Azriel, the broody, closed off, terrifying, annoyingly perceptive, kind, and unbelievably loving friend she never knew she needed had just revealed a part of himself she could tell he kept locked away for good reason. The thought that even the mention of his mate could bring him to tears made her heart break in a way she thought impossible after all she had been through. 

She took a deep breath as she pulled away, “When you’re ready,” she agreed.

He smiled back at her, while it was genuine, one of the few he reserved for his family, there was still insurmountable pain in his eyes. 

Nesta turned back to Bryce, “Can you play more of your music? Just none of that screaming one.” She asked, shaking her head at the memory of the Death Metal genre she hadn’t liked when the redhead had played it for them. 

She smiled softly as she felt Azriel squeeze her hand in a silent Thank you before he let go. 

The High Lord sat, feet propped up on his desk. “When do you head out for Rosehall?” He asked.

Azriel, standing by the window to the right of his brother, answered, “The morning after Solstice.” Rhysand grimaced when he heard the mask of indifference his Spy Master had in his voice. “I still need to pick up a gift before I go.”

Rhys took it for the invitation it was. “Would you buy her something from me? On my account this time.” He tried to put on his commanding-High-Lord voice as he said it, but he knew very well that Azriel wouldn’t listen to the last part of his request even as his brother smiled in agreement as he walked out of the room, sending an inclination of goodbye to his High Lady in the chair across from her mate. 

“Rosehall? What female is he visiting the day after Solstice?” Feyre spoke into her mate’s mind. 

Despite Rhys’ usual inability to keep anything from his mate, he couldn't bring himself to explain, couldn’t bring himself to cross the very clear lines his brother had set all those years ago. 

“It's not my story to tell. And don’t ask someone else, if any of them know, they also won’t talk.” 

Certainly not the answer she had expected, as was evident by the look on Feyre’s face.

“And if I ask Azriel?” she inquired.

“It will just bring up things he isn't ready to share. He will come to you- come to us- some day.” ‘One day’ Azriel had promised his family long ago, long before their family had been as big as it was now. “I just pray it's under better circumstances.” 

Feyre froze, feeling the weight of mixed negative emotions flowing down from her mate’s side of the bond. For once, she was even more confused after asking Rhysand for more information. 

“Well, I believe we’ve reached the threshold of faked amiability before one of us attacks the other. We should quit while we’re ahead.” Eris said as he stood up from his chair, starting to grab his papers without so much as a glance to his reluctant hosts. Even years after their alliance was set in stone with the agreement from the Night Court to back Eris’ claim to his father’s throne, even after fighting beside them in war, these faked niceties could only go on for so long before the claws came out. 

No one in the Night Court’s Inner circle could say there was anything but relief to see the Autumn Court’s High Lord walk away. But before they could let out a breath of relief, Eris stopped and turned to the Shadowsinger. 

“I have received word that your… gift has been finished. I will send someone to get it to you within the week.” 

Azriel’s head quickly snapped to Eris, “And they were able to meet all my requests?” He asked, not caring that everyone else in the room watched the interaction with fierce intrigue. 

The eldest living Vanserra boy scoffed, “I assured you they’d be able to.” Azriel let out a relieved breath at that. While he’d known Eris’ court capable of such a thing, it wasn’t much more difficult than lesser magics, but hearing it confirmed ignited hope he didn’t know he still carried.

“Thank you. She’ll love it.” The Spy Master replied earnestly, much to Eris’, as well as the rest of the Inner Circle’s, shock. 

The red haired fae simply schooled his features and nodded in response before winnowing away. 

Despite the heaviness all the secrets and questions caused, everyone remained silent as they watched Azriel slip out of the room. 

The dining room had been filled with loud chatter for the weekly family dinner. Love filled teasing and relentless jokes put everyone in a good mood. Nothing felt better to the Night Court’s Inner Circle than being all together. Unfortunately, it had to come to an end. 

“I’ll be leaving for a few days.” Azriel told Rhysand, who was sitting to his left at the head of the table. “I’ll be back for Solstice.” He quickly added. 

“I thought you were leaving the day after?” 

“I was, but the package I had been waiting on came, and I’d like to deliver it as soon as possible. I’ll drop your gift off too.” With that, Azriel got up, nodding a quick goodbye to his family, before disappearing into his shadows.

It wasn’t a request to have a few days off. He hadn’t asked if his High Lord could spare not having his Spymaster for a little. He didn’t even wait for any sort of goodbye from the rest of his family. He just left, the house sending his place setting away to be cleaned, as if he had never been there in the first place. 

Once again, everyone had questions, concerns, for their friend. But no one spoke up, as per usual. 

Until the one fae in the room with truly no information in the matter grew concerned enough with everyone’s immediate change in attitudes. 

“Where is he going?” Elain asked, looking between her friends and family. 

She saw on everyone's faces, in their eyes that refused to meet hers, that no one would tell her. Till she sent a look, full of concerned innocence, to Cassian. 

“Rosehall” He blurted out. “Or at least, I assume that's where he is going.” The last part was directed towards his older brother. 

“Where is this Rosehall?” Feyre asked, feeling he invitation Elain’s question had opened into the untouchable subject. 

The High Lady, like her second oldest sister, sent a look to Rhys, knowing he'd break for her under an embarrassingly small amount of pressure. 

“None of us know,” he gave in, “He goes at seemingly random intervals. Sometimes he’s there, often, for months. Then he will go quite a while without any visits.”

“Is it his mate? Is that who he is seeing?” Nesta inquires. 

The word seems to suck all the air out of the room. His mate. Azriel’s mate. Their brother’s mate.

Nesta’s stomach drops at the looks she receives from Cassian and Rhysand. 

They didn’t know. 

As she opens her mouth to speak, she’s cut off by a palm smacking the table.

“Enough! You all know damn well this isn’t what he would want. The only reason you all seem so comfortable talking about it is because he's gone, too preoccupied to leave a shadow behind.” Mor argues. “He has asked one thing of us in the 500 years he has been by our side, to let him- let them- be.”

With that, she winnowed out of the room, leaving a suffocating mix of guilt, confusion, and concern behind. 

Everyone could feel his presence the second he got back to the house. The light and happy Solstice air seemed to vanish in an instant. The shadows suddenly alive and wreathing. 

Rhys and Cassian had gotten up to check on their brother. While he had said he’d be gone till Solstice, they had assumed he would be there the full day to celebrate with everyone. But he had missed celebrations, for both Solstice and Feyre’s birthday, had missed dinner, and had sent no indication that he was even alive. His mental walls had been as fortified as ever, not letting Rhysand nor Feyre in the numerous times they had tried to check in. 

Their walk over to their brother’s room became a run, followed by the rest of the family, as they heard a loud crash. 

The room was dark, but they could make out the faint outline of the broken mirror and Shadowsinger standing in front of it, holding his hand as blood seemed to drip from a wound. In the dark, the sight was unsettling, but in the light, it was far worse. 

Cassian moved quickly, leaving Rhysand and the rest of the Inner Circle by the door in stunned silence. 

“Woah-” Cassian said as he lifted Azriel’s hand, causing his brother to pull back in startled shock. He hadn’t known they were coming. Hadn’t sensed their presence even then they were right in front of him.

“It’s okay, Az. But we need to clean out the wound. Make sure there aren't any shards in-” The general stopped as he looked at the Spymaster, seeing the tears streaming down his usually stone cold face. 

All he could do was help him sit down as Mor, seemingly better equipped to handle the situation, came over to kneel in front of her long time friend. 

“Az?” She took his uninjured hand in hers, her other hand going to his face to wipe away the tears. “Come on, maybe you shoul-”

“She’s gotten worse.” He admitted, his voice noticeably wobbling, “So much worse, Mor.” 

Mor quickly looked at everyone else, seeing the shock, the empathy, and worse of all, the pity. She knew more than the others, not the full story, not even close, but enough to know that their reactions were part of why he kept all of it a secret. He couldn’t handle their emotions on top of his.

By the time she looked back, she saw that Azriel had noticed it too. She could see him shrinking back into himself, trying to hide everything. 

She couldn’t let it happen again. 

“Let me in, Azriel. Don’t pretend, don’t go through 200 more years of this.” She pleaded. Luckily, this seemed to pull him back out. “Let us all in, please?”

“I can’t- I don’t want pity.” He admitted.

Rhysand spoke up this time. “Is that what you think this is? Just pity? Az, come on. We all love you, we want you to be happy. But we don’t want fake happiness. Seeing you like this makes us all upset, because we love you. Please, let us prove it. Let us in.” Rhysand begged. 

Azriel gave them all a onceover, emotion showing so clearly in his face, in his eyes, that no one seemed to be able to breathe. 

He took a deep breath before speaking up, “Tomorrow. I’ll explain- show you all, tomorrow. For now, I’d just like to celebrate Solstice, and your birthday, Feyre, with my family.” 

The air lightened up a little bit at the promise. Tomorrow, they’d all face what Azriel had been dealing with alone for 200 years. But tonight, they would all celebrate Solstice, the return of light and promise of a brighter future, as a family. 

[a-polite-melody]

God, since the whole “bear vs man” thing came up again

Everything I’ve seen said in defence of using this as a framework to mean something has always relied on a cherry picking of stats and broad application of those to serve bio- and/or gender-essentialism.

The question is meant to be a direct reference to the fact that there were women hikers on TikTok actively stating that in their experience they end up more afraid coming across a man than a bear because if the bear were to attack at least people would believe that.

Great—same if a woman attacked you in the woods. You’d probably actually be believed more if your story is assault by a man than assault by a woman, even though I’d definitely agree that assault by bear would be believed more readily than either.

But men are more statistically likely to commit violent crime! So actually it makes sense that people would be more afraid to meet a man over a bear instead of a woman over a bear!

And people close to you are more statistically likely to commit violent crimes against you than strangers are, and yet I’m not seeing people out here using that statistic to demonize the idea of close friends going hiking together by-way-of “would you rather go hiking in a remote area alone and come across a bear or would you rather trade-off that bear encounter with a having gone with a friend?” Even though you’re even more likely to be violently assaulted by someone you know than some random man you encounter, so you’d think that the same people wanting to enforce fear of being in remote areas with strange men would want to enforce fear of being in remote areas with those you’re close with.

The thing is, what they’re doing is reinforcing their own bio/gender-essentialism (or sometimes reinforcing a trauma response, or both at once, but I’m specifically talking about the bio/gender-essentialism in this post (and also reinforcing stranger danger stuff they may have internalized but that’s even further digression)), as I said, by cherry picking which statistics they’re using to speak about the dangers of existing in the world.

And this isn’t even getting into how many other unstated assumptions are going on in the reading of the question and subsequent answer of it—just to quickly point out one: the assumption that we’re dealing with a potentially malicious man pops up very quickly in a lot of discussions, but I don’t often see people making similar assumption of the bear they’re considering being a bear that is more likely to aggress at you than the average bear (for example, by you unknowingly being between a mother bear and her cubs, by the bear being seriously ill or injured…)

But yeah, anyway, all of this to say that the “man vs bear” thing serves no utility beyond maybe dissecting the question further to see in what other ways we as people will create new ways to serve up the same bio-/gender-essentialism.

[tragedy-of-commons]

step away.

── alhaitham x gn!reader

summary: You seek a reprieve from what is considered "normal".

contains: modern au, nebulous work setting, alcohol discussed but no one actually gets drunk, word vomit, coworkers, implied autistic reader

word count: 2.0k

notes: idk where this came from. uh. reader's relationship with him warrants closer inspection. hehe

The venue wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it was still a far cry from your normal. 

A strip of hospitality suites and conference rooms connected by carpeted hallways, staffed by burly, tired security guards stoically trying to coexist with the raucous speakers. Their bass-driven reverberations could be heard even a floor above, where guests try even now to settle down in their hotel rooms. 

Or, alternatively, said hotel rooms are empty, vacated by their denizens - which happen to mostly consist of your coworkers; a sizable lot are still inside, partaking in drunken karaoke - or even worse - social niceties. 

That was one of the catches to this whole trip: you were brought in here for work. 

Suffice to say, these things have never been your scene. The noise is always borderline unbearable, you’re expected to clean up and burn valuable gas money (that’s not comped like the rooms are - tax write-off it is then), and you always feel so dreadfully out of place, no matter your role in the event. 

Speaking of, the whole reason you bothered showing up in the first place is because you were tasked with the responsibility of giving a concise, edifying lecture on “any topic of your choice”. 

Talk about a fool’s errand. When the memo was unceremoniously dropped into your inbox, you almost laughed, because it sounded like an assignment reminiscent of your highschool Speech 101 class (required credit).

Not to mention, everyone comes to these functions to get drunk - save for you and a certain someone - so preaching to your subordinates and superiors about anything would just result in syrupy laughter and jeering anyway, regardless of the speech’s content. 

Or just eerie silence, because you’ve never been a team player. You’ve been told that your resting bitch face is pretty strong. 

To put it simply: asking you to give a lecture at this gala was frivolous, unnecessary, and of no benefit to you. You even complained as much up the ladder, but you were only passed back down the telltale chorus of a thousand crickets. 

And then, right after, a branch-wide email was sent out tacking on the (apparently unimportant) detail of Oh, sorry, we forgot to mention it, but your holiday bonuses will be awarded at the eastern banquet hall. If you don’t attend, you’ll still get them, but it’ll take four weeks for them to be mailed out. Happy fucking holidays.

The reasons to go were, unfortunately, plentiful - and stacked against you, leaving you dejected and packing your bags like you were going off to war, never to return. But, thankfully, there was one silver lining culled from the tipped scale.

You and your partner, Alhaitham, are employed at the same practice. 

Sure, this feat makes commuting easier, and so does coordinating vacation days and leisure time to align with both of your needs as they evolve - but it also meant, then, that you could drag him along. It meant that you didn’t have to be miserable alone, faced with the challenge of I don’t want to do this, I’d rather quit than do this, and finally, I’d rather burn in hell than do this.

And it wasn’t particularly hard to convince him. Nostalgically juvenile parties with people he couldn’t care less about aren’t his scene either, far from it - but he wasn’t required to give a lecture. He could leave anytime he pleased, trekking back up to the hotel room and enjoying its free amenities for a night, book in hand. 

“We aren’t hurting financially. I’m able to wait for my bonus,” he’d initially reasoned with you, clearly uninterested. “If you’re attempting to entice me, I’d rescind avarice as a potential motivator.” 

Quickly, you’d changed your tune, deflating. “I’d—I’d really like you there. For moral support, I mean. If I have to brave these fuckwads alone, I’ll end up burnt out and crabby for a week, at least.”

Alhaitham had spared you a glance then, satisfied with your candor. “Alright.”

Then, you kissed him on the cheek while he tried to tamp down the quirk of his lip, and life dragged on until the fateful day (of reckoning). 

The drive was hellish, thanks to everyone and their mother pulling into the city for some kind of convention or another - hundreds of cars crammed into the same, discordant business district. You took up the mantle of getting both of you there on time, which was a lot harder than it should’ve been. The GPS mischievously led you astray multiple times, the robotic narration dominating most of the ride. But in the end, you wrangled the dependable SUV en route. 

(Hayi napped for most of the trip. You’re grateful for that; you don’t think you could’ve lived down your nonexistent sense of direction while he was conscious. He usually drives you around anyway…)

With that, you settled into the parking garage with little issue. Loading luggage up onto a cart and checking in wasn’t that notable, either, but you did shut down mid-conversation with one of the affable front desk ladies, and your partner had to tie up the loose ends regarding payment in your stead. 

You remember his voice, a tinge lower from sleep, hurrying things along in that no-nonsense tone you’ve grown so fond of. 

You remember his voice so well because that’s when your nerves started to act up.

The room was up to par, boasting two queen-sized beds, a bathroom, and the standard compact living area. At that point, he definitely began to catch on, his verdant eyes pointedly fixated on the tremulous fumbling of your keycard or the methodical yet neurotic way you unpacked your things. 

It’s the little things that define a relationship.

“You’re truly not obligated to go,” he’d reminded you, practically roosting, posture ramrod straight yet relaxed against a chair. It’s crazy how much you were able to discern from just a single glance - you could practically see the criticisms Alhaitham had about the desk set’s quality and comfortability, all of it in the minute misgivings of his features. 

The way he was looking at you then - only a select few people could’ve placed it as soft - you being among those select few. He’d aptly continued, “Everyone will be three sheets to the wind. You and I both know that no one will be patrolling, making sure you give a sanitized pep-talk on the importance of a strong work ethic.”

“I know,” you’d sighed, flitting back and forth between the modest closet and the innards of your suitcase resting supine on your claimed bed. “But we’re already here, and I know Setaria saw us down at reception.”

“So?”

“She’s gonna ask a lot of questions if I flake at the last minute.”

“Let her. You’re stressing yourself out over practically nothing - consider that.”

You remember groaning and then collapsing onto his neighboring bed, lamenting his damnable sensibility. Deciding to heed his reassurance, because it was reassurance (you know this nerd like the back of your hand), you bit the bullet and got ready anyway, leaving your partner to his own devices.

Everything after that blurred together. You left Alhaitham in room 330, trundling in and out of elevators and through elaborate corridors - the catacombs that led you to the banquet hall was just a prelude of confusion and adversity. For most of the party’s duration, you could barely hear yourself think (as expected), but wondrously, no one paid you enough mind to strike up conversation. One glance at your laminated, nametagged lanyard was enough to scare them off.

The catering job was nothing to sneeze at either. Under strobe lights and through your acute, unpleasant vertigo, you saw many dishes and hors d’oeuvres divided among tables that you couldn’t bother visiting or taking a closer look at. 

It was too loud, too uncomfortable - as most things are for you.

It’s exactly 11:32 in the evening when you step away from the party. 

The main hall sectioning your practice’s festivities off into rooms diverges a number of ways; a left here, you end up in the lobby. A right there, and you end up in an outlet mall meant to eke as many purchases out of trashed vacationers as possible. But a combination of the two directions leads you to the hotel gardens.

Stepping out into the mouth of the retreat, your lips part in awe. It’s not very big, the whole area spanning about two conference rooms. But there are maintained, lush beds of flowers outlining a small gazebo, the structure illuminated by a few lanterns bolted to its latticework. 

In the midst of so much business, it’s almost a little startling to come across a safe haven from social affairs - something entirely pulled together by the absence of humanity and the abundance of nature. 

Your feet ache. Immediately, you ascend the rustic staircase up into the gazebo. Its steepled ceiling and observation railings warmly welcome you. Deciding to rest your elbows and stare transfixed at the greenery, propped up and mentally checked out, your thoughts take an aimless journey.

Why exactly are you here?

It’s not because of any holiday bonus, not really; you wouldn’t have stepped away from the party if you were dead set on extra money. Are you here because you want to grow closer with your colleagues? Hell no, especially since bringing yourself to go to work everyday is such a challenge in its own right.

You think you’re here because you want to feel normal. 

That’s not to say you crave all the trimmings of a conventional work-life balance. No, you don’t want to keep up with friendships you don’t care about. No, you don’t want to know the origins of every inside joke in painstaking detail. What you want, really, is to have your cake and eat it too; you want to experience being a social butterfly without the commitment it comes with, for one night, just to see if it’s all it’s cracked up to be.

That’s why you’re here. And no, it’s not it’s all cracked up to be. Probably. You’ll never truly know, because this experience is one lacking the aforementioned commitment, but the taste you were given was sour on your tongue. You didn’t like it. 

It’s not… you. This is not your scene, and you knew that going in. Stupid. 

Truthfully, you didn’t even prepare any notes for your presentation. Maybe, deep down, you knew you wouldn’t be able to get through the night, pretending to be something you’re not. The way tonight has unfolded makes you giddy with irony, bursting at the seams with self-awareness.

You cup your hand over your mouth and laugh, snickering quietly to yourself in the solitude of the gardens.

At least you didn’t commit so much as to hit up the bar, stuttering out an order that makes no sense and unwisely pounding back a glass to feel, uh, normal-er. No, that’s something you’d do a few years ago, when you used to masquerade around a lot more, to feel normal. That’s a win in your book. 

You’re not the same person you used to be, even if doubts emerge and make you do things you normally wouldn’t. You’re still young and figuring it all out.

Suddenly, your phone pings twice. You vehemently shake your head, awakening from your stupor, then fishing the device out of your pocket, squinting at the way your home screen lights up. It wholly ruins the natural and introspective essence this sanctuary has, but oh well. 

The texts materialize and hover over your wallpaper - which happens to be a sentimental photo of you and Alhaitham, your arm obnoxiously slung around his shoulder while he stares into the camera, unamused but unwilling to shove you away. 

It’s the little things that define a relationship.

Hayi: When you’re finished wrapping up, it’d be in your best interest to hurry back.

Hayi: Your show is on. Though it’s the CN dub, I’d be happy to translate - the subtitles aren’t doing it justice.

…

You’re heading back up to room 330, everything else be damned. 

You: I’m coming. I love you <3

Hayi: I love you too.

[inuyashaluver]

leah williamson:

reader and leah arguing who is taking who’s last name when they get married

petty arguments - leah williamson

leah williamson x reader

description: in which you and your fiancé, leah argue about who’s last name each other will take, depending on your teammates to settle the argument

warnings: swearing, slight angst

a/n: hiii!! thank you so much for this request, this was extremely fun to write, hope you enjoy! 🫶

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

your fiancé, leah williamson proposed to you after the lionesses won the euros. after the win, you collapsed on your knees, sobbing, getting pulled up beth, she told you to look up at the big screen.

“(y/n) (y/l/n), will you marry me?”

your hands cover your face in shock, crying even harder and you turn around to see your special blondie on one knee, looking up at you, tearfully smiling.

“make me even happier than you already do, baby, marry me?”

“yes!”

she stands up, putting the ring on, pulling you into a searing kiss and hoisting you up on her waist. you hug her tightly, whispering in her ear, telling her how much you love her.

the crowd erupted and cried even harder that their favourite couple was now engaged.

the team ran up and piled on top of both of you, confetti surrounding all of you. everyone got up excitedly to go and meet their families. you and leah staying on the ground making ‘snow angels’ within the confetti, looking at each other full of love.

down the track, you and leah never discussed fine details of your wedding. so busy with the upcoming season, but also just wanting to relish in the love rather than the finer details. both of you thought you were on the same page. oh boy, if only both of you knew.

-much later-

“I can’t fucking believe you, I can’t even look at you right now” leah slammed the car door,

“leah cathrine williamson! you are being so ridiculous right now, I can’t believe you!” you exclaimed, chasing after her after slamming your own door in response.

the team was playing music in the lioness changing room getting ready for training. relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. well, until you and leah came crashing in.

“don’t talk to me right now, (y/n), I’m fucking furious”

“and you think I’m not! you’re fucking ridiculous, leah! this is absolute bullshit.”

millie and mary were the standing the closest to both of you, each of them grabbing one of you, slightly pulling you apart.

“woah! first name basis for both of you, smitten kittens” millie says, looking between both of you. ella and alessia let out a small chuckle, stopping immediately when you and leah both glare at them.

“leah, you’re the captain, love. I’d ask you to be the peace maker but you’re kinda disrupting the peace.” millie laughs at her own joke and you try not to crack a smile

“wipe that fucking smile off your face right now, (y/n) or so help me-”

“both of you shut the fuck up! what’s wrong?”

“tell her, leah, go on” you tilt your head at her,

“no.” she glared at you

“see! because you know it’s stupid!”

“it is not!”

“enough! (y/n) (y/l/n), you tell us what’s going on right now.” millie nudges you, you look at someone for comfort. lucy nods at you, encouraging you to speak.

“well, leah and I had a little disagreement-”

“yeah, little” ella mutters, alessia slaps her hard on the arm and you let out a little laugh, leah trying to hold in her own, clearing her throat.

“we-” you pause “we don’t know who’s last name to take when we get married” you exhale, looking at the floor and shifting your weight between your legs.

“are you having a laugh?” millie yells. she really yelled.

you flinch and leah instinctively went to go and protect you. stopping in place realising the reality of the situation.

“it’s a big deal!” leah exclaims and the whole team groans,

“nah, I’m not having this. training. now.” leah storms out. you immediately go to follow her.

everyone, under captain's orders began to warm up. you keep slight distance between you and leah. sending yearning gazes at her the entire time. little did you know she was doing the same. both of you were pouting. miserable that you’re arguing.

the team was doing laps around the field, leah running alone right at the front. you sprint to catch up with her.

“hi” you exhale, finally reaching her, she looks down at you next to her and immediately looks back to her front.

“hey” you smile and move closer to her,

“speaking to me now, huh? you can’t resist me” she tries incredibly hard to contain her smile. you grin harder seeing her fighting her emotions.

“I don’t want to fight anymore, baby, please” leah perks up at your term of endearment, your argument clearly diminished.

“oh thank god.” she breathes out.

you both stop in place and the team continues to run past. not wanting to interrupt you. even sarina taking the hint.

“baby, I just wish you would understand what I’m trying to say to you.” leah pleaded, pouting at you and grabbing your hand in hers, rubbing her thumb over your knuckles.

“love, you’re not listening to me either,” you softly smile at her,

“let’s both try this again, hm?” leah said smiling, you nod at her.

“I want nothing more than to be a williamson, love, ever since we started dating.” leah’s heart swelled at your confession,

“but, baby, I feel the same, what? you think I won’t suit (y/l/n)?”

“you suit everything, are you joking?” she laughs and lightly pushes your shoulder.

“I just think we should be the williamsons”

“but we can be (y/l/n)s” she nodded at you “huh, huh?” she smiles,

“we’re never going to settle this” you pinch your nose bridge.

“stay here, baby, I’ll be right back” she grabbed your face in between her hands, giving you a sweet peck before running off to the change rooms. she comes back to you with two jerseys in her hand. yours and hers.

the team was now doing team drills, looking back and forth between you and leah, concerned. you both hardly ever fought. you were very big on communication and everyone was surprised the argument was happening in the first place.

leah grabbed the hem of your shirt, sliding her hands on your waist and taking of your training top, leaving you just in your sports bra.

“woah! take me out to dinner first, missy!”

she gives you a quick kiss again and you whine when she pulls you away, she raises her eyebrow at you,

“when we get home”

she puts her jersey on you, slightly too long on your figure. in return, she quickly takes off her own, smirking when you whistle at her abs, lightly grazing your fingers on them until she shrugs on your jersey.

she grabs your hand and pulls you over to where the rest of the team was.

“girls! team meeting!” she yells, everyone immediately rounds up, looking at their captain expectedly, excited to see your close contact but containing it.

leah grabs your shoulders turning you around before turning around herself.

“which last name suits better?” leah questions, she misses the mocking smiles occurring behind her.

light chatter occurs, leah grabs your hand again and plays around with your fingers, you move closer to her and rest your head on her shoulder. you both heard giggling behind you but chose to just enjoy the moment in solitude together.

“I like williamson better!” alessia shouts, “nah, less, you’ve got it all wrong! (y/l/n) is so much better” ella rebuttals. now, the entire lioness team including the staff and sarina was arguing like you were this morning.

you and leah look at each other in horror. “what have we done?” leah says looking down at you, moving to rest her head in your neck, arms around your waist while you gently scratch her back with your nails.

“right! enough!” leah yells, moving from you. she claps her hands together and everyone looks at her for the big decision, “this didn’t help so let’s just drop it”

maya, the sweetheart put her hand up and you and leah smile, “go ahead mai”

“why don’t you both take each name? (y/l/n)-williamson or something?” everyone but you and leah made noises of agreement, clapping maya on the back for her genius thought.

you and leah look at each other, mouths open.

“you’re telling me, you didn’t think of that” maya asks.

“um” you started, “no” leah finished and you lightly slap her arm. everyone bursts out in laughter. to escape it, leah picks you up bridal style and runs around the field, you scream in enjoyment. everyone watches you with big grins, they loved seeing the both of you so happy, a complete turn around from this morning.

the petty arguments between you two were truly for nothing. you both finally settled on a last name that you were both apart of, you both couldn’t be happier.

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

you know the drill - just imagine it’s you 🤭

liked by ellatoone and 44,232

leahwilliamsonn: (y/l/n)-williamson for the win! @/yourname

view all comments

yourname: yeah baby!

mayaletissier: this was all me

↳ leahwilliamsonn: yep!

↳ yourname: yep! thank you maya baby

[midnight-melancholiaaa]

‘what the fuck was up with that first sol and mae conversation’ - an acolyte ep6 theory/analysis post

I think the start of this episode unfortunately put to bed the theories that Sol was aware of Mae’s identity and baited her onto the ship. So that got me thinking — at what point in the conversation did Sol realise he wasn’t speaking to Osha? What tipped him off? And, generally, what the fuck was that conversation??? Sol??? Hello?????

I think all of this can be explained, and the layers of their conversation peeled back in an interesting way, if Sol realised Mae’s identity earlier than I’d first assumed. I now think a few flags early in the conversation tipped him off, and a lot of his later lines are his response to Mae clearly projecting her own feelings onto “Osha”.

Theory/analysis below the cut!

First off, Mae’s lines and behaviour when she emerges from the engine room are dispassionate in a way we don’t expect from Osha. There’s an argument that this could look to Sol like someone numb with grief and putting on a functional face, but I’m going to list this as Red Flag Number 1. When she asks Sol what’s up with him, she sounds more confused and curious than she does concerned, again not something that tracks as Osha.

However, I think the red flag that dooms Mae is in the following exchange.

“How could I not have sensed that villain’s true intentions when we first met him on Olega”

“I think when you really want something, it can cloud your mind” (Sol looks up) “You see what you want to see. He fooled us all.”

These are some JUICY lines. We’re clearly encouraged to think of their pertinence to Sol, and the Order’s current ignorance of the dark side threat, as well as Sol’s own personal blinders with the Brendok mystery. But this is also the first time we see something key for the rest of this conversation - Mae blatantly projecting her own feelings onto half-hearted mimicry of what she assumes Osha might say.

In her projection, she expresses her own frustration at being misled by the Master, at wanting to believe his structure for Mae’s revenge against the jedi, and hence his shaping of Mae’s life path, was meaningful. I’ve seen Osha’s loneliness discussed a lot by the fandom, but Mae is winning a gold medal in the loneliness contest. She’s spent 16 years desperately searching for someone who understands her in the way she thought Osha did, and whatever kinship she hoped the Master had for her has just shattered. This adds another layer to her too-casual reaction to Sol’s grief. She doesn’t expect a Jedi to feel such love for their padawan, not just because she views the Jedi as dispassionate (which we’ll come back to later), but because her master never felt that way about her. In all these lines, Mae’s betrayal comes across beautifully.

But the mimicry of Osha? Mae failgirls that one. We know Osha to be a straightforward, direct person, rather than someone to speak in riddles, or spout superficially Jedi-style wisdoms with a distinctly-Mae core of cynicism.

This touches on another repeated theme of this scene — Mae clearly doesn’t understand how Osha feels about the Jedi, in a way that speaks to larger issues with understanding her sister as a person separate from herself, with different thought processes and values. When Mae speaks as Osha, it’s hard to tell what’s Mae speaking directly as herself, or Mae as how she thinks Osha thinks, but there isn’t much difference between those two — Mae assumes Osha reacts to situations as Mae would, treating her as a half of the same whole.

Feel free to skip this tangent if you’re just here for the Sol theory!!!!

I think it goes beyond not understanding Osha’s point of view — as the lovely @animazi put it, it’s as if Mae cannot conceive of Osha being a person outside their sisterly relationship and Mae’s coven-derived identity. It’s a complete disconnect of empathy, in that it doesn’t occur to Mae that she should try to empathise.

Mae wants to believe that they are fundamentally the same person. “You see what you want to see.” Mae wants to believe the only reason she and Osha are different is because one has been “corrupted” by the Jedi. She recognises that outside influences and different formative experiences have torn her apart from her sister, but she wants to believe that if Osha was plucked away from the Jedi, if she was taught rather than corrupted (haha I love this episode title), if she knew the ‘truth’ about Brendok, they could revert to a perfect sisterly harmony. A harmony based on Mae’s conception of them.

So of COURSE she doesn’t try to empathise with Osha’s current way of seeing, when she views it as both temporary and fixable, corrupted and false. Mae believes that, as soon as the falsehoods are stripped away, Osha will be herself again, in that Osha will be Mae. Mae believes Osha is simply Mae under a fragile Jedi veneer, explaining why so many of her lines in this scene are essentially Mae talking, with a half-hearted Osha bent.

Apologies for that detour, back to the scene. It’s very striking to me how Sol looks up for the first time in the middle of Mae’s mini-speech. There’s many interpretations for this look, yes, and you could argue he’s having a crisis about the Sol-related clouded vision stuff I mentioned earlier.

But he seems confused, almost frightened, and then the camera comes back to him after Mae finishes, and I think this is the moment.

Please look at these shots and tell me that’s not the face of someone for whom a thousand things have just clicked into place. We see him harden into some new realisation, and then…

“You found him.” (meaningful pause) “Your PIP droid.”

This line is such a non-sequitur that it’s actually what drove me to take another look at this scene. I assumed it was some janky prequel-esque dialogue, but now I’m not so sure. Saying “you found him” so soon after some ominous looks from Sol and the discussion of Qimir could, at the very least, be a nod to Mae’s role in everyone’s brush with the dark side. But, even then, Sol’s deflection to the droid doesn’t make full sense. And then I thought ‘oh shit’…………

After rewatching Episode 5, I’m convinced that Sol is aware PIP was sacrificed and really should not be back with “Osha”. For somebody afraid and grieving and running for their life to calmly find and fix their droid is… not Osha. It’s as if Sol raises the incriminating subject right after his realisation, just to confirm it to himself. And Mae, though slightly nervous, hands him that confirmation on a platter.

To bring back the clouded judgement line again, Sol was blinded. He wanted to have saved Osha, because he could not save anyone else. He wanted to have not failed Osha for the third time. Brendok, leaving the Order, now. It’s Sol in that room, looking at the holo. He wanted to have learned from his mistakes.

But now he knows it is NOT Osha, and the conversation gets 5000% more interesting. To me, his next few lines are gently testing Mae, playing along to see if he can evoke a reaction or a slip from her — if she’ll come clean or double down into the lie. It’s fascinating the way he’s half addressing a hypothetical Osha, and half addressing Mae.

So, first the droid lines, to see if Mae notices her mistake, and then…

“I noticed the way you take care of him, talk to him, love him. Even though he is just a machine.”

This seems like something meant for Osha. It’s something Mae would expect of her sister’s overabundance of compassion, and so something that won’t make her suspicious. But I think the implication of Osha’s loneliness is deliberate, in that we know Mae is also deeply lonely and searching for connection in places it isn’t reciprocated. Down to you if you think the machine allegory is in reference to Mae’s master, and what that might say about Sol’s view of Qimir, or if this is a more take-it-as-written line, but I think it still emotionally resonates with Mae even if she doesn’t want it to. Her expression in this pause does seem to imply as much.

At the end of this speech, Sol moves into that area of shadowy lighting, which I WILL discuss later.

Mae’s response, “I’ve always been like that. Even when I was little,” is also very telling. It’s her reminiscence of child Osha, as loving the small things, and having more reservations about… force-manipulating space hummingbirds? But, with Sol’s double meaning, this line is true of Mae too. Mae’s tendency to love clingily, desperately, in ways that aren’t “appropriate”, as we see in flashback Mae’s attempts to make her sister stay.

And then Sol’s response, a simple “I know”, fits this double conversation too. There’s a parental exhaustion, a heartache for his padawan, and his own (involuntary?) empathy for Mae, the abandoned sister. I think this’ll hit even harder once we know what happened on Brendok — Sol clearly knows more about Mae than he ‘should’.

The pause after this feels heavy, tense, even disappointed. Sol knows that Mae’s resigned to the act. With all this context and lead-up, Sol’s cagey behaviour in the last part of this scene now makes SO much more sense to me.

“I had to lose a lot of myself in order to become a Jedi. Even if I didn’t know it at the time.”

I think this is said to provoke Sol into guilt, but speaks to Mae’s false conceptions of the Jedi, and they way they approach love — she assumes Osha must have had to lose her compassion. More importantly, this shows Mae still does not understand Osha’s motivations for joining the Jedi, and remains emotionally raw about it. How could her “compassionate” sister choose to leave the family who loved her? How could she abandon Mae if the Jedi had not “corrupted” her, had not taken that compassion and loyalty away?

She wants to believe in the Jedi as a stealing, malign influence, because she wants to attribute Osha’s departure to anything other than the fact that Osha and Mae are, at their core, different people. In believing they are the same, Mae still cannot fathom why Osha would choose to lose their family, their coven, their grander destiny, and above all their sisterhood, because this is something Mae would never choose. So of course Mae does not see what Osha loved about the Jedi, of course Mae views the Jedi as merely an agent of loss. A false dream that she must “kill” to bring Osha back to her.

(And this is without even going into whatever the hell the Jedi did on Brendok!)

“I’m sorry if you feel that way.”

All this contextualises Sol’s cagey almost-apology. His body language is SO closed off and suspicious. I don’t think he’s even pretending to speak to Osha at this point — this is directly to Mae. He loves his padawan and supports her decision to join the Order, but regrets the collateral of that decision — a decision he still views as right.

I think that explains a lot about his reaction. He freezes up in the face of Mae’s depth of feeling, and is caught between his empathy and his loyalty to Osha. I’ll agree this is NOT the way to apologise to someone, but what he says is true to Sol — he’s not sorry Osha made the choice she did. But he’s sorry that Mae feels this way, has processed her loss the way she has. The reveal of what happened on Brendok will finalise what level of dickish this is, but it is at least LESS dickish than him saying this to Osha 😭

“How could I feel any other way” is exactly what I’ve said earlier. Mae cannot fathom how Osha could feel any differently than Mae does.

And Sol avoids her eyes and sighs. I think it’s a mixture of regret, of resignation, and of still struggling to confront his own mistakes. That avoidance comes through in the final part of their conversation — a part I’m still struggling to unpack, though I think next week will reveal all.

We’ve seen Sol make several insistences that he’d tell Osha the truth about Brendok, and even this episode we see him prepared to tell the council. So his avoidance now is intriguing. You could argue that he was always going to quail from telling Osha, the way he kept promising it and then delaying it, but I think there’s something else going on.

I think now he knows it’s Mae, the person most damaged by his actions on Brendok, he falters. Aside from Mae’s specific victimhood, there’s also a difference between facing up to someone you trust and hope will have sympathy for you, and facing up to someone who’s just shown how wedded she is to her own way of seeing. The realisation that this is Mae has come so suddenly that in this moment he freezes and avoids. His coldness here is also notable — you could almost think that he resents Mae a little, for ruining this moment that was supposed to be Osha’s.

But is he really doing this for Osha? Did he want Osha to know for her own sake now she’s an adult and the protection excuse is wearing thin, or did he want to seek absolution from her? Is he hoping for a level of forgiveness that he cannot get from Mae? I guess we’ll find out next week…….

A few more notes on Sol before I finish…

Yes this is finally about the shadow thing. My first reaction to this was “hey leslye, what the fuck, OW.” Aside from the classic symbolism of a character stepping into shadow, this specific barred shadow is super reminiscent of the scene where Anakin speaks to Yoda in Revenge of The Sith. Given the topic of that conversation was about fear, passion and anger as paths to the dark side, a topic that Qimir also brings up this episode, I don’t think this is coincidental.

That said, I don’t think the shadows are straightforward Sol-will-fall symbolism. I think they’re emblematic of the emotions he’s struggling with as soon as he realises Mae’s identity. Fear, of the consequences Mae represents more than any other person. Defensiveness from her anger at him and her challenges to his worldview (and, lest we forget, the fact that she could still try to harm him). Perhaps some anger towards HER, for taking Osha, and this moment with Osha as he’d envisioned it, away from him. Anger for her role in the deaths of the other Jedi, at himself for the role HE had in creating Mae’s revenge. But, warring with these darker impulses, also regret, pity, sorrow for his padawan’s sister. That final remorse, in the way his face just slightly changes before the lights come up and the shadows disappear. Such symbolism Leslye I am eating the walls.

Don’t get me wrong, Sol is a man on the edge and I’m excited (afraid?) to see which way the narrative takes him. I think he’s written deliberately enigmatic this episode, and his later scenes will make more sense next week. I have no idea why he switched off his comms and hyperspace jumped instead of facing up to the council. Well, that’s a lie, I have a few ideas…

The scene of Mae in restraints is also ambiguous, though I think it links back to Sol’s surprise at Mae’s identity, and initial freezing up when he realises he’s lost control of the Brendok-reveal. That final scene is him grasping for control back, to control some of his fears and put him in a (metanarrative) place where he feels able to monologue on his own terms next episode. I actually have a lot more thoughts on this scene, and the hyperspace jump, AND some predictions for next week, but they won’t fit in this post. Here [part 2] they are instead!

We’re absolutely meant to doubt Sol this episode. I think Teach/Corrupt is, like much of Episode 6, a title of deliberate double meaning. But I’m also struck by the fear and sorrow in his face in that lovely shot where he shoots Mae through the doorway. His fond, regretful tone of voice in “Oh, Mae…” Not to be Star Wars cliche, but I suspect the good in Sol will win out. If it doesn’t then that’s a heartbreaking twist and I’ll probably throw myself into the ocean!

Either way, this is an episodic mystery show and, much as I can unpick some of Sol and Mae’s behaviour, we’ll only know the full story with hindsight. Here’s to hoping at least some of my theory holds up, and thank you for reading!!!!!!

The Sol Patrol shall forge bravely (and perhaps delusionally) onwards! <3

[anthurak]

Why I think Grimm!Summer is Going to Happen

So over the last few months I’ve seen a bit of discussion and theorizing on the prospect of Grimm!Summer actually being a red-herring for an even bigger reveal, such as Summer having actually joined Salem and is working with her entirely willingly. With what seems to be a decent chunk of this idea borne out of the idea that Ruby just straight up figuring out the Grimm!Summer twist in Volume 8 feeling like an ‘obvious’ setup for a fakeout.

The thing is (and this is rather ironic given that I was pushing the idea of Grimm!Summer being a red-herring pre-Volume 9), I think we’re not only getting Grimm-Hybrid Summer, but also that Ruby’s big ‘That’s what happened to Mom…’ theory in Volume 8 is actually basically LEGIT. And furthermore, that the writers have actually kind of ‘locked in’ Grimm!Summer to the point that doing some kind of fake-out would significantly undermine and even outright contradict some major plot points in Volume 8.

But to begin, let’s talk about “That’s what happened to Mom…”

The thing is, I totally get why some people might be suspicious of a fake-out here. After all, the main character essentially piecing together what is clearly a massive twist BEFORE the big reveal is something we very much DON’T normally see. This is basically Luke Skywalker walking out of the Dagobah cave in Episode V, sitting down next to Yoda with an absolutely HAUNTED look and straight up stating: “Vader is my father, isn’t he?”

But when has RWBY ever done things NORMAL with fantasy tropes? And Ruby in particular has always been a very ATYPICAL protagonist. So I’d say RWBY’s heroine piecing together a major reveal ahead of time would actually be rather appropriate.

Furthermore, I think what we see play out in this scene is actually very important to one of RWBY’s major overriding narratives: The counterpoint to the repeated use of Unreliable Narrators. With how much RWBY has made use of this trope, that naturally raises the question ‘How can we/the characters be sure of ANYTHING?’ And I think we’re seeing the answer here:

The characters have to piece the answers together themselves.

Ruby finding out that her mother was taken by Salem and turned into a horrific grimm hybrid monstrosity is very much NOT a case of the Unreliable Narrator. Nobody TOLD Ruby this information, she simply figured it out herself.

First, Ruby learned from Tyrian back in Volume 4 that Salem specifically wants her alive.

Then in Volume 6, Ruby learned from Maria that Salem used to simply have Silver Eyed Warriors hunted down and killed. Meaning that something must have changed between Maria’s time and now.

Then in Volume 7, Ruby learned that her mother apparently MET Salem on that fateful final mission of hers.

Finally in Volume 8, Ruby sees this horrifying, monstrous Grimm Hybrid that Salem has created… with a Silver Eyed Warrior inside it.

And with that, the pieces fall into place:

As Ruby herself puts it: “Salem used to kill people with Silver Eyes, like Maria. But she’s always wanted ME alive. But why would that change unless… When she met Mom, she learned she could do something new.”

This isn’t even the first time the show has done something like this. Back in Volume 6, Maria’s and Ruby’s theory that the Silver Eyes originate from or are otherwise connected to the God of Light is NOT something they are ‘told’ but rather something they infer based on observations made during Jinn’s vision.

Given how much RWBY has made use of Unreliable Narrators, I think it’s actually only natural that the information our heroines come across and piece together themselves would be the far more legit answers.

Obviously it might not be the whole story, but it is at least the START of it.

Next let’s talk about Grimm!Summer herself and why I think Summer turning out to have joined and is serving Salem entirely willingly… doesn’t really WORK with everything that’s been set up so far.

The thing is, the big Hound reveal in Volume 8 essentially ‘locks-in’ Summer being the ‘Patient Zero’ of Salem’s whole Grimm Hybrid project. Again, as Ruby herself laid out; Salem used to kill people with Silver Eyes. But now she seems to want them, like Ruby, alive. And it turns out she actually met Summer Rose in the meantime. And now Salem is making horrific Grimm Hybrids using Silver Eyes Warriors. Ergo, meeting Summer is when Salem ‘learned she could do something new’.

So if Grimm!Summer turns out to be a red-herring… then WHERE did the Hybrids come from? Are we supposed to find out that ‘Oh, it wasn’t actually Summer, but rather thanks to some OTHER Silver Eyed Warrior who also just so happened to fight Salem that she learned she could start making Grimm Hybrids’?

Because I don’t think I need to explain why that would be an EXTREMELY UNSATISFYING as a twist. In the ‘red-herring that exists ONLY to be a red-herring’ kind of way.

And with Grimm!Summer as the starting point of Salem’s Hybrids essentially locked-in, I think that kills any possibility that Summer has joined and is working with Salem willingly. After all, I think it’s hard to imagine Summer working with/for Salem fully willingly if she’s also spent years as effectively the Patient Zero for Salem’s twisted hybrid experiments. As I’ve stated elsewhere, I think Summer’s mental state at this point is that she’s ‘willingly’ working for Salem, but only because she’s been so psychologically BROKEN by everything she’s been put through.

Finally, there’s this idea that Ruby ‘figuring out the twist’ in Volume 8 somehow ‘kills the reveal’ of Summer being a Grimm Hybrid. To which I not only VEHEMENTLY disagree with, but I also think it actually MASSIVELY ratchets up the tension surrounding Summer’s fate going forward.

Thanks to essentially figuring the reveal out early, now Ruby has to LIVE with this knowledge. Now this fact of Summer not only being alive, but likely some terrible grimm monstrosity can LOOM over Ruby, Yang, Weiss and Blake, as well as Qrow, Raven, Tai and others who were close to Summer once RWBY fills them in. Going forward, this knowledge will be sitting ominously in the back of Ruby’s mind. I mean it’s pretty clear that this was one of the things weighing HEAVILY on Ruby during Volume 9.

And it gives the appearance of more Grimm Hybrid further down the line an ominous, haunting inevitability for Ruby and her family. Because now she KNOWS that one of these monstrosities isn’t just a silver-eyed warrior like her, but her MOTHER.

It’s basically Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘bomb under the table’ theorem applied to long-form storytelling.

All in all, I do think there’s certainly a lot of really interesting ideas to Summer joining Salem willingly. I just think they don’t line up with where the story seems to be going.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

While I don’t think the senti-kid story necessarily works if the writers wanted to keep the show focused on kids, I think it would’ve gone over a bit better if it was just Felix who was the senti, rather than also Adrien and Kagami (especially Kagami, she was a complete retcon in that regard).

Picture this:

Gabriel, Emilie, and Natalie find the Miraculous (Butterfly and Peacock) because they have an expensive hobby (archeology/collecting rare items, as wealthy people like to do), not because they need the magic at all. They just heard a rumor of an old Tibetan monastery and wanted to check it out, got lucky in finding the two jewels. The Peacock doesn’t even have to be broken.

We can keep the basics of the backstory shown in Representation- minus the detail of Adrien being made with the Peacock. Gabriel and Emilie conceive Adrien normally, but Colt and Amelie aren’t able to like in canon, so Colt has that same jealous outburst at Gabriel. Because Emilie feels bad for her sister, and Gabriel sees an opportunity to make a deal, they lend, or maybe trade, the Peacock to them to create a child. As in canon, Colt uses it, and his jealousy makes Felix a physical copy of Adrien.

Emilie gets sick for non-magical reasons. (I wouldn’t mind having her use it for funsies and not realizing it was broken, but it’s very obviously cracked, and I can’t imagine at least one of their two kwamis not giving them a warning.) As for what happens to Colt, I’m on the fence about him being alive in present times because that kind of abuse is really heavy, so maybe he just dies for unsaid reasons (though I vote Amelie poisoned him or something).

This version would allow for a really cool contrast between Adrien and Felix’s stories and characters. You have Adrien, a normal human, capable of disobedience, but who bends easily under others and is a people-pleaser. Versus Felix, a senti being magically compelled to obey orders of whoever has his amok, but fights to be free every chance he gets. That contrast would also further Felix’s frustration and jealousy of Adrien, in addition to his own father’s hatred of him and being identical to his cousin, because Felix would kill for Adrien’s free will, but he squanders it. But then there’s also the issue that he’s essentially victim blaming Adrien, not realizing that magic isn’t the only way to force obedience- not to mention ignoring the times that Adrien did stand up for himself (like running away to school). I think that would be a really great discussion of free will, how jealousy can blind you, family conflict (and resolution), and how different kinds of abuse/trauma aren’t automatically better than each other just because they’re opposites (ex: someone with heatstroke shouldn’t be jealous of someone with frostbite. Both suck.) The intensity might be worse for each circumstance (since Felix has magical abuse and physical+verbal abuse), but he would be in the wrong for saying Adrien has it easy.

(I think at this point my ADHD is over-explaining, so I’ll leave it at that lol)

Do you think a route like that would’ve improved the show at all? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

The sentiplot has many issues and one of the big ones is that it's not a great fit for a show where Marinette is the one and only main character. They've given Kagami, Felix, and Adrien this massive weight that begs for them to take center stage for at least a few episodes, but probably a whole season or two. The show isn't going to do that, so it's near impossible to really fix the sentiplot without truly massive changes to canon.

That being said, I think that this idea would have vastly improved the sentiplot in its current form! Right now, the senti thing truly doesn't matter to Adrien's character. His mom could have gotten sick for any random reason and the only meaningful change would be that Gabriel couldn't use the rings to keep Adrienette from kissing that one time. Outside of that, Adrien's status has no meaningful effect on the story. It doesn't even keep him out of the final! He does that on his own! The senti thing is just there for cheap drama.

There's also the issue that the current storyline makes the Agreste's look awful which is clearly not the story's goal. Emilie is supposed to be an angel and Gabriel is supposed to be a grief-stricken man who loves his family. That doesn't fit with the kind of monsters who would make a magical designer slave to be their child and then wear his control rings around as daily accessories. Remember, they picked their freaking wedding rings for his slave collars! Most people wear those every day. The implications are nasty!

It makes way more sense for the Agreste's to have the peacock for more mundane reasons and for Colt to get it somehow. Maybe even have him steal it after he finds out about it to really remove the Ageste's from the perfect slave child issue. This allows for the contrast between Gabriel and Colt that canon so clearly wanted, but failed to write. It also makes Felix's actions towards Adrien make way more sense. It feels like canon Felix hates Adrien and we still don't know why that is.

As nebulous as Felix's character is, he still feels like the kind of character who needs to be tied to something like the sentiplot. It's part of the reason I don't think I can use him in my own stuff. The sentiplot is - or at least should be - such a major, defining thing for him that the only possible way to use him is to keep that plot or to give him a plot about freeing the Kwamis since they're also slaves and his abusive childhood could make him feel a bond with them.

Focusing the sentistruggle on Felix instead of spreading it out to include Adrien and Kagami would also keep the sentistuff from dominating the story. Making the male romantic lead an artificial being without true free will whose creation killed his mother is a massive thing that needs to be the focus of his character for the rest of the story. People are on the edge of their seats waiting for Adrien to learn the truth and want this to be a big plot. I do not think they're going to get that, but they should.

Having a side character be the artificial human allows this to be something that is dealt with and then Felix either leaves or fades into the background once his story is over because his story allowed to have an ending whenever they want it to. That's not true for Adrien. Adrien's ending is happily every after with Marinette and the sentiplot needlessly complicates that plan because it means that Adrien's character is always going to be center stage, making people want the sentiplot to mean something since it's apparently impossible for him to ever be a real boy who has true free will. That's such a massive thing that it begs for Adrien to be the main character, which is an asinine writing choice. I have no idea why they keep giving Adrien all this massive narrative weight. You don't do that if you want the female romantic lead to be the main focus! You do it if you want them to be true costars or if you want the male lead to get the majority of the focus. This is writing 101!

As you said at the top, I'm not sure how well this works for a show aimed at five-year-olds because it's still a pretty heavy stuff, but as a general idea, I'd be down to watch it! I didn't have a ton to add to this one because your pitch was already excellent!

[lurkingshan]

Hi genuine question, i totally get what you mean with gmmtv but isn't branded pairs something that's pretty common among the thai bl industry in general? Not just with gmmtv. We have zeenunew, boumprem (before joining gmmtv), maxtul (before seperating), mosbank, yinwar, fortpeat... etc, where a lot of their shows are just to serve the bigger picture of selling a pair? I get that gmmtv is overselling it, i myself don't follow their stuff anymore (albeit i don't really watch thai bl) but isn't this a discussion that fits the industry as a whole?

Hello! Most definitely, branded pairs is A Thing across the Thai bl industry and not just at GMMTV. A broader discussion of the pros and cons of that system would necessarily include most of the Thai studios producing bl. But my post earlier wasn’t tackling that precisely, more the way GMMTV is using their pairs and how it’s affecting their shows. There are a few aspects to this:

They are routinely using branded pairs in shows where one or both of them is miscast, but they must be partnered and promoted and that gets prioritized over the story.

Many of their recent shows are essentially just vehicles for churning out ship moments, with weak writing and consistent story and characterization always secondary to getting a cute moment with virality potential on film.

There are clear signs of interference in the storytelling where actors who are part of branded pairs, and thus considered active revenue streams, must end up together and must also have their images protected even if it interferes with their characters.

They also constantly make in-jokes and meta references to the pairs’ other couples in new shows, encouraging fans to blur the lines between the actors and the characters.

They are the biggest studio in Thailand, quickly growing into total market domination, and they have a huge number of actors on their roster. Almost none of them have publicly acknowledged romantic partners. Their talent are expected to commit to their assigned ships, hide their personal lives, and perform queerness publicly as their job while being restricted in private.

Speaking of, their shows are feeling increasingly confused on the existence of homophobia in their fictional universes and it has been an active problem affecting the story in several recent bls. GMMTV is not often putting out content that feels genuinely informed by queer experience, whereas other Thai studios most certainly are.

They have more resources than any other studio in the Thai bl space, and they absolutely could invest in good writing and stronger productions to tell better stories if they wanted to. But they don’t, because that is not their primary objective.

I’ll just add as a final point that this matters because GMMTV is so influential in the Thai bl space. What they do sets a precedent for other studios and for the larger industry. If they wanted to lead on creating an industry that was more supportive of good storytelling, that was more responsible about fan and actor interactions, that was more concerned about their talent as full human beings rather than as commodities, they could, and there are other studios making honest efforts towards those goals. I’d rather give them more of my time, dollars, and attention.

[scramjettracy]

There has been a lot of discussion recently regarding your family, which you yourself engage in on your newly created social media. Especially the legacy you all share regarding your father, Jeff Tracy.

This publication notices a distinct lack of mention of your mother, Lucille. Is there any reason for this?

Hi Anon ‘publication’,

Interesting you should say that - our Mom, Lucille Tracy, absolutely deserves to be known and mentioned just as much as Dad.

Although a little unfair to say no mention - I believe my brother posted a photograph of her the first day we were here.

But you are right, nobody else has yet asked about her. As you have, I will do my best to describe the indescribable.

She was an incredible force of nature in her own right, and although in popular opinion her name was eclipsed by Jeff Tracy the astronaut, Doctor Lucille Tracy (nee Evans) was and still is fairly well known in her field - namely as a renowned experimental astrophysicist and academic author. She was also a fairly handy engineer and a lot of her work for NASA was actually in that field (she kinda treated the various university lectureships she held during various periods of maternity leave as a hobby!!)

So actually the first thing I want to say is go and search her up online - skip past all the “wife of Jeff Tracy” and the “tragic mother of five” stuff and find her contribution to science and our understanding of the universe. She had so much more left to discover.

Her loss was a loss to the whole world, not just to us.

But then apart from having at least three different paid jobs, she also was frequently a solo parent to five children spanning a pretty significant age gap*. I have genuinely no idea how she managed it and remained so good humoured the majority of the time. Our home was always full of laughter. Perhaps there is something in that old phrase “if you don’t laugh you’ll cry” because some of us I believe were rather challenging to parent / keep alive.

On top of all that she was an amazing artist, a musician, and so so SO kind. She loved nature and always insisted we take care of the world around us. And she was adamant what we saw was not all there was - she had a strong faith and never let us forget that none of us was ever going to be (or needed to be) the biggest deal in the universe, nor would ever be alone. I wish I had that confidence… but I still respect it.

Objectively she was WAY out of Dad’s league and looking back, I see now that he knew it full well. And although it was hard to accept at the time, I do understand now why he retreated emotionally when she passed.

It’s been… a long time since we lost her but in some ways… it’s still a sharp painful shock to remember she isn’t here… I can’t just go and run something by her to get her take - she was always so wise and could put a positive spin on almost anything… there’s so much I could have asked her when I had the chance but… well we none us could predict that time was limited. I really don’t know if the things I’d ask now would be so much more worth her time than my silly teenage struggles but she gave that time so willingly.

The worst though is remembering that my youngest siblings didn’t know her as a (nearly) adult - Alan has almost nothing other than what we tell him or show him on video, he was too young. Gordon has some memories of Mommy… but as a person to talk to about grown up worries or share opinions with - I got the privilege of the lion’s share of that and I feel guilty they didn’t.

And yet - it seems trite but she lives on absolutely in my brothers.

John carries her legacy in his love of the stars and his academic brilliance. Virgil carries her gentleness, and her artistic mind. Gordon her humour, her readiness to laugh, the way he brings fun to anything. And Alan has her sense of adventure, her acute sense of justice and her quickness to learn.

So - there we are - all of that and I still don’t feel like I’ve done her justice.

I don’t know if that was what you were after, Anon, and sorry it took me so long to reply. But I thought, hard as it has been to write, she deserved the fullest reply I could manage.

*OOC: insert your preferred gap here, I know mine is larger than most would have it

[oakheartedmuse]

Lily Evans defined by life, not just love:

A woman of strength, light, and action

okay. so, i’ve been thinking about this a lot, and i decided to write it down for the sake of my own sanity. forgive me if it lacks a bit of coherence. here it goes:

Much has been said about Lily: as a mother, wife, best friend, member of the Order, and how her love is the foundation of the entire saga. We all know that it was her love that saved Harry and allowed the whole story to unfold. But there is a question that lingers: who is Lily beyond the roles she is inevitably placed into? Who is Lily for herself? I know there are many discussions about the need to portray Lily as a flawed character with her own will. Unfortunately, Lily was constructed to always be tied to a man—whether her husband, her best friend, or her son. But today, I want to talk about Lily as a person, about Lily as a woman.

When I write my stories about Lily, I always try to portray her as a living character. And I don’t mean "living" in the sense of being physically present —of course, in my stories, she isn’t dead— but rather in the sense of someone full of vitality. Here, I’d like to bring in some testimonies from the characters who knew Lily to support my perspective.

One of the first accounts we have of Lily's image comes from Hagrid, who tells Harry that his mother was one of the kindest, most talented people he had ever met. Hagrid even says that some of the greatest wizards he knew were Muggle-born and asks Harry to keep his mother in mind. In other words, Lily, as a person, had a natural talent. We see this even when Harry buys his wand, and Mr. Ollivander tells him that his mother had a wand suited for charms, indicating that Lily already had a predisposition for great magical talent.

In my opinion, the fact that someone is born a wizard does not automatically mean they are highly gifted in magic. Lily’s talent suggests something deeper: she had a profound connection with magic and, even more so, with life. Lily had a lot of life within her. She had a greater dimension of magic, a deep connection with it. Unintentionally, she even performed ancient magic—something barely studied even by the most knowledgeable wizards. This only reinforces how deeply connected Lily was to the magical world, in a vivid way, not just through predisposition.

When I talk about "vivacity," I mean this fluidity of energy within a person, the ability to see life as something vast and rich. Sirius also possessed this; despite the adversities he faced. Even in the most difficult moments, such as when he was locked in Azkaban or at Grimmauld Place, Sirius had this vibrant energy that pushed him forward. And Lily, like him, possessed this vivacity that made her life radiant, a force that always propelled her forward.

However, Lily's vivacity was not restricted to the fact that she was a witch. It was directly tied to her humanity. Above all, Lily was an extremely human person, but at the same time, she had a brilliant facet of humanity. She knew how to recognize beauty in small things, in moments of genuine happiness. An example of this is when Harry describes the scene of Lily, arm in arm with James at their wedding, alight with happiness. Of course, it was their wedding, and both would naturally be happy, but the fact that Harry specifically highlights how Lily was particularly illuminated by happiness indicates her unique perception of life and how she could transmit this to others – even through pictures. Being filled with happiness is something profoundly human, even though humanity's destiny is often far from that. This only shows how exceptional Lily was—more full of life and humanity than most.

Another point that highlights Lily's vivacity is that she was a righteous person. She had the courage to tell James directly about his mistakes without worrying about possible repercussions. She also confronted Snape, telling him that she did not agree with his association with the Dark Arts and that she could not support his choices because her perspective was different. This act of standing her ground, with her own opinions, is deeply connected to Lily's vivacity. Many other wizards or muggles would have chosen to remain silent. An example of this is Remus, who, although also brave and just, often distanced himself from this vivacity due to the circumstances he faced. He preferred to wait in silence, unlike Lily, who would not hold back.

And once again, I’m not referring to Lily as a member of the Order because it is clear that all members followed Dumbledore’s orders. If he said something should not be done or should be delayed, people would obviously follow. But I see Lily as someone who, perhaps, would be troubled by certain orders. She would follow them, no doubt, but her vivacity would cause a disturbance regarding what she believed was right.

(Here, it would be interesting to discuss the different notions of justice and how they were perceived in contrasting ways by Lily and Sirius—but that is a conversation for another time.)

Returning to the books, we have Slughorn’s testimony, where he tells Harry that Lily was one of the most brilliant witches he ever taught. She gave him an aquarium with a flower that turned into a fish. She was charming, lively, and captivating. Lily had an energy that not only made her live intensely but also made everyone around her feel her vivacity. One can imagine that people at Hogwarts wanted to be near Lily because of this energy she radiated. Yes, she probably suffered for being muggle-born, but those who did not harbor prejudice against her certainly saw in her a symbol of joy. This becomes clear in the last book when we see Lily as a child, swinging on a playground. She had this vivacity from an early age, pushing her own limits without worrying about getting hurt or facing consequences. I’m not saying she was reckless, but rather that she was open to challenges.

I believe that Lily's vivacity, this vibrant energy flowing through her veins, made her more than just a student or a young woman at Hogwarts. It led her, at 18, to volunteer for a secret organization fighting against Dark Wizards—a completely subversive act. Yet, Lily did not hesitate, and this decision reflects her vivacity, her sense of justice, and her desire to fight for a better world. She put her body and spirit into battle to make a difference, to try to build a fairer world, even knowing the dangers she faced.

The analogy between Lily’s vivacity and her willingness to fight for a better world is clear. Fighting for a world that is trying to destroy her is a sign of someone who is truly alive, who has something within them that drives them forward. Ultimately, this is also a demonstration of love.

To conclude, I would like to emphasize that Lily’s love is directly connected to her vivacity. Lily was not alive because she loved, but rather, she loved because she was full of life. This life, this pulsating energy, made her see the world as something worth fighting for, and this nurtured her with love—not just for the world, but for her family, her friends, and especially for Harry.

In conclusion, Lily Evans Potter was, is, and always will be a symbol of love, courage, determination, and, incomparably, of life.

| a canon compliant meta for @lilyfesthp ♡ |

[ironunderstands]

Not a question, just very happy it's not just me loving IP3 (or trans Ratio for that matter). Yap away on both

Ugh I love them both so much

Most of my headcanons are when I find something to be better and/or more interesting than it is in canon, or something that’s a great extension of canon, and that’s exactly what trans Ratio is to me.

It takes his already present insecurities and squares them, as now the doctor has to contend with not just being a SMART enough man, but being a smart enough MAN, and adding that extra layer of misery and complexity is just so delightful.

By taking a character racked by self doubt and adding another layer to it, like Ratio being trans, you complicate his current insecurities and give new perspectives to look at them from.

Like in canon Ratio exercises so much because he wants to be the most perfect, best version of himself and has been doing it since a very young age (middle school).

But then you add him being trans to that, and suddenly he’s not just combating being perceived as not good enough, he’s combating being perceived entirely, attempting to try and get others to view him the way he really is, and attempting to live up to whatever masculine ideal that would push away his dysphoria, something prominent within his life from a young age.

I’ve kinda dived into this within my fics about it, but I like the idea that Ratio keeps this a secret from everyone- and I mean everyone. He already doesn’t live up to his own expectations of himself, so to have the rest of the galaxy find out that he doesn’t live up to their expectations of him either (ie being a cis man I mean you cannot tell me there aren’t like hundreds of people in universe begging for his uh- yeah), it would crush him.

I mean considering how guarded he is already, adding another thing to hide behind that alabaster mask would be fun, even if I think Ratio is likely at least a decade post-op + post-transition, so it’s not like he has to bind or anything, but the threat is still there. Especially considering his well known love of baths- imagine if he avoided the public baths at his home planet (considering how heavily Greek/Roman inspired Ratio is), and how that might affected him growing up, or just the tendency of shirtlessness in general.

There’s just a lot of possibilities and intricacies to it that makes me really like this particular headcanon, and it will always be canon in my heart haha. I have some more silly things behind it, like me wanting to give Aventio and Ratiopaz biological kids because it would be cute, or just the inherent joy of the big buff guy actually being the trans one rather than who you would expect it to be/who it’s stereotypically made as- Aventurine, as I like when characters have traits you don’t expect them to possess.

I also tend to dislike Aventurine being made ftm because he’s implied to be an SA survivor and rep for amab victims is already kinda abysmal so I don’t like taking it away, also I just think it’s boring tbh, at least for me it just doesn’t interest me.

Trans Topaz is a whole other discussion, personally I think she’s mtnb, and more femme presenting (I’d make her use she/they in my fics it’s just pronoun swapping when writing polyamory is miserable and anybody who’s ever written it can attest to that 😭, it’s there in spirit I promise!)

I honestly don’t have deep reasons behind this one, it’s just pure vibes. Someone was like, “Topaz gives nonbinary” once on here and I’m like yeah, yeah she does 😭. She reminds me of Childe a lot and I also view him as nonbinary so she’s kinda in a similar boat.

I think she’s very motherly but like in the way Mother Nature is if that makes sense? Mother is mothering but she’s also a creature tm* and certified tax collecting humanity loving entity. Also I have a close friend who’s a trans woman and Topaz reminds me of her so like, bam ur trans now lol (hi Alice if ur seeing this).

As for Aventiopaz, I fear I’d need a whole other post dedicated to why I like them. You guys know why I like Aventio, Avenpaz also require a whole other yap session, and Ratiopaz is the best rarepair ever fight me. Generally I like it because it’s really sweet, the dynamic is hilarious, they are the power trio of all time, they have great gameplay synergy, and their designs complement each other a lot- being primary colors and all.

I also enjoy their individual unique relationships to the IPC and how that might affect their interactions with one another, both in canon and in my brain. Moreover the trio of coworkers who are well known around the office for a) getting the job done and b) being absolutely obnoxious around one another (in a good way) is incredibly fun and I enjoy the idea of all the shenanigans they would get up to.

Perhaps my next Aventiopaz fic would be them going on a mission together or something, as I definitely want to write another one, and also update my slideshow of the parents au, I’ve just been so busy and a bit unmotivated 😭 so hopefully I can get to that soon

[lurkofyourlife]

not me writing out a whole goddamn multi-part post for this fantasy of [first person pov representing] me and [unnamed moot representative of multiple moots]. >< Tumblr kinksters rotting my brain challenge 🩷😵‍💫

Anyway, part one is gender neutral (implied cock/strap) and is really just flirty kink negotiations 👉👈 enjoy! (heads up for discussion of cnc kink, and there is a joke about snuff, but nothing graphic)

1

Okay so… as much as I’d love to say it starts with something fun like abduction or being hunted through the back halls of some concrete building, it doesn’t. 

It starts with a consent discussion, funnily enough. 

Me going pink, squirming in my seat, finding it hard not to giggle nervously or crack jokes to break the awkward tension as I say yes to item after item, or nod and chew my lip when words fail me. Ears gone pink with a blush as I shrug and regretfully say no to a couple things, but you assure me it’s okay to have boundaries and we don’t need to do everything, and if I really want to expand my horizons that can happen on a different meeting, it doesn’t have to be right now, right at this time; focus on what feels good and is the most exciting, what I’m most eager to try. 

Going through the list feels like foreplay. 

“Impact?”

“Dying for it,” I admit. 

“Snuff’s not on the list, puppy, that’s fiction-only,” you joke, and I snort like an idiot. “What kind of impact?”

I remember things I’ve seen, things I’ve done. “I like thuddy more than stingy,” I admit, cheeks burning. “Wouldn’t mind feeling like a punching bag maybe, though I’d rather not end up with… like… lasting harm, here.”

“Yeah I’m not sure I could stomach doing that.”

I’m a little disappointed, eyes flicking up like I’m worried you’re judging me, then I realize what you meant. 

You seem cheery as you add: “I don’t think you want a concussion.”

“Oh, yeah, I don’t. But bruising is cool. I like having something to look back on later.”

“So impact yesses are punching…?”

“Slapping, floggers, those heavy strap things - not sure about a belt, though - crops, weighted gloves, paddles if you’re gentle with me, singletails in moderation-”

Now you’re laughing, the more I babble about how much I’m willing to do. “Maybe we should figure out the nos.”

“Limited use of caning. I don’t mind a gentler cane, a few strikes here or there, but not like… bloodied marks from it, y’know?” Ears burn; I’m a little embarrassed to say no to blood when I like the aesthetics of it so much. 

But you’re patient, nonjudgmental. “That’s cool, there’s plenty that can be done without breaking skin.” 

Swear to god, that sounds like a promise and it goes straight to my cunt. “Oh, claws too. Whartenberg wheels. And I also like knives,” I volunteer, on that same line of thought. “Not like cutting, I’m still kinda a wuss about that, but I wouldn’t mind, um. Like… the threat of it.”

Your lips turn up, then press flat, like you’re hiding your smile. “You want me to hold a knife to your throat while I fuck you?”

Immediately my throat feels tight, eyes going wide as I just blink for a second, blue screening as my insides flutter. “Hhh–I uh–” I choke on the words, coughing. 

“Didn’t realize I could choke you without a hand around your neck,” you tease. 

“I uh– UHM.” The blush burns so hot across my skin, I feel like I’m melting a little, shifting in my seat as my toes curl. 

“You’re adorable,” you tease as I quickly place cooler hands over my heated face. “God, I am so curious if I can get you nonverbal.”

“You can,” I mutter from under my hands, hiding from the attention I was so desperate for. “It’s actually super easy,” I mumble, “I lose like 90% of my vocabulary when I’m being fucked.”

Your hand slides up my back to bury itself in my hair and my breath catches, a little whimper as I shiver and goosebumps break out all over my skin. “Well, we’ll see if we can hit that before you even see what I’m packing, huh?” 

“Ihhh-” Already my words are failing. I feel squirmy and pathetic and so fucking wound up right now, hands pressed to my thighs and flexing and bunching like I can get the nerves out. My whole body is shaking, I want this so bad. “Uhmm, mhm,” I manage, squeakily. “I– uh huh.” Really hard to talk with your hand twisting in my hair. Instead, little whines keep catching in my throat as I try not to come across like the desperate little slut I am at the moment. 

“Christ, you’re gonna be fun,” you murmur, tightening and loosening your grip in my hair as I shiver.

I’m down for anything at the moment, kinda want to get wrestled down and have my clothes ripped off and just get rutted into the floor, if I’m honest, but that’s all a messy slideshow in my brain as I tremble and pant and hope you’ll keep making moves. 

“...We should finish this list.” 

Your hand leaves my hair and I’m so fucking disappointed, a little whine making you smirk as you look back down at the paper we’ve been going through. It’s good to have limits and wants in place, I know that, but godddd I’m impatient. Well. Impatient, in theory. I love how much this is dragging out; every little shift in my seat feels slick. 

I give more yeses, a few more nos, and as the hair pulling wears off I get chattier, start to offer answers you didn’t ask for (“I like to struggle,” and “can’t fault a bit of wrassling,” and “my gag reflex could use work but I love sucking fingers,” and “I just like to make my partner laugh, I don’t care if it’s at me– if it’s at me, it’s with me, really,” and on and on and on). 

At long last, we’ve reached the end of the list. “And you know your safewords?”

“Traffic light system, right? All green.”

“Even with your ‘red tags’?” 

“I just won’t talk about the color of the tags,” I smile, “I’ll be too busy wanting them. But I can also just say safeword if you’re worried about it.”

“Deal. Are we saying no means no?” 

“I don’t say ‘no’ as often as I’d say ‘don’t,’ and I think the appropriate response is probably to tease me a bit and then ask for a color, if I’m honest.”

“You’re doing my job for me.”

“I’ve thought about this a lot.”

“Sick little puppy.”

The blush is back, “A bit,” I admit. “Juuuust a bit.”

[kfkr1ze]

Escape from S - Chapter 2

Characters — ✈︎ Renga, Ten, Kafka, Liguang, Yukikaze, Yachiyo

Location: HAMA House Living Room

Ten: (It may have taken until dawn, but that job was pretty good for a one time job. Aah, I’m so sleepy…)

Mm…

………

(Who’s here?)

Renga: W-Welcome back, Ten.

Ten: …Renga-san. Your face looks like you’ve been up all night. What are you doing here?

Renga: I was waiting for you…! I did fall asleep on the sofa at some point though.

……

Y’know, yesterday, your ex-girlfriends chased you out the store after you leftーー

Ten: Ah～ My bad for dragging you into my issues yesterday. Do you know what happened after they left?

Renga: No, that's…

Ten: I actually met up with them again after that〜 The 3 of us hit it off pretty well I’d say? We were up having so much fun that I ended up coming home pretty late.

Renga: ……!

Ten: (If I say that, then he can’t pry anymore, right?)

Theen, night〜. I’m gonna go to sleep since I didn’t get to last night, so don’t wake me up before afternoon hits please.

Renga: Ah…

Renga: ………

Location: HAMA House Tiger Room

Ten: (Sighs. He was waiting there for me like a earnest dog.)

(Well, it was easy for me to get around it, since he believes anything he hears…)

Ten: (My phone…? God, who’s calling at this time…?)

……Chief?

Yeah, I was sleeping just now…

Eh? The Morning Squad has to meet ASAP?

Location: HAMA House Meeting Space

Yachiyo: Hwawawawa… This is the start of a legend!

No, we already have one, but HAMA Tours is gonna make another legend!! I c-can’t help but get excitedddd!!!

Liguang: Hey, stop moving. You’re going to break something.

Kaede: If you headbang that much, you’re going to end up hurting your neck!

Yukikaze: Rather, the fact that he’s been going for 5 minutes… Yachiyo’s bones are actually pretty strong huh. That’s amazing.

Ten: Uh, I came because of the call but…　Everyone seems to be a bit excited? What happened?

Kafka: Ah, it seems everyone arrived.  Then, let’s get started with this discussion. 

Kaede: Ten-kun, you might not be surprised to hear this, but…

Morning Squad has been invited to appear on live TV!!!!

Ten: …Huh?

Yachiyo: Everyone was invited to appear on that super popular TV program, “Escape from S”ーーOr “Es・S” for short～!!

Ten: “Es・S” …It’s that thing isn’t it? That live program where you try to escape some searchers within the time limit to get some prize money, right?

Kafka: Correct. The main reason it’s so popular is because it has heated escape scenes and the mystery you get to solve is changed with each visit.

Even the “Normal Clear” is hard to achieve on its own, but there’s also a “True Clear” that you can achieve by completing a variety of missions. You already know about that too, right Ten?

Ten: Refresh my memory?

Kafka: The reward for a True Clear is the ability to produce a commercial for free and air it during the golden hour.

For HAMA’s future development, and for the sake of HAMA Tours as well, we have to do it, right? ♪

Yukikaze: Yes. I’ll do my best for both Chief, as well as Kafka and the others.

Liguang: …Sighs. I think it’s obvious that appearing on TV is a hassle, though.

Ten: (Ah, nice Ligaung-san. Keep talking about that please.)

Liguang: However, if the profit is worth that hassle, I can see why Oguro would want to go through with that plan.

Ten: (Oh my. Turns out I couldn’t rely on that. Even just being a Ward Mayor is a lot of exposure as is, so this would definitely be a pain.)

I mean, why were we even invited in the first place?

It’s not a program that’s known for being open to the public for performers, right? The rewards for the True Clear clearly aren't open for just anyone either.

Don’t tell me that the Pres has been pulling the strings for this plan?

Kafka: That’s wrong. This time, Renga was the one who suggested it.

Ten: Renga-san did?

Renga: ………

Ten: (Right right. I could see his depressing face staring at me from the corner of my eye this whole time. What’s up with that?)

Renga: Um, y’know, Ten!

I… s-saw you… last night…!

Ten: ………

(Hah?)

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[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

okay so we know that if reader tried to be creepy towards yves about sexual stuff he would cut them off (and/or traumatize them if they went even further).

but what would happen if yves set up their perfect meet-cute, they started dating, and after a while reader tried to initiate sex. and yves is like oh, no. explains his whole thing about only doing it like once a month, and on his terms. and reader is like oh, okay! i totally respect that!

and then the next day, they sit down for dinner, and reader essentially tries to break up with him? basically just saying i don’t think this will work out between us, i’d really like a partner who i have very regular sex with even if not every day, but you’re really cool and really nice and i’d love to stay friends :)

how would yves react? i feel like he wouldn’t traumatize them because they didn’t actually do anything wrong, but he’s also been super clear about being monogamous so he doesn’t seem like the type to allow reader to pursue a sort of fwb relationship on the side? that is, if reader even wanted to have a side relationship just for sex, they might only want one relationship and need it to be both romantic and regularly sexual.

another thought that’s sort of tied to this: what if yves was dating a reader who, because they couldn’t successfully initiate sex and were told not to try ever again the one time they tried, and because yves so rarely initiates sex, started feeling really self conscious and like they aren’t worth having sex with? like even with yves being such a sweetheart and loving on them all the time, the lack of sex really gets to them and makes them feel undesirable?

sincerely, a very shy anon (who is Constantly Horny and also gets insecure)

Tw: sexual stuff, drugging

The thing is, Yves would have already known that you're seeking for a more sexually fulfilling relationship with someone. It depends on your personality, is it a must that you have to touch him in ways he wished you wouldn't? Is it a must for Yves to touch you in ways he rather not? Even with his 'interventions'? Then, Yves has no choice but to let go of the idea of being your romantic partner. It doesn't mean he will abandon you, he will assume the role of a smothering monster-in-law.

However, if he already knows the ins and outs of your body, the limits of how much he could drug you without any adverse effects, Yves wouldn't mention about sex at all. He would take it slow, letting the relationship progress until you're comfortable to discuss such proclivities or attempt to make the first move. The longer you're with Yves, the more you feel loved and spoiled by his riches and acts of services.

But... By the time you would usually feel undesirable due to a lack of sexual initiation from Yves, you would find yourself saying "yuck" to anything related to genitalia. Perhaps even feeling glad that Yves didn't see you in that light yet, dreading the day where you have to say no to him.

Hell, maybe you wouldn't even care to initiate it either, you somehow lost interest in something you used to crave badly and you don't know why. The idea of it feels... Dull, boring and maybe overbearing, it's like eating the same meal repeatedly to the point it makes you nauseous thinking about it. The thought of being horny and getting off your bed to work for that orgasm makes you go "Ugh, do I have to?"

Assuming that you masturbate to alleviate your frustrations, you suddenly find that your stimulating toys would just not do it for you anymore. Neither would your fingers, nor pornography. You just feel... Nothing. No tingles, no drive and no desire to chase that high you were once addicted to. It feels tedious as if you're doing a soul sucking chore, you would rather cuddle with Yves instead, fully clothed too with each other's hands away from the major erogenous zones.

You wouldn't notice it. The change would be so gradual that you wouldn't realize your favorite sex toy is collecting a layer of dust under your bed. The idea of Yves going anywhere near your crotch never crossed your mind, why would it? You're not interested in doing the tango with him and neither is he, and you would like to keep it that way in order to avoid the awkwardness of rejection.

You never visited your favourite erotic sites anymore and you're not yearning for that excitement, you have lost a core part of yourself and you are none the wiser.

And that's how Yves likes it; to let yourself be pampered by him in every way except one. What you don't know will never hurt you.

[cleolinda]

Creepypasta: The Dionaea House (2004-2006)

I wanted to post a few of my favorite creepypasta/Weird Internet Fiction stories this month, so of course one of the first I looked up was "The Dionaea House." Dated somewhere back around 2004-2006, it's one of the earliest entries in the genre; I’m not sure how many people know about it now, but Back in the Day, it was one of the creepypasta classics. Then, while researching all this, I discovered to my utter astonishment that it was written by Eric Heisserer—who wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Arrival and is currently best known here, I'd bet, as the show runner of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone.

Years ago, the story was at dionaea-house.com (now offline), and it was the kind of thing you'd stumble across somehow—maybe on a friend's recommendation, maybe from a forum discussion—and then lose yourself in for a whole afternoon. It starts out as the story of a fictionalized Eric posting the emails of an old buddy, Mark, who's trying to figure out why their friend Drew... snapped. And "Eric" is posting these emails because Mark now has disappeared. And before too long... someone else has to pick up the story. Because it turns out that, at the heart of the mystery, there is a house, and going to that house is a mistake. I would describe it a little like House of Leaves, except also smelling like cake, and projecting out to multiple locations rather than pulling you into one infinite labyrinth. Also, a shit ton easier to read.

Relatively speaking, at least. "The Dionaea House" started out as “emails” posted on a blog at that original URL [unofficial mirror], then spun out into a Blogspot, an AIM chat, two separate Livejournals, and multiple commenters interacting on them. Some of them seem to be strangers walking in off the street, as it were, but the trick is, we don’t know which commenters are part of the story, which gives the “flesh puppet” comments, for example, a weird jolt of realism:

(I would like to think “TELL THE HOUSE TO FUCK OFF” is one of the in-story commenters, honestly; I like to think this is who I’d be in a horror story.)

So while "The Dionaea House" doesn't have the single-minded realism of "Ted the Caver," the blog-and-comment format—a found document subgenre for the 21st century—also allows for multiple perspectives. (I’ve lost count of the number of protagonists the house consumes, but it’s at least three, maybe four.) Tumblr is currently in year two of the Dracula Daily read-along, and I’ve always argued that Dracula was a techno-thriller for the nineteenth century: correspondence, newspaper articles, diaries, and even audio journaling on a phonograph. Emails, blogs, chats, phone messages, comments, and an article about the murder-suicide that starts the story—“The Dionaea House” is pretty much in the same multi-perspective, multimedia genre. Unlike Stoker’s bound novel, however, “The Dionaea House” wanders the physical space of the internet, and it trusts that either you'll see that the story has a new branch, or you won't, and that's okay.

In fact, I'm not sure if Eric Heisserer didn't know how to bring the story to a conclusion, or he got busy and couldn't keep going—or maybe there is an ending and I just never found it. (The Loreen Mathers blog doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me and seems like one giant loose end, although the mention of engineer-occultist Jack Parsons adds a new dimension at the last minute.) But as with "Ted the Caver," the lack of a concrete ending makes sense for a shaggy dog story like this, as frustrating as it might be. Maybe Loreen got got, just like everyone else! Isn’t “disappearing before explaining what the hell she’s talking about” exactly what that would look like? We don’t know! If there's a scary house and you manage to burn it down to the ground in a complex denouement, that's a story. If there's a scary house out there, somewhere, and we'll never know how it came to be or what happened to the people who tried to take it on—that's a creepypasta. That’s a legend.