#I don’t believe in much but the power of tumblr always surprises me

[ambassadortotrilliusprime]

So.

I’ve never done this. I’ve always figured things out, and never wanted to ask for help if I didn’t need too - but now I’m down bad and I really fucking need help.

On January 6th, I was rear ended in an accident and sprained my neck and my back. I was in the hospital and supposed to go on short term disability to recover (it freaking hurts). I found out on Tuesday of this week that the person hadn’t paid their insurance. They’re denying the claim, they won’t pay for my car or my medical bills or the lost wages. Which already puts me in a BAD spot.

But now my rent is so very late. I need to come up with the rest of it by this Tuesday or they will evict me, my partner (who was also injured in the accident) and my step kids.

I have $1,463. I need $2,432. (Rent + late fee). I’ve asked everyone I know. I’ve tried to sell things. So now I’m asking, Tumblr. Please help, even if it’s small. Please. I’m desperate. I can give more details if you need.

Cash app is $HarleyDax.

[wallflowerwritesstuff]

You Chose: Rafayel

border credit goes to cafekitsune here on tumblr 🖤

Getting home had been surprisingly tame, the night passing without much issue. 

The morning, however, was the polar opposite, the pain causing you to remain in the same position despite how uncomfortable it had become. You powered up your phone, having allowed it to die last night after your shower without realizing. 

Then came the messages. 

Ding. 

Ding. 

Ding, Ding Di—

You snatch the phone from your bedside table with a whimper, finding that anger wasn’t appropriate when you could barely move. 

So, slowly, you unlock your phone and peer at your texts, responding to each in order until you get to the most recent from a contact that makes you snicker inwardly. 

-0-0-0-

hey

hey

hey 

hellllllloooooo? you aren’t ignoring my texts now are you miss bodyguard? 

have a good night. we can talk in the morning. 

its morning you know. i’ll come over if you keep ignoring me. i mean it!

alright. bet.

-0-0-0-

It only takes your read receipt popping up before you receive an incoming call from Catastrosea, your head rolling as you move onto your back. Rafayel’s voice comes through immediately, beginning with a soft gasp and click of his tongue. 

Ever the dramatic one. 

“At least you had the decency to pick my call up since you’ve been avoiding my texts,” he says, sounding offended, a small chuckle following the words. “Just kidding, I know you Hunters are always off being good samaritans or whatever. But you are still my bodyguard, you know. How am I meant to go to events without my trusty protector making sure little ol’ me is safe?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” you mumble, shutting your eyes again and breathing through the ache building in your temples. “Sorry.” 

Rafayel pauses on the other line. “Woah, you sound….” 

You can hear the ‘awful’ wanting to roll off his tongue, but instead, the sound of rustling is heard along with a soft ‘ow~’ and something falling. You perk up, on high alert until he mumbles about stepping on supplies, a small smile forming on your lips. 

You weren’t the only klutz, apparently. 

“You alright?” you whisper, earning a huff from the line. 

“Are you sure you’re in a position to ask me that? I nearly thought someone stole your phone with how you sound right now,” he says as you frown. 

“In bed,” you respond, not adding the and that’s where I’ll be for the next 3-5 business days for the sake of sparing him concern. 

“What a surprise for someone as active as yourself. Not feeling well?”

You hesitate to answer, the slight rustling sound seeming to remain constant as you chewed on your lower lip. “...just wanted a change of routine, I guess.” 

“Right,” he answered, not believing you for a second but not arguing. “On a scale from cat scratch to completely bodied, what state are you in right now?” 

You laugh, but then you suck in a breath and curl into yourself. “Guess.”

“Completely bodied from that pitiful little whimper of yours. I gotcha,” he says too calmly, and you wonder if he regrets calling right now. He had probably been having a rather decent afternoon considering how jovial he’d sounded, but now he was awfully quiet on the other line. His mood had to have soured, but you had a hard time imagining he cared so much about your life to have it affect his own. 

It was nice to imagine, at least.

Someone was knocking on your door like they wanted to tear it down. You hear a voice as you get closer, yawning as you tap on your door to see a screen pop up, revealing exactly who you thought it’d be, though he seemed to have brought company.

“Don’t scratch me or so help me, you little terror—!”

Your eyes light up as you open the door to meet a familiar pair of eyes. 

Rafayel, with a cat in hand, pauses the moment he sees you. There is a flash of something you don’t quite recognize coming from him, but then he sniffs and tilts his head. 

“Woof. You look even worse than you sound. It’s a great thing I’m here. I have a fantastic bedside manner.” 

You lean against the doorway, managing a small smile despite your vision feeling like it was beginning to double. “Really? Because most professionals wouldn’t bark at their patients and say they look awful,” you reply, the cat jumping out of his arms to circle your ankles, purring gently. You feel your spirits lift ever so slightly, leaning down slowly as the cat sniffs your hand before shoving their head beneath it as if asking for your touch. “Just a bit of advice from someone with actual bedside manner.” 

Rafayel brought a hand up to his chin, staring up at the ceiling before nodding once. “Hm, advice accepted, but as for that second part, I’d like to think someone with a bedside manner would know better than to bring me a singular apple when I end up hospitalized,” he sighs, staring down with a mischievous glint. 

“It was the last and best apple!” you defend, feeling a bit of spirit return at the fact you had to constantly defend your poor apple—especially considering he had still eaten it! 

“Yes, yes, I thank it for its sacrifice,” he brushes off with the wave of a hand, leaning down to match your level. “You seem more happy to see the walking weapon than you do me. How rude,” he mumbles into his knees as you snort. 

“Haven’t you ever heard of therapy dogs? Well, cats have the same effect,” you insist.

He follows you when you attempt to stand, reaching out when you stumble with a small wince. Your lip stings when you come to, the realization you have sunken your teeth into it making him tense. 

“‘M fine,” you murmur, but when you turn and nearly trip over your own feet, you hear him whisper something under his breath before feeling something warm against your back. “When did you…?” you ask in confusion, brow furrowing before smoothening out when the small action caused a sharp pain to shoot across from one temple to the other. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Rafayel mimics from your earlier conversation, voice right beside your ear. The frown on his lips deepens as he looks around your apartment, searching. “Looks like I came at just the right time, miss bodyguard. I’m going to lift you, so brace yourself.”

Surprisingly, he actually gives you time to do so, and so you turn enough to grip the front of his shirt as the world goes blurry again despite his slow speed. 

Maybe that head injury of yours was worse than you thought. You had been cleared and even waited to sleep as you were told, but a check-up may not be the worst idea. You did tell yourself you would go to the hospital if anything got worse. 

A hand touches your forehead, and it’s then you realize you are lying on your couch, Rafayel sitting on the floor beside you with an unreadable expression. It felt familiar in a way, though when he caught you staring, he smiled and tilted his head. 

“Admiring me only when you have a head injury? Should I be offended?” 

“You should be quiet,” you say, lacking the heat that would have made such a demand an insult. 

“Oh? I could always leave, but the terror would have to come with me,” he points out, moving to stand as you shoot up to grab him, whimpering as your head and body form an alliance to try and send you back into blissful unconsciousness. 

“Gosh, no need to hurt yourself over a joke. I wouldn’t take them with me,” he teases, but his smile has become somewhat forced as he helps you return to your previous position. You want to say that you would want them both to stay, but the words jumble in your brain as he speaks again. “Stay here, will you? I have the feeling you won’t be conscious long if you keep moving so suddenly like that.” 

The rest of the day is somewhat of a blur, you coming to in the early evening when the medicine finally kicks in. You open your eyes, your sight still dark until you remove the damp towel from your face. There is a soft purring on your belly, your hand moving to pet the sleeping cat gently. The lights are all off, and Rafayel sitting on the floor where you’d seen him earlier. He had some pieces of paper in front of him, a pencil tucked behind his ear as he pursed his lips. 

Not wanting to disturb him, you watch quietly, every scratch of charcoal against paper paired with the soft rumbles of the cat’s snores managing to lull you back to sleep. 

Before you could sink completely, you whisper a small thank you, not seeing the expression on Rafayel’s face grow conflicted, a mixture of frustration and concern unable to be hidden behind jokes and smiles. 

“I don’t want your thanks, I want you to be more careful,” he mutters, the words falling on deaf ears, floating into the air before fading entirely. 

When you wake, it’s the next morning and there’s a note on your coffee table along with a cute cartoon sketch of Rafayel crying and holding his hand while the orange cat licks his paw. 

Thomas threw a fit about me disappearing. We'll be back. I won't make you wait. Promise.

-R

Want to explore some of the other routes?

Click here to return to the main post for a refresher.

Or, pick your other favorite love interest below:

Xavier

Zayne

Rafayel

Sylus

[restinslices]

MK1 x Winter Soldier Reader Intros

Me not writing only about the Lin Kuei Bros? Who would've thought. Idk why I thought of this but here we are. For those not into Marvel the simplest way to explain TWS is he was in the Army in the 50s then he was injected with the super soldier serum and forced to become an assassin with over two dozen assassinations in the last 50 years. You're not a white guy named James “Bucky” Barnes, you just hold the title. Also you got a metal arm, it’ll make sense later-

Kung Lao: You’re a Winter Soldier? 

Y/N: I am The Winter Soldier 

Kung Lao: Ugh, more training?

Y/N: Do you expect to get better through sheer luck?

Kung Lao: I take it Liu Kang doesn’t allow assassins to be Earthrealm’s champion?

Y/N: Assassins and failures, such as yourself

 

Kung Lao: How do I become a Winter Soldier?

Y/N: You don’t 

Raiden: It is an honor to be trained by you 

Y/N: As is to train Earthrealm’s champion 

Raiden: I can’t imagine going through what you have 

Y/N: Good. You’ll save yourself nightmares

 

Y/N: Sometimes I worry I’m not a good person

Raiden: You are a good person through and through

 

Y/N: I wish I had lightning powers

Raiden: I wish I had your metal arm

(These rabid dogs behind him-)

Liu Kang: I hoped your life would be better this time

Y/N: Why hope when you had the power to change it and didn’t?

Y/N: You let my life go down this path?

Liu Kang: I cannot control everything

 

Y/N: You let me be a part of Earthrealm’s defenses, why? Pity?

Liu Kang: Because you are a capable warrior who deserves more in life

Liu Kang: Do you doubt my care for you?

Y/N: You expect me to still believe our friendship is real?

Y/N: I am not playing an assassin in your movie

Johnny: Aw, but you have tons of experience 

Johnny: How much for the arm?

Y/N: Not for sale

(That debt kicking his ass)

Johnny: Your life could make an amazing movie

Y/N: You’ll become a real victim if I see it

Johnny: Over two dozen assassinations but a date with me would ruin you?

Y/N: If I had to pick between being a mindless assassin and dating you, I’d put my mask back on

Kenshi: Wanna trade predicaments?

Y/N: A blindfold looks much better on you

 

Kenshi: Have you ever fought a blind swordsman?

Y/N: Not sure it’d be fair to count it as a fight

 

Y/N: I too understand the need for a new life 

Kenshi: Perhaps that is why we are such good friends

 

Kenshi: Planning on giving me a hand?

Y/N: I don’t think you’d see it coming

Y/N: And they call me The Winter Soldier 

Bi-Han: Jokes will not help you win this fight

 

Bi-Han: You have not a shred of hope against the Lin Kuei’s Grandmaster

Y/N: Your ego is what’ll knock you down in the end

 

Bi-Han: You won’t have the element of surprise with me

Y/N: Oh Bi-Han, I’ll be the last thing you see before you die 

Bi-Han: You alone won’t take the Lin Kuei down

Y/N: I’ve taken a whole country down in one night. Excuse me for not being scared

Kuai Liang: I am glad to have your support 

Y/N: You always will

 

Y/N: Are you willing to kill Bi-Han if he does not back down?

Kuai Liang: I am not sure

Y/N: Liu Kang could’ve made all our lives better and chose not to

Kuai Liang: You have to believe in his judgment

 

Kuai Liang: Liu Kang is not your enemy 

Y/N: He is certainly not our friend

Y/N: I’ve heard you’re a great fighter 

Tomas: I’ve heard the same about you

 

Tomas: You look great for 106 years old

Y/N: God, you gotta stop hanging around Johnny

 

Tomas: Why still defend Earthrealm if you’re so angry?

Y/N: The same reason you do; the need to protect is bigger than anger

Tomas: Why’d I have to hit Madam Bo and not you?

Y/N: I’m left/right handed and that’s the metal one soooo…

"I'm gonna write angst soon" *proceeds to write dumb Marvel x Mortal Kombat shit* I could've looked for gifs when they clash but my tumblr is actually so glitchy, if I did that I'd Kate Marsh. Also disclaimer. I should be writing Liar pt 3 and I have some of it written but I'm fr not having fun with it. For whatever reason it's just not making me happy like Mortal Kombat is. And as a bitch who has bad depression and that shit gets alarmingly bad during this time of year, uhhh I don't wanna do something that's not making me happy. I'm not tryna go to another hospital so Imma put off writing it until I'm having fun. Who knows, maybe that'll be next week. But yeah, that's for the Shadow and Bone fans here. Also also a fanfic, oneshot, drabble, whatever the fuck about being with Liu Kang (or being friends) and thinking your relationship is fake because as your creator he must've forced it to happen (he didn't but ya know). Am I cooking 'cause I feel like I am.

[baalzebubuu]

I was so surprised to find out that you had an Instagram! And I saw that in one of your posts you talked in more detail about how Thanatos and Daphne's relationship was similar to HxP due to their power imbalance (among other things)

And that made me think, what do you think of Poseidon and Amphitrite? Is there something that differentiates them from the last two couples even though one is a god and the other is a nymph too?

OKAY FOR THE SAKE OF MY ARGUMENTS LET ME SHARE CONTEXT AND THESE SCREENSHOTS AS PART 1 TO GET THE TUMBLR BABES TO CATCH UP!!

Okay so my thoughts on Thanatos and Persephone, the more I thought about it the more it became clear to me that Thanatos is seriously absolutely NO BETTER than Hades in any way shape or form, in fact he’s even creepier due to he done so many creepy shit RIGHT UNDER OUR NOSES while we were too busy Hating on Hades (rightfully so don’t get me wrong he sucks in his special little way)

BUT LETS TALK THANATOS.

From his DEBUT he’s always been a Shitty piece of Trash

He Shoved persephone to the side to get first on the train despite having wings , which even if it wasn’t Persephone that’s still a very shitty thing to do. HE IS A NEPO BABY TOO JUST LIKE PERSEPHONE and he’s mad that PERSE is a nepo baby yet he keeps a more bratty stupid attitude that she did.

Then let’s talk about his creepy relationship with Minthe, WHY THE HELL was he pursuing this woman who had a relationship with hades? HIS QUOTE ON QUOTE FATHER FIGURE!?

And they’ve been doing this for a while and don’t think Thanatos and Minthe is better than Hades, he still a thousand plus year old god JUST LIKE HADES , there is still a power imbalance as the god of death and a mortal nymph that could kill her at any given moment.

And while he was on his stupid petty adventure to slander a teenager. A TEENAGER. ANOTHER pink girl who’s likely the same age as Persephone HAD TO KNOCK SOME SENSE INTO THIS THOUSAND YEAR OLD MAN BABY over why he’s even putting this much effort over some pink thing, WHO MIND YOU has the same power dynamic Minthe and Hades had , Minthe was also having money and gifts from Hades, and Thanatos thought nothing yet when Persephone was having her spoils it was a problem.

As a Ship Daphne and Thanatos may have been cute for two seconds until you realize he still older than Daphne by thousands of years and she is still a young nymph , and he is a god with a giant career.and MF didn’t even realize the power he has over her till she brought up that she’s still mortal and he is still a god that could kill her , which even if he would never do that , the OPTION is there for him and he just like the rest of the gods has the power and authority to not have any accountability for it until Zeus when he’s not fucking or lying or being a man baby is in the mood to do some bs punishment on a whim.

In conclusion I believe Thanatos should have the accountability for his creep behavior as hades does

He is a grown ass man in his 1000’s doing the same creepy shit his adoptive Father has been doing and made no attempts at being better till a Pinkie came along and clocked his bullshit.

Also take into consideration Persephone has MADE flower nymphs which ergo makes them Slightly younger or the same age as her , which will lead to creepy assumptions…

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

I hate to be that guy. But as I was pissing on the clock as usual, I had another fandom related thought. I’m typing this into a Word document because having tumblr opened on my screen, which everybody can see, would be a bad look – if that helps…?

I thought about that “I can’t believe it either. I’m pretty sure I died” line. So I started thinking about Kyouko’s survival in DR3 again.

This isn’t something people really argue about anymore. It’s been a while. But back then, I remember a lot of people arguing that it was bullshit, because, most importantly, if Hajime’s waifu died, then Makoto’s could die too! There was also an unwillingness to read between the lines and understand what the writers were implying. Thus, I remember writing about my feelings that for Kyouko, the Smart Girl Character who Historically Didn’t Sacrifice Herself Easily, it made a lot more sense to have planned a mysterious and yet efficient option to save herself, than it did for her to let herself die or sacrifice herself for Makoto’s sake. In fact, “psych, I’m playing with death by having an out” was already established in Kyouko’s writing in DR1.

This has all already been said at some point. But one thought crossed my mind today, and something I already wrote just above might indicate to you what it is…

I don’t think this conversation would have looked the same if Kyouko had been a guy.

Of course, there would always have been people who insisted it was bullshit – either because they genuinely didn’t like it or because they were part of that group who refuses to give writers a chance to think outside the box. But something that was nearly, if not fully absent from the conversation, and would have been everywhere had Kyouko been the Smart Boy Character instead, is “whaAaaAAT? What is he doing here?! How did he do this? Oh my God, he’s such a smart genius, controlling the game. Of course he would find a way to stay 😭 Give me an hour I’m updating my character essay”

And I know it’ll be hard to convince someone who didn’t like that plot point that it could have gone this way, but the entire way it was set up would, in my opinion, have been received with hype had it been a genius-boy type of character. Less people could have argued that “the narrative just saved him” because everyone would have recognised immediately that Oh, He Is The Smart Character, Whose Deal Is Being Really Smart. My argument that “of course Kyouko would think ahead and play the plot” wouldn’t have been rare. People would have heard Mikan try to say something, seen him appear, and be surprised but amazed that he outwit us all.

Most importantly, he would have been saved from being relegated to the role of “waifu who died for drama points”. Much of that conversation was about her role as Makoto’s – and possibly some fans’ – waifu, and how Danganronpa has established killing waifus dramatically with Chiaki. Well, don’t we love Kyouko? It would be so dramatic for Makoto if she died! And so interesting! (And such a meme for her fans to share with Chiaki's !)

…But she’s her own character. You don’t need to fridge her for Makoto to better become a powerful hero. The plot is that Kyouko, the Mysterious Smart Girl character, took a fucking chance. If a Mysterious Smart Boy character, and you know they exist, had done the exact same thing, the reception would have been : “hell yeah. He saved himself and will continue to live his life.” Not “ugh, Makoto gets everything he wants”.

Kyouko was going to stay Kyouko. She did play the role of deceased loved one that Makoto had to grieve. This happened in the show, as everyone believed she was dead. But she’s not a side character the writers could sacrifice easily for plot convenience. In my opinion, the story being told was, at least, an attempt at being loyal to her characterisation. And I respect that a lot more than killing off a strong character in your story for no, ultimately, good narrative reason.

[seattlesellie]

just wanna say u have my 1000% support takin a break from writing to process with the genocide going on in palestine. ur writing always feels very real and human, and i kinda believe that to a certain extent u can understand someone’s heart thru their writing, and so im def not surprised that you’re staying in touch with your humanity and feeling the feelings rn. im right there with u, personally taking a lot of comfort in linking up with organizing groups in my area cause it’s too much to process alone! ((and I’d be remiss not to mention that im revisiting my fave works of urs when I need a brain break)) u don’t have to answer this just wanted to add a lil voice of solidarity to ur inbox :) 🇵🇸

you’re such a lovely human being for this kind message and for spreading awareness on the subject this almost made me cry? i wish i replied as soon as you sent this but it got swallowed down in my inbox! like you said it just felt very wrong (for me personally) to write during these times. it still feels slightly odd cause you know how you wake up & immediately check twitter to see if the journalists you follow are still alive? then like you can’t stop thinking about them for hours on end? and you go on instagram/tumblr and everything seems “normal” even though it’s not? it’s just such a mindfuck. nevertheless i’m so happy you find some comfort in my fics 💗

just another reminder to support BDS, because as much as our marching and speaking out matter, taking actual actions — boycotting, hold such a greater power. none of us are free until palestine is 🍉

[sweetestpopcorn]

Hello, i’ve recently started reading your blog after reading your fic. I like reading opinions on the characters and i’ve just read you post about laena. I think you are spot on about her and its nice to see that i wasn’t the only one not fangirling about her. Just like you i never cared for laena as she was a character that had no pull to me. In fact, i only became curious about her because i was curious on how she’ll be portayed in the show. Personally, i had no problems with how she was portrayed as i’ve felt there wasn’t much about her written to begin with.

Personality? Agreed, what personality? All described personality of hers was all the common shared personalities of her relatives. Which is why i’m surprised when i see people saying she’s their favourite or she’s their best girl/queen. Sure everyone can like whoever they want but its usually with reason like the character is interesting. The only thing interesting about laena was her relation to rhaenyra and daemon. There wasn’t anything about her that made her laena, it was always about rhaenyra’s bff laena or daemon’s wife laena. I agree with you that the reason so many people like her is because they can easily use her as a self-insert. Who wouldn’t want to be the woman who “changed” the rogue prince?

I also believe that her and Daemon wasn’t romantic on BOTH sides. There’s nothing wrong with that considering the world they live in. Worst matches had been made and i think they both know that. He was forced to marry the royce girl while there isn’t an indication if she liked the man she originally was suppose to marry and she was said to be more interested in flying rather than boys. People saying Daemon loved her because the singers said so is hilarious. They believe the singers of all people? Daemon definitely married her to gain power and not because he was in love and fought for her. I could see her being fine about marrying him for the adventure the rogue prince could give her. She did seem to love adventure more than anything else. Her dragon was the love of her life, not the man she married seeing as in her last moments she wanted to ride vhagar instead of being with her husband or even her daughters. I do think they got along being both adventurous and i think daemon cared for her as the mother of his daughters but saying he was in love with her might be a strech. Not sure laena even had romantic feelings for daemon as like you said, nothing was written about how they felt towards each other after they got married. How does so many people believe she was his great love? Is it because they couldn’t get over the fact that the singers said he fell in love with her? Or because there isn’t a word about him sleeping around while being married to her? Its actually curious that the book was written in a way to make daemon seem like he was the perfect man to laena but a terrible one to rhaenyra.

Her relationship with rhaenyra however was more explained than her marriage to daemon. I do believe it was nothing more than a platonic friendship. Just because rhaenyra was fond of her doesn’t mean they were romantic or had a poly situation with daemon. People seem to forget that rhaenyra had no actual friends at all so her becoming fond of laena is not surprising. It is quite funny that laena ended up being friends with the woman who was in love and wants her husband. I’m also curious if she knew about rhaenyra and daemon’s relationship. If she did, i don’t think she would have a problem since nothing is said about her feelings for daemon and i think she is aware of his reputation and the actual relationship of her brother and rhaenyra.

Hi there 😊 and sorry for this delay

I definitely feel like there was a shift in the fandom, and I am very glad for it, because when I joined, saying anything of the like either me, you, or other tumblrs and anons have said would grant you cancelation on the immediate.

There's not a lot I like about the fandom nowadays, but more vocal daemyra fans is definitely something that keeps my hope alive that there are still good things out there ❤️

Thank you for sharing your takes, they are spot on and literally I have nothing to add. You did a better study on Laena than any of her so-called "fans" ever did.

[married-2-the-music]

K-pop Discography Deep Dives: Dreamcatcher (Part ONE)

A Disclaimer: I was planning, when I first started Tumblr, to be a lurker, but then I began an office job and needed something to listen to to keep myself occupied. And then, I started going through entire K-pop groups’ repertoires, album by album, and jotting down my thoughts. And then, I stumbled into K-pop tumblr and decided, you know what, there’s at least four people on this hell site who would read in depth rants about these discographies and at least five who wouldn’t read it and then get mad because it’s kind of our job as K-pop fans. My lukewarm takes should be taken with an entire silo of salt and the knowledge that this is completely for fun and occupying my very bored, very neurodivergent brain. All this to say, for the love of god, I’m a sleep-deprived student and I don’t have time for internet hate, so don’t kill me. With that being said, enjoy!

Here are my credentials: I’m a HUGE fan of Dreamcatcher, and have been an Insomnia since mid-2021 or so, just after the release of BEcause. They were actually the first concert I’ve ever been to, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience for that. They totally gave their all for those two hours and I ended up loving them even more afterward. I’m even considering going again if they have another tour.

Dreamcatcher debuted in early 2017, so they’re nearing their 7th anniversary (breaking K-pop’s infamous curse), with 7 members: JiU, SuA, Yoohyeon, Gahyeon, Handong, Dami, and Siyeon. Handong was not involved in their 2020 comebacks due to being in her home country of China when COVID broke out, but she’s since returned. They have very complicated storylines which I won’t be going too deeply into here besides when I think a specific song’s meaning in context is important to mention.

Their first single was Chase Me, which starts with a deceptively lovely piano and very typical for-late-3rd-gen-vocals. I was surprised by how k-poppy the song sounded, at least in its early stages and verses, but this was their debut after all. A lot of their early work is slowly stepping out of k-pop convention, one step at a time, although a sound all their own wouldn’t come for a couple songs. Any worries I had were assuaged by such a strong chorus, especially the combination of the bridge just before the last one.

Good Night immediately stands out from the often overly-bubbly, aegyo-filled 2017 k-pop landscape with its creepy ticking clock, marionette-like dance moves and an almost violent electric guitar riff. This time the guitar continues through the whole song, so there’s no fear of it sounding same-y. I’ll probably say this many times in this review, but I just can’t get over how well-suited DC’s vocals are to this rock sound, which isn’t always the case for other groups I’ve seen with a rock concept. The distorted voices in the bridge are a nice touch too. The b-side Lullaby is actually quite lovely, and is a good showcase for their voices in a more soothing context.

Fly High is a poppier sound for Dreamcatcher, although still with more of a rock base than is usual in k-pop, which does make sense as it’s supposed to be a prequel to their much darker storyline. I’ve heard it described before as a bit like an anime theme song, and I’d have to agree, especially the “I can make it!” combined with the strings, lighter electric guitar, and super high power note. Even with a bit of a sound change, Dreamcatcher never slows down their energy, which is something I really appreciate. They always sound like they wholeheartedly believe what they’re selling.

From the EP, Prequel, there are a few great b-sides I could choose (like the off-beat Sleep-walking), but I’m gonna have to say that Wake Up is my favorite. I’m totally biased, but I’ll just never forget the experience of watching them have the absolute best time performing this live for their encore and jumping into the stratosphere while waving a pride flag back and forth. It’s an anthem that needs an audience, first and foremost, and there’s really nothing more exciting than screaming “Wake up, wake up!” at the top of your lungs.

Full Moon is a special single for their first anniversary, and I won’t spend too much time on it, but I really like how it combines that anime-esque energy from Fly High, a harsher electric guitar, EDM, and some ballad elements. It’s a style that DC returns to later in their career, and it’s fun to see a slightly less complicated version here. I never gave this song much of a chance before so I’m glad I did now.

You & I is next in the “Nightmare” saga, and is probably both the most popular of that arc and the most similar to a lot of mainstream k-pop (which I do like, I want to be clear about that. This is not an attack on mainstream k-pop, guys, I run a blog about it.). Maybe it’s a product of that, but in such a strong catalogue it doesn’t really stand out to me. All of DC’s songs add other elements to their rock sound like EDM, pop, metal, or even a flute (we’ll get to that), but You & I is pretty straightforward, as are its lyrics. The chorus and the opening hook are both pretty good, I will admit, and always get me at least nodding to the song. Again, I in no way even dislike this one, and I’m not going to skip it if I’m doing a re-listen or if it comes up on shuffle, but I just never find myself going out of my way to listen to it.

Though the title isn’t my favorite, I quite like the EP Escape The Era. Which a Star may be an average b-side but it's really elevated by their voices and its twinkling instrumentation, while Scar takes some lovely strings and some crushing electric guitars and somehow turns itself from a rock song into a ballad and right back again. Mayday, meanwhile, is much like Wake Up with its anthemic answer, and immediately gets me headbanging to its hook.

WHAT starts with a tense energy right out of the gate with those strings, and in what may be DC’s best first 20 seconds of a song, it culminates in an excellent electric guitar riff that would feel right at home in a BabyMetal song. When the song returns to “normal” after, it only adds to the sense of “wrong” and foreboding…until the chorus smashes through a brick wall with perfect metal anthem energy. In case it wasn’t clear, I love this song and it’s tied for my favorite. You just can’t do much better than a song encouraging people to wake up, fight their nightmares, and live another day, which is one of my personal favorite song subjects.

In a switch from Escape The Era, I love What but Alone In The City is one of my least-favorite of their albums. That being said, I do like the contrast between acoustic and electric guitars in Trap, and its build up is pretty great. But I usually have more than one liked b-side.

Over The Sky is another special single and returns to the softer, more string and pop-rock led base (or “anime theme”, I suppose). It feels much happier than a lot of Dreamcatcher’s singles, and is a nice break in between their very heavy discography. I especially like the twinkling quality of its background piano.

PIRI is the end of their nightmare saga, and is a continuation of the defiance seen in What. It’s named after a traditional Korean flute that the song uses to say “sound the alarm (piri), emergency, emergency.” This is the first time rap is incorporated in its own (albeit short) verse, and I think the combination works quite well. The inclusion of the flute in the background is something I’ve never heard in a song before, but its shrillness provides a good contrast to the very low guitar and drums and Dreamcatcher’s voices sitting in the middle, perfectly capturing the song’s whole idea of being stuck in between light and dark. Overall, a fitting finale.

From PIRI’s EP The End Of Nightmares, while I do really like the sweetness of the ballad Daydream, Diamond was an easy choice for me. It has quite a minimalistic chorus, which normally I’m not the biggest fan of (for evidence, look at any review I’ve ever written to hear me decry the existence of anti-drops), but here it’s to let the great guitar hook and electronic background have some time to be appreciated and its fuller pre and post-choruses make up for it.

Deja Vu is a special single made for a game collaboration, so perhaps one would assume it to be a usual ballad or easily-overlooked piece of a great discography. One would assume very, very wrong. I assumed this, when I heard the first, very slow verse and the backing piano. Deja Vu definitely leans more into melancholy than most of their singles, but it's really at the end of the pre-chorus where the band comes in and DC goes full-on rock ballad that it begins to sound like them.The song is a slow burn, definitely, but the incredible catharsis at the end is totally worth it. Just go watch the music video itself, which is full of delightful drama and betrayal, and can best be described as “Macbeth, if it was gay, Korean, and magical.” You’re welcome.

Raid Of Dream, the EP, was also produced for the game, but the mix of metal clashing and delicate vocals in Silent Night, the backing piano for the full-on ballad Polaris, and the return of the anime theme (plus guitar solo!!) in the call-to-action that is Curse Of The Spider render it quite a strong album in their greater discography.

I don’t normally dive too deeply into Japanese releases, but, like with Taemin, Dreamcatcher’s offer an interesting expansion on their work. Endless Night starts with much harsher rock than most of their singles, while Breaking Out features a surprisingly chill tropical beat, and No More goes full now-or-never nu metal with guitar riffs that would make Babymetal proud.

R. o. S. E. BLUE is another special single produced for a game, and does lead into the more ballady side of k-pop soundtrack songs, but without sacrificing Dreamcatcher’s rock edges. It, like Deja Vu, is a slow burn that doesn’t seem to have much energy at first, but builds up to it through its great pre-choruses. It’s definitely not as good as Deja Vu (few things are), but does remind me of later-stage Gfriend’s more dramatic and celestial sound, and the music video follows JiU attempting to rescue her friends from the magical prison their minds are trapped in, at the expense of herself.

So that’s where we’ll end it for now, being around halfway through. I mentioned last time in my TXT review that this was supposed to be a one-parter and became two, but the second one is basically done and will be coming out in a few days (after I listen to the new album), not a week from now, and I won’t be doing supplementals. Apologies to the five people who actually read those, lol. So, I’ll see you next time for Part Two. Tschüss!

[serena-moonlight-witch]

The Untold Romantic Stories of Renowned Witches of Hogwarts Vol. 1 (F!Ravenclaw x Seb Sallow)Pt. 1

The reason why I wrote this little story, It was 2 am, browsing through tumblr seeing S.S. x Hufflepuff, S.S. x Slytherin and so on. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen S.S. x Gryffindor or S.S. x Ravenclaw that much. If there are stories about what I mentioned before, if you don’t mind me troubling any of you who somehow stumbles upon this post, would you please redirect me to the stories T_T I honestly would rather read other people’s hard work and imagine what was happening rather than me trying hard using all of my brain cells to come up with more descriptions.  Author DC: All characters depicted in this story are over the age of 18+ as you might’ve noticed that in game where they start as a fifth year, they were somewhere between 14-16. and I’d really not appreciate it I wrote a possible explicit love story about a 14-16 y/o. FBI would defo come to my house and mess me up fr fr.

It has been 2 years since I first attended Hogwarts, though I started as a 5th year student, I must say I feel like I’ve been here since Year 1. Year 7 and after this it’s either be an Auror or a researcher. Whichever works best for me. In the Ravenclaw Common Room, the newly sorted first-years are admiring the place, making me reminisce about the time when I first got here. I always rethink about the time when the sorting hat said ‘Ravenclaw!’, there were moments when I felt like I didn’t belong in Ravenclaw, when I was duelling Sebastian I felt something. Something that made me want more of it, that lust didn’t stop there; when I saw Isidora’s memories it happened again. I wanted power more than anything else. It’s as if my ambition sparked when those events happened. I walked out of the Common Room to head up to the Astronomy Tower, and to my surprise Sebastian was waiting for me. “Fancy seeing you here.” he says smirking. “And you too. It’s rare to see you in this part of the castle. You’re usually in the Defense Against the Dark Arts tower or the Library.” I said back. “Well, you didn’t show up in the Great Hall for breakfast so I decided to pick you up, assuming you’re on your way to the Great Hall.” “Ah well I was planning on going up the tower to return a book to Amit. I borrowed his book about constellations and their mythological stories.” I said tracing the book’s spine with my other hand. Sebastian looks down at my hands and sees the book. “Oh. Perhaps I should accompany you.” he said. For some odd reason I felt a hint of jealousy in his eyes. But I disregard it. We walked up the tower to find Amit adjusting his telescope, “Good Morning Amit.” I said. “Oh Y/N, great timing. I was going to wait to ask you later in class but now’s a perfect time too.” he said looking up. “Ask me what?” I asked. “You see, I found an Astronomy Table with- don’t freak out. With a telescope attached to it. I’ve tried removing the telescope but I couldn’t, it was as if it was fixed on the thing. The telescope is beautiful, however, it’s almost as if it was made for you!” He exclaimed. “Huh, how can a telescope be much prettier than y/n?” asked Sebastian his arms crossed and his left eyebrow raised. “I-i mean, Y/N is beautiful! The telescope is just pretty and an inanimate object.” Amit says. I chuckled because it was the funniest comeback I’ve heard from other people. Sebastian was going to say something but he refrained from doing so, instead I heard him mutter something under his breath that I can’t quite hear well. “You’re damn right, she is.” “But anyway! You didn’t come all the way up here for stargazing, right?” Amit says. “Ah right! Here’s your book back. I’ve already finished it and made some notes about it. Made an essay about Andromeda, the chained lady.” I said. “An interesting story. Oh, your friend’s leaving.” Amit says as he tilts his head to the side, I turn around and see Sebastian descend the stairs. “Well then, if you’ll excuse me.” I said I bowed down to Amit and chased after Sebastian. “Wait for me! I know you’re hungry but you could’ve said something-” As I catch up to him, Sebastian stops in his tracks and slams the wall behind me, trapping me. I can feel the warmth his body emanates and his breath on my face. He was kind of breathing heavily. “Sebastian..?” I said, afraid of looking up at him, afraid of looking at his eyes. Is this the Sebastian I knew? “Don’t go.” he said almost angrily. “I’m not going anywhere?” I said, confused at the situation I am currently in. I summoned every courage I had and looked at him. Back then, I didn’t realise that Sebastian was really taller than me, with him being this close to me I felt somewhat afraid yet somewhat safe. His brown eyes are really enthralling, and his scent smells like paper and earl-grey tea. It’s a scent that I like.

His lips softly curled upwards, he was smiling. He pulled away and took out his hand. I was lost there for a moment, I was dumbfounded with what just happened. I placed my hand on his hand and our fingers intertwined. We used the Floo System to get to the Great Hall. Normally, I would be sitting with my Ravenclaw friends, but for some reason, my hand is still intertwined with Sebastian’s. So perhaps this is what he meant by ‘Don’t go.’? He placed our joined hands inside his coat and he whispers “Your hand’s cold.” “Ah! I brought my own gloves. Let me jus-” “No.” he said while gripping a little tighter. While I was eating my toast, Sebastian’s reading something. “I thought you were hungry.” I said. He ignored my comment. “Oh! That’s it! My hand is-” I can feel his grip tighten again. “Perhaps I should feed you?” I asked. “Like a mother bird to her baby bird minus me chewing the thing and basically vomiting it to your mo-” “Say less. Please. Please for the love of Merlin, say less.” Sebastian groaned as he reluctantly let my hand go. I study his face to see what he’s feeling, usually I should be able to read him like a book like I specifically have Legilimens that only work on Sebastian. Ominis often joked about how he couldn’t read him and that he needed me to read Sebastian’s mind, and of course I played along. But that happened a long time ago. Sebastian finally ate the cold toast that had been sitting idly on a plate. As for me, I tried to get out of my seat only for Sebastian to ask me “Where do you think you’re going?” he asks one hand on my sleeve and the other on the toast. “I was just going over to the Ravenclaw table to say hello.” I said. His brow slightly furrowed, he finishes up his toast and grabs his book that he had been reading and “Let’s go then.” He says. “You sure you’re not going to leave me like before?” I jokingly asked. I saw his cheeks puffed and I can visibly see the freckles on his face. We were on our way to the Ravenclaw Table when “Hello Y/N. Sallow. I have a question for you, Y/N.” Leander says. I slightly tilt my head. “Of course, what’s your question?” I asked. “Are you perhaps free this Saturday? I was hoping we could catch up and-” “I’m afraid she already has made plans with me, Prewett.” Sebastian said walking in front of me, I never realised that Sebastian’s back is big, like a wall. “We do?” I quietly asked. He nodded and smirked. “Oh. another time then, perhaps?” Leander asks. I peak out and say “Of course!” I said. As Leander walks away “Of course? Of course??” his voice was angry but he said it low so as to not raise any commotions. “What’s wrong with that? I haven’t spoken to Leander over at break an-” “So you usually speak to him, then?” He says he folds his arms and his brows are furrowed. “I don’t understand why you’re mad about that.” I said. “I- you know what. Never mind.” he says as he stomps off. “Sebastian, wait!” I tried running after him but I was stopped by Garreth who was carrying a new concoction he made. I bumped into Garreth and his potion, the potion bottle cracked due to the impact and the contents of the said bottle has been poured all over my robe. “Ah! Y/N I am so sorry! I was too engrossed with my potion and- Oh um… ah.” “It’s alright, Garreth. It was my fault, I wasn’t looking.” I looked up at Garreth to see his face, for some odd reason he was flustered and he was looking to the side. “Garreth, are you alright?” I asked, concerned if he was hurt during our little accident. “No I am not.. Um your cloak…and uniform…” he said quietly. “My cloak and unif-” I looked down and saw that most of it was disappearing. I quickly cover myself with my hands. Garreth removes his cloak and covers me up and helps me off the ground. “I- thank you, Garreth.” I can feel my cheeks burn due to the embarrassment. Luckily none of the students saw what had happened. As Garreth escorts me to the Ravenclaw tower, we encounter Sebastian, “I take my eyes off of you and this what happened? What exactly happened?” his voice was back to normal, good it seemed that he has calmed down. “I bump-” “It was my fault, I was just admiring my new potion, I didn’t know that the potion would do that.” he says, I can see his face get flustered again. “I’ll take it from here, Weasley.” Sebastian says, his tone was something I’ve never heard before. It sounds like he’s angry but somehow not. I can’t understand this man sometimes. Sebastian takes off his cloak and drapes it over me. He removes Garreth’s cloak that has been keeping my dignity intact. “Here.” Sebastian shoves the cloak back to Garreth’s hands. “I’m really sorry, Y/N. I’ll make it up to you!” he says. Sebastian took my hand and we hurriedly walked towards the Undercroft. Still holding my hand, we stopped in the middle of the room. He slowly turned around.”Are you alright?” his voice was soft, he wasn't staring at me directly but for some reason I could feel his gaze, I blush. “Gods, you don’t know what you do to me.” He says. “You’re driving me nuts, Y/N.” he continues. He pulls me close, hugging me. I can hear his heartbeat, it’s beating way too fast. “Sebastian, you need to calm down. Your heart… it’s beating way too fast.” I said. I haven’t got a clue on what’s exactly happening. But I can feel his emotions through his actions. After all, Sebastian’s the type of man to be straightforward with their feelings: the type of person I like. I tap his back signalling him that I can’t breathe, “My apologies.” his face, still flustered. He stared down at me, “That stupid Weasley. I can’t believe he-” “It was an accident. It was my fault that the potion’s contents spilled on me.” I cut him off, making sure that Garreth doesn’t enter Sebastian’s list of people he would duel to possible death. 

Hope that you sort of enjoyed my work. I drank some caffeine while I was writing this and I must say that it wasn’t pleasant, guess I should stick to tea leaves or what-not. Cheers!

[out-with-the-boys]

The Dance- Chapter 02

Homelander x Supe OC

Notes: 18+ No warnings apply for this chapter. Each chapter will have individual content warnings as they apply to avoid spoilers. Find this work on AO3. Tumblr master post here.

Previous chapter.

Beads of sweat slid down Morgan’s freckled shoulders, catching the light from the harsh fluorescents above. Her lips vaguely shaped the words of a Florence and the Machine song, steady breaths punctuating every stride she took. The pulsing music in her headphones, the beat of her heart, and the persistent hum of the treadmill beneath her feet kept her grounded. For a moment, she could almost pretend she wasn’t in Vought’s state-of-the-art gym for The Seven.

Until a few minutes ago, she had been the only one occupying the space, but that much hadn’t come as a surprise. From what she understood, she was the only member of The Seven without any sort of invulnerability or augmented strength. The medical team had driven that point home on her first day, as if her very existence was an anomaly—something that didn’t quite fit into their model of power. A part of her almost liked it. Being the outlier had its advantages.

She hadn’t really expected anyone else to join her at this hour, but it made sense that Starlight was there, quietly going through her own routine. Occasionally, Morgan’s gaze drifted toward the blonde moving in her periphery. Sometimes, though, the movement she caught was just her own fiery ponytail swishing behind her as she jogged. Either way, neither of them had gone out of their way to break routine to acknowledge the other beyond a curt nod. 

Just say something. The thought echoed in her mind—Starlight’s voice, though Morgan hadn’t meant to catch it.

It was never her intention to pry into people’s thoughts, but it just happened—effortless, unbidden more often than not. Starlight had been circling around the same unspoken question for a while now, and Morgan had caught glimpses of it. Still, she wasn’t about to give herself away. The more people believed she wasn’t already in their head, the better.

The thought was there again, hanging in the back of her mind, waiting to be voiced. Morgan braced herself for it, as she always did when the stray echoes of someone’s mind slipped through.

“So…” Starlight finally broke the silence, prompting Morgan to pull out one of her earbuds. “You found the gym alright, I see.”

Breathing a soft chuckle, Morgan couldn’t help the wry grin that pulled at the corners of her lips. 

“Yeah, this place isn’t as labyrinthine as I thought.” Morgan replied, her breaths still steady as she slowed her pace. She was cutting her cardio a few minutes short, but taking a moment to talk to her teammate wouldn’t kill her. Hopefully.

“Sounds like you’re settling in pretty well already.” Starlight remarked, though something unspoken flickered behind her eyes. “I feel like it took me forever to find my footing here.”

Morgan gave her a sympathetic look. “Trust me, I don’t think I’ve found mine either. If I learned anything from the high school plays my sister talked me into doing, it’s that you’ve got to fake it ‘til you make it, and ‘yes and–’ goes a long way.”

“Oh, so you were a science geek and a theater kid?” Starlight said, her brows raising playfully. “Well that explains a lot.”

“Woah, hey, that’s a hefty accusation to be throwing around.” Morgan joked. “My sister was the theater kid. I just needed some arts credits and it seemed like an easy A. I was a moderately okay Leisel in The Sound of Music, but I took State at the science fair every year from the time I was eight years old.”

With an exaggerated look of skepticism, Starlight nodded her head slowly.

“Right…” she drawled, her expression cracking into a smile as she leaned against the treadmill. “I’ll take your word for it. But seriously, if you need anything, I’m here to help. This job comes with a lot of unexpected bullshit, and it pays to have somebody in your corner.”

Morgan caught another glimpse of the same memory Starlight had recalled the day before. Maeve was far from warm when she found her in the bathroom, mascara and eyeliner smudged around her eyes. Starlight hadn’t even made it a full day as a member of the Seven before the facade was pulled away from her.

“You’re very sweet.” Morgan sighed softly, toweling off the back of her neck. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, but I should probably head out for now. I’ve got a big day ahead of me.”

Starlight gave her a slight wave. “Yeah, same here. See you around.”

Morgan slung her towel over her shoulder, her mind already turning to what came next as she made her way out of the gym. She would be surprised to find a quiet moment in Vought Tower—especially as the newest member of The Seven. The following couple of days was evidence of that as she was thrown into a whirl of meetings, training drills, and carefully curated PR appearances.

Now, on the morning of day four, Morgan made her way toward the armory, her thoughts geared toward the mission ahead. It would be her first solo save since joining The Seven, and the weight of it settled heavy on her shoulders. Starlight’s words lingered in the back of Morgan’s mind—about how this job came with a lot of unexpected bullshit. She wasn’t wrong.

Stepping into the armory, the scent of oil and metal filled her senses. There was a certain nostalgic quality to it as she thought back on her father and brother working on the old, red Chevy in the garage. Even more recently, it made her think of the workshop she spent her days in fabricating machinery for school. 

The room was cold and quiet, and Black Noir was already there, sharpening his blades in the back corner. He didn’t so much as pause the methodical scraping of a knife on a whetstone when she entered, but she was hardly surprised. From the outside, the man didn’t express much of anything at all.

Something about how quiet he was, even from an internal perspective, was mildly unsettling. It wasn’t that there wasn’t anything going on in his head at all, but he didn’t seem to think like everyone else did. The few glimpses she caught into his head were brief– and strange to say the least. 

“Ready to seize the day?” she asked, breaking the silence with a half-smile as she opened her locker. He didn’t respond of course. Though, Morgan could have sworn she saw a cartoonish figure in the peripheral of his mind offering a thumbs up. It was only a brief glimpse, but she could have sworn he was seeing Buster Beaver.

As she put her green and gold armor on over her black kevlar bodysuit with practiced ease, the rhythmic sound of steel on stone ceased. Glancing back at him, she half-expected nothing but that unnerving, blank stare. Much to her surprise, Black Noir had noiselessly approached her from behind. 

In his gloved hand, he held something—a small, black cloth patch, stitched with gold thread. It was simple, but the embroidery resembled a nearly childlike emblem of a sword. He held it out wordlessly, and her eyes fixed on his expressionless mask.

Blinking, she glanced at the patch and then at Noir, unsure what to make of it.

“Is this… for me?” she asked, her voice unsure, almost enchanted. There was no response. He simply pressed it into her palm before turning back to gather his weapons.

It was such a small gesture, but somehow it felt monumental. There was some sort of acknowledgement that they were teammates now. Closing her fingers around the patch, she smiled gently.

“Thanks,” she murmured, not expecting any sort of reply. Noir’s back was already to her, but the moment lingered. Tucking the patch inside her bodysuit, Morgan smiled to herself and finished suiting up, feeling a strange, unspoken connection settle between them.

As much as she would have loved to ruminate on the oddly sweet interaction, the weight of her mission settled on her shoulders as heavily as her armor did. Mr. Edgar had passed down the order to send her on her first mission today– a solo save. As far as she was aware, no one since the more senior members of the Seven had been given such a weighty responsibility. 

It might have been a compliment from the big man himself– a sign of trust in her abilities. Then again, it could have been a test too. He had tentatively placed a heavy burden on her when he welcomed her onto the team. Sending her out like this could have been a subtle way for him to apply more pressure to see if she’d thrive, or if she’d crack under it. 

Regardless of his intentions, she couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

The briefing from Crime Analytics had been quick—just the basics. A bank robbery, a handful of hostages, and rising tensions inside. She took mental stock of the details as Vought security whisked her through the city. The drive felt too short to settle her nerves, and by the time they pulled up to the scene, it was already chaos.

Crowds of morbidly curious onlookers pressed in toward the barricades, phones raised, eager for a glimpse of the action. Reporters swarmed even closer, like buzzards, as they set up the perfect shot for her projected triumph. No pressure, she mused quietly to herself.

Weaving her way through the frenzy, she kept her focus on the trial ahead. When she reached the front line, she could practically feel the sense of relief that washed over the officer in charge as she approached him. 

“Good, you made it.” he said, ushering her to the back of an armored van that was parked at the barricade. “I trust you’re up to speed on the situation?”

Morgan nodded curtly, “Five armed robbers, four hostages and they’ve got them wired with explosives for if their demands aren’t met. Am I missing anything?”

“That’s the general picture.” the officer said, swiping his sleeve over the perspiration on his forehead. “They’ve been radio silent for about fifteen minutes now. As far as demands go, it’s the usual: a ride out, clean getaway, immunity… All the things we don’t want to give them if we can avoid it.” 

Nodding, she chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. There were a few ways she could go about diffusing the situation. There was the easy way, but knowing how The Seven typically operated, that wasn’t flashy enough. Edgar hadn’t stated it, but the people would want a bit of a show. There had to be a way to stir up enough interest without there being any collateral though.

“Okay…” she said, still piecing together the last tidbits of an idea, “Okay, I think I know what I’m going to do.”

The officer looked at her, a curious expression crossing his face. “What’s your move?”

“I need you to keep the perimeter secure.” she said, squinting against the reflection of the setting sun glaring off the glass exterior of the building. Even beyond the barricaded doors, she could already feel the minds of the people inside. There was a loose thread among them she could pull on. “You supplied them with a radio for contact, yes? I’m going to need that.”

“We’ve already tried–”

“--Not everything.” Morgan cut him off as another officer handed her the radio she had requested. “That’s why I got called in, right?” She flashed him a confident grin, but the officer looked unsure. As much as he wanted to protest, Morgan could sense he wasn’t about to waste her time with questions. He knew what was at stake.

Holding the radio up to her chin, she paused for a moment as she sifted through a variety of thoughts. Every single one of them was riddled with anxiety, but she found the head of the person that it weighed heaviest on. It didn’t take much for her to find glimpses of what drove the individual in charge. Everything had bubbled to the surface as he fought to maintain control of his feelings over the situation.

“Norman, this is Psyren of The Seven.” she began, putting herself through to the leader of the crew. “I’m not here to fight. I’d like to talk for a moment and see how I can help you. I know you’re wanting to make it out of this alive, and so is everybody else. Let’s work together to make that happen.”

The handful of officers gathered around her were absolutely silent as they all waited to hear the response. Their anxiety buzzed persistently in the back of her mind despite her focus on the minds inside the bank. Nobody was certain of what she was capable of yet, and right then she was testing their faith.

Another moment of radio silence passed before a gruff voice acknowledged her from the other end.

“Psyren, huh? I saw you on the news the other day.” he said, his voice a low growl. “You’re the mindfreak. That’s how you know my name right? ”

“So you do have an idea of what I can do. Good.” Morgan said softly. “Listen, I have a bit of an idea of what you’re facing right now. You’re worried sick about your daughter, I know.”

It was quiet again, just long enough for people to start feeling more nervous about how things would unfold.

“Chelsea isn’t getting any better without treatment, and nobody cares,” came his strangled reply finally. “Insurance won’t cover it, I can’t get a loan and I’ve been breaking my back trying to just keep us afloat. If I can’t get the money for the treatments, she’ll die.”

Morgan’s expression softened as she heard the heartbreak in his voice. A few of the officers exchanged glances, shifting uncomfortably. This brought up a number of complicated feelings for them. This was that loose thread she needed though. It was the key to unraveling the tangled mess they were in.

“I’m sure it feels like the whole world is against you right now.” she said, her voice laden with sympathy. “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, Norman, but there are people that care and that can help. The most important thing to think about right now is being there for her though. You can’t do that if you allow things to go south from here. Let me inside and we can talk through this, face to face.”

In his silence, she could feel his resolve shifting. He was processing what she had said, teetering on the edge of suspicion. It was hard for him to back down given how far he had gone. Still, he didn’t want to do this. This whole thing was an act of desperation that was starting to look like it might blow up in his face. 

“If I let you in, you’ve gotta swear to me there won’t be any funny business.” he finally said, a slight crack in his voice. “One wrong move, then I blow all of us to hell.”

Morgan’s pulse quickened, but she remained calm. 

“I believe you.” she said, her voice level. “I swear to you, all I want to do right now is talk. Let me help you reach a solution. I imagine the last thing you want is to leave Chelsea without her father.”

There was another beat of silence before Norman spoke again, his voice thick with exhaustion and fear. “Fine. Come in. But no tricks, Psyren. If I even think you’re playing me…”

“I understand,” she said, nodding resolutely to one of the officers. “You have my word.”

“Come to the door on the north side. I’ll have one of my guys let you in.” he sighed before the radio fell silent once more. She handed the radio back to one of the officers beside her, who was now looking at her in a mix of disbelief and hope. Already she’d done more than any of their best negotiators had managed.

“I’m going in,” she stated calmly, addressing the officer that had been directing things. “It may take a few minutes, but I need you all to stay in position here until I give you the go ahead. You’ll be hearing from me when it's time.”

Before she could field any questions that hung heavy in the minds of the police officers, she made her way to the side door. The sun had dipped low enough behind the city skyline now that she could see a broad-shouldered man through the glass, waiting to let her in. He was older, gruff-looking and carrying a gun that would definitely put her armor to the test at the range she was at.

His brow was heavy with a stern look as he pushed the door open for her. A part of him thought that letting her in was a bad idea, she could tell. Though, another secret part of him was surprisingly relieved that she was there. Looking her up and down, not sure what to make of her yet, he gestured for her to move further into the building where the rest of the crew and the hostages were.

Exiting a short hallway into the main lobby of the bank, the tension in the air was palpable–suffocating even. Huddled in a small circle on the floor, back to back, the four hostages were cinched tight together with wires and zipties. Terror rolled off of them in waves, but there was a flicker of hope that surged in each of them as she entered the room.

Three other armed men stood near the hostages, all of them watching her warily. Their eyes flitted nervously between her and the last of the robbers standing near the massive safe door. Gripped tightly in his hand was a small detonator, and there was a look of uncertainty that furrowed his brow. 

“Norman, thank you for agreeing to this.” Morgan said softly, raising her hands slowly in a show of surrender. “This probably wasn’t an easy decision to come to, but you’re doing the right thing.”

Norman swallowed hard, his hand tensing slightly around the detonator. There was a flash in his mind of a young girl, presumably his Chelsea. That was exactly the mindset she needed him in to make this work without resorting to a more heavy-handed approach.

He regarded her with a stiff nod, "I just want to fix this. I didn’t want to hurt anybody, but I can’t lose my baby girl."

Morgan could feel the raw, aching desperation radiating from him. "I know," she replied, her voice gentle."You love her, and you felt backed into a corner by everything that’s happened. You’re in a tailspin though. Your crew, Norman, they’re scared. They’re losing faith and the hostages… they’re praying you don’t make the wrong choice.”

Her words hung in the air, a gentle but powerful tug against his wavering resolve. 

“Think about her,” Morgan whispered. “She needs you alive. She needs her dad.”

His grip on the detonator slackened. She could feel him relenting. The image of the little girl’s smiling face flickered in his mind again, and this time Morgan helped him hang onto it. His perception of her was already beautiful, but she gave him the slightest push to see her with so much vibrancy and hope.

As she took a step forward, the detonator within her reach, there was a sudden sharp crunch of pavement outside that shook the ground and rattled the windows. 

Goddammit, not now.

The robbers and hostages all let out startled cries and Norman’s hold on the detonator tightened again as he quickly withdrew his hand. Looking out the window, they all caught sight of a red and white cape billowing in the wind. Homelander came strutting toward the bank, a tense smile on his face as he wound up to punch out one of the windows.

Before any of them could react, there was a spray of shattered glass and Morgan could only do so much with her telekinesis to keep the shards and splinters from hitting everyone inside. Morgan’s mental phalanx pushed back just in time, protecting the hostages and robbers from the worst of it. But the ripple of panic that followed hit harder than any of the stray shards.

Instinctively, the robbers trained their weapons on Homelander as he stepped through the windowpane. Norman looked back at her, his face contorted with rage as he assumed her betrayal. As far as he was concerned, she had been stalling for time for the leader of The Seven to arrive.

“Sorry to intrude on your big save.” Homelander said, notably unapologetic as he smirked at her. “You were taking quite a while and people were starting to get nervous. I had to step in and make sure you were okay.”

“You promised.” Norman hissed, his thumb moving to press down on the detonator.

“STOP!” her voice rang out through the bank but more than that, her mind delved deep into the minds of the robbers and seized hold of them. Her influence clawed into them all with a vise-like grip, making them all jerk to a sudden stop.

An eerie stillness settled over them, and the hostages watched on in shock. Eyes glazed over, weapons lowered, the four other robbers straightened stiffly and stood at attention like toy soldiers at her whim. Norman took a step toward her again, his face slack and expressionless as he placed the detonator into her waiting palm.

Awestruck and incredulous, the hostages looked at her with wide eyes. For a split second it looked like they were doomed, but they were still here in one piece. The thing that finally broke the momentary silence was the barely restrained sob of a young woman that was grateful she would live to see another day.

Even Homelander, with all his brash bravado, was paused mid-step and staring at her. His grin faltered, replaced by something more hesitant. He looked around at the robbers, eyes narrowing ever so slightly, then back at Morgan. “Well,” he muttered, his voice quieter now, “that’s… something.”

Morgan stood still, her mind still fully entwined with all of theirs, holding them in place. She could feel their thoughts, their fears, their desperation—all of it now a writhing tangle of distress under her thumb. Their bodies were hers to direct as they fell into line in front of her. For a brief, unsettling moment, even Homelander seemed unsure of what he was witnessing.

“Didn’t know you had that in you, Psyren,” he said, his smirk returning, though his tone lacked its usual confidence. “You had them tangled in your web from the beginning then, huh?”

Morgan remained silent, jaw tensing slightly as her grip on their minds gradually began to relax while she glanced at Homelander. His cocky smirk was back, but she could see the flicker of hesitation behind those baby blues of his. He wasn’t sure what to make of her and this unexpected peek into her true power.

It might have been easier to make them march out of there under her command, but she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. This was already more than she was comfortable with. Still pulling back from their minds, she was sure to do it gently, making sure they returned to themselves without breaking. One by one, the robbers blinked, their bodies trembling as they realized they had been completely at her mercy.

“It’s over. Let’s get the hostages out.” She said, her voice low and measured.

Norman nodded weakly, his face pallid from exhaustion and fear. The rest of his crew did the same, too rattled to speak or move with Morgan’s mental touch still lingering in the back of their heads. It was subtle, but she retained them just enough to keep them docile while she signaled for assistance.

The police rushed in to take control of the scene, but Morgan stayed where she was, staring at Homelander with frigid intensity. The hostages were quickly ushered out, their sobs of relief echoing throughout the bank until they stepped into the open air. Morgan’s heart was pounding in her chest, but she maintained an air of composure.

Homelander watched for a moment but his gaze ultimately returned to her, a touch of something like unease crossing his face briefly. His smile turned into something more curious than cocky.

“Guess you didn’t need me after all,” he said with a forced chuckle. “That’s a neat little trick you had hiding up your sleeve.”

“We’re done here, Homelander.” She said, reigning in the urge to toss him across the room with her telekinesis.

His brows raised momentarily, then he nodded slowly. Homelander’s typical swagger returned as he strolled back toward the empty windowpane. 

“Sure, of course. I’ll let you clean up here.” He paused, glancing back over his shoulder with a gleam in his eye. “Why don’t we have a chat about this later, though.”

With that, he took off, disappearing into the sky with a sonic boom.

As the echo of Homelander’s sonic boom faded, Morgan stood still for a moment, watching the sky where he had vanished. The weight of what had just happened pressed down on her, not because of the power she’d used—she had long since come to terms with that—but because of what it represented.

This is what Edgar wants me to manage.

The hostages were safe, the perpetrators were being loaded into the back of patrol cars, but Homelander had just proven that keeping him in check was going to be as exhausting as it was dangerous. His arrogance, his need to dominate every situation, would be a constant battle.

It was only the beginning. Her jaw tightened as she settled on that thought.

Motherfucker.

Song: Control by Halsey Author’s notes: I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was a fun one to write to further set the stage between Morgan and Homelander. Just as important, I had fun with the earlier scenes to help set the tone with some of the other members of the Seven too. I’m so excited to continue Morgan’s story and show you what I have in store for her. We’re just getting started folks!

Next chapter.

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

How or when did you realize that you love Dimiclaude as a ship? Was it already while playing the game/their routes or some time later? I already picked up on their chemistry in the game, especially their banter during WC (incl. El here, wish there was more House leader content) but tbh it really got me trough good fanwork. Probably bc I'm not that much of a shipper, in 3H there are few pairings I really care about, Dimiclaude and Sylvix on the top there. So, slowly I thought more about their[1]

[2] canon interactions and how good they would be for each other. All the things you and others already mentioned in "why do you ship them" answers, but also they do complement each other so well. Even in Hopes you can see Dimitri really needs someone to help him relax and take things a little more easy - Claude could help here. And Claude really needs someone who he can trust unconditionally to work on his issues there, and who better than someone as honest and good-hearted as Dimitri? ♡

[3] adding to my prior post: I also noticed that there are a fair number of fics that include both Dimiclaude and Sylvix, which is nice for me since I ship both. Most of them are modern au and often one of them is more in the background, but I do think it works really well in the post-AM universe, too. Imagine the King of Faerghus/Fodlan and the King of Almyra, and the Duke and the Margrave (who are more or less the most powerful nobles in the kingdom after the King himself) ... if I ever heard

[4] of two power couples it would be them. Though ofc that means a lot of responsibility and some long distance longing as well, ah poor Dimitri and Claude. Imagine, when Sylvain got send off to deal with Sreng/work to negotiate with them, at least Dimitri and Felix can exhaust themselves in practice, like the training maniacs they are (win-win!) while they "secretly" pine for their loved ones (secretly = obviously Dimi a little down, Felix more grumpy). Ok I'm getting a bit off-topic, sorry lol

Tbh I don’t really remember exactly what made me love them or when I realized it. I know it started in 2019 so it wasn’t too far into the game’s existence, but I don’t recall if it was fanart, Tumblr posts, their chemistry or a combination of those things. I do know it was BL/AM where I first really gave it thought. Originally my main ship was Dimitri and Byleth, but somewhere along the way it just kinda shifted to DimiClaude.

Generally I very casually ship things, like I can say I ship Hilda and Marianne or Ashe and Dedue, but I don’t really actively seek out content for it nor write it myself. It’s rare for them to be really dedicated to a ship and I have a few other OTPs from other fandoms that I love a whole lot, but I have comparatively way more casual ships, so DimiClaude being so interesting to me was surprising.

Aside from their canon interactions, for me it’s also the amount of possibility they have together and how many fic ideas, AUs or canon, could fit with them perfectly. They fit into a whole lot of ideas and concepts that always help explore different aspects of both of them. Having that is fun because it also helps me really see the kind of relationship they could have. They have an insane amount of potential and I love that.

Personally I do think Dimitri’s openness and honesty is perfect for Claude. I think if anyone else just said overly nice sounding things to him he wouldn’t immediately believe it, but considering how earnest and easily excited Dimitri can be, it’s hard to believe Claude would look at him and be like nah he’s lying. After Claude had such a terrible childhood, I think Dimitri would be perfect for making him feel better about himself and really giving him even more motivation to achieve his dreams. Being with Dimitri would also definitely help with his dreams since they want the same thing.

When I write them in fics I like to explore a sillier side of Dimitri that he starts to ease into because of Claude. It’s obvious throughout the game that he really does try to be relaxed and not so formal, but it’s just difficult for him. Claude is basically like... the kind of person who can be joking around one second and then get to work and do what he needs to do the next second. I feel like it’d be easy for him to slip into a relaxed, casual attitude to make sure Dimitri doesn’t tend to feel too uptight or serious around him. I like to think that eventually, being with Claude would help him open up to being a bit more silly and joking more. The way they banter in the game makes me think they could easily bounce off each other in a silly situation and have a really lighthearted moment.

Typically I am one of those DimiClaude/Sylvix people lol. For me it’s mainly because Sylvain and Felix are so close to Dimitri that they’re going to be the people who see Dimitri pretty regularly even post war. Also, I think Sylvain would notice Dimitri’s feelings pretty fast, and Sylvain is pretty loving and protective over his childhood friends. I think he’d want to stay close at first just to make sure Dimitri is alright, kind of also with the whole “if you hurt his feelings I will slay you” kind of thing with Claude. Protective older brother kind of deal.

Another character I love incorporating into DimiClaude is Dedue, because I think he’d be both so happy to see Dimitri happy and so happy and grateful that it’s someone with the exact same ideals as Dimitri that Dimitri is with. Both of them want the same things and have been planning for a long time to work on the same things. I think he would get along well with Claude and be really grateful to him for helping Dimitri.

I have headcanon about DimiClaude to keep them from having a long distance relationship because I’m a nut and I can’t handle them being apart lol. I like to write them as always being together like a normal couple, but they go back and forth between Fodlan and Almyra. Basically they’ll stay in Fodlan for half a month or a month or something at a time, then they’ll go to Almyra together. I headcanon that while they’re away from Fodlan, Sylvain, Lorenz and Ferdinand are the Help Desk instead of Dimitri. Generally I headcanon post AM that Lorenz takes care of the former Leicester territories and Ferdinand takes care of the Adrestian territories, so Sylvain would take care of Faerghus while Dimitri is away. And, of course, people know better than to try to start something while the kings are away, because Felix is grumpy and impatient and will just slice. When the boys are away from Almyra, he’d probably leave his dad and mom in charge like before he was king, or maybe have Nader be his temporary replacement while he’s away.

That way they’re always together and grow together as a couple, which would also help them get very used to each other and being around someone else in their daily life. Dimitri mentions in Houses that he didn’t have friends in the palace after the Tragedy besides Dedue because they all died, and of course we know his only other friends were long distance. I think it would make Dimitri really happy to wake up to someone every day and not have to worry that Claude will have to leave soon and be apart from him for long periods. I think Claude would also be really glad to have someone he knows loves him by his side regularly, because he’s already spent his whole life alone. Both of them were pretty lonely people. I like to think they can help each other not be lonely because they know no matter what, someone will always be there now.

Plus, I think if they show up together a lot, whether it’s a formal event or even just walking around a town together, people would get used to seeing them together and it could open up a lot of chances for their nations to get along better. I feel like Almyra would take to Dimitri faster than Fodlan would take to Claude once they know he’s Almyran, but I also think since their leadership would be so good to the people that they would start to accept Claude (and the marriage) a lot faster than they otherwise would.

One of my favorite ideas I still need to write at some point is Dimitri going with Claude to a poor area in town and visiting the kids... I have a n o t h e r and it’s that Dimitri learns to sew from Mercedes like in their supports but he handmakes things for the kids, and he often visits orphanages to bring the kids gifts. It always makes the kiddos super excited when they hear he’s gonna stop by, and when they get gifts from him they like to tell everyone they got presents from the king. Of course, you know Claude’s good little heart is melting whenever he sees this, and after going with Dimi a few times he starts to also learn some things so he can make some Almyran gifts for the kids. Sometimes they also bring ingredients so the kids can have a huge meal that day, and usually enough for leftovers for another day. They’re kings, they can afford more stuff than they’ll know what to do with in their life!

And yes, bodyguard Yuri will usually be shadowing them... even though Claude insists they’ll be fine because he’s used to being targeted. Yuri is a worrywart though despite his denial about that and will often be making sure they are safe. 

[yandere-sins]

Hello~☆ Here for my thoughts on your blog and it's actually the perfect timing bc I've been thinking on whether or not to tell you smth. That something being...

How grateful I am for you!💜!💜!💜! Like, I think you're one of the first yandere blogs that opened my eyes and really pulled me into this special hell. I like how you...stay in character? Might sound weird since you'd think that's the standard but it's just what I noticed. Like, they way you write characters is very much believable. And the way you write is also just so easy to read, digest and pops like a Nimm 2 candy. It was also kinda surprising to know that you're also German bc of how fluently and well you write but also bc it just feels very smth distinct I can't describe to know that there's smn who's also into this fucked up shit in the same country as me.

Anyways, I love your stuff and I owe you my life 🤗 take responsibility for what you've done to me

Late replies, but thanks everyone who sent something in! I’ll go through it now ^-^

Thank you! I am really glad that I’m still able to keep up making the characters feel believable despite distorting their personalities! I’ve always tried to stay as much in-character as possible with my fanfiction, and I try to grab what I can for yandere and build on it (or wreck it hehe)!

I know that I make a lot of mistakes still, but I’m glad that it seems like non-primary english speakers are still able to read it! I think that’s already an achievement in itself :D You’d be surprised, though, how many Germans I got to know via my blogs, so you’re definitely not alone with whatever your preferences are! And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying what’s enjoyable for you personally :3 I’m glad that I’m able to give you the immersive experience through yandere in writing that makes you feel a lot of things!

Thank you for sharing and I hope you get to enjoy a lot more stories in the future!! ♥

I can’t take responsibility for your life tho, pls have mercy I can hardly manage my own x’D

It’s never too late, thank you for reaching out ♥

With the concepts, it’s a lot like with the characters, where you set on a completely normal, harmless point and then just drag it down to hell. It’s just practice I’d say! Nevertheless, thank you for your kind words and support! It means a lot to hear you say these things about my stories, especially when I try (even when I’m struggling at times), to present them the way you just described! I hope you’ll enjoy a lot more of my stories in the future :3

Welcome back! I’m glad to hear from you again ^-^

(POV and perspective are both okay to use, no worries! :D) Thank you so much for your insight! I’m sure you noticed I’ve been trying different POVs lately, and from different people, so I’m glad you found them all enjoyable regardless! I definitely want to do more yandere pov in the future, especially with the prison project still running (I think that would put a very different, interesting light on things >:3), but sometimes I get insecure and just hope it’s not too difficult to read as a reader who might not be able to relate. But I’m glad you don’t seem to have a problem with that! :D More power to you!!

Reblogs are definitely the best form of support, even for older works! Oftentimes I see someone reblogging a piece from a while ago and suddenly it gains notes again! Tumblr algorithm is crazy sometimes, but it of course makes me really happy to see that my old writing gets another chance at life ^-^

As for the OC content, I will admit that has slacked a little. Rhys is mostly finished and I think a lot of people don’t really know him since he’s quite old, but I have one more general headcanon request for him which I will do (hopefully soon). I don’t think Atreo will be featured in the upcoming MerMay again but I am still working on plotting out the story, so who knows! However, it’ll feature three new OCs so... that’s something xD As for the Alien Project, which is not only hosting my OC but also other people’s OCs, that’s probably the best bet for OC content! The next time I get to write about it, we’ll get some more Azazel action at least, so that’s something to look forward to!

Otherwise, I hope you’ll enjoy the semi-oc’s I sometimes write about, and who will keep popping up here and there, but I don’t have any more planned aside from the mentioned above yet, sorry >-< Maybe the next time, we’ll switch things up and get a darling OC where we are the yandere? Who knows, but I think that could be fun as well ^-^

Stay safe & healthy as well, and thank you for checking in ♥

[saltineofswing]

Maybe Tumblr will like this little thought on the nature of divinity that I have been chewing on for a couple years now. In the interest of preparing expectations, I am Jewish, and I feel like this fundamentally facilitates my outlook, but if you can also derive peace, understanding, enjoyment from this without that viewpoint, great!

I don’t typically like to speculate on what God is. I think it’s a moot point for me, personally, to form a coherent and consistent opinion of… what is God? A dude? A lady? Somewhere between, beyond, or transient? I tend to believe somewhere more in the realm of ‘beyond comprehension of mortal form’. The governing* force of the universe and the entity that forms the backbone of my cultural and religious beliefs simply Is, capital ‘I’. God will be what God will be, as they say, it always kinda struck me as Moses going “What are you?” And the response being simply “Yes”.

Much more interesting for me to explore is what God can do.

What is it about the nature of divinity that makes it different? What makes divinity so special? I think that beyond the typical displays of power that are usually remarked upon, there is an aspect of godliness that I am drawn to think about a lot whenever I am thinking about, and therefore in my own way talking to, God and our relationship to each other and the world. To me, one of the most interesting features of divinity is the ways in which God is defiant. God possesses the power to defy. Not in the sense of resistance or challenge of authority, but in the abstract. For example: consider Moses and the burning bush. As a method of demonstrating to Moses that yes, he is talking to the real deal, God speaks through a bush that is on fire, but the bush is not consumed by the flames. Aflame, but does not burn. In this way God defies… the laws of physics, expectation, common wisdom, ‘the rules’, whatever you want to call it. God in this way performs defiance, fundamentally ignores the way the world works in order to make two things simultaneously true that otherwise could not be. It boils down, roughly, to ‘A thing you do understand’ and ‘A thing you don’t understand’. It is true that you understand what is going on, the bush is burning. It is also true that you do not understand what is going on, because otherwise, you’d know how the bush is burning without being consumed.

How is this applicable to you or me? Well, in very small ways, ways that do not involve the ability to do literal magic (as far as I can tell! Did anybody get the pencil to move and didn’t clue me in?), in intimate ways and unknowable ways, I believe that God is in everything and everyone, oneness, inseverable. We are all some part or connected to some part, however small, of God. We are also always striving to understand God, because God is beyond us, God is inseverable and God is oneness – we are unique individuals, therefore severable and separate, therefore not God. Both can be true. In this way God is defiant. In this way, we can choose to recognize defiance. It’s not necessarily about performing defiance, but I think you could if you wanted to, in a way that matters to yourself and nobody else, which might be the most important way to do anything. Two things are simultaneously true that otherwise could not be – a state of defiance – can be the recognition of simultaneity in a thing which you previously saw from only one side. Sometimes, things can be wide but shallow. Sometimes, things can be narrow but deep. Sometimes, the obvious answer is not the only answer. Sometimes, a question is asking you more than one thing. Once you conceive of two things as simultaneously true**, your perspective is widened, and you become a little closer to God***. How can you become closer to that which you already are, or is already in you? Well, my friend, would you be surprised if I told you that Both Is True?

And, I mean, not to mention – it is, as ever, the responsibility of the individual to utilize this divine gift in ways that don’t suck. Leave things better than you found them, which sometimes does include leaving no footprint at all one way or another. Acknowledgement of a truth and actualization of a truth are two different things, possibilities and options don’t always require implementation. I know what I COULD do, but what am I GOING to do. I know of multiple simultaneously true answers I COULD give, but what/which is/are the answer(s) I am GOING to give. My ma has a Golden Rule that is and always will be relevant to the general Jewish worldview: Don’t be a dick. This is relevant to the discussion because it recognizes the importance of action over thought. Recognizing multiple options is not simultaneity, and it is therefore not defiant – unless, sigh, one of those options was previously something you would have considered impossible but now is within your scope of function, in which case it IS defiant, and this is why there are no absolutes****.

SO, what does this mean for my day-to-day, how do I utilize this theory of ‘Defiance’ practically in my life? I relate it to perspective. If I can wrap my mind around the simultaneity of truths, I can wrap my mind around being OK with not understanding, and then I can try to figure out if I can understand any piece of it. Can I encounter a problem or a situation and ask myself, “What are you?”, and be OK when the first available answer is “Yes?” How many steps of understanding can I achieve? How broad is the scope of my vision? Is my perspective on a thing helpful to a person who sees it differently than me? It’s going to be different every day.

Maybe God doesn’t tie into this at all, and this is just a philosophical concept that I am attaching to a framework of theology in order to conceptualize the unknowable, and that brings me peace, and that is enough. Maybe this idea would never have come about if I hadn’t been questioning the concept of God and trying to figure out how I relate to that concept.

Why not Both?

(*Insofar as I believe God ‘governs’ anything, mind you, which is probably a whole ‘nother post to be made at 3 AM)

(**and here we wink and nod at the concept of ‘truth’ in a philosophical, ethical, moral, or determinable sense so we can go on with our yak yak yak yak yak.)

(***‘closer to God’ herein refers to the concept of emotional closeness and/or understanding and does not refer to distance, how much more divine you are/are not, or that line from the chorus of that one song, you dirty bird.)

(****nyuck nyuck nyuck!)

[bandluvr97]

mbb 🎅

I wrote something and Tumblr said nope, hopefully this works better.

I work F&B for the venue, so I help out at private events, which can get wild. Like $150,000USD for the night wild. It's an iconic venue, so people tend to only book it for extravagant parties, and thankfully now when Chef gets a $20,000USD order for a weekend the manager goes and screams in the VIP lounge rather than my little cave of an office space. I don’t get to see the parties (my boss thinks I’m an HR nightmare, cause tbh I was at the last company we worked at together) but I get the Stress of the invoices… What do you do for work? You said an office job, anything else you could share?

Ah, I can’t watch those kinds of movies, I get too much second-hand embarrassment lmao but I’m glad you’re there to keep up with the cringe.

I’m obsessed with how other idols have to deny dating rumors, while Changkyun’s there like “I fuck, please believe me!” and we’re like yep okay and the Easter Bunny is real, too. I don’t know how their stylists keep hitting, but they do, and they always look so amazing. I love their classy but scantily clad looks, even if Shownu isn’t there to switch from extremely sexy to Dad At Disneyworld as soon as he changes.

He will, but at what cost? He has to be a stocks bro now, which is an extremely unsexey thing to be. He’s so lucky he can sing smh (I’m joking). The vibration dance to start the song was so inspired, especially with the half open jumpsuit. I just think Shownu should be Snake Plisskin in the inevitable remake, in that jumpsuit, obviously. I don’t care if he doesn’t have acting experience, he could do it.

I love how sweet Wonho is, and so therefore how sweet his fans are. Even if he is absolutely shredded and so powerful on stage. I hate drug scandals, like, let them unwind in their downtime, and I’m glad that most people agreed and supported him and wanted him back. I can’t believe he’s enlisted now, how are we meant to go on without him?

And don’t think I didn’t see the line about some online dating, I’m trying not to snoop but also I’m snooping. Hopefully that’s going okay for you, please give us the rundown.

Hey love ❤️ how are you doing today? It’s all good Tumblr can have good days and bad days when it comes to messaging or posts so no worries there 😂

Oooo so your a food and drink distributor? That’s so cool!! I take it the venue is well known?what is the name of the club? Dang love! You’re making the big bucks!! Now that is impressive ❤️❤️ what kind of food do you serve? Lol as for me I work in an office as a social worker for low income families and community members so I work with people who are refugees/immigrants, indigenous communities, people who need money until they find work and things like that lol there is a lot of good clients but there can be the occasional one or two that like to give people a difficult time for no reason 😂😂 if you want to hear more stories or more about it im more than happy to answer 😊 im an open book lol

Yeah those movies are good for either background (which is what we mainly do in my family) but with the hallmark we mainly just judge them for how much they mention Christmas and make it more cheesy than they need to make it lol

Lmao!!! Right?!?!?! Idk how they keep coming up with so many amazing outfits like come on guys can you give us a second to catch our breath first? 😍😍😍😍and for changkyun we already know he a thotty thot some days and a comfy baby boy the next lol I honestly will not be surprised if shownu goes full daddy mode when he comes out and I am here for it lol I’ve always wanted to see it and I hope we see it lol wbu? What do you think shownu will look like after he’s out?

Lmao!! It just shows that he’s successful and knows how to make some extra coin 😂😂 all jokes aside if that’s what he wants to do with his money then that’s good for him ❤️❤️idk if I know what the snake plisskin is but if it’s leather then he can pull anything off lol

Right??? Wonho is such a sweetie 😍😍 I remember seeing some fan cams of his meet and greets with wenees and the handholds and the caresses though we’re sending me though the feels I swear to goodness lol and yeah that drug scandal was a negative time but we got him in the end still doing what he loves and that’s all we can ever want for our bunnie ❤️❤️ and honestly? Idk but it will be similar to shownus enlistment then we can do the countdown of days until he’s out lol

Darn it I thought you didn’t see that 😂😂😂 what would you like to know love? Let’s just say this the people I talked to wanted to meet up right away and make things go too fast for me and didn’t want to do the whole “friends to lovers” sort of thing so I will just be chilling and reading some fan fiction until the right person shows up lol it just wasn’t going anywhere and we shall see what is out there lol wbu? How is your dating life going?

Also sorry for the late reply too I thought I pressed send too lol

[chvoswxtch]

Firstly, MA’AM NO you are not an idiot, tumblr is crazy dumb and eats asks all the time!

Secondly, shiiiiiit that fic got me messed up in the best way possible! 🫢 angry Matt is just 😏 dragging reader up by the throat? 🤤 the line “if he could just make it to heaven tonight he could leave hell behind” was powerful! And the safe word being Red of all things? Amazing. Reader being so gentle with him afterwards? 🥺 Double amazing. And don’t even get me started on the sensory overload part! That happens to me and it’s awful. “The Matt Whisperer” was great too! Thank you for writing this! 😘😘

The other request was much less sad 😅 reader and Matt are being goofs and playing “hide n seek and chase” in his stupidly large apartment and reader is really confident in their ability to hide and run from ‘blind’ Matty but Matt’s got the heightened senses thing going for him and maybe Matt’s taunting reader and saying… things… to get reader flustered? 🙃😬🙃

AHHHHH i'm so glad you enjoyed it nonnie 🥺 I totally feel you on that. I get sensory overload all the time with my anxiety and it is literally one of the worst feelings ever and makes me wanna bang my head against a wall. thank you so much for the request!

and thank you for this one too! I was like 99% sure that's what the request was for and I had already started writing it but then I couldn't find it and I panicked and was like WAIT FUCK WHAT WAS IT. so AGAIN, I hope this is what you were looking for. this one is a little bit shorter bc my brain just no worky worky lately but if you'd like a part 2 or anything please let me know! I just really wanted to get this out bc I promised at least 3 posts for my little celebration thingy so thank you again so much for the requests! ❤️

warning: contains explicit sexual content. as always, minors please dni. if you'd like to read this lovely nonnie's other req, you can find it here. ✨ word count: 2k

[part two]

hide & seek.

It had started off as a joke initially. You and Matt were a few beers and tequila shots deep at Josie’s, which always had you feeling more brave and confident than usual. It also brought out your competitive side, which is how you ended up taunting the devil and boastfully striking up a bet that he couldn’t catch you in a game of hide and seek. Matt’s brows had ridden considerably up his forehead in surprise, his head cocked to the side as he studied you with that goddamn smirk curling at the edge of his mouth in a beckoning manner, clearly amused that you were serious.

You should’ve known better. Matt was extremely competitive by nature, but when he was challenged and had something to prove? Not even God could stand in his way. He also had the advantage of his heightened senses, which put you having regular sight to shame. The man could literally tell when you were lying about how many cups of coffee you had actually had that day, when you changed your shampoo or body wash even if it was a subtle difference, and most of the time opened the door before you even had a chance to raise your fist to knock because he could hear you coming from three blocks away. That’s not even counting all the times he had caught you before you had a chance to trip over whatever you had missed in your path, or a curb that surely hadn’t always been there. He told you once that he could find you anywhere in the world, just by your scent alone, and you believed him. So why had you agreed to this? 

Oh. That’s right. Because of the stakes. Matt had a few rules for your little game. One, you had to play in the dark. To make it fair, he had insisted. Two, you would play in the safety of his apartment, which you argued was another unfair advantage. But you knew it almost as well as he did at this point, and it was spacious and away from…prying eyes. Because rule number three? You’d both be playing naked. He hadn’t even attempted to make up an excuse for that rule. He strictly wanted you naked so that it would be easier to claim his prize. 

The game was simple. If you won, Matt had to take you away for a weekend to a secluded cabin upstate. No daredeviling. No distractions. No clothes. Just the two of you, a hot tub, an actual tub, a fireplace, and a very large bed. If Matt won, you agreed to let him tie you up and deprive you of some of your senses, and let him see just how many times he could make you come in one night. Needless to say you both won either way, and you were nearly positive Matt would win. But, that didn’t mean you weren’t going to make him earn his victory. 

You tampered with the thermostat, trying to find a temperature just in the right space between cold and warm to make sure you weren’t shivering or sweltering. You showered with Matt’s shampoo and body wash, hoping it would throw him off your scent a bit. Trying to tame your excitement and nerves, you helped yourself to two double shots of tequila, hoping it would dull your heartbeat to a more inconspicuous pace. There were still a few hours left before Matt promised to be home from patrol, giving you a head start on finding a hiding spot without him hearing your every movement. He tried to make it fair, as fair as he could anyway, when you both knew the inevitable outcome. A part of you felt ridiculous, trying to hide from the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen himself, knowing exactly what he was capable of. But a bigger part of you was excited for the exact same reason. 

With just an hour to spare, you made sure to pace every square inch of Matt’s apartment, leaving your intermingling scents in as many spaces as possible to buy yourself some more time. Even though you had all but accepted your defeat, you didn’t want it to be over so quickly. After all, the chase was the aphrodisiac leading up to all the fun. You had settled on hiding in a cabinet beside the stove in the kitchen just wide enough for you to fit in that was close to a closet containing the water heater, hoping that would help conceal your body temperature. It was a spot you figured would be the last on Matt’s list to look, and it would get him on his knees. A win-win for you.

Matt shut the door to the roof that led down into the apartment a little louder than usual to signal to you wherever you were that he was home. You could faintly hear him shedding his boots, gloves, and suit as they were discarded on the worn wooden steps behind him. You tried your hardest not to let your heart run wild as silence filled your ears, hoping the noise of the water heater would drown you out just a little bit. You couldn’t hear Matt moving around, and you momentarily regretted your choice in hiding spots since you couldn’t see him. Although, that might have made it worse for you. If you could see him coming closer, your heartbeat would no doubt give you away. 

“Showered with my stuff, huh? Clever girl. But do you really think that’s going to save you, sweetheart? You really think you can outsmart the Devil?”

You had to close your eyes as Matt’s coarse voice cut through the silence. Matt knew how much of an effect his voice had on you, especially when he used his Daredevil voice. You didn’t even have to confess it. He had figured it out one night, while you were at Josie’s with Foggy and Karen, playing a game of pool on opposing teams. He had been teasing you relentlessly the entire night, his flirtatious comments getting more and more obscene to see just how far he could push you until you were begging him to drag you into the bathroom and fuck you shamelessly right there. Ever since that night, he used that knowledge to his advantage, making them a permanent part of foreplay.

“It’s cute you know, that you think you have a chance. Can’t say I don’t admire your efforts. But we both know I’m going to get what I want. Don’t we angel?”

His words sent a chill down your spine, and you instantly regret not making a rule of your own that Matt wasn’t allowed to talk. You couldn’t tell if he was actually having a hard time figuring out where you were hiding and was trying to get you worked up so he could draw you out that way, or if he was just genuinely enjoying fucking with you. Knowing him, it was the latter. Matt loved to tease you. He loved to get you needy for him, adored the way his name rolled off your tongue as you begged for mercy or more.

“C’mon sweetheart, don’t you wanna skip to the good part? Don’t you wanna let me make you feel good? If you give up now, I’ll have you coming in two minutes, tops. I promise.”

Squeezing your eyes shut tightly, you clamped your hand over your mouth as a shudder wracked through you. He wasn’t lying. You both knew that. There had been plenty of times you’d had to pry him away, hopelessly trying to warn him that Foggy and Karen would be back any second, or that you were already ridiculously running late. But he would just flash you that signature devilish grin, roll up his sleeves or set you up on the closest surface, sometimes getting on his knees, and whisper a promise into your ear. Two minutes, angel. The memories flooding through your head had you pressing your thighs together, and you heard him chuckle darkly.

“Hm, I see you’re considering my offer. Or rather, I can smell it, I should say. Oh sweetheart, if you only knew what I had planned for you tonight. You’d be giving up without hesitation. Maybe I should give you a little preview, hm? Would you like that, pretty girl?”

You hated how cocky he sounded. The fucker knew exactly what he was doing. He was pulling out all the stops, using every pet name he knew you loved, lowering his voice even deeper than you thought possible. You could faintly hear him moving around, avoiding all the spots in the floor that creaked or groaned under weight to keep his location from you. His voice was never far though, and that made you nervous. Was he even looking for you? Or had he already found you, and was waiting for you to give up?

“First things first, one of us is going to be on our knees. Who’s first, all depends on you. See, if you surrender and promise you’ve learned your lesson, I’ll be on my knees first. I won’t tease, won’t make you wait. I’ll bury my face in that sweet cunt of yours until you come, and reward you like the good girl I know you can be. And you know that won’t be the only time tonight my face will be between those pretty thighs. You know how much I love the way you taste, sweetheart. But, if you continue to be stubborn, and make me come get you, then I’m going to fuck that little throat of yours until you’ve learned not to taunt the Devil.”

You bit back a moan as hard as you could, pressing your thighs even tighter together. Another low snicker tore through the silence, and you could feel your wetness coating your inner thighs. It made even more sense now why Matt wanted you to play naked. He didn’t want anything coveting the scent of your arousal. He wanted the pure experience of it. No textures of fabric or other scents in the way. Just you, and what he was doing to you.

He knew exactly where you were. There’s no way he didn’t. You had no clue if he had figured it out the second he stepped into the apartment but continued to go along with your little game, or if he figured it out the second he started talking. It didn’t matter either way. He knew, and you had a choice to make. You could come quietly, give in and give him what he wanted, and revel in the fact you knew he would take it easy on you tonight for your cooperation. Or, you could continue to be defiant, force him to find you, and deal with the delectable consequences knowing he would really let you have it tonight.

If you didn’t get to have what you wanted, why should he?

A few moments of silence passed as Matt waited for you to make your decision. A sinister tsk tsk tsk echoed in the quiet when you refused to move from your spot. The sound caused a grin to spread across your face.

“So that’s how you wanna play tonight? Alright, sweetheart. Just remember, you asked for this.”

There was a warning laced in Matt’s words, and it only made the slick between your thighs worse. You didn’t bother trying to steady your heartbeat anymore, allowing it to thud in your chest as you waited in anticipation. Your brows furrowed slightly as seconds ticked by in silence. You couldn’t hear Matt moving around at all, and your mind raced with possibilities of what he was doing. A squeal of surprise sounded from you as the cabinet door was suddenly ripped open, revealing crouched down on his knees in front of you. The obnoxious billboard outside the apartment window was glowing red, and the crimson shadow it cast over Matt’s face and the way it illuminated the downright wicked grin on his lips made you squirm. 

Maybe you should have given in.

[bluminex]

Hey. Can I get "Characters with a S/O that doesn’t like making eye contact with anyone" with Hu Tao, Ganyu and Yae Miko please?

The dislike of meeting with someone's eyes

Hu Tao, Ganyu, and Yae Miko (separately) x Gender-neutral reader.

I currently could not come up with a nice title, but here it is... take it or leave it. You have asked for this prompt... if that's what you call it around here on Tumblr... and I have written it for you. Now, as for the one's waiting in my inbox, you'll have to be patient.

:) Enjoy the work

Hu Tao

Hu Tao already knew the reason why you act like this. And you knew she knew it too… which fortunately saved you from having to explain it to her. On the other hand, it also was unfortunate because of… various of reasons.

“Oh, come on…! I totally saw you staring at me, don’t you try to deny it!” Hu Tao persisted.

You groaned in response, shaking your head trying to dismiss it. Hu Tao frowned, but then a few moments later, she's all giddy again. You were obviously confused by the suddenness of it…

 “Sorry, I just found it cute how you’d stare at me whenever I’m not looking. You know, I also find you really adorable when you’re mad at me, Hehe! Although you’re mad… you’re holding yourself back because you don’t want to hurt your girlfriend’s feelings that much!” She smirked, nudging you lightly as she chuckled.

You sighed, “I’m telling you… I really wasn’t looking at you Tao!”

“I don’t believe you! You’re blushing so hard right now, I bet if I touched your cheeks, it would be burning hot with how flushed you are!” Hu Tao grinned cheekily.

“Come on, just admit it already! There’s no harm in doing so at all!”

You folded your arms as you huffed. Trying your best to resist a smile, however in the next stunt that your lover pulls, makes you become all giddy. Hu Tao pulled you down by your necktie and kissed you, she didn’t want to struggle trying to kiss you right now. You stared at her in shock for a good, solid moment… and she stared back with the smuggest smile you have ever seen on her face.

You quickly looked away from her. You couldn’t stop smiling… and your face wouldn’t stop heating up again… Jeez, the power this Director has on you is seriously dangerous.

“Fine. I… I was staring at you. There, happy?” You grumbled, knowing that you lost this time.

Hu Tao laughed light-heartedly, “A lot! Hehehe~”

Ganyu

Ganyu had always worried that you felt uncomfortable around her, which led to her being intensely determined to make sure you don’t feel that way around her anymore! You were her lover; she couldn’t possibly allow herself to let you feel uneasy around her.

Though, no matter how badly Ganyu wants to ask you straightforwardly about it… Poor girl would be too anxious and worry about how you’d react or answer to it. And as time flew by, you grew suspicious of her… and of course, you had to ask what was wrong.

Knock

Ganyu looked up and stared straight at the door after hearing the knock, she wondered on who could possibly be at her office’s door near midnight… or was it midnight already, who knows.

“Come in!”

What Ganyu was certainly not expecting was for the one who had knocked to be her significant other, otherwise known as you. She was surprised at most, but quickly composed herself. Not once have you made eye contact with her when you had entered.

“There’s something I’d like to talk about with you, I believe this might… lessen your stress and worry.” You coughed into your hand.

Ganyu looked at you intensely, what was it that you wanted to discuss of? Did she do something wrong? Has she not been good enough of a partner to you? Does she need to spend more time with you? All these thoughts flooded her mind… and she did not like it one bit.

“It’s nothing like that, no… Instead, it’s about something that I’ve been too shy to ever admit and confess about. I thought I’d tell you now because I suspect that you’re worrying and overthinking about it.” You reassured her as you noticed the confused and nervous expression on Ganyu's face.

“It’s about me not making eye contact with you. It’s not like I am uncomfortable and uneasy when I am with you… no, no. It’s because I tend to speak better when I am not looking into someone’s eyes, let’s just say I feel under pressure and stutter a lot when I make eye contact. Either that, or I just become so intensely awkward and stutter over my own words. It never really is because I am uncomfortable with anyone, I just feel awkward and get pressured…”

You sighed, your face was heating up and your heart was beating rapidly. The amount of courage and effort you had to put in with just admitting it.

Ganyu sighed in relief, she was more than glad to know that it wasn’t because of her… and she’s perfectly fine with you being that way.

“That’s really reassuring to hear. Then, I have no problems with you being like this anymore, I completely understand how you feel. Though, it would be nice if you were to look at me in the eyes more when we’re in private, if you’re okay with it?” Ganyu rose a brow, she felt like she was being a bit selfish… but whatever.

You nodded, “I’ll try my best to do it more often with you. However, I can’t promise that I still won’t feel awkward… I’m probably going to end up smiling and go back to not looking at you.” You chuckled lightly.

Ganyu smiled, “Then, since you’re here… Perhaps I should take a break for now. We both should go to bed now, it’s really late by the looks of it.” Ganyu stood up and walked over to where you were standing.

“We should… Let’s get going now then.” You yawned, Ganyu grinned at the sight before her. Ganyu was lucky to have had someone like you in her life.

The both of you left the office, heading back to where Ganyu resided in the city. You both deserved some needed rest, especially for the secretary… Overworking herself day and night. It was about time she took a break from work… and for you to come clean with your awkward situation. Gosh, your face is still heating up, it still feels hot… Being so embarrassed over something like this is so… embarrassing.

Yae Miko

Yae Miko doesn’t care for whatever the reason behind your dislike and hatred of looking into someone’s eyes is.

Guuji Yae could care less for whatever the reason behind your dislike and hatred of making eye contact with someone is. In fact, she’d be more intrigued than puzzled. The reactions she can get out of you are simply too amusing and entertaining to her… You’re happy she’s aware of your situation… but at the same time wish she didn’t.

“So? How was the novel that I have read to you just now?” Yae Miko asked you, you’re leaning onto her shoulder and you only hum. Your eyes seem to be betraying you as they keep growing heavier and heavier…

You feel something grab and hold your chin firmly. It was your girlfriend. She held your chin with her index and thumb finger and made you look at her. Before you could even realize it, you were a blushing mess already. You were flustered…

“U-uh, uhm… cough… what were you saying again…!?” You asked in a hurry as you immediately avoided her gaze.

Turning your head and escaped the firm grasp she had on your chin. You could hear your girlfriend chuckle, you bet she was all smug… and she was.

Yae Miko had a cheeky smile on her face, “I was asking what your thoughts were on the novel I just read to you. Seriously, is my voice that calming that it makes you fall asleep?” She questioned, raising a brow at you.

You grumbled in embarrassment and covered your flushed face with your palms. Yae Miko grinned at the sight… it was fun to mess around with you every now and then, and very much worth it.

You kept on whining and complaining about her pulling a stunt like that again and how tired you were of it. Miko hummed as if she wasn’t bothered by your grouches, all it took for you to shut up was a simple kiss on the lips. Which had left you speechless… again. The first to break the silence was of course, Guuji Yae.

“I’m still waiting for you to answer, I’m getting impatient waiting on you.” Miko reminded you with an intimidating voice.

You gulped, “Uhm, yes, sorry… uh… It was a good novel. The only grouch I have on the novel is that the character development and the whole falling in love part was too fast. Overall, it still is a really good novel.”

Yae Miko smiled, she seemed satisfied with your answer. “Now, let me read the next novel… ‘A Battle for Love’… Hm… this title seems a bit boring, don’t you think so?"

“It’s an okay title… but whoa! That is the shortest title I have seen on a novel here in Inazuma!! This is mind-blowing with how insanely long the titles usually are.” You laughed breathily.

Yae Miko sighed, “Seriously... have my editors really lost their sense of imagination and creativity. What a shame, it seems like I'll be bored to death from this one."

"I sure won't!" You grinned.

Your girlfriend deadpanned at you, "You must have horrible taste in novels then." Your grin became a frown real quick after hearing that. Geez, you were so offended by her words that you couldn't even say anything to protest to your taste in novels.

I have used images for the first time here on Tumblr. This is one step forward to figuring out how to fit in with the Tumblr authors and creators.

Fun Fact: I am a former Ao3/Archive of Our Own author. I currently am just taking a break from that place... sooner or later I'll be posting again on that site.