baewan

[danikatze]

I just posted a redraw of Sachi and Matsu from the scene below and I suddenly have Thoughts about this. For context: Matsu gave a hairpin to Masa as thanks, because Masa previously said he thought it was beautiful and that his sister would love it. Masa then gave it to Sachi and told her Matsu had crafted it. Sachi now thinks that Matsu is trying to woo her, while she has a fiancé.

[ID in alt text]

And like, it's kind of a leap for her to think that: they've barely interacted and Masa was the one to give her the hairpin, not Matsu - he just made it. But it's not that big of a leap and considering that she's blushing like crazy and brings up her fiancé and stuff, you'd think that Matsu would, at some point in this conversation, realise what's going on. He's just as confused as Masa though lol.

And that's kind of unexpected, because I always pictured him as someone who is conscious of his charm and knows how to use it. But I'm starting to think that this is mainly reserved for business situations and that he has no (or barely any) such recognition when it comes to romance?

I mean it's canon that he doesn't know what to do with his own feelings, but not being able to recognise romantic intentions and/or assumptions in others towards him, if he doesn't intentionally plant those, is surprising and actually really cute and funny and sad. Sad because, judging by the information we get about him throughout the story, he dislikes himself so much that he can't imagine people liking him without him either putting up an act or being useful.

I've also often thought about what it means that he gave Masa the hairpin. It's heavily implied that he made the hairpin for his ex, probably in case they ever managed to meet again and make up. He knows full well that, in his absence, she married a man who has accepted Matsu's child as his own. Still he hasn't been able to let her go, while he was the one who left her.

Then the whole kidnapping fiasco that Masa saved him from took place, and things happened that made him accept that he can never go back to her and their child. And understandably, he'd want to get rid of the thing that symbolises his inability to move on. Masa just saved his life and he said he liked the hairpin so. There ya go.

But like, there has got to be some significance in that. I'm not saying it's a grand romantic gesture toward Masa (although thinking about it, I love the idea that sometime in the future Matsu realises that he gave the hairpin to someone he would end up loving at least as much as the person he originally made it for :3), but the thing is: he could also have sold it. And he didn't because he's not the cold, pragmatic businessman he might like people to think he is. The hairpin has emotional significance and he wants to give it to someone who is worthy of it.

And, I dunno, I think love is stored in things, in a way, and sometimes people can.. sense that. So maybe it's not so strange that Sachi thought it was a proclamation of love.

[ghostchems]

bad idea right? - raphael x f!tav

your companions have made their stance on making a deal with a devil clear but as the stakes of your quest grow you aren't so certain

a/n: i am shouting out @angellayercake for screaming about this with me and for also having to deal with this:

this is my first raphael fic! i tried :) 2.1k words. smut! mdni! 18+ please. both tav and raphael make bad decisions! ao3 link.

Your muscles and bones ache as you toss and turn in bed, eyes squeezed shut while you try to force yourself to sleep but to no avail. The bed creaks as you shift, an exasperated sigh leaving your lips. Sleeping used to be easier before the tadpole, before your abduction and before you somehow became the hero of this story. Your eyes flicker across your companions, watching as they sleep, their chests rising and falling between soft breaths. You knew booking a room at Elfsong would be good for them, allowing them to sleep in actual beds for the first time during your adventure rather than bedrolls on the hard ground. You care for them, more than you’ve cared about anything before, putting their needs above yours. Perhaps that’s why you’ve taken on the role as the heroic leader.

But you don’t want to be. Not anymore. You’re exhausted from trying to go about this the right way when there is a slightly easier way to go about it.

The second those big, brown eyes fell upon you in the Devil’s Den he knew you were exhausted. You still went about the delicate dance of learning what he truly wanted from you and how you refuse to make a deal with a Devil. But deep down, you wanted to and he knew. The way his lips quirked into a slimy smirk as you left, your eyes met his and you gave him a knowing look. He would be expecting you to come back.

You just didn’t think you would be back so soon but you aren’t able to get your thoughts to quiet down. You need your plans in place to quiet your mind enough to rest. Gravel crunches beneath your boots as you make your way back to Sharess’ Caress, a cautious eye scanning the streets for anything out of the ordinary. You miss the days when you could walk these streets without worry, when signs of danger were few and far between. 

The hair on the back of your neck stands on end once you reach the door to Devil’s Den, a lump forming in your throat. Ever since Raphael showed his smarmy face and performed his rehearsed speech to your group, you couldn’t help but be curious about him. A devil, a cambion to be more specific, coming to you with a deal was never even a possibility that crossed your mind before, let alone having multiple run-ins with him since you escaped the wreckage. There is always something far too tempting about him and his schemes.

I’ve grown fond of you, in my own way. 

You think about the way those words rolled off of his tongue more than you would like to admit. An infernal creature fond of you. You can’t help but feel special. A quick thought blips to the front of your mind, a sudden worry that it’s too late at night for you to be disturbing him. You suck in a deep breath and shrug the thought away — you are his favorite client, after all. The door to his room clicks and you push open the door, revealing Raphael still perched at his desk almost as if he hasn’t moved since you left him earlier.

“Back so soon, mouse?” The devil tilts his head, an amused smile playing on his lips. “You put on quite the performance earlier, I figured you would take a few nights to stew over it before you came crawling back.” His voice drops deliciously low as he curls his fingers underneath his chin, his eyes scanning your body. You feel warmth start to blossom in the pit of your stomach but you choose to brush the feeling off. It’s just like him to continue this little game of his when he knows full well what you are here for. You decide to play along. 

“Where is the hammer, Raphael?” You ask, annoyance dripping from your town while you walk completely past him and into the bedroom. He trails after you curiously, watching as you start to go through the drawers of his bedside table. You know it’s not here but you must play along with him, wanting nothing more than to hold his attention. Raphael lingers behind you, peering over your shoulder with a bemused expression.

“It’s not here, my pet. You’ll receive it at the right time — if you accept my deal.” You feel his warm breath on the back of your neck and your cheeks flush, your grip on the drawer tightening.

“How do I know you won’t screw me over?” You don’t dare turn around, almost afraid how close he is to you. One of his hands grabs you by the waist and you can’t help but give a startled mewl. He snaps his fingers and a contract appears in front of you, the infernal script too complicated for you to understand, and a quill floats beside it.

“You wound me.” Raphael purrs into your ear, savoring the position he has you in. The chase, the seduction is always his favorite part. “My deal is fair. We get what we both want. I promise you, my dear, I would never lie to you. You are my favorite client, after all.” His lips touch your earlobe and he can practically taste your desperation. He sucks in a sharp breath to compose himself while his hand on your waist drifts lower. Raphael has you right where he wants to and he’s relishing in having the hero of the sword coast in his grasp. 

“Raphael—“ His name catches in your throat as his fingers slip inside your waistband. You shudder and your eyes flutter open and shut, your cheeks bright red as he continues lower. For Raphael, this is something that happens every so often with his business — having to sweeten the deal with a little bit of devilish delight, but this felt especially sweet. Raphael is corrupting you himself, in more ways than one. His fingers stroke along your opening, your folds already slick to his pleasant surprise.

“My, my.” He teases and you can feel him smile against your ear. “Seems that you are quite ready to accept my deal, little mouse. Take the quill.” His voice is a mere whisper now, his fingers teasing at your entrance. You hesitate for just a moment, putting on a small act of reluctance before following his command, the quill feeling impossibly light in your hand. Raphael hums his approval and presses one of his long fingers inside your dripping cunt. You dip your head back and lean into him, resting on his shoulder as your eyes close and lips part, an embarrassingly soft moan falling from them. 

A rush of desire courses through Raphael, so strong that it nearly distracts him from the task at hand, a blush rising to his cheeks that unfortunately you can’t see. He gives a low growl, his mouth finding your neck and sucking on the delicate flesh while he starts to curl his finger inside of you. You gasp and drop your hand to grab his forearm, fingers digging into his sleeve as he continues, your body writhing and your toes curling in your boots. Your body is impossibly hot, your mind thinking only about how sinfully good his finger feels, the dangers and worries of signing his contract far away now.

Raphael is lost in your taste. His tongue and lips drifting along your neck, planting wet kisses and sharp bites, his eyes closed and his breathing heavy. He slips another fingers inside, stretching you open with deft digits as he sinks them even deeper. You’re putty in his hands and you hate that it feels so right, that this is what you wanted, what you dreamt about after first laying eyes on him. Your knees start to buckle and the tension in your abdomen is almost at its breaking point, stuttering moans and huffs clawing their way from your throat. Raphael nearly forgets himself, so utterly wrapped up in your taste, your scent, but he’s able to catch himself before he takes it too far. He pulls his fingers from you and starts to stroke lightly at your fully drenched entrance.

“Sign the contract, my little mouse, and I’ll finish you off.” His voice is gravelly and you feel the words vibrate from his chest. You don’t hesitate this time, feverishly signing the contract as his fingers lazily circle your cunt. The second you’ve signed the contract ignites into flames and disappears, quill included. Raphael wastes no time, plunging his fingers back inside and thrusting them roughly. Your hips buck and your eyes squeeze shut, riding his fingers to the edge of the precipice. His teeth find your earlobe, grazing it before giving it a rough nibble that is enough to send you toppling over the edge. Your body trembles and convulses, breathing heavy as your vision blurs and it overtakes you.

Normally, Raphael would have slipped away from his mark, leaving them alone to bask in the delicious shame of making a deal with a devil. But he can’t leave you. His nose scrunches as his eyes meet your glassy ones, your cheeks an adorable shade of red and your lips shiny and pink. He shouldn’t be feeling this way, not for you, not for anyone, but he can’t help but want you. Raphael hasn’t felt this kind of want in ages. His heart pounds in his chest, his gaze drifting to your lips. He shouldn’t. He knows he shouldn’t. But he can’t resist you.

Raphael’s lips crash against yours, his tongue forcing its way into your mouth. You groan at the taste of him, cherries and musk, and you melt into the kiss. It’s fierce and possessive, his strong hands grabbing you again by the waist and clumsily pressing you back into the nearest wall. It’s like he can’t control himself which is alarming given how carefully he has crafted his image for hundreds of years just for you to tear it all away in a moment of weakness. He can’t stop himself though. His hands are groping you all over, drifting from your ass to your breasts, with one firm hand settling on your throat.

You can’t breathe and you’re sure Raphael has forgotten that you need to breathe. You manage to tear yourself away from the breathless kiss, air filling your lungs as he bites at your jaw, those caramel eyes never leaving yours. He uses his free hand to tug at your pants, ripping them in the process but he doesn’t care. He needs you. He needs nothing but you in this moment. You’re not used to how quickly he moves, suddenly finding your legs wrapped around his waist while he holds you up against the wall with one hand, his hard cock already pressing against your slick entrance. 

You brace yourself against the wall as he slams into you, his sharp nails digging into your ass and a deep moan rumbling from his chest. A scream leaves your lips, your hands pawing at his chest before curling into his doublet to hold on. He keeps the pace desperate, the mere strength of his thighs pounding into your ass enough to leave bruises. You squeeze your legs tighter around his waist and he whines, a sound you want more than anything to hear again. He captures your lips in a kiss again, his burning tongue dominating the kiss as he fills you so deeply, deeper than anyone has before. Your hands drift up his shoulders to settle around his neck, fingertips brushing the soft curls at the nape of his neck and you swear you hear him purr.

Raphael’s teeth, somehow sharper than before, sink into your bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. Your nails dig into the back of his neck as you give a sharp yelp, your body jerking as the pain sears through you. His breath catches in his throat before giving a deep, rumbling snarl against your lips. One last thrust and he’s spilling himself deep inside you, his chest heaving with ragged breaths. Your eyes are wide as you take in his face, his forehead glistening with sweat and a few loose strands of his usually perfect hair, his cheeks flushed red. His gaze meets yours, seeing your reaction and immediately disappearing, only to appear a second later in front of you and tidied up except for a hint of redness in his cheeks. 

Meanwhile your lips and teeth are stained with blood, your hair is a mess and your pants are still around your ankles with the devil’s cum dripping down the inside of your thighs.

“A pleasure doing business with you, mouse. We shall keep this a special secret between us.” Raphael sounds almost angry with you, nearly growling between gritted teeth but there is something else that catches you off guard. His face – his words sound threatening but his face looks unsure, perhaps even worried?

Raphael leaves in a flash of fire.

part two

[buterccup]

141 with male reader

Jumpy boii

Likes to jump on, over and through things

Smoll but very high jump

A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long anon, I somehow managed to burn myself out on the first few days of writing. I should probably take it easier. Anyways enjoy! I hope you don't mind I made this into a headcanon- just had way too many ideas.

141 with a Male! Reader that can jump very high HCS

Warnings: Usual CoD violence, light swearing, can be taken as platonic or romantic (Not a lot of romance in this but still.)

Character(s): Soap, Gaz, John, Ghost, Price x Male! reader

FEM ALIGNED DNI

It was during one of your 'normal' mission with your boys and it was going quite well.

You all were on your way to getting the target in different pairs.

you unfortunately being by yourself.

And unluckily for you the way that you chose to go had more guard than expected.

It was annoying since it was the quickest way too. (rip)

You were talking through the coms with the rest of the task force, trying to find out how far they were from your area.

"We aren't far from where you are [c/n], keep staying your ground until we get there."

And if you were going to be completely honest, you were doing just fine.

A few grazes here and there but you were holding up well in your opinion although you were running low on ammo so it was hard to tell how you were going to hold up after a while.

It soon got to the point where you had to use broken pieces of glass and metal that were on the floor to defend yourself.

Keeping your secret weapon for last.

What was your secret weapon? It was jumping incredibly high, which you kept secret from the boys since you didn't feel like they should know.

It was just jumping after all.

Only a few guards remained and you hoped that the target hasn't left the building yet.

Only around 1-3 were left so you felt calmer than before.

"[c/n] we are right by the corner- Hang on- Behind you!"

"FUCK!"

And let me tell you, the boys thought you were something completely different.

From what they have seen, no human could jump that high or far without multiple years of practice and hard training. And well they never heard you talk about years of leg days you spent to be able to do this before.

Meanwhile you thought nothing of it as Ghost and Soap shot at the other remaining guards as you jumped the guy that was behind you and strangled him with your thighs.

I mean...wow.

It looked like something you'd see in a video game or movie.

And once the guy was fully dead you quickly jumped up and hopped over obstacles in your way to getting to the guys.

"What was that."

"What was what Gaz."

"YOU- You never told us about how you could jump that high."

"The more you know<3"

Let's just say they never stopped talking about it after.

And they all had their different ways of talking about it too.

Soap would always ask about how and if you trained to jump so high and if you did always ask about your routines.

I mean come on, who wouldn't want to learn how to do that.

Either way, Soap always comments about your legs and how strong they are.

Sometimes squeezing them as a joke. Well, you think.

While Ghost and Price, on the other hand, just praise you quietly and how you should use your skill more often.

Both of them sometimes go to you if they are tired from work or just couldn't get a night of sleep last night (ahem Ghost) and sleep on your lap mumbling things to you before sleeping on them.

Finally Gaz but not least, he always tries and gets you to teach him how to jump so high too but always ends up tiring himself after an hour or two.

He even joins you and Soap when you guys are working out too.

Overall they love your amazing skill and wished you used it more often.

Requests: Open

[sundrop-writes]

Sundrop's Stranger Things Masterlist

Please note - I am just posting this masterlist to get it out of my drafts - I worked on it when I was working on the fic listed below, and then I completely randomly lost interest in it, and this has been sitting in my drafts for months ever since. And I love the formatting and style of this masterlist and I don't want to accidentally lose it by accidentally deleting the draft - and I am gonna need this masterlist at some point. So I'm posting it.

Coming "Soon":

Nasty - Sub!Eddie Munson x Dom!Fem!Reader. Established Relationship. Smut. You hesitate to tell Eddie your true sexual desires, fearing that he'll be turned off. But when he finds out - he is more turned on than ever. (3,000 words.)

Note: The rest of these link off to AO3 (which is the bulk of them unfortunately) - but at some point, I hope to have them edited and posted to Tumblr.

Sugar, We're Goin' Down - Steve Harrington x Fem!Thick!Reader x Eddie Munson. Friends to Lovers. Smut. Eddie hasn't gotten laid in months, so when he walks in on you and Steve (and neither of you seem to notice), he has just enough sexual frustration built up that he can’t bring himself to look away. He discovers quite a few things about Steve, and you. And himself. (12,700 words.)

Eat Me Up Alive - Sub!Eddie Munson x Dom!Fem!Thick!Reader. Friends to Lovers. Smut. Eddie is a very annoying person. And when he goes too far, you push back. Turns out - he likes it. Loves it, actually. (11,200 words.)

I'm Still Standing - Nancy Wheeler x Fem Disabled/Chronically Ill Reader. Friends to Lovers. Angst, Smut, (very slight Fluff). Hurt and Comfort. You start having horrible waking nightmares, but you don't want to worry your best friend Nancy by telling her. She's already occupied trying to chase down a trans-dimensional killer wizard, and you are convinced that the two aren't possibly related. (37,800 words.)

Bless This Mess - ADHD!Eddie Munson x Fem!Thick!Reader. Established Relationship. Smut and Fluff. Eddie accidentally forgets the two of you have a date planned. Rather than getting mad at him, you let him make it up to you. (5,700 words.)

Always Yours - Steve Harrington x Fem!Pregnant!Reader. Exes to Lovers. Fluff and Smut. Steve tells you about his 'six lil nuggets' dream, and you let him know that he's actually a lot closer to it than he thought. (2,500 words.)

Obey Your Master - Eddie Munson x Fem!Autistic!Thick!Reader. Friends to Lovers. Smut (and some Fluff). You are taking care of Eddie while his wounds from the Upside Down are healing. And when you offer to help 'take care' of him in other ways, he's convinced that he survived to live just for this exact moment. (11,200 words.)

Fix You - Eddie Munson x Fem!Mute!Powered!Reader. Friends to Lovers. Fix-It Fic. Hurt and Comfort. Most of your life, all you knew was darkness. Eddie was the one light in all of it. And you refused to lose him. (5,300 words.)

Drowning In You - Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader. Enemies to Lovers. Smut (slight Emotional Angst). Working with Billy at Hawkins Pool forced you to be around him. But forgetting part of your mandatory uniform at home and being harassed by random men because of it forced you to truly confront your feelings for him. (22,100 words.)

You Shook Me All Night Long - Steve Harrington x Fem!Thick!Reader. Strangers to Lovers. Smut and Fluff. Steve never really saw you. Until one day, when you stood out as the hottest babe he had ever seen. And on that day, he just happened to be wearing the dorkiest outfit ever and stuttering over himself to impress you. Somehow, it worked. (45,000 words.)

Daisy Fields (Companion to You Shook Me All Night Long) - Steve Harrington x Fem!Thick!Reader. Established Relationship, Family Fluff. Some Smut, Fluff. You and Steve happily pursue your life together, more than thankful for the silly little ice cream shop that brought the two of you together. (20,600 words.)

(This last one, I don't really like. I wrote it a long time ago, and it doesn't really go with my current style. But perhaps somebody seeing this masterlist can get some reading enjoyment out of it. It's just very unlikely to be re-posted on Tumblr.)

Monstrous - Steve Harrington x Fem!Powered!Reader. Established Relationship. Angst and Fluff. Steve finds out your big secret, and you are surprised when he doesn't hate you for it. (5,200 words.)

[zesmoon]

Kitty cat [Sylus & reader]

Okay, so basically, you turn into a cat. That's the story. Oh and you get a sneak peak into how sweet Sylus can be.

Note: I hope this isn't a cringe fanfic, I was inspired by Sylus saying we would have to take care of Mephisto if he were to turn into a cat 😭😭 I haven't owned a cat in years, so I'm purely going off of how the few cats I've met act normally lol

Contents: pure fluff, humor, not proofread, quite a long fic

'Where am I??' You thought, looking around curiously. 'why do I feel so strange?' You had no idea how it happened, you were quite literally just sitting on your couch, looking at your phone, when your vision went white.. and when you came to, you felt so.. strange.

You tried to stand up, but.. why was that so difficult? It felt so strange, you slowly reached out, looking down, only to be met with two h/c paws?! You tried to speak, but you.. meowed? 'What the fuck!'

You're not sure how, but it's like your body went into panic mode, and somehow taught you how to use your new legs, as you ran to the mirror, only to be met with a fluffy cat staring back at you. 'How.. is this even possible?'

You jumped back up on the couch, relieved that your phone was still open. Who do I even call in this situation..? Sylus can't come all the way here for this.. 'Tara must be nearby!' You thought as you clumsily pawed at the screen, thankful that if you tried hard enough it picked up your touch. You smacked your paw down on the screen, hearing the dial tone begin .

"hey! What's up y/n?"

"meow meow! Meow! Meow!" Oh shoot. It completely slipped your mind, you're a cat! Of course you can't talk! You tried to paw at the hang up button, only to hear a loud shriek on the other side, making you physically feel your fur stand up in shock. "OMG! A cat?! Y/n, did you get a cat? Why aren't you talking?!" You felt defeated, knowing you couldn't possibly.. wait.. what if you sent her a picture? You pawed at the screen again, skillfully navigating to the camera app and taking a photo, of the ceiling, and again, of the ceiling, before finally capturing the top half of your face in the photo, pressing send rapidly. Much to your disappointment tara only responded with "aww! Y/n your cat is so cute! What's it's name?"

Unfortunately, you soon discovered your biggest challenge yet, typing. You attempted to type a message to Tara, sending it desperately, but seeing that you simply typed "hdjdcccgdsxxxxxd". Great. What were you going to do?! You knew if you turned up to Tara's apartment she would just cuddle you to death, she wouldn't catch on to the situation at all.. who was close by who you knew would be home.. who would potentially be able to catch on if you try hard enough..?

That's when it hit you. Your only option in this situation was sylus.. you knew Zayne would be busy, Rafayel is terrified of cats, and Xavier... Who knows where he would be right now? But sylus, he's the most likely to be at home right now, and if not, Luke and Kieran must be around!

You abandon your phone, Tara still on the line repeating your name, as you jump down, mentally thanking yourself for opening your window as you jump down. It's not that far, sylus's mansion, and honestly going through the n109 zone as a cat must be a million times safer than going as a human..

You make your way through the street, suddenly painfully aware of how terrifying it must be to function day to day as a cat, dodging dozens of feet swinging your way, the amount of cars shooting past you.. it's so intimidating! Everything is so much bigger than you, you feel like if you stopped for a moment you could get crushed. You decide to take a shortcut, hopping up on top of a building, which honestly you impress yourself by doing, as you jump roof to roof, heading towards the n109 zone.

You're surprised by how fast you get there, reaching his door, you feel a flood of relief. Surely he will know what to do.. but once again, you're faced with an obstacle. How the fuck were you planning to get inside? Does this man even open his windows..? You looked around the building for an entry point, relieved to see his bedroom window was open slightly. You mentally remind yourself to thank him later for that.

You hop inside, seeing nobody in sight. Now you have to be careful, you need to find him, avoiding Luke and Kieran.. although they may catch on faster than you think, they may also take advantage of the situation, or they may just be too dumb to realise, and you'll be stuck playing dress up or being taught tricks.. you physically shiver at the thought, pushing it away as you make your way to sylus's lounge.

You see him sitting there, reading a book, and you can't resist running over and jumping up on his lap.

"oh, hello there, who are you?" He says, his voice toothrottingly sweet, as his scarlet eyes peer down at you. "Meeow!" You put a paw up on his chest, looking at him, mentally chanting 'it's me! Please notice it's me!'. Sylus puts his book aside, and you see a huge, genuine smile spread across his face. "I haven't seen you before, aren't you cute? You don't have a collar.. are you a stray?" Oh my god. You were so going to tease him for this later. This was the most gentle you've ever seen him, even around you he is sweet, but he seems to unknowingly put up a protective barrier around his own pride, never letting himself get too sappy or clingy around you.

You suddenly feel his hand on your head, and oh my gosh. You realise why cats enjoy this so much! You feel instantly so relaxed, bowing your head as he scratches the top of it, in-between your ears. Before you know it, a persistent vibration rings throughout your body. You're purring. And oh boy does it make this feel 100x better. You find yourself completely letting go, laying down in his lap as he continues to pet your head. This can't possibly be what heaven is, right? It sure as hell feels close enough. You find yourself wishing you could always be a cat, with this attention. "What a good kitty you are" he says in a playful voice. No way did you just hear him put on a baby voice! The most feared man in the n109 zone, cooing at you..

You almost completely lost your original objective, suddenly breaking apart from the attention to jump over to his coffee table, sitting on it as you persistently meow at him. "What, do you want something to eat?" He says, his voice still so gentle and pure. "Don't worry, kitty, I'm always prepared, come along now" he says, letting out soft "pspsps"'s as he walks to his kitchen. Your mind was racing, you were in utter shock at how sweet he was being towards you. You knew he liked cats, but wow, this was a completely different side of him. You watched as he grabbed a bowl. Oh wow.. this man IS prepared, he has cat food, and cat bowls.. hes so welcoming to your presence, he must do this for a lot of cats.

You watch him prepare a meal for you, placing it down Infront of you as he crouches down. "Go on, you must be hungry kitty." Ew. No. No way. I'm not eating that brown sludge. As much as you appreciated it, you shook your head, which seemed to surprise Sylus. "Oh, you don't want it?" He said. You had to figure out a way to tell him it's you! As cute as it was to be pampered by him, you couldn't stay like this forever..

You jumped up on the dining table, meowing as you walked back and fourth, trying your best to communicate with him. "what are you trying to tell me, hm?" He said, once again with that dumb baby voice. You then had an idea, jumping down and meowing, kind of in an instructive tone, trying to make him follow you.

You lead him to his bedroom, as you remembered he had a photo of you in there, as you jumped up on the bedside table and pawed at it, knocking it flat but persisting as you smacked your paw up and down on it. "Hm? The photo..?" He said, grabbing it and looking at it. "You like this picture?" He looked at you, confused, but still with a sweet, soft expression. "Her name is y/n, I think she would like you. You'll have to come by when shes here, perhaps.". You flattened your ears, putting on an irritated face to the best of your ability, walking over to him and hitting his stomach with your paw, as you continued to meow. "Hm? What is it?" He looked at you confused, as he placed down the photo.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" He said again, and despite you meowing in protest, he did so. His arms were so warm, and you felt your body relax. Thats right, cats love warmth.. and they especially loved being wedged in small spaces. No, no, you shook away the relaxation, once again pressing down on his arm with your paws. "Oh, are you making biscuits?" If you could, you would absolutely face palm in this moment. You thought surely, Sylus would've noticed something by now.. you jumped out of his arms again, running towards the end table and desperately pawing at the photo. "You really do like that photo, huh?" Cmon sylus, you thought to yourself. You tried your best to mimick pointing at yourself with your paw, as you continued to meow. "I'm afraid I don't understand, kitty." He chuckled in a playful voice. He must've thought you were just being a silly cat.. "do you think she's pretty?" He said, catching you off guard. "Hm, we are very similar in our opinions then." He followed. It was so sweet, the way he spoke to you as a cat, and the way he spoke about you as a human..

You jumped to the bed, laying down as you thought of any other way you could tell him you're trapped in a cat's body.. but it seemed impossible. Everything you did, he just thought you were being silly.

He sat next to you, on the bed, petting your back as he looked at you with a gentle expression. You then had an idea, but you weren't sure if he would catch on. You started clawing at his pocket, the pocket that had his phone at it, meowing louder and louder, and he chuckled. "What's wrong, miss cat?" He looked down at you with a smile on his face. You had to resist scratching him at this point. "Hm? You want to lay on my phone? I guess cats do like the warmth." He said, placing his phone down on the bed. Ugh! So close! You thought to yourself, as you began to paw at the screen, cursing him mentally for having a lock screen password. "Oh, I know what you'll like!" You watched in anticipation as he opened his phone, scrolling through.

He has a fucking cat toy app on his phone. One of those apps where things fly across the screen for the cat to paw at. You stared at the screen, flicking your tail in annoyance as you attempted to spam the home button. Success! You thought as you landed on the home screen, but much to your disappointment, he chuckled and tapped on the game again. 'your love of cats will be the death of me, Sylus..'. you pressed the home screen again, and this time, he just watched curiously, with an amused expression. It frustrated you how hard it was to navigate a phone with your paws, since they took up much more space on the screen than your fingers would. You manage to press on the messages, tapping on your conversation.

Suddenly, Sylus grabbed his phone from the bed. Oh hell no. You let out an angry meow, which he raised his eyebrow at. "Hey now, calm down. I can't have you looking through my messages." He said, as he began typing, before you saw him angle the phone in your direction. Oh. He's taking a picture.

Despite your desperation, Sylus continued to not catch on. You had been here for hours at this point, and sylus has now left to go to the bathroom, getting ready to go to sleep. You felt so frustrated. How would you tell him?

You heard him come out of the bathroom, he was already in his nightwear, as he smiled at you. "You're still here, kitty cat?" He said, as he sat on the bed, petting you. You had to admit, seeing this side of him was so sweet, but you still felt frustrated that he hadn't caught on. He slipped under the covers, looking over at you. "You can stay here if you'd like." He said. You knew if this was any other cat, he would just be talking to himself at this point. It was quite sweet, knowing he was so oblivious...

You gave in, laying next to him, enjoying the feeling of his presence. You heard him open a book, mentally sighing as you realised he wasn't going to sleep yet. You always scolded him over text when he was up for hours on end, knowing he's one to pull many all nighters. Partially, you understood, he has to be on guard at all times. You made your way onto his lap, laying down as he continued to read his book. You felt so calm, just enjoying how relaxing it was to lay down like this, and realising how nice it feels to be a cat, absorbing a person's warmth and taking up their space.. no wonder they do it so often.

Sylus continued to read as you felt yourself dozing off, but a sudden tingling feeling came over you, and before you knew it, you were a human again.

You looked down at your hands, a wave of relief rushing over you, before you realized, you were still on Sylus' lap.

"I was wondering when you'd change back." He said with a smirk. "What?! You're kidding me! You knew?!", which drew a chuckle out of him. "I knew from the moment I saw you, kitty." You rolled your eyes, moving off of his lap. "Seriously, you could've said something.. the whole reason I came here is so you could figure out how to turn me back." "Well.. I was thinking of helping you until you scratched me." He said with an annoying smirk and a teasing tone. "You're such an asshole."

[hanayori89]

To Be The First

*Kakariko Village*

Link flinched as you dabbed a warm rag on the slash mark that adorned his back.

"I thought you said these wounds were nothing?" You couldn't help but seize the opportunity to tease him.

"They are nothing! Cleaning the wound is always more unpleasant than receiving it. Ow." The way Link emphasized "ow" made you suppress a giggle. Two pales sat at your feet. You softly rubbed at the crusted blood that was adhered to his flesh. You wrung the rag above one of the empty pales, mesmerized by the crimson waterfall that escaped the cloth. You soaked it in the warm water, repeating the process on his battered arm.

"You know," you began, trying to distract him with conversation. "You worry so much about catching me. But ever since I've met you, I've done nothing but run. That day at the spring. Castle Town. Today. Maybe I'm afraid of being caught."

You could feel Link studying you as you spoke. He was completely engrossed by your words. "Also, I know you hate hearing this, but it is hard coming from my realm, where you're so deeply worshipped. I suppose there is a sense of idolization. Although, if they saw how unsteady you are on your feet, that might diminish your worship." You looked up at him, a cheeky smile lifting on your lips.

This made him laugh in a familiar way that was as soothing as the lapping of waves in Lake Hylia. It made your insides flutter.

And he kissed me. You tried your best to keep the kiss on the perimeter of your mind. There was so much to unload. From the way it made you feel to the things that were said.

"But I'd be lying if I said I regretted my action. That I didn't want to do it again. And again." You peeked at his lips while you replayed his words in your head. It certainly wasn't along the lines of what you had dreamt.

It was better.

"Y/N?"

You saw Link giving you a perplexed look. "If you clean that cut any longer, I'm afraid I may begin to look like a redead."

"Oh, goddesses, forgive me. What was I saying?"

Link cocked his head to the side. His eyes shimmered with mischief. "You were just about to tell me which version of me you kissed. The hero of Twilight or the boring rancher?"

"There was nothing boring about how you kissed me, Link." You found yourself looking at his lips again. You were disgusted by the fact that you were so paralyzed with fear during the act. You sat idly there, not moving your lips. Not kissing back. Then you realized you actually didn't quite know how to kiss back. It was your first kiss, after all. A comely man like Link has surely kissed many ladies in this realm. You'd be surprised if he didn't. Curiosity began to occupy the better half of you. "Remember, it was my first kiss. I wouldn't know any better."

You hoped your rehearsed innocence would provoke him into offering up tales of his many lip locks. As you awaited his response, you recognized a flicker of something in his gaze. Had you said something wrong? Had the nonchalance of your response devalued it somehow?

When, in fact, it had been the single most valuable memory in your life thus far.

"That is true. I would never be inappropriate in my questioning. But I suppose the Twili are not a kissing breed." His eyes seemed to fixate on the sliver of moon visible from outside of the window. "So, I was your first kiss." He wasn't really speaking to you, but more to himself. His voice was twisted in awe. As if he had just been given a gift and didn't know how to express his sincerest gratitude.

"Yes. Because it was my first, it will always be special. Even more so because it came from you." He continued passively looking out the window. His expression was soft in the bathed moonglow that flooded the room.

"I must tell the truth. I'm sure you know that you aren't my first."

You felt a twinge of jealousy in the pit of your stomach. It was silly to feel this way when you had just prodded him for this information. Of course, Link kissed many girls. He lived his life freely in the light before you came crashing into his world. Still, the idea that anyone else had this privilege, made you sizzle with jealousy. This greed to be the first and only continued to fuel your deep-seated blame towards the interlopers. If they hadn't done what they did so long ago, maybe you could have been Link's first kiss. Maybe you could have been Ilia.

But to live on maybes was no way to live. At least you were gifted a kiss from him here and now. You would use this gratitude to fight the incinerating embers of envy within you. 

Link seemed to pick up on the uneasy tension simmering between you both. You reached beneath his bangs, attempting to wipe away the smudge of blood you had noticed earlier on his forehead. As you raised your hand towards him, he blocked it, grabbing it within his own.

"You were the first to make me feel anything. I shouldn't say this, but I pray that you are my last." His eyes embraced you in their all-encompassing cerulean. They bore into you in a way that gripped the strings of your very soul. You both felt yourselves being swallowed by the intoxicating energy of lust, only for Link to release your hand. "We should get to bed."

"Are you sure you don't want me to clean your leg a bit more?"

Link shook his head, displaying an expression of sincere appreciation. "No, you've done enough for me. I feel fantastic. You need to rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day, I'm sure." Link began to fan the linen out in the air, delicately placing it on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Moments ago, he was frantically investigating your mouth with his tongue. Now he was going to try and sleep on the floor?

"I told you I'd take the floor. Your body has to be sore from the quicksand pressure on top of the fact that you fell. Please sleep in the bed, Y/N."

Your response was nothing short of shameless. "I intend to. I was thinking... there's no reason we couldn't share the bed."

If what you said shook Link, he didn't show it. His back remained angled toward you, his head facing downward, studying the linen he had set up. Without turning around, he declared, "Y/N, I meant what I said earlier. I want to do everything right. It isn't my intention to hurt anyone. I'm just afraid if I lie next to you, I'll-" 

"We'll lie facing away from each other. Besides, I don't necessarily want you to have to wake up to me in my Twili form."

This coaxed Link to turn and face you. "As if your Twili form would be enough to not tempt me. If anything, it'd tempt me more."

You were astounded. Tempt him more?  What about my ashen flesh and irises forged in the flames of hell could cause him temptation?

You stood ignorantly silent, not sure what an appropriate response would be. Fortunately, you didn't have to come up with one.

"If it were up to me and it isn't, you wouldn't have to-" Link pulled the reins on whatever it was he was about to divulge. He casually began picking up the linen he had laid on the floor, making no attempt to finish whatever he wished to say. He folded the linen back up, offering you a lackluster good night. "Good night, Y/N."

What was that about? Link was such an enigma. You didn't know many Hylians, but you wondered if they all acted in this manner. Something told you they didn't. How exhausting to be brimming with latent passion one moment, then safeguarding your emotions like rupees the next. You were too tired to inquire anymore.

You both silently crawled into bed, making sure you each turned away to your respective sides. Even though you weren't facing each other, the heat of Link's back pressing against yours was enough to make your heart stir. After much floundering, you felt your eyelids droop along with the unwelcome singes of your markings returning to life. You had transformed back. 

It was as you began to greet sleep that you heard Link whisper over his shoulder.

"Y/N... Thank you. For caring about me so much. For caring about me at all."

If he said anything else, it would remain a mystery, much like Link himself. You were now fast asleep.

*

"Y/N!" Your eyes fought to open at the sound of your name. You weren't entirely sure you weren't dreaming. Only when you heard your name once more did you realize you weren't in your dream world, but Link's.

"No! No! Y/N!"

The distraught voice of Link grumbled within close proximity to your ear. "Don't do this! Please!" His pleading was what lured you back into consciousness. Fully awake, you found yourself wrapped in what wasn't a blanket, but Link's arms. You held your breath when you rolled over and came face-to-face with him.

"Y/N!"

He was fast asleep. You felt a thump shake the bed from behind you. You startled at the disturbance until you realized it was Link, pounding a fist weakly on the bed.

Goddesses, if he's this strong in his sleep, I can't imagine being his foe in a duel when he's awake.

Even in his relentless slumber, his eyebrows were etched in grief. Whatever was happening between him and his 'dream' you clearly had him agitated.

"Y/N! NO! NOOO"

You couldn't lie idly any longer. You cupped his face in between your hands, hoping he could feel your words through the comfort of your touch. Link. It's ok. I'm right here. You raked your fingers down his face. He shuddered for a moment before calming down. I'll always be right here if you want me to be. You stroked his sweat drenched bangs away from his forehead. After the release of a few remaining whimpers, he settled back into a tranquil sleep.

I wonder what he saw?

You knew you shouldn't, but he did have his arms around you. You continued to stroke his hair as you admired his handsome face up close. His cheek was mashed into the pillow, causing his lips to pucker and wrinkle. He had thick, glossy lashes that you never noticed due to his enchanting eyes. His eyebrows seemed to twitch, prompting you to continue running your fingers through his hair.

He's having a bad dream. I'm just comforting him. 

You wondered who was going to comfort you from your own approaching nightmare.

Link and Ilia's wedding.

Edited: 4/2/2024

The night was short, but the information you've gained is plenty. Link has shared with you some of his deepest insecurities, giving you a front row seat to who the Hero of Twilight truly is. 

There's much more lying in wait to be brought into the light. But to do that, you'll soon realize you must retrieve it from the darkest depths you each possess. 

The sand in the hourglass is slowly trickling away...

Check out my other completed OOT Zelda work- No Woman Beyond.

[iwonderwh0]

Hiii :) I've been wanting to get into more android or artificial intelligence related media lately, got any suggestions or faves? Movies, shows, books, anything really!

Heyy, sorry for late response, I was trying to think of maybe a bigger list, but huh, here we go

I'll start with the classic that although obvious is still among my most favourites

(Upd.) A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) – I'm updating this list to put this movie at the top.

Ghost in the Shell (1995) – among the absolute best of the genre. Doesn't place technology as something opposing humanity, but explores how it can become part of it.

Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) – I recently reread the novel and yeah, I still love it. Also both blade runner movies (all three are completely different stories. First movie is nothing like a book (not worse or better, just completely different), second movie is nothing like the first. All three worth checking out (tho my favourite if Blade Runner 1984)

The Murderbot diaries (Martha Wells) – a series of books with probably the best example of how can a non-human character be written in a way that doesn't turn it into a story about "becoming human" or some other cliche. Network Effect is my favourite, I was literally screaming here in my posts as I was reading it because FINALLY it is a book where author properly utilises the fact that the main character is partially a computer. It processes multiple visual inputs at once, uses drones as the extension of himself and pings and hacks everything that moves.

Her (2013) – while I hear people talking about how some other movies/novels are the most realistic portrayal of our nearest future I get annoyed because in my opinion THIS is the closest one (among those I've seen anyway). It's practically reality. Even the job the main character has – I was thinking the other day that it seems like something that would be done by AI, but then I gave it another thought and now I actually consider it to be quite valid – a human protagonist doing a job supplying the demand for human sincerity while writing letters for people he doesn't actually know, but somehow it doesn't even matter as long as it's good work of fiction that just *feels* real, even if everyone on the receiving end knows it's not. Melancholic portrayal of this digital loneliness that doesn't read as a condescending story about some big scary AI that will destroy all humanity. No, scratch that. This movie is actually telling a story and doing it amazingly.

After Yang (2017) – it's a movie that should be watched alone, as it's not really good for collective watch. There's little action and some will probably call it boring, but oh man, I really really loved it. A family with adopted daughter has an android "sibling" whose role was to "connect" the little girl to her heritage (she's Chinese while her adoptive parents aren't). One day he shuts down. The rest I won't spoil. I must admit, after playing D:BH it weirds me out how some sci-fi has conscious AI that has no autonomy and somehow it coexists without conflict. One thing that I really liked about this movie that I NEVER saw mentioned anywhere else is how an android character struggles with identity not in a sense of whether he really is human, but whether he is really Chinese. Loved that.

Animatrix (2003) – it's animated take on Matrix that shows more context around the whole humans/machines resisters timeline that at the beginning is really similar to how it went in dbh. It consists of short parts, each animated in different style. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I didn't even know this movie existed and find it interesting enough to recommend.

Electric Dreams (1984) - I LOVE THIS MOVIE, it's one of my absolute favourites that I can't recommend enough. This is actually a romcom, not "serious" sci-fi, but to be honest I feel like even silly and goofy as it is this movie is far superior as a sci-fi than a whole bunch of "serious" ones that are just using AI for the sake of a blockbuster or some cliche story about humanity. Seriously, it was filmed in 80's and has so much fun with the concept, it ironically feels really ahead of time in how it portrays it. It was surprisingly accurate too, like there's a scene on how this computer learns to imitate sounds and it really does look like a process of how neural networks learn to imitate the input they receive. It's actually ridiculous how a romcom got more accurate depiction of artificial intelligence than most sci-fi movies.

EX Machina – I don't actually like this movie and find it incredibly boring and cliche for the 90% of its length, but the ending 10% makes it worth watching.

Android (1982) – I like it more than EX Machina but once again I mostly like it for the plot twist at the end than as a whole.

I probably haven't yet seen and read a lot of great movies in the genre so anyone can feel free to add to this list your favourites.

Actually, I'll add one more

Frankenstein (Mary Shelley) – although it's not technically about an android character, I feel like this book is like the mother of the whole genre. Definitely worth checking out, even if only because of how significant it is in the pop culture and how often people reference it with some absolute horseshit takes that hints at how they've never actually read it. There's a great audio version on YouTube too.

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Michael & Peter

Overcomings (Part 3)

One by one, the young people said goodbye to each other and made their way home. The adults also left after a short tour of the cemetery. Only Michael, his sister and Peter stayed a little longer. "Can I walk home already, Michael? It's not far"/ "All right… But make sure you don't fall". Bella smiled and waved to her brother, then ran home.

Michael was about to walk on when he noticed that Peter had stopped and stood by the fence. "Hey, aren't you coming with me?". Peter just smiled and shook his head. "mhmh…come here…"/"what…did you forget something?"/ "hnhn, no, I just wanted to wait until everyone had gone, now come here, okay?".

Michael went to him, completely unsuspecting. He thought Peter wanted to tell him something else. Instead… "Can I see your hands for a moment?"/ "… My hands? Why?"/ "They were quite nervous earlier when you were working with the spade. It almost fell out of your hand once." Michael looked to the side for a moment. He was a little surprised that Peter had apparently been watching him closely. He then hesitantly placed his hands in Peter's. "That's a bit weird …". Peter smiled at him "Because we're in a cemetery?".

"maybe…". Peter looked down at Michael's hands and stroked them with his thumbs "You were really brave today, you know that? I know your nerves were pretty raw today, if only because of VJ's stupid line…"/ "i… I've forgotten the stupid line again. It's… It's not because of him…"/ "And not because of your parents' deaths either, huh". Michael shook his head, but couldn't look him in the eye either.

Peter was still holding his hands, which were sweating with nervousness. Even the cool wind didn't help to change the situation. But it didn't matter. And it was time to overcome the biggest hurdle. Peter pulled him towards him by the hands and hugged him. just as Friend? No, it was more, and Michael felt it.

Michael held on to him, but the trembling didn't necessarily subside. "Are you scared?" Peter asked him quietly. "I'm… terrified, Peter…"/ "Of what? Of this or of the others?"/ "A bit of everything…". Peter stroked his back lovingly. "You don't have to, okay? Man, I'm paralyzed myself…, but somehow I like the condition and… this".

Michael broke off the embrace for a moment. And fiddled nervously with Peter's T-shirt instead. "I would have liked to have told you this morning in my room… But I couldn't…"/ "And I wasn't sure if my feelings were wrong. I've had… feelings for you all along, but never out of pity, okay?" Michael's nervousness turned into something else… excitement. "hh, oh man…".

Michael looked him in the eye for the first time. A deep look, with a mixture of fear and desire. Peter knew what he wanted at that moment, and yes, it was pretty weird to kiss for the first time in a cemetery. But it was so wonderful to block it out after you'd gotten everything off your chest.

After they had kissed, Michael looked at him seriously. "Please… Don't tell anyone, okay?"/ "I won't tell anyone until we both know whether it's okay for us or not. Let's go on our trip next week and then we'll see. what do you think?". Michael nodded and stroked his face briefly. "so then… I'll take you home now, or do you want to spend the night here?"/ "uh, no…".

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

End of this Part

@greenplumbboblover 🙂 @danjaley😁

Poses by polarjennyfox. She did some great story poses many years ago. They are stored on my external hard disk in the pose archive in the folder "Destination". I can't remember how I came up with this name. But that way I can always find them easily^^. And I use her poses incredibly often because they always fit everywhere. Thank you for these great poses.

[pocket-lad]

CH 1- Something of an Unsolvable, Fascinating Mystery, but in Essence, a Friend

Next

Hey, so I'm writing a multi-chapter Jurassic Park g/t fic. You can also find it on my Ao3 account - pocket_lad.

Massive shoutout to @obwjam for being so helpful and encouraging. I would not have had the courage to write or post this without their support, so please check them out. Much love!

***

In hindsight, coming with Ian was probably a bad idea. 

It was definitely a bad idea.

The pocket was stuffy. The humidity was already getting to her, and they weren’t even near Costa Rica yet, meaning it would only get worse. Everything was sticky. Her clothes, her hair, the black, heat-retaining fabric of Ian’s shirt. She felt like she would suffocate at any moment. 

Though somehow spared from the normal sounds a helicopter usually came with (or so she assumed), this was the bounciest, roughest ride Adelaide had ever experienced. And living with a giant meant she experienced rough rides pretty much daily. 

Despite the humidity, Adelaide clung onto the dark insides of Ian’s breast pocket for dear life during their ascent. The roar of his voice coming from above and behind her barely made it to her ears as she put all her focus into not breaking a limb. 

As the helicopter began to level out after takeoff though, she found she was able to loosen her death grip on the fabric a little. This didn’t eradicate her fear – it only shifted the feeling from being about the plane to being about the giants lounging around them. There had to be at least a couple, and Adelaide was starting to wonder how she’d make it through this trip and avoid notice. With nothing else to do, she turned her focus to the giants’ conversation.  

“No? Non-linear equations? Strange attractors? Dr. Sattler, I-I refuse to believe that you aren't familiar with the concept of attraction,” Ian said, loudly chewing his gum. 

Adelaide rolled her eyes. They’d been on this trip for how long? Less than an hour? And Ian was already hitting on somebody. She could see the sly grin on his face without even having to look at him. Adelaide had to see this woman for herself, so slowly, carefully, and very cautiously, she pulled herself up to the lip of Ian’s pocket. Just for a quick peek. 

The fresh air greeted her face as it took her a second to locate the woman. She sat across and one seat down from Ian, though the space was small and cramped, so she wasn’t too far away. Adelaide absently noted that there were quite a few giants in the plane with her. 

Oh, okay, Adelaide thought. That makes sense.   

The woman was gorgeous, but in an effortless way. She was very tall, even for a giant, and her blonde hair was haphazardly pulled back into a loose twist. Her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity, though clearly, they could see right through what Ian was pulling. She smiled an infectious smile that made Adelaide want to do the same. No wonder Ian hit on her. 

Curious, and admittedly stalling before she had to retreat into the cramped, gross pocket, Adelaide took note of the other people in the plane. Or at least tried to. In the corner next to the woman sat a middle-aged man with a fun hat and widened eyes that were looking directly at Adelaide. 

Uh oh. 

*** 

Ian proposed the trip to Adelaide a couple weeks prior. She knew he was excited, so she hated to break the news, but she made her decision. It was too risky.

“I’m not going.”  

“It’s not like I can just leave you here,” he said.  

As the afternoon dragged on, the temperature was approaching ninety-five degrees, leaving Adelaide in a melted puddle on the kitchen table. She never understood how Ian essentially lived in his leather jacket, especially during the Texas summers.  

“Oh, so you think I can’t handle myself? You think I’m completely dependent on you?” Adelaide goaded, sitting up and raising her eyebrow. She knew he didn’t really think that, but she also knew it would make him feel guilty. Ian loved to tease her, but he always made sure to protect her sense of independence. But a trip to some unknown place with unknown people? And they’d have to take a helicopter to get there? Something that flew in the sky??? No thanks. She survived by herself long before Ian came into the picture, and she’ll do it long after he leaves. A couple days would be nothing. 

Ian gave her a look that said he knew what she was trying to do, and that it was not working.  

“Come on. It’ll only be a couple of days. See the world, see some dinosaurs,” he rambled.  

Adelaide interrupted him. She still wasn’t clear on what a dinosaur was exactly, but she knew Ian’s feelings on the subject. “You said yourself that it wasn’t going to work!”  

“No, obviously it- it won’t, but I need to be there to say...well...I told you so. And I uh, I want you to be there with me.” Ian gave her a charming smile and kneeled next to the table, putting himself at eye level with her. “A couple of days,” he repeated. “That’s all.”  

Adelaide knew it was a losing battle, especially when he positioned himself to make direct eye contact with her.   

“Fine,” she agreed, “but I don’t want you showing me off to any Beans unless I say so.” She made sure her tone indicated that she still wasn’t thrilled about the idea. Ian didn’t notice or didn’t care, as he swept her off her feet in a loose grip to go get ready.  

“Dude!” she screamed, falling back onto her butt as she lost all sense of direction. “Stop doing that!”  

*** 

Adelaide ducked back down into the pocket, her heart pounding. The man saw her. Like really saw her! The logical part of her brain realized that this was probably inevitable. At some point or another, a Human Bean was bound to see her. It was only a matter of time, but she at least wanted to delay it as long as possible, because outside of Ian, she had never been seen by a Bean before. In no way was she ready to interact with one. 

In their brief moment of eye contact, Adelaide noticed that he was fidgeting with a curved, sharp object longer than she was tall. She couldn’t help but think about what the purpose of the object was, and even if it was illogical, how easily it could be used against her. 

Adelaide chided herself for messing up so soon. Maybe if she held still, he would just assume it was his imagination. But even she couldn’t believe that. 

What Adelaide didn’t see after she retreated to the depths of the pocket was Alan’s eyes flickering between the pocket and Ian. He didn’t know what to think or say, or should he even say anything? Nobody else acknowledged the tiny being. 

Ian kept a close eye on everyone and noticed Alan’s odd behavior. He had felt Adelaide shifting around and wondered what she was doing. Getting into trouble, apparently. 

Context clues filled in the rest, and Ian picked up on what Alan had gathered. Alan was smart. There was no way he was going to let this go, and Ian also knew this was going to happen eventually, so instead of wasting his time trying to convince Alan that Adelaide wasn’t real, he took control of the situation. 

“Ah, you seem to have spotted my- my friend here? Della, why don’t you come out and introduce yourself?” Ian gave it a second, but when nothing happened, he regrettably stuck his hand into the pocket to fish her out. 

With every word Ian said, Adelaide’s dread grew tenfold. What was he doing!? All the time they spent together, all the trust they built? She may have been comfortable with him, but he knew she was not to be shown to any other Bean without her consent. Ever. 

When Ian reached for her, she kicked at his fingers and pressed into the far corner of the pocket, as far away from his giant, stupid hand as possible. She was only going to come out on her own terms, which was hopefully never. 

Obviously, her kicks did not hurt him and therefore did nothing to stop the hand from approaching. It took him multiple attempts to slide his fingers underneath her, glued to the corner of the pocket as she was, but eventually he got a secure hold. Desperate, Adelaide pulled out an old trick that she hadn’t needed to use in a long time. She bit him. 

Adelaide could hear Ian hiss, then quietly laugh as if trying to play it cool, but he just readjusted his grip and continued to pull her out. Gently, though, as ever. Always gentle. Always careful. 

Adelaide thrashed and thrashed and thrashed. How could he not take the hint? She was explicitly telling him no. Not now. She thrashed until she saw the bright light of day, then held completely still, not wanting to look like some feral animal to these unfamiliar giants. She only half succeeded as she was unceremoniously held out on Ian’s palm, sweaty and disheveled, hair sticking out at odd angles from the leftover static of his pocket. 

When Ian’s hand uncurled, Adelaide held a hand up to her eyes, shielding her from the light. She blinked a couple of times, and once her vision adjusted, her heart dropped through her stomach, out of her butt, and fell right through the floor of the helicopter into the ocean, washed away and never to be seen again. 

There were exactly four other Beans in the plane with her, probably excluding the one that had to be flying the massive machine. 

Despite spending the last few months with Ian, he still overwhelmed her at times. But this was something completely different, completely worse. She was surrounded on all sides by giants who could do anything to her. They could reach out and grab her, they could hurt her, they could kill her. They could eat her. 

Back when Ian first discovered her, Adelaide was worried that he might eat her, among other things. It’s what she was raised to believe. Human Beans ate borrowers. Later, once she admitted this to Ian, he laughed a condescendingly loud laugh. 

“Humans don’t even know you exist, for one. And even if they did,” he assured her, barely able to keep a straight face, “they surely would, um, not - not eat you.” 

Of course, she believed him now, but being this close to so many of them, all staring directly down at her, it was hard to keep that at the front of her mind. 

Adelaide remained frozen, save for her hammering heart and wide eyes. They continuously darted around, keeping all the Beans in her sight in case one of them made a move. It’s not that she didn’t trust Ian to keep her safe if anything were to happen, (even though that trust slipped a little when he pulled her out and presented her like some kind of show & tell trinket) but Adelaide and Adelaide only was responsible for keeping Adelaide safe. 

Her hands instinctively went to clutch the knife that always hung at her side, but it seemed as though it, along with her bag, was left behind in the pocket. Probably fell off in her battle against the probing fingers. Adelaide felt naked without that knife, and infinitely more defenseless. 

It was another moment before she realized Ian was talking to her. 

“Della. Say hi.” 

She whipped her head to look back at him, astonished that he was still following through with this, and when his face gave her no hints, she whipped it back around to look at the others, unable to make direct eye contact with any of them for more than a second. 

“Hi,” she said shortly, looking at the palm beneath her.

She tried not to let any of her nerves show, but out on Ian’s open palm like this, under such scrutiny, Adelaide couldn’t help but curl in on herself a little bit, arms clasped awkwardly in front of her. 

Ian let out a small, resigned sigh. That was fair. He shouldn't have expected anything different. 

The man sitting to Ian’s right finally broke the silence. 

“What is that?” he asked loudly. 

It was an innocent enough question. Adelaide couldn’t help but admire his forwardness. She smirked, even if she was mildly offended at being referred to as a “that”. 

“’That’, Gennaro, is...well, I’m not quite sure, actually. ‘That’ is something of a fascinating mystery that I have not been able to- to solve, but in essence, ‘that’ is uh...that is my friend. ‘That’ is Della,” Ian explained. 

While Ian showed off his ability to talk without saying anything, Adelaide tried to place where she heard this man before. He sounded familiar, but she didn't recognize his face, so he wasn’t a frequent visitor to Ian’s house. He looked a little ridiculous in his nice tan coat and matching shorts over skinny legs. His bewildered face made Adelaide laugh internally, until she realized that she and him were essentially staring each other down. She quickly looked away. 

Gennaro....Gennaro.... OH!  

*** 

Adelaide sat on the arm of Ian’s uncomfortable, impossibly hard couch, listening to the phone that lay on his chest, set to speaker for her to hear. Not that she’d ever participate, but she appreciated his efforts to include her.  

“You’re not gonna wanna pass this one up, Malcolm. It won’t take any time at all. Just one weekend in Costa Rica. Paid.”  

“Yeah, with a bunch of insufferable geneticists,” Ian muttered. He was sprawled out across the couch, resting his feet on his unbelievably expensive coffee table. His body gave off an air of indifference, but his mind was as alert as ever, the gears churning rapidly.  

“This may be huge. I’d hate for you to miss the opportunity to be a part of something so innovative, so...amazing.”  

“If it works.”  

“If it works. And if it doesn’t, no harm, no foul. You can do your thing, let them know how...wrong they were or whatever...You’d be doing me a huge favor, Ian. And you know you love the attention."  

Adelaide laughed and Ian shot her a look. “You do love attention,” she said. “And telling people off.” Her voice was too quiet to be picked up by the phone.  

Ian rolled his eyes as he responded to Gennaro. “Yeah, no, I - I do. Tell you what. Let me think it over. I’ll let you know soon.” Without waiting for a reply, he placed the phone back on the receiver and hung up.  

“Well, what do you think?” Adelaide ventured. She wasn’t quite sure where his head was at, but the thought of leaving, even for a few days, made her nervous. The possibility of literally anything happening when she stepped foot outside of the house increased by a million.  

“Oh, we’re going,” he said as he shot to his feet, his excitement evident. “Chaos is already oozing out of this- this 'park' and we haven’t even left yet. It’ll be unparalleled.”  

We.  

Adelaide gave him a shaky smile as he walked away. ‘We haven't even left yet.’  We are going. 

*** 

When Adelaide came back to the present, Ian had just finished his unintelligible explanation of what she was. 

“Ah,” was all Gennaro could say, clearly not understanding but wanting to let the subject go. 

“Can I say hi?” Ellie asked. The curiosity Adelaide noticed in her eyes earlier was stronger than ever, and her mouth hung slightly agape. She wasn’t talking to Adelaide though. She was asking Ian. Adelaide felt a bit miffed about that one - Ellie talked over her like she was some kind of pet. 

Ian shrugged, jostling Adelaide a little. It was all she could do not to fall over, but Ian said nothing further, indicating that it was up to Adelaide.

Ellie took that as her cue anyway, so she leaned in to get on Adelaide’s eye level. Though it was probably a normal speed for Ellie, it was much too fast and much too close for Adelaide’s comfort. She leapt back with a small yelp, causing her to fall onto her back. So much for not falling over. 

“Oh! I didn’t mean to startle you,” Ellie said in a voice that was a little too loud for Adelaide’s small ears, but there was no way she was going to cover them. She couldn’t look any weaker than she had already made herself appear. It was times like this where she remembered just how gentle Ian was with her, how often he slowed his movements or quieted his voice for her benefit. 

Ellie continued when Adelaide didn’t say anything. “But uh, I’m Dr. Ellie Sattler. I’m a paleobotanist. This here’s Dr. Alan Grant.” 

Alan was still in shock. He wasn’t quite sure what to say, so he tipped his hat toward Adelaide with an awkward, “How do you do?” 

“Oh,” Adelaide said. 

Stupid! Say something else! she thought. But nothing came. It was all too much, and she needed a moment to think. 

Sensing Adelaide’s uneasiness, Ellie prompted, “So your name’s Della?” 

That snapped her out of it. Adelaide hated that nickname. Nobody had ever called her that until she met Ian. He came up with the name not long after their first introduction and once he knew she didn’t like it, he never stopped calling her that. As time wore on, she corrected him less and less, and at this point it was almost endearing, but Adelaide was nothing if not stubborn. 

“Adelaide,” she said. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” She pointed her thumb back at Ian without turning around. 

This made Ellie laugh, and she was pretty sure she saw Alan chuckle too, even though she was only half-joking. At this, Adelaide’s shoulders released a hair of tension. 

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Adelaide.” Ellie said as she retreated to her upright position, once again too quickly (though her eyes remained trained on the small person), leaving Adelaide dazed and breathless. Beans moved fast. 

Directly across from Ian, an older man dressed completely in white held up his hands in a placating matter, startling Adelaide. He looked directly at her and said, “I don’t mean any offense miss,” He had a funny accent that Adelaide wouldn't be able to place if she tried. His gaze shifted up to Ian and Gennaro. “But neither of you told me you’d be bringing a guest on this excursion. She obviously won’t be any trouble, given her...well...her stature.” He gestured vaguely at her. Adelaide kept her eyes trained on those hands. “But I like to know who’s coming in and out of my park.” 

“You think I knew about this?” Gennaro protested. 

Adelaide did not like the thought of giants fighting over her, especially suspended in a metal box a billion feet above the ocean, but she didn’t need to worry. 

Before Ian could rise to her defense, the old man sighed. “No bother. Can’t change the past, can only move forward.” He gave Adelaide a smile that she forced herself to return. 

Ian’s palm started to move skyward, taking Adelaide with it. I guess he’s decided I’ve had enough socialization, she thought dryly. But his hand stopped by his shoulder, indicating he wanted her to get off. She complied, not because she wanted to, but because she didn’t want to fight with him in front of everybody, and she knew the pocket would just get hotter and stickier, amplifying her miserable attitude. 

She sat down hard with her back against his neck and her legs stretched out along his shoulder, facing the window of the plane. Though almost everybody could still see her, if she faced forward, Adelaide could pretend that they didn’t exist. Or she could at least try to. She’d be lying if she said she couldn’t feel all their eyes boring holes into her back. 

The giants continued for the rest of the ride mostly in silence, only punctuated by the occasional polite conversation about each other and about the island. Adelaide couldn’t bother to pay attention to any of it though. She was still furious at Ian, and she wished she could have just stayed home. 

Not one hour ago, Ian was the only Bean who knew she existed. Now there were five, and with the way the trip was going so far, more were probably on the way. Adelaide was mad, yes, but she was also scared, not that she’d admit it. Coming to trust Ian had taken a long time and a lot of things had to happen on his part before she even considered being near him. 

Adelaide was not afforded that luxury with these people. She did not know who they were or what their intentions were. They seemed nice enough, but she didn’t actually know them. Businessmen, lawyers, scientists, all with their own agendas. They could kidnap her, dissect her, sell her. But what Adelaide was most afraid of was what she had the least control over. They could talk about her. Her existence, and therefore the existence of borrowers, could be widespread news by the time this trip was over. Even Ian had next to no knowledge about her kind, and Adelaide wanted to keep it that way. She would have put her whole species in danger, and for what? Extinct animals? 

Adelaide’s ears perked up when she heard the old man say, “There it is!” 

Everyone turned to look at the sprawling green hills of Costa Rica. Just as she felt herself begin to calm down at the sight of the gorgeous, lush, peaceful landscape, the helicopter suddenly dropped a couple of feet, sending Adelaide into the air. She yelped as she crash landed back onto Ian’s shoulder. Though she luckily didn’t fall off, Ian’s hand was there in an instant, just in case. 

She appreciated the gesture, but remembered she was still supposed to be mad at him, so she batted at his fingers. “I’m fine,” she said, though the helicopter continued to jerk around with unpredictable movements. 

“Bad wind sheers,” the old man explained. “We have to drop pretty fast, so hold on. Cause it can get just a little bumpy." He buckled his seat belt as another big drop sent Adelaide flying again. 

“Probably best to get in the pocket,” Ian said. Adelaide hesitated. She wanted to put up a fight, but she might actually fall to her death if she wasn’t careful. So. 

“Okay,” she said, letting no emotion shine through.

Even if she wanted to protest, Ian’s fingers were suddenly there, taking up her whole view. He didn’t wait any longer before his fingers wrapped securely around her whole body, pinning her arms to her sides. A brief jolt of fear shot up Adelaide’s spine as his grip tightened more than usual. 

She squeezed her eyes shut. He’s not going to hurt you. It’s bumpy. He just doesn’t want to drop you.  

Adelaide felt herself shoved into the pocket. It didn’t have a flap or a button to close her in, so Ian held his hand firmly but gently over her body to keep her stable. 

Once again, she appreciated the gesture, but she couldn’t help feeling incredibly claustrophobic. It seemed as though the sweat she left behind from earlier hadn’t evaporated, rendering her time out in the fresh air useless. Now, with the temperature hotter, the humidity higher, and her nerves running high, the pocket became an unbearable bowl of Adelaide stew. Not to mention Ian’s hand pressed her into the fabric and into the wall of his chest. 

She couldn’t take it anymore. Adelaide shoved against his hand with all her might. She may not have been able to budge it on her own, but he’d definitely be able to feel it. Yet he refused to let up. 

She could hardly move, hardly breathe. Every breath she took fogged up the air even more, choking her. Trapped. I’m trapped. Adelaide needed to get out. Now.  

She shoved and shoved, using way more energy than she should have. Whether it was the panic attack or lack of oxygen or overexertion of her body, Adelaide’s eyes slowly fluttered closed as she passed out.

.

Next

[practically-an-x-man]

Sorry my brain is still so frazzled, and I'm bad at coming up with asks on a good day. :D

For TST, can I get a director's commentary on a recent work? I always love those!

Thanks!!!

Thank you!! I think I'll go with that new Nikoletta/Abner AU fic I posted yesterday, Southern Hospitality :D

Talk Shop Tuesday

____

So everyone was a little weird around here. But the new guy took it to a whole different level.

This is one of those things where... idk, I can't say I struggle writing it, but it's definitely a challenge. Abner is weird. He just is. And a lot of his relationship with Nikoletta, both in canon and in this AU, isn't about the fact that she doesn't think he's weird, but that she doesn't care.

And I think, on that note, one of the tenets of their relationship both in canon and in the AU is that they don't have this immediate attraction. She thinks he's a little weird, he thinks she's kind of icy and intimidating, and there are biases and walls that they're still in the process of breaking down even as their relationship progresses. Before their relationship is even really built out of affection and trust, it's built out of loneliness, but in the end that leads to a deeper connection and trust because they made the conscious decision to work for it.

At this point, Nikoletta was tempted just to let it go. She wasn't exactly a social butterfly either, and as far as she was concerned she only needed to know her neighbors well enough to knock on their doors if there was a tenement fire.

This is one of those moments where I'm trying to link the AU with canon. Nikoletta may not be in Belle Reve here, but she's still a bit of a loner who doesn't believe in expending her social energy on things that aren't worth it. She'll be polite enough, but once she decides it's not worth it, she's done.

Long story short, she needs a reason to interact with him at this point, since she'd past the point of just being friendly for the sake of being friendly.

The door opened a crack. Through the gap, Nikoletta saw the faint glow of multicolored light illuminating the dark apartment beyond. Her first thought was of those flashy computer setups with the RGB lights - but if he had one of those, he certainly wouldn't be living in a place like this. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

I'm not sure why I chose to have this all occur when Abner's dealing with a dot flare. I think it boils down to two things: one, I think the vague body-horror of seeing bits and pieces of it here but then having him appear completely normal when they meet face to face adds an interesting touch to this piece, and two, I feel like it's more meaningful to Abner that she'd still offer to have him over even after witnessing something clearly strange and even a little unpleasant. It goes back to that first point - their relationship isn't built off an immediate attraction, it's a conscious choice to built that trust, and it starts with moments like this.

"Wait here." His voice was soft and somehow gentle, even as the door shut forcefully in front of her.

This is really what endeared me to Abner as a character from the very beginning. His power is destructive, he behaves oddly and is used as the butt of the joke by the rest of the team, but he's really very gentle. There are really only two moments in the movie where we see him genuinely get angry - once a brief flash of annoyance when Peacemaker is shoving him and badgering him about his condition, and later after Milton is killed and the others hardly seem to care. And once you get past some of those off-putting moments, he really is a sweetheart!

And of course, by extension, his being gentle (despite the pain he's in, despite being isolated, despite being surrounded by metahumans who want to push him around) is what endears him to Nikoletta as well. It's more obvious in the main story, since Belle Reve is such a hostile environment that he really stands out, but this moment here is really the AU equivalent to that. He's clearly dealing with something, he's clearly in pain, but he still helps her when he could easily just close the door on her.

Twenty minutes later, she found herself back in front of his door.

And here's Nikoletta's response to that, of course. This is the equivalent to their early interactions in Belle Reve in the main timeline - she saves him from the other inmate attacking him, he brings her coffee after she has a nightmare, slowly they start to connect through those little moments like that. It's again that slow build of trust, the daring to reach out even when it's not easy for either of them, and the connection that comes from those moments.

"You want to invite me over?" It was the most she'd ever heard him say at once. His voice still held the same gentle hesitance, like he was shocked she would even speak to him.

Poor guy's just not used to being included, invited, thought about, anything like that. His story really breaks my heart in that way, but I think it also makes moments like these a lot richer.

She'd extended the offer mostly as a courtesy - this was the South, offering to share a meal was hardly any more uncommon than saying "bless you" after a sneeze - but had never really expected him to agree.

Okay, yeah, a bit of hyperbole here, but sharing food is still a big thing here! I mean, I can't count the amount of times one of my theatre castmates has been like "I'm taking coffee orders, let me know what you want!" or brought in snacks for our tech rehearsals (to be fair, I'm included in this crowd, my dad and I brought cookies on our first tech day for Pippin) or offered to bring in pizza or sandwiches so everyone can eat during our two-show days.

Idk where I'm going with this, I just love the theme of sharing food as an act of love/connection.

Being face-to-face with whatever those pustules and tumors were? But she'd spent plenty of time around metahumans, she'd certainly seen worse. She couldn't say she was delighted by the thought of it, but neither was she disgusted.

That's the other thing I see a lot in Abner fics: romanticizing the dots and how they manifest. And like... if that's your thing, cool, and there's nothing wrong with that, but I think it's just as fair to say "this is understandably a little gross, a little unpleasant to look at, and you don't have to romanticize it to love and respect your partner. It can be gross and you can love them anyway."

I feel like I'm not articulating that thought very well, but like... if your partner has IBS, you can love them very much and still want to leave the room when they're having a flareup just because it's a little gross. If your partner has cystic acne, you're not obligated to find their acne beautiful and you're not a bad person if you don't, you just need to respect your partner and not reduce them to their condition. Human bodies are gross. There's going to be something here or there that just grosses you out, and that's not a moral failing, it's an impulse and you can't control it. You don't have to romanticize every little thing about your partner in order for it to be a healthy relationship.

So yeah. It weirds Nikoletta out a little bit. She's not used to it, she doesn't know what it is, and it's not exactly pleasant to look at. And that's okay, because she doesn't let it overwhelm her opinion of him.

He was… kind of cute. In an awkward, kicked-puppy sort of way.

Okay, yeah, Abner used those ten minutes to purge the dots and clean himself up a little. I was tempted to go the other way with it, and I think there would've been a lot of merit to the "more than meets the eye approach" where Nikoletta is put face-to-face with those visual biases she might have, but I went with this for three main reasons:

Abner as a character would probably want to purge the dots and make himself "presentable", if only because his mother's drilled it into his head that he needs to hide his condition in order to be respected and cared for. Sad reason, but it's the most logical action for him

As I mentioned before, I love the vague body-horror of Nikoletta catching glimpses in his apartment but then Abner appearing completely ordinary when they finally meet face-to-face

I just really liked the whole "Oh man I don't even know this guy, he was nice but that was a little freaky and I'm wondering if I made a mistake and- hey hang on he's kind of cute" thought process, I thought it was cute

This is getting long so I'm going to leave it here, there's not a whole lot I wanted to say about the last bit of the scene except that I was trying to be faithful to how they're both fundamentally very awkward people who are trying their best and how that carries over in their relationship regardless of what stage they're in, and I really had fun writing this piece.

Thanks for the ask!!

[protemporescitor]

Disrepair

Cloud glanced out through the window again, peering out at the wild blue yonder. The Tiny Bronco soared high over the ocean, fast approaching the northern continent. They would soon reach their destination. After that...

He shut his eyes for a moment, stopping himself from thinking about it too much. "One step at a time," he reminded himself.

Opposite him, on the starboard aisle, he saw Tifa sleeping peacefully in her seat. He was relieved to see her getting some much-needed rest at last. She'd hardly spoken a word since they had left the Ancient Capital. No doubt she was in shock, still processing Aerith's death. It had hit her especially hard, given their closeness. He just hoped her dreams were pleasant ones.

He looked around the plane, checking in on the others. It was obvious that they were all exhausted from their journey, completely drained both physically and emotionally. He couldn't quite tell with Vincent whether he was asleep or merely pretending to be. In any case, he'd kept his eyes closed for most of the flight, either deep in thought, or in a deep slumber. Similarly, Cait appeared to have temporarily switched himself off, sitting slumped in his seat, unmoving. Again, it was hard to tell.

Red XIII lay curled up on the floor next to Tifa, his fiery tail swishing back and forth in his sleep. He'd agreed to stay near the centre of the aisle to keep it from coming into contact with any of the fuselage's more sensitive equipment. Meanwhile, Barret had moved up to the front of the plane and was busy chatting with Cid. Cloud couldn't make out their conversation over the noise of the engines, but it seemed like he was occupied with picking up on some of the finer points of instrumentation from their pilot in order to kill time during their flight. Or maybe he was just trying to keep his mind off things.

Cloud suddenly noticed that Yuffie was missing from her seat. Concerned, he unbuckled his belt and got up to look for her. It didn't take him long to find her, given the small, cramped space they were in. She'd disappeared into the far corner at the back of the plane and was curled up in a fetal position, head down, slowly rocking back and forth. Motion sickness again, he assumed.

He got out a small box of tranquilizers, something that he'd picked up on the road to help her combat her nausea, just in case it got to be too much for her to handle. He was about to offer her some when he realized that she was sobbing quietly. Growing worried, he knelt down in front of her.

"Hey... you okay?" he asked, his voice soft.

Yuffie shook her head without looking up. "It's not fair... Why her?"

"Why any of us, for that matter?" he thought. "It wasn't her time. Or anyone else's."

"It'll be okay, Yuffie," he said, trying to reassure her in spite of his own misgivings about their situation. "We have to keep going."

She finally raised her head to look up at him, her expression turning to anger. "How can you be so calm?" she chastised him. "Aren't you pissed off?"

"I..." Cloud paused. For a moment he was lost for words, troubled by turbulent thoughts. She was right. He had been feeling strangely elated, even sanguine, after they had left the capital. Now, the realization was beginning to sink in.

Aerith was gone.

Wasn't she?

He didn't know what he had seen, exactly. What he'd experienced. She was... alive. And then, she wasn't. It dawned on him that, somehow, in his mind he still hadn't accepted the fact that Aerith was dead. He knew that he should feel something, anger, sadness, guilt... but right now, he simply felt numb.

"I don't have a choice," he said at last, struggling to find the right words. "I'll... mourn Aerith when it's time. I have to stop Sephiroth first, or else... everything she did will be for nothing."

Yuffie's expression softened. He could tell that she was still upset, but she seemed to understand his reasoning.

Cloud gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "And I'm gonna need your help to do it. You with me?"

Yuffie wiped away her tears, then nodded. "Yeah."

"Still feeling sick?" he asked.

"Just a bit."

"Here, these might help," he said, slipping the medicine into her hands. She quickly downed a couple of pills, then put the rest away in her pocket.

"Thanks, Spikey," she said, her voice weak.

"Any time."

Seeing the usually energetic and carefree young girl in such a state of disrepair ate away at him. Her bravado, he knew, didn't make her invincible, but this was an especially harsh reminder. He wished he could do more for her, but as far as he could remember, he'd never suffered from motion sickness. Flying was especially bad for her, and now she was not only airsick, but heartbroken as well. He couldn't imagine how rough it must be for her, having to struggle with both at the same time.

"She must be going through hell," he thought. Still, he reminded himself, she had put up with every bumpy ride and ramshackle vehicle they'd come across so far, in spite of her discomfort. A reminder of just how tough she was, how determined to see things through until the end. Even this torment couldn't extinguish her fighting spirit. Though she was down and out for the moment, he had rarely felt more admiration for the young ninja girl.

He sat down next to her, intent on staying with her until she was feeling better. The two of them rested together in silence for a minute, looking out into the front of the plane. There wasn't much to see, save for the pale blue sky, given the way the pilots' seats obscured the windshield.

"You know, Cloud," Yuffie finally said, "for being such a jerk, you're an awfully nice guy."

"Just don't get used to it."

His reply elicited a chuckle from her, followed by some more sniffles. "Don't worry, I won't."

Cloud leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes, sensing the vibrations of the engines reverberating throughout the plane's body. The slow, rhythmic thrum was enough to lull anyone to sleep, and he began to doze off as the sheer, unbridled fatigue from the past few days finally caught up to him.

He was ever so slightly startled when he felt Yuffie wrapping her slender arms around his forearm, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yuffie?"

She held onto him a little more tightly, entreating him not to pull away from her. Despite the chill of their surroundings, her body felt warm pressed up against his.

"Just... until the ride's over. Okay?"

He looked at her, a little taken aback, hearing her echoing Aerith's request from that night on the Skywheel. Could her choice of words merely be a coincidence?

She peered up at him with a pleading look in her eyes. Not the puppy-dog eyes she sometimes hit him with when she wanted something more frivolous from him like a Gold Saucer token or a new piece of materia, but a sincere plea not to leave her side. He could count the number of times that he'd seen Yuffie allow herself to be vulnerable like this on one hand, and he considered himself fortunate to even know this side of her.

She held his gaze, fighting back fresh tears even as she gave him her best effort to smile at him through the pain.

He smiled back at her.

"Okay."

[characteroulette]

A study on Prosecutors --

(On AO3) (next)

So the Ace Attorney series has a vast cast of colourful characters. From their protagonist to their one-off witnesses for a trial, there's bound to be one or two who catch your eye. A main draw for many are the prosecutors in particular and a lot of thought goes into making them appealing to us. They're our villains, but they have to be likable enough for us to want to spend time with them. So, from start to beginning, here's a personal analysis on how each games uses every narrative trick available to it to make us like their villains.

First, Edgeworth.

He's introduced to us in a very specific way; someone who's all ready tied quite personally to our protagonist. There's an air of mystery to him even as you enter the first day of the trial; Phoenix knows him somehow and there's dark rumours surrounding him. The first day of the trial does its best to "prove" those rumours true! Everyone knows about the famous "updated autopsy report" scene and what follows. Another important factor in this is the cross-examination with the bell boy. Edgeworth does use underhanded methods to win his cases, so it seems to us. He's really willing to bend the rules in order to get the culprit declared guilty. (He's right, of course, for wanting that update for the autopsy report. We saw it in the intro ourselves; Mia didn't die instantly when Redd White hit her. But it's a sting to us and it goes to prove his methods aren't the cleanest and so all we can think of is how despicable this move is, how brilliant it is for him to throw us off completely.)

And then, the second day of the trial. He confronts Phoenix before the trial specifically to almost warn him that there's no mercy. He comes to show off to the player that there's a deep seated darkness in him, just not in the way we might have thought from that first game. And Phoenix's manner towards him is crucial to our own feelings towards him; Phoenix doesn't get upset or even react much differently than he had when talking with Gumshoe about it. He merely says, "You've changed." And then Edgeworth walks away and the trial can begin.

Edgeworth fighting against Redd White starts the important trend of Edgeworth not being quite as in control as he likes to think he is. He can't control any of his witnesses and it's a crack in his affect. It's the first sign towards him being less than the demon he presents himself as, the first moment we get to see there's something endearing buried beneath his coldness. It also brings his ruthlessness and quick thinking back into sharp focus; the very moment Redd White is about to confess, he tells White to do so. To confess, in fact, to a different crime; to placing the wiretap. It's a brilliant move that sets everyone off-balance, it handily explains White's involvement without him having to be the murderer, and it gives White the second wind he needs to drive Phoenix (and us) into a corner, to deserve our deus-ex-machina that follows. As a personal note, this is the moment where I started really liking his character. It's such a brilliant bastard move that I couldn't help but like him immediately for it. Oh, this man is actually a bastard, I thought to myself. I'm going to enjoy grinding him down completely as this game goes on. (Exactly what the story wanted from me, I'm sure.)

But with Mia's help, we win the trial and save both ourselves and Maya. The mystery is left hanging in the air: who is Edgeworth to Phoenix and what happened to make him fall so far to darkness?

This isn't a question that will be answered in case 3, but this is where the writing goes into overdrive to endear us fully to our prosecuting rival.

The first day of the trial is a comedy of errors. We get to witness firsthand how much careful control Edgeworth places in his methods, in his scripts, and how lost he is without all that. He's floundering so hard with Wendy Oldbag, who makes strange assumptions in her testimony that he has to run with and omits important things due to forgetting or just not being allowed to say. It becomes a bit of a game for him as well; he's figuring out what exactly happened just the same as Phoenix is. He starts working with Phoenix right at the end, just for a moment, after his own witness lied about the full scope of things.

This is important, this glimpse of working together with Edgeworth. It's a hint, a taste of what's to come, and it's masterful in how quietly it's slipped under our focus. We're reeling, too, after all, from Oldbag's sudden truths.

But we need to investigate some more. And so we head on into the second day.

I don't think I can overstate enough how well each Gumshoe anecdote goes towards endearing us to Edgeworth. Having a character with 100% faith in someone as darkly presented to us as Edgeworth is goes such a long way in demonstrating their humanity. Edgeworth may appear ruthless and dubious, but he's so goofy. He crushes a cup full of hot coffee and burns himself!! He stands at a window and mumbles Wright's name to himself over and over!! He's just as much of a trainwreck as everyone else in this universe and it goes so far towards endearing us to him, to building up our own trust of him when it's needed most.

Trial day two is one step forward, two steps back for Edgeworth. He's managed to find stability in Sal Manella's testimony, he knows this proves that only Will Powers could be the criminal here, and yet everything falls apart once again when Cody takes the stand. Once again, Edgeworth finds himself floundering and scrambling for ways to discredit Phoenix's methods of questioning Cody. He tries to make his belief in Powers' guilt work, but Phoenix throws it all into his face. By the end of this day, there's practically no way Powers can be found guilty of this murder. And so Edgeworth is left in shambles, no longer able to cling to his belief that everyone is guilty, that if he just gets a guilty verdict for everyone then he can make up for his own failings.

(We get a glimpse of it, but the real reveal is yet to come.)

(This investigation day, I feel, is where Gumshoe is cemented as our lovable oaf of our friend. He saves us from Dee Vasquez's yakuza/mafia men. He gets his big damn hero moment and gets to be a little in awe of it himself. This is the moment, right here, where we can really just fall in love with Gumshoe. It's another small point towards our endearment to Edgeworth, albeit one that's a detour into a different character study.)

And thus, we come to the third trial day. Our strongest, most definitive look into Edgeworth as something more than just our villain/rival of the game.

It's stated right out the gate that Powers cannot still be considered as the guilty party. That Edgeworth's approach to this particular testimony has to be different, focused on proving her lack of involvement but unsure of where to go from here. He lets Phoenix and Vasquez run most of the show, watches as Phoenix engages in a battle of wits with her, and flounders all the while in what he's supposed to do here. He shouldn't be needed, after all. There's no way Powers can be guilty, so what is he even doing here?

Seeing Phoenix falter, however, brings him the answer. In a sudden move, he throws out an objection. He stalls the trial because the truth, the full truth, has yet to be pulled from this witness. The full truth is within their grasp and after seeing Phoenix claw at it so desperately, he has to see it to the end. He can't let it hang in uncertainty; he has to figure this out or it will eat at him like so many other things in his life. (His father's death. His own guilt. His first two trial experiences. SL-9's darkness. So many unanswered questions hang over his head that we've yet to become aware of, and still they inform his turn here in this moment. They fit together to form this picture of a man who has been shown the light of truth which can dispell his own doubts and he latches onto it in a desperation, in a moment of casting aside his own helplessness in the face of all the darkness he's accrued inside him. He wants to find the truth! He's cast it aside for so long in his efforts to punish himself for a crime he believes he committed and yet still, yet still, he can't help but stumble forward into that light at the first moment he's allowed. He wants to believe in Phoenix, he wants to believe in something besides his own demons, and it shows in his stumbling, in his floundering, right in this moment.)

Because of his efforts, Dee Vasquez slips up and allows us to dig into her lie. Because of his moment of accepting the light of the truth, Phoenix is able to prove Powers' innocence.

Another iconic scene, Edgeworth comes to us after the trial and tells us in no uncertain terms to get out of his courtroom. He's not lying when he says he's been saddled with uncertainty and unease; after all, if Phoenix was able to show him this truth, then it brings up a doubt he never wanted to acknowledge.

*How many innocent people has he convicted in the past four years?*

*How can he say what he's doing is right when the truth he's been fighting for has never been the full truth?*

We've inadvertently cracked him wide open. We've inadvertently shown him a reflection of his own darkness and he could no longer stomach what he saw.

Which leads perfectly into our next case where we get to put all of this building endearment and trust into practice by defending Edgeworth from that looming darkness.

First off, everything about the scene between him and Phoenix in the detention centre is perfect. If you assumed he would give in so easily and allow us to defend him, then you haven't been paying attention to him. He's so stubborn he didn't give in to assisting us prove Vasquez's guilt until it was literally the last moments of the trial. He's been actively avoiding any revelation in his life for years. Of course he'd reject us outright. Even when Phoenix makes a heartfelt plea, is his usual irreverent self with his misplaced humour, Edgeworth won't even tell us a single detail.

But we, and Phoenix, know better than to give up. We know that, to get him to admit to anything, we have to dig deep. (A wolf who pursues the truth like it's an illness; Phoenix is a great character, too, because we're the ones who drive him to this in our own endeavours to Know.) So we investigate and learn and when we return, he has no choice but to admit that we're the only ones whom he can place his trust into.

We're the only ones willing to take his side. A favour in return for another; he doesn't remember, but it's important enough to Phoenix that we also begin to understand what exactly drives these two to be so Normal(tm) about one another. We begin to see that Edgeworth is less detached than he likes to believe himself.

It all comes very much into sharp focus the moment we meet Manfred von Karma. (Here's another thing the Ace Attorney series does really well: a contrast in mentors. We see how Mia teaches and nudges Phoenix and us along, how she can be stern and gentle in the same breath. She's clearly fond of Phoenix and treats him accordingly. A huge contrast in everything about Manfred and Edgeworth's dynamic. Edgeworth respects him deeply, but he doesn't seem to have any regard for Edgeworth at all. He talks about Edgeworth in a detached and unfeeling way so much that you could find yourself wondering if he knew Edgeworth at all if not for how many cues Edgeworth clearly takes from him. The difference in mentorship of Grossberg to Mia and Diego to Mia, of Kristoph to Apollo and Phoenix to Apollo, are also fascinating but I'll dive into those some other time agh.)

First of all, it's in their similar poses, it's in the way Edgeworth introduces us to the idea of Manfred. Second, it's Manfred's actions which reflect sharply right back onto Edgeworth. Suddenly, the way Edgeworth conducted his witnesses in the second case makes so much more sense when watching how Manfred controls Lotta and Gumshoe with his iron fist. It becomes apparent that Phoenix is outmatched when we can't find anything to gain a foothold and we're nearly at the end of our rope. We've come too far to back down here! We've grown too endeared to Edgeworth to let him down in this moment! There's darkness in him and we have to shine our light onto it, to reveal to him that he's not the demon he portrays himself as!

(I really feel Phoenix's desperation when he says, "I'm the only one who sees the real Edgeworth. I'm the only one who can help him!" Because he's right. We're the only ones who can help, who are willing to help, whether it be by playing the game and continuing the story or by seeing that same light in Edgeworth that Phoenix believes in so fervently.)

But despite everything leading up to this truth of Edgeworth's innocence, despite all our belief, Edgeworth himself can't believe it. It drives us, drives Phoenix to dig in further, to claw out the whole truth no matter how messy and ugly.

I cannot overstate enough what a masterclass of buildup and payoff 1-4 is to Edgeworth as a character. It's a culmination of how surprising it is to suddenly regard your main antagonist, your main rival whom you've fought against for the past two cases, as your ally. It takes some kicking and screaming to get Edgeworth to even be forthcoming to us about everything, it takes hard proof and full bluffing of a whole theory before Edgeworth tells us the whole truth. But we know he will. We trust him to trust us in turn because this is where the whole thing has been leading to.

And the catharsis to proving Edgeworth's innocence even against his own despair cannot be overstated either.

It really is no wonder that Edgeworth is a fan favourite. The leadup to his being fully instated as a mainstay ally is just absolutely beautiful in its execution. At least, it is to me.

(Edgeworth's continual growth as a character in his consecutive appearances are great, too, but by that point we've been endeared to him so of course we're happy to see his returns. Or annoyed, idk this is about my experiences lol.)

Anyway yeah, Edgeworth is great and the buildup of him becoming our friend is really good.

[oh-my-may]

HELLOOOOOOO

Very quickly I wanted to share some thoughts on Wuthering Waves so far.

I have completed the main quest up to act IV and I think it goes up to 6 in total? So I am more than halfway done with what the main story has to offer so far. I must say, although it does follow the typical anime rpg plot of recent games, I have been enjoying it!

It took me the first two chapters of the story to get behind all the game specific terms like Resonator, Tacet Fields and Discords etc. but I think as of right now I'm pretty secure in my knowledge of it.

I don't wanna get too much into the lore yet but there's so many things about the world (Solaris 3, right?) that I do not understand (yet) but given how I still have main story to play through I reckon some of my questions will be answered later. But the first thing is HOW BIG THE MAP IS? I think it might be like that for me bc I'm not used to playing open world games on mobile and maybe if I played it on PC I'd have a different impression but like... on mobile it seems huge. The Resonance Beacons are kinda oddly placed I think... like there should be a few more but maybe I'm spoiled from hyv games. From what I can tell on mobile it looks good, too. Can't wait for WuWa to come out for PS5 so I can fully enjoy how beautiful it looks. (no, I don't have a PC to play it on atm)

Scar is really cool, overall I really like the "villain" organisation so far (I know their name but wouldn't trust myself to properly spell it on here lol). Maybe bc they're some lf the only characters in this game that know what colour is lol. Scar's eng VA is *chefs kiss* and I think so far he's the most interesting character overall. Chamellya (? Is that how you spell her name) also seems really cool. Haven't met her yet in the story but I've seen several posts and I really look forward to getting to know more about the Fractuids (????or whatever their name is). Call them the Overseers, that's easier to remember and spell HAHA. Wonder what their motive is for abducting Jue and reviving the other big thing (it starts with Th I know, but can't remember it rn... Threnoid or something? Guys I told you I'm still learning)

When directly asked, Scar said that it brings the Lament and all that but like... why would they want that to happen??? Are humans bad? Is something bad gonna happen to them and they know? And what about putting TD parts into human bodies?? Why?? AND WHERE DO TDS COME FROM ANYWAY?

Okay so far for that. Also I quite like Jihnsi, which is suprising to me... I do find it weird that most characters in this game share almost the same color palette, I think it's cool that she's devoid of any color and she's just... pale. Everything about her is so pale and I think that's really cool, somehow. Just like the Overseers it makes her stand out to me.

I haven't met Jiyan yet :( Apparently I will in the next chapter but I have to level up quite a bunch until then... so lemme give you some other thoughts.

First of all I like the open world! I wanted to save exploration for until I have finished the main quests completely but since you have to level up in between the game leaves you no other choice. I haven't even unlocked the entire map yet (as I said I think it's HUGE on mobile lol) but so far it's been very cool! I like the twist they put in the puzzles, somehow they came up with new mechanisms that aren't just repetition of other games open world puzzles. I like that most challanges aren't time gated (like the sniper ones, I'd be dead if they were on mobile HAHA). Besides the challenges where you fly around as that bird and have to fly through rhose rings.. it goes so fast I can NOT control that at all on mobile. Will save those for a later opportunity ig.

The battles have been fun so far. Again I have to say how dynamic the system feels it's really fun with Intro Attacks and all that, the dodge attacks are really cool and yeah... on mobile I just press buttons and can't be as smart with my moves because I barely know wtf is going on and I can't control my fingers as diligently on the tiny buttons lol. Does the mobile version have controller support yet? I think I read somewhere that it doesn't, but I'll probably be the first to jump to it lol.

(Rn I wanna mention that I saved this post until this point and finished writing it afterwards until suddenly the wifi at work disconnected and then I lost hald the post :((( so I have to kinda rewrite half of it, yaay...)

SO. AGAIN.

The echo system is really cool and innovative. Its pretty new to me personally as a system to exchange for the artifact/relic stuff. Its cool you can use the echos ability. I just figure its gonna be a pain to farm later, given how you're not always guaranteed to get an Echo from every enemy snd the stats are random too... I haven't gotten too much into the system yet and what set or whatever is best for each character... but I'm glad that auto euqip is a thing already haha. I'll probably have plenty of time to figure this all out later.

I have arrived at a point in the game where the game wants me to level characters... the game recommended team level 40 for the Scar fight when I had my team at 25... Currently I use Rover, Verina and Chixia and habe been quote enjoying them. I'll try and use Rover as long as possible, so far I really like her playstyle! I also like that the game basically adds two new elements to the roster: light and darkness, basically. Seems pretty cool. Do the elements interact? Haven't gotten too much into the meta yet, so are there like reactions like on genshin or just status effects? To conclude my thoughts I'd like to add that I'm not sure yet how worth it is leveling up my characters rn? I know that Verina is very good and as I said I'll try and level Rover for now, but as for the third slot... although I like Chixia I ultimately wanna get Jiyan or some other 5star lile Calcharo? I also have no idea (yet) how to effectively farm level up material. There must be something like a ley line or calyx surely, I just haven't found it yet. Overall I'd like to spend the 240 energy the game gives me but besides bosses I haven't really found something on the map... oh yeah there was spme forgery challenge ig that's like for weapon stuff? We'll see...

Since I have lots of leveling to do (6 levels to continue the main quest...) I figured doing normal quests is the most effective way to do that, although I have noticed that not all quests give Union Exp? I find that a bit odd. Also are there any of these smaller quests worth paying proper attention to? Like that tell important lore? So far I've only done a few and they didn't really seem significant ... some photo taking and infiltrating an enemy camp, which was pretty cool because Rover dressed up as one of them snd snuck arpund the camp, but it didn't seem that important in the grand scheme of things? Do let me know if there are certain quests that are really cool.

I have done Lingyangs character quest and it was pretty sweet. I liked the camera switch in the cavern a lot. He's also just generally a very cite character, he falls out of the character colour scheme and he's just adorable :( I did get him as my first 5star on the 50 pull banner... sadly I don't like his playstyle :( I think I dislike the way gauntlet characters feel on mobile? Idk. I also dislike that lightning 4star gauntlet man (forgot his name. He was one of my first 4stars and his trial felt weird playing him idk...) in terms of gameplay. I do think this is just a mobile thing for me, at least with the controls. As I said, when the game gets controller support this might change.

I'd like to mention a few things that bother me, too. No game is perfect and I do think that kuro games is definitely able to fix these things. First of all I've noticed that in the open world when expllring it's often very silent? As in... there's no background music? Idk if it's just programmed to set in very late? I know that there is music, since it does play when I log in... but when I walk through the world and change areas it's so oddly silent for so long... it's kinda scary sometimes haha. Also I often hsve the problem that spoken dialogue randomly cuts off mid sentence without any trigger? Like it just doesn't play the entirety of the sentence? And this happens quite frequently, especially in the first few chapters of the story. Also when the text appears on screen... it seems that sometimes it is so long that it doesn't fully appear on screen? It doesn't scroll down or anything the longer texts are just not displayed? Idk.

Another thing I noticed is that the Rover's voice over often seems very monotonous and almost... empty? Like there's no emotion or anything... at least for female Rover. I do like that she gets quite a bunch of spoken lines, but sometimes they seem oddly off against the other characters... one example that really botheres me wss in act 4, when Scar gets arrested (and Scars voice over is phenomenal btw!). There's this moment where he wants to flee and in the lsst second Rover jumps in and says something like "not so fast" or something like that and its just... the character is in action and there's high tension and the line just falls so incredibly flat? I think it may be a directing problem, maybe they just didn't tell her what the context was but like... it really bothered me. I generally like the Eng voice over, although I do find some of Yangyangs pronounciations weird? It irritates me how she says Huanglong a lot of times? Like I get it that its closer to the Chinese pronounciation but other characters say it with an english accent too? Or her breathy "Rover" all the time? I think this is just me but it was quite annoying.

Other than that (and I already mentioned it) it will tske me some time to get used to the colour palette of the characters... i do like the character design, but almost every character has the same colours to them? It's all mainly black with white/grey details and occasinally some shade of blue/red or green in between. Very few characters fall out of that scheme, like Encore, Verina or LingYang. Or the Overseers, but they're not playable (yet?)

Other than thode pretty minor problems I'm excited to explore the world a bunch now. Very excited to see how the story ends as of rn. The devs are very attentive to player feedback so I'm vurious to see where the game is headed. I do think it has lots of potential. As I said, I can't wait for playable Scar and just generally to explore more of the world. Are there gonna be more countries added to the world? I'd say yes as of right now but are there mentions of it in the story? Very excited for it!

Also I'm looking forward to meeting Geshulin in the story. Ive seen short clips of him and to say I'm obsessed would be an understatement. This game nails it's morally grey male characters.

I'm not used to taking screenshots during mobile games, so I have only this one of Scar for now, maybe I'll mamage to make it a habit. Bye for now! (Wish me luck on Jiyans banner)

[blakeswritingimagines]

I know you're obsessed with me

Summary: As you and Ajax have another bitter fight where he tries to push the agenda you like him more than letting on while explaining to Xavier why he fights and pushes your buttons so often.

Word count: 1.3k

A/N: Enjoy the small update because for the next one i’m thinking over dramatic or overly sexual.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Wednesday characters nor do I claim to own them.

“You do everything in your power to avoid me, yet you still haven’t blocked my number." His voice was filled with snark and arrogance. He laughed as he heard you speak, you listened to him speak and immediately was filled with annoyance as you rolled your eyes at him and his thinking knowing even with the two of you disliking each other but never really seemed far apart of one another even if it was to simply annoy the other which always seemed to be enjoyed by the one causing it. Looking up at him with your arms crossed over your chest as you spoke.“And why would I ever block your number darling?” You said arrogantly “you couldn’t resist me if you tried and we both know it.” You said with a smirk "Yeah well, I like arguing with you. It's almost fun." You replied with an equally sarcastic tone.

Ajax chuckles, finding the whole situation entertaining then spoke up "I am pretty irresistible, aren't I?" He says with a smirk. The two of them were often like this, going back and forth to try to annoy the other. Even with how much they seemed to despise at each other, they always seemed to end up together somehow. Like the two of them had something special, something that had been there all along, yet neither of them seemed willing to admit it.

You rolled your eyes wondering how or when he got such an ego even when talking to you regardless of whatever it was you would say to him, he always seem to turn it around just to compliment himself even as he smirked it annoyed you. He always tried to act like he was so much better than you even as you thought that Ajax was known as an annoying prick around the school, with a huge ego to go along with it. He wasn't afraid to pick on people he saw as weak, and his specialty was getting under the skin of someone for months on end and making their lives miserable. But he wasn’t if only he could realize it. He always seemed to act so superior, his smartness always annoyed you to no ends but deep down you liked it, he was really annoying but you couldn’t stay away from him. “You aren’t that irresistible..”, You said slightly annoyed, deep down knowing it wasn’t true as you tried to turn your face away, even just looking at him made you feel something different than normal.

Ajax raised an eyebrow, not believing for a second that you didn't find him irresistible. Afterall, how could anyone not find a man like him the most attractive person alive? He found it quite amusing just how much you were trying, and failing, to deny your attraction towards him. It was like watching a child try to convince their parents not to buy them something they wanted, completely denying that they wanted it even though they were extremely obvious. You shook your head before giving him another look that just screamed are you fucking kidding?, You raised your middle finger towards the gorgon before smiling to yourself as you walked away for your class "let me know when your over yourself Ajax" knowing at some point or another you'd have to deal with him once more. Taking your seat and started drawing in your notebook waiting for class to start as you replayed the small spat you just left but rolled your eyes wondering how easily Ajax got under your skin especially when you could talk to every other guy at Nevermore with no issues what so ever.

Ajax watched you walk away from him, choosing to give you the silent treatment. He was so done with you being a hypocrite and denying how amazing he was. He knew that deep down, you were madly in love with him, and he could see what he figured was you pining over him every day, but he didn't want to waste time with someone who was in such denial, so he decided to ignore you, letting you come begging for his forgiveness, just like a person would with their lover. He sighed, sitting by himself at one of the many empty desks as Xavier walked into class before sitting down next to Ajax acting like nothing had happened, Glancing over at him having already heard about what happened since word moves quickly around Nevermore but chuckled as he leaned on the shared desk looking at Ajax with a raised brow "so everyone is already talking about you and Y/n...What happened this time?" He asked as his curiosity was peaked.

Ajax groans as he sits down for class. Having all of his peers looking at him and gossiping once again about him was exhausting. It seemed he had a habit of becoming the talk of the school at least three times every week, and that annoyed him more than he liked to admit. He turns towards Xavier, taking in a deep breath before answering. "Y/n and I had a little...disagreement. And now I've won. They know who the dominant one in our relationship is. There's no avoiding it. I'm better than them." Xavier slowly nodded his head in understanding even if he didn't know how this feud between you both happened or worked, shrugging his shoulders as he thought about Ajax’s words but figured it couldn't hurt to ask "do they know that? normally everyone thinks they win most of these little lover's arguments you both have".

Ajax crosses his arms, scoffing at the idea that you’ve ever won one of their arguments. He felt quite confident that he was always the one who was right in their petty rivalries, and the idea that any of them could have been in your favor annoyed him greatly. "Obviously their not going to admit that I've won. their pride would never let them. But deep down they knows they’ve been completely dominated. I've crushed them, and it's going to be a while before they forget just how much I've dominated this relationship." Xavier nodded along as he listened to his best friend but gave him a look as he started thinking, wondering to himself just how far this ran for the both of you or if it was even just an act "you keep saying you dominated them does that mean you guys are also hooking up? because that's one of the rumors i've heard going around" He spoke with a curious tone as he also tilted his head at the thought.

Ajax goes red, his face flaring up as he looks to the side, embarrassed. He hadn't expected that Xavier would go this far into the gossip, but he should have known his best friend would be keeping up with the latest on the gossip mill. He sighs, deciding that he might as well give a truthful answer, at least to get him off his back a bit. "Yeah...we've hooked up. A few times." Xavier felt his jaw drop at the sudden news that was just said to him before trying to cover his laughter, now starting to understand a little bit more about why you two fought so often but turned to face Ajax even as class started and lowered his voice as he acted like he was doing the work "good for you, but if you have then why are you still at each other's throats?".

Ajax shrugs, turning towards the lecture from their professor. He doesn't like being distracted from his studies by other student's gossip, but Xavier is an exception. He's fine talking to his best friend, even if the subject isn't one he's normally eager to share. Ajax sighs, leaning back as the professor continues. He can tell that Xavier is waiting for something, and he can understand why. So he makes his move, turning towards his best friend and speaking in a low voice so that no one else can hear.

"I think I love her."

[honest-moth-of-silver-grove]

Hello!! I saw you were doing match ups and that's so cool! I was hoping to participate if that's okay! Could I possibly get both male and female matchup? No poly please !

I'm nonbinary but i am physically fem, 5'5, with a bright red mullet that's like sorta grown out? Soft looking. My fashion sense tends to vary depending on my mood. Goth one day, cottagecore the next type of thing. One thing that's always a constant is my spiky earrings, kinda like the Fangs preset from the game! Necklace and my two bracelets. If I ever take them off I feel disgusting and off

Positive personality traits wise, I'm caring and selfless. I tend to be pretty cheerful and optimistic, goofing off. I think I'm smart? The most basic things tend to confuse me but then I'll bust out some complex knowledge lmao. I'm pretty creative too! I create stuff out of basically trash lol. I made a whole shield and sword sheath from recycled cardboard once.

Negative traits wise, I'm overly selfless, tending to put others before me. I'm very forgetful but thats cause of adhd. I can be messy and far too loud. Oblivious to a lot of things. I'm a big scaredy cat too which makes it hard to enjoy some stuff. I also tend to hide my negative emotions

My love language is definitely quality time and gift giving. Heavy on gift giving.

I have all kinds of hobbies but I'm not particularly good at any of them. Like video games, writing, arts and crafts, painting. And active stuff too like skateboarding. But uh. To be completely honest my main hobby is just sleeping forever lmfao

Likes: savory foods, coffee, aesthetic stuff, all kinds of animals, dressing up, reading, anything adrenaline inducing like rollercoasters, rainstorms

Dislikes: i cant eat any kind of fish/seafood I will gag, spiders, snakes, being vulnerable, people being mean (I seriously don't understand how people can be mean), the dark especially if I'm alone

Thank you so much! I hope that wasn't too much- or that I missed any requirements lol. Have a great week!!

A/N: Okay, for you @lord-westley … I’m thinking for romantic matchups your best bets would be… Gale (Male) and Karlach (Female)! 

Gale is a great match for you, as he’s quite similar personality wise. He’s kind and selfless; smart but also somehow clueless? He’s got a good spirit, and an old soul. He wants someone he can share his life with, and thinks you’re just the person to do that with. 

He thinks you look fierce, for real, he’s almost intimidated by how good you look, especially your hair. It’s bright and bold and something he’d never have the courage to try. It suits you, and it makes him feel all the more special for being with you. 

His style is fairly consistent, and he’s not the most fashion savvy, but he does appreciate a good look when he sees one. Be prepared for a bunch of horrible puns, and awkward attempts at flirtatious compliments. He wants to tell you how much he loves your look, it’s just that it comes off wrong more often than not. Please don’t be mistaken- he really does think you look great. It’s just that loving words aren't his strong suit. 

He loves how caring and selfless you are. He quite admires your capacity for compassion. He likes to think of himself as selfless, but he’s also aware that’s not the truth. But for you, it is. And he’s so honored someone as pure and kind hearted as you would choose him as your partner. 

He’s also very grateful you’re smart. At least, that you’re smart enough to sort of get some of what he says about magic. He has a tendency to infodump, and he really likes it when you make comments or ask questions that let him know you’re listening. And your creativity, good heavens! He’s so impressed. He thought as a wizard, he’d be able to think outside of the box, but his imagination is no match for yours. Thanks to your builds and use of garbage, he’s starting to rethink the way he goes about spell casting and brewing potions. Your perspectives are actually helping make him a better wizard. 

He does worry that you’re too selfless, though. He’s been used by powerful beings before, and he’d hate to see you get hurt similarly. If he thinks someone is taking advantage of your kindness, he won’t hesitate to bring it up to you. He just wants you to know your time and effort has value, and it should never be taken for granted. 

He’s understanding when it comes to your fear. He thinks it's rather healthy to be afraid, especially of death. It shows you have a lust and respect for life. He’s glad you understand the enormity of what it means to live, because he wants you to protect your life so that the two of you can grow old and gray together. 

He will give you gifts! A lot of them are favors done via spells, but a good amount of them are physical presents. (Many of which may have previously been magic items that have since had their magic drained, but hey! It’s the thought that counts, right?!)

He loves savory foods! He can’t wait to show you his extensive wine cellar and kitchen in his tower in Waterdeep, and feed you his especially _ sauce. It’s full of flavor, it’ll knock your socks right off! 

He may not be a huge fan of adrenaline inducing activities: he much prefers the safe mental exercise of a good book. But he will join you on occasion, so long as you promise him it’s mostly safe. (He may or may not ask Shadowheart to cast Guidance on the two of you before you leave, but then again, he’s just covering his bases!)

Thanks to his arcane knowledge, you’ll never be in the dark. He can conjure light to ensure you’re not afraid. And he vows to always be by your side, so long as you’ll have him, protecting you, just as you protect him. 

Karlach is also a great match for you! She’s a very upbeat person, and she loves your loud and creative energy, it makes her feel like you can keep up with her and match her own outgoing personality. 

She loves your style, especially the bright red hair. That is her color after all. And she’s obsessed with all the new looks you combine and create. Everyday she’s basically shouting at the other members of your party, ‘Come look at how hot/cute my partner looks!’. It’s a bit over the top and embarrassing at first, but she means it in the best, most sincere way. If you ask her to stop, she’ll stop. But otherwise, be prepared for compliments, like ALL of the time. 

She loves goofing off with you, pulling pranks and just having a little fun in between missions. She’s a firm believer in taking breaks- it keeps you sane. She’s fairly intelligent too, I mean, she’s not a scholar or anything, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders and so do you. 

She thinks it’s incredible how you can make something totally new out of garbage, or old unwanted scraps. It’s both your resourcefulness and creativity she finds impressive. 

She has no problems with your being messy or loud, even if other people might. If they have an issue with it, she’ll join in, and make it a point to be messier and louder than you. And if anyone still has a problem, she’ll take care of it for you. She’s a big strong woman, and she understands how scary confirmation can be. She does her best to make the world around you a little less frightening. 

Kalrach strikes me as someone who would enjoy doing almost any hobby outside of being forced to fight. I mean, she also really loves a good battle, but she’s down for basically whatever. She’s so ready to try everything- to make up for all the time she missed down in Avernus. She’ll do anything or go anywhere with you. She’s especially excited for any adrenaline inducing activities. As a Barbarian, she is 100% there. No questions asked. Also the idea of skateboarding blows her mind. (Pretty sure that doesn’t exactly translate to DND, but if there was anyway in Faerun willing to ride a board with little wheels up and down steep hills or ramps, she’d be your girl.) 

Even though she’s adventurous, she’s also cool with just chilling- taking some time to enjoy your company. She thinks you’re adorable when you sleep, and can’t help but want to take naps with you, so long as her engine is fixed enough, and you don’t mind being warm. 

She’s fine with you not eating seafood, it’s not that big of a deal to her. You like what you like, right? And she gets that spiders can be pretty creepy- especially the ones in the Underdark. She promises to never make you visit there, and should any of those creatures try and get you topside, don’t worry, she won't let them lay a hand on you. 

Despite being a fierce fighter, she’s got a heart of gold. She hates bullies, and people who abuse others. She knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that, and it feels awful. She’d never want you to feel that way. So gods help anyone in Baldur’s Gate who tries and bullies you for whatever reason. They’ve just got themselves a _ tiefling to answer to. 

Karalch thinks you’re wonderful, and so sweet. You’re precious to her and she promises to protect you. You make her so happy. She’s so glad she’s met you. 

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I hope you like it!

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Happy Halloween!!!

[alltimefail-sims]

The sims 3 lore is just as wacko as the sims 2 istg my fav lore has to be the dead clone wives lemme explain. So in twinbrook there's s sim name Juan Darer (he's quite interesting to look at too) in the junkyard he owns is the grave of Lacy Darer. Now Juan and Lacy have no relationship but she could be his ex wife as deceased spouses aren't shown on the family tree in the sims 3. Lacy died in a fire but what's the crazy part Juan's best friend Harwood Clay is has a possible wife named Macy Clay who also died in a fire. Macy and Lacy's names aren't just a coincidence. Macy and Lacy are almost completely identical. Many think they're twins but twins don't have the same exact same personalities. The darker theory is that Juan being the eccentric creator created clone wives for him and his best friend and Lacy and Macy somehow perished possible in the cloning process which is also the reason Juan's house caught on fire and he lives in a barn.

O m g

Sorry for taking forever to respond to this! This month has been wildly busy in the worst way!! I hate summer! Everyone in my house has been sick at some point! UGH!

Anyway, I finally had a chance to sit down and thoroughly look into both of these families. I'm going to start with the Doe family because, honestly, I don't have a whole lot to add about the Darers and I'm eager to jump into the Does (my thoughts on the Darers will be at the end though!).

Let's dive in! ↓

I had to look up Midnight Hollow to start, and EEEEEEP I love this world's whole vibe. If I play the Sims 3 THIS will be the world I start in!!! Favorite world I've learned about in TS3 so far. I lowkey want to live here irl.

But imagine my shock when I found out that they were putting whole ass worlds on The Sims 3 store. That's absolutely insane lmao!! They would of had my wallet with this one though, not gonna lie. The vibes are top-tier.

Now I looked up the Doe family just like you said and I need you to know that they are the kind of unsolved lore I live for. This family alone makes me want to pirate buy TS3 today.

The Wiki's description wasn't necessarily weird, but the household description left me with many questions.

Jane is the perfect housewife, from her neat hairstyle to her fashionable yet conservative dress. She's neat, nurturing, loves her kids, and can make a mean pot roast! Meanwhile, John is rising in the ranks at his corporate job. He feels successful in life and supported by his family. He works hard but comes home in enough time to teach his kids a lesson or two about life and talk to his wife about her day. Nothing mysterious seems to be happening here, but didn't their house used to have a basement?

That last line. Yeah. WTF? That made the hairs on my arm stand up, especially considering that the world they come with is supposed to mimic a classic-horror vibe. So Immediately I'm getting serial killer vibes, I'm getting psychological thriller, I'm getting family that invites you over for dinner only for you to realize that you are dinner.

Just from the description alone, I'm thinking that the parents are people with a wicked past - coconspirators in crime (whether Jane is a willing or unwilling participant is debatable but intriguing) that may involve killing and disposing, from the sounds of the "former-basement" and the fact that no one really knows why they've suddenly come to a new town without any explanation of their past. Additionally, the names feel like a reference to true crime and murder to me - the last name Doe, with first names Jane and John specifically, are typically names given to unidentifiable victims who, more than not, are victims of violence and brutalization which leaves them unidentifiable. Or, at times, they're simply unidentifiable based on the fact that they don't have family or friends that could claim them, thus making them the perfect targets if you've got bad intentions. The parents seem shady, but beyond that their names reaffirm that they aren't the perfect, squeaky-clean, nuclear family they pretend to be. I mean, you could even speculate that Jane and John are not even their real names. Obviously the sims team are big fans or campy, on-the-nose names (Bob Pancakes, the Goth family, the Calientes, Marcus Flex), but I've always liked to think that sim names can serve more than one purpose.

I jumped over to The Doe family community blog post and the interview there further confirmed a lot of my suspicions, and that whatever they're hiding might be sealed off in what used to be the family basement (the dev who made this family makes sure to draw attention to this enough that it's clearly significant). It's no coincidence that the basement suddenly "disappeared" (or perhaps just became inaccessible) as soon as the family moved in. Some notable things from this interaction:

The classic, old-fashioned misogyny from John. "The light of my life keeps my home perfect and welcoming." It's subtle, but says a lot about this family's old-fashioned dynamic. I hate the condescending, possessive energy between these two. I literally felt uncomfortable during this entire interview (I'd argue that is intentional).

The recurring and growingly tense persistence for the interviewer/producer to drink more tea. BIG red flag on this because my first thought is "Why?" I can understand being hospitable, but it seems like the interviewer has already been taken care of, so why the push? Jane is literally described as frantic, dodging the interviewer's questions entirely and hyper-focusing on the tea as if this is her role to play in what could be an unfortunate turn of events. On the other hand, John seems to be cheerily dismissive. I'm seeing skilled, practiced manipulation in the form of feigned charisma and charm - he doesn't ignore the questions but rather skillfully pivots and tries to keep things light and comfortable. His energy is notably different than the rest of the family, which makes him seem like the primary, skilled aggressor. He is keeping shit under control just enough to not raise suspicion, in my opinion.

But, most interesting to me, is their children's reactions to what is going on. The bio tells us so little about them, but their actions say so much. James, being a toddler and the youngest, obviously is going to be relatively clueless. But Jenn, the daughter, Sits quietly and stares ahead with an eerie blank expression. This feels like a traumatized, almost dissociative response. She seems removed in an anticipatory sense, on-brand for how a child might respond to signs of danger. I'd go as far to say that she is exhibiting one of the 5 fight and flight trauma responses; mainly the "freeze" response. The oldest son Joseph, on the other hand, is outwardly angry. He even leaves the room and slams the door as a response to the conversation, perhaps simply triggered by the mention of moving to Midnight Hollow, but I would venture to guess that he's also frustrated with the events taking place beyond that. After all, I would think that if there is anyone aware of the parent's possible nefarious nature and wrongdoings, it would be him. That being said, he's a teenager... but still a child, nonetheless. He unfortunately has little to no control, and it's clear that he's exhibiting a flight response, showing his own disdain as much as he can (a touch of fight in that door slam) while taking an opportunity to flee the scene. In the picture, their eldest son and daughter seem to be looking at them with... complex expressions. They're certainly not happy.

The whole interview ends because the wife is "not feeling well," but that brings me back to my point about John being a skilled manipulator and the main aggressor running the web that his family is caught in: he would be able to cite when things are getting out of control. A predator knows when to strike and when to back off, and I think this is John's way of regaining control before too much is brought to light. Many people have been spared, unknowingly, from the clutches of a serial killer because they got lucky and the killer decided it wasn't the right place/right time - that's the vibe I'm getting, idk.

The energy around this family reminds me of an Ari Aster or a Jodan Peele psychological horror feel - everything is fine on the surface until it's not, and that tensity and complexity is disturbing and uncomfortable for the outsider (the audience) looking in, but it's usually just as disturbing for our growingly-aware protagonists (who, based on actions alone, I would argue could possibly be the eldest son and perhaps even the daughter, in this case). "The Stepford Wives" by Ira Levin has also been cited possible inspiration at least for Jane's motivations/role in the story. If you don't know about this story, I recommend checking it out.

As I researched, I was actually surprised with the amount of people who did not jump to the murderer route right off the bat. Some other theories include the family being hypnotized and even speculation that they might be robots (likely a take resulting from Levin's work).

Personally, I am more inclined to think that the parents are people with a wicked past, but it was interesting to read alternative takes. The robot and hypnotism theories are intriguing to me, but they neglect to explain the mysterious disappearance of the basement or the children's behaviors. Furthermore, the "brainwashed" and "repetitive" nature Jane has could just as much be signs of trauma/being in an unsafe environment/being forced to act against her will just as much as they could be literal signs of being robotic or hypnotized, so I don't think those things are necessary. Trauma, fear, and feeling trapped are enough to make a person act outside the realm of "normal."

Hell, I think I've only covered the surface here, but I've talked for so long lol. It seems their story might always just be a mystery left for speculation, sadly.

My boy Benoit Blanc says it best:

Some additional resources that I used below for any curious cats who made it this far:

The Doe family discussion on the sims forum

TS3 Reddit Thread on the Doe family

As for the Darers: from what I'm seeing, the theory that the wives were clones (or at the very least identical twins) makes sense to me. I put pictures of them below, and just from their CAS headshots you can definitely see that the girls are identical - there's gotta be some relation there

Personally, I lean toward clones due to the traits being the same. Twins in the sims franchise have always had their own unique interests and traits, so these girls being near carbon-copies doesn't make sense if they're only sisters. Plus, the franchise loves clones (looking at you, two versions of Bella Goth in the Sims 2). For the era of franchise that TS3 was in, I feel like the team was still making the game lean toward whimsy and outlandish as opposed to realism.

Regardless of the relation these two girls share though, the fire death is suspicious and maybe the only thing that keeps this from feeling like an open and shut mystery. It also acts as another good reason to lean toward clones as opposed to sisters unless the fire was caused accidentally by Lacy herself. I think the cloning housefire theory is compelling, due to the girls not actually having a relationship with either of these guys explicitly on the family tree. I guess in that case they were actually their potential wives more than actual wives, which would explain why there's no marriage memory as well.

In some ways it's endearing that Juan would do all that, not just for himself but for his buddy as well, especially if it caused his house to burn down and ultimately push him out into a barn. In the end though, I think the whole cloning situation leans more toward weird when you consider the implications. If you have to invent a wife, you probably should just stay single my dude.

Last and unrelated sidenote: Harwood Clay's hair was an unexpected, horrifying surprise lmao.

Just from what you've told me, TS3 Twinbrook world had a lot of interesting characters. I had no idea that TS3 lore was even close in wackiness to TS2 and TS1, but my takeaway here is that we all should be more pissed off that TS4 premades are so dull.