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yamumsyadadd · 16 hours ago

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different

Part of the Marquita universe. Others can be found here:

Marquita, mama and mami, accident

A/N: talks of homophobia, bullying. this was fun to write! If you have any more questions for Marquita or if I should make another universe let me know!

It was hard growing up with parents like Alexia Putellas and Jenni Hermoso. Both were incredibly talented footballers, attractive and smart, add Olga into the mix and it felt like you’d never reach the same level.

Olga went to university, graduated top of her class and then went on to her masters, Alexia got a degree in business, and Jenni in economics. There were a lot of high expectations, in school, in football, in life in general.

To be the daughter of two of spains best players in history, well it was back breaking work. Football was not a sport you enjoyed, at all. You weren’t horrible at it, but you weren’t at the same level as your parents or Tia’s. It was to be expected since you were only twelve. There was time to get better, to showcase your skills. Skills you didn’t have, nor did you really want.

School wasn’t much better. You weren’t horrible but you were a dreamer, the teachers complained you were always off with the fairies but in honesty, you couldn’t care less. Maths was the only subject you cared about, you’d need it if you wanted to study engineering at university.

The kids at school often picked on you for being that way, but you didn’t care that much. It was same with the football team. It was almost like the universe was conspiring against you.

It was mid week, right before Christmas when you finally had enough. Your Mami was away for the UWCL game in Sweden, mama had just gone back to Mexico after spending her break with you. Olga’s work had died down a bit due to the holidays.

Your relationship was still a bit strained since the accident but it was slowly repairing itself.

“How do you do it?” You asked Olga as she closed her laptop for the night.

“Do what?”

“Everything? Work in Madrid, Manuela’s, your relationship with Mami and your friends. It’s a lot to juggle.”

“It is. It’s a bit easier now I’m in the routine but essentially my life is split in two. One half in Madrid, the other, more important half here, in Barcelona.”

“You went to university, spent six years studying to do what? No offence but don’t you want more?”

“In what way?”

“You have a degree in communications, you could be a journalist, a public relations person or I don’t know, in marketing but instead you work in social media?”

“You don’t think I’m doing enough?”

“Why social media Olga? Why not something more interesting, more meaningful?”

“Why do your Mami and mama play football? Why do you? Because you all love it. Sure, I could be doing something else, stuck at a desk for nine hours a day, unhappy and bored. But by doing what I do, I get to travel the world with my clients, get introduced to people I’d never imagined meeting, help people became what they want.”

You nodded your head, content with the answer, then stood up and packed up your homework, heading towards your room but not before turning to Olga, “I don’t love football. Not like Mami and mama. I am not like them and that’s okay.” You gave her a sad smile before turning out.

“Mari-“ Olga started before hearing your door close. She let out a sigh, wondering where she went wrong this time. You had asked a question, slightly rudely, but she had answered. Given appropriate reasoning and yet, you seem sad about it all. It was truly baffling.

Going to school the next day was hard. You were stuck in your head all day, wanting nothing more than to climb into bed and cry alone. But that wouldn’t happen, not when it was this close to Christmas and it seemed that every other day there was a Christmas event to be attended.

When Pedro Diaz continuously threw his rubber at you in Spanish class, you ignored him. When Maria Santiago called you a freak in gym class because you could run the 3km, you ignored her. But when Diego Cruz said your Mami and mama were going to hell, you lost it.

You weren’t dumb, everyone around you had talked about what it was like for them being gay, the good, the bad, the ugly. You heard it all, but the stories were from when they were kids, not from now. Now is supposed to be more welcoming, more accepting, but people like Diego and his parents exist.

Alexia, Jenni and Olga had all received the same phone call. There had been an incident at school and they were needed as soon as possible. Obviously Jenni wasn’t able to make it, but both Olga and Alexia raced there.

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, your Mami had bought two of her younger teammates. She was supposed to take Vicky and Jana home after they got to the training centre but she didn’t have time and they didn’t mind.

Alexia and Olga arrived at the office at the same time. You were sitting there, hair a mess, a soon to be black eye and a bite mark on your arm.

“Mari? What happened?” Alexia crouched down in front of you, hands on your knees. Just as you were about to reply, Diego and his parents walked out of the office. He looked a lot worse than you did. A blood nose that had dripped down onto his shirt, scratch’s around his jaw and neck, not one but two bruising eyes.

“Ms Putellas, Ms Rios, please come in. Y/n, wait out here.”

The tension in the office was palpable. Alexia was fuming, Olga was slightly confused but also mad, Diego’s parents look like they were ready to fight themselves.

“There was an incident during afternoon break between your daughter and another student, Diego.”

“An incident? That’s what you’re calling this? She’s sitting out there with a black eye, and a bite mark on her!” Alexia blew up.

“Ale.” Olga put her hand on alexia’s forearm, trying to calm her down.

“Diego was the instigator, however, your daughter threw him up against a locker, punching him repeatedly until she was pulled off him by two teachers.” The principal let it sink in for a moment before he continued on, “I am aware of a few issues that y/n has been facing, the bullying that other-“

“I’m sorry, bullying? You’re telling me my daughter, our daughter, has been getting bullied here and you haven’t been bothered to call one of us? That’s ridiculous!” Alexia said.

“We were told by y/n that she had spoken to you. We have sent letters home, tried to call you and Jennifer. I must tell you, school isn’t the only place she’s been getting bullied. Y/n told the guidance councillor that at football she gets bullied too.“

When the words registered in Alexia’s head, she felt like she failed. Failed you as a mother, a person. You were getting bullied at school and football and she didn’t notice.

“Where do we go from here?” Olga spoke up, noticing the battle her girlfriend was currently going through.

“The school has a zero tolerance for violence, while Diego has been bullying her, and he will be dealt with, y/n was also apart of this fight so unfortunately I have no choice but to suspend her for the rest of the week.”

“A suspension! No that’s not fair on her!”

“I’m sorry. My hands are tied. I suggest you take her home, and have a conversation with her. We can’t do much more than what we are already doing. If you get anymore names, or it’s via social media, we can take further action but for now this is the only option.”

When Alexia walked straight out of the office without saying anything to you, you knew you were in trouble. Olga gave you a sympathetic smile before motioning for you to get up.

The car ride home was quiet. Your Mami hadn’t arrived back yet since she had to drop the girls off.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“Not really.”

“Your Mami is going to ask, probably in a not nice way.”

“She’ll be mad. Mad that I didn’t tell her, that I’m not strong like her.”

“Mari, you’re strong. You’re so strong!”

“No im not! Otherwise this wouldn’t have happened! I’m not like them, like you!” You yelled. Trying to get her to understand. “Mami and mama are world class athletes, you’re smart and pretty but I’m- I’m just me.”

“You’re smart, you’re pretty. Sure they are world class athletes but it took them a while to get there, it doesn’t happen over night. You need to train-“

“I don’t want to train! I don’t want to play. I do it because of them Olga. Because of who they are. Everybody tells me how different I am, how I won’t be as good or amount to them. I just want to be enough!”

Olga pulled you into a hug, holding you tightly as you cried into her. Alexia could be obvious to some things, and this was clearly one of those things.

After a while she coaxed you out of the hug, putting her hands on your cheeks and wiping away the tears, “can you tell me what he said to you? I know you, and I know you wouldn’t just hit someone for no reason.”

“Him and his friends say stuff all the time. I don’t usually respond, and today I didn’t. I guess it just made him angrier. He said.” You took a deep breath, knowing that it would hurt Olga’s feelings as much as it hurt yours, “he said you, Mami and mama were going to hell because you were filthy lesbians, he said something else and so did all his friends. I ignored him and when I went past he pulled my ponytail. I just lost it.”

You heard Olga have a sharp inhale of breath and then pull you towards the couch. For a while you both just sat there, Oga never letting up on the hold she had. When the front door sounded from Alexia getting home, Olga pulled you up and told you to go shower, needing to have a conversation with alexia.

“Amor? Mari? I’m back.” Alexia kicked her shoes off, throwing her keys into the bowl. She knew a conversation was needed but to be honest, she didn’t have the energy.

“Ale.” Olga all but threw herself into her girlfriend’s arms.

“Woah, what happened?”

“They say horrible things to her ale and she doesn’t even do anything.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She told me all about it. Everything they say at football, at school, everything.”

Alexia pulled Olga through to her room, wanting to know everything that was said. It took a while for alexia to understand why Olga was upset but once she did, she was equally upset.

You had showered, thrown your clothes in the hamper and unpacked your bag. You looked towards your mami and Olga’s room for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour. You knew what you did was wrong, incredibly wrong but after spending the last year being constantly picked on, it got to you.

It was dark by the time they emerged from their room. Both in different clothes and with damp hair.

“I’m going to order dinner.” Olga said as she headed toward the kitchen.

“Marquita, I need to talk to you.” You nodded, tucking your legs into your chest, scared about the outcome of what is to come. “Olga told me what you said. Do you have anything to add?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re sorry?”

“Yeah I’m sorry. I thought, I thought I could handle it, that I was strong enough like you and mama but when he pulled my hair I just got so angry. They always say things about you and mama but this time they were talking about Olga too.”

“Olga also said you didn’t like football, why don’t you tell me? Or mama? We wouldn’t have forced you to play.”

“Because you’re the Alexia Putellas. Imagine what people would say and think if I didn’t play.”

“I don’t care about what people think or say, what I care about is your happiness, you aren’t happy at school or at football. I’ve spoken to your mama, we will change your school and remove you from football.”

“Are you mad at me?”

“No! I’m sad for you, I’m sad you didn’t tell me what was going on, I’m mad at those boys and their parents, and at the principal.”

“I was embarrassed. You and mama are able to ignore everything negative people say and I thought I could do the same.”

“But we can’t.” You gave her a confused look, “since the World Cup, mama has been getting extra mean comments and messages on social media, I have too but not to the same extent. It affects her, it affects me, Olga gets them too. The way we get through it is because we know they are wrong. If two girls want to love each then they can, if two boys want to they can, a boy and a girl? They can. If Jenni and I want to have a family, we can and we did. If Olga and I want too, we can. No one is allowed to tell you or anyone else who they can and can’t love.”

“You and Olga are going to have a baby?”

“That’s all you got out of that?” Alexia laughed, “maybe, do you want a baby brother or sister?”

You launched yourself at your mami, “yes! Both! Twins!”

You were grateful for Olga, the act of telling you mami what had happened seemed like a ginormous task, she made it easier. The more you thought about it, Olga made a lot of things easier. When she was home things ran smoothly, but when she was gone it was like a missing puzzle piece.

As the night drew to a close, you had to call your mama in Mexico. Mami had already told her everything that had happened, so when you two spoke over FaceTime she promised she also wasn’t mad, when the next school holidays were on, you’d fly to Mexico and spend the week with her.

Over the course of the winter break, you and Olga were able to spend more time together. She shared her life story, including the times as a rowdy teenager. She took you shopping for your new school uniform and even bought your first set of makeup.

While you were sad to be leaving the friends you had made, you were glad to be in a new school, a school where you would hopefully be okay.

#woso fanfics #fcb femení #woso imagine #woso x reader #alexia x reader #woso community #jenni hermoso #alexia putellas x jenni hermoso #alexia putellas #alexia putellas x reader #alexia putellas imagine #jenni hermoso x alexia putellas #jenni hermoso x reader #alexia putellas fanfic #alexia putellas x olga rios

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cheshiresaf · 1 day ago

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Kai Monteago and Damon Maitsu being more similar than most think is genuinely so... There's no way he's not going to end up as Damon's support now.

I genuinely thought Kai would be a naive extrovert who would talk to anybody, but in chapter 1 he's the complete opposite of that. He's extremely cautious and aware of the dangers of simply existing in the killing game that they're all in.

He stays in/near his room most of the time, only going out when necessary. When he loses his ring under the fridge in one of his FTEs, he asks a few people for help but doesnt ultimately try to persuade them because he knows that no matter how much that ring means to him (a lot), his survival and safety is more important and he ends up returning to his room.

But once hes there and he sees Damon, he allows himself to show his vulnerability and be on the damn near verge of tears, pleading for his help. He trusts Damon, of all people, more so than I can say he does with the rest. He allows them both to sleep in his room, and even his bed. He knows Damon won't do anything to him. And during the blackout, he immediately turned to Damon so they could pair up. Oh princess how I hate you.

And Damon on the other hand is just as distrustful of the rest, shown by his only ally having been Eva. The only difference between him and Kai is that Kai presents himself as more sociable, whereas Damon is far more reserved.

They're also both extremely lonely. Damon didn't have the time to make many friends as a child. Even his debate partners were mere acquaintances to him, because he was so focused on studying debate to make money for his family. Kai, on the other hand, lost all of his friends when he became an Influencer.

Kai believes his current 'fans' are his friends, because they're all he has left. They support him no matter the controversies he's been in, and he believes that's their way of expressing their care for him. But, in reality, it's a parasocial relationship. After all, he's just another influencer to them, and he never bothers and even dislikes receiving private messages.

Damon with his superiority complex, and Kai with his inferiority. Their views on the world are warped to appease their own egos and conscience, and I don't know if they're doomed because of it or not

TLDR: Kai and Damon share similar struggles and Kai is going to be one of the only people that Damon will first grow to 'depend' on

#project eden's garden #project edens garden #kai monteago #damon maitsu #danganronpa fangan #fanganronpa

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katerinaaqu · 2 days ago

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Hello, I have a question. I am not far in my Odyssey reading and I was wondering about the suitors.

In Epic (yes, you hate it I know, but it's my ref for now) the suitors want to SA Penelope, it is explicitly said. I was wondering if in the OG story, the suitors also wanted to harm her in that way or if they didn't have such intentions.

Hate is a strong word but if there is something that I hate is this whole obsession with people treating mythology of my culture as clean slate and free game to do whatever with and spreading so much misinformation about it or have the obsession to change it to THAT degree in the first place. The musical I think it got straight out disrespectful and ridiculous to the original material plot-wise but I do recognize the passion of the people working on it and I appreciate people who regardless of their like or dislike for it that they are curious to find out on the original Odyssey and they do not consider this musical as some sort of equivalent to the original or substitute to it. My disagreement and dislike for it as well as my annoyance that it takes over social media is strictly my business and mind and has nothing to do with fans of course. I also am against fan mentality for greek mythology because mythology is a rich cultural background and important thing to Greek culture and not another fandom like Harry Potter or lord of the Rings or anything. But of course there is nothing I can do about this mentality either

Anyways I am glad you wanna ask on it.

No that was never said in the Odyssey. That seems like yet another piece of random bullocks for the musical to make the suitors even more "evil" and dislikable. However the suitors DID want to force Penelope to choose one of them as her husband so they obviously wanted to force her to marry. They abused the custom of Xenia or hospitality to stay in the palace for 3 to 4 years while eating and drinking everything and doing basically a psychological war to Penelope, harassing Telemachus with their words or insulting him and they would generally be rude or even abusive to slaves and servants that were loyal to Odysseus. They also lay with the several slave girls at the palace that apparel entered the relationship to gain something while others like Penelope's protégé, a girl named Melantho that Penelope raised from infantry like her own daughter, was apparently in love with one of the suitors. The slave girls betrayed Penelope's secret to the suitors (that she was pretending to make the future funeral shroud for Laertes and at night she was destroying it and starting again in the morning, thus keeping the suitors at bay for 3 years only to be discovered at the 4th).

The suitors definitely wanted to force Penelope to get married and they seemed ready to commit even the murder of Odysseus IF he were to come back (of course that seemed more like boasting than anything else since they were almost certain beyond doubt that Odysseus was dead). Later when Telemachus gained courage by Athena to travel and search information on his father (the part of Odyssey called "Telemachy") they got worried and conspired to murder him and set an ambush for him.

All in all the suitors did many things that are downright criminal such as the conspiracy for murder of Telegony and abusing the law of Xenia. They undoubtedly wanted to force Penelope to marry one of them and they were furious at her trick but no it was never stated in the Odyssey that they would...barge into her room and have their way with her. If they wanted to they would have done it from day one. Penelope was a powerful queen and they were all fascinated by her (when she comes out of her room everyone turns to look at her). So yeah basically their main goal was to force her to marry one of them and they planned Telemachus's murder only when he started gaining confidence and they got worried he might take over the throne himself soon. Also most of them were around the same age group as Telemachus (about a decade or so older perhaps) which increased their worry on what if Telemachus took over.

#katerinaaqu answers #the odyssey #the suitors

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aakaneeee · 14 hours ago

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well people. . It's time, aka Akane's monthly revival because there's Luka content. And gosh do I have a lot to say about this. Except.. I'm not going to market these as theories, but as predictions. I think as an og fan I've seen enough to be this confident in my abilities LOL

Quickly, I'd like to address the lyrics and the title, because I will reference it later and I don't want to have to explain mid-prediction.

Wiege has two meanings, and both are so fitting:

1. Cradle. It feels.. perfect, for me. It makes so much sense. Luka was a cold child.. but I'd like to say only physically. I feel like he genuinely warmed up towards Hyuna and Hyunwoo as a child. And I'm going to bring an idea that might get me a bit of backlash but.. I've gotten worse, and that is, that Hyuna is at fault for Luka's approach on his feelings. (Audience boos) From the little we know about Hyunwoo, I feel like Hyuna treated both him and Luka.. at least a little bit similarly. Or at least, Luka couldn't discern a difference, if there was any. Luka is a tube baby, he probably doesn't know (and I am not babying him here, I'd like to add!) what "siblings" he has. For him, affection might just be all and the same. Yes, it wasn't Hyuna's responsibility to teach him, but I feel like a hint was there "Your life is mine", and she could've explained, in a way. But, back to our discussion, Hyuna was Luka's cradle. She burns as bright as the sun, while he's colder. But most importantly, she was his only true friend (Considering I don't think his relationship with Hyunwoo was extremely close, even though they were 'friends'), someone he thought truly cared about him. Hyuna was Luka's cradle, holding him close, comfortable... until at one point, he outgrows that cradle (Hyunwoo's death).

And the second meaning, beginning. In the picture we got, Luka is centered, he's in the middle.. but he's so small, and overshadowed by the tree. Luka is the best performer of the ANAKT, always first, but has no friends. But perhaps, he was better that way. Then, Hyuna comes, and it's a new beginning. He's finally not alone. What I've noticed in the new banner, Luka is missing, but across the tree trunk, in his place, is a taller shadow. Perhaps, a shadow of who Luka was, hopefully still left in there. Or, the other way around, it symbolizes his real self being left there.

And the lyrics:

When I close my eyes,

Play in paradise.

These, to me, remind me of the interview where Luka said his favorite game was hide and seek. In a way, his whole ANAKT life was a game of hide and seek: hiding all the time, but no one trying to seek him. Until Hyuna did, and found him. Something that intrigues me is the "paradise", which to me sounds like what Mizi once said: Dying in competition means returning to the Great Anakt, which I suppose is to them like Heaven.. or Paradise. This will be important later, so remember it.

And now, my predictions for the HyuLuka episode

! First of all, I think the song will be lullaby-like. When I first saw this teaser, with the lyrics, as weird as it sounds, it reminded me of Richard's song in The Hero in TAWOG, a song that always gets me to cry for some reason, and I've been really stuck on that . It would be interesting, because it would fit Luka's voice (as does everything else), but probably not Hyuna's, even though 6FU; would eat it.. which to me, sounds like their "love", where Luka loves her, but it isn't returned. I'd love to see more German in it than just in the title. And considering the nostalgic, pastel, very cutesy artstyle (that reminds me of the memory part from Jordan River animation!), it seems very viable. But the art style is also noisy, which gives an unsettling vibe. It feels like a 2020's dreamcore wallpaper.

I might be crazy, but the hand holding the flower (with only 3 stamens, like the 3 friends) looks dark-skinned, like it would be Hyuna's or Hyunwoo's, but I doubt it would be his, considering it's the account's profile picture. If this is some kind of reference to.. perhaps, an unrequited Hyuluka but the other way around, with Hyuna still not over Luka.. probably won't happen, but God, would that be awesome.

So, how do I think the round will go?

First of all, I have to say, I'm not sure if this will be a round or a Mizisua type episode.😭 I'd say "oh the wait time is way too small" but also... do you guys remember the production announcement of Round 7? Yeah. You can never be sure.

This isn't necessarily a prediction, but more of a suggestion of what could be: It would be SO cool if it would be both.. in a way, merged. This idea just appeared in my mind and I was like OH. MY. GOD. Imagine if almost the whole thing was just them, as children, having fun, a whole backstory.. but then, when Hyunwoo dies, it pans on his face, and then it's back on stage, the loser's face instead of his. It would be so heartwarming, and then DEEPLY DISTURBING and traumatizing. I also really want some Luka and Heperu backstory so I can hate Heperu even more.

On the topic of the loser... It's going to be Luka. I'm an insane Luka lover and it was hard to get accommodated to this idea, but there is no way that he will survive. First of all, the shadow in the account's banner, in place of Luka. It's implications... are quite obvious. Second, the pattern of characters shown in Sweet Dream, and he is next. Third: "In my arms, you would be protected." I feel like Luka would consider the competition "In his arms". I don't think he would break his promise: hear me out for a second. He wouldn't let Hyuna die this way, because I feel like his sense of possession over her also comes with responsibility and protectiveness. And fourth, the Paradise lyric, to me, is a foreshadowing of his death.

I also think he will die by self sacrifice. First of all, there's no way Hyuna could defeat Luka by pure odds. Yes, her stats are better, but lets be honest, her mental power would NOT be as good infront of Luka, and also, the aliens wouldn't vote her. She's a rebel, wanted for so much time, with technically no guardian: they wouldn't want her to defeat their prince, probably. And second, I have made two categories:

The "perfects": Sua, Ivan, Luka

The "rebels": Mizi, Till, Hyuna

See something similar? Both the perfects that are dead, have died by self-sacrifice. The only other dead character, Till, has been shot while reaching for his freedom, so you can't say this is for all characters. And let's be honest.. Patterns are usually being followed in this series. Id also like to add, even though it's a reach, that in a tier of how 'perfect' they are, it'd be:

1. Luka

2. Sua - not so obvious self sacrifice

3. Ivan - obvious self sacrifice

So, I'd say that Luka's might be even more backstage, as if to sabotage himself in a way that seems viable. It also kind of goes in line with his character, he's not one to break facade on stage.

I think this episode will be quite a deep-dive into their true selves. We know the least about them, so this will be GREAT. I'd love to see a more morally gray Hyuna in this. (Since I'm genuinely kind of tired of only Luka being villainized in the ship, which honestly.. is kind of in line with the other perfects. Let's let Mizi, Till and Hyuna be little freaks too) I also want to see atleast a little bit of Hyunwoo, like a little snippet of his mind, what he saw in Luka.

In conclusion, I'm SO happy and hyped about this HyuLuka episode, they're so mysterious and I really really want to see more of L- I mean, more of them. Getting 2 episodes where Luka is present one after another is literally THE dream to me. Basically, Wiege is killing me and I'm gladly letting it.

@4listr Since you asked to be tagged and also, @rockwgooglyeyes I REALLY want your opinion on this

#alien stage #alnst #vivinos #alien stage Luka #alnst Luka #Luka alien stage #Luka alnst #alnst hyuna #hyuna alnst #alien stage hyuna #hyuna alien stage #hyuluka #hyunaluka #wiege alien stage #vivinos alien stage #hyunwoo alnst #theory #alnst theory #but this is just a theory.. a GAME theory

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librivore42 · 2 days ago

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Sunrise, sunset

@dekariosclan's incredibly creative Midwinter gifts from Gale sparked an idea with my Tav and Gale that... barely features the book in the relevant gift. The muse wants what it wants!

But I dedicate this to you, for all the wonderful Galemancer content and inspiration. May you have a lovely 2025!

Full text is here on Ao3, but also under the readmore.

Sunrise, sunset (1631 words) by Librivore42 Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Baldur's Gate (Video Games) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Gale/Tav (Baldur's Gate) Characters: Gale Dekarios, Original Female Character(s) Additional Tags: Hopeless Romantic Gale (Baldur's Gate), I'm telling you, this man would move the world for you Summary: Moving back to Waterdeep is an absolute joy for Gale, and he's only too happy to settle back in. His barbarian wife is less comfortable with city life, but he has just the idea to cheer up her winter blues.

~~~~~~

Gale's home fit around him again as if it had been aching for him to come back, the most comforting embrace. The sound of Tara's overjoyed voice, not to mention is brand new lease on life, had made the entire space glow with a warmer light than he'd seen a year.

And so much more than her voice and his life, someone to share all those things with and more. As if sensing his thoughts, strong arms wrapped around his waist, a comforting warmth at his back as Celia leaned her chin on top of his head. Watching him sort through his desk, tutting and shifting papers from one pile to another that all looked the same to her, which he seemed to do regularly with no change or development, until she was tempted to ask if he was just making up work to look busy and important.

He could be as busy and important as he liked as long as she got to hold him. She was already losing interest in whatever he was doing, looking out the window at the sky and marvelling at the delicacy of the clouds as they hung, fragile, in the Waterdeep sky around a setting sun.

By and by he landed on a familiar book under the papers, letting out a soft chuckle of recognition that drew her attention back to him.

The Art of the Night. The gold of the very… evocative cover illustration glinted in the now setting sun.

"You made this whole illusion of your tower back then," she said. "Magical invitation to your place, and the first thing you did was pull out a book."

He tilted his head back to squint at her in mock-annoyance, lifting up the book to tap it with the back of his hand. "It was meant to be seductive and sweep you off your feet, you absolute barbarian."

She buried her laughter in his hair, his entire body shaking with her joy.

"Only you'd ask a woman to bed using a book."

"Hm." He smiled, leaning back into her embrace. "What's more embarrassing? The fact that I did, or the fact that it worked?"

She laughed even louder at that, the walls ringing with merriment and life that it had been hungry for. That he'd been hungry for, back when the orb's hunger overtook everything. "Fine, fine. Soft city boy."

He would have bristled at that once upon a time, too engrossed in his own offence to notice how her eyes shone with amusement at his reaction. Pulling himself up to his full height to argue that he was not soft by any means, and citing evidence of their past battles as she just grinned down at him.

In fact, he'd been too wrapped up in himself to notice a lot of things. Glances he missed, casual touches that he never pulled away from but never truly registered, filing it away as something she did with everyone. Which she did, if very differently, had he even given it a modicum of thought.

But he couldn't be blamed for misinterpreting a barbarian's subtlety, if such a thing even existed. He might have been more aware had it been anyone else, but she was so loud, brash and blunt that he thought he'd have seen her coming a mile away.

"It's definitely one of my favourite books." Celia tightened her arms around him and nuzzled the top of his head with a gentleness that did not come easily to her. She inhaled, filling herself with his smell, his warmth.

She wasn't fond of reading herself, and didn't appreciate the finer points of a good leather binding the way he did. But she did love stories, and he loved to feel the weight of her head on his lap as he read to her from his collection. Loved to listen to her as she told the oral tales from her childhood, tribal stories she still remembered by heart, no matter how long she'd been away.

He turned his face towards one of her encircling arms and kissed a soft trail up her freckles like he was mapping a new constellation. "I've been thinking of us taking a trip, before the snows set in."

"Mhm?" She almost purred in contentment, wrapping him up more securely.

"I thought, perhaps—" he pulled away and drummed his fingers on the cover, looking out of the window at the gorgeous sunset painting the stones of the city. By the Gods did he love his home, his comfort and all things familiar that he never thought he'd see again.

But he loved her as well, very dearly, and a lot of it was still alien to her, settling uncomfortably on her shoulders no matter how patiently she bore the weight.

It had certainly taken him a while to realise that loud, brash and blunt people could be very quiet about some things, and nobody would ever notice. After all, if they had something to say, they would, wouldn't they?

Then again, he more than anyone should have known how easy it was to keep a secret when you hid it behind some showy confidence.

She'd been right that first week. For such a smart wizard, he could be very stupid.

"I thought that perhaps," he went on slowly, "you might like to visit your tribe."

Silence filled the air, cautious and surprised, and he winced, carrying on.

"And I must admit I've been rather curious about those big tribal feasts you've told me about. The storytelling by firelight. And… and I'm aware it's been some time since you've been home."

More silence. He set the book down and held her arms warmly, tilting back to look at her again and forging on.

"Years in fact. But that's all over, isn't it? There's no reason we can't. And—" he faltered as she hid her face in his hair again so he couldn't see her at all. She never hid from anything.

"My love." Gale spoke very, very gently, handling her with such care that belied all expectations of her size and strength. Gentleness that she would never admit to needing. "I know you miss being out in the wilds. Tents and piles of furs and hunting. And I want to give you some of that again. But more than that I know that you… miss your people. Your family."

He let the silence settle this time, giving her room to breathe, to think.

The voice that responded was so very small, it made his heart clench. "I don't know if they miss me."

"Love…"

She tightened her arms around him so much it hurt, but he'd gladly take the pain without a word. "If they push me away, my heart is going to break."

Squeezing her hands, he took hold of them and stepped towards the couch, settling her so he could see her face, with nowhere to hide from him. He took her face in his hands, feeling another twist in his heart at her beautiful, bright, fierce green eyes clouded by desperately unshed tears.

"Oh love. I'm sorry."

"No. No, you…" She held his hands tightly, trying to express with touch what she was struggling to convey in words. "You didn't do anything wrong. Thank you. I'm just a coward—"

"Now, I won't have you slander my wife like that."

She gave a wet sort of chuckle, leaning further into his touch as she shut her eyes tightly and just breathed.

"Fine. But I'm still afraid and I shouldn't be. It's been so long."

"You've never really had to seriously consider the idea of going back," he said, still gentle as he ran a thumb over her cheek. "By that metric it's been no time at all."

A hum, hard to read as convinced or otherwise, but she seemed steadier as she gave that some thought. He let the silence build again, seeing the need for it as she tried to get her thoughts in order. Trying to will the right words into existence.

The sun set softly into the sea, making room for the night as he pulled her close and just sat with her silence and warmth. He was happy to wait.

"If you come with me," she finally said, slow and careful as if feeling out unfamiliar ground, "you'll miss your warmth and soft cushions within a day."

He smiled as she opened her eyes a little to peek at him, gauging his reaction.

"I won't break from a little rough living." His voice was warm, a clear refusal to even consider the option of being left behind for his own comfort. "Besides, knowing you, you won't let me lift a finger."

"Because we'd starve otherwise."

A soft breath of amusement. "Admittedly I'm not much of a hunter, but I could certainly menace a vegetable if I was suitably armed."

She laughed, dashing away a tear as she turned her face enough to kiss his palm.

"You can be all warm and comfortable in the finest furs I can find, while I go catch us a deer."

"That sounds like adequate enough comfort for me."

"And you won't—"

He pulled her in for a kiss, feeling her melt into him, into his love and absolute certainty as he stole the rest of her questions and her breath.

Breaking apart, he leaned his forehead against hers with a sigh of contentment.

"I might grouse a little, yes. But I won't change my mind halfway or breathe a word about going back. I think by now you're well acquainted with how stubborn I can be."

Gods, the shine of pure joy and love in her eyes could put even a Waterdhavian sunset to shame.

"Together, then?"

"I wouldn't have anything else."

#baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #female tav #barbarian tav #Gale x Tav #galemancer #my writing #ao3

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flopsxii · 24 hours ago

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tokyo revengers boys with their crush (aka you!) <3

feat. sano ‘mikey’ manjiro, ryuguji ‘draken’ ken, hanagaki takemichi, baji keisuke, matsuno chifuyu, hanemiya kazutora, mitsuya takashi, inui seishu && kokonoi hajime

notes: first time writing for so many characters and some for the first time :0 i hope it isn’t ass!!! sorry if some characters i haven’t written for before are ooc and inaccurate! ALSO I HATE SQUID GAME BUT TRANS BADDIE.

— i will release a part two soon :)

sano ‘mikey’ manjiro

ꪆৎ i think mikey would be somewhat upfront with you about his crush. of course, he wouldn’t outright confess until he knew you shared the same sentiment. however, he’d make it fairly obvious that he thought highly of you and how he loves spending time with you over anyone else.

ꪆৎ he’d definitely ‘kidnap’ you from classes, begging you to leave because it’s an “emergency”, but really he just wanted to spend time with you. you’d scold him after, reminding him about the importance of school, but he’d just stand there with a love struck smile on his face. it didn’t matter wether you were lecturing him or ignoring him, being in your presence was enough to bring him happiness.

ꪆৎ his crush is blankly obvious to all of toman and probably other gangs in the near vicinity. no one dared to talk to you in a negative way, a bonus of having mike’s affections. and suddenly, if anyone was mean to you, it didn’t happen anymore… sometimes you wondered why but mikey would shush you immediately. “maybe they just realised that bringing down such an amazing person was a reflection of themselves, y/n-chan!”

ꪆৎ would love it when you accompany him on foodie ‘dates’, rides on his motorbike and even accompanying him to toman’s meetings. it genuinely shocked everyone when mikey would interrupt himself to stick his tongue out at you just to make you giggle. truly toman’s royalty!

ꪆৎ also would most likely pitch up at your house at random points of the day. even as ‘friends’, he’d want to nap together and just hang out alone where he wouldn’t have to maintain his reputation as the ‘invincible mikey’. with you, he could just be manjiro.

ꪆৎ in terms of confession, i think mikey would let it slip out when he’s most vulnerable. either when he’s super sleepy or just generally having a rough time. small whispers of how much he appreciates you and likes you would fall from his lips. once he realised what he had done, it was most likely too late to take it back. he just hoped you shared the same feelings.

ryuguji ‘draken’ ken

ꪆৎ unlike his best friend and captain, draken would keep his feelings to himself and it probably would stay that way for a while. it’s not because he doesn’t wanna be with you, in fact, it’s the opposite! he’d most likely think that a relationship with him would come hand in hand with people jeopardising your safety. so more likely than most, he’d stick to being your friend (a very close friend) until he knew you’d be safe.

ꪆৎ probably would trail behind you whilst you’d go shopping, a unreadable expression on his face but instead, his mind was overwhelmed by the thought of you! how adorable you looked as you pointed out cute things, making a mental note of items to buy you for your birthday.

ꪆৎ definitely would be the first one at your door if you came down with any sickness. even if it was a common cold! he’d remind you that sickness could get worse if left untreated and you should ‘stop denying him and just accept his help.’

ꪆৎ he’s immensely protective over you, even if he doesn’t necessarily need to be. other toman members would try and remind draken that he doesn’t need to be worried over your safety, after all the whole of toman would take care of you!

ꪆৎ i also feel like draken would be the type to pick you up and drop you off before and after school. even if the walk was 10 minutes and under, he’d remind you it could be dangerous alone! it’s purely just an excuse to spend more time with you even if he does act like it’s a chore.

ꪆৎ would probably confess to you if there’s imminent danger towards you or it would slip out without him realising. he’d definitely have to take a couple moments to compose himself if it was the latter, a furious blush erupting over his cheeks causing you to giggle.

hanagaki takemichi

ꪆৎ he’s so so shy around you! however, no matter how much he makes a fool of himself in front of you, he just can’t stay away. it’s like he’s in a constant state of fluster whenever he’s in your presence.

ꪆৎ definitely walks you to and from school, holding your hand if you initiate it first. he would probably also try carry your school books for you, even if you remind him that your arms work just fine. he just wants to help you in anyway he can!

ꪆৎ would also 100% feel awful when he sees the sad expression on your face whenever he turns up with new bruises and cuts covering his face. his heart would break when you graze your fingers over the wounds, asking a meek “do they hurt, michi-kun?”

ꪆৎ also the type to try show off to you whenever he can but fail miserably. although, if he sees that amazing smile, the humiliation he feels is always worth it! even if he ends up hurting himself, he won’t mind if you make sure he’s okay after. maybe a hug wouldn’t hurt also…

ꪆৎ speaking of hugs, he’d probably malfunction the first time that your arms wrap around him. even if you were doing it out of worry for his wellbeing, he cherishes the moment for the rest of his life.

ꪆৎ he doesn’t confess… it’s actually you who tells him how you feel. it’s a heartfelt conversation you two share after you see the boy beaten to a bloody pulp so that his friends would be alright. his loyalty and tenacity being one of the few reasons why you adore him so much!

baji keisuke

ꪆৎ honestly, he’s the definition of whipped. even chifuyu is surprised when he sees how baji acts in your presence. it’s so impossibly clear how much baji likes you to anyone else in the room, except you!

ꪆৎ he’d probably start fancying you if you helped with his studies and actually persevered with him despite how difficult he tried to make it. initially, he’d deny your help, grumpily saying he can handle it and to leave him alone. however, when you sit across from him and start reading through your notes and helping him correct his wrong answers, he’s floored. any other person would’ve left after his shitty response but you stayed.

ꪆৎ would act like your best friend but to anyone else, they view you as baji’s partner (albeit unofficially). is fiercely protective over you and if anyone makes you upset (even a little bit) are met with baji’s anger and very soon after, his fists. of course, you lecture him for jumping into action without consulting you but the fact he cares so much makes your heart beat impossibly faster.

ꪆৎ would definitely invite you over to his house to hang out, just so he could have some time alone with you. even if it’s just you reading and him silently laying beside you, it’s almost heaven to baji. if it was heaven, you’d be spilling your undying love for him but he thinks he wouldn’t be so lucky.

ꪆৎ would also end up sometimes bringing you to toman meetings if he absolutely has no other choice. but you’d stick by his side the whole time and if he’s not available for some reason, chifuyu is there to stand in!

ꪆৎ much like takemichi, you’d have to confess to baji first or you’d be playing cat and mouse with him for the rest of eternity. even his mum knows how he feels but he’ll deny every accusation. however, she’s just happy her hot headed son has someone he cares about and she’s so happy it’s you!

matsuno chifuyu

ꪆৎ chifuyu is definitely the type to crush on his best friend! someone he shares such a deep bond with and trusts on an immensely deep level. i doubt he’d fancy someone he knows on a surface level, he doesn’t know them well enough. however, he knows you inside and out, it never feels awkward around you (despite the constant blush on his cheeks that he hides everytime).

ꪆৎ he’s definitely protective over you, along side baji who will take care of you if chifuyu isn’t around. if he sees anyone hassling you, he’s the first to jump in and defend your honour!

ꪆৎ he always invites you round to his house just to see you cuddle peke j. furthermore, he’ll take you to the zoo, aquariums or just pet shops to hang out since you both share the same sentiment towards animals. it’s one of the reasons he’s fallen so hard for you.

ꪆৎ his mum adores your ‘friendship’ with her son, she’s never seen him so happy (in a romantic way!). she will buy food specially for you to share and even sometimes drop devious hints in your ears about her sons feelings; you don’t take it seriously at first.

ꪆৎ he probably doesn’t initiate physical contact with you too much, it makes his brain overload. but, the option is there… he will without a doubt wrap you in a bear hug; savouring the feeling for as long as possible.

ꪆৎ chifuyu is definitely the type to try reenact scenes from his favourite mangas then make a complete fool of himself. however, he doesn’t know that you appreciate him trying nonetheless, no matter how silly he looks doing so.

ꪆৎ following his shoujo manga’s ideology, he’d confess in a subtle but heartfelt way. i think either using peke j as a messenger, a small note tucked into his little collar. or he’d tell you up front and be as sincere with his words as his silly brain would allow.

hanemiya kazutora

ꪆৎ it’s likely that no one knows that kazutora has a crush on anyone, most of all you. i think he wouldn’t interact with you that much in public, instead opting to spend time with you in private when he could truly be himself.

ꪆৎ the amount of times kazutora has to cover his raging blush on his cheeks each time you hang out is insane! he never knew that compliments he hears on the daily about his appearance could make his heart beat so fast, until they came out of your mouth.

ꪆৎ he definitely visits you if you have a job, sneaking in and surprising you with a huge smile on his face! he’s also the type to stay until your shift ends and make sure you get home safely, wether you ride on his motorcycle or not.

ꪆৎ he may also sometimes slip you unexpected gifts, only small ones though that have sentimental value. maybe it’s cinema tickets from the time you dragged him out after his release from juvie.

ꪆৎ he doesn’t want you involved with any gang activity so it’s quite unlikely that you find out he’s still involved with that stuff. however, he would tell you flat out if you heard any rumours about him and would reassure you that he’d keep you seperate.

ꪆৎ it’s unlikely he’d confess, liking things how they are, no matter how much he wishes your relationship could progress. either he’s worried you’d see him as a monster, due to things he did in the past and in the present or he just wouldn’t know how to say it so it’s better left unsaid anyways. it would have to be you to lay your feelings out for him to see and decide what to do next.

mitsuya takashi

ꪆৎ i think mitsuya would be one of the most upfront about his feelings on this list without saying it directly. toman can clearly see the sentiment he shares for you, even girls in his class and sewing club know that he’s essentially spoken for!

ꪆৎ he loves inviting you along to his days out with his sisters. not only because he loves spending time with you but also because the two girls adore you as much as he does! one of his favourite photographs is the four of you on one of your days out, a scarf he made wrapped around your neck.

ꪆৎ speaking of clothes he’s made; mitsuya definitely surprises you with new pieces every so often. even if you’d try refuse, telling him he should try sell them as they’re just that good, he’d remind you that he’d much rather see them on you and wants no payment in return (no matter how much you insist).

ꪆৎ gentleman mitsuya always gives you a ride no matter where you need to go! even if you mention in passing that you’re going shopping in the coming days, he will insist that he’s your ride! after all, he can’t stand by whilst you lug heavy bags home.

ꪆৎ once mitsuya is certain about your feelings reflecting his, he’d be direct with his words. “i have feelings for you, y/n-chan.” a simple statement that gets the biggest weight off his chest. he can only hope you accept his confession…

inui seishu

ꪆৎ you’re most likely a childhood friend to seishu, i find it unlikely he’d fancy a classmate or a passing stranger. perhaps, a childhood friends sibling? that way, he’s able to determine wether you actually like him for who he is.

ꪆৎ alongside kokonoi, he trusts you immensely. i highly doubt he’s able to form romantic feelings for anyone without the formation of trust. you’re his confident and he’s yours, and it has always been that way. at this point, seishu is unable to see himself confiding with anyone else the way he does with you.

ꪆৎ when he first started gaining feelings for you, i think he probably would give you the cold shoulder, not understanding how he feels. but, he’ll make things right with you once his minds less foggy!

ꪆৎ if you don’t exactly share the same interests, such as how he’s very interested in motorbikes and mechanics, he will try very hard to get into your hobbies so you can spend more time together. however, it means an immense amount to him that you’ll sit there and let him ramble about his favourite bike that shinichiro worked on, even if it was so long ago.

ꪆৎ he would probably confess when everything has settled down in his life. that includes his involvement with gang activity. he would hate to put someone so close to his heart in jeopardy. however, if you can’t wait, you could always confess yourself…

kokonoi hajime

ꪆৎ it would take him a long, long time to actually acknowledge his feelings for you. he would probably feel like moving on was a betrayal to akane but there came a point where he couldn’t ignore those feelings anymore.

ꪆৎ he would treat you amazingly, even if he’s battling with the thoughts inside his head about you and akane. he’d offer you money if you needed it (you will most likely hand it straight back), buy you gifts and happen to forget the receipt…

ꪆৎ even after several talks that you like spending time with him because of who he is and not what he can do for you, kokonoi still finds it hard to accept. he probably will see some resemblance to akane in that sense and would probably think she’d want him to be with someone like you.

ꪆৎ one of his favourite things about you is that even if he isn’t in a sociable mood, you will still sit with him and enjoy his company. not to mention he’s floored by how amazing you look everytime he sees you!

ꪆৎ he also loves going on day trips with you and seishu, finding every different place the three of you visit special.

ꪆৎ his confession would be sincere and precise. he would lay his feelings out and would promise to treat you amazingly and of course, take care of you in anyway you’d need.

#mikey x reader #draken x reader #takemichi x reader #baji keisuke x reader #chifuyu x reader #kazutora x reader #mitsuya x reader #inupi x reader #kokonoi x reader #tokyo rev x you #tokyo rev fluff #tokyo revengers x y/n #tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo rev x reader

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nirby-wirby · 1 day ago

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Rating: General Audiences

Relationships: platonic marichat, hints of adrienette

What to expect: internal conflicts, angst, fluff, set post-London Special

Summary: If he had been present, if he had been there by Ladybug’s side, then maybe his father would’ve still been alive today. Maybe the butterfly miraculous wouldn’t have been lost again to some new villain. Maybe Ladybug wouldn’t have gotten hurt, causing his father to sacrifice himself. Maybe he would’ve been the one to sacrifice himself. That was part of his job, wasn’t it?

————

She’d seen him when she had to tell him his father died. She’d seen how it had broken his heart and she couldn’t bear to see that in him again. So, maybe she was a terrible girlfriend for not being entirely truthful, but how could she be when it would only hurt him more?

The only way she could cope with any of this was: 1. Stay as busy as physically possible so as to not think about it and 2. Think of it as a Ladybug problem, not a Marinette problem. Marinette didn’t know that Adrien was a senti-being. Marinette didn’t know that Gabriel Agreste was Monarch. Marinette didn’t know about the wish. Only Ladybug did.

OR: Marinette and Adrien grapple with their guilt as Christmas approaches.

A/N: Hi @alithetiredartist!! This is your gift for the @mlsecretsanta exchange. I hope you like it!!

Adrien was restless. Now, more than ever, he had a lot of free time. Yes, Nathalie had kept the extracurriculars he liked, like piano and fencing, to try and keep some normalcy, but without photoshoots and a looser schedule, he would often find himself in his room with nothing to do. So, there he was, aimlessly walking around his room, his homework finished, the sun slowly setting in the horizon, absolutely bored. And also kind of lonely.

It wasn’t Nathalie’s fault, of course. There was a lot she had to take care of after his father died, including finding a new job. Now that she had one, he didn’t see her nearly as often as before. Though Adrien knew they probably had enough money to not need it, Nathalie had explained that she needed to have something to do when things slowed down and that, while it was very generous of him, she didn’t want to live off Adrien’s inheritance since she wasn’t entitled to any of it. (It seemed like there might’ve been a little more there, a hint of resentment maybe or even disgust at the mention of his father, but Adrien couldn’t figure out what it really was, so he ignored it.)

Now, Christmas was approaching. Adrien was trying to ignore that fact, but it was difficult when decorations were already being placed in shops and around Paris and when holiday music was already playing on the radio. It seemed that every advertisement he came across when watching something or walking around had to do with the holiday and the importance of spending time with family. He didn’t want to think about the fact that this would be his first Christmas as an orphan.

“Plagg,” Adrien grumbled, “what should I do?”

The creature, who had been devouring a whole wheel of camembert, paused his activities for a moment. “I don’t know, you can watch a movie or something.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“Ok, then play video games.”

“I don’t think I really want to do that, either.”

Plagg sighed, fully placing the last piece of his camembert on his plate and looking at Adrien as though he’d interrupted something of great importance. As though Plagg didn’t just eat three other wheels of camembert in the past hour. “If you’re gonna say that to everything I suggest, then I don’t know what to tell you, kid.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, “You gave me two suggestions.”

“Whatever.” He plopped the final piece of his camembert into his mouth, swallowing it whole. “The point is, I tried. If you don’t want to do those things, then stare at the ceiling.”

Adrien sighed, falling back onto his bed to do just that. Maybe if he stared at the ceiling hard enough then he’d get an idea that he actually wanted to do. His phone pinged, giving him something else to pay attention to other than the very interesting ceiling. It was a notification from Marinette, she’d liked his message.

Marinette… He smiled at the sight of her name on his phone, a sparkly heart emoji right next to it. He was so, so lucky to be with her. Even with all of the chaos and everything that happened in the past few weeks, she was still there by his side.

All of his friends had been so great. So supportive, so comforting, so ready to let him cry on their shoulders. And the extra time he’d had lately meant that he could hang out with them more often, which was also nice. All of it helped, but he still couldn’t help but feel a crushing weight of guilt.

If he had been present, if he had been there by Ladybug’s side, then maybe his father would’ve still been alive today. Maybe the butterfly miraculous wouldn’t have been lost again to some new villain. Maybe Ladybug wouldn’t have gotten hurt, causing his father to sacrifice himself. Maybe he would’ve been the one to sacrifice himself. That was part of his job, wasn’t it?

Adrien sat up, running a hand through his hair agitatedly. He couldn’t just sit here in his room. All it did was give him time to think and thinking… wasn’t the best thing right now.

“Plagg, let’s go for a run.”

“What? But I just—“ Plagg paused his whining. Maybe he saw something in Adrien’s expression that made him stop. He softened, “Alright, kid, let’s go for a run.”

----

Marinette couldn’t take it anymore. Ok, maybe that was a bad way of phrasing that. But she had a real, huge, gigantic problem: Adrien. Well, not Adrien, Adrien, but all of the secrets she was keeping from him. If she sat still for a moment too long, then she’d think about how she still hadn’t told him about how he was a senti-being and that his father wasn’t actually a martyr who sacrificed himself for the greater good, but a villain.

Worst of all, she hadn’t even told Chat Noir, her partner, what really happened that night yet because she wasn’t sure if she could. What if she told Chat Noir and then he told Adrien? Gabriel’s dying wish was literally that Adrien would never find out that he was a villain. She just couldn’t let that happen. Not even because it was Gabriel’s dying wish, but because she couldn’t handle it if Adrien got hurt by that information.

Of course, this didn’t work as well as she wanted to. After all, she wasn’t transformed when the wish happened, so Marinette did know about the wish. Not to mention, Kagami and Felix knew that Marinette knew about Adrien being a senti-being and Nathalie knew that Marinette knew about Gabriel’s wish and the fact that he was Monarch. But Nathalie and Kagami had also been there when Adrien found out about his father’s death, so maybe that would keep them from saying anything for now.

Perhaps one of the biggest issues was that Adrien constantly thanked her, Alya, and Nino for being there for him. Every “thank you” was delivered with the most earnest, sincere, sweet smile and felt like a dagger to the heart because Marinette knew that she was keeping very big secrets about his life from him.

So, Marinette occupied her time doing what she did best: making Adrien a lot of presents. It was good timing too, with the holidays coming up. She tried making the best possible excuses for them too. When she made him a bunch of presents in the weeks following his father’s passing, it was easy to pass them off as presents to help cheer him up. When it was close to Halloween, she used that as the reason.

It was harder to think up ideas for fall, but All Saints’ Day allowed her to make him more gifts. That was a particularly hard time, since it meant it would bring up talk of Adrien’s dead parents and it was difficult to watch Adrien feel so lonely and hurt while knowing she contributed to that. Of course, she and her friends were there for him, but sometimes it was hard to tell how he was feeling. Sometimes it felt that, like her, he was putting up a facade to keep them from worrying. But maybe she was wrong and looking too deeply into it.

Now, with Christmas just around the corner, Marinette tried to occupy her time making him presents for that holiday too. Some delusional part of her brain hoped that if she made him enough presents, then maybe it would be enough to make up for the secrets she was hiding and ease her guilt. It wasn’t working.

“Tikki, what should I do?” Marinette asked, as she often did nowadays. A barely started project lay abandoned on her work desk. “Am I making the right decision, keeping all of this from him?” She thought of Adrien, her wonderful boyfriend, alone in that giant mansion, thinking his father died a hero. She thought of Chat Noir, her partner, who still didn’t know the full story behind what happened that day.

“Well, Marinette, I think that you’re doing the best you can. Things will work out eventually,” Tikki supplied, as she often did, unhelpfully. Marinette groaned.

Maybe she just needed to clear her head. Keeping busy was clearly not helping her tonight. Maybe getting some fresh, crisp winter air could help. Or maybe it would freeze her brain. But, would that be so bad? “Tikki, I think we should go for a run to get some of this extra energy out.”

Tikki smiled sympathetically, “Sounds like a good idea!”

But, before Marinette could call for her transformation, a knock came from her window. She whipped her head around as Tikki zipped away into hiding, finding Chat Noir waving at her with a wide smile. “Oh, it’s just you,” she let out a relieved sigh; ever since that day, she’d been on edge. She rolled her eyes at him, opening the window to let him in.

“Hey, princess,” he greeted with a dramatic bow as soon as he was inside.

“Let me guess, you were in the area and wanted some fresh pastries, didn’t you?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, crossing her arms. He seemed to be coming around a lot more often lately and always for the same thing. She couldn’t blame him though, her parents’ pastries were the best, and it was nice to have a friend come by.

“Well, it is the season of giving, isn’t it?” He grinned even wider as she shook her head.

“If we keep giving you free pastries like this we’re gonna start losing some serious money,” she joked.

He gave an exaggerated gasp, “All from just sparing a few pastries on a helpless stray like me? Oh, I couldn’t bear it if your parents couldn’t sell any more pastries all because I ate them all. Maybe I should leave…” He halfheartedly took a few steps toward the window, only to turn back around to look at her with giant kitten eyes and bat his eyelashes, “But, well, you wouldn’t be cruel enough to turn me away, would you?”

He would make a terrible actor. Marinette groaned, “Oh mon dieu, that was terrible! Who taught you to be this dramatic?” She heaved a sigh as though he were making her make a very difficult decision, playing along with his act, “Alright, fine. I guess it wouldn’t completely destroy the family business to spare you a few pastries.”

Chat Noir grinned, plopping down on her chaise as though he owned the place. “Wonderful! I knew you’d come around.”

She couldn’t help but let out a laugh at his antics. Maybe his interruption wasn’t so bad. After all, she needed a distraction from her worries, and this seemed to be the best one: a dramatic close friend who didn’t know about her troubles at all.

----

Chat Noir was glad he’d gone to Marinette’s place. After running around aimlessly for a while, he’d still felt restless, and he figured seeing his girlfriend would probably help. Of course, right now he was just a friend to her, but any time he got to spend with her, in either form, was always nice. Instead of being stuck in his empty, cold room, he was with her, laughing, playing video games, and eating pastries.

After she beat him yet again in Ultimate Mecha Strike III, he figured it might be time to do something else. He stretched, putting his controller down and getting up. Marinette watched him walk over to her work station, a messy, creative part of her room that she felt was a “controlled chaos.” He never understood how she could work with so many sketches, sticky notes, and supplies everywhere.

“So,” he started, gesturing at the partially started project on her desk, “what are you working on this time?” She seemed to be busier than usual lately, always working on something. A lot of the time he would find out weeks later that the project she was working on had been for him. Well, Adrien him, not Chat Noir.

“Oh, you know, just another project,” she shrugged. Oh? That was new. Usually she’d start explaining her thought process behind it, launching into an impassioned speech that was always so cute to watch. He loved hearing her talk about her projects.

“Just another project?” he repeated slowly, narrowing his eyes.

“Yep.” Her smile was too wide and she wasn’t meeting his eyes; she was hiding something. He was curious and unsure if he should pry, but well, he was a cat.

“Who’s it for?” When he stepped closer to her, she backed away in her chair.

“Hm? Oh, uh,” Marinette glanced around the room, “it’s for…”

Oh, he thought with a grin, I see. “Me?”

“No! Not at all! It’s, um,” Marinette sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Damn it, Chat Noir, it was supposed to be a surprise.”

“So, it is for me.” His cheeks were starting to hurt from grinning so wide. Marinette’s gifts were always the best. They were carefully crafted, made with love, and the fact that they came from her just made them that much better. No, he wasn’t biased. And yeah, he’d gotten dozens of presents from her since they’d gotten together, but this one was for Chat Noir. It was special. “What are you making me?”

“I’m not gonna tell you.” Aw, man. He opened his mouth to protest, but she put a hand up to stop him. “You already know I’m making it for you, and that’s enough. Don’t you know what they say about curiosity and cats? Just wait until Christmas.”

“But that’s so far away,” he whined. Honestly, he was just happy he was getting a gift. He couldn’t care less when he’d get it. Sure, Chat Noir and Marinette were friends, but he never expected her to make him a gift just because of that. It was nice to know that she’d thought of him.

“It’s in three weeks, Chat.”

“Exactly.”

“Do you want it to be a New Year’s gift instead?” she warned. He stayed quiet. “That’s what I thought.” Marinette clapped her hands together, effectively ending the conversation, “Now, how about another round of Ultimate Mecha Strike III?” She held out his controller to him.

Chat Noir pretended to think about it for a moment, then immediately sat down next to her, snatching his controller from her. “Alright, but this time I’m gonna win.” She laughed as she loaded up the game, and he softened at the sound.

----

It was Christmas Eve and Marinette, along with Alya and Nino, were planning to surprise Adrien. At the moment, however, Marinette was in her room pacing. She knew Adrien would likely be having a tough time right now and she needed to mentally prepare what she could say and do to comfort him. That wasn’t easy when she knew part of the reason why he was struggling was her fault. There were so many moments when he’d say he wished he could’ve been more like his father — meaning more courageous or heroic — and she’d have to hide a grimace with a forced solemn frown as she tried to rub his back in a comforting manner. This hangout would likely have another few of those moments where the guilt would threaten to eat her from the inside out.

She needed air. There wasn’t enough air in her room. Outside should be better, maybe.

Marinette inhaled a lung full of fresh, crisp air from her balcony as soon as she was up there. Her warm sweater and multiple layers kept her mostly shielded from the cold, so she was able to take in the beauty of the fresh snowfall around her. It was almost enough to quiet her brain. Almost. If she just focused on the cold nipping at her nose instead of the flurry of emotions and thoughts in her mind, then maybe she would be able to gather herself enough to go back inside and meet Alya and Nino downstairs. They were probably nearly there.

As she practiced taking slow, deep breaths, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. It broke her focus as she struggled to figure out what it was across the dimly lit rooftops of Paris. Was it a threat? An akuma? The new butterfly miraculous holder hadn’t attacked in some time. What if–

The figure grew closer. “Chat Noir,” Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, it was just him. What was he doing out here? Shouldn’t he have been spending time with friends or family? “Hey, Chat!” she called, waving her arms around to get his attention. From a distance, he paused, his ears twitching in her direction. He turned around and grinned when he saw her.

“Marinette,” he said when he landed on her balcony. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, “It’s nice to see you.” Did his eyes look puffier than usual? Was his nose red from the cold, or from something else? Before she could ask, he continued, “So, about that gift you were making me…”

“Chat Noir, it’s not Christmas yet.” The gift was ready; she could give it to him if she wanted to, but she preferred teasing him first. He was always so dramatic about things, and it was fun to watch.

His lip jutted out in an exaggerated pout, “Isn’t it close enough? Why should I wait another day when I’m already here?” She shrugged noncommittally, just to see what else he’d do to try and convince her. Chat fell to his knees, taking both of her hands and turning on his “kitten eyes.” “Please, Marinette, take pity on my poor soul. I’ve been waiting for weeks! Do you know how hard that is on a cat?”

Marinette couldn’t help but burst into a fit of laughter. Chat Noir watched her with a frown that seemed to say, Am I a joke to you? The answer was yes, definitely. “Alright, alright,” she said when she could catch her breath, “I’ll give you your present.”

He jumped up from where he'd been kneeling and clapped his hands together once, triumphantly, “I knew you’d come around, eventually.” He said it as though he’d been trying to convince her for hours instead of just a few seconds, but maybe it was hours in cat years.

Once they were inside her room, Marinette found her little pile of prepared gifts and looked for his. She smiled as she grabbed a box she’d wrapped in festive paw print paper. To her surprise, Chat Noir gingerly took it from her hands and started carefully unwrapping it from the areas she’d taped it. Maybe it was because of the claws, but she’d thought he would’ve torn apart the wrapping paper instead.

After setting aside the wrapping paper, he slowly took the lid of the box and gasped. He delicately held the fingerless black mittens Marinette had made him. “They’re beautiful…” Chat Noir murmured, admiring his gift. Turning them over, his eyes lit up with delight at the sight of the green toe beans embroidered into the palms. He gently set them aside and gave Marinette a tight hug. “Thank you so much.”

Marinette smiled as she hugged him back, relieved that he liked her gift. Even though her friends reassured her that her work was great, she was always nervous that it wouldn’t suit their tastes. When they pulled away, her smile faded, alarmed at the sight of his damp cheeks. “Oh my gosh, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head with a smile, shaky hands hurriedly wiping away his tears. “Oh, it’s nothing,” he reassured hoarsely, sniffling. Her heart broke a little at the sight. “It’s just… I’ve kind of had a rough few months lately.” That was especially surprising. Chat Noir had always seemed so happy and upbeat that Marinette wouldn’t have ever thought that he’d been having a hard time. Who would’ve thought that both of the blond boys in her life were struggling at the same time?

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” she said softly, rubbing his back in an effort to comfort him. “Do you want to talk about it?” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that it was sort of a dumb question. They both knew that he couldn’t say much without compromising his identity. Whatever it was, it must’ve been a lot for him to tear up at her small gift. “Ah, sorry, nevermind.”

“It’s alright, I mean, it’s the thought that counts,” he shrugged. “Anyway, who are these other gifts for?” He gestured at the small pile of gifts near her work desk.

“Oh, you know Alya and Nino?” He gave a small nod. “Well, we were gonna go surprise my boyfriend, Adrien, and I made gifts for them. He’s been having a difficult time since…” She trailed off, unable to say the words, the guilt creeping up again. She cleared her throat, attempting to clear her mind, “Well, I’m sure you’ve heard about it, and we wanted to spend some time with him to cheer him up. Or at least just to be there for him.”

As if on cue, her phone started ringing, Alya’s profile picture lighting up the screen. “I’m guessing that’s them, then?” Chat Noir asked, pointing at her phone. Marinette nodded. “Ok, I’ll get going then. Thanks again for the gift, Marinette.” After grabbing his gift, he gave her a two fingered salute and a grin, then left.

----

Once Adrien was home and de-transformed, he quickly hid his fingerless mittens in a desk drawer. He’d rushed home in order to get there before Marinette, Alya, and Nino, and now his heart was racing. He needed to calm down before—

A knock came from his door. “One second!” he called. After taking a few deep breaths to even out his heart rate, he opened the door.

“Merry Christmas!” His friends, all bundled up for the cold, smiled at him and held up presents.

He gasped, feigning surprise. “Oh, wow, guys! I didn’t know you were coming.” Well, not until just a few minutes ago when Marinette unknowingly told him. Adrien stepped out of the way to let them in his room.

“Well, we figured it would be a tough time for you, tougher than the last Christmas was, so we wanted to be here,” Nino explained before hugging him. Alya and Marinette joined the hug, surrounding Adrien with his friends’ warmth. He felt like he was gonna cry again. His friends were all so wonderful and—

“Wait,” Adrien blurted, “I have presents for you, too.” They pulled away, allowing him to scramble up the stairs to the cabinets where he’d hid their presents. They’d been coming over a lot recently, which he loved, but since he’d had their presents ready for the past month, he had to hide them.

When he came back down, they’d removed a few of their layers and placed their presents together in a neat pile in front of his couch where they were sitting. “I wanted to thank you all for everything, so I hope a little present can do that,” he explained, passing out the gifts to them.

He sat down next to Marinette, who gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. “You really didn’t have to do that, Adrien,” she told him, “You’ve already thanked us plenty.” The others murmured in agreement.

“We’re your friends and we’ll be here for you no matter what,” Alya added. Marinette squeezed his hand reassuringly. “That said, let’s open up these presents!”

As he laughed along with his friends, excitement and love all around him, Adrien was able to say that he was truly happy. Though it would take him a lot more time to properly grieve and move on, as long as he had his friends at his side, he knew he wouldn’t be alone.

#miraculous ladybug #adrien agreste #chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #plagg #tikki #marichat #lovesquare stuff #ml secret santa #nirby writes #my writing #ml fic

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shini--chan · 1 day ago

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Ignore if requests are closed.

How about some hcs for yandere Alucard from Hellsing with s/o who is a gen Z (ya know, with bad humor and suicidal), thx

Yandere Alucard - Modern People

Trigger warnings: mind break, death, temp death, mutilation, discussion of suicide

To say that Alucard would be out of the loop regarding cultural stuff would be an understatement. Since this man would be very much married to his job before you would enter the stage, he wouldn’t have the foggiest clue about my modern cultural phenomena and social norms. Of course, he would have gathered from Integra that the world would have changed and that different values would be in place, he wouldn’t take note of anything that would be important for his missions. What concern would he have to have for modern marriage conventions if he would never have to concern himself with human relationships. Naturally, when he would become interested in you, his priorities would change and he would be puzzled by this strange creature that modern culture has created. It wouldn’t help that he would have long deemed humans as incomprehensible.

Your suicidality would cause Alucard to hate you at first. Suicide would be a cowards way out to him, it would be to spit in the face of the divine and commit blasphemy against any higher powers that are. Despite being a vampire for centuries, Alucard would have been Vlad the Impaler back in his day and he wouldn’t look kindly on anybody he would see as overly soft. All these modern humans and monsters would be soft and squishy in his eyes, and he would loathe you for invoking feelings in his undead heart and still being so weak. It would take a true demonstration of your strong character and will to change his mind and make him see you in a more positive light.

You were staring at the gun in your hands thoughtfully, much to Alucard’s disgust. What was it with you and cowardice? With the way you acted, one could think what was once a vice and become a virtue in this rotten age. Considering how weak humans had become since the last time his heart had pounded, it wouldn’t surprise him.

“Don’t be a fool. Suicide is the cowards way out”, he coldly remarked. Your head snapped up and you fixed him with a glare. If looks could kill, the vampire would only be afflicted with a minor headache.

You stood up, gracefully in a manner that betrayed your training. For all intents and purposes, you weren’t all that weak and that made the way you acted as if you were all the more sickening to Alucard. Just why did he have to become fixated with you?

“Why are you so obsessed with me ending my own life? Do you want me to blow my brains out?”, you snapped back at him. You stared directly at him with your chin jutted out. Bravery or stupidity? Perhaps both?

“Can you really blame me for drawing conclusions when you blabber on and on about how life sucks and what a blessing it would be if somebody were to shoot you. You haven’t even really done anything with your life, haven’t lost anything, haven’t done anything of real meaning. To me, it seems like you just signed up for this job in order to have assisted suicide.”

Believe me when I say you would want him to view you positively. Even when he would like you his teasing and mind games would be hard to bear. Should you land in his bad books, then he would strive to make an absolute mockery of you and break you down. That being said, your bad humour could save you here - he would allow you to play court jester and refrain from completely destroying you then.

All in all, you would be very amusing to Alucard and that would be one of the reasons and would decide to make an exception and not kill you. Your purpose would be to ease the years of boredom between more stimulating opponents and keep him from acting on his more violent tendencies. Integra would probably seal your fate and mandate you remain with Alucard. After all, what is the welfare of one person in comparison to the survival and wellbeing of humanity as a whole? Due to his possessiveness of you, he would aim to make you a vampire, so that he could enjoy your company for all eternity. Enjoy being a mouse underneath the cat’s paws - your fate could be worse.

There was a bang and near simultaneously the bullet pierced your flesh and thuded in your still heart. The force of the blow made you stumble back a few steps and you gasped in surprise. The sensation of something piercing your undead flesh was a weird one. There wasn’t the sharp pain that would have signalled mortal flesh and a lethal blow. Instead, there was the nauseating feeling of something poking around in your flesh. The first few times had made you retch until nothing but thin bile.

Your master had just made you stand up again, even had forced you to by ordering you. Speaking of him, he was standing on the other side of the hall, the gun in his hand letting out a thin trail of smoke.

Alucard smiled sharply and you instinctively found yourself tensing. A happy Alucard was just as bad as an angry Alucard, you had learned.

“You’ve gotten better. Soon, I can proceed to ripping your limbs off in order to train your healing factor.”

#yandere x reader #yandere #x reader #yandere alucard #yandere hellsing

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red-room-studi0 · 6 hours ago

Text

Here's my TurboTime Dev oc

About damn time I actually introduced him, for some reason I had zero motivation to post this guy. But now i'm finally showing him off cuz one, I needed too, and two he's gonna be in another au lol.

SO. Me and my two friends @dani-be-existing @sunn-e-bunare made this au called Deadstock about three game developers that are in a Poly relationship (we call it a polycule lol). And they go through absolute hell (who would've guessed).

So Tucker Tatum is one of the two game Devs of TurboTime, The other Dev being Kensuke ←(link to Ken's character intro). He is a fucking idiot and a loser, Think of Grunkle Stan and Turbo in one person but worse. Yeah, that's Tucker.

Bro has some bad anger issues and hates kids. Which sucks for him cuz Ken and his wife have a kid and they both hate each other (Ain't no way this grown ass man has beef with a 9 year old 😭😭😭).

Tucker is the Game coder/programmer while Ken was the pixel art and visual game designer.

Tucker being the loser he is he vents in his game coding (Uh Oh, shouldn't have done that Tucker).

One day Tucker and Ken got into a heated argument and then Tucker just left the room leaving Ken alone. After left the house and grabbed a couple of beers to calm his nerves, Tucker came back to the house and into the room to apologize and share a drink or two but to his horror all he sees is the games cabinet screen shattered and covered in blood. From what it seems like... Ken was forcefully pulled into the screen from some unknown force.

Even worse, Kens wife Haru walks into the scene only seeing the bloody shattered screen and Tucker by it. Of course, she accuses Tucker of killing her husband and is incredibly upset (I mean who wouldn't). Tucker tried to explain but she had already called the cops and she just wouldn't let Tucker talk.

Tucker had been detained and taken in. The court statements came in and he was found not guilty due to no evidence that Tucker had killed Ken. But he did have to serve some time in jail for not paying his past due payments (classic Tucker).

Tucker attempted to to call Haru with the only call time he had to try and explain things to her but she never answered. So instead Tucker called his next door neighbor and asked her to bail him out. She doesn't like Tucker all that much but Tucker was being an annoying little shit pleading to be bailed out and she finally agreed. But Tucker owed her $200 back.

Tucker somehow got hired to work at a car dealership (that mostly sells trucks) and had to make that money quick (She would not leave him alone till she got paid back).

As for the Cabinet that is covered in blood with the screen shattered and is evidence to try and figure out what happed to ken... Tucker took it (he's living with his neighbor now cuz his home is a literal crime scene), cleaned the blood, fixed the screen and thought it would be a GOOD IDEA TO STILL SELL THE GAME CUZ HE'S SO FUCKING STUPID HE LITERALLY TAMPERD WITH EXTREMELY IMPORTANT EVIDENCE AND SOLD IT TO LITWAK (LITWAK HAS NO IDEA MIND U)

The police found out that the Cabinet was gone and they have no idea where Tucker is living so they wouldn't be able to find him with no clues of his whereabouts and have no idea where the cabinet is. (They stopped to care at this point cuz they're lazy and stupid)

So the case went cold after a while and Tucker just decided to live the rest of his life with his neighbor (cuz he's not risking living inside his own home again in case someone brings the case up again, and trauma. Also he had to pay rent at this point or his neighbor will kick his ass.)

There is more to the story but I'll leave that for later or if Dani or Sunny wanna talk more about it.

#wreck it ralph #red room studi0's art #digital art #turbo #turbo wreck it ralph #wir #turbo wir #turbotime game developer #tucker tatum wir au #deadstock #deadstock wir au #wir au #wreck it ralph au #turbotime

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dhampirdulac · 2 hours ago

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sorry to pop in to this reply but i thought i'd expand since anon mentioned my account- imo one of the issues with the discourse around louis' actions in paris is that folks treat his motives as a zero-sum game- like, "louis couldn't have been prioritizing claudia bc the point is that he's cruel to her" or "louis couldn't have been prioritizing claudia bc he renewed his businessman's ambition" or "louis wasn't centering claudia bc he was so into armand and he chose his nonblack bf over his daughter". but it's important to separate the self-protective persona louis uses in s1ep1 and s2ep6 from his ambitions as a businessman and understand that in the 1940s louis still had claudia as his priority even if he wasn't doing the best job of it and didn't assess the true level of threat armand posed- which wasn't his fault obvi- and still had other ambitions, interests and disappointments that didn't revolve around claudia. louis doesn't act the way he does in s2ep6 during the entire "prince of iberville" era- it's not a persona that's associated with his entire run as a brothel owner, bc he acts a lot looser, warmer, and confident in s1ep3 when he's running the azalea (this is also why folks framing louis' regression in s2ep6 as him going "pimp mode" is antiblack, bc this persona has nothing to do with louis being involved in owning brothels or sex work):

it's a persona that's specifically associated with him being closeted and at least partly in denial of his identity as a gay black man, at a particularly insecure period in his life where he was at risk on multiple levels socially as a black queer man and still individually, physically a lot more vulnerable as a human, when he was tryna bolster his rep against those social threats and keep up appearances in s1ep1- both periods where he engages in performative cruelty or callousness toward beloved members of his family who he loves more than anything and who he still has some level of material power over:

more under the cut

louis' return to this persona at the end of s2ep4 thru s2ep6 isn't just abt his disappointment in his artistic pursuits as a photographer or a desire to recenter his identity in a field he knows wrt running a business or capitalist accumulation of wealth- tho that's part of it, and imo him slowly giving up on photography in s2ep4 and feeling isolated to the point he hallucinates his dead husband giving him the constructive criticism he craves is one of the saddest arcs in the whole series- it's abt claudia throwing up the "we in danger girl" alarm in s2ep4, telling louis that armand threatened her and isn't as secure a source of protection as louis thought. contrary to the popular surface read of that scene, louis doesn't completely dismiss her and double down on trusting armand- he has his empty-nester-lashing-out moment and acts contrary bc he feels resentful and abandoned, but then he actually processes what she said and ties himself closer to armand- asserting a dynamic that he believes will give himself more control over the coven and appeasing armand wrt the companionship armand's been pressuring louis for all episode- to neutralize both threats. dreamstat is a lot softer wrt claudia after she storms out, which wouldn't have been the case if louis was still spitefully rejecting what she said:

and louis and dreamstat are back in sync, down to perfectly mirrored gaits at the park, which refutes the idea that dreamstat's reactions are contrasting louis' by this point in the narrative and that dreamstat's pov contradicts louis' pov etc.

plus claudia's been a part of louis' decisionmaking wrt his relationship to armand since they got together at the end of s2ep3- i feel like some fans strawman the "louis got with armand for claudia" argument a lot and try to frame it like ppl are saying louis never felt any legit attraction to armand, louis is revolted by armand etc when that's not the case. louis was strongly attracted to armand and would've been down to start a physical relationship a lot earlier if armand hadn't demurred from louis' earlier advances imo. but armand waits to kiss louis/reciprocate louis' advances until after claudia has become a full member of the coven- someone louis loves becomes fully under armand's power- and right after an interaction where armand almost killed louis and changed his mind at the last minute, making it clear that there was a real and present danger to louis' life- armand never answers the question when louis asks armand if armand's gonna kill him- and that claudia was also at risk and armand didn't care abt protecting her.

(i hope it's ok that i use two of your recent screencaps op) we see a parallel between louis promising his own father to look after paul on papa du lac's deathbed, and then on the cusp of his own presumed-death louis' last request is for armand to look after claudia, a request that armand rebuffs:

also specific phrasing wrt "but when paul's mind was right, he was no burden" in louis' 2022 interview narration and "can you imagine me without the burden of her" wrt claudia back in 1949- louis' guilt wrt how he treated both paul and claudia and the parallels between them weigh on louis a lot.

it's important that right after claudia joined the coven, louis was willing to leave paris on his own as part of his bargaining with armand to spare his life, and leave claudia to her own devices- but armand saying claudia won't be around for long is the turning point in that scene, and influence all of louis' decisions after the fact bc he knows claudia's in danger from multiple angles, but also assumes that leaving paris with her isn't an option bc she said she wanted to stay and be with the coven and told louis not to ruin this for her- louis doesn't actually realize claudia's done with the coven and wants to straight-up leave until he sees her with madeleine in s2ep6. he thinks his options are leave without her and abandon her to the wolves, or stay and try to mitigate the risk- so when the danger apparently hits its peak at the end of s2ep4 and not even armand can be fully trusted to protect them, we see the return of that harsher, self-protective persona from s1ep1. it's several miserable things lining up at the same time for louis, but shielding claudia is 100% part of his motives in committing to armand. and that ties into louis looking for a sense of purpose and tryna define his identity thru claudia during periods when louis loses one of his professional passions- and photography was def a professional passion, he was rubbing shoulders with gallerists and selling a few pieces before he got shut down by that art dealer and gave up. louis committing to armand as a way of shielding claudia- "i'd like a couple of months when you don't tear things down or fuck things up. i had you covered!!"- is a lot more like louis committing to parenthood after losing the azalea, tho ofc in a different context. it doesn't negate his preexisting attraction to armand or the genuine affection between them pre-trial and it doesn't mean louis is a perfect parent who makes the right decisions all the time, but claudia's central to louis' arc in paris and stays central afterward. her feelings of rejection and neglect are totally valid from her pov, but they don't always reflect louis' reality.

A lot of people think Louis' persona during his "Prince of Iberville" years is not his authentic self and completely OOC. And subsequently that he returns to it with Armand as a coping mechanism instead due to transactional nature of that relationship (Louis starting his "companionship" with Armand as a way to shield Claudia. @dhampirdulac on twt has a few threads on the topic).

Can we hear your thoughts on this? I've seen you mention in the tags that you have other views.

...did Louis start his companionship with Armand as a way to shield Claudia? I don't know if I agree with that at all, rather I interpret it as coming back to what Claudia says to him in 2.02 which is that he doesn't know who he is without Lestat and outside of her. He's spent the last three episodes trying to pursue photography and getting very passionately interested in art and has just that episode been shut down by a gallery owner who won't stage his work.

He makes excuses with Dreamstat - that he can't sit down with a subject because he'll eat them (not true, he worked with mortals for years at The Azaelia, and made genuine, albeit brief, mortal connections in the shelters of Eastern Europe without eating them), the lens is dirty, he's impatient - the latter two probably are true, but that's the thing about art, right? Being a successful artist is less about talent than it is about persistence, which is hard when the creation of art requires vulnerability, and the rejection of that art can feel a rejection of the self.

Louis' seeking not just validation but identity, and Armand floundering at controlling the Coven offers Louis a way back to a part of himself. As he says it, he used to be (and proves to still be) very good at running things, and that is a part of him from before Lestat and Claudia. He holds to it as something that is true of himself. Is it all of him? No, of course not, Louis' a million things, it's what makes him interesting as a character, but he's always been professionally ambitious and I think to deny that part of him is to deny his story. His whole NOLA arc is about the fact that Louis is forced to settle for a secondclass seat at the table when what he really wants to be the head of his own table. He wants power and autonomy and freedom. What's disingenous about him in that era is that Louis has to play submissive and pander to the white men who are a fraction as intelligent, ambitious, capable as he is because it's the only way he can get his leg in.

He, as a character, wants to be respected, he wants to be seen and not just heard, but listened to. I think his relationship with art is something that's really fascinating and I could write a lot about that, but in terms of this question in particular, I think he saw art as a way forward for him and when it left him treading water, he felt crushed by it. His photography's not very good because Louis doesn't have anything to say, he doesn't have an artistic rationale, and he's deliberately been creating distance between himself and everyone around him as a means of emotional survival. How can you capture something artistically that you're refusing to engage with? It's not a coincidence that the best picture he takes is when he's trying to take one of Lestat.

Keeping things casual with Armand was, I think, partially motivated by trying to live a bohemian lifestyle, and making things official wasn't about shielding Claudia. It wasn't about Claudia at all, that's the point, as she says it. It's never about her. It was about slipping back into a job he knows he's good at to give himself a sense of identity, trying to let go of Lestat, and regain control not over Armand, but himself, and affiliate himself with power. If he's dominant over the only person who gets to have a genuine voice in the Coven, isn't that as good as having a voice of his own? And it's that that's disingenous, the idea that he'd ever be happy puppet mastering someone else - - that's not Louis' character. Louis wants to feel professionally fulfilled but he doesn't actually give a fuck about the Theatres des Vampires, and he certainly doesn't give a fuck about the Coven. In fact, he actively dislikes both.

He's tried doing something he was passionate about, has given up when he wasn't immediately good at it, and now is putting himself in a position to run a business he doesn't care about just because he knows he's good at it and it gives him some semblance of a sense of purpose again. The Theatre is not The Azaelia, and that is what I'd say leaves Louis cold.

And look, I actually do think in this early stage of their relationship, there is genuine affection between Louis and Armand too, and I think Louis likes that Armand needs him. Louis wants and needs family around him, and Claudia's pulling away while Armand's desperate to get closer, and I think there's something to Louis trying to let Lestat go that shows his companionship with Armand isn't purely transactional. He wants to move forward, but he's going backwards with pale versions of things that were once important to him - again, the Theatres is not The Azaelia, and Armand is not Lestat.

#me being like “i'm on vacation imma log off for good” then coming back a few hours later like “and another thing-” lmao #sorry for the uneven/bad screencaps i dont have my hard drive so it's just stuff i had saved on my phone or my twitter acct rn #sorry this is super messy but just wanted to lay out my pov on this bc it came up again

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mullermoment · 6 months ago

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does this parallel make sense to ANYBODY but me. am i alone in this. it's ok if i am

#dexter/brian and sherlock/moriarty. by the way. its just . like #so-called “emotionless” man finds the One Person who understands him Deeply #he has to go against his Own Nature to save the one person he loves/cares about because guess what. he was misunderstood #The Game is NOT more important to his relationships #i dont know im just thinking. does this make any sense im fucking rattling the bars of my cage right now i think #this is mainly about s1 sherlock/moriarty because . i dont know. it's more grounded like dexter/brian was. if that Also makes sense #dexter's love for deb and sherlock's love for watson too.. AUYUGGUHHHH......!!!!#also unpopular opinion but i think that dexter/brian did it better. but they're both Very Interesting 2 me #dexter #sherlock #brian moser #dexter morgan #murder brothers #jim moriarty #sherlock holmes #mine

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chronologically-challenged · 5 months ago

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Everything around the Isabeau confession is so well written.

Firstly, the set up. When you're playing the game, killing the King is just a vague goal. A natural one! But other than the vague desire to hit an end point, there isn't really a strong emotional reason compelling the player forward. But Isabeau!!! Telling you he will tell you something once you beat the King!!! That!!! That is a tangible goal to lean onto especially over time as you get more and more endeared to the whole party. Even if you're not aware of it being a love confession, getting to Isabeau to hear what he has to say is still a compelling reason get to the end.

And if you're Aware of how these things go for stories like these, you may also say, "Well shit, we're not gonna get a confession until the end of the game, are we?"

Second, the interruptions. The order of the interruptions are so quietly brilliant. I can't get over it. Bonnie interrupting first is such an excellent choice. You know Bonnie!!! Bonnie has been jumping into conversations all game so far. So interrupting Isabeau doesn't seem all that out of place. Then Mirabelle interrupts next time. And you go, okay. Thats two of three.... but surely Odile won't interrupt, right? By this point, the player has seen Odile tease Isabeau multiple times about him liking Siffrin, so surely she won't interrupt... right? Right??? But she does. And despite it being obvious that she would, the player is still left in tension if she would.

The way things are set up, there's a plausible deniability each time. You don't expect the first interruption, Bonnie naturally would interrupt so Mirabelle could be surprising, and Odile interrupting feels so outside of what she'd usually do that you don't expect it.

And yet!!!! Saying all this!!! This is very tropey!!! Very time loop tropey!!! Stopping people from messing things up so you can have your moment is quintessential time loop tropes and yet!!! It doesn't feel tropey due to good characterization and story structure.

(And if you do realize that all three are going to interrupt from the beginning, you get a wave of DREAD when you realize that you're going to be here. Again and again. That you have to beat the King again and again and again... and as you watch the confession fizzle, seeing the Head Housemaiden there, despite Siffrin's happy demeanor, you can't help but feel it all about to crash down before it even happens. In that moment you have a taste of what the game is about to put you through).

Third, the family quests. I have two points here. Firstly, "yelling at your screen like it's a telenovela" is the best summary of my feelings on the stargazing scene. Even if you KNOW Isabeau isn't going to confess until the end of the game bc that's how these things go, it won't happen until the end because that's how good writing works, You Still Want It To Happen. So Badly. You want Isabeau to confess to Siffrin!!! You want that tension to release!!! But you have to watch and see that perfect confession slip away every time and it hurts to watch, especially if you do the quests multiple times. Second point is the fact you can't continue the Isabeau confessions on a family run kills me. It's so good. Like you're never going to get everything in one go no matter what you do so you have to pick and choose. And!!! That plays into Siffrin feeling like he's manipulating Isabeau!!!

Of course Siffrin isn't actually manipulating Isabeau but when you're so aware of what you're doing and how events could have played out, it's difficult not to see a situation where you changed the outcome as manipulation. Which... of course leads us to Siffrin's feelings at the end of trying to stop the interruptions...

Fourth, Isabeau stopping himself when confessing. It hurts so good. Idk just. Denying the player that payoff. Denying Siffrin that moment of confession. Because really Siffrin didn't learn the lesson needed to actually get this moment of vulnerability between the two of them. It's such a genius choice that brings that awful dread and hopelessness. And in the end, I suppose all five of them stop the confession from happening because from that point onward, Siffrin interrupts the confession every time. Siffrin doing everything they can to get what they want only to accept that they're never going to get it. Never CAN get this because he doesn't deserve it.

Finally, bad touch. People have talked about bad touch enough, so I dont need to go too far with it. I will say I appreciate how much it doubles down on subverting the "romancing someone in a time loop" narrative. These loops while in some ways made Siffrin more perceptive, they're also PAINFUL. They mess with his head, lean towards making worse and worse decisions, and a large part of that is his role in his family's lives. Especially with Isabeau!!! So yeah. Of course the surprise kiss doesn't go well. Especially with the context that Isabeau doesn't think Siffrin wants to be touched let alone kissed? It ends in disaster just like most of the sidequests do.

In general, the ongoing Isabeau plot is very well implemented. The seeds for it are planted immediately, and it takes a lot of commitment to see all the parts of it. As a result, unless you try to do a ton of runs in act 3 immediately just to get the confession, it's a very slow burn part of the story, doing well to parallel Siffrin's mental state and the growing hopelessness in the loops. It grounds the story in a tangible goal from the beginning and in many ways, once you get to the end of it, get to bad touch, you're left bereft. Something... lost after you spent so much time being aware of Isabeau. That tangible feeling that you're slowly running out of things to do, of ways to spend these two days.

(And of course, then you have act 6 confession, and the pure relief, the joy in finally having the confession after it being set up from act 1. Siffrin doesn't need to reciprocate for it to have its impact. Something has CHANGED they have changed. And finally FINALLY after all this time, the moment can happen. And it's beautiful).

#isat #long post #isat spoilers #isafrin #isabeau isat #siffrin isat #this post is half talking about structure and half plain storytelling #but both are really interesting in regards to the isabeau confession plotline #Also adding here: and the game does all this without the confession feeling like the main plot!!! bc its not!!! its about siffrin and his-#relationship with himself and the sense of home who they are and what they can even be #and while isabeau is a major part so is everyone else!!!! and that!!! that also makes isabeau impactful because he is a piece of a greater #whole of support from the family he isnt the special one he loves siffrin but that doesnt mean his love is any more important than the #others but rather its a different flavor of love that siffrin doesnt have experience in... and thats what makes it harder to deal with in #the loops. Siffrin can do this friendship thing but romance is its own beast #anyway rambling but the writing in the isabeau confession is done so so well I adore it #my posts

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