#also sorry if this is an unnecessary post! i'm just not sure how many people actually know the difference between anxiety vs panic attacks

[quietlyblooms]

also!! bc i know " panic attack " is the more well-known term, anxiety attacks are different. panic attacks are a bit more unpredictable and hit suddenly, causing intense physical symptoms that last for a relatively brief time. they don't necessarily need an apparent cause. anxiety attacks tend to develop slowly over time -- you might experience the build up and results of it over weeks or months before it goes away. these attacks are also triggered by specific causes, resulting in intense anxiety over a perceived danger/stressor. to my understanding and if we're simplifying it a lot, panic attacks are like a sprint whereas anxiety attacks are more like a marathon.

this is just my current understanding! i'm not an expert by any means, so please tell me if i ever have information wrong. i wanna portray all aspects of chiyo's mental health as accurately as possible uvu

[throwaway-yandere]

Apotheosis Upon Your First Feast (Yandere!Wanderer & Pantalone/Reader)

Commissioned by: @leftdestiny-posts/@eternally-frozen (ilysm. Feel free to kill me later lmao)

unreliable synopsis: After being reassigned to Vanarana when your previous coworker became the Acting Grand Sage, with the help of Ararycan, you reunited met a wanderer on an abandoned machine. Unfortunately for someone, your childhood friend "Pantalone" has ears and eyes everywhere. (Avoid this fic if you’re not a fan of dark content. It’s not too dark but your mental health matters!) 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please use the InteractiveFics extension and change “(Y/n)” to whatever name you want, “[Wanderer]” to his chosen name, and lastly, also change “(wood/salt)” to… whichever option you feel like. It’s a surprise mechanic *wink*. If you're reading this on a phone, just pick between wood or salt right now, keep your choice in mind and commit to it : )

Afterwards, would you be so kind as to answer this fun poll after reading the fic? Danke ♡

“Why doesn't Nara (Y/n) eat what Arasaka prepares for them? Does Nara (Y/n) lack appetite lately?”

“O-Oh, well, that’s…” You paused, looking down at the broth, “in all honesty, your cooking tastes bland…”

“H-Huh?!”

Time had passed since Lesser Lord Kusanali's official ascent to power and now is the fifth month since you first made friends with the Aranaras. Many events took place before you found your pyro vision becoming Arasaka's torch as they cooked– and if any of your coworkers saw you now, they probably wouldn’t identify you as Alhaitham’s (only) friend and Ex-Sage Azar’s lazy employee.

Maybe they would've if you helped Alhaitham and his teammates secure Sumeru’s future.

Sure, your name isn’t listed in the coup d’etat, but that’s only because you wished for the Akademiyan scholars to make the epiphany for themselves. As Azar’s ex-assistant, you laid low from projects as a prerequisite so that the populace may acquire a personality of their own to make the nation truly deserving of the title “Land of Wisdom.” 

Alas, that did not happen.

Alhaitham’s tactics were not wrong, but you felt like his group spoonfed Sumeru citizens with the Fatui’s crimes rather than having their own realizations. It did not feel like growth to you. It felt like the people casually learned from a one-sitting textbook rather than a hands-on experiment when they should’ve personally learned how minacious blind ambitions could be. In turn, he argued that your ideas were barbaric and that scholars revolting was not in the realm of possibility– hence, you did not lend your aid. Perhaps your inaction had pissed him off, but it’s more likely that he finds that sending you to Varanara was ideal for his workload. 

And in some strange domino effect, refraining from helping a coup d’etat meant eating the tasteless food known to man.

Since you were personally assigned a senseless task to patrol and report weather patterns in the area (which is unnecessary and quite frankly boring), you had befriended the infamous aranaras children from Port Ormos hear stories about. 

But the mundanity doesn’t hurt your pride as a graduate scholar. It's been fun so far.

“I'm sorry, 'Saka, it's just that I think your food lacks a bit of salt–"

"ASSISTANT (Y/N), THERE YOU ARE!!!"

Both of you flinched, causing Arasaka to topple over. The sound hurts. You snapped your neck towards the sound. An adventurer– Baharak– stood with both hands wrapped on her bag's shoulder straps with a silly grin on her face.  

… You’re turning the setting of your hearing aids down.

“Baharak, it’s been a while,” you spoke. “Would you mind not yelling whenever you call for me?”

“Oops– Sorry (Y/n)! I mean– sorry, Assistant (Y/n).”

Changing her volume doesn’t undo the pain she inflicted on your ears. Gently, you pushed Arasaka behind an elevated jag of root to cover them. To escape suspicion, you continued to stare at Baharak while feigning sleepiness.

“What are you here for?”

“The Forest Watcher received a letter addressed to you. The sender doesn’t have a name again, it just has the coin-seal thing.”

“Please hand it over.”

“Aight!– I mean, alright.”

After dismissing the loud adventurer and giving her spare mora as thanks, you waited until she was out of sight. Arasaka suddenly rose and jumped onto your lap, equally curious about what was written on the salt-scented parchment. Arasaka's preppy manner soon turned sour as they discovered who the sender was.

It’s a letter from your best friend, "Pantalone".

“Aww…” Arasaka whined. “Arasaka was hoping it was the Verdant Nara instead.”

You tore it open.

 

"My dearest, (Y/n),

If it's not too much to ask, may I trouble you to visit my office in Northland Bank soon? I merely wish to see you. Spending Lantern Rite alone this year was not a pleasant experience. It's just for a mere chat- I'll reimburse your traveling and dining expenses. Care to make it up to me?

Your beloved,

As per tradition, you threw the letter in the fireplace. Pantalone doesn’t like leaving a trail of evidence, naturally, you assumed the same applies here.

It's never a chore to visit a friend. Maybe you'll head there tomorrow–

“Arasaka doesn’t like Nara Pantalone.”

The aranara lowered their head, continuing, “Nara Pantalone reminds Arasaka of the Taste of Sadness.”

Cute. 

Every time Pantalone comes to visit, the aranaras behave like envious little siblings. Ever since you started patrolling Vanarana, the place had become the harbinger’s premiere leisure destination. The woods critters frequently tried to undermine his gifts, but they were adorably ineffective. Even if Pantalone cannot see them, the situation is nonetheless amusing.

If you remember correctly, the Taste of Sadness means salt to aranaras, right?

“Ah, well,” you laughed. “I guess you must be incredibly sensitive to his smell. He took quite a liking to salt-infused perfumes last year.”

“Don’t like perfume.”

“But I am wearing one though… Has the scent been bothering you all this time, Arasaka?”

“No, Arasaka was wrong. Arasaka likes perfume, and Arasaka hates salt. Taste of sadness. The scent of sadness.” 

“Oh, no! If Pantalone’s smell makes my dear Arasaka sad, then maybe we should drown him in Varunastra,” you chuckled darkly, expecting the aranara to react loudly over your out-of-pocket remark.

“Of course. Salt Nara would make for decent spare rations!”

You laughed out loud at Arasaka’s even more out-of-pocket reply. Out-of-pocket is an understatement, that comment straight up sounded out-of-the-CASKET. 

Before standing up, you ruffled Arasaka’s nonexistent hair like you would with your deceased sisters.

“I’ll come back in a few days, okay? In the meantime, why don’t you read a cookbook?”

“Hmph! Nara (Y/n), you’re being mean! Just wait! My sisters will make a dish Nara (Y/n) can’t say “no” to!” 

“It’s a dumb risk.”

“It’s a new business venture, dearest.”

“The market for new eyeglasses isn’t going to rise any time soon.”

“Why are you so adamant on opposing this idea?”

“Stagnation breeds putrefaction, especially in business, does it not?” You raised an eyebrow, preparing for a harangue. 

“Je suis d’accord!” The man spoke softly, accentuating his Fontaine pronunciation somewhat boastfully. Knowing your disability, he never raises his voice to the point of it hurting. “And it is precisely why I want to invest in an eyewear conglomerate in Sumeru.”

“Then why are you dropping your prior investments?!”

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

You sighed, annoyed.

Pantalone is an amazing businessman, but without your council, he wouldn’t amount to who he is now. Unlike most people, “sneakily ambitious” are not the words you would describe your visionless friend. Such a moniker sounds insulting given his lack of celestial blessings and you know Celestia itself never took kindly towards his well-versed dirty tricks against his opponents.

In your humble opinion, the term “industrious” is a better-suited and less backhanded compliment for him.

You’ve known Pantalone— no— “██████” since childhood. Your history stretched back so much that you no longer recall the circumstances of how you befriended him. He acted as your ears when it came to haggling and normal day-to-day chores. As far as you know, he has always been an older brother to you. In times of extreme poverty, you both prayed and starved together, scraping by using salt rocks as entrees. 

There was no one else that made your deafness bearable except for him. With no family left, he was your only beacon of hope and dear Morax– you’d rather not remind yourself of the time your dead sisters mistakenly ate mud for rice cakes when famine struck.  

You chose Amurta out of the Six Great Schools for a reason:

You can’t afford to watch anyone die of hunger ever again.

When you began living in Sumeru, you had pledged your alliance with the region but never forgot all the toil you had to go through. As a malnourished child, you quickly fell in love with the nation. In Sumeru, healthcare was free– in Liyue? You heard nothing, and you wished that “advantage” doesn’t make you blind from the evil you witnessed in the slums. Poverty ate away your hearing, your family, and your childhood dreams… 

In a way, the only reason you see aranaras in the first place may be that you didn’t have the chance to experience any childlike wonder until you escaped Liyue.

Pantalone scoffed, “whether you agree with my financial decision or not doesn't affect my resolve. Do not press more about this, dearest.”

… But you’re convinced that your closest confidant “██████” had already perished from starvation long ago.

The man before you calls himself “Pantalone” nowadays and you lose all sense of indolence whenever his presence looms. When he watched your last sister perish in your arms, an epiphany gave birth to his cold demeanor towards deities. He found it challenging to worship the Archons who had no need for mora but were eager to take it away from destitute mortals who needed it as you and your sisters did. The death of your younger sibling was his final straw, and in a sense, you also buried your old friend that night. 

Unlike ██████, Pantalone cannot forgive nor trust the Archons for their broken promises. If Lesser Lord Kusanali had abandoned withered forests, Rex Lapis had abandoned those whose blood and tears cannot amount to any mora. You were only allowed to study at the Akademiya after he decided the former was the lesser evil.

Although Pantalone never condemns you for calling him by his birth name, you cannot tell yourself that he and ██████ are fully the same person. There is an unspoken need to straighten your posture and greet him with a semi-scowl to demonstrate your maturity despite him acting cozy and warm. Worse, his lax demeanor never ceases to remind you that despite his uncomfortable reputation, Pantalone is the only companion you’d entrust your soul to even when the world warns you not to deal a contract with the devil.

“You just want to use new brackets every day—”

“I am a businessman, love.”

You speared Pantalone with a pointed look.

“—And why Sumeru? Have you landed a deal with a reputable Amurtan optician? And why didn’t you ask ME first? You weren’t cornered by Dottore or the Tianquan to kickstart an eyeglasses company, were you?”

He scowled, unamused before firing back without skipping a beat. 

“Summer, seven years ago. You accidentally bought six bunraku puppets from Inazuma—”

Your eyes widened. Not this embarrassing anecdote again.

“Woah, woah! Now, why are YOU extorting me?”

“So you’d be silenced quicker.”

“…”

This reticence was slowly exasperating the harbinger, but he never utters a complaint when you're whom he's conversing with. Pantalone cleared his throat with an elegant smile. In that moment of cessation, you figured that he had a seemingly innocent proposal in mind.

“(Y/n), my most dearest baobei…” The harbinger ventured.

“Pantalone…”

He pulled out his desk drawer and ferreted out a parcel that you suspect contains a pair of glasses.

“Would you care to be a test sub—”

“No.”

You have a gut feeling as to where this is going. He’s going to propose that it’s “just” glasses until you find out he’s been using you to track or spy on someone without your knowledge. Classic Pantalone. You won't be duped by that TWICE in a row. If you knew better, you wouldn’t have accidentally leaked intel to the Fatui that Katheryne was being controlled by the Lord of Verdure. All because Pantalone hid a recorder on one of his “gifted” hearing aids...

Listen— just because you refused to lend a hand to the Archon when she was in need and was subsequently confronted by the 2nd harbinger in Sumeru City doesn’t mean you were colluding with these fools. 

You just wanted to remain neutral in any given situation. Unlike your childhood friend, politics bore you to death. And just like the Acting Grand Sage, you’re too lazy to act as a beta tester no matter how minimal the effort the task requires.

“I only ask that you wear this pair of glasses and test its comfortability.”

“I refuse.”

“We can negotiate how much mora you’ll earn—”

“Just stop.”

“Hmm, if I phrase it as a “gift”, would you accept—”

“Hell no.”

Pantalone paused.

“Hmm…” He tapped his desk, gazing at the paperwork neatly piled up.

“Word of advice, (Y/n), it’s highly probable that the price of cocoa will rise next week,” he shrugged. “That fact is, of course, most definitely unrelated to our current discussion.”

Is he… 

Is he threatening to generate chocolate inflation over a pair of glasses?!

You scoffed, eyes wide.

“██████, you worthless SCALPER.“

“The majority prefer to call me a ‘regrator’, but that new nickname is acceptable as long as it is you who makes such mildly unpleasant utterances.”

“GAH! You— YOU—” Even though he may completely ruin your usual routine of buying chocolates after work, it's difficult to curse him out. You have no choice but to spout illogical syllables without a valid clause. “JUST— YOU!!! YOU.”

Smack.

Upon hearing your facepalm resoundingly, he laughed uncontrollably, removing his glasses to wipe his eye with an uneven grin on his face. He tried to keep his composure but he kept snorting. 

You took a peek between your fingers. What a precious noise. You haven’t heard him laugh like this for over three years now.

At that moment, you thought ██████ was alive.

“F-Fine— give me those damn eyeglasses.”

Pantalone drifted the parcel above your palm until he quickly retracted it as soon as you reached forward.

“But before I do that, can you promise me one thing?”

“What is it this time?” You groaned.

“Don’t lend it to anyone else, understand?” Pantalone slightly ruffled your hair. “I had it custom-made for you.”

You rolled your eyes, “that thing is definitely wiretapped. You’re not even bothering to hide it anymore.”

“Oh no, it’s not just that—” 

“Just that?”

He shrugged smugly, which was not a good sign. 

“The eyeglasses function similar to an Akasha Terminal, but of course, the information you’d find there is directly from my database.”

Pantalone opened the box and swiftly put the white-framed glasses on your face. He lightly tapped the frame—

and a control panel window flickered open.

Just like an Akasha.

“H-How on earth—”

“The Doctor and I had a deal. He’ll recreate at least 80% of a regular Akasha’s functions while I help him track down a few… crops. It’s a quid pro quo, I promise. It’s less of him exploiting me and more of me exploiting…— well, that doesn’t matter right now. C’mere, let me see your lovely face...”

Pantalone tilted your chin up with his thumb. His face was inches away from yours, and his piercing lilac eyes observed your glasses and what was behind them, calculating. His breathing was notably strained in a subconscious attempt to make you feel less uncomfortable from the position he trapped you in— ever the perfect gentleman— but you see his entire face flushed in a pinkish hue. A few seconds have passed, and you feel the glove pressed against you twitching. 

Pantalone pulled away, shoulders stiff.

His ears were red.

“I-It’s working as intended.”

If not for the nature of your relationship, you were close enough to kiss– an appealing notion for the harbinger, yet it is not a move he should bring himself to try.

“Y-Yeah, no kidding. That was awkward.”

He gripped his arm, looking at the window.

Pantalone is painfully aware you think of him as an older brother. Or at least, the shadow of one, given how you rarely call him by name anymore.

“My apologies, I simply wanted to take a good look at you.'

He muttered, “you’ve grown into a gorgeous person, (Y/n).”

You didn’t hear him.

“██████– I mean, Pantalone–”

“Go back to calling me ██████, dear.”

“Pantalone.” You put more emphasis on his harbinger name, watching in glee as he rolled his eyes, “I expect to be paid in chocolates and at least two months’ worth of food.”

Indeed, your proposed exchange pleased him. ██████ knows how much you value healthy eating and abhor it greatly when others waste grains of rice. Time and imagination had transformed his early memories as you as a human so close to a skeletal figurine with sunken cheeks and broomstick-like limbs. Those thoughts cause him much sorrow. Pantalone would have pampered you for free if you had only let him– seeing you eating healthy gives him life. Almost like how a father would tell his children that seeing them full is enough to make him full as well. 

Let him spoil you with food. Please.

Seeing you thin makes him feel sad.

“What do you want to eat for dinner later? My treat, as always.”

“Mint salad sounds lovely.”

“Just mint salad?” Pantalone smiled thinly.

His dearest baobei, no longer skin and bones. No longer barely fueled by rice and salt. No longer skipping meals. It warms his heart more than the exclusive springs offered to him because of his mora and title… But it’s not enough. It’s never enough.

“Hmm… Would it be okay to request a plate of Triple-Layered Consommé?” You muttered, gazing at the floor. “I kind of miss your cooking… Just. Just kind of.”

His heart skipped a few beats as he saw your shy expression. 

You straightened up, coughing, “not that your cooking is anything special, it’s just that I don’t want to eat anything too bland and–”

“Of course! Anything for you, my love.”

Pantalone grabbed your hand and placed a soft kiss on your knuckles.

“My baobei, you’d be too full to walk once I’m done spoiling you…”

“D-Did you have to word it so seductively?!”

You blushed once again, which only served to worsen his urge for making you undeniably satiated. 

Oh, how he wants to keep you in a cage, locked up, and fed until he’s satisfied that you’ll never starve again…

Maybe then, you’d let him spoon-feed you like years before...

There's no rest for the wicked. When you returned to Vanarana the next day, the aranaras pulled you in for another chore at Devantaka Mountain.

“Hey, little man, get down there, right now!” 

You screamed with your hands cupped around your mouth to amplify your voice. The aforementioned "small man" scoffed, not shifting an inch from his posture, as the blue aranara crept up behind you.

Ararycan worriedly relayed that a “Wood Nara” had been trespassing the large abandoned Khaenri’ahn machine. The little vegetable-like creature had grown to trust you when it came to scaring off unwanted guests, which usually entailed eremites or treasure hoarders scavenging for scrap metal. 

“Ararycan wants to stop Wood Nara.”

You gently pried the wire off their hand, keeping it in your pocket in a very definite fashion. 

“I know, ‘Rycan, but Naras are stubborn beings.”

“Just like Nara (Y/n)?”

You gasped, eyes widened.

These plant-like beings are surprisingly masterful at the art of roasting.

 “Just like Nara (Y/n), you say?! Rude, Ararycan, rude.”

You laughed humorlessly, masking your jadedness with forced laughter. 

In all honesty, you’re inclined to believe that this job reassignment was Alhaitham’s way of punishing you for remaining neutral. But surprisingly? An Amurta alumnus like you have been enjoying the task and in no small part thanks to these silly little creatures.

It's absurd to imagine that you would consent to be pulled by these vegetable creatures. You initially believed that they were paracosms produced by a lack of stimulation. You once tried to ignore them. Regrettably, that frail facade didn't survive due to a couple of slip-ups. The first to catch you drawing their likenesses next to your weather reports was Arapas. The second was Arabalika, who overheard you whispering about how powerful they were after they defeated a ruin grader, and then Arama who heard you humming their songs. They’ve built up quite the case against you, and you had to fess up before they start giving you a hard time.

By “hard time”, you were referring to how a crowd of tumultuous aranaras huddled up and tugged your hearing aids’ wire with their teeny hands incessantly.

Which was what Ararycan is doing right now.

“Get us up there, Nara (Y/n).” 

"Careful, Rycan– you might damage the wire."

Suddenly, the hatted man's eyes widened after seeing you. Call it intuition, but it seemed like this total stranger knew who you were.

You made an exaggeratedly loud inhaling sound, turning off your hearing aids momentarily.

And then, a scream.

“STOP, STAY WHERE YOU ARE!!! RIGHT!!! NOW!!!”

The difference between stupidity and bravery is measured by outcome, and neither are variables you wish for this “Wood Nara” to test out. Alhaitham would have you write two pages detailing an incident if the stranger broke something and eight more if the machine awakened. And sadly, you are only a small percent less lazy than that man.

Despite your words droning childishly, you made no move to approach him. His eyes sharpened, but you felt no scrutiny— 

This man you’ve never met wore a blatant look of disbelief.

You looked down.

Maybe he could see Ararycan…?

“Hey— can you see them?”

You swiftly swept Ararycan off the ground, who made a surprised yelp. 

The man winced.

"P-Please… Leave the forest alone…"

"And why should I care about your pathetic request?"

"Please, have mercy… T-There are creatures that live in this area… Creatures you cannot see because you lacked a human heart."

“–Ngh!”

Those memories were hard to swallow, like reading an inked sloppy handwriting submerged in water.

“G-Good riddance…”

The man coiled in pain, gripping his scalp with his lithe fingers. You cannot view the expression on his face, nor were you able to verify that he had yelped. The distance between you two was too great to conceive a communication that did not rely on shouting.

“Nara (Y/n), what are you doing?!”

Although your proximity with the aranara doesn’t cause any communication barriers, that didn’t stop Ararycan from yelling.

For some reason, the stranger flinched after seeing you carry what appeared to be air around “normal people”’s vision. Perhaps he found your actions cringe-inducing… or perhaps it made his migraine worse. Then again, both possibilities are not mutually exclusive. However, you have a feeling he didn’t flinch because he saw Ararycan.

The blue aranara leaped off of your hands.

“Ararycan is worried… Ararycan thinks Wood Nara is going to destroy the giant iron mountain…”

You stared up at the man again, wanting to go on for a long rant but refrained after realizing how immature that is. While you do have a hunch that the stranger possessed a vision, you’d bet mora that he is no match for Arabalika’s accumulated Ararakalari. 

“Say, why do you keep calling him Wood Nara? Is it because of his ginormous hat?” You whispered to Ararycan.

“Huh? Did Nara (Y/n) not notice?” They tilted their head.

“Ararycan calls him “Wood Nara” because he’s made of white wood. Ararycan is not sure if he is a real Nara.”

Their answer entered from one ear and exited in the other. You’re used to hearing the Aranara lexicon that you never take any sentence at face value since you’ve learned your lesson back when Arasaka made you scout the market for a “Taste of Happiness.” Thank the Lord of Verdure that it was only Pantalone who laughed at you for describing sugar as “white, cubic, crumbles when crushed, becomes sand, and can be eaten.”

“Hah, well, he better not be made out of wood 'cause I might burn him.”

“Ararycan doesn’t think that’s easy to do. Wood Nara smells like the taste of anger,” once again, you ignored their riddled words.

You clutched the pyro vision dangling in your cloak’s right shoulder, located opposite where Alhaitham places his. Your skill set does not differ from that dendro user’s repertoire, and you calculated what vertice you should drop upon teleporting. Grabbing Ararycan, you rushed forward...

Without making it past the one-minute mark, you leaped effortlessly to where the stranger stood.

“Excuse me, young man, but do you have an Investigation Charter from the Akademiya?”

With an unused voice when it comes to dishing out commands– much less an implied threat– your approach wasn’t even a fraction of what makes authorities like the General Mahamatra intimidating. Yet, you still tried. You crossed your arms and hovered your hand near your claymore.

This stranger gazed up, boasting his soft face and beautiful lilac eyes topped with a complexion quite like a sheltered princess. He had the finest eyes you had ever seen. Yet, even with a heaven-sent face, his eyebrows were knitted. He continued kneeling on the cold metal of the giant mossed and corroded machine. 

One closer look should’ve made you hyper-aware that his joints were not bound by mortal flesh, but your heart was more entranced by his glassy pupils. 

“We meet again. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.” 

He muttered inaudibly, hence, you did not hear him. Since you also just came back from visiting Liyue and their post-festival fireworks, you’ve turned your hearing aid settings lower than usual. You bent your knees slightly, offering a hand.

“Nana korobi ya oki,” you said. The stranger looked like he hailed from Inazuma, so you thought you’d put your knowledge to good use. “It means–”

Unbeknownst to you, you uttered the same thing in a past long forgotten.

“I know: fall down seven times, get up eight.”

His gloved hand grasped your own, and you tried not to think about how soft yet firm it was as you pulled him up. You grunted slightly from the shifted weight while he didn’t breathe at all.

“No, I don’t have any clearance permit,” he said. “And I still don't have a heart, if that still matters to you.”

You raised an eyebrow.

‘Still’? What the hell is he talking about? Aaru village is miles away from here, but is it possible that the man you’re talking to is a mad scholar? That’s concerning. 

Pushing your glasses farther up the bridge of your nose, you tried to search his face in Sumeru's records– which might be more unlawful than whatever this man's doing, but who's policing you anyways?

…

Nothing.

There's not a single official record on this man.

Not even in the Fatui's database.

Almost like the man in front of you doesn't exist.

"What the hell are you wearing?" The man sneered. "Since when did you have awful eyesight too?"

“No Investigation Charter, no clearance, just what do you think you’re doing here?” You digressed. “May I at least have your name?”

The man tilted his hat up, “and why should I stupidly give my information away?”

Your eye twitched. He kinda reminds you of Arabalika. Maybe if you gave him a cane he’ll calm down a bit.

“I do have a use for your name, awkward stranger.”

“And that is?”

Writing a report to the Acting Grand Sage regarding suspicious individuals.

“Something to call you,” you shrugged with a child-like candor, renewing your request with bold obstinacy. “I’d rather not recount this tale to various parties as That One Time An Awful Little Man Tried To Pry Open A Giant Machine And Failed.”

He exhaled curtly.

… Was that a laugh?

“How childish. Even if you don't know my name, your "friends"– assuming you have some– will remember me by that stupid description.”

“I mean, it's a memorable first impression,” you met his gaze smugly. “But why are you hiding your name, hmm? Suspicious.”

“It’s called respecting one’s privacy. Something you don't understand.”

How rude of him to make assumptions about you, “are you some covert government official?”

“No.”

“Then what? Are you some inhuman being?”

“...” He didn’t say a word.

Something tells you that the answer is close to your hunch.

“[Wanderer].”

He muttered, once again, you did not hear it so he spoke louder.

“That's my name. Don't you dare make me repeat it.”

“[Wanderer]…”

You missed the way he tipped his hat, hiding an uncontrollable smile from your view.

[Wanderer]... That does sound like a fitting name. It reminded you of a character from a franchise or mythological tale you thoroughly enjoyed as a teenager. It might be rude to share that information, though. You’re not certain how this bratty person would react upon hearing that his name might as well be the name of your lotus from a botany class.

Normally, [Wanderer] would snap a “speak up– is there something wrong with my name?” upon listening to hushed whispers or a resounding silence after his many introductions. But you’re different for a reason. 

There was no way in hell he would take the traveler's suggestion over a name you had given him.

Ararycan tugged your pants.

“Hey, don’t just stare at him, Nara (Y/n)! Tell him to leave!!!” Araycan trashed around. “Nara (Y/n) must be a brave Nara if you like the taste of anger.”

[Wanderer] is the taste of anger? Is that what Ararycan was trying to say?

You blushed, fake-coughing behind your hand.

You wouldn’t say he reminds you of the taste of anger– especially with that winsome face. If anything, his appearance looks a lot like the bunraku dolls you accidentally bought years ago.

“Well, [Wanderer], it’s nice to finally put a name to a face,” you said. “But this is a dangerous area. What are you doing here…?”

“I just wanted to look for traces of the Doctor,” [Wanderer] crossed his arms. “Unfortunately, I can’t pry this stupid machine open.”

“The Doctor? Who’s that?”

“The Harbinger who sits at the second–”

“Aah, The Outcast. I see–” you shook your head. “Wait, no, I don’t get it. What does he have anything to do with this machine here? This is a Khaenriah’n creation.” 

“I know, I’m not dumb like you. I'm here because The Doctor had plans for these automatons, that’s why I’m here.”

“But even so, it’s not advisable to wander these parts alone. You ought to have asked for a travel companion. Who knows if you run into a hoard of vanaagnis in marana?”

“Hmph. Do you think I can’t handle a few whooperflowers in a withering zone? The audacity.”

“Arrogance is the capital stock of misfortune– wait, how’d you know Vanaagnis is a term for whooperflowers?” You blinked expressively. “And the meaning of marana too– so you ARE a mad scholar.”

“I’m NOT,” [Wanderer] glared. You noticed how he seemed unimpressed when you mentioned that proverb about arrogance and “capital stock”, and his expression soured more when you accused him of being a lunatic. 

“I just… I just learned from the best.”

[Wanderer]'s stare not wavering away from you.

Your silence did not go unnoticed by the other two.

“...Why do I have a feeling you’re trying to say that you’ve learned from me?” Those words had escaped from your mouth before you could stop them.

[Wanderer]’s eyes widened.

“Can… Can you remember?”

“Remember…?”

He frowned, eyes reflecting his disappointment.

“No, no, it’s probably just a fluke,” [Wanderer] frowned with a finger tracing his lips. “Maybe my expression just gave it away…”

“Nara (Y/n)!!! Tell Wood Nara to leeaaaaveee!!!”

You tried not to flinch at Ararycan’s whining. They don’t seem to understand that having poor hearing doesn’t mean you can’t register their commands.

[Wanderer] walked past you. 

“Fine, I’ll leave this device alone, but on one condition.”

“What makes you think you’re the one in control–”

“Go out with me.”

“...”

“...”

“... What?”

Your eyeglasses flickered red.

But that red light was gone in a blink, you weren't even sure if it existed.

You laughed nervously, “sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly–”

He refused to meet your eyes like a coward.

[Wanderer] replied brusquely, “look– you're partially deaf, but you’re NOT stupid. You heard what I said, so own it.”

"Hold on– where is all this coming from, [Wanderer]?" You pivoted your heel but were too late to yank his sleeve. 

He already hovered a few feet away from you.

"I'll come to visit this place more often," [Wanderer] smirked. "You’ll still be here at the upcoming Festival, right? Mark your calendar. That’s our date.”

“Hey, you can’t just!– Aaand he’s gone.”

Despite his abrupt parting, you couldn’t help but smile over such a cheeky encounter, completely forgetting how that man rummaged through the giant machine you’re standing on without a permit.

Something tells you that you’d see him more often.

And you did.

“[Wanderer]” never failed to visit you at 10 AM sharp every day, until there was only one day left till the next Sumeru Festival. At first, you thought his eccentric personality would make the following days unbearable, but he was rather civil– just sharp-tongued. 

He would show up whenever you wandered in the forest to disseminate knowledge about the local flora and Sumeru's history. Some of them you already knew, while others had you wondering if he knew the Lord of Verdure. While you were trying to interview him for a report, not as a trespasser but as an assistant, you once purposely lightened the atmosphere to get honest responses from him. When you jokingly asked who he was, his reply was unsatisfactory.

“Who I am is not carved in wood nor stone. ᏕᎧᎷᏋᎧᏁᏋ wise told me that it’s a flexible concept and it’s easier to understand through a story, but even then, you’d only see a fraction of who that person is,” [Wanderer] peered dotingly. “If you wish to know who I am, then work for it. I’m not giving you a damn summary.”

Tomorrow is your first "date" with the man and you barely knew him.

Your internalized frustration made him think you’re insatiably adorable. 

How the tables have turned. 

After all, [Wanderer] only responded with the same answer you had given him before.

In a forgotten history, ᎩᎧᏬ were the one that spouts spontaneous philosophical questions that led him into fits of unintelligible musings. [Wanderer] berated humanity for being sentimental creatures yet look at him now, proudly boasting the name ᎩᎧᏬ gave him wherever he went. It is by no means grander than a title like God of Everlasting Eternity or other such monikers, but when Godhood has stripped away from him, that name provided more solace than a seat in Celestia.

“The Puppet”, “Kunikuzushi”– such utterances are water under the bridge. Only [Wanderer] stays afloat, like a bubble on water. Maybe a bubble is only beautiful for a moment, yet that moment weighs more than a meaningless “eternity” and he knows this well…

[Wanderer] had been played by fate. Attaining freedom, independence, and a vision did not absolve what chokehold you had on his synthetic being. 

You're a colorful character, averaging about five meaningful papers per year– all the while considering yourself a "retired" genius. [Wanderer] would've been a kinder and forgiving person if you were his young and impressionable self's creator. He envied your patients, your strange collection of bunraku dolls, and the tenderness you reserve for them. 

He missed you, no matter how often you both fought. Your hums used to enchant him when you lull him asleep with aranara songs, but they now haunt him up at night. You were his puppet and he was your dictator until you had grown exhausted of foreign power enough that you abandoned your neutrality and revolted. 

But you did not revolt against him in this revision. Without a doubt, his revised “past” still mirrored the pain he caused, but through other means. He can’t say he had no regrets when he tampered with the Irminsul. Niwa’s death had less weight in this world, and for the wanderer, death without sanctification for a significant purpose is unnecessary homicide. And instead of helping Azar’s experiment, you became a “disobedient pet” who saw no need to collaborate with his superiority complex.

Yet, despite being such a disobedient pet– in his opinion, that’s a grave understatement–, he can’t help but cherish you.

The puppet missed the way his delusion marked your body. Fingerprint-like blotches collared your neck before, but when the slate was wiped clean, so too did his inflicted bruises. He missed the way you begged him to stop the pain. He missed the way you defended invisible creatures as “Queen Aranyani’s successor.” He missed the way you begged to keep the forest safe.

He missed the way you begged to be his.

But those marks are long gone– the symbol he carved on the nape of your neck had disappeared. You no longer had anything that resembled signs of his ownership.

Not only that, but seeing you wear eyeglasses– something you haven't before– fills him with anger.

The one saving grace from this situation was when this timeline confirmed that you wouldn’t help Azar if it wasn’t for [Wanderer]. You were interested in his personality and disposition as a puppet longing for a human heart, not just any of Dottore’s run-of-the-mill creations. That observation surely boosted his ego. 

Your opinions mattered to him most in that project. Admittedly, he craved everyone’s veneration, even when they lacked true understanding.

But you were the first mortal that made him appreciate his defects…

 

"Is it so bad to live this way?" You combed his hair with your fingers. "Must you try your hand with such heresy?"

"Know your place," Scaramouche gritted his teeth. "You're nothing more than my maintenance worker- you do not deserve an audience."

"Be that as it may, future faux-god, can't you entertain me for just a moment? If I wasn't worried about you, I wouldn't be helping you with this damn treacherous experiment.

You ignored how he snarled at such a nickname, "it pains me to watch you lust for more power when you already boast an acceptable form. What is it that makes you so desperate? Is it because you can't hide the ball joints that connect your fingers and limbs?"

You continued while adjusting the tightness of his skeletal wrists.

"Is it so bad to live on as a defective being? Does imperfection invalidate a life's purpose? I only ask out of curiosity. I have imperfect ears, so does that make my life devoid of meaning?"

Scaramouche frowned, "do not compare your ears to my heart or lack thereof."

He didn't understand why his voice cracked. Scaramouche did not feel his usual temperament sizzling over but something heavy resided in his chest.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, I know you're not sorry," Scaramouche cupped your cheek, sporting an uncharacteristically loving smile.

"And your unapologetic behavior is what makes you my first sage."

His first sage…

[Wanderer] laughed to himself.

His first sage would know that if he gained a heart, he would've seen the aranara you were talking to earlier.

But this is fine. He can start over again. 

This time, he’ll make you love him normally.

Heaven, please help the white wood that fell in love for it will never be human…

…

Out of the blue, Scaramouche spun and hurled three consecutive wind blades toward the woods with precision.

Be that as it may, the walking salt is surely more pathetic.

The “trees” grunted, but [Wanderer] did not miss the smell of salt-infused perfumes.

What a shame. 

The next Sumeru Festival, your “date”, is tomorrow, yet there will always be those who lurk in the shadows to see the mighty fall. 

"Pantalone…" 

The ex-sixth harbinger snarled with unfathomable familiarity. Which was the complete opposite of the ninth harbinger, who coldly greeted him like a new enemy. 

"Good afternoon, [Wanderer]."

Pantalone pulled out a gun from his hidden holster.

"No hard feelings, sir," the businessman smiled thinly. "I am but a simple man eliminating a love rival. You see, it’s not nice threatening to steal someone’s possession."

Scaramouche cackled.

How annoying. He never liked this friend of yours– he much preferred the one that planned a coup. Pantalone was not a coworker Scaramouche liked, much less a rival. This ambitious man was always a parasite, pretending to be worried while threatening to withhold project funding behind your back. Scaramouche will never forget how he boasted insolently that he had known you longer as if eternity wouldn't be enough to make up for it.

"You never change, mortal," he laughed even harder. "I knew something was off about (Y/n)'s glasses!"

"Hmm? Is that so?" Pantalone pushed them up closer– reminding Scaramouche that he’s no terrible shot. "How strange. In any case, I quite frankly don't care what you know or do not know."

He pulled the trigger as Scaramouche stomped his feet.

Only a few knew what occurred in Vanarana that day, but there was one thing the forest remembered.

Before either of them parted, a loud bang echoed that even deaf trees can't miss.

You woke up from Araja’s house (which was the only comfortable place to sleep in Vanarana) after passing out from tumultuous loads of paperwork sent directly by the Baharak. She joked that at that point, maybe she had become a bad omen for you– and you confirmed her suspicions. The tasks the Acting Grand Sage laid out for you were taxing, if not, deleterious for your mental well-being, and worst of all–

He sent a notice that this would be your last week patrolling Vanarana.

When you spread the announcement, the aranaras were saddened by the news. Even Arabalika was unimpressed and asked if you can prolong your services. Alas, it can’t be refuted.

Noticing how tired you appeared, the village chief immediately commanded you to sleep while you pretended not to hear whispers of a surprise farewell party. Considering how the place looked positively empty this morning, you’d wager that they’re busy working on it.

But you do smell that someone’s cooking right now…

The enticing scent emanated from a large pot. As you sauntered closer, you noticed how Arasaka was tending to the food. The aranara gave you a friendly wave that you didn’t reciprocate. It’s rather chilly in Vanarana in the mornings– and the sleeves of your jacket were comfy. 

“Good morning, Nara (Y/n)!”

“Good morning, ‘Saka. That smells delicious,” you smiled bittersweetly.

“Hehe, really? Glad to hear it! One of Nara (Y/n)’s friends helped gather the ingredients. That Nara was good at hunting down prey!”

One of your friends…? You haven't introduced a lot of people to the aranaras. That can only mean it's either Baharak, Pantalone, or [Wanderer], and you can safely remove the first one since they're positively busy with guild matters. 

... Huh. But those two can't see aranaras. Does that mean they stole Pantalone or [Wanderer]'s game?

"Pfft..." You chortled. Yeah, imagining either of them getting confused as to why their hunted boar had gone missing feels like a sight to see.

You took the ladle from Arasaka’s hand and sipped the warm liquid.

…

“Oh, hey, this tastes pretty good!”

“Hehe, Arasaka is glad to hear you liked it! Nara taste buds are hard to please.”

You took another sip as Arasaka watched. The warm soup went down smoothly, but the aftertaste had a serpent-like bite to it. It tastes akin to red sorghums Pantalone would down whenever social drinking was inevitable. Your only critique was that it would’ve been a refreshing experience if there wasn’t a rocky object stuck between your teeth. You awkwardly picked it out.

… And saw a small hint of (wood/salt) between your fingers.

You stared at Arasaka.

Strange…

Something feels… off. 

This doesn't taste like happiness, it tastes like…

You shivered and yet the aranaras around you still had that same painted smile. 

 "Does Nara (Y/n) like the taste now? The taste of friendship?”

… Friendship?

No. That can’t be it.

The spoon splashed back into the bowl. You didn’t say a word, only stared at the boiling pot. You knelt, grabbing both handles to gaze upon the bubbling red liquid. With trembling hands, you picked the spoon back up and swirled the contents. Nothing was of note–

Until you scooped something from the very bottom and found thick strands of dark hair.

A very familiar strand of dark hair.

You adjusted your glasses in an attempt to find out where this human hair came from–

“Nara (Y/n) likes the scent of (wood/salt) Nara so my sisters added him in!” Arasaka innocently cheered.

Your heart dropped.

You turned pale– gagging.

No. It can't be.

Did you just eat…

“So, Nara (Y/n)– does our cooking taste bland now?”

… “him”?

“Oh, Nara (Y/n)’s friend is approaching! Don’t forget to thank him for the food!”

[bluebeary-jay]

CONGRATS!!! 1000 FOLLOWERS IS SO AWESOME AND I'M HAPPY FOR YOU!!🥰🩷

For the celebration I'm thinking Joel has lived in Jackson for months and has a bad reputation so people mostly avoid him and he always keeps to himself. BUT reader is the exception, always with a big smile and really polite to him (and he has a terrible crush on her). She always sees him alone at the bar looking around and seeming dislocated and decides to ask him "may I have this dance" cause she likes him too, but he panic and refuses. Later he realizes he's missing his chance with her and tries to fix it. Just some nice fluff (with age gap please🙏)

HIIIII SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT NONNIE

(okay so I'm back-ish, I apologize to everyone for disappearing but i had a rough couple of weeks and had to deal with a lot of stuff. i actually finished this fic some time ago but didn't have strength to post it but i'm more ready now so here you go <3 i hope you'll like it, i had a lot of fun writing it!! and thank you for requesting!! love you 🥰)

Joel Miller was a recluse. Everyone knew that, though not many were aware that he didn’t exactly choose this kind of life for himself.

He really hoped that things would get better after he settled down in Jackson with Ellie, but the residents of the town made it very clear that they didn’t want his company. It stung a little, especially since Joel didn’t think he gave them any reason to be wary of him, but he hid his hurt well. With time he got used to nasty whispers, people giving him a wide berth and basically everyone but Tommy and Ellie avoiding him. It was unpleasant, sure, but he learned to just deal with it.

Well, there was also you.

Joel had no clue what your deal was. Why you weren’t shying away from him like your fellow peers and why you went out of your way to always catch him into a conversation or smile at him whenever you saw him.

“I think she’s crushin’ on ya,” Tommy told him once during a dinner at his house. Ellie and Maria weren’t present, the latter showing the teen some clothes she might want – and thank fuck for that. Joel would murder his little brother if he said such nonsense in their presence.

“The hell you’re talkin’ about?” he spluttered, his eyebrows furrowed when Tommy sent him a smug, knowing grin. The question was completely unnecessary, of course, since they were already talking about you, but still Joel hoped he somehow misinterpreted his brother’s words.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Joel.” He sprawled out on the chair, still with that stupid smirk. “I really think she’s into you. I’d ask her out if I were you.”

“There’s no… I assure you she isn’t.”

“But if she was–”

“She’s not. Now can I eat my meal in peace?” Joel placed his hands on the table, but Tommy shook his head.

“But you like her, right? She’s nice.”

Joel sighed. “Yeah, she is.”

“And pretty.”

That Joel didn’t fall for. He glared at his brother.

“Jesus, Tommy, let me have it. I’m lucky she even wants to talk to me, with all her friends tellin’ her I’m bad news and me being half her age older.”

His eyes became solemn and voice took a lower, quieter tone, which told Tommy the matter was hitting Joel harder than he let on. He sat up straight, getting rid of the teasing smile.

“Alrigh’. Sorry for bringin’ it up.” Joel sighed and nodded, signifying that everything was okay. “I just want you to be happy, y’know. Maybe you should give yourself a chance.”

The older Miller didn’t answer and took a big swig of whiskey out of his glass.

The problem was, he didn’t need Tommy to tell him all that. Joel would have to be blind and stupid not to notice how breathtakingly beautiful you are, and this, combined with your intelligence, passion and sense of humor, was his ultimate undoing. Every time he talked with you, it was all he could do to hide the redness in his cheeks and the weakness in his knees.

But he did. ‘Cause, let’s be real – even though Joel recognized he had a terrible crush on you (though it took him weeks to make peace with this fact) he knew there was no way in hell you’d find him even a fraction as attractive as he found you. He was almost twice your age,  for heaven’s sake, and such a young, gorgeous woman as you would never agree to throw her life away to be with an old man.

But God knew that with each day you broke down his walls, the desire to kiss you was becoming more and more agonizing. Every smile you sent his way worked only to feed his imagination of how soft your lips would surely be if he could only brush his thumb across it, not to mention touch them with his own. He wondered how your hands, so much smaller than his calloused ones, would feel on his stomach or shoulders. How it would be to embrace you with his arms, skin to skin and without any layers in-between.

Those were not the thoughts he should be having, especially in public – yet here he was, several days after his conversation with Tommy, imagining impossible while he watched you laughing on the dance floor with your friend. You looked so carefree, so happy and full of life, your energy only reminding Joel sourly of his own old age.

He noticed you glancing his way several times throughout the evening but he knew it didn’t mean anything, it would never mean anything other than your innocent friendliness. So he just quickly looked away lest you realize he was staring.

Joel took a swing from his glass and looked around the bar, trying to take his mind off you – fruitlessly. His eyes still darted back to you every few seconds, involuntarily roaming over your exposed skin visible under the nice outfit you picked for tonight. It was driving Joel insane with longing and need, and all he could think of was the mental image of how kissing and touching you gently would feel like.

Bet you’d feel so perfect under his palms.

He closed his eyes and propped up his forehead on his fist, trying to tune out the music and all the distracting background noises.

Keep it together. 

He had to remember that he was way too old to be this enamored with a young, pretty girl like you. You would surely be repulsed if you had any clue about what was going on in his head, and some of the thoughts he had–

Then, Joel felt a light touch on his shoulder and lo and behold – there you were, standing right in front of him with a bright smile, as if summoned by his thoughts.

“Hi,” you said, tilting your head in that endearing way that made his insides tighten. “What are you doing here alone, cowboy?”

Joel prayed that he wasn’t blushing, though his hope diminished increasingly when your eyes wandered curiously across his features. Your eyebrows rose slightly and he cursed internally.

Fuck, you were so beautiful.

“M’not…” He cleared his throat and started again. “M’waitin’ for Tommy. He had to sort somethin’ out with… uh, someone.” He drummed his fingers against the table but stopped immediately, not wanting to give you an impression that the conversation with you was boring him. “You don’t have to do it, darlin’.”

You gave him a puzzled look, and he explained. “Y’know. Hang out with me. The people like to talk nasty things and I don’t wanna expose you to that.”

“It doesn’t bother me.” You shrugged with a sweet smile which Joel could kill for just to see it one more time. “And I… enjoy spending time with you.“

It didn’t mean anythin’. You were just bein’ friendly.

But even though he kept repeating it to himself like a mantra, Joel could not take his eyes off you. You were a vision – your profile bathed in the soft lights of the bar, your bottom lip between your teeth as you looked over your shoulder, deep in thought, at the stereo tower. The current song’s notes died down and a new one, much slower and romantic, started to play. You took a deep breath and let out a nervous laugh. “Actually I wanted to ask you something. If you don’t mind.”

“Ask away, darlin’.” He offered you a small smile, hoping to put you at ease, and you wetted your lips – which nearly gave him a heart attack and caused him to almost miss your next words.

“May I have this dance?”

Joel’s world stopped for a moment. He was in the middle of lifting the glass of whiskey to his lips but his muscles stiffened and the tumbler slipped out of his cold fingers. It didn’t shatter, but the rich liquid spilled all over the table. Your eyes flickered to the overturned glass, but Joel didn’t pay it any mind, too stunned to look at anything else but you.

“C-come again?” he stuttered, his voice strained and small. In the corner of his eye he noticed people at the next table glancing their way, alarmed by the noise, but he forced his attention back to you.

“This is my favorite song,” you explained shyly, an adorable blush spreading across your cheeks and neck. “So… may I have this dance, Joel?”

Now the people sitting around them definitely heard that, because they started smirking and whispering, and one person went to another group standing nearby on the dance floor. Joel felt his own face growing hot as he watched them pointing not-so-discreetly in his direction.

It was like the most wonderful dream and the most horrible nightmare come true at the same time.

He couldn’t do it. There was no way, not in front of all the people of Jackson who hated and despised him. He didn’t want to give them a show to gossip about or worse, subject you to their disdain.

But you still stood in front of his chair with an innocent, hopeful smile, though you started to shuffle the longer Joel was silent. The song – your favorite, supposedly – was passing in the background but you kept waiting patiently for an answer to your question.

He had to come up with something. Or just explain to you that he doesn’t dance – the sweet little thing you were, you’d probably understand and not pressure him into doing it. At least he hoped so.

C’mon, say somethin’.

“No.”

Your face fell instantly and Joel’s eyes widened at the mortifying realization of what just came out of his mouth.

Anythin’ but THAT.

You stared at him for a couple of seconds in the silence of the bar before your eyes started to glisten and you averted your gaze. Someone to Joel’s left snickered derisively and in the next second whispers erupted all around you two. You seemed to shrink in yourself, embarrassment and regret marking your beautiful face, and Joel’s heart almost broke when a tear slipped from your eye, and then another one fell down your other cheek.

“Okay,” you murmured, wiping the treacherous tears quickly and keeping your gaze trained on the floor. “Sorry. Sorry.”

You turned on your heel and went to exit the establishment, your step gradually turning into a run when the giggles and whispers around you became louder. The door swung open on the winter wind and just like that, you were gone.

Then all eyes turned to Joel – and the shame Joel felt increased at least tenfold.

He saw Tommy standing up and walking toward him from the other side of the room with worry written all over his face, but Joel didn’t stick around to hear what he had to say. He stood up and left through the same door you did, glaring threateningly at anyone stupid enough to still snicker at the situation they witnessed.

Ten minutes later Joel was standing in front of your door, trying to keep his knocking below the ‘desperate’ level.

He realized that he had to tell you. He intended to keep the feelings he harbored for you bottled up for the rest of his life but you needed to know the reason why he turned you down. You needed to hear from him that he cared about you, that it wasn’t some malicious act toward you but sheer cowardice stemming from the problem that he was madly in love with you.

“Hello? It’s… it’s Joel,” he choked out through his tight throat as he knocked again, a little louder this time. “Darlin’, can I talk to you?”

No response came, though he saw the lights in your house were on, and Joel had to take a deeper breath to calm his nerves. He prayed that he hadn’t completely screwed it up, but for now all the evidence spoke against him.

You wanted to dance with him. You gathered your courage just to ask him for a dance and he said no.

Joel knew he lost his chance. He lost you. You were his only friend in town and he somehow managed to fuck everything up with just one word.

He was so lost in his wallowing in despair that he almost missed the door opening slightly. In the gap of the doorway he caught a glimpse of your iris – and though it was only for a split second, Joel could clearly see that your eye was red. A pang of guilt pierced his chest but once you saw it was him, you shut the door again.

“No, darlin’, please. Please, just let me explain.” A wave of desperation and fear threatened to drown him and Joel’s heart clenched in his chest. “I’m so sorry, I acted like an asshole but I never wanted to hurt you, I just… I-I panicked.”

He was babbling, not even knowing if you were still there on the other side of the door, but the desperate and remorseful words were spilling out of him like a waterfall.

“I’m so sorry. Sweetheart…” Joel sighed, putting his hand on the cold wood of the door and listening for a couple of seconds, but there was no sound coming from inside. “Please. I’m beggin’ you, open the door.”

Then he heard something – a sound like blowing one’s nose. Joel froze for one, two… three seconds, and nearly collapsed in relief when you unlocked the door.

“You can come in,” you said, but didn’t meet his eyes. “You’re probably freezing, no?”

Joel nodded, feeling his throat going dry at the sorrowful sight of you. He crossed the threshold, closing the front door quietly behind him and looked you over. You hadn’t changed out of that pretty outfit of yours yet, although it was now covered by a long cardigan that you draped over your shoulders. In your hand you held a crumpled tissue but quickly pocketed it when Joel’s eyes fell on it.

He opened his mouth with a sharp inhale but before he could apologize, you beat him to it.

“I’m sorry for that,” you blurted out and glanced up at him but quickly looked down at the floor again. “I shouldn’t have asked you to dance in front of all those people and I overreacted because then everyone was looking at me… Look, it wasn’t even that big of a deal so don’t read into it. Everything is fine.”

“No, it’s not,” he said softly and you pressed your lips into a thin line. “You have nothin’ to apologize for. I’m sorry for embarrassin’ you. I panicked ‘cause I–”

“It’s fine,” you muttered again. “Just forget it.”

“I can’t. Listen, sweetheart, I panicked ‘cause I wish I could let myself read into it.”

Your head snapped up and Joel swallowed heavily, realizing how stupid that sounded.

“What I mean–” Fuck, he really was shit at talking so openly about these stuff. “I… I have feelings for ya. Had ‘em for a long time now but I never planned on actin’ on ‘em ‘cause I know I’m too old and you’d never…”

“You’re… really?” you asked with wide eyes, but he tuned your words out, fearing that you were going to kick him out at any second.

“I’m only tellin’ you all this ‘cause I need you to know I care about ya and I didn’t say ‘no’ outta malice or… or ‘cause I don’t like you. I do. Too much, I’m afraid.”

You were staring at him, mouth agape and silent. Joel didn’t move, awaiting your reaction – whether you tell him to get out or scream how disgusting he was, he was going to take it. And then, if you never want to see him again, he’ll accept it. One day. But he doubted his heart would ever recover.

“Let me fix it,” he begged, his voice just above a whisper when you didn’t give any reaction to his confession. “Please, darlin’.”

Your eyes skimmed over his face as you hummed to yourself, almost irritably calm. Joel swallowed, the weight of guilt and anticipation pulling him down – and he was ready to fall to his knees before you when finally you lifted your hand to brush his lower lip with your fingertips, so delicately he could barely feel it. He froze and tried not to breathe, not wanting to cause you to pull away.

“I noticed something when you were rambling,” you said with a hint of reflection. Joel had no idea what was happening or why were you acting that way, but he daren’t move. He briefly entertained a thought that he was dreaming, but then his attention got caught by the sight of the corner of your lips twitching slightly, as if you were keeping yourself from laughing.

His chest expanded with hope so strong, it was almost unbearably painful.

“What is it?” he forced himself to speak, the nerves making his voice weak and raspy.

“Your accent gets heavier when you’re nervous,” you mused, as though to yourself, now trailing your fingertips down his stubbly cheek. “It’s cute.”

His heart lurched at your words. You gazed up at him and absently bit your lip, which Joel found downright sinful.

“Do you have any idea how long it took me to gather the courage to make the first move?” Your words were bitter, but there was a trace of relief in your voice. Joel let your fingers wander across the lines of his jaw and cheekbones, wishing he had enough boldness to touch you like that, too, but suddenly, your hand stilled and your eyes met his again. “Did you mean it? The things you said?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation, his own fingers twitching as he restrained himself from reaching for you. His head was spinning, trying to comprehend the meaning of your actions and words. “But do you–”

You touched his lips lightly again, silencing his question, and your features slowly were overtaken by a large, bright smile, which seemed to lift all the heavy weight of worry from Joel’s shoulders.

“You wanted to fix it, right?” you asked in a teasing whisper. He nodded. “Then just ask me.”

You weren’t angry. You weren’t pulling away.

You wanted to dance with him and you gathered the courage to do so, and now Joel had to do the same. He couldn’t waste this second chance you gave him.

The corner of his lips quirked upwards and he exhaled shakily.

“May I have this dance?”

You pursed your lips to hide your joy and side-eyed him, but your eyes were sparkling with playfulness. “You know, I think I should respond the same way you did. Just to be fair.”

“Sweetheart, don’t play with this old man’s heart,” he whispered and smiled shyly when you giggled at the exasperation but also uncertainty in his voice. Joel still felt kind of out of it, too stunned to trust his mind that this was really happening – but the sound of your laughter brought him right back to Earth, to the place he wanted to be more than anywhere else.

“You’re lucky I’m feeling generous tonight, Miller.” You took his hand and brought it to your hip, making Joel’s breath hitch in his throat and cheeks grow warm. His reaction didn’t get past you, and you smiled at him so radiantly that his world started to spin. Then your arms wrapped around his neck and you pressed your body against his. “But you’ll have some atoning to do.”

His throat was dry, but Joel returned your shy smile, stepping to the side and guiding you carefully to the thumping rhythm of his heart.

And a couple of minutes later, after more hushed apologies and assurances during your slow-dancing, Joel placed his hand on your cheek, almost letting out a relieved whimper when you nuzzled your face into his palm.

And after another few minutes went by, when he leaned in and you didn’t stop his lips from meeting yours, he knew he was a goner.

He couldn’t get rid of the big smile on his face – perhaps the first real one since arriving in Jackson all those months ago.

[morganski-19]

Eddie deciding on a whim to move to Texas is the most Eddie Diaz thing that man has done this season. I'm sorry, that man doesn't know a proper line of thought.

This was actually one of the possibilities I saw happening, but I didn't think it would go this way. But, I'm also not mad at it at all.

Why, because it's not going to really happen. This is a redo of his season 5 arc, but worse both in concept and kinda in its execution. (I just wanted a few more scenes of the Chris situation throughout 8a, but what we had was also ok)

Eddie never actually listens to people's advice. He picks up the one thing he thinks is important, completely misinterprets it, and jumps to unnecessary conclusions. Like there are so many examples of it happening, this post would be so long if I went into them.

It is completely in character for him to jump to an extreme without consulting anyone. He takes Brad whole "don't let it grow another inch" bit, and attributes that to the physical distance between the two, instead of just, I don't know, asking Chris when he might want to come home.

He's in a mix of wanting to respect Chris' boundaries, but also not sure how to bridge them enough to actually get him to come home. So instead of talking about it with anyone, he thinks that moving there will just solve everything. Which actually, would make things a million times worse.

[betticajuguitodemora]

I watched the two eps, and what I can say, in general, I liked it!

The photography, filmography, writing (in some moments) and the acting are good.

In the first minutes, you can see that they had a care to maintain the YBSLF spirit.

ALSO JEA'S ACTING LOOKS GOOD AS HELL. ESPECIALLY WHEN HE SINGS TO BETTY OH MY GOD THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL

The elevator scene was only kissing but you can see the steaminess on it, but it was too short to me so I got a bit disappointed. All the Armetty scenes are sooo good (thanks for the JEAMO chemistry) but the best scene by far is the "somos novios" scene. It still stucks in my head.

But there was things I didn't liked, like the Marcela and Paty's arc, because it seems they're stuck in time, especially Marcela. I know Nati Ramírez is trying to do justice to her character, but her plot (especially taking Ignacio as her lover and try to put him in the presidency) isn't working to me.

ALSO DANIELITO! OMG, HIS FATE WASN'T WHAT I EXPECTED AT ALL. I knew he was dead, but not in jail for fraud with ECOMODA's money!!! And plus, BETTY BEING THE ONE WHO SENDS HIM TO JAIL!!! LOL

Julia's death didn't make sense to me and was unnecessary. Fina Franco is still alive and she would love to be back. For me, it made more sense if Hermes is the one who died and Betty/Julia griefs on him.

I need to talk about Camila. Many people are hating on her now, but I'm sure she will have a redemption journey. Also, I liked how Juanita portrays brilliantilly Camila having a hybrid of Armando/Betty (70%A / 30%B). No wonder she's closer to her daddy lol but I will breakdown on her character later.

Ignacio is like Danielito 2.0. And I loved him, especially the scene where he roasts Camila hahaha. But I HATED that they put him as Marcela's gigolo/mistress. I was like WTF. They should've put him as Marcela's nephew or son!!

Sandra, Bertha and Freddy are good! I had a good laugh with them, and their characters kinda evolved and the actors acting are in point. BUT I'M ALSO MISSING AURA MARÍA. WHERE'S MY GIRLIE

Paty bring the new chief of personal doesn't make sense to me... she didn't even finished college, and saying Gutiérrez just choose her from nowhere doesn't make sense.

The scene of Betty's transformation was expected to be emotional and all, but it didn't worked for me. I'm sorry, but Julia's letter (placed on Betty's old diary, who strangely survived for +25 years) felt too dull, empty and short to me. It's just saying "Betty go back to be ugly" and Betty is like "ok ma 🤓". That's why I'm not buying it.

ALSO, THE FACT THAT ECOMODA'S STORY ISN'T SHOWN ON THE RECOMPILATION. IT BROKES MY HEART! BUT ECOMODA WILL ALWAYS BE CANON TO ME, IDC (maybe post about it later with a storyline of YSBLF - ECOMODA - YSBLF:LHC)

So, so, my final score to these two initial eps are 7/10. It looks good for now, the fans of Betty will like it, and I'm expecting to know how the story will unfold.

[voidbeau]

Silly Mr. Plant Ramble: His Vines!

I talked about it a little bit on one of my redraws but I wanna yap a little more about them.

Sorry if there's a bit of repeat here im a senile old beetle, but I do talk about some more stuff lmaoo.

Giving Mr. Plant vine designs was always a fun decision for two reasons like, I'll gladly admit that a big part of the idea initially- at least for me, I know there's others who ended up doing this for their Mr. Plant too, but for ME, it was just because I've always liked the tattoo aesthetic. I have many many OCs with tattoos and many more that will continue to have them loool. But ALSO, the idea that Mr. Plant can just grow and manipulate vines to use as extended limbs has always lived rent free in my head- and other people's I'm sure! In fact, I even linked to the post that initially inspired me to consider Mr. Plant vines on one of my redraws.

The post that inspired it is a couple years old at this point i think??? but I'll link it again cause it's worth lookin at. Here.

Our presentation of Mr. Plant vines is different of course but that's the part of the fun, the differences. I love the idea of these vines that Mr. Plant has that can just slither out from underneath his flesh as needed. Like he just has a network of them beneath his skin and- as I mentioned before in my redraw where i talked about it, they just kind of sit near the surface of his skin like blood vessels or something.

Whenever I'm drawing Mr. Plant and I'm coloring in his vines, I think about watching them move or twitch or readjust themselves while they're still nestled comfortably under his flesh.

In fact I think I even mention in the fics that I managed to post that they tend to move the most when he's experiencing high emotion.

How comfortable is it for Mr. Plant??

I always imagine the vine patterns on Mr. Plant tend to change a lot because they shift and also because when Mr. Plant brings them out for use and then tucks them away again, they kind of nestle back into a new position...

And also because I can't be arsed to map out and stick with a consistent pattern when I'm drawing Mr. Plant.

BUT THAT STILL MAKES FOR FUN VINE LORE

Because I imagine it must feel a very particular way to slip those things out and back in again. Maybe it even gets uncomfortable or tender on those spots on his body if he does it too much???

Fun things to think about.

But because of the fascinating or even unsettling nature of watching these slithering, wriggling things underneath someone's flesh, Mr. Plant always kept them covered because- similar to horror stories from people with tattoos, people in the Void tend to forgo things like personal space and "minding one's own business" when they see Mr. Plant's vines.

Not even when the vines are out but even just when they're chilling under his skin.

"Woah, does that hurt??"

"Can I touch your arm?"

"Ew, that's disgusting!"

Que people attempting to grab Mr. Plant's hand or wrist for a better view.

And then all manner of other unnecessary and annoying comments that Mr. Plant had to deal with so he just opted to wear long sleeves all the time when going out in public.

I can't imagine many of those people who had the audacity to grab him are still alive though but, to prevent future mishap!

The sweater.

But I like to think because Argos liked Mr. Plant's vines so much- both because he thought they were pretty and also with the way I tend to imagine the placement of Argos' eyes across his body: in coiling swirling patterns, he was like, "wow, me too!!! See?"

And slowly overtime Argos managed to convince Mr. Plant to show them off more again.

I do like to think that when Mr. Plant is out and about on his own- depending on where he's going though, he may choose to cover up again, just to avoid any potential hassle. But as long as he's with Argos, he'll have his vines out on display for him. <:

Maybe not always but most of the time.

I also like to think Mr. Plant has days where he let's them just kind of splay out across his Void, like he's stretching them out.

Stuff I never talked about before because I was always super self conscious about my very slight design choices for Mr. Plant lmaooo.

But I don't care as much, I'll yap about anything at this point. Sort of. Looool.

The other reason I bring it up- other than just cause I think it would be fun to talk about is because, I was just working on some Mr. Plant art and whenever I come to his vines I'm always thinking, "What did I do last time? Should I try to keep it the same? No... but maybe similar. Nah fuck it, they're all over the place."

Cause sometimes I'm on the fence about whether or not I want to keep a consistent pattern. Tbh tho like i said, I'm lazy and also I think it's a lot more fun to think that they move around and also be able to kinda see that lmao.

Basically it was just on my mind lmaoo and I thought, "you know I never really go into it..."

And I have thoughts.

I always have thoughts.

[worth-this-and-more]

Sarah Griffiths: a character study because people aren't talking about her enough and im so disappointed yall pt.1

[spoilers for legendborn and bloodmarked, read at your own caution ;)]

first and foremost, Sarah Griffiths has been my fav character since like forever and I haven't been able to talk about her very much, sincerely sorry, but nvm this post is for her anyway

she is the third person from legendborn that bree met after nick and sel I hope this is some kind of foreshadowing because I want more sar content but okay I'm just grasping fallen marbles atp lool and I feel like a lot of people overlook her. which is understandable because she didn't have a lot of screentime but her time was really important too, so here's my rant about my fav sar moments + character study + fangirling

her introduction was quite normal and formal, and even i could not imagine her fighting the shadowborns, understandably so because this "pixie-like girl in a flowy dress" doesn't really seem fierce enough, or does she??

sar definitely surprised me specifically in this scene:

while everyone is heavily confused but still alert on their jobs, sar made sure to place bree to safety, without giving any unnecessary lecture about "oh page matthews tf were you thinking why arent you back to the lodge??" she really knows how to keep her cool, and her action and reaction are almost similar to what I expect wlliam or greer would do

next fav sar moment was when she defended bree from sel at the infirmary:

sel is right in his place to suspect bree, it's his job to see the safety of the order, and he is angry af. we all know our merlin boy is scary af when angry because as russ so eloquently stated "you're never sure if it's safe to talk shit about him behind his back" and that's true anyway, but like sar really defended bree even when she did not know her, because she trusted nick's judgment and has already accepted bree as their own.

i feel like this is a very important factor in all the characters, especially sar, as I'll discuss further

next, this one:

she noticed bree was shaken from this encounter, because for her bree is a onceborn who had the unfortunate luck of experiencing a shadowborn attack and see so many injuries real time, while being attacked by an uchel as well. she offered to drive her home and walked her to her dorm, a girl's girl through and through. ik it seems like the barest minimum but I will still appreciate it because let's be real, everybody was stressed, who else would've offered to take bree back to her dorm safely?? nick is injured, william is busy, sel is busy trynna kill her, evan is injured, and the others are still processing the day. this small gesture seems insignificant but really shows sar's mindfulness and makes me fall for her harder and harder each time

this car ride is where we find out that she is a victim of racism as well:

which creates multiple questions. she definitely knows tor is racist, and I wont be surprised if tor has herself made racist remarks on sar as well but just keeps it quiet in front of her?? sar must definitely hear tor's remarks about others, especially bree. she stays because she loves tor, as we've seen here:

but there's definitely some kind of resentment towards tor that develops further in the story. how did she end up with tor anyway?? like after tor's "rebellious phase", is she really just in love and trying desperately to ignore all the red flags or is there some other story??

also her devotion to the order?? i love it. the order ain't shit, we know that, but the definite loyalty that sar has towards the order, it doesn't seem like much but I admire that grit so much. she was raised for service, but she chose to stay and serve even knowing all the risks. bree is the first of her family, but sar definitely has her own stories to be known.

again, my fav sar moment:

no explanation needed lmaoo sel doubted his own demon side for a sec haha

sar keeps tor in check around bree, because she knows tor hates bree's guts, and as we see here:

sar definitely calls the shots. im pretty sure that everytime tor finds something to bitch about, sar gives her the deadliest side eye ever because the kindest ones are the deadliest ones always. and whenever bree calls tor out for her behavior tor goes crying to her gf because sar is the only one who tolerates her lool

and finally, the most precious sar moment in legendborn:

everyone is in love with sel because he was the first one to kneel for bree, but we are kinda forgetting that sar was the second one to kneel. she has already accepted bree as a part of legendborn, and did not hesitate to pledge her loyalty to bree. this is the most iconic sar moment I love because she is loyal to the order, to bree, and to her service.

this is what i mean when i say I love sar, there is so much story behind this one girl and I really really wanna know her. i hope she has more moments in oathbound because her loyalty is fierce and I'm pretty sure she will join alice and william too if this gang forms

bloodmarked will be discussed in pt.2 hehe I think this much is enough for today lool

[yeehawpim]

HI UM i really admire you and your art and i was wondering --

so i really love the way you format your comics, its really straight-forward and lets the reader process every word with ease (which i think adds to the impact of the writing), and that one rue comic with the split colors for the parentheses... how do you do it without making it look so messy?? to bring up another example, the hide-and-seek comic- i love how subtle and genius the call back to hiding behind the door was, it blew my mind... i take a lot of inspiration from the way you format and lay out your comics but for some reason i cant wrap my head around how you do so much with so little (in reality this might just be the result of me wanting to add so many little details for others to find , while being conflicted on keeping it simple, and,,, AGH...) for context : im trying to make a comic about isolation, but i keep filling up the page because i want to add things - when really i know i should be keeping it simple... but other than removing unnecessary details, i want to know what else you do to make your comics so clean and simple yet it rips out the emotions from your heart and has you stare at it as it beats. like... i want that type of impact!! i want to affect others on such an intense level!! i want to induce emotions!!! but how?

(sorry this was long, HAHAHA i just want to drive my point home- again with the 'wanting to add a lot of stuff to prove a point' thing but i digress)

ok first of all that is a huge compliment and it means v much to me, thank you 😭🙏❤️❤️

tbh for me the answer of keeping things uncluttered is paying attention to spacing and eye direction. Spacing depends on timing, if you want an action to happen slowly for instance you can make the space between panels longer, or take more panels for someone to complete an action. There's tricks for directing your eye, if you ever read anyth about focal points (eg biggest contrast, triangular shapes pointing towards what's important), but really with comics I keep in mind you're reading left to right and top to bottom.

The ruehob comic is actually simpler than you think 😅 I already knew which text had to be on the left and right with august's text post. And after that the "lanes" were so narrow there weren't a lot of complicated things I could do, just make sure you still read left to right and saunter vaguely downwards.

when you talk about putting little details, that doesn't necessarily have to distract people. Like I honestly applaud you having the drive to do detailing. You just have to make sure your compositions allow for it. Like if you think about ghibli backgrounds, they're elaborate and beautiful af.

For smth about isolation, my first thought was that you can draw a person in a setting alone among a bunch of objects, for instance. If you keep the person small but surround them with a bunch of detailed objects, it could feel very lonely. Just make sure the person still stands out b/c they're what's important, so for example the background stuff is a less saturated colour, or the person is the least detailed thing on the page. I think that's the main thing, you just have to make sure the things important to what you're saying stand out. Clarity is rlly half the battle when I'm laying things out haha

In school our teacher called this "killing your babies" because it sucks when you work hard on a cool drawing and it just doesn't work out😂This also still happens to me, it's actually partly why I keep things simple so I can work fast and throw out less

Here is a timestamp from supereyepatchwolf's video about Chainsaw Man, which has some of the coolest fuckin layouts

He's got other stuff that talks about manga and how eye direction can work and what cool stuff has been done. Off the top of my head his vid about one piece and his vid about gantz have helped me understand how to cause Emotions. Also I think he has one about Junji Ito that specifically talks about how details can make you scared, if you're into that 😂

hope this helps!

[winpocalypse]

https://www.tumblr.com/winpocalypse/772196248762679296/still-thinking-about-your-tags-on-this-post-dean?source=share

(god this is so long im sorry i just have many thoughts on wolves and wolf dean)

"captive / badly socialized wolf dean" YES!! it rings soo true to how his formative years was a family structure that was very militant and constricting in nature with him dividing the world into hunters/civilians/monsters and he'll remain captive to this role and make sure sam is ducked into the same enclosure as him too

also love that you mentioned that wolves in the wild do not fight unnecessarily (the alpha wolf myth buster was honestly the best thing ever) . It's also been observed that sometimes dominant wolves will display passive submissive behaviour to maintain the harmony in packs. it does not affect their hierarchy because the claim of natural dominance is inherent. no posturing needed.

ok so normally im a deersam&wolfdean truther but

I'm wondering if you've considered sam&dean as a sibling pair? (and here's how my wincest agenda can still win)

so naturally there are 3 main types of wolf dynamics right? family with a breeding pair and kids (or more), the lone wolf, and lastly the pairs. normally these are breeding pairs before kids but sometimes, siblings tend to stick together even after leaving the pack to form their own. Usually these pairs suffer due to lack of resources but some extremely competent pairs make it by hunting and watching each other's back (!). they offer mental support to each other and can stay together for Years until they find mates (sibling mating rates are negligible in the wild cause of genetic avoidance)

but there's 1 exception. and that's captivity. sibling pairs in captivity don't have access to or form connections with other wolves outside their immediate family. sometimes they even emulate their version of a family and these families (as u mentioned) cannot leave each other and are much more "stable" due to less disruptions from external factors. (generally this includes pups)

so i guess im saying captive sibling pair samdean imitating some version of 'family' that somehow works for them (or well, at least dean says it does)

this is everything!!!!!!!

It's also been observed that sometimes dominant wolves will display passive submissive behaviour - yes!!!! and i love that, because it shows dean's complete lack of proper social skills. he needs to reaffirm his role again and again and rarely he takes a step back to avoid conflict. when he does, it's to avoid "unnecessary" talks, but it builds and builds until it explodes some other time. we see sam desperately trying to reach out sometimes, talk about their situation, and dean just stands by his unsocialized ass. we even see john do that (the 'submissive' behavior), i know people like to interpret him as a crazy violent father, but he did take a step back once in a while, but he is fairly messed up in his communication skills as well, as we see with wolves when one of the parents die, the pack loses structure, and he was not able to teach proper behavior by himself, and because they're lacking, he shows a lot of dominant traits to compensate and that is what dean observes the most

if you've considered sam&dean as a sibling pair? - now i have and i love it!!! the thing that is most delicious about this is something you mentioned as well: wolves avoid incest. they bond, they play, they care for each other, older siblings even regurgitate food for the pups (and ain't that a image), but the kind of monogamous commitment we see in a breeding pair? that's something else, that's not at all natural for siblings. so for sam and dean to reach that kind of codependency? it has to be such a messed up foundation, such a deep unstable ground that they gotta balance themselves in. sam, though, he had a wild wolf mentality (he's self-taught), he understands loyalty, he understands family, but he's not afraid to go find his own, but just like you said beautifully

he'll remain captive to this role and make sure sam is ducked into the same enclosure as him too

yesssssss

so dean doomed sam to pair with him for life, i would say he even built the enclosure himself and after a while, sam understands he can't get away

they remain as captive, but they remain as family <3

[dreamingofep]

Strangers in the Crowd pt. 11

(Elvis/Austin!Elvis × reader)

Character/Fandom: Elvis - Elvis (2022)

Request: No, just another one of my delusional fantasies.

Prompt: You and your best friend are on your annual girls trip and go to see Elvis at the International.

Little did you know this would be a show you'll never forget. [Fem!Reader]

TW: Cussing, teasing/ tension, SMUTTT, oral sex,outside sex, daddy kink, spanking, the usual really dirty stuff.

Rating: Explicit/Mature (NSFW, 18+, so minors Do NOT Interact)

Word Count: 4.1K

A/N: Hello everyone! Its summer in Graceland and it hot 😏 if you know what I mean😉 Like I said previously, this fic is coming to its end very soon but I have other stories coming soon to that I’m VERY excited about and cannot wait to tell you more.

I'm so glad you've been liking this story so much! I also mentioned earlier that I’m also posting my fics on Ao3 so you can read my stuff there too if you want!☺️

This has been so much fun to write and hear your reactions! Enjoy! Sorry for any spelling mistakes or overall goofs.

Feel free to message me or comment what you think! 🖤

The Memphis sun baked into your skin today and radiated its warmth through your body. You were soon discovering how hot Memphis can get in the summers and you were not prepared for that by any means. The one nice thing about it was how your skin had a nice glowing tan now, one that matched Elvis’.

The first few weeks living at Graceland was something out of a dream. It felt wonderful to be with Elvis every day and get to know each other on a deeper level. He was so catering and his southern hospitality really shined through to make sure you felt like you were right at home. Anything you wanted, he would get you to make you the happiest while you were staying here. You didn’t have time to pack before you and Elvis got on his plane to go straight to Memphis. To be completely honest, you didn’t want to see anyone try and convince you to stay, and after the events that happened with your parents, you definitely didn’t want to hear it.

Elvis bought you an entire new wardrobe that was completely unnecessary, but was so generous of him to do that for you. You could tell a lot of the outfits were hand-picked by him based on how revealing some of them were.

It was an adjustment living with so many people all the time. The house was constantly buzzing until the later parts of the night, where you can hear the crickets sing and the house finally came to a still.

Night falls, and you decide to go for a swim. Elvis isn’t anywhere to be found so you’ll just go in by yourself. He has been a bit high-strung since he is opening in Vegas once again in a few days. He had been rehearsing in Los Angeles the last few weeks, going back and forth from there, and back to Memphis every few days to try to get the show perfect. This was going to be his third time playing in Vegas and wanted to make sure the show was fresh and exciting still. You assured him that it was going to be great, but he’s too much of a perfectionist to relax until it’s actually done. The added pressure of having it professionally filmed also weighed on him. MGM was filming six shows for this new movie so that meant Elvis has to find new songs for such. You wanted him to relax when he was home but he couldn’t fully enjoy the quiet. He was always picking up a guitar and playing or going to the piano.

This meant he was less attentive to you and your needs. Not that you were being selfish, it was just how it was. You respected that he was so dedicated of an artist that his craft was the most important thing to him. You knew this next show was going to be even better than what you experienced, and that’s saying a lot.

He’d show affection always, but the more close, intimate moments were brief, if at all present.

You didn’t take it personally, you understood, but you wanted him desperately. You wanted to find the right time to get him alone, and have him take you right there, no questions asked.

After rummaging through your drawer to find the right swimsuit, you decide to go with the high-waisted two-piece one with the cherry pattern on it. You grab a towel from the bathroom and go back downstairs to the pool.

You place your towel on one of the reclining sun chairs and dip your toes into the dark aqua pool. It was cool and brought a slight shiver to you, but with the blazing sun beating down on it all day made it feel like the perfect temperature to cool off at night. You quickly jump in and get the instant satisfaction of being able to feel so much more comfortable.

The pool isn’t large by any means, but big enough to do laps and get a nice workout in.

As you do your laps, your mind continues to wander to needing Elvis. You knew he wanted you too by just the look in his eye, but his mind was somewhere else and probably didn’t find it right to give you half of his attention when it came to that sort of stuff.

You take a break from swimming and float on your back, getting to stare at the shining stars twinkling in the sky.

“Well what do we have here,” Elvis teases.

You pop your head up to the sound of his voice and see him standing on the other side of the pool, wearing a pink short sleeve button up with black pants. His eyes have this wild child like glint of mischief when he looks at you.

“Nothing that would interest you,” you tease back. He chuckles softly and walks to the side of the pool you’re on.

“It looks like something I’d like,” he says, crouching down to see you closer. You swim closer to him, hanging onto the ledge of the pool by your fingertips, looking up at him between his legs.

“Why don’t you come in here and find out if it’s something you like,” you jest.

A devious smirk arises from him, “I see just fine right here baby.”

You reach out and pull at his shirt, popping off the first button. He looks down at the pearl pink button fall onto the concrete.

You stare pleadingly at him, the light beaming behind him from the back door fixture, cascading a shadow over him making him look like an angel. His golden tan skin gleaming and his black hair dancing in the breeze. Your hand continues to work his shirt buttons, trying to feel his skin touching yours.

“Come in baby, get those pants off,” you coo.

He lets out a exasperated laugh, “woman you know what I’m wearing under here,” he says smugly.

Yep you do… nothing.

“Are you being shy E? You don’t want to let little Elvis free for a swim?” You say cunningly.

His face flushed and he shakes his head at you in disbelief.

“I swear to God woman…” he trails off.

A devious little idea pops in your head and want to tease him further, make him have to get in here and pay attention to you. Your hands reach around to your back and untie the straps around your rib cage. Once they are free, you lift the top off your neck and throw it at his feet, making a splashing noise when it hits the ground.

“What do you think you’re doing?,” his voice full of concern and slight agitation.

“Nothing, I don’t know what you mean,” You say innocently. You bring you hands out to your side, kicking off the wall of the pool and away from him. Your chest elevates as you swim away and your nipples rise above the water, hardened by the cool water. His eyes grow in shock, checking over his shoulder to the back sliding door and the kitchen windows that no one was looking at the scene you were making.

“Y/n you better put this back on right now. I don’t want anyone seeing you like this,” he says firmly, his voice controlled and unplayful.

You shake your head no at him, swimming further away from him, drawing him to follow you to the other side of the pool. Your hands go back under water and pull your bottoms down, bringing them to the surface and ringing them out before throwing them in Elvis’ direction. His jaw drops and his eyes darken.

“Honey, I’m not playing with you, you better put these back on right now,” he growls. You know you should be carful, you’ve seen how his temper can flare when you don’t listen. But you didn’t care. You wanted his attention and this is how you were going to get it.

“Nope. Not until you get in here with me,” you sayin a snarky tone.

Elvis frustratedly throws your swim suit down on the ground and jumps in the pool after you. You quickly swim to the other side as you see him come up for air, wiping his hair out of his face, searching for you with wild eyes.

“Y/n, come here,” He barks. “You want someone to see you like this?!”

You can’t help but giggle at the rise you’re getting out of him.

“You’re going to have to come get me before I put any clothes back on,” you tease.

Staying in the deep end of the pool, you try to dodge him and swim away from him. Both of you are getting out of breath and your legs are getting tired. You can’t help but laugh at how serious he’s being right now. It’s a rare occasion when Elvis is dead serious and not cracking a joke. But the thought of one of the guys seeing you naked makes his blood boil and his temper flare off.

He catches up with you and pins you to the side of the pool wall, fire blazing wildly in his eyes as he grabs your arms stilling you. You’re in the middle of the pool and your feet don’t touch the ground anymore. He still stands up fine and gives him more leverage to pin you here and control your movements.

“I thought you knew how to listen to me after all this time, but instead you’ve just become more of an insolent little brat hmm?”

You push your hips into him and let out a soft sigh out, liking the much needed attention of his body on yours.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you say innocently.

“Oh, don’t you do that with me. I’m not gonna have that. You want someone to see you naked?” He fumes.

You take a second to look at his face, seeing the clear frustration but nonetheless beautiful and very distracting.

“If I were to say yes… is daddy going to punish me?” You say in a hushed whisper, your hand wandering down underwater to his bulge, squeezing it in your hand and watching him jump.

He looks at you in shock, waiting for you to say anything else.

“Yes, I’ll have to show you who you belong to,” he growls. “No other man gets to see you naked but me,” possessiveness dripping off his tongue. He lets go of you and gets out of the pool.

He stands in front of you, his clothes dripping wet and clung to his body, showcasing his best assets right in front of you. He looks so inviting, so handsome, you want to get on your knees for him right now.

“Get out of the pool,” he commands.

“You want to at least grab my towel,” you say snappy.

He makes a snide chuckle, “Since you don’t care if anyone will see you, thought you wouldn’t need one.” He barks.

You bite the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from smirking, knowing your little game is working.

“No you’re right baby. That was a silly thing to ask for,” you say challengingly.

You wade over to the steps to get out of the pool and step out, brushing back your wet hair out of your face and letting it fall on your back.

The look on his face on priceless, the disbelief that you would actually walk around naked out of the pool so confidently shocks him to the core.

You walk by him, flicking your wet hair in his direction and walking to the lounging chairs where you had left your pool towel. His eyes burn holes into your backside watching you walk away. You nonchalantly pat your body dry, ringing your hair out, and taking a seat on the chair. You stretch your arms out above you and let them dangle off the chair. You hear his footsteps coming toward you and he stops right in front of you.

“You think this is a game?” He questions harshly. “I’m not going to ask again,” he cautioned.

You shake your head no at him, reaching to touch his cock again, feeling him tense up.

“Daddy’s going to have to teach you a lesson,” he growls, grabbing your wrist tightly, pulling your hand away from him.

Your core throbs at his words, needing his undivided attention more than anything.

“I’m going to need a long, in-depth lesson before I fully understand, daddy, and then I’ll listen” your words with an icy edge.

You reach for the towel behind your head and stand up, wrapping it around yourself and tucking in the corner at your breast.

Reaching down for his top button of his pants, you push the button through and slide down his zipper. You reach your hand into his pants and wrap your hand around his shaft, moving it up and down slowly.

“Daddy, please forgive me. I promise I’ll listen,” you coo.

You feel him get hard in your hand and watch as he sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth, fighting the urge to succumb to you. The heat radiating off of him felt suffocating and made you want to crumble at his feet even easier than you could imagine.

He spins your body around, making it so his back is facing the back door and windows.

“Get on your knees and show me how sorry you are,” he commands, his fingers tracing the hem of the towel resting on your breasts. He pulls it down off of you, leaving you standing naked in front of you. The darkness of the night didn’t stop his eyes from glimmering with that mischievous glint.

“Mhmm, yes daddy,” you say softly, sinking to your knees at his feet.

He pulls his cock and balls out of his pants and glides his hand over his shaft, stroking it sprightly.

“Open that mouth for me baby,” he quips.

You obey and open your mouth, waiting for his tip to touch your tongue.

He pushes his hips forward, plunging his cock to the back of your throat. You instantly gag, not ready for his long length to be inside you like this. You squeeze onto the back of his thigh with your hands, needing to take some of his length out of you.

His hands reach into your hair, pulling your head back, making you look up at him.

“You’re gonna take this cock like a good girl. Take your punishment for not listening to me,” he growls. You whimper at his instructions, opening your mouth once again for him.

He lets out a pleased groan and puts his cock back inside your mouth, keeping the firm grip he has in your hair.

He fucks your mouth vigorously, making the most vile sounds come out of you and drool spilling from the slides of your mouth.

He changes pace and starts to push your head forward, taking in more of his cock while he keeps his hips still. You flatten your tongue out on the bottom of his shaft and watch as he lets out a breathy moan. You can’t help but smile that you can make such noises come out of him.

You try to suck as much as he would let you, letting out moans as he pulled out of you to let you breathe. Your hand slowly inches for his balls, cupping them softly and massaging them lightly in your hand. He pushes his hips forward as he feels you doing this, having you take his entire length in your mouth. You lick at the base of his cock, hearing his deep groans that fill the otherwise still night. Putting more pressure on his balls, you feel him tense in your mouth.

He groans and moves his hips slower while he’s inside you. You’re almost sure he’s going to cum like this, but he pulls his length out of your mouth and has you just focusing on his head and massaging his balls in your hand.

“Oh fuck mama, yes,” he gasps pulling himself out of you, “use your mouth on my balls now,” he directs as you gasp for air.

You eagerly take his shaft in your hand and start jerking it, placing your mouth near his sac. You give one long lick causing him to gasp. You use your fingertips to push his sac to your mouth, wanting to suck on one of his balls and shower him with attention.

You suck on one and his cock twitches in your hand. You test how much pressure you can put to make him groan the most. You lick and suck on his balls while still slowly jerking him off in your hand. You love the sounds he’s making, sounding like sweet music to your ears.

You had never done this before so it did make you a little nervous, but you would experiment with what he liked. Like the rest of him, his balls were large and heavy making your mouth water for him. He lets out a loud gasp as your tongue swirls around his teste, bringing a new pleasure to him when you have it inside your mouth.

He pulls you away from him, leaving a sucking pop sound with you release his ball from your mouth.

“Fuck mama, you’re killing me,” he says breathlessly. You can’t help but giggle slightly at his reaction to all of it. You could keep going if he would let you but he lets out a frustrated grumble as you look up at him with his cock still in your hand.

He doesn’t like the reaction from you, he doesn’t want to hear you enjoying your punishment for acting out so childishly. “Your punishment isn’t over yet baby. Get up.”

Elvis tucks himself back into his wet slacks and reaches for the towel that’s fallen on the floor to cover you, wrapping his arms around your torso and picking you up. He makes long, quick strides into the cool, air conditioned house, sneaking you down to the basement and into the jungle room.

He placed your body face down over the arm of the couch sitting in the middle of the room, your hands stretched out in front of you holding yourself up.

“You’re such a bad girl, always liking your punishments too much.” He grabs your hair again, pulling your head back and places a hard spank on your ass. The pain of it spreads through you like wildfire making you cry out.

“Elvis!” You say loudly, squirming out of his touch. He stills you putting a firmer grip on your hair and your hip. His hand comes down again and the sound of the spank is the only sound that fills the room. You let out another cry, hearing Elvis make a guttural noise.

“Elvis, Please!” You beg.

His hand comes down again and your eyes fill with water, pleasure seeping through when he gives another spank.

“Ah fuck,” you whimper.

His hands caress the swell of your ass, getting dangerously close to your folds. You feel your wetness pool more, making you want him badly. His fingertips brush your folds and the wetness spilling out of them. You push your hips back into his fingers more, wanting him to plunge them knuckle deep inside you. You hear him start to peel his wet clothes off of himself behind you and throw them to the side.

“Daddy, please,” you cry.

“You just love when daddy gives you attention Hmm?” He asks.

“Mhmmm, yes daddy I’ve missed you,” you groan.

“I know baby, being such a good little slut for me.”

His tip rubs against your folds as he continues to praise you. With a grunt, he plunges his cock inside you, stuffing you to the hilt. Both of you loudly groan and cry for more. You drive your hips back with him, wanting him to take you rough.

“Fuck me daddy,” you gasp, pushing your hips back with his.

Elvis cusses and lets out a pent up groan, making your pussy throb. He keeps one hand on your hip, using it as leverage when he snaps his hips into you, the other slithered down from your hair and wrapped around the front of your neck, keeping a light pressure on it, giving you a delicious tingling sensation.

His thrusts are hitting all the right places and with how sexually needy you’ve been, it’s not going to take very much to make you finish. He knows it too. The sounds you’re making for him tells him how good he’s making you feel and that you can’t take very much.

Suddenly he pulls out of you, leaving you breathless and begging for more.

“Baby, please. Don’t stop,” you pant, looking over your shoulder.

“Have you learned your lesson? Are you going to pull a little stunt like that again?” He questions.

“No daddy, I won’t I promise.” You plead.

He pulls your upper body up and goes to sit on the couch, his long legs spread out and his cock getting lazily tugged on in his hand.

“Then come and ride daddy. I want you to finish like this,” he beckons.

You stare at the man before you and get a chill just looking at him. You nod your head at him in compliance and straddle his frame. You hover over his cock, he lines you up and pushes your hips down onto him, sinking your wet heat all the way down his shaft. He cusses with how tight you feel and you feel the throbbing begin to feel unconsolable.

You glide yourself up again and watch his face this time as you sink back down on him hard. His face forms into pleasure, his eyes looking into yours, then down along your breasts as they begin to bounce as you ride him faster. He groans loudly, sending an electric shock to your core by just the sounds he makes when he’s getting fucked.

Your hands grip tightly in his wet hair as you ride him, not being able to get enough of him.

He leans his head back onto the couch, letting you take most of the control. He still has his hands on your hips, squeezing them tightly.

The coil and heat in your belly feels like it’s going to unravel any second now and he knows it. Your whimpers and moans increase as you swivel your hips back and forth, rubbing your clit on him in the process.

He stills you suddenly, making a shrill cry come out of you. He bores those serious blue eyes into you and bites his lip.

“Do you deserve to cum baby?” He asks.

You gasp and try to move your hips down but he won’t let you until you answer him.

“Yes, daddy, make me cum please. I’ve been a good girl,” you gasp.

He sinks you back down on him and helps you move up and down in his length. His fingers find your bud and rubs it like only he can.

Before you know it, your vision is filled with stars and you scream his name. He groans loudly when he watches you cum all over him, squeezing his cock and gasping for breath.

He finishes deep inside you, his member pulsating quick, thick spurts of his seed. You keep riding him even though your body is becoming exhausted. You don’t really know when the next time you’ll get him like this so you want to selfishly stay on him as long as you can.

Elvis grunts when you continue to grind on him and he sees your pleasure filled face riding him into oblivion.

“Mama, you’re gonna have to slow down you’re killin’ me,” he says gently through gasps.

You try and catch your breath, grabbing into his shoulders and calming yourself down.

“Sorry baby I got excited,” you tease.

“I’m not going anywhere baby. You can get more later if you want it. You don’t have to act out like a little devil to get my attention.” He assures.

You pauses looking away, “I know but you’ve been so busy. I didn’t want to bother you…” you trail off.

The look of realization washes over his face and his eyes grow sorrowful.

“Oh god baby, is that what this was all about? I haven’t been very attentive have I? Oh honey I’m so sorry,” he says pulling you in to embrace.

“It’s okay honey I know you’re under a lot of pressure. I didn’t want to distract.”

He looks at you smugly, “you are my favorite distraction though. Please tell me if you need something you know I’ll do it for you,” he says sweetly.

You nod your head and smile, “okay honey. I will I promise.”

“Good girl. Let’s get you upstairs so I can ruin you some more,” he says devilishly.

“Elvis! You need your rest before opening night. I can’t be the one held responsible for keeping you up all night. I’ll be fine,” you say exasperated.

“We’ll how about this, the show opens in three days, and I promise to get rest and be in top shape for the shows. But,” he pauses and pulls your chest to his, “I’m not going to let you sleep the first night we’re there. I want to ruin that perfect pussy of yours,” he says in a low sensual whisper.

Your heart skips when you hear him talk to you like this, “okay daddy.”

•

•

•

Tagging🩵: @powerofelvis @plasticfantasticlOver @burninlovebutler @neptuneismysister @velvetelvis @ccab @presleyenterprise @elvispresleyxoxo

@prompted-wordsmith @sillybookmarks @dkayfixates @rosepresley @ellie-24 @rktismylife-blog @myradiaz @lookingforrainbows @elvispresleygf @tacozebra051 @thatbanditqueen

@18Ikpeters @flwrs4aust @emma181873 @austinswhitewolf @eliseinmemphis @everythingelvispresley @chasingwildflowers @idontwanttoputanything @ohjustpeachy @elvisalltheway101 @austinsmutler @kingdomforapony @generoustreemystic @kendralavon7

[saintqueer]

I'm sorry you got harassed again just from a simple post with a (imo pretty valid) opinion. If that person is the same that answered your post by reblogging and repplying on their blog with unnecessary hate (apparently queer but a solo louie) then it's the one I just blocked. I love to currate my experience in this fandom. Anyway I just wanted to say, I used to love your posts in this fandom! I lost track of your blog and thought you'd disappeard. I'm glad to see you're still on Tumblr and enjoying other fandoms. I'm well aware of how toxic this fandom can get (between the hets, the solos often queer themselves but hating on queer larries and more, to many groups to count tbh, louis' attitude on social media ect), especially when you dare to voice an opinion, which I'm mostly don't lol. I'm staying for the art, the fics, the great memes and ofc the music and the people. You're "y'all" made me think 'I Hope she still got good times and friends out if it. I made some great friends in the larries bunch myself. Anyway sorry for the rant, I lost track of what was my point here. Just was happy to see you pop on my dash through a mutual and wanted to say so I guess?? So once again thank you for the fun times I had reading your posts back in the days; have a great time out here, enjoying your favs fandoms, you do you! Sending love xx

so i was trying to avoid posting any anons regarding prev fandom discourse but i opened this one and read it through and it was just so amazing i had to respond, not just in tags 🥹🥹

of course, it's lovely to hear that you liked my posts on fandom back in the day etc but what really got me was when you wanted to make sure i still got good times and friends out of it, that nearly made me cry

because YEAH I FUCKING DID 🥺😩🥺🥹🥲

blue ( @wastelandbabyblue ) is literally one of the coolest people i've ever known while also being one of the kindest and funniest. id literally kill to meet her one day in person. i still keep up with brenda and several others i met in her og discord, some of which are the only remaining 1d fandom blogs i still follow here - they are so kind and funny and i still talk to them occasionally in a fandom discord i stayed in because i didn't want to lose touch with them.

and 🥹🥹🥹

i met 8 of who i would consider my closest friends in the whole world through fandom. through the most insane wild and unruly fandom discord drama, i literally located my found family: wedo, nino, iza, katja, olia, hanis, chloe, and su

we talk everyday still even though we live all over the world and we talk about nearly everything except fandom nowadays and they've helped me survive living day to day through some of the worst moments of my life. i don't know what i'd do if i didn't have them in my life

last night, i had a bit of a shame spiral thinking about all the time energy money i devoted to the 1d fandom. i felt embarrassed for being so loud about something that ended in so much disappointment. it wasn't fun and i know it was probably triggered by being involved in some discussions i hadn't been in so long

so when i opened this ask, anon, it reminded me so much that whatever was lost from that time, so much more was gained. the embarrassment of remembering dancing around like a fool with a rainbow flag for someone who couldn't even say something as simple as "look at all those colors" pales in comparison to the lifelong friendship i gained with these 8 beautiful women all across the globe

nothing will ever compare to the people i met and the way they feel closer to family than any of my blood ever felt

i'm glad that you found so much goodness as well and thank you for reminding me that it was all worth it for what i got

[crispy0nion]

takes a deep breath. ik it hasn't even been a day but we need to talk about the umbrella academy season 4. obviously spoilers ahead. and a long, long fucking post full of complaints.

this season got me shinji chairing so hard. what the fuck. six episodes that last barely an hour each and all for THAT ending? don't get me wrong, the ending itself is... not the worst possible outcome, ig, but like. plot holes so big i can fit five's ego in there and still have spare space.

yeah, let's start from there. what the fuck was that? a half-assed five/lila romance was the last thing we needed. call me a hater, tell me i don't know how to appreciate complex stories, idc. that sucked ass. not only is it creepy in so many ways, but it also brought absolutely NOTHING to the story. "oh but if that didn't happen then five wouldn't have accidentally wandered into the station's coffee shop and met himself" I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!!!! IT COULD'VE HAPPENED IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS!!!!!! AND FIVE KNOWS BETTER THAN TO THROW HANDS WITH HIS BROTHER OVER A GIRL WHILE THE REST OF THEIR SIBLINGS ARE FIGHTING THE DAMN BLOB OF DEATH!!!

moving on ig. i don't like how allison's past actions seemed to be simply forgotten. i know they acknowledge it a couple times and that it's been six years, but lord almighty she assaulted luther, got him killed, and betrayed her entire family for a father that never cared about any of them. i don't think i could forgive that so easily (i'm looking at you klaus).

about the plot holes. first off, i would've appreciated even just a slight explanation of what the fuck reginald and abigail are? are they aliens? are they robots? are they alien robots? also, side note, what the fuck did reginald even do to grace atp? did he create a robot in the image of a human lady or did he turn the human lady into a robot???? and back to abigail for a moment: ?????????? and also the obsidian hotel????? AMERICA EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN

more plot holes: the solution to the cleanse problem. five said that the only way to fix the timelines is to let the cleanse happen, aka absorb them, so that the marigold inside them is destroyed since that's what split the timelines, no? and they made a big deal out of lila leaving because they needed all of the marigold holders to partake in this. except that YOU EIGHT IDIOTS ARE NOT ALL THE OCTOBER 1ST KIDS IN THE WORLD. THERE'S MORE, THAT WAS LIKE 43 WOMEN WHO GAVE BIRTH YOU DUMB FUCKING CUNTS. WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER 35 KIDS. uhm. sorry about that. moving on.

did not like how jennifer's character was treated at all. no time to develop, no time to get us to know her. straight to the blob of death without even explaining what was going on. how did the durango end up in her body? who even created that anyways? how did she end up in a damn fucking giant squid? why was she talking about the cleanse? what the fuck? listen im sure the comics explain this and ik this show is supposed to be a bit... confusing and nonsensical, but this is info you can't just leave out. feels like lazy writing.

and how the fuck did the cleanse cult even know that this nonesense that a kid coming out of a squid was blabbering about was connected to them having dreams of other timelines? how the fuck did jean and gene know? what?

yk what, im also gonna throw in some more personal points of view in here. i did not understand a single thing about the timeline/universe/whatever they ended up in at the end of s3. is it a new universe? if so, why is everything the same and WHY is the timeline still fucked? and where's the academy in this timeline? does it not exist? why? why and how is abigail still alive? was she even dead in s1, on the moon? or was that a cryo capsule? if so, why keep her there?

and there's more folks! why did the timeline train not stop at lila and five's stop? that was random and never explained, and feels like lazy writing, again. or like an excuse to get a specific two people to mingle just to create an unnecessary and unwanted love triangle? perchance?

lastly, how can claire and lila and diego's children still exist if their parents were erased from existence? and since they still exist but their parents never did, how does it work? do lila's parents just look after these random kids? without reason? wouldn't not having existing parents at all create legal problems?

overall, i have a lot of issues with this season. it feels extremely rushed, and honestly quite boring in comparison to the other three. and the lack of explanations makes it so hard to enjoy because i'm busy being confused. im not so mad about the ending, i kinda saw it coming (my choice was between they all die or they get stuck in a loop), and I don't think it's necessarily a bad ending for a story like this one. i am a bit sad, yes, and i will miss these characters and regret the fact that they didn't get the lives they deserved, but i think it's an ok ending. not the best, but ok. but the rest of the season? ass. yet another show absolutely ruined by netflix's inability to see past money and actually produce a good ending instead of rushing things. peace ✌️

[honeybewrites]

Hello HoneyBe! 👋✨

I heard you love to talk about magic systems. Can you talk a bit about the ones in both EoWC and LotA? How are they the same/similar? How are they different? Which characters use magic the most, and what are their motives with the magic?

Extra kudos for you, for being genuinely sweet and supporting writers in the community ♥️

This is my literal reaction to this ask! Thank you @the-golden-comet so much!!! I needed a little pick up when I received this the other day, and it really helped <3!!

I need very little motivation to ramble about my world building, especially my magic system! I've done an intro post for my magic system here if anyone is interested! For this though, I'm going in depth on how my characters use their magic personally/motives and the similarities/differences in EoWC and LotA's magic.

This is a long post, so kind of sorry in advance 😂

SO! Let's start with the similarities and differences.

Little bit of background; EoWC and LotA take place in the same world, but at different points in history. Like Star Wars with the original trilogy and prequels. In this case, EoWC is the original series and LotA the prequels, with a much larger time difference than Star Wars haha

Due to that, LotA has a much more complex, powerful, and kind of experimental and also knowledgeable system. I know that's contradictory, but bare with me. Elemental (my magic) was much more abundant and widely practiced. This lead to more people adopting the fuck around and find out philosophy as well as more scholarly people writing things down that became general knowledge and practice. There weren't many big name schools that taught elemental, but that was more due to the fact that parents would teach their kids and it was covered in basic school as well.

LotA has a lot more elemental used, both in everyday life and for things like combat. A person is just as likely to use elemental to boil water as they are to throw a boulder in your face.

During the time of LotA, large elemental casts were much more common. A combination of teaching, skill, and more energy all contributed to that. Feats of parting oceans, lifting islands into the sky, even leveling cities with massive energy serges were recorded during that time. they weren't common feats, but they weren't rare either.

As for EoWC, elemental is seen more as a privilege to learn, not something everyone is able to do. Sure, everyone still has the ability to use elemental, but most people don't, simply because they were never taught. Now, elemental is reserved for government/military uses, a few select professions, and for the rich people who can pay to learn it.

People grew accustomed to using other means, such as technology, for their elemental needs. Honestly, the average person doesn't really have a need to use elemental anymore with all the technological advancements. So to know any kind of elemental, you're already ahead and if you're proficient in it, it can get you a lot of place. And it can also get you quite a bit of prejudice.

Because all the rich people can learn elemental, knowing any kind of elemental is pretty much just announcing that you're well off and people see it as showing off and unnecessary.

And since elemental has quickly declined in being practiced, it's affected the different species biology. So, for example, the average Mirralian from LotA times is on par with a professionally trained Mirralian from EoWC. Now this isn't the case for all species. Tanimoriem and Levekints are two examples where biology has declined much slower and they can still preform larger casts with some ease. But things like leveling towns is completely unheard of, if at all possible.

To sum it up; the basics of elemental stay the same, e.g. how casts work, what elemental species use, but the power levels, accessibility, and knowledge are different.

Now what I'm really dying to talk about, my characters and their relation to magic/elemental!!

Let's start with LotA. All three major characters (or at least the major ones I've talk about) use elemental pretty much daily. Ryuk, who mostly uses elemental for combat, transportation, and everyday ease. Emaeh who also uses it for combat but also for healing, every day ease, and learning. And Vern who pretty much exclusively uses elemental for personal everyday ease and healing. To them, it's just a part of their every day lives. You don't really have a motive to use a car other than easier transportation. It's simply a tool and they use it whenever they can. They certainly use it far more than anyone in EoWC.

Obviously, there are people during LotA who use elemental for more... inconvenient and questionable means, but that's going to exist anywhere.

As for EoWC, most of the main cast do use elemental, but it's much less frequent. 703 for example, uses it mostly for combat or mission related things. You won't catch her using it to lift something heavy instead of carrying it or to warm up when she's not on a mission. As does pretty much the entire EoWC cast. Rage is a slight exception to this, as he uses elemental to "see" (I talked about that here) as well as for his healing job. In that sense, Rage definitely uses elemental the most.

Unlike the rest of them, 703 is nearly as powerful as LotA Tanimoriem. This is due to Healer Asurr messing with her biology and she's actually considered one of, if not the, most powerful elementist in the Seven Realms during EoWC.

Most people during EoWC have more questionable or violent motivations to use elemental. Especially considering it's used primarily in the government and military.

Anyway, sorry for the long post! Posting on here is the only time I get to talk about my WIPs and I've had them for years, so a lot of built up information haha! And thanks for reading through!! Hope you enjoyed it 💚

Also, slapping my tag list on this because it's fun and I love lore dumping onto you guys!

General Tag List: @orions-quill @fractured-shield @pluppsauthor @anaisbebe @wyked-ao3

[just-a-carrot]

Hi carrot, so I kind wanted your opinion on my wish Au but ik I might start yapping so have an Iggy doodle as compensation.

First off as much as I’d love to make a full comic I think making a fanfic ish story with images might work better to keep my motivation up (though I have no idea if people even post fanfics on tumbler, might just link it on my page)

The other thing is since I might involve the corrupted Au as well, most Au’s would be seen as programs with broken code if that makes sense? Except that I have little idea of how I’d draw let alone describe it, I’m aware of basic stuff like making demands and having a figure move or build due to school. I’d probably have unnecessary or missing command that messed with the Aus.

I also want do occasionally ad Cecil and Jerry.

The thing with Jerry though is that he’s seems more like he belongs to the our fantastic wonderland as in a separate Au and is able to connect or reach Ow in a way but here it gets confusing.

I think every Au depending on the routes only have one Jerry that connects to at a minimum of 4 timelines depending on the route with him existing originally in the Ofw game. Kinda like a hive mind, so when one dies in one timeline its memories and experiences go back to the Og. It would mean that the corrupted Jerry’s don’t leave a big impact on the Og aside from their memories.

So Jerry himself would be separated but not completely detached from the Cannon of Ow.

I just wanted your opinion on how you’d find the ideas or if things wouldn’t make sense like the code stuff or the Jerry thing.

Again I’m soo sorry for making this long just this hole Au’s been haunting my dreams.

Hope you have a grate evening and again sorry for Yapping.

ohhhhhh!! the little iggy sketch is so cute!! 😭💕

hahaha i don't think anyone ever needs to "check" with me regarding ideas for aus or things like that. i generally think just anything would sound cool and be fun if it's an idea you have (unless it like... completely goes against their core characters or is somehow offensive or inappropriate or something lol)

corrupted aus... 😮 that's actually a really interesting idea!! something like how those versions of the timeline somehow got "corrupted" and start producing strange or even more otherworldly things or split even further away from the main timeline... i think that would be really interesting to explore, especially if it somehow ended up creating versions of the chars that are quite different in the end. i don't really know much about code stuff myself though aside from what i do when i code my games LOL so i'm not really sure i could give much more of an opinion on that aspect of it

regarding jerry i think using him in any way is a lot of fun. though he does exist in the main OW timeline even before OFW! he appears in arc 2 hahaha. though it's true that he doesn't really have much of a personality or become "jerry-like" as we all know him today until OFW LOL 🤣 but honestly because OFW in itself already introduces so many questions that even if have decided to simply not think about, so anything people ever want to think up about OFW and the connections and how it all works i think is really cool (i still want one day to make an entire OFW RPG with its own complete setting and plot... sob...)

[custard-cutiesss]

I posted this on Ao3 and Wattpad, too, btw.

Summary: 

After someone took a picture of Juan Carlos and Tulio out of context, they now must deal with the gossip. Soon growing distant and awkward from each other and trying to figure out their feelings for one another. Can these two try to fix their issues or will their friendship and relationship come undone because of these rumors? 

Hello! This is one of my few attempts at writing fanfic, tried before and it didn't go very well lol. This is also my first time posting a fanfic, so please be nice. Please do leave valid criticism though I would VERY MUCH appreciate it lol. I also am not a native Spanish speaker so I'll be writing this in English. Almost all of my family speaks Spanish and is from Mexico, so I know a little. I also took classes to try learning more. If I get ANYTHING wrong with the small amount of Spanish, I wanna use this fic please let me know! 

Juan Carlos and Tulio have always been close.

Sure they fight and have their disagreements but in the end they stay friends.

Mostly because they care about each other but also cause Tulio would only have one person as close as Juan Carlos in his life, Juanin (and that’s no life to live with someone as caring but such a workaholic as Juanin is), and Jaun Carlos loves getting money and gifts out of Tulio.

Recently, though, things have been off between them and others at the studio have noticed. They've been more distant, nervous, and awkward with each other since gossipers had taken a picture of them out of context.

Making it seem as if they're gay lovers that have been dating and hiding their relationship for years now. People started asking them invasive questions about their sexuality, personal life and what others think about them being together and being gay.

Gossip pages, neighbors, past and current friends, his family and even his own mother have been nagging Tulio on and on about these rumors.

Even all of Juan Carlos's many family members have been constantly calling him, asking when they'll settle down soon and if he'll take them on any fancy trips with all the money Tulio can spend.

Neither of them can get a minute of sleep or peace and it shows at how they work and how now they're only seen together on the network.

Constantly falling asleep on the job, forgetting reports, barely looking or even speaking to each other off and on camera.

It had made everyone uncomfortable, confused and wondering what was going to become of their relationship.

After a week of this going on, Sr. Manguera had called a mandatory meeting for everyone in the studio.

Sr. Hose said seriously, “I believe you all know the reason for this meeting.”

Tulio said “Sr. Manguera...”, his voice nervous, wishing to avoid the conversation, particularly with the studio audience present.

"Sr. Hose I'm sorry but I'm going to be quitting from the studio," Bodoque said confidently and unhappy.

The whole studio was in shock, not being able to wrap their heads around the idea of Juan Carlos leaving!

The one most shocked, though, was Tulio. He could never in his life think of Bodoque not working at the station or even not working alongside the monkey.

"I can't continue working here and having so many idiots watching me, ", the rabbit continued.

"Every day I continue to come in stressed, tired, pissed off at work. It's hurting the network and I refuse to continue to work like this while also putting everyone in my shitty mood."

Just as everyone was taking in the words Bodoque had said, Sr. Manguera began speaking again.

“That’s unnecessary, Juan Carlos”, said Mr. Hose.

"Speaking of our viewers, they have gone up and have been talking a lot about our channel".

Everyone was surprised! The channel’s views were considerably low, but it had just become normal for all of them. The show had always been a disaster from the start and continues to be. Most of the talk about the show is that it's so bad it's comical!

"But Sr Manguera, we've done nothing different? Also, now with Bodoque and Tulio having trouble even being on camera, especially together, it's been even worse for us!", Juanin had exclaimed in confusion.

"Yes Juanin, you’re correct, but just because you all change nothing and Tulio and Juan Carlos have messed up doesn't mean it can't and hasn't changed how people feel about our show,” Sr. Hose had informed Juanin.

"Because of the rumors between Tulio and Juan Carlos, more and more people tune into the show. They attempt to see if any of the gossip is true and can be taken seriously," said Sr. Manguera.

After that explanation, it was pretty easy for everyone to understand now why the show's ratings were going up.

Patana had brought up an important question, though.

“Sr. Manguera?”, she said curiously.

“Soon people won't care about this gossip and move on. What do you suppose we do to bring our viewers back?”

“A wonderful question, senorita and I have a simple answer”, Sr.  Hose said confidently.

“Bodoque and Tulio will come out with a statement confirming their relationship with each other!”

Everyone but especially Tulio and Juan Carlos, was in shock. They didn't know what to think. How could Sr. Manguera seriously think this was a good idea? Soon, though, others started agreeing with their boss's outrageous statement.

“Si! Ok, I agree with you, senior I think it's a wonderful idea that'll help the channel”, Junin said nervously but confident in what his boss had said.

“My doggies will be so proud to see me on a popular and famous news channel! And maybe a certain girl would appreciate a man like that?!”, Mario Hugo wondered and hoped when looking longing at Patana who was a few feet from him.

“Oh, si! It'll be wonderful for us! Tio Juan Carlos and tio Tulilo will bring so much attention to our channel!” Patana said happily and eagerly as she enjoys seeing her job get praised and people watching her on tv more often.

“It'll be all over the press; everyone will only talk about them and our show. Top top top top top top top top…”

“Policarpo que te pasa?!” Tulio said concerningly as he pat Policarpo on the back.

“Ay, lo siento Tulio it happens whenever I think about how popular our show could be”, Policarpo responded, shaken up.

“Arghhhh everyone, hold on and shut up!”, said an angry voice across from the monkey.

“Mr Hose I haven't said yes to any of this and this is giving me even more of a reason to leave these stupid channel!”, the red rabbit said defiantly 

“Pero tío Bodoque,” Patana said concerning.

“No Patana, I won't continue to go  through these insanely stupid rumors! Estos chismosos idiotas han hecho de mi vida un infierno”, Juan Carlos said, feeling like he was going insane with how others were making him feel. 

“Juan Carlos,” Sr. Manguera said calmly 

“I understand this is a lot for you and Tulio” he said looking at the two

Bodoque looking as if he's going to fight somebody soon and Tulio looking down quietly questioning what's going to happen next.

“Though I've shown many times I don't care much for this channel, I paid good money for it and I don't want to lose my host and one of my best researchers. Whether it's because I care about you both or because I care about the channel is up for you to decide. Regardless, I would hate to see you both go so, I won't be letting this rumor go on for very long and I will be adding $1000 to your salary.”, Mr. Hose said, knowing Tulio and Juan Carlos couldn't refuse the offer.

And Sr. Manguera was right, at least guessing by the monkeys' and red rabbits' faces.

Tulio and Juan Carlos had thought about the offer and honestly it didn't sound terribly bad as an overall.

From what their boss had explained they just have to pretend to be together for a bit, break it off, go back to being normal friends and getting paid more?! Seems like an obvious thing to say yes too honestly.

Bodoque thought deeply about the offer and So did Tulio.

‘On one hand I don't know how Juan Carlos feels and if he's going to be comfortable with all of this. He did seem pretty against the idea. On the other looking at him now it seems like he's considering actually going through with the plan. So I mean if he's okay with it then there's no reason not to. I get more pay out of it and just have to keep up some wildly wrong rumors. Doesn't seem too complicated.’

‘Cmon Bodoque, don't let yourself be swayed by money alone. But I do need that money and it doesn't seem all that bad. Tulio and I have generally always been close and he looks like he's not very opposed to the idea.’

When they had stopped introspection and thinking about this whole thing they looked at each other. They had looked at each other eye to eye for the first time in a week and it felt scary but comforting because they had missed each other's company so much. When they went through hard times before they dealt with it together, making the whole situation much more bearable. Now they were alone and it was like a living hell. They missed one another and if this meant they got to be close again then they would just have to go through with it. 

Bodoque gave Tulio a nod of approval along with a smile to show he shouldn't feel nervous. Tulio smiled back at him, happy that things would get back to normal.

“Sr. Manguera”, Tulio said, still nervous but not nearly as much as before. “Juan Carlos and I agree to your deal”, Tulio said unwavering.

“Oh good”, Sr. Hose said happily. “I didnt wanna have to up my price or get new anchors”. 

With that the meeting was over. Sr. Manguera had told all the members how everything was going to go on Monday and what they all had to do. Everyone, especially Tulio and Juan Carlos had still been nervous but maybe this would make it better! Right?

As everyone had left the room it was just Bodoque and Tulio left in there.

Both are thinking about what to do now. Tulio's mind had been racing about how even more different things were gonna be now. He snapped out of it though when he felt someone touching his shoulder snapping him out of his deep thought.

“¡Vamos hermano!”Bodoque said. “Let's enjoy our weekend and “peace” while we still can.” He said walking out the office side by side. 

Both friends feeling happy and terrified having no idea what's going to happen but ready to face whatever it was together. 

Me after writing this whole thing from 10pm to 1am.

[burnin0akleaves]

Hey! Sorry for popping in as anon, I'm genuinely not sure if some of the things I'm going to say are going to be nice, and I am a coward. But this is regarding you quitting to post in the RA fandom. If you consider my opinion on this as unwanted/unnecessary, do not feel obliged to reply. (Though I honestly think you never feel like that anyway)

I first saw your art when I joined the RA tag a while ago, and I thought to myself: 'Huh. Nice art, not my cup of tea though.' Since then, you have changed my mind. Your obsession with TRR Will and repeated posting about it not only has changed my thoughts on your art (I've really grown to like it) but also on the character of Will himself. I was on Reddit during that massive TRR Will hate phase and some of these posts had really tainted my view. You changed that and I am so grateful for that. Not seeing your art anymore will be sad, but I suppose my own lack of interaction is to blame for that. I made my bed so now I sleep in it. Your reaction to stop posting is justified and understandable, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to miss seeing your TRR Will on my dash.

Who knows what the RA movie (if it ever does come out) will do to this fandom, but I hope that new faces might get things swinging enough again for you to rejoin the fandom. Lastly, I have to say that for me, you've been a legend in this fandom, and will continue to be one, even if you focus on other things from now on.

Well hello there, this was unexpected. First of all thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to write to me! The reception to that post has been overwhelmingly positive even though it hasn't been up for that long and it makes me feel very glad I finally pushed myself to write that official goodbye message.

I don't know who you are and I don't really have any guesses, your message implies you didn't interact with my posts a lot so maybe I saw you around only a few times (?), but you have no idea how much this means to me. Throughout most of my time in the fandom my main goal was always to change people's minds about TRR and more specifically, TRR Will. I've heard that I succeeded many times and honestly, that was one of the biggest reasons I could keep myself so pumped up about a book series I read all the way back when I was in middle school (<- an adult saying this)

Seeing people go from "Cool post, not my thing though." to "Well I can kind of see what you mean when you say it like that." to "I agree, this does sound pretty good!" was both my biggest source of pride and motivator here. Hearing you say I changed your mind just now has the same effect on me, it almost makes me want to rush to my computer to draw or write about Will.

Also, extremely bold of you to say you didn't like my art at first motherfucker /j

Speaking seriously though, my art style practically grew here. When I first joined the fandom I was NOT good; hell, I can't look past anything before July of last year still. Maybe it was just me improving artistically that helped you warm up to my stuff more. I really really hope the new artists have that kind of experience too! You get obsessed with a little guy and then your brain decides to level up as fast as possible. TRR Will is that little guy for me.

Your last words are so, so kind. The way you speak about me here in general is extremely kind. I'm glad I was able to leave a good impression. And you're right, maybe all I need is a break and when I come back this space will feel more fitting again.

Like I said, I still have lots of connections to this fandom via others. I'm still technically helping out with the Gathering stuff, so maybe I'll work on doing a prompt or two still! I'm also a mod in the NSFW server and I love that place, I'm not leaving it anytime soon. If more TRR books come out you can bet I won't be able to shut up about them anyway, if I don't make at least one post then assume I'm dead.

What I'm trying to say is, I'll be around! Our paths will cross again.

PS: The entirety of the RA subreddit can suck my dick. I'm gatekeeping older, experienced Will from all of them. None of them deserve him.