#also surprisingly this isn't au related

[energeticpoltergeist]

as a little treat have a traditionally down meme redraw with my favorite bastard man FE characters are still difficult to draw but i be learning also i finally got the Tellius games and i am enjoying myself original image for reference

[closetsof-backlogged-dreams]

merthur fic recs: sof's masterlist

(inspired and encouraged by the ever-lovely @dreamingthroughtokyoskies <33 ilysm babes)

hello, there! these are fifteen fics that i've collected over the years as my favorite merthur fics of all time. they come in all sorts of genres and lengths and vibes, so buckle up!!

Sorcerers & Knights, and their long-lost Prince by DracoWillHearAboutThis [30k, 9/9]

"Can't you watch where you're going?!" Arthur snapped. 

"You ran into me!" the other man exclaimed, incredulous, and Arthur stilled because he knew that voice. And that accent.

He looked up and found himself face to face with a flushed, indignant Merlin Emrys, tour shirt drenched with coffee. Bloody hell.

"That shirt is Dior," was all that came out of Arthur's mouth, without his permission, and the singer's face hardened.

"Well, bugger for you," Merlin snapped. "Might have to wear off the rack, for a change, like the rest of us. Maybe the money you saved with that could go to your precious charity."

Arthur blinked, the blow of the other man's words not even hitting him before he heard Gwen Smith shriek from down the corridor.

"Merlin! You can't say that to the Prince of Wales, oh my God!"

Merlin is the lead singer of the popular British band called Sorcerers & Knights. Arthur is the Prince of Wales. Their paths cross and destiny unfolds.

fellow merthur/rwrb fans rejoice, this is practically a rwrb AU! except Merlin is the lead singer of a rock band, Sorcerers & Knights, and Arthur is the prince of Wales. the romance between the two of them is so insanely sweet, and i love all the outside commentary from the rest of the cast:)) i also recommend literally anything else by DracoWillHearAboutThis !!

Caesura by StormDancer [52k, 1/1]

Merlin is a writing prodigy with the world's most angsty case of writer's block; Arthur is an overachieving Econ major struggling to escape his father's shadow. Together, they fight crime!

Well, no, they don't. But they do fall in love.

College AU where Merlin is an undiagnosed unmedicated ADHD anonymous prodigy author who takes a course on his own work, meets Arthur, a fan, and they fall in love?? omg. on another note, Merlin's characterization in this fic is INSANE! he's giving deranged thought daughter and im obsessed

all ye faithful by schweet_heart [26k, 1/1]

After an eight and a half year absence, Arthur returns to his father’s house for Christmas, determined to find some closure and finally let go of the past. Merlin, as ever, gives him a reason to hold on.

wow. this fic. there's just so many good things to say about it, but i'll start with the beautiful depiction of parental abuse. Uther isn't physical, and he never does anything too obviously harmful, but it's the little things he says and the overall toxicity of his presence. and then the way he acts with Mordred, Morgana's son, while Arthur watches and wonders why his father never treated him like that?? it's brilliant. absolutely brilliant. the whole fic is a small town AU where Merlin and Arthur were together in secret and broke up as teenagers, and meet again when Arthur comes home. everything about this fic, from the breaking-up-and-making-up to the beautiful depiction of abuse, is so amazing.

Of Lemon Drops and Lizard-Cats by supercalvin [26k, 2/2]

When Inspector Arthur Pendragon went into work that morning he didn’t expect to get on the bad side of an attractive paramedic whose dessert-related insults were surprisingly scathing. Then the same man turned up at the police station, with a clever glint in his eye and his daughter in his arms.

When Merlin Emrys became a single father he made one simple rule: he wouldn’t date until Aithusa was old enough to understand. Merlin had always had his hands full with his daughter and never had a problem with this rule until Arthur stepped into his life. Then everyone he knew started conspiring against him.

single dad paramedic Merlin?? smitten detective Arthur?? mutual pining but self-forbidden romance?? it's amazing. and the domesticity of this fic... let's just say i finished it and couldn't stop thinking about families for the next week. the outside commentary from the rest of the cast in the department is top tier, and Aithusa as Merlin's daughter is the absolute cutest thing

wanna be your end game (my youth is yours) by ladililn [63k, series]

Merlin grows up in Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, so does Arthur.

this fic is actually a series, and it's genuinely so adorable i have no words. them?? growing up together?? badgering and arguing and teasing?? but truly being there for one another, always, when it came down to it?? elite. the absolute greatest. and their completely oblivious mutual pining never fails to make me giggle <3

after the storm (are you leaving) by Imagined, Scarlet_Ribbons [60k, 6/6]

“Gorwin is my King,” Merlin says, golden eyes fixed flatly on Arthur. “And I work for him. That’s what it says.”

“That’s what what says?” Arthur all but roars, wishing he had a sword just so that he could swing it at something. He needs to let all of this anger at something, anything, he’s just not sure at what and he doesn’t really care anymore.

“The treaty you signed."

Or:

Arthur lends Merlin's aid as a sorcerer to an allied kingdom. He doesn't expect to find Merlin, two years later, in shackles, and only a mere echo of the person he used to be.

this fic is beyond devastating. a warning that it is extremely dark, with a lot of addiction and (non-sexual) slavery. overall, though, it's so beautiful. the way that Arthur forces himself to allow Merlin to leave, and then finds him absolutely destroyed?? then stands by his side through all of it and never gives up on him?? such a beautiful fic, as well as everything else written by these two authors

secrets i have held in my heart by arthur_pendragon [20k, 8/8]

Merlin carves himself into Arthur’s soul while the song of summer trails behind them in the sultry air; while the trees haggle with the sun over the price of autumn — separation. Arthur will forever remember this week in which he obtained his heart’s desire and had it ripped away from him.

wow ok so i'm really not exaggerating when i say this is the best fic i've ever read in my life—it's so heart-stoppingly beautiful and painful and the writing is gorgeous and genuinely i don't even know how to communicate how good this fic is. it's friends-with-benefits but also secret-mutual-pining and angsty and hurtful and ahhhh. so so so good.

Next to You (It's the Rule) by LunaMyLove [62k, 8/8]

Arthur and Merlin have a special relationship. They always have, even when they were prince and servant. While many question it when first noticing, eventually it becomes an understanding in Camelot—and even among some other countries—that where there is Arthur, there is Merlin. And, where there is Merlin, there is Arthur.

Or

Arthur and Merlin's relationship as witnessed and explained by others.

Also, or

Five times someone realizes that Merlin is the Queen, one time Merlin realizes it himself, and one time he owns it.

this is one of the funniest fics i've ever read! if you're familiar, it's very reminiscent of CaffeinatedFlumadiddle's writing. Merlin and Arthur's relationship is hilarious, very mischievous-cat and cat-owner. i also adore Mordred in this fic—he's so squishy and adorable idkidk

since we're alone, you can show me your heart by isolationqueen [7k, 1/1]

Going on a month long road trip though Europe with Arthur is probably a terrible idea. Only, Merlin has never been able to say no to Arthur.

modern road trip AU my beloved!! ughh i love the bitchy pining in this fic, and how protective and jealous Arthur gets. just them going from club to club in all these different places.... so good!! always recommend <3

More than I bargained for by follow_your_fire [27k, 3/3]

Arthur's had enough of hearing about Merlin's unsurpassed bedroom skills from his friends.

There's no way Merlin is better than him, is there?

Well, only one way to find out.

this one is for my porn-with-plot girlies!! Arthur being gay for Merlin is the funniest thing ever, and watching him be so bewildered and confused the entire fic but covering it up so that Merlin doesn't suspect a thing is top tier. and then Merlin being soft?? and loving?? and fluffy?? and then Arthur just doesn't know what to do..... SO GOOD!!

A Collapsing Star With Tunnel Vision by objectlesson [8k, 1/1]

“Perhaps we are doing her a favor then,” he says, pausing to chew the inside of his cheek before adding in a measured, careful voice. “I wouldn’t want to live without my love, either.”

Arthur whips around in the saddle to stare at him, eyes hard and dark, like the storm clouds building on the distant horizon. “What love? You haven’t got a love,” he snaps, like he’s the sole keeper of all Merlin’s secrets.

'Arthur acting different with Merlin alone than he does with the knights' my beloved!! this fic is so poetic and beautiful, with Arthur being ugly and mean but so in love and Merlin is equally so ahhhhh. so insanely good. lots of monster hunting and metaphorical discussions. im obsessed with this fic you don't even understand

Nicest Thing by idlestories [19k, 1/1]

Arthur has been best friends with Merlin since they were eleven, and in love with him since they were sixteen and he realised what that was. Too afraid to risk the friendship, he's resigned himself to never telling him how he feels.

Now, high school has just ended, it's their last summer together before university, and Arthur? Arthur is just trying not to think about it.

Featuring: loneliness, pining, drunk Merlin, driving lessons, and more than a few poorly-executed teen movie clichés. Covers June-December the year they start university.

this fic is so criminally underrated it makes me homicidal. one of my top three favorite fics of all time, do you understand me? it's so. it's so good. the pining?? the yearning?? the split as they go to different unis?? the summery poeticism of the writing?? i'll never get over this fic. i think about it every day. amazing.

time, mystical time by andiwriteordie [17k, 1/1]

Finally, the man tears his gaze away and meets Arthur’s eyes once more. “I seek the aid of your Camelot,” he says, but his voice sounds more hesitant now, as if he’s had to change his response for some strange reason.

Merlin can’t help but believe that reason is him.

“As for who I am,” the man says with a bit of a chuckle, and he glances around the room again at familiar faces, at his friends. “I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot.”

Or:

When a mysterious stranger shows up to Camelot claiming to be Arthur from the future and seeking help for his sick consort, Merlin learns some things about himself, about Arthur, and about a future he never dreamed was possible.

Arthur from the future time travels back in time to find Merlin, the only person powerful enough to save his cursed consort, an older Merlin?? i physically cannot. this fic is so good. shows two sides of the same coin (ha): Merlin and Arthur, established with Merlin's magic out and proud, and then Merlin and Arthur, unestablished and Merlin's magic still a careful secret. and Morgana in this fic is elite!! she's absolutely hilarious and completely done with merthur's bullshit

For Want of a Nail by 0hHeyThereBigBadWolf [235k, 44/44]

Fleeing from Essetir in the bloody beginnings of the Purge, Hunith finds herself on the doorstep of old friends. That's all it takes to untangle the skeins of destiny and weave a new tapestry.

long fic alert!! but oh my god i love this fic. Leon being Merlin's older brother?? elite. Arthur and Merlin going through angsty mutual pining?? top tier. and then later on, this fic features probably my favorite OC of all time: Bellegere, Arthur's cousin and Agravaine's daughter. i love her so much and you can pry her out of my cold dead fingers. just such a good fic!!

what is this feeling by redkay [13k, 1/1]

“Get out of my sight, and don’t come back until you can prove to me why I should allow you to remain in my service.”

Merlin stares at Arthur, confused. His tone was ominous, and it certainly sounded like a threat, but Merlin can’t quite work out what part is supposed to have him shaking in his boots. He’s halfway back to Gauis’ chambers when it dawns on him: Arthur actually thinks this stupid, degrading job is something he would be willing to fight for - as though Merlin’s life wouldn’t be complete without the honor of scrubbing the sheets Arthur manages to soil on a disturbingly regular basis.

In which it takes Merlin a bit longer to warm up to Arthur than it does in canon, but he gets there in the end.

we deserve more of Merlin being genuinely bitchy and pissy at Arthur!! the show really did make him Arthur's #1 fangirl wayyy too quickly, but this fic fixes that right up. it's so funny, but so heart-touching at the same time. a classic <3

wow, this list is so long overdue it's insane, but i think this was the right time to finally put it out there. i hope you like these fics!!

[gabessquishytum]

Human au: Hob is… confused. He and Dream have planned at least five dates by now, and every time Dream cancels at the last minute. Normally he’d assume that it was just Dream trying to get out of seeing him, but 1) Dream is the one who keeps asking him out and rescheduling again and again, 2) each time he cancels he seems so genuinely upset and apologetic, and 3) when they see each other in person, Dream is shit at hiding the stars in his eyes when he looks at Hob. So he is honestly baffled as to what is going on.

Finally, Death (who can’t handle seeing her little brother all teary eyed and distraught anymore), sends Hob a series of screenshots of conversations between herself and Dream. Turns out, Dream has been turning himself inside out trying to plan the ABSOLUTELY PERFECT DATE for Hob. If anything is even remotely wrong, he cancels. It’s never even anything catastrophic or major- he’s apparently canceled because the weather was a little colder than would have been ideal for their trip to the park, because there was construction happening next door to the restaurant he was going to take him, because he couldn’t find any peonies (Hob’s favorite) at any of the local flower shops (no shit, they were out of season), etc etc. 

Dream has been practically making himself sick because he’s so convinced that he NEEDS to give Hob the absolutely perfect date in order to “””win him over””” (as if Hob hasn’t already been in love with him for ages, the precious dumbass), plus Hob just deserved the very best. 

Hob finds it all very sweet, if not a little sad and ridiculous, so the next time they reschedule, he insists on being the one to plan the date. Dream tries to argue, but Hob silences him with their first kiss (Dream turns adorably pink). He explains that all he wants is to spend more time with him, and he wants Dream to be able to relax and enjoy their time together too. 

Granted, getting Dream to relax is a tall order, but they do finally go on that date, and Hob gives him enough kisses and cuddles to adequately distract him from any lingering anxieties 💕

-🦇

This is so incredibly cute. Dream being a perfectionist - very relatable, by the way - feels very much like him. He just wants it to be the most memorable, wonderful, extraordinary date that Hob has ever had. Dream is quite sure that he alone won't be enough to capture Hob’s attention, to make him stay - he simply isn't interesting or kind or beautiful enough. So he'll simply have to make up for his own shortcomings by taking Hob on the best date ever!

The truth is of course that Hob is arse over tit in love and would do absolutely anything for Dream. He'd be happy with a snuggle on the sofa with an old movie and some popcorn! Actually, a duvet date with Dream sounds pretty ideal, they'll definitely have to do that at some point.

For their first date (FINALLY) Hob drags Dream to a lil bookstore/cafe which has beanbag chairs perfect for cuddling in. He promises to buy Dream as many books as he wants, as long as he at least tries to stop overthinking for an hour or two. And it's not easy for Dream to do that, but the promise of books is enough to make him try.

They also kiss a lot behind the shelving. It's not a perfect date (it rains on the way home) but it's pretty damn near close, actually. And they have a lot of time to practice more dates in the future. Dream finds it surprisingly easy to see that Hob loves him, anyway. No matter what.

[erisweekofficial]

Come here @queercontrarian - it's YOUR TURN! We're so excited to be highlighting Em for today's Eris Week Creator.

🔥 Em is one of our creators that both writes and draws for the fandom! Please check out her masterlist here, but we're particularly biased and love this absolutely gorgeous rendition of Eris. Want something to read? Try A Soft Place to Land.

🧡 She creates for multiple ships like Azris and Neris, but has such a wide variety of content that you should check out!

👀 Read on to hear some of Em's headcanons for Eris. And also Eris is coming to visit, what is she hiding from him!?!?

What's your favorite eris related creation?

I'd say my favourite eris-related creation isn't out yet so i'll name my agegap au eris instead. i like the vibe of the world he exists in and from azriel's pov he's such a mischievous, interesting attractive little shit

Give us your 3 favorite Eris Headcanons

He is an early bird. He has no musical talent. He's surprisingly good with children.

How do you come up with outfit designs for your characters?

i usually have a few real cultures that inspire certain characters or regions in my hcs so I go from there to look for more inspiration on google and pinterest to see what would suit the character. either that or it's just purely based on vibes

Eris is on his way over to your place? What are you hiding?

My emotional support plushies. they're already up on the shelf but i'll put them a bit higher - i feel like eris would let his dogs rip them apart play with them

[ozkarrzen]

OZKARR'S INTRODUCTION..! ☆

☆࿐ཽ༵༆༒ START ༒༆࿐ཽ༵☆

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Hello, I'm Ozkarr/Ink! ~ The Silliest UNDERTALE fan you will ever meet (◍•ᴗ•◍)

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ On here, I will post about Undertale, Deltarune, UTMV, AUs, Undertale Yellow, ETC.

⏤͟͟͞͞✩ I will also post art, comics, opinions and ships. If you don't like that, then it's fine, this isn't the place for you.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ This account will also have oc x canon / canon x reader.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ This is my Persona/Kinsona!

☆࿐ཽ༵༆༒ WARNINGS ༒༆࿐ཽ༵☆

This account contains:

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Violence

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Suggestive Themes (NOT nsfw.)

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Ships

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Mental Health related things

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Sensitive Topics (Mentions of Abuse, Toxic Households in the media I'll talk about.)

☆࿐ཽ༵༆༒ DNI ༒༆࿐ཽ༵☆

Please DO NOT interact if:

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You're Racist, Homophobic, Etc.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You would hate on me for my opinions and ships.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You won't respect my boundaries.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You hate on Ink Sans to insult me. (It's okay not liking him! Just don't say you hate him just so you can insult me.)

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You ship Proships (Fontcest, Frans, Dreammare, etc.)

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You're Under the age of 13. I don't feel comfortable that a child is looking through my blog. (Besides, I don't think children should be on Tumblr.)

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You had controversy with me.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Your boyfriend game and/or The coffin of Andy and leyley Fans/Supporters.

☆࿐ཽ༵༆༒ INTERACT ༒༆࿐ཽ༵☆

Please interact if:

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You're an Ink Sans Kin

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You like UTDR/UTMV

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ You like my favorite characters and favorite ships (check faves)

☆࿐ཽ༵༆༒ BOUNDARY༒༆࿐ཽ༵☆

My boundaries!:

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Don't send "kys" messages unless you're a friend.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Don't Roleplay about characters and say "they wouldn't act like that!!". I don't care.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Don't EVER mention Fontcest or Frans. (Only if you're explaining them/Don't like them either)

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Don't sexualize me. ESPECIALLY if you're 18+.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Don't mention Glitchtale. I'm sorry but I have a bad past with that series. (You can like it and tell some things about it! Just please don't force me into conversations about it.)

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ I have MAJOR anxiety,, please be patient and use tone tags.

☆࿐ཽ༵༆༒ FAVES ༒༆࿐ཽ༵☆

My favorite things!:

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Games: Undertale, Deltarune.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Characters (Canon Undertale): Sans, Muffet, Papyrus, Toriel, Chara.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Characters (Canon Deltarune): Kris, Suzie, Noelle, Toriel, Queen, Lancer.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ AUs: XTALE, HORRORTALE, DUSTTALE, OUTERTALE, ALTERTALE, UNDERSWAP, FELLSWAPX, SLUMBERTALE.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Multiverse Characters: Ink Sans, Error Sans, Swap Sans, Gin (Fellswapx), Tori (Altertale), Dust Sans, Core Frisk, Cross (Xtale), Geno (Aftertale), Xchara, Xfrisk, Xmuffet.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Ships: Soriel (Sans x Toriel, Any AU), Dunkin Donuts (Sans x Muffet), Cream (Dream x Cross), GoldenVial/Drink (Dream x Ink)

☆࿐ཽ༵༆༒ OTHER ༒༆࿐ཽ༵☆

Other things to mention!:

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ I am an Ink Sans Fictionkin! Ink is also my comfort character.

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Transmasc Paintgender, Bi-Demiaroace! (They/He/Paint)

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ I have many socials! Ozkarrzen (Tiktok, Discord, Tumblr, Bluesky), OrchidReadsBooks (AO3), Orchidd.Musix (Spotify)!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ I like drawing and Writing!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ I have Maladaptive Daydreaming lol

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ Surprisingly, Undertale isn't the only thing I'm into! I'm also Into DDLC, BATIM, CUPHEAD, FNAF, LAW OF TALOS, SPOOKY MONTH and many more!

☆࿐ཽ༵༆༒ TAGS ༒༆࿐ཽ༵☆

Tags I use to organize my account!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #orchids art — for my silly art!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #orchids vids — Videos of my art! (animatics, animation memes, etc.)

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #orchid talks — silly rambles and headcanons!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #orchids jokes — joke posts/memes!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #orchids rb — my reblogs!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #orchids srb — my self reblogs!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #orchids art reqs — for my art requests!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #orchids doodles — Silly doodles!!!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #inklyn — Everything about my kinsona!

⏤͟͟͞͞☆ #inklyn lore — Lore about my kinsona!

(Will add more if needed!)

That's all for now, hope we'll have a *great* time :3

[fanatical4creation]

🌈INVERTEDVERSE'S 2th ANNIVERSARY!!

OMG INVERTEDVERSE OMG OMG

INVERTEDVERSE 2TH ANNIVERSARY LET'S GOOOOOO. I know, I know, I didn't celebrate the first one... But let's just say that 2023 was just too good for me that I didn't even cared abt a silly story about colorful skeletons fighting lol /j

I'M SO HAPPY, I FINALLY FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING A PROJECT SERIOUSLY!!! AAAA. InvertedVerse is literally the reason why I'm still breathing, this Multiverse means the world to me, it symbolizes the most recent act of my life, and I want people to love it at least a fraction of how much I love it too.

I tried to include every character/AU present in Invertedverse, but (surprisingly) I couldn't, so for some characters I just put a little thing that symbolizes them, just so you know they're here.

I'm so excited to see your guy's reactions on the secrets, so please let me know your thoughts! But watch your tone, I'm sentitive, and will cry.

I know the shading isn't THE BEST, but if I didn't do this type of shading I wasn't going to be able to finish it in time because of, guess what, school.

By the way, the more the characters are closer to each other, the more they're related... Muahahahah.... not Ink tho, he's kind of out placed.

Wait- I've made this logo in 2023, is it still that good? Also I can finally work on some more Pride Month stuff, I know it's kinda late but idc, it's still june.

Credits:

Dreamtale (c) Joku blog

Soul (c) Tatatale

Fell!Alphys (c) Vic the underfella

Ink sans (c) Myebi

Error sans (c) Loverofpiggies

Poppy (c) fmsdraws

Core (c) Dokudoki

Killer (c) Rahafwabas

Insanity (c) Zero Danteero

Pestilence (c) Hoshi-tsubasa

Scoundrel (c) Draw wolf

If this flops, i'm actually going to cry really hard.

[frenchiefreyed]

[UNPRECEDENTED AMOUNT OF YAPPING INCOMING!!] TW: child neglect/abuse, postwar/dystopian worlds

Hello! My hyperfixation on Dan vs. is going strong and I have resolved myself to feed that hyperfixation by creating pony OCs that are meant to fit into my personal pony AU that I have been working on for many years. It is kind of funny to be introducing Tyran to Tumblr because of a ponified Dan vs. OC... But here we are.

Dan's "real name" is Impedance, a name given to him by his parents, who were, if it wasn't obvious by the name, very unhappy at his unexpected arrival. Well, his unexpected existence, really. Neither parent had had any idea that Dan's mother was pregnant before she had entered labor. This is equated both to Dan's mother already experiencing "morning sickness" prior to ever being pregnant and to Dan being so tiny that there was no visible sign of pregnancy. Sometime during grade school (likely elementary school or early middle school; not sure on specifics quite yet) Dan either created his own "Dan" nickname ("dan" being present in the word "impedance" and sounding a lot better than "imp", his parents' nickname for him), or somebody else did (maybe Chris, or some other friend of his, since I do plan on Dan having more friends than he is shown to have in Dan vs.). He doesn't mind "Impedance" being on legal documents and IDs, but he generally prefers friends never to know that it is his full name and he especially does not want anybody to actually refer to him that way. Outwardly, he is surprisingly relaxed when called "Impedance" and corrects the mistake with almost off-putting calmness, but he is quick to anger if the "mistake" continues to happen. Chris and Elise both know is 'real name' but Chris has not really picked up on the implications of his parents naming him that (while Elise has). Chris, after learning about the name, mostly just agreed with it, citing the stress that Dan has caused them -- this likely hurt Dan, even if it wasn't intentional. It is likely common for Chris to say mean things about Dan with the expectation that Dan "has no heart" to be hurt (this is mostly based on my feeling in the show that Chris is extremely unaware of why Dan actually is the way that he is and mostly just seems to see Dan as a bother, understandably so but still incorrectly so I think. Still only on season 1 so maybe that changes in episodes i havent seen lol)

In MLP:FiM I don't think it's super clear what age it is most common to receive one's cutie mark, but I am thinking in my AU it would happen, on average, around age 13-14 (and it also isn't clear whether cutie marks go hand-in-hand with the start of puberty, either, but on Tyran they will not be hand-in-hand -- in other words, getting a cutie mark is not tied to puberty in any way other than the spiritual idea of "growing older"/maturing. This makes the most sense to me, since them being tied together directly would imply that a pony who never received a cutie mark would never hit puberty). Dan got his cutie mark when he was 8. His cutie mark is able to change somewhat [cutie marks changing isn't something that is ever, as far as I know, shown in MLP, but it is something I love to mess around with with my own personal AUs and OCs, so this isn't necessarily Dan-specific and, while certainly more rare than the alternative, is not so rare as to be mindblowing or revolutionary]. I'm not sure yet whether I'll have it be that the TV itself can change shape/color/type, but I do know that the screen will be able to change. The most common screens for his cutie mark will be static, SMPTE color bars, or a black screen. I think the screen will always be black when he is sleeping, although it could be interesting if the screen could change to something else when he is dreaming (implying that the screen being "alive" relates directly to Dan's consciousness?). I will definitely be exploring this more in the (probably near) future.

As mentioned before, the world these characters live in is called Tyran. It is a distant-future postwar AU that takes place at least 1000 years after My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic ends. A lot has changed since then, including Princess Celestia and Princess Luna (princesses/goddesses ruling over the sun and moon respectively) having been revealed to be frauds -- unable to actually move the sun or moon, instead using illusory magic -- and the entire world being taken over by a ruthless tyrant. Tyrani (the overthrower in question)'s reign lasts several decades and leads to almost complete extinction of all life on the planet, before she is ultimately herself usurped by a rebellion. "Tyran" is the name given to the planet after Celestia and Luna are overthrown, replacing its pre-existing name "Equus". Ultimately this renaming is a bit better since "Equus" is very horse-centric and there are lots of species that live on the planet that aren't horses, but it is also not considered a perfect name to most that live on Tyran because it serves as a constant scar and reminder of Tyrani's past reign and how much damage she caused the planet.

I won't get into the backstory of my main OC/sona Thunderzolt in this particular post (that's a whole other can of worms on its own), but Dan is born roughly at the same time as Zolt, maybe a few months to a year apart. This would place Dan at being generally no older than 21 during most of the story that I have plotted for Zolt thus far, but several different ages will likely be explored since a lot happens throughout these years. The same, of course, goes for Chris and Elise, although Elise might be a few years older than the others. Dan, Chris, and Elise (although Chris and Elise will probably have different names?) all live on the continent of Tyrangue, which is the most repaired region on the planet. It's so repaired, in fact, that its residents can almost feel as though the world itself is "back to normal" even when it is very much not. The closer to the outskirts of Tyrangue you go, the more signs of past war are evident. Since Tyrani's dethroning, there have been hundreds of deities that have been assigned dominion over various different things, from as powerful/broad as time itself to as specific/"miniscule" as toothpicks. The first 27 deities (called "Primary Deities") were members of the rebellion that directly resulted in Tyrani's death, and all of them are exceedingly powerful. Tyrangue is where most of the deities live. The deities are, generally, working pretty tirelessly to try to heal the further regions of Tyran from the nuclear/magical warfare Tyrani had caused. While there are many who do legitimately see deities as frauds/hacks and who absolutely do not trust them (fairly enough, considering Tyran's history), Dan's personal distrust of deities stems more from his overall lack of trust in authority figures rather than any legitimate belief that they are not actually powerful or worthy of respect. However, I am considering the idea that one of his parents might be a deity themselves, which contributes partially to the neglect by them being too busy. If they were a deity, they would probably be one that is heavily respected and outwardly presents as a very charitable individual, while being nasty and horrible towards their own son at home. This could not only explain why Dan is so bitter towards deities in particular but also anyone that outwardly tries to seem nice or friendly or giving in the public eye. It is fairly common for there to be tension/conflict between Dan and Chris because Chris has a lot more overt loyalty/respect for deities and is often irritated at Dan when Dan refers to deities as "hacks", "fraudsters", "idiots", or any slew of other similar insults. Dan not only gains amusement from Chris being so bothered by the insults but also finds himself unable to express his emotions enough to clarify the actual root of his distrust, so he has resigned himself to Chris seeing him as someone who is 'crazy' or 'disloyal'. I think it's likely that Elise will be working for the deities in some way, but I am not sure exactly what she will be doing since the deities are generally pretty open about their actions. Maybe she will bodyguard for important figures/gather intel about potential "bad actors" in society? Regardless, I think Dan wouldn't have any issues with Elise's choice of work even if he himself struggles with distrust of deities. It's likely that Dan would be at least acquainted with Zolt which would, on top of Elise's career path, probably result in him interacting with deities on occasion (usually, probably, by force or circumstance). Elise has probably caught on that Dan has a particular anxiety surrounding deities, and might have suspicions about what that might mean, but it's unlikely that she actually knows exactly what his deal is with that.

Dan tells himself that Chris should know better than to think that he would genuinely be malicious at heart, but knows deep down that it is ultimately his own fault for keeping up such a strong facade for so long. In some ways, Elise understands Dan even better than Chris does, despite not being nearly as close to him. Elise is an excellent judge of character and, although she sees him as a bit of a nuisance at times, she is the only one (between her and Chris, anyway) that has actually picked up on the fact that Dan had a distinctly horrible childhood. Chris knows that it wasn't the best childhood ever, but doesn't think that Dan could possibly have been fully neglected or abused (this ignorance isn't malicious on Chris' part; he just perceives abuse as being something that is so rare that it is unlikely Dan could have experienced it, and perceives sufferers of abuse as being a lot more dysfunctional than Dan. If Chris were to be informed of Dan's actual history, I think he would immediately accept it as reality and feel extremely heartbroken by the revelation. Elise probably tries to uphold Dan's secret, both out of respect for Dan's privacy and for not wanting to break Chris' heart, which I think Dan secretly deeply appreciates).

Dan is capable of expressing care for others but only in specific situations, and usually when conditions are perfect, which is rare. He is, however, emphatically capable of expressing love, adoration, and care for non-sentient animals and creatures, even nuclear mutants. Unlike the Dan we see in the show at the beginning of "Animal Shelter", this Dan would never reach a point where he would remotely conceive of harming animals. This is because he befriended wild animals before he ever befriended any ponies, and he sees animals as only attacking him if they are scared or "can't help it", whereas sentient life will attack you for enjoyment or just because they can. For the first ten-or-so years of his life, animals were the closest things to friends that he had. Nothing sends him into more of an uncontrollable rage than the sight, or even idea of, animals being mistreated or harmed. He sees himself in a lot of animals, especially scraggly, goofy ones, so he is completely unwilling to tolerate any mistreatment of them. He will actively bring harm to those who he sees as harming or abusing animals, even to the point of going way too far. He often needs to be talked down by Chris or Elise when he is in these fits of rage, although they do agree with his anger (so their "holding Dan back" is more out of a sense of not wanting him to get in serious trouble/get hurt rather than disagreeing with Dan's emotions). Animal abuse isn't the only thing that enrages Dan, of course -- it is just the fastest to bring him to that point. Dan is inconvenienced and angered by practically everything and he is notorious for his extreme stubbornness when it comes to upholding principles that he deems important. He fixates on the tiniest wrongs that have been dealt his way and struggles to think about anybody or anything else until he has exacted his revenge. Compared to Dan from the show, I think this Dan is a bit more independently capable and does not rely as much on Chris, especially because he has a wider array of friends and acquaintances that he can ask for help if he needs it (which, admittedly, he often does).

Although Dan manages to control his jealousy and anger when seeing others in romantic relationships, he does experience it, and often around Valentine's Day he becomes extremely reclusive.

Dan is somewhat stuck in a cycle of bad karma being dealt to him and his own feeling justified in "retaliating against the world" for the results of that bad karma. It's undeniable that Dan's upbringing was not his fault and that it has had massive negative impacts on his psyche, but he also receives a lot of cosmic punishment for the negativity he puts out into the world and, from his position, cannot understand that that is what is happening. He sees the horrible things that happen to him as just the universe, or the deities, hating him and holding a grudge against him, when in reality at least some of it is just a result of his own negativity coming back to bite him. This is one of the things that I relate to most about Dan; the tendency a lot of traumatized people have to believe that the world is out to get them without realizing how much our quality of life might be affected by our outlooks. Over time, Dan will grow and develop into a pony who is better able to express himself and heal, but that will take a lot of time and effort...

A lot of this is subject to change, but I like a lot of what I've cooked up so far so there's a good chance a lot of this won't be changing too much.

[zeldaelmo]

I admittedly have not had a chance to catch up on your bibliography as of tagging you to know that, but I'm glad to see there are chapter names to pick your brain on. Would be very curious about "8. ...and one that wasn't stolen at all." and the combo of "Sweet Secrets" to "Miserable Decisions" catches the eye. Curious how you landed on any or all of those.

Thank you, Amelia! Lol, bibliography is the right term, there's a lot to discover! No pressure from my side, though, the stories won't go anyway, so there's plenty of time if something catches your eye.

"...and one that wasn't stolen at all" is a reference to the fic title "Stolen Kisses ".

Stolen Kisses is an AoC story where Zelda and Link confess their feelings after the battle of Fort Hateno. The King nearly immediately finds out and forbids the relationship.

They keep seeing each other to steal kisses, but when the occasion of a masquerade ball arises, they disguise themselves in such a way that they're able to kiss directly in front of the King. So, that one kiss isn't stolen at all...

When I wrote the story, there was a fandom challenge by @zelink-prompts about a masquerade ball and I wrote this chapter ahead of time and published it as a one-shot. That worked surprisingly well and I'm positive it gathered some of the attention the finished fic received in the end. Stolen Kisses is my most popular long fic to this day.

So here's one of my favorite paragraphs from the chapter:

Back then, when the war laughed them in their faces with its ugly grimace, they had agreed to live for the moment. She wasn’t sure if he tried to save himself from heartbreak when he refused to speak about their future or if he simply believed they had none.

Live now, worry later—it was a motto that suited courage, not wisdom.

***

"Sweet Secrets" and "Miserable Decisions" are from Inspiration, Illusions, and other Inconveniences. It's a modern AU where Link is Zelda's bodyguard. He's barely allowed to talk to her but that matters little anyway because she hates him and all what he stands for. Good thing he has his evenings where he spends his time as an artist! One night he makes fanart for a popular blog that published fanfiction of the heroes and princesses of old. Before he knows it, he's in a flirty online relationship with the blogger. There's just one thing: he can't shake the feeling that "Tetra" is someone from the castle...

Sweet Secrets is a chapter where Link chats with Tetra while he sits in his favorite secret spot. I coded the text messages so that they look like messenger posts because it's more fun to read them like this. There's a nice bit of flirty banter in this chapter but then, Tetra asks Link if he wants to meet up with her at the festivities for Hero's Day...

Which brings us to Miserable Decisions. Princess Zelda refused to pick an actor or other celebrity to play the part of the hero alongside her for the festivities (parade, show, and masquerade party), so the King decides Link is going to do it. That's not only a problem because he got into a fight with Princess Zelda and has yet to apologize but he also has promised Tetra to meet with her at the party...

She should be mad with her father, Link thought. He had fought tooth and nail that he didn't have to accompany her, but since her father left, her rage shifted unavoidably to him. She gave him a stare that made the icy beam of a Gleeok look like a refreshment.

Link broke eye contact, sighed, and said, “Be assured it wasn't my idea, Your Highness.”

He left the room with as much dignity he could gather which was admittedly not much. There was nothing to talk about to her. She didn't want him there, he didn't want to be there, and neither of them would get what they wanted.

I think Inspiration, Illusions, and other Inconveniences might actually qualify as Original Legend, but I haven't suggested it because the beginning is a bit BotW-ish with the "I loath my bodyguard" situation. Then again, it has the whole plotline with the writer/artist blog thing which is undoubtedly original...

Fics mentioned in this post:

[texasthoughtsaboutnothing]

The Stranger and my thoughts on where each LCB Sinner is at (Long)

Hey, I actually sat down and read L'etranger, Meursault's source novel. I've got some fucking feelings about it, especially relating it to Limbus Company and what it might mean for his Canto in like 2 years.

Firstly, you should read or listen to this book. It's short, surprisingly punchy, and easy to follow. I (probably) don't have autism but I can absolutely see a read of this where the character does or is neurodivergent in some other way; beyond his relationship and evaluation of social queues and norms he also seems to deal with sensory issues. There are better people than me who should talk about this and I'm probably not adding a lot to the conversation but keeping this reading in my head for the climax added an extra layer of discomfort (intentional discomfort for the benefit of the story's message, I should say) to the whole book. But It's worth experiencing even if you disagree with that reading or have a different one.

Limbus Brainrot/Spoiler stuff from here on in.

There's always the question of where exactly each Sinner is in their story as they're on the bus. Their stories have been reinterpreted and/or jumbled in ways that make it fun to guess, so to go over each Sinner and where they are based on what we know or my theories:

Yi Sang - I'm not gonna front, I don't really get The WIngs, but this seems like a Good End AU for him. He already escaped his "Wife's" control and the sunless room and is now flying again (metaphorically, or maybe literally? i dont know help me).

Faust - Likely in the middle of the part where she's using Mephistopheles' power to do good in the world and prior to her being damned to hell. Side note, she's last to get a Canto and I bet it's not a coincidence that (afaik) she and Dante are the only two with Hell in their stories directly. My long shot call is that Faust is also Beatrice and there will be so much DantexFaust ship art in 2026.

Don Quixote - The biggest enigma. La Sangre de Sancho has gripped the imagination of the fandom and I am no exception. She's next after Heathcliff so we'll get her some time in August at the latest and I can't wait. My best guess is she's currently gallivanting and will be forced home in her Canto, assuming Don is Sancho theory isn't true. Praying her Canto is called The Impossible.

Ryoshu - In Hell Screen, the reason the painter is obsessed with torture is that he can only paint what he has seen and is trying to paint the Buddhist Hell. In his quest for his art he destroys his life and those around him, and ends up committing suicide over it. But there is a villain in the form of the Lord who beyond driving the story by requesting the screen in the first place is guilty of SA and murder. I'm expecting we're post story; the Lord is related to the five fingers, the daughter might be recast as a friend or something, and the sword Ryoshu carries is likely the screen. Nothing revolutionary in my guesses here, but it's either going to be that straight-forward or insanely abstract, where she's the lord and the painter and the daughter and the screen and the sword is the monkey or some shit.

Hong Lu - I have not yet read Dream of a Red Chamber, it's next on the list. Forgive me!

Heathcliff - Oh boy. Like many, I expect he is post-spurning by Catherine and is on his journey for his fortune on the LCB. So, his Canto will be about coming home to a beloved who is with someone else. Yes, the beloved blorbo will suffer for my amusement. Let's go 3 hours Heathmael sex scene!

Ishmael - We now know her story already kinda happened, as many expected, making this a bizarre sequel to Moby Dick. I think it gave PM a lot of room to do whatever they wanted to while still sticking to the themes of the story. Already wrote about what I loved about this and the recontextualizing of Ahab as a whale unto herself (which I don't actually know if it's in the original novel, but it wouldn't surprise me).

Rodion - A weird one. Her inciting incident happened, the murdering of the landlord/pawnbroker, but the unintentional death of the innocent sister was shifted to the entire damn block. So if I had to guess she's in the period after her crime trying to avoid being caught, but no police officer allegory has really been introduced yet. I read Crime and Punishment years ago so I can't say for certain but it feels the most loosely adapted and suffers a tad for being part of the intro. Rodya's story is in no way finished so it's up in the air. Praying for a Petrovich just so people can meet the OG Columbo.

Sinclair - Still need to read Demian, but I have a rough understanding of the plot. Also unfinished in his story, Sinclair has a long way to go to his self-realization. This feels more intentional however, I remember someone made an observation of Cinqlair as representative of his drunken college years where he's popular but unfulfilled, and I think we can extend that to all of his IDs. He seems to have the most potential of all the Sinners, so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if there's a mirror world where he's a Color unto himself. I digress, the point is he's pre Frau Eva (who if she turn's out to be the Purple Tear I will lose my mind) who is also called Beatrice at some point so what's up with that PM?

Outis - Another big mystery, especially as she isn't Odysseus but Outis, a name referencing a particular part of the Odyssey with the Cyclops. I have to imagine she's on the Odyssey, journeying home after the Smoke War (which might have some parallels with the Trojan War beyond the obvious). It's interesting all the Greek myth named Abnormalities are Hospital themed, might be something there but nothing I can parse from my limited knowledge of Greek society and folklore. While she' might be a traitor, I'm thinking she's joined Limbus Company to hide while on her journey; she might be wanted dead by something and is concealing her identity after what happened in the war.

Greg - Again, a character post-story. He was locked in a room, he metamorphized, and... well he's alive? So we've diverged from the source novel, as it's taken the allegorical meanings and made them more literal, but Hermann is still around and a major player so who knows where this will go?

Meursault - I have so many thoughts. Meursault could be anywhere in his story, but I'm going to guess it's one of two places. First guess, we're completely pre story. His Canto opens with him getting a message that Maman died today, or maybe yesterday, he doesn't know. So the whole story plays out over the course of the Canto. But more likely, and my prediction, is that he's currently in "jail" awaiting his execution or acquittal. He has already murdered a man (or done some other crime) and instead of being tried for that, he has been tried and sentenced for his peculiarities of character. Bound in the chains of others, the multitudes have tightened their hold (I'm very clever and not cringe at all).

So I have to wonder what light blinded him, overwhelmed him so much that it led to his crime? The Bright Nights and Dark Days are an obvious choice, and I'm not the first to suggest it. Perhaps he distorted? Anyway, his story ends with him having given up on acquittal and instead hoping for a crowd of people hating him as he approaches the guillotine. I'm super interested in how this will play out in Limbus, especially as he must survive for gameplay purposes.

Also, Meursault is so horny. Like, oh my god. Half of his thoughts are of Marie, specifically of wanting her and all the connotations that contains. He spurns God in the face of a Chaplain, saying that He is worth nothing compared to a single hair on a woman's head. Meursault is not a romantic but not just some horndog either, his desire for sex and women and their bodies feels like an extension of his worldview centered on the immediacy of life and not just debauchery or hedonism. It's a part of the idea life is lived as today, yesterday, and tomorrow, and there is joy and happiness in that simplicity. I feel like this will get cut for Limbus but I hope it isn't, I want Meursault to casually admit he desires every Sinner on the bus carnally (yes the men and NB too, probably just a HC but I do believe that the City is a binormative society based on its already loose relationship to gender identity).

So uh, that's the thoughts so far. Merry Christmas, I guess.

[cinderella-ish]

For the Fruits Basket asks: 2, 3, 19, and 18/20 for Momiji!

Oh, yay! I'm so glad you asked! (ask game here)

2. This might be the hardest question of all, because all the characters are so richly developed and I genuinely like (almost) all of them! I have a certain soft spot for Yuki and Momiji, of course, as the characters I relate to the most, and a similar soft spot for Ayame and Arisa, because I relate to them in a way as well, though to a lesser degree.

I've been writing a lot of Kyo, Saki, and (weirdly) Hiroshi, so I feel really attached to them right now. I mean, Kyo is a character whose happiness genuinely healed me. Saki's unapologetic weirdness is just the best (and uhhh my friend group in high school had a few people who shared several traits with Saki, so I was bound to like her). And Hiroshi and Yusuke are literally the best part of every scene they're in. (Especially Hiroshi in Cinderella-ish. Seriously, his narration is top tier!)

And Machi and Kakeru have a special place in my heart, too, partly because of their roles in Yuki's development, but also because of the ways I relate to each of them. And, of course, Tohru. I mean, there's so much to say about her, but her deep, deep empathy and the richness of her arc and development are just gorgeous.

I do keep coming back to Yuki and Momiji, though. They're central to two of the scenes that I found most surprisingly powerful; Yuki when he tells Kakeru "that isn't what I want!" and Momiji in his speech to Akito, when he says "a happiness might exist for me!" Outside of the major plot points of the series (which are nearly all centered around Tohru and Kyo), these two moments are, I think, some of the most satisfying developments for any of the characters, period.

(Oops, that turned into an essay 😅)

3. If we're sticking to named characters, I think Katsuya is the only choice. I know Takaya couldn't develop every single character in the series, but Katsuya is one whose development would have enriched not only him, but Kyoko, Tohru, and Grandpa Honda as well.

I think that the Katsuya-Kyoko relationship can be read as problematic and even predatory exactly as written. It reads as romanticized because it's told from Kyoko's point of view. But Katsuya himself remains kind of an enigma, and it's just really hard to like him when we don't even know what made him think pursuing a middle schooler was okay.

19. Oh gosh. You're going to get a few long answers, I fear. 😅

I have several favorite fanworks! Off the top of my head:

Ripples, by @proseprincess

So, canon divergent AUs are probably my favorite type of fic, and I especially love fics where one canon event changes, and everything that follows changes due to something like a butterfly effect. In this two-part series, Tohru never met Kureno in the park, which changes everything that came after in a big way. I love that this tackles some massive changes to canon, yet they all feel grounded in the world and characters we all know. The second installment is incomplete, but still very worth the read IMO, not only because part 1 ends with a massive cliffhanger, but because it's just so inventive and unlike anything else I've read. Maybe my very favorite fanwork.

I'll be Standing There By You, by Eboni_A

This is a beautiful, devastating AU told from Yuki's point of view where he finds out in the final weeks of her life that Tohru has terminal cancer. We see Yuki drop everything to come and support Kyo and be with Tohru in her final weeks, we see Tohru die, and we see Kyo and Yuki (and everyone else) try to keep going afterward. It's heartbreaking yet hopeful, and the author made relatively recent comments about a potential sequel! Fingers crossed!

Inertia, by miss_coverly @lesbian-kyoru

This is another canon divergent AU where Kyo and Tohru become friends with benefits before the curse breaks. It's honestly shocking how beautiful this work is. The prose is gorgeous, the angst is dialed all the way up, the sexual tension is dialed even higher, the characterization is crystal clear, it's honestly a masterclass in POV, the sex is sexy, and I could go on and on. I never thought a blowjob scene would make me cry, yet it did.

The Pursuit of Repeating History, by RiddleAfar @mistergrass

So, when I first started reading fanfiction, I stuck strictly with canon-compliant works. Then, I dipped my toes into canon divergence AUs like those above, but I heavily resisted reading anything with alternative pairings.

Then, I got curious about that one really popular Yuki/Kyo soulmates AU fic, and gave it a read. By the end of the first chapter, I couldn't put it down. And when I was finished reading, I knew I had to check out everything else by that author, which is how I ended up reading The Pursuit of Repeating History.

This story honestly showed me the power of fanfiction. The author legit crafted lore for the Fruits Basket universe. And the "lore" chapters (I think they're referred to as "intermissions") are each beautifully-told stories in their own right. But the author also grappled with how the curse might work, and I think they did an incredible job. I'm actually rereading this beast right now!

We'll Work it Out Together, by inheritanceofgeek @mrsmarymorstan

Okay, I'm a sucker for anything with lots of Hiroshi and Yusuke, and this story is probably the most Hiroshi-and-Yusuke-focused story on Ao3. (Probably worth mentioning the author's sideblog, @2d-iendfrays which is an absolute treasure!) In it, Kyo figures out he's asexual, then figures out he's demisexual, all with the help of his two wholesome buds.

Like almost all the authors on this list, inheritanceofgeek has some other really fantastic works that are worth checking out, from sexual humor to Yuki/Machi smut to a touching piece about new parenthood.

How Can I Thank You, by SharkFairy77

Another brilliant Yuki/Kyo piece, in which Yuki hosts Kakeru and Komaki for dinner (at the apartment he shares with Kyo), and at the last minute, Kakeru asks if Machi can come. (Machi is Yuki's ex in this universe)

The piece starts with dinner prep, and then dinner, and the character writing is just incredibly spot on. I loved the arc of the story through the dinner, and the way Kyo and Machi come to an understanding.

But then, we get into some A+ YukiKyo smut.

I'll Be Here, by Blanche2023 @biancanekoyokai

(Full disclosure - I beta read this work!)

This is a very sweet and sad piece about Kyo's first few days in Kazuma's care after his mother's death. Blanche's characterization is outstanding, and she handles tricky things (like writing a young Akito who's also performing head-of-the-family duties) in a really clever way.

I don't think there's enough pre-canon fic out there, nor enough gen fic, and this piece is just beautiful.

Escaping the future, by Modzy78

I really love the way Modzy78 thinks about the Fruits Basket universe, and her take on the canon-divergence of "what if Tohru never confessed to Kyo" is inventive, suspenseful, fluffy, and just such a fun read! I also really love her other canon divergent AU Cursing the Cursed. And Modzy78 is honestly a superhero for the fandom.

The Talk, by Geoduck @drgeoduck

Honestly, Geoduck has a ton of works you should read, but I'll mention this one because it's probably the funniest thing I've ever read. And then it somehow gets even funnier!

The Ones Who Walk Away From Sohma House, also by Geoduck

If you're a fan of Ursula K. Leguin (my very favorite author!), then you are probably familiar with her famous short story, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, and this short fic is an absolute must-read.

no one is lost, by emphasis

Momiji bumps into Ritsu in a gay bar. Not a pairing I ever imagined, but an excellent fic that puts Momiji in the position of "elder queer" to Ritsu. (Honestly, I wish there were more Momiji-as-elder-queer fics!)

Some other favorites:

The Night We Met, by pettyimperfections

Hold On, by Danyu

Heart Strain, by Kitty0430

I think about you all the time, by lucybeee @riceballcatfb (incomplete)

Making Nice, by Itsalreadyhalloweenright @riza-rin-rose (incomplete)

What's a White Lie Between Friends (& My Family)? by AnxietyAvocado

My Hands on You is Just a Fantasy, by unscheduledmakeouts

This Air is Blessed, by KyoDoodles

Please, Let Her Live, by @goldfishoflove

And that isn't even touching the dozens of phenomenal Yukeru fics! Just a small selection of Yukeru favorites:

fit back in, by @luftballons99

woebegone, by a-bigail @yunsoh

The Other Side of Paradise, by reconquer @yukisohmasmokesweed

If I Ever Feel Better, also by reconquer

if i do anything i regret tonight, no i didn't, by sacrificialParsnip (another fic where Momiji is an elder queer!)

i wanna be dyed with your colors, by halfhope

Like Fireworks in the Night Sky, by Princely_Hairdos (incomplete, currently being updated!)

President Perfect, by draebelle

tongue tied, by b_o_i (note: heed the warnings!)

And if you're familiar with OnigiriCat4Ever's canon continuation series, Always and Forever, some of my favorite works from that series include My Brother, Truth and Consequences, You Don't Understand, I Want to Understand, and all of their smut (collected in a separate series called Tohru and Kyo's Amorous Adventures, plus one explicit Hajime/Mutsuki fic).

And, of course, I'm really proud of my longfic, Bloom Within Us, and wrote it because it's the sort of thing I'd want to read. It's currently in progress, and I took a break from writing due to a family emergency, but I'm back at it and hope to start regular posting within a month.

uhhhh so I think I'll have to make my Momiji headcanons another post (hopefully tomorrow) because this got long! 😅 Thank you again for asking!

[orbital-inclination]

What does Molten think of the Classic Undertale? Its story and alll the characters, I wonder if he sees himself as Sans and his brother as Papyrus or the opposite.

How Molt and Rem understand the Multiverse and all its branching iterations can explained by using a tree. "Classic Undertale" is the root system. The trunk is the branching-timeline-like AUs. (eg. "What if this happened in the classic timeline?" scenarios.) The branches are the worlds that fall adjacently, but do not necessarily share enough traits to fall into the "Trunk" category. The further and higher you get on the tree, the farther removed the AU is from the Root system. Molt views his own world as being a distant lonely leaf on that cosmic tree.

Molt and Rem view the multiverse very organically. There was no one around to teach them so they came to their own conclusions. Long story short, Molt views most Sans coded characters not in those terms but as individuals occupying a strange and kinda abstract cosmic role.

A quick note: its hard for Molt to distinguish others based on their AU because the distinction is often superficial and emotions are felt the same way. One monster's joy feels the same as another's. The difference is not the feeling itself, but how individuals react to situations. So unless Molt knows someone really well, and gets to know their voice, it's hard for him to tell them apart. As for Classic characters specifically:

Sans and Papyrus: surprisingly, Molt doesn't see himself and Rem in Sans and Papyrus as much as you would think he would. But out of the two, Molt would find himself relating to Papyrus more. Papyrus, who feels with his whole heart. Papyrus's relentless optimism and unshakable faith is infectious and inspiring, and like Molt, Papyrus knows how to keep secrets. (also, Papyrus is a significantly larger source of positivity than, pretty much, everyone else in UT. Of course, Molt would be drawn to him, but this is more a secondary reason.)

Toriel, the mother he never had: Molt likes Toriel the most. She is kind. She is loving. And though her love may blind her, she's an incredibly strong person. Privately, Molt wishes Nim could've been like her, both in the "physically there" sense and also "emotionally there" sense. It's possible that if Molt had met Toriel when he was younger, he would have accepted her as a mother figure. Now that he's older and wiser, he refuses to accept any parental/mentor figure, at all, in his life.

Asgore: the depths of his sadness and grief is intimidating. Asgore's one saving grace is that he regrets the things he's done. As a rule, Molt doesn't judge others on their past actions, but on their current actions/methodology. So how he feels on Asgore, depends on WHEN he meets Asgore. On another parental subject note: Molt has never had a father figure in his life: its an entirely new concept to him. So Asgore MIGHT get away with fatherly advice and support, as long as Molt isn't aware that's what Asgore is doing.

Fun fact! while i was writing "What I never told you" i considered the possibility of Molt meeting Asgore, Chara, and Asriel while the three were on a camping trip, instead of meeting Noelle and her mother. But this was a possibility i considered late in the game, so i ended up not using it. i think i still have a draft of it, somewhere.

Alphys: Alphys and his brother are a lot like. They both lie. They are both burdened by guilt, and that guilt governs what they do. Molt knows he should be more sympathetic, but the lies and the guilt leave a sour taste in his mouth. In saying that, if the two met, Molt would never be intentionally rude or mean to Alphys. He would keep his misgivings to himself, and keep his distance.

Undyne: a surprisingly positive influence. Undyne is a source of positivity that you would not expect if you weren't paying attention. Undyne inspires others, she gives hope to so many monsters of the underground! That being said, she is too boisterous, loud and aggressive for Molt to feel comfortable interacting with. Her loud personality is overwhelming! He prefers to appreciate her warmth from a distance.

Mettaton: Molt unironically enjoys listening to Mettaton's Movies and TV appearances, but more over, he enjoys the reaction Mettaton's corny over the top performances get from his brother and the team. Groans of dismay. Half concealed snickering. The "this movie is so bad its good" to the equally amazing "Actually I genuinely loved it but i can't admit it or everyone will laugh at me." its all so good.

When Mettaton inspires so much positivity, how could Molt not like him?

Flowey: the link to the post on flowey here!

W.D Gaster: Who is that? Never heard of him.

PS: originally I wanted to include Frisk in this post, but than i realized that i really needed to think about it more. Get back to me on Frisk later. (general statement, directed to anyone)

[writer-freak]

Crackling Tension | Childe x Gn reader College AU

Summary: The undeniable tension between you and Childe had to snap one day and that day was finally here. 

The headcanons and the fic are separate and aren't intended to play in the same universe

Warnings: gn reader, modern au, college au, have never played genshin so could be ooc, fluff, kissing, english isn't my first language

A/n: Wrote this for my bestie's birthday but personally I don't really know anything about genshin, still tried my best because he is my bestie's fav character. I wasn't very confident in writing him so I did some headcanons and also a little fic (they are not really related to each other)

Comments, likes and reblogs are always appreciated and really motivate me to write more

Childe as a Roommate (college Au):

Childe is that roommate who's always out partying

Whether it's a random weeknight or the weekend, you can bet he's got some plans or is trying to convince you to join him

His room is always cluttered with sports gear, gym bags, and probably a couple of questionable protein shakes

He's the guy who's always hitting the gym or asking you to come along for a workout, claiming it's a great stress reliever

Childe loves cooking, and surprisingly, he's good at it

Expect to come back to the smell of some mouthwatering food he's whipped up for the both of you.

And yes, he will brag about his cooking skills

There's a constant stream of friends coming and going from your shared apartment. Childe is social and has a wide circle of friends, so your place becomes the unofficial hangout spot

He's a bit messy but somehow manages to charm his way out of any cleaning responsibilities. You'll often find yourself picking up after him, but he'll make it up by treating you to his latest cooking experiment

Childe is surprisingly good with plants. He has a couple of potted ones in the shared living space, and he's convinced they respond better to his presence

You're not entirely sure if that's true, but you don't mind the greenery

His music taste is all over the place, one moment, you're hearing classical music and the next, it's heavy metal

Childe says that he believes in appreciating all genres

━━━━━━☆━━━━━━

The atmosphere around Childe and you crackled with an undeniable tension, one that seemed to intensify with each day of your college life. From the moment Childe decided to sit in the seat next to you, the spark between you two was inevitable.

It all began innocently enough, with friendly exchanges and polite smiles. However, Childe's teasing nature couldn't be suppressed for long. He can't recall the specifics of that day, the one where he shifted from pleasant banter to outright teasing. All he remembered was the scowl that adorned your face in response, and for some reason, that scowl did something to him.

From that moment on, Childe made it a point to tease you relentlessly. It became a daily routine, a game of cat and mouse where he was the mischievous feline and you were the feisty mouse. The scowl on your face only seemed to fuel his determination, and your responses, though annoyed, held a subtle hint of something more.

The teasing became a dance, an unspoken agreement between two individuals who refused to acknowledge the magnetic pull drawing them closer. It wasn't just about the words exchanged, it was about the charged glances, the stolen moments when your eyes locked, and the unspoken understanding that lingered in the air.

Onlookers couldn't help but notice the palpable tension. Friends whispered about the chemistry, the undeniable attraction that hung between you two like an electrified thread.

Yet, neither of you were ready to admit it. Pride and uncertainty danced hand in hand, keeping the unspoken truth buried beneath layers of playful banter.

Then came the night of the frat house party. The air was thick with anticipation as the music played in the background.

Childe, ever the provocateur, couldn't resist pushing the boundaries. The teasing took a different turn that night, the playful banter evolving into something charged with desire. Perhaps it was the dim lights or the energy of the party, but the tension that had been building finally reached its breaking point.

Childe's teasing became more daring, and your scowls began to transform into smirks and witty responses. Amid the crowded party, the world around you faded into background noise.

It started with hands wandering, you don't even remember how you ended up in a corner together with Childe.

But it didn't matter how you ended here, the only thing important for you was to finally feel his lips on yours.

Childe on the other hand wanted to prolong the teasing for just a little longer, seeing you so desperate was his favorite look on you.

Instead of connecting your lips with each other he purposefully stayed away from them deciding to ghost his lips around your ear.

While he continued his ministrations, you knew that there was a way to finally make him buckle. You leaned closer to him and breathily said his name into his ear, and that just snapped something inside of him.

The tension that had defined every one of your interactions finally found release in the searing heat of that unexpected kiss, leaving both of you breathless.

As the kiss deepened, the world outside of your moment faded into the background. The music became a distant echo as you and Childe started to completely get lost in the moment. His hands found home on your waist, drawing you closer, while the teasing glint in his eyes transformed into a more earnest hunger.

For a moment, everything melted away, leaving only the raw, unfiltered desire that had simmered beneath the surface for so long.

Childe's lips moved against yours with a fervor that mirrored the intensity of the tension that had led to this moment. Every touch, every sigh, became a testament to the unspoken connection that you finally expressed.

In this moment you completely lost yourself, intoxicated by the feeling of Childe against you.

Divider by: @saradika-graphics

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

;; PJSK FAE AU

;; im staring so very politely

i shall reveal what i have thought of so far!!

in the fae realm, the population is divided into Seelie and Unseelie fae. Seelie being the generally calmer, but still very much capable of mischief, yet also don't mind being helpful. sometimes. Unseelie being the ones that tend to be actually malevolent, harbouring hatred for humans... the Seelie and Unseelie Courts take turns ruling throughout the year, Seelie during spring and summer, Unseelie during autumn and winter.

i've decided to have two faerie royal families, one from each type of fae. the Seelie side of things is ruled by the Tenmas, and the Unseelie by the Shinonomes.

on the Seelie side, the Kamishiro family has been been loyal friends to the Tenmas for centuries, and the current generation is no different. Rui is best friends with their side's prince, Tsukasa, and despite his age, his level-headed nature and intelligence earned him the role of representing the Tenma royal family when they cannot. the main plot of the AU follows Rui's attempts to sort out various conflict between Seelie and Unseelie fae.

speaking of which, the two most dangerous Unseelie faeries around their age are a pair of twins, Arata and Iori. they are both particularly cruel to humans, have carefully practiced the art of being able to curse them, and are not above picking on other fae either. Iori dislikes how Unseelie fae are becoming "weaker" in her eyes, due to general hostility decreasing over the years, so she's determined to put a stop to any cross-court interactions she sees. one of her most targeted is Shiho, as she has been befriended by Ichika, Saki and Honami, who are all Seelie fae, Saki being the literal princess of that court, while Shiho (and Shizuku) were born into an Unseelie family. Iori is determined to prevent Shiho from being "influenced," in her eyes, by her friends, much to Shiho's annoyance. despite being royal, the Tenmas aren't respected by any of the Unseelie population, mocked for being kinder to humans, so Iori isn't fazed by the fact that one of Shiho's "disgusting Seelie friends" is Princess Saki. naturally, she doesn't care when Rui is sent to tell her off for the disruption either, often fetched by Shizuku, who can't bear to see her sister being bothered.

yes, despite being opposite types of fae, Shizuku and Rui get along rather well. Shizuku may try to act like a typical Unseelie should, but is really more of a peacemaker rather than a troublemaker. the other Unseelie fae, specifically Arisa, hate how Shizuku is praised by the Seelie Court for not causing deliberate chaos despite her nature, expecting the rest to follow her "example." because of this, there are rumours spread that Shizuku was adopted into her current family and is actually a Seelie fae. Rui can somewhat relate to her, as he has his moments of trickery, but despite lacking malice, people still sometimes accuse him of secretly being from the Unseelie side. he doesn't have it nearly as bad as Shizuku though, since his fellow Seelie aren't nearly as vicious, plus he and his parents are closely connected to the royal family, so they're more careful about slandering him.

meanwhile, Arata violently resents humans because a hunter unknowingly shot Souma when the two of them were hanging out in a human realm forest together, causing the other boy's wings to break beyond repair. he is relentless in enchanting humans at every chance he gets, and although this has made him extremely popular with his fellow Unseelie, the Seelie Court, especially Rui whose job it is to keep fae civilians relatively in line, are incredibly fed up with him because his antics constantly risk more humans finding out about them.

surprisingly enough, Souma, is in fact, a Seelie fae, which has people wondering how exactly he and Arata got so close considering Arata, like his sister and other Unseelie types, seems to currently dislike the Seelie. in truth, he was actually fine with the other fae... until Souma's accident, because he expected them to let go of the "good" act and take revenge against the humans who hurt his partner officially, especially seeing as Souma was one of them- yet, they did not, saying it was too risky, which made Arata see red and spend every day ever since delivering the "justice" himself.

pretty much the only way that Rui can manage to keep Iori and Arata from going completely off the rails is threatening to report them to their own king- the Unseelie ruler, King Shinei, is hardly as gracious and forgiving as the Tenma monarchs.

Emu was born into an Unseelie family, yet she never really felt that she "belonged" on that side... so she grew up trying to play with the Seelie children, but they would all be terrified of her because other Unseelie tend to bully them. however, she was found and accepted by Rui and Nene, two Seelie types who were willing to befriend her- as well as Prince Tsukasa himself. this is much to her family's annoyance- well, really, only Shousuke. Hinata is just pleased that her sister isn't quite so lonely anymore and Keisuke may be a little wary of what may happen to their reputation, but Shousuke is outraged. which is very much to Rui's amusement.

the Tenma royal family includes Toya, but Toya isn't a faerie at all. he was born a human child who the Tenmas saw being treated poorly by his biological family in the human realm, so they took him and left a changeling that mimicked Toya's appearance in his place. however, it was soon discovered what the "Toya" living with the Aoyagi family was, and it was killed while the real boy remained living in the fae realm. one of the plots in the AU is that Toya's older brothers, who were much kinder to him than his parents, found out what happened to him and try to negotiate with Rui who was sent to sort out the matter, of course, and he declares it's up to Toya himself to decide. the two beg him to return to them, but he doesn't want to, refusing to leave Tsukasa and Saki's side. he is afraid and confused by his biological brothers, barely recognising them because he was very little when the Tenmas "switched" him. the Aoyagi brothers realise how truly happy Toya is with his new family, and find themselves not being able to cruelly rip him away from that. probably wish they got kidnapped by fae too-

... well, that is all i've thought of this evening!!

[mypromptlair]

TCF Prompt 27

TBOAH AU - OG Cale and OG Archie

Cale Henituse died by the hands of the WS. In one universe he made a deal and exchanged souls with one Kim Rok Soo. In this one, instead of making a deal, GoD sends him to another timeline to be able to rest and not have to worry about anything ARM or WS related. In this world, he regressed to when he was 16(and was in the process of escaping the Empire. Perhaps he had been kidnapped? Was his family ok and why did he have ancient powers, including his moms??).

Somewhere along the way, he ends up running into Archie, who also like him, was on the run and had his soul sent to this world after he was killed(and oh, it was a horrifying death. turning blood into pure mana burning him from the inside out. Who knew a specific weapon was made just to take him down. Witira fully snapped after witnessing her last family members/commanders death/. She was so scary, that even the WS didn't enter those waters for a couple years).

Eventually, they learn that they had been considered missing(and MIA in Archie's case). Both had been captured 2 years prior and experimented on at some point during that time(Archie had terrible scars on his back, along with part of his phin missing in his whale form he had also had patches that showed some of his hide had been taken at some point. Just wait until Cale found out who on the black market bought whale hide...if Shickler didn't get to them first anyway. Cale had Ancient Powers forced upon his very thin plate. Luckily he and Archie had come across a water power that settled his plate, but he was will very weak. Both their immune systems were gone too.)

A couple months later, they run into the Molans. And all hell breaks loose.

----

Overprotective Henituse's/allies/Molans

Overprotective Whales

Archie and Cale whump

No Raon and kids(they either don't exist in this universe or live happily with their families)

Cale had acted as trash, but him getting captured and missing at 14 caused everyone to find out the truth, Cale is disappointed(Archie finds it hilarious)

Archie went missing on a mission(which was later found out caused by a mole/traitor). The whale's missed their chaotic commander. Especially his two childhood friends the royals Witira and Paseton.(Shickler sees him as his bratty kid too)

In tboah timeline, Cale and Archie teamed up on certain missions and to cause chaos. They got along surprisingly well after their first meeting, drove the heroes*cough Choi Han cough* mad.

In this AU, Cale and Rosaly are cousins. Choi Han is a knight protecting Crown Prince Alberu. They all become allies/friends eventually.

Archie became friends with Witira and Paseton when they were kids. Archie is a orphan, and does not get along with the other killer whales(some of the Whales are divided up into different tribes, the killer whales are not loyal to Shickler and do not get along with most other whales. They discarded and harmed Archie when he formed a friendship and later loyalty with Shickler's kids, His parents are unknown, but there are rumors his mother is a Lunar Whale and he is a half blood like Paseton..and that was why he was captured/betrayed in the first place).

The Lunar Whales were said to be able to swim amongst the stars. Blessed by the goddess of the moon, they are strong in mana, and were thought to be the best healers in the world, even more than those chosen by the sun god. None have been seen is so long they are thought to be nothing but a fairy tale. but perhaps it isn't?

The Molan family was never attacked and are still going strong. They and the Thames family have worked together for centuries, and Jour asked them to look after her son after she she passed away. They failed when he was captured, but Ron has made it his duty to insure he and his family never fail Cale again.

The Empire is the main 'enemy' but fighting is not the main plot. it's mostly just Cale and Archie learning to heal and rest, etc.

Cale and Archie still cause too much chaos tho. And lots of misunderstandings!

no romance, just lots of family feels, healing and shenanigan's.

[yanderes-galore]

my final request……. kanaya x reader x terezi (auspicticeship, kanaya and terezi looking for a third (pale)) they are INFECTING MY BRAIN

Orderly Anon [💉]

This is actually really interesting... wiki doesn't show if they had much of a relationship with one another so I will do what I can! Doing pale/moirails for this. I actually had a lot of fun with this, too. Hope I got this right.

Yandere! Kanaya Maryam + Terezi Pyrope Concept

Pairing: Pale/Moirallegience♦️

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Poly Moirails, Manipulation, Overprotective behavior, Clingy behavior, Dubious/Forced companionship.

So we all know Terezi and Vriska are moirails.

A concept of them sharing a third palemate may make more sense.

However, here's an AU where things are different from canon.

Maybe in this AU Kanaya was originally an Auspistice to Terezi and Vriska.

Then some event happened that lead to Kanaya and Terezi becoming Moirails.

That would leave things open to the two looking for a third.

Maybe Terezi still feels incomplete even with Kanaya as her Moirail.

So they discuss a third with one another... eventually deciding on you to join them.

You could be a troll or human, the two don't really mind.

You're most likely already friends with at least one or both of them, just nothing in the pale quadrant.

You and Kanaya do fashion, the jade blood often making you outfits.

You and Terezi also often role-play, usually something law related.

When the two are Moirails I imagine their interests mix.

For example, Kanaya makes Terezi outfits to fit her love of dragons and law.

The two would also try to give subtle hints to you, their friend, that they want you are their third.

For example, you're also given outfits that mix fashion and dragons.

Said outfits often share jade and teal colors.

Sometimes it's things clearly designed by Kanaya with help from Terezi.

For example, stylistic outlines of dragons surrounding a dress or suit.

Then there's outfits that have hoods and fake dragon wings, ones Terezi came up with because they are cool.

It's like their way of claiming you before you know it.

You take their gifts, even wear them.

You think the designs are cool and wearing them makes your two friends happy.

You are completely aware of the two being Moirails.

What you don't know is them wanting to make you their third.

The gifts are a good hint though.

Why else would they cover you in their blood caste?

You care for them as your friends.

Sometimes you even meet with them for role-play.

Kanaya isn't really that into it but will make outfits for you and Terezi to conduct court scenes.

Honestly you feel you're just friends, especially if you are inexperienced in pale relationships.

It isn't until you realize they do pale actions towards you that you find out what they're doing.

They're essentially manipulating you into the role they want.

Stuff like the gifts and Kanaya/Terezi shoosh papping you at times disguised as just an affectionate gesture.

Terezi probably even uses her powers to try and predict outcomes of the relationship she and Kanaya want for you.

Every action they do is strangely planned.

Kanaya acts motherly to the both of you at times.

Meanwhile Terezi metaphorically "oversees" every action to take to have you as theirs.

Also Terezi seems like she remembers your smell and can tell when you lie to them.

The two are overprotective and surprisingly manipulative as they try to convince you of being their third Moirail.

You may even settle into the role if they can play their cards right.

Terezi reassures Kanaya that they will... she knows it...

You're meant to be theirs.

Once you're officially Moirails, willingly or not, the two never leave you be.

Every outfit is made by Kanaya and their colors/interests are incorporated into it.

You may not want to wear the jade/teal dragon outfits... but Terezi can just tell when you aren't.

The two love you and are actually quite protective/attentive to your needs.

Terezi can just smell when you're upset and is always there to comfort you with Kanaya.

If anyone tries to tell you this Moirallegience is unhealthy or you don't deserve them... both of them aren't happy.

Terezi is already planning out justice and Kanaya claims she'll play executioner.

No matter how long it takes... the two will have you be their Moirail...

It's fate... all according to Terezi.

[thewiz9062]

Smiling Critters AU: Catnap's Psyche

NOTE: THIS IS NOT RELATED TO CANON IN THE SLIGHTEST. An accurate description of this au is that I took every playtime.co poster art and promotional material from the game and lit up the rest of canon in a bonfire. Meaning that EVERY character is part of one big cartoon. Thats it. No bigger bodies project, no child souls, no experiments, just a depiction of a cartoon. PLEASE do not ask me to do anything suggestive with anyone.

OK so catnap in an interesting case,

I will be referencing events from my masterpost, but if you want to read like the bare minimum, then his backstory is here because attempting to re-write it here was a chore

I've sort of made him the introvert, but the more I write about him, the more he seems surprisingly adept at reading emotions, and I like it so we're rolling with it. I like to think he felt alot of emotions during his homelessness period, and references his own pain to inquire what others are feeling, and apply a comforting technique based on how he moved on and how they might feel about the situation. If dogday is inspiration and happiness, then catnap is melancholy.

Now I wanna go over his situational mutism, as it's pretty important and affects most of his interactions with the others. First I'll say that I have done some reading but this may still be somewhat inaccurate, and please tell me if I'm way off base so I can edit it if you have better info.

It started during his homelessness, and being uncomfortable around anyone and everyone due to the fact of him literally being a stray cat as well as living alone for 8-9 years didn't really help. Eventually his voice just wouldn't work when interacting with anyone so miming and over-exxagerating facial expressions (to the best of his resting bitch face can allow) is his way of communication. He still ends up wishing he could, but what's done is done. He doesn't know sign language as no one was yk... there to teach him.

I also want to get into how dogday is his closest friend when because in practice, it should be bobby. Picky was kind of put about the whole 'forest cabin kid' thing, but Bobby was understanding and even gave him food, but in terms of interaction, it was just awkward. Both felt bad in different ways, Bobby a little upset that the communication barrier is blocking her from truly being able to help him, and catnap being sad that this the first person his age that willingly wants to talk to him in years and he can't even muster a few words. Even his facial expressions weren't quite working, and their "convos" were more like peaceful interrogations.

Thankfully, she put dogday on the case, and interacting with him was a whole different story. He didn't immediately get awkward when catnap didn't respond to a question and mimed about his situational mutism, instead treating him as if he was talking to someone normally, with a few minor modifications Questions wouldn't require an answer, he would just study his gestures and infer a response, or when he was rambling he wouldn't stop to check if catnap was listening due to his silence, he treated him like he would with anyone else. Maybe he was oblivious to what he was doing right, maybe not, catnap appreciated it either way.

So imagine his suprise when he realized that in a way, Dogday was just like him in a way.

The slip-up in dogday's words revealed he lives in an orphanage, and he doesn't really know his parents as he was abandoned. But his excitable demeanor just didn't make sense to him. It's only when dogday accidentally breaks into a tangent about how his situation isn't bad and that it's okay, and he's okay does catnap realize the subconscious mental limiter dogday's placed on himself. Catnap sees himself in Dogday, but instead of riding all his emotions out, Dogday has suppressed everything, in hopes to make everyone, and to an extent himself, happy. He couldn't just let him continue that, and in some way, that familiarity broke through the uncomfortability as he told dogday that it's alright to sulk. Something that wasn't told to him before.

I like the parallels I made with him and dogday and the backstory I gave him, so that's why I chose situational mutism instead of just being mute. The rest of the critters haven't met catnap yet because that happens during the summer arc so I still have to plan that out.

This psyche series is my way of reminding myself how they think, so if you did read or end up reading my other posts, I would appreciate if you could point out inconsistencies!! Ty for reading this