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enby-jellyfish · 1 month

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The Incident

Prologue of Managing the Mystery Shack

Grunkle Stan X GN!Reader (POC friendly)

Pronouns: You/Your

Summary: You and Stan meet under unfortunate circumstances.

Warnings: Angst, canon typical paranoia, insomnia, cursing, descriptions of a fresh wound, amnesia

Word Count: 4099

A/N: the old man virus tm has caught me again...

Getting hired as a research assistant by Ford when you were fresh out of university seemed like a dream come true at first. Moving to this strange town in Oregon called Gravity Falls, leaving behind everything you had ever known, was hard, but worth it. Gravity Falls is absolutely fascinating, filled to the brim with all sorts of mind-blowing anomalies.

Upon your arrival Ford had explained his plans of building an interdimensional portal. To do this he needed the help of you and another scientist named Fiddleford McGucket. Your job would be to support Ford and Fiddleford in the collection and analysation of data and samples.

The first few days you, Ford, and Fiddleford spend excavating the alien Crash Site Omega to gather materials and technology. During this time the three of you find all sorts of oddities, Ford continuously scribbling away at the journal he keeps with him at all times.

The more time passed, the more progress you made on the portal and the more creatures you discovered, some more violent than others, Fiddleford often taking the brunt of the first, causing him to become more and more paranoid. It got to a point where he asked Ford not to continue the project, but Ford declined, too hungry for the knowledge he was gaining.

Another thing you had been noticing is the odd behaviour off said boss. The yellow sticky notes always covering his workplace read odd messages, like a conversation. Ford also never seemed to sleep. Several sleepless nights you had seen him awake as well, always working. You couldn’t fully explain it but he doesn’t seem like himself in those moments. The morning after he would rave and rant about the things his ‘muse’ had enlightened him with, always refusing to reveal this person’s identity, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

The first test run for the portal brought some clarity though. When. The portal was activated Fiddleford got partially sucked into it, speaking a language you didn’t understand when he came out before giving a warning about ‘the beast with just one eye’.

Fiddleford told you that the portal was too dangerous and urged you to destroy it, but when Ford refused his pleas once again, he quit the project and left. After this you demanded that Ford explain himself, to stop with the lies and secrets and to straight up tell you what he’s been keeping from you all this time.

He caved and confided in you about the demon called Bill and his plans with the portal to merge his so-called ‘nightmare realm’ with ours. The two of you decided that you wouldn’t let that happen, so you shut off the portal and built a machine to keep Bill out of the house and your minds.

The tension kept rising, Ford becoming increasingly paranoid. He started writing his journal entries in invisible ink, but that wasn’t enough. With Ford’s fear of Bill’s inevitable return growing stronger, he made the decision to abandon his research and hide his journals. He hid the second and third journals first, not telling you where to protect yours and the secret location’s safety. The two of you also converted his offsite laboratory into a fallout shelter, just in case, before he finally contacted his brother.

Ford was never one to share his personal life with you. He never spoke of his family, you didn’t even know he had a brother, but Ford insisted he was the only one he could trust besides you. And so, a postcard was sent whilst Ford started going borderline insane with paranoia.

It was difficult living with him those next few days. Ford had boarded up all windows, putting up ‘keep out’ signs outside, barely acknowledging you when you tried to speak to him, muttering to himself.

You hear knocking and move to open the front door, only to almost get trampled by Ford wanting to get there first. You look past him when he opens the door to see a man outside, he looks an awful lot like Ford, but a bit fuller, without the cleft chin, and with a mullet. This must be his brother. “FORD, is the crossbow really necessary?”

He didn’t respond to you but lowered the crossbow. “Stanley, did anyone follow you, anyone at all?” Ford hands you the crossbow for you to put away. “Uh, hello to you too pal. Who’s that?” Ford didn’t answer him and pulled his brother inside, shining a light in his eyes. “Wh- HEY, what is this!?” You gently pull Ford back, giving him a look. Ford turned his gaze from you, back to his brother and let him go. “Sorry, I just had to make sure you weren’t- uh, it’s nothing. Come in, come in.” Ford leaves, gesturing for you both to follow him.

Stanley enters, taking in the dishevelled shack. You close the door and introduce yourself as Ford’s assistant. “Sorry about him, I’m sure this wasn’t the reunion you were expecting.” Stanley looks at you. “Call me Stan, and no, it isn’t.” The two of you follow Ford further into the house. “Look, are you gonna explain what’s going on here? You’re acting like mom on her tenth cup of coffee.” Ford grabs his notes and journal exclaiming that there isn’t much time, that he’s made a huge mistake, and he doesn’t know who else he can trust. You watch awkwardly from a distance as Stan tries to calm down his frantic brother.

“I have something to show you, something you won’t believe.” Ford claims. “Look, I’ve been around the world, okay. Whatever it is, I understand.” Stan says confidently, making you feel the need to butt in. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that…”

You and Ford lead him to the lab underneath the house. You open the door for the brothers with a monotone ‘tadaaa~’ and let them enter before you, revealing the portal. “Whelp, you were right. There is nothing about this I understand!” Ford immediately starts explaining how it works, why he created it, and the terrible destruction it could cause.

“That’s why I shut it down and hid the journals that explain how to operate it. There is only one journal left, and you are the only person I can trust to take it.” Ford hands his brother the journal. “I have something to ask of you, remember our plans to sail around the world in a boat?” Stan seems to start glowing at the mention of his childhood dream, a smile decorating his face. You feel bad for what is about to happen.

“Take this book, get on a boat, and sail as far away as you can! To the edge of the earth! Bury it where no one can find it.” Your heart breaks for the poor man as you watch Stan’s happy expression fall. He looks at you for a moment as if to make sure he heard his brother right. You can do nothing but grimace at him, shrugging your shoulders apologetically.

Stan’s expression then changes from hurt and shock to anger. “That’s it?! You finally wanna see me after ten years, and it’s to tell me to get as far away from you as possible?” Ford tries to tell Stan he doesn’t know what he’s up against, what he’s been through, but Stan won’t have it, rebutting that Ford is being selfish by hoarding his college money and only caring about himself.

Not liking where this is going you decide to speak up but are interrupted by Ford. “I’m selfish? I’m selfish? Stanley, how can you say that after costing me my dream school? I’m giving you a chance to do the first worthwhile thing in your life, and you won’t even listen!” You attempt speaking up again. “Guys, let’s not-” But are interrupted again.

“Well, listen to this. You want me to get rid of this book? Fine, I’ll get rid of it right now.” Stan takes out a lighter, going to light the journal on fire but Ford stops him. “You said you wanted me to have it, so I’ll do what I want with it.” Stan holds the journal to the small flame again and in a panic, Ford tackles him in an attempt to stop him from destroying the research he’s been working on for years.

“Ford! This isn’t-” You feel helpless as you watch them wrestle for the journal, physically intervening could only make things worse. “You are both acting like children! Can’t you talk this through like adults?!” They fall through the door of the control room, Ford pushing Stan onto the console in the process.

Suddenly the lab came to life, lights blaring. They must’ve accidentally activated the machine. Shit. “Guys! Stop it! The portal!” You rush to get to the control room but are pushed aside when Ford kicks his brother. You fall to the ground as you hear Stan scream in pain.

“Stanley! Oh, my gosh, I’m so sorry. Are you-” Ford’s apologies are interrupted by Stan punching him square in the face. He stumbles back onto a lever, fully activating the portal.

“Some brother you turned out to be. You care more about your dumb mysteries than your family. Well, then you can have ‘em!” Stan shoves the journal back into Ford’s hands with enough force to cause Ford to lose his balance. He stumbles over the caution line on the floor and starts floating towards the portal.

You run to lever, attempting to stop the process. “Whoa, whoa, hey. What’s going on? Hey, hey, Stanford!” Stan is shocked out of his rage, rushing to grab his brother but you manage to stop him before he can get sucked in too. Ford calls your name “, Stanley, help me!”

“Oh, no! what do I do?” Stan panics while you try to get to the control room, but you are too late. “, Stanley, do something!” Ford throws the journal at his brother, calling his name one last time before getting fully sucked through the portal.

With that the portal produces a blast that pushes you against the door frame, knocking you out.

You wake up to a gruff voice and rough but gentle hands touching the right side of your face. Weirded out and uncomfortable you try and move away from the person touching you, your body feeling sluggish, not fully obeying your commands. “No, no. Don’t move. Just let me patch you up.” You recognise the voice but can’t fully place it.

You force yourself to open your eyes, immediately regretting it when a piercing pain cuts through the side of your face, blooming out through your collarbone and into your chest. You groan, squeezing your eyes shut and writhing in pain as two hands force your shoulders down onto what you are laying on. “No, stop it. I know it hurts, just try to stay still for a few more seconds.” The hands return to your face, seemingly bandaging the source of your pain. You take deep breaths through your nose in an attempt to calm down until the hands move away and the pain slightly subsides.

“There, all done. You just had to wake up when I change your bandages, didn’t you?” You open your eyes again, taking in your surroundings. It takes a moment of sluggishly looking around before you recognise where you are, Ford’s room. “Ugh, what happened?” You clutch the uninjured side of your head in an attempt to sooth the throbbing. “That bastard’s stupid machine blasted you against a doorframe. Don’t you remember?”

Machine? Blast? What? “I don- agh!” You make an effort to sit up, but everything hurts. Your face. Your brain. Trying to recall anything right now makes you want to curl up in a corner and die but you yearn for answers. “Hey, take it easy. You hit your head pretty hard there, gave you a nasty gash. You lost a lot of blood, and I am about the furthest thing from a doctor you can get, but I managed to stop the bleeding and stitch you up.” One of his warm hands hesitantly comes up to your back to steady you. “Do you have anything for the pain?” You breathe.

“Uh, yeah. I don’t think it’s gonna cut it but there should be some aspirin or something in here.” He rummages through a messy looking first aid kit, taking out the strip of pills. “Here. I’ll get you some water. Don’t move. Or erm, y’know what I mean.” You listen to him continuing to mutter to himself as he leaves. You press your temple against the colourful window, the cold glass feels soothing. When you look outside you notice it’s snowing.

You look up when Stan re-enters the room, handing you a big glass of water. You take the meds, chugging the whole glass after, only now realising how thirsty you are. “I needed that, thank you.” Stan nods, rubbing his neck with one hand, the other on his hip. You look around the room, catching your breath, waiting for the meds to kick in. The room is dark, a pillow and a red jacket are strewn over the carpet, other than that it’s still the same messy room.

‘Yeah, uh, you hungry?” “Starving.”

As the two of you finish your respective can of miscellaneous food, you start feeling slightly better. “So, how long was I out for?” Stan shrugs as he takes your and his can and puts them on the small table next to him. “About 2 days, I think.” Fuck. “And Ford?” Stan shakes his head, not meeting your gaze. “He’s gone, and that stupid machine broke when he went through.”

Stan stands up, picking up the journal from under the jacket on the floor “I’ve been trying to fix it so I can get him back.” He sits next to you, flipping through the thick book. “I’ve been using this but there are mostly a concerning amount of notes on mushrooms in here, not the portal.” He taps the page that shows then incomplete blueprint before flipping to the end. “I need the other journals, Stanford said he hid them. You wouldn’t happen to know where, would you?”

He looks at you with a hopeful expression. “No, I’m sorry. It’s all fuzzy.” While the pain is now bearable, the gaps in your memory haven’t disappeared yet. “Damn, you really hit your head hard huh, fuck. I’m not sure if I can fix it without help."

“I can try, I’m part of the reason he’s gone. If I had been faster he’d still be here.” He laughs humourlessly. “Hey, at least you did something. I just stood there like an idiot.” He looks so sad and tired, tears welling up in his eyes. You grab his hand in an attempt to comfort him. “Hey, it was an accident. It’s no use beating yourself up over it.” He sniffles, looking at your intertwined hands instead of meeting your gaze. “It’s getting late, how about we try and get some sleep and tomorrow we’ll go over everything together.” He clears his throat, letting go of your hand and wiping away the tears he refused to let fall. “Yeah, okay. Um, I’ll give you some privacy. I’ll be in the spare room upstairs, just yell if you need something.” You bid him goodnight and he leaves, taking the journal, a pillow, and his jacket with him.

That night you have a hard time getting to sleep, the guilt over what happened plaguing your mind, ruining the sleep you do manage to find with nightmares. Ford might be dead right now, or worse. You know that machine is dangerous, but you have to clear your conscious and get your friend back.

The next morning you wake up to the sunlight caressing your face through the window. Groaning you stand up, head throbbing, you stumble over to the bathroom to take some more medicine. Wiping your mouth, you dare look in the mirror above the sink. Bandages are covering most of the right side of your face, there is no blood leaking through, which is good. The flesh underneath feels swollen and tender though, you can see bruising peek out from underneath the bandages. The rest of your skin looks about as dull and lifeless as you feel. You debate taking off the bandages to fully inspect the damage.

Your curiosity getting the better of you, you gently wet and peel back the bandage, cringing at the sight. The gash is long and deep, reaching from your temple, just above your eyebrow, to your chin, crossing your lips and the side of your eye. Thankfully, aside from the swelling the wound didn’t seem to have damaged your vision. The stitching is done crudely, yet effectively, and the wound looks clean.

“It’ll probably leave a scar.” You see Stan behind you in the mirror holding two mugs of coffee. “Yeah, probably…” You don’t necessarily care about your appearance, but oddly enough, having a permanent reminder of the day your boss got sent to an alternate dimension isn’t exactly a pleasant idea.

You turn around to face Stan. “Yikes! You look even worse up close.” He grimaces playfully as he holds a mug out to you. “Ha, ha.” You deadpan as you take the mug, rolling your eyes and instantly regretting it when the pain returns. You lean against the sink as you sip, taking some weight off your shaky legs.

After the two of you finish your coffee Stan gets you a change of clothes and helps you to the lab where he shows you his progress. The two of you go over the machine and the journal together, him sharing his theories and questions and you elaborating and explaining where you can. This, however, proves difficult due to there still being considerable gaps in your memory.

Days pass and you develop a routine: wake up, drink coffee with Stan, work in the lab or search the house for more information until you physically can’t, scarf down some food, and end the day by getting some sleep, or, rest more like. The guilt and stress make it hard to sleep. Working with Stan is nice though, despite the circumstances. His stubborn and devoted spirit keeps you going. He’s funny too.

Weeks pass and with food running out the two of you decide to venture into town. Arriving at the small store Stan takes a loaf of bread while you grab some instant coffee. The nice-looking elderly lady behind the counter rings you up. “Just this then, there strangers? That’ll be $ 4,99.” You reach to take out your wallet before realising you spent your last penny during your research and Ford can’t exactly pay you now. You look at Stan, he checks his pockets and sighs when he only finds some junk.

You’re about to apologise and put the stuff back when a voice interrupts you. “Hey, those’re no strangers! They must be the mysterious science duo that live in the woods. My, what happened to your face!” You cringe and hide in the hood of your jacket. This has got to be the last thing you want to have to deal with right now. Stan evidently feels the same as he pulls the strings on his hood and tries to tell the lady she’s got the wrong people.

Alerted by the lady’s exclamation the other customers gather around you, saying how they heard strange stories about that old shack, something about mysterious lights and spooky experiments. “Gosh, I’d pay anything to see what kind of shenanigans the two of you get up to in there!” The elderly man behind the counter says. “Oh, me too! Do ya ever give tours?” The first lady adds.

“No, really, I-” Stan stops himself, realising he can make money off this. He shares a look with you, as if to ask for permission. The two of you are gonna need money to keep this up so you hesitantly give him a nod. “Yes! I do give tours! 10- nah, nah, 15 bucks a person!”

Stan immediately visibly brightens up as people excitedly start cheering and waving their money at you. You take some of the money they are throwing at you and slip away to get some more groceries. As the old couple bags up your groceries the first lady taps you on your shoulder and introduces herself as Susan before asking what your name is. You tell her and she smiles kindly at you before turning to Stan.

“Sir! What did you say your name was, you man of mystery?” Stan stops counting the money before introducing himself. “Oh, uh, Stan… ford. Stanford Pines.” You then gather everyone up and Stan leads them to the shack.

The tour started out as a slight disaster with Susan getting injured from one of Ford’s machines and people demanding their money back, but Stan’s charisma and showmanship saved the day. There is truly some great potential here.

That night the two of you share a full meal together, the first in a long time, and the first of many to come. The two of you enjoy your meal in comfortable silence for a bit, savouring the meal, before Stan speaks up. “So, I was thinking. We’re not fixing that portal anytime soon and we need money, for food and to pay the mortgage. Now, this town thinks I’m Ford, so I’ll continue living under his identity so we can keep the house.” He moves his hands excitedly as he speaks. “We’ll fix up the shack, make some new attractions, cuz those knick-knacks lying around here ain’t gonna cut it, maybe we can even have a gift shop!” He takes another bite and continues explaining his plan with his mouth full. “By day I could keep giving the tours and you could do the logistics side, like make sure everything runs all smooth-like y’know, and by night we could keep working on the machine.”

You think about it for a second, taking a sip of your drink. “So, we’re going full on tourist trap, okay, do you have a name in mind?” He smirks, leaning back in his chair, one arm above his head, the other on his stomach. “I’m thinking ‘The Murder Hut’! Playing into the mystery part of it, people love that kind of stuff.” He uses his hands to frame the name. “Not a bad plan, but if you’re gonna be Stanford, who’s gonna be Stanley? You can’t be in two places at once.”

Stan clears his throat, sitting up straight. “Um, I was thinking of faking my death? I know some people who won’t ask questions, don’t ask. How about a car crash?” You sigh. This is all becoming very real right now. “Are you sure about all this? It won’t be easy to come back from this.”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I? I need to get my brother back; to get him back I need to keep the house, to keep the house I need to become Stanford.” He smiles sadly at you. “Look, I get it if you don’t want to get further involved in all this, and you can leave if you want to, no hard feelings, but it’s gonna be a hell of a lot harder without you.”

Stan gives you a pleading look. “So, what do you say? Partners?” He holds out a hand for you to shake. You take a deep breath, thinking it all through. Agreeing will get you in a whole lot of trouble, but refusing would weigh more heavily on your mind than you think you can take.

So, you shake his hand. “Partners. But I’m telling you, the ‘Murder Hut’ isn’t going to stick.” Stan lets out a loud laugh, squeezing your hand before letting it go. “What? of course it will! I’m somewhat of an expert at naming things, y’know.” He proceeds to tell you all about his failed salesman career with the same eccentric manner of storytelling he used during the tour.

The two of you talked and shared stories the whole evening through. Until you called it a night and the two of you cleaned up and head upstairs for bed. You stop before entering your respective rooms. “Tomorrow we’ll start planning the renovations for the house.” You tell him. He nods. “Sounds good, partner.” You smile at that as he turns around. “Stan?” He turns.

“We’ll get him back, I promise.”

Next part (TBA)

Masterlist

Thank you for reading <3

#grunkle stan x reader #stan pines x reader #stanley pines x reader #gravity falls x reader #fanfiction #fanfic #x reader #reader insert #my writing

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zarla-s · 2 months

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I just read your TF2 bot post and I’m fascinated. It has left me with a few questions though. Why/how were bots a problem for so long? What was the main incentive for botting (is it botting or boting??) Was it just to be an asshole? What’s your favorite baked good? Have a lovely day and don’t worry about answering my questions if you’re not in the mood :]

The bots were a problem for so long because Valve just didn't care, sorry to say. They just let it happen. I'm not sure when they started coming in in force, maybe after the Jungle Inferno update like six years ago? But they just kept pouring in and Valve just ignored it. It's really shameful how bad they let it get, honestly. They just kept putting out community updates like nothing was wrong.

Eventually after a lot of community pressure a year ago (#savetf2) they tweeted saying they were aware of the problem and then nothing happened. Then there was ANOTHER community movement this June (#fixtf2), and THEN at the end of June they ACTUALLY did something, which is why everyone was so shocked and skeptical at the time. Like the bots got so bad, it's hard to get across just how bad it got if you weren't playing at the time. It was bad. To suddenly go from that to totally bot-free was unbelievable. Frankly I'm still shocked they're gone! No one knows why Valve's acting now or how they're doing it (personally, I think they must have been working on these anti-bot measures for a while... maybe even since their initial tweet, but no one knows), but I hope they keep it up. I can finally teach people how to play in peace!

As for why they'd do this, yeah, it's just to be jerks. They just want to make people miserable. They have websites on Neocities you can find under the tf2 tag (I was looking through it for sites to link to my tf2 site) and they state themselves that they just like making people mad. I don't think they actually hate TF2 so much as they love the power rush from destroying something so famous that so many people love. Kind of a power-trip/control thing, with a dose of being desperate for attention. A lot of the more notorious bot hosters had twitters or youtube accounts where they invited people to rage at them uselessly, they loved it. They've also formed communities around botting and trolling people, so they have kind of a social investment in it (although they were quick to turn on each other when they suspected someone was a mole). Some of them sell their bot software or "bot immunity" for money but I think that was just pocket change, I don't think that was a real motivator.

After having free reign for so long, they reacted violently to the community movement in June. They were positive that nothing would happen to them, so they kept doing more and more outrageous things to prove it. They DDoS'd and DMCA'd the site for the petition multiple times, they doxxed and swatted one of the main bot fighters, they impersonated figureheads and posted illegal links to things, like they were really stepping over the line and gloating about it. They were extremely confident and to be fair, who could blame them? Valve's negligence let them get away with it for years. To suddenly have that power taken away from them without warning made them absolutely furious. They're still seething about it right now and plotting ways to get back in, but they haven't found one yet. It's a matter of pride for them at this point I think, that and a childish tantrum about not being able to ruin other people's fun anymore. Them targeting a baby game version of TF2 (TC2) also points to it being a power trip. If they can't ruin TF2 anymore then by god they've got to ruin SOMEthing!

Even now I'm not sure Valve can hold the line and I keep checking TF2 Casual every now and then to look for bots, haha. It's just hard to believe! I greatly enjoy hearing about bot hosters raging about it and suffering though, they deserve nothing less. Die mad about it!!!

In terms of baked goods though I like all kinds, although right now I'm thinking about brownies so I'll say that. |D

#asks and answers #in-between-nothing #team fortress 2 #savetf2 #fixtf2 #valve is also still banning cheaters so they seem to still be paying attention #but for how long is the question #one bot hoster actually got arrested and sent to prison for 20 years for csem but that predates the recent movements #they really are all garbage people

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blakeswritingimagines · 3 months

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Talk Is Cheap, So Show Me

Summary: Aegon is a pathetic fanboy over you - the cosplayer who's got his eye.

Word count: 5.1k

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the House of The Dragon/Fire & Blood characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.

Aegon, the eldest of the wealthy and powerful Targaryen family. He was a handsome young man, with wavy platinum blonde hair and striking lavender eyes. Despite his spoiled privilege and high status, Aegon found solace in gaming. He spent hours playing various video games and role-playing games online, immersing himself in fantastical worlds. But one particular interest caught his attention - cosplay. He loved scrolling through pictures and videos of beautiful women dressed up as his favorite characters, admiring their creativity and dedication to the craft. It became an obsession for him. You were a cosplayer, spending hours crafting your costumes and perfecting your makeup. Although you came from a humble background, you had always had a fascination for fantasy and fiction, which led you to the world of cosplay. You took great pride in your work and were known in the cosplay community for your intricate and accurate costumes. One day, while sorting through your cosplay photos online, you noticed a name continuously popping up in the comments - Aegon.

Aegon had been stalking your social media accounts for weeks now, unable to resist the allure of your gorgeous cosplays. His heart pounded every time he saw a new post or comment from you, and he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of excitement. He knew it was wrong, given that you were both from very different backgrounds, but he couldn't deny his growing attraction towards you. One night, after another long session of gaming, he decided to take a chance. He sent you a private message on one of the popular social networking sites. As you were scrolling through your messages, you saw a notification from Aegon. Your eyes widened slightly as you clicked on the message, feeling a mixture of curiosity and surprise. You had noticed his comments before but never paid much attention to them. Now, as you read his words, you felt a flutter in your chest. ~Absolutely gorgeous, I've never seen a more perfect cosplay of that character. You nailed it.~ You hesitated for a moment. Should you reply to him? You weren't sure what his intentions were, but there was something about his message that intrigued you. Aegon watched eagerly as you opened his message. His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for your response. He felt a rush of relief mixed with anticipation by having finally said something.

He quickly typed out another reply, trying to sound casual yet flirty. ~You must have put so much effort into making that costume. I'm impressed!~ He hit send and then immediately regretted sounding too nice. He didn't want to scare you off by being too forward, but at the same time, he wanted to make sure you knew how much he appreciated your work. You smiled at Aegon's response. His words were sincere, and you could tell he genuinely appreciated your work. You couldn't help but feel a little flutter of excitement in your chest. Before responding, you took a moment to think. You didn't want to come off as too eager, but you also wanted to let him know that you were interested in continuing the conversation. After taking a deep breath, you typed out a response. ~Thank you! It means a lot coming from someone who appreciates cosplay. It did take hours to make, but it was worth it in the end.~ Aegon's heart skipped a beat when he received your response. He hadn't expected you to write back so soon, let alone with such a warm and friendly tone. He felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins, fueling his fingers as they danced across the keyboard.

~I can only imagine how much time and effort goes into creating these masterpieces. I wish I had your talent!~ He hit send, hoping that his compliment wouldn't come off as insincere. He had always admired people who were passionate about their crafts, especially when it came to cosplay. You were certainly one of those individuals, and he found himself wanting to learn more about you. You smiled as you read Aegon's message. He seemed genuine in his praise, and you appreciated his kindness. You had to admit, it was nice to have someone appreciate your work for what it was even though you couldn't tell he had practically been drooling each time you posted a new photo. ~Talent only gets you so far. It's the passion and dedication that really make the difference. I've spent hours and hours practicing and experimenting to get to where I am now.~ You replied, feeling a sense of pride in your accomplishments.

Aegon read your response and felt a surge of admiration for you. The way you talked about your passion made him realize just how much he underestimated cosplayers like you. They weren't just dressing up; they were artists in their own right. ~That's amazing! It's clear that you love what you do, and it shows in your work. I bet you're already thinking about your next project…~ He wrote back, trying to keep things light-hearted while still showing his appreciation for your dedication. He couldn't wait to see what you would create next and kept quiet that he'd love to see more. You chuckled as you read Aegon's message. You were used to people making assumptions about cosplayers being shallow and pretentious, so it was refreshing to see someone who understood the passion and dedication behind it all. ~Actually, I do have a few ideas in mind for my next project. I always have several on the back burner. But I won't give too much away yet, you'll just have to wait and see.~ You typed back, teasing him gently.

Aegon laughed softly as he read your message. Your playful banter was contagious, and he found himself enjoying the conversation more than he thought he would. He liked how you kept things interesting and exciting, not giving anything away too easily. ~Oh, is that so? Well, I suppose I'll just have to wait in anticipation then. Don't keep me waiting too long though!~ He wrote back, matching your playful tone. He was starting to feel a connection with you, something he hadn't experienced with many others due to how stuffy, boring, and pretentious they were in his day-to-day life. Maybe this was the start of something special.

You found yourself thinking about Aegon more and more as the weeks went by. Your online conversations had become a regular part of your life, and you looked forward to seeing his name pop up in your notifications. You had kept things playful and casual, both of you enjoying the flirting and banter. But there was something more there, a connection that neither of you could deny. One night, after a particularly long conversation, you found yourself lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, thinking about Aegon. You wondered what he was doing at that moment, whether he was thinking about you too. Aegon couldn't stop thinking about you either. Every time he got home from partying, he checked his phone to see if you'd messaged him. Even when he tried to focus on other things, like playing games or watching TV, his mind always drifted back to you. There was something about you that drew him in, and he found himself wondering what kind of person you were outside of the online world. As he lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling just like you, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was building between you two. He was scared, yes, but also excited. What would happen if he crossed that line and asked you out? Would you say yes? Or would he ruin everything by overstepping his bounds?

He wanted to meet you in person, to see if the chemistry between you was as strong as it was online. One evening, after another engaging chat with you, Aegon found himself looking at your profile pictures again. He couldn't help but admire your beauty and the passion you put into your cosplays. He knew he had to take the next step, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. You rolled over onto your side, staring at the phone on your bedside table. Your conversation with Aegon had ended a few hours ago, but you couldn't get him out of your mind. You closed your eyes, imagining what he might be like in person. Was he just as charming and engaging as he was online? Or was there something different about him that you hadn't been able to glean from the conversations so far? Aegon tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position in his bed. His mind was racing, filled with thoughts of you. He couldn't understand why he was so drawn to you. Sure, you were beautiful, but there were plenty of beautiful women out there. So what was it about you that made him crave more? He picked up his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen before he decided to type out a message. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he needed to hear your voice. To know that you were thinking about him too.

Your eyes abruptly opened as you heard the notification sound from your phone. You hesitated for a moment, wondering if you should even check it or not. But you couldn't resist the temptation. You reached for your phone and unlocked it, your heart racing as you saw the notification icon on the screen. Your breath caught in your throat when you saw that it was a message from Aegon. You quickly swiped open the message, your fingers shaking slightly as you began to read his words. Aegon stared at the message he had just sent, his heart pounding in his chest. He had never been so nervous about a simple text before. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he hoped that whatever happened next would be worth it. ~I hope you're still awake,~ he typed, adding a winking emoji at the end for good measure. He pressed send, hoping against hope that you would respond.

Your heart skipped a beat as you read Aegon's message. You couldn't help but chuckle at the winking emoji, finding it both cute and endearing. You quickly typed out her reply, feeling a surge of excitement coursing through your veins. ~What makes you think I would be sleeping at this late hour?~ You teased, adding a blushing emoji for good measure. Aegon let out a low whistle as he read your message. That damn blushing emoji did things to him. He could almost imagine how flustered you would act, and it made him want to reach out and touch you. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed out his response, eager to keep the conversation going. ~Well, I guess I'm just lucky then. You're wide awake and ready to chat.~ He wrote, adding another winking emoji because he couldn't resist. He hit send, grinning to himself as he waited for your response. You chuckled again as you read Aegon's response. He really was a smooth talker, and you couldn't deny the effect he was having on you. But you weren't going to let him rile you up too much. Not yet, anyway. ~Lucky indeed. But I have a feeling you were hoping I would still be awake,~ You typed back, adding a cheeky smirk emoji. ~What's on your mind so late at night?~

Aegon smiled as he read your message. You were definitely keeping things interesting, and he found himself looking forward to these nightly chats more and more. ~You're right. I was hoping you'd still be awake. Can't deny that now, can we?~ He wrote back, adding a laughing emoji to lighten the mood. As for what was on his mind… well, he wasn't quite ready to share that just yet. But he was getting close. You chuckled again, feeling your cheeks flush slightly at Aegon's words. You were enjoying this little game you both were playing, the flirty banter and teasing back-and-forth. It was exhilarating, and it made you feel alive. ~I knew it. You just can't get enough of me, can you?~ You teased, adding a tongue-sticking-out emoji for good measure. ~But you didn't answer my question. What's keeping you up late at night, hm?~ Aegon laughed at your comment, shaking his head slightly as he read your message. You certainly knew how to keep things light and fun, which was exactly what he needed right now. ~Oh, you know… Just thinking about you,~ he wrote back, adding a winky face to emphasize his point. He hit send and laid back in his bed, a satisfied smile on his face. He couldn't wait to see what you would say next.

You read Aegon's message and almost choked on your own saliva. You hadn't expected him to be so bold, but you definitely weren't complaining. The thought of him lying in bed, thinking about you, sent a shiver down your spine. ~Oh really? And what kind of thoughts might those be?~ You typed back, your fingers trembling slightly as you hit send. You were suddenly feeling a little flustered, but you tried your best to play it cool. Aegon's pulse quickened as he read your message. He couldn't believe how daring you were being, pushing him to reveal more. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart before he replied. ~Thinking about how pretty you are,~ he started, adding a blush emoji just to show that he meant it. Then, without missing a beat, he added, ~And wondering what you look like under all those clothes you wear during our late-night conversations.~ Your eyes widened as you read Aegon's message. Your heart thudded in your chest, and your cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. You certainly hadn't been expecting such a direct response, but you couldn't deny that you enjoyed the tension of it all. ~Are you trying to get me flustered? Because it's working,~ You typed back, adding a flushed face emoji for good measure. ~And if you're curious, why don't you use your imagination? I'm sure you've got quite a vivid one…~

Aegon's grin grew wider as he read your message. You were definitely playing along, and he liked where this was heading. ~Oh, I have an imagination alright,~ he responded, adding a devilish smiley face. He paused for a moment, considering his next move carefully before typing out his final message. ~But sometimes, seeing is believing. Why don't we arrange a little video call later tonight? I promise I won't disappoint.~ You felt your heart skip a beat as you read Aegon's message. A video call? That certainly escalated things quickly. But you couldn't deny that you were intrigued. You thought about it for a moment, picturing what it would be like to see him face-to-face for the first time. ~Are you really that eager to get a peak at what I look like under my clothes?~ You teased back, adding a winking emoji for good measure. ~Sure, let's set something up later tomorrow. I'm excited to see what you have in store for me.~ Aegon's heart pounded in his chest as he read your message. His mind raced with anticipation, imagining what the video call would entail. He couldn't wait any longer; he wanted to see you now. ~How about now?~ he asked, typing back immediately. He hit send and sat up in bed, waiting anxiously for your response.

You raised an eyebrow as you read Aegon's message. Now? You hadn't expected him to push things so quickly, but you couldn't deny that the idea was tantalizing. ~Now? I mean, I suppose I could make time for a quick video call…~ You typed back, adding a thoughtful emoji for good measure. You sat up in bed too, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness coursing through your veins. Aegon's pulse quickened as he read your reply. This was happening. You two were actually doing this. He felt a rush of adrenaline surge through him, making his hands tremble slightly as he reached for his phone. Before he could change his mind, he hit accept on the incoming video call. His heart hammered in his chest as he saw your image come onto the screen. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his composure as he looked into your eyes. Your heart skipped a beat as you saw Aegon's face appear on your screen. He was just as handsome as he had described himself, and you couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement in your stomach. You adjusted your own phone, making sure the camera captured your face from a flattering angle. You smiled at him nervously, trying to contain the rush of emotions coursing through you. "Hey there…" she greeted softly, her voice trembling just a bit.

Aegon returned your smile, his eyes locked on yours. He felt a strange warmth spreading through him, and he couldn't tear his gaze away from your face. "Hi," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat, trying to regain some semblance of control over himself. "You look amazing." His hand moved towards the edge of his blanket, slowly pulling it down to reveal his bare chest. He gave you a playful wink, then leaned back against his pillows, awaiting your reaction. Your eyes widened as you noticed the blanket falling slightly, revealing his bare chest. You couldn't help but admire his muscular physique, your eyes roaming over his chest and arms for just a moment before you met his gaze again. You swallowed hard, trying to find your voice: "You… you don't look so bad yourself," you managed to say, your voice shaky with barely contained enthusiasm. "Is this your way of trying to tempt me?"

Aegon grinned at your words, his confidence growing with every second that passed. He loved the way your eyes roamed over his body, taking in every detail. It made him feel alive and desirable. "I wouldn't dream of tempting you," he lied smoothly, his tone dripping with flirtation. "I'd never do anything to jeopardize our… arrangement." He tilted his head slightly, running a hand through his hair as he watched you closely. There was something incredibly intoxicating about how you reacted to him, and he got harder by the second. You chuckled softly, your eyes flickering over Aegon's muscular chest once again. You were starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by the chemistry between you, and you couldn't deny the effect he was having on you. "Oh really? You wouldn't dream of tempting me? Then what would you call this…" You gestured at the way he was leaning back against his pillows, bare-chested and confident as if he knew exactly how attractive he was. "Because I'd call it a very tempting sight, indeed."

Aegon laughed lightly, enjoying the banter between you both. He liked how you weren't easily intimidated or impressed - it only made him want to impress you more. "Well then," he said, smirking playfully, "it seems like I've got some work cut out for me. How do you suggest I go about not tempting you?" His eyes twinkled with mischief as he awaited your answer, his hand idly tracing patterns on the sheet covering his lap. You couldn't help but grin at Aegon's playful demeanor. He was effortlessly charming, and it was starting to wear your defenses down. You feigned thoughtfulness, tapping a finger against your chin as you pretended to consider his question. "Hmmm… I suppose you could start by putting your shirt back on," you suggested, your eyes darting down to his hand tracing patterns on the sheet. You bit your lip, trying to maintain some measure of control and failing miserably. Aegon chuckled, shaking his head slightly at your suggestion. He liked your sense of humor, even if it was aimed at him. "Oh come now," he protested, "isn't part of the fun seeing what's underneath?" His hand stopped its idle movements on the sheet, instead sliding further down to tease the edge of his pants.

"But since you're so concerned," he added with a devilish smirk, "I can always put these back on too…" With that, he began to sit up, reaching for his pants as if ready to pull them up and cover himself completely. The anticipation was killing him, and he loved every second of it. Your breath caught in your throat as you watched Aegon reach for his pants. You wanted to stop him, to tell him to keep everything off, but your mouth wouldn't cooperate. All you could do was watch silently as he teased you, slowly rising from the bed with a smirk on his face. "You're enjoying this," you accused, your voice sounding slightly hoarse. "You're loving the fact that you have me all flustered and worked up right now, aren't you? Just admit it." Aegon paused mid-movement, looking directly into your eyes as you spoke. He didn't respond verbally, but the glint in his eyes told you everything you needed to know. Yes, he was enjoying this. Every second of it. Without another word, he let out a low chuckle and shook his head. But instead of pulling up his pants, he did the exact opposite, letting them slide down just enough to expose more of his toned thighs. His fingers toyed with the waistband teasingly, clearly enjoying the power he held over you. "And why would I deny it?" he asked, his voice smooth and seductive.

You watched with wide eyes as Aegon slowly peeled away his pants, revealing more of his golden expanse of skin. You could feel your heart racing in your chest, and your body reacting to the sight in ways that surprised you. You took a steadying breath, trying to regain some measure of control over yourself. "Because… because it's unfair," you finally managed to say, your voice low and slightly shaky. "You know exactly what you're doing to me, and it's not fair!" Aegon let out a low laugh, feeling his own excitement building. The way your pupils dilated as you looked at him. And there was no denying the way your body reacted to him, despite all your protests. He shrugged nonchalantly, letting his pants fall completely off his hips. Completely exposed now, he sat back against the pile of pillows behind him, making sure to give you a good view of his throbbing member. "Unfair or not," he said, grinning widely, "you're enjoying it too much to care."

Your eyes drifted down to Aegon's exposed member, and you gasped softly as you saw the evidence of his own arousal. Your breath caught in your throat, and you swallowed hard, trying to keep your own desires in check. "That's not-" You cut yourself off, too flustered to argue. Dammit, he was right; you were enjoying this. Too much. You shook your head slightly, forcing yourself to focus on his face instead of his body. "You're a tease, you know that?" You accused, trying to sound annoyed, but failing miserably. Aegon smirked at your accusation, knowing full well that he was being a complete tease. But damn, it felt good. He loved pushing buttons, especially when it came to someone as fiery as you. "Yeah, I guess I am," he admitted with a shrug. "But don't pretend like you hate it." As he spoke, his hands moved lower, wrapping around his shaft firmly. He gave it a few slow strokes, his thumb circling the sensitive tip as he watched your reaction carefully. "Is this what you want?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave lower as he continued to touch himself in front of you.

Your breath hitched in your throat as you watched Aegon's hands move over his own member. It was a blatant display of dominance, and it sent a shiver down your spine. You hated how much you were turned on by it, how wet you already were between your legs. "I…" You started, but cut yourself off, unable to form words. You crossed your arms under your breasts, squeezing them slightly as if trying to distract yourself from the show in front of you. You watched closely as Aegon started stroking himself, his words sending shivers down your spine. You hated to admit it, but you found yourself getting turned on by his boldness, his arrogance. It was infuriating, yet incredibly hot. Aegon watched as you struggled to find words, your heaving chest giving away your true feelings. He enjoyed watching you squirm, enjoyed knowing that he had this effect on you. It was power, pure and simple. He continued to stroke himself slowly, keeping his gaze locked onto yours. He could almost taste the frustration in the air between you two, and it only served to heighten his own arousal. "So tell me," he said, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. "What are you going to do about it?"

Your entire body was on fire, every nerve ending screaming for release. You couldn't tear your eyes away from Aegon's hand moving over his thick cock. God, you wanted it. Wanted him. But the arrogant bastard was enjoying this too much. He knew exactly what he was doing to you, and he was reveling in it. Your breath hitched again as he spoke, his deep voice sending another jolt straight to your core. You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, you simply stood there, staring at him, your body trembling with need. "Fuck," you cursed under your breath, hating how much you were affected by him. Aegon watched as you stood there, frozen in place, your body trembling with desire. He loved seeing you so conflicted, so frustrated. He loved knowing that he was the one causing those reactions in you. His hand slowed its pace, teasingly close to reaching the peak before stopping abruptly. He could see the confusion in your eyes, the conflict written all over your face. He relished in it, allowing himself a moment of silent satisfaction. "But isn't it better this way?" he asked, his voice dripping with amusement. "Don't you prefer the chase?"

You gritted your teeth, feeling the ache between your legs growing stronger by the second. You couldn't stand it anymore. The way he was playing with himself, the way he was taunting you. The way he was enjoying it all. You were going crazy here. And then, without thinking, you reached down and touched yourself through your panties, rubbing your swollen clit in small circles. You moaned softly, biting your lip to stifle the sound nearly dropping your phone. Your body was screaming at you to take matters into your own hands, to go over there and straddle him, to ride him until you were both panting and spent. But something about that thought made your stomach twist with anticipation. Because even though he was a total asshole, there was no denying the chemistry between you. It was explosive, and it terrified you. Aegon's eyes flickered with surprise as he heard your soft moan, followed quickly by the sight of you touching yourself. His fingers tightened around his shaft instinctively, his other hand reaching up to adjust his position on the bed. He was rock hard, throbbing painfully with need. Seeing you touch yourself was enough to push him to the edge.

His breathing became ragged as he watched you, his own movements becoming erratic as he neared his climax. He groaned, low and guttural, as he felt his balls tighten and his orgasm building. He didn't stop you, didn't try to stop himself. Instead, he just lay there, letting you watch as he came undone. "Oh fuck," he muttered, his voice strained as he shot ropes of cum across his stomach, each spurt painting a perfect picture of his frustration and desire. Seeing Aegon come undone was more than enough to send you over the edge. You bit your lip to muffle your moans, your hips bucking against your hand as you rode out the waves of pleasure coursing through your body. You squeezed your eyes shut tight, focusing on the sensation of your fingers rubbing against your soaked panties. When you finally came back to reality, you realized you were still on the video chat with Aegon. You felt mortified by what you'd done, but also oddly satisfied. There was no hiding the fact that you'd just gotten off to watching him masturbate. "I can't believe we just did that," you whispered, your voice barely audible. Aegon watched as you came apart on screen, your moans filling the room. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride, a sense of accomplishment. He'd done that to you, made you lose control. When you finally broke the silence, he chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Believe it," he said, his voice filled with amusement. "And remember it too."

You glared at him, feeling humiliated and turned on all at once. Why did he have to be such an arrogant jerk? And why did he have to be so fucking attractive? You pulled your fingers out of your panties, bringing them up to your lips. Slowly, you sucked your fingers clean, savoring the taste of yourself while still on camera. You knew you were pushing things, but you couldn't resist the urge to torment him further. "And now, I'm going to get cleaned up," you said, your tone dripping with sarcasm. Aegon watched as you sucked your fingers clean, his eyes wide with disbelief. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and he certainly hadn't expected that reaction. But he wasn't about to complain. If anything, it only served to fuel his own desires. "Well, I hope you enjoyed your little show," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "Because I don't think you're ever going to forget it."

You rolled your eyes, but the truth was, you weren't going to forget any of it. Ever. Especially not the taste of yourself on your fingers. It was strangely erotic, and it sent shivers down your spine. You needed to cool off, and fast. But you couldn't deny that the whole situation was turning you on. More than you cared to admit. "Just keep telling yourself that," you replied, your voice dripping with sarcasm as you hung up the call. You grabbed your towel and headed towards the shower, your body still trembling from the orgasm he'd given you. And damn if it didn't make you want more. But you weren't about to let him know that. Aegon's grin widened as he heard your breathy sarcasm. You were playing hard to get, and he loved it. It added an extra layer of intrigue to the conversation.

~I was just thinking about our last conversation…and how much fun we had.~ He wrote, adding a playful wink emoji. ~And well…I was wondering if you'd be interested in taking things offline. Perhaps meeting up sometime? Just you and me?~

#house of the dragon #aegon targaryen imagine #aegon targaryen ii #aegon ii #aegon ii targaryen #aegon the second #hotd aegon #aegon targaryen x reader #aegon targaryen smut #aegon targaryen x you #house of the dragon smut #hotd imagine #hotd smut #hotd fanfic #hotd #1000 celebration

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absolutely-esme · 11 months

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Monster!Tim Coraline AU Idea

This idea would not leave me alone.

It’s a cross between a meta!/magic!Tim au and a Coraline au.

Before I get into it, I feel like I should explain. I was on a bit of an Eldritch!Batfamily and Cryptid!Batfamily kick. Then I found a collection of supernatural Tim aus. Then I stumbled across a Coraline au. There’s probably also some inspiration in there from vampire au fics.

It didn’t really jell until the idea occurred to me of a scene where some frightened villain asks Tim “What kind of monster are you?” and Tim says “The hungry kind.”

...

The idea is that somewhere back along the way, Tim’s family tree includes some kind of supernatural creature which may or may not have been an eldritch entity.

The supernatural heritage allows Tim to acquire abilities from other entities he has defeated, and Gotham is absolutely full of the supernatural if you pay attention.

Of course, Tim’s power isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. It actually comes packaged with some pretty nasty side effects.

One of those side effects is perpetual Hunger. Tim is always Hungry. There is no way to stop it. He eats enough to stay healthy, but he still feels Hunger at all times. Increasing his food intake will not help and will screw up his metabolism and cause him to need more for normal function. If this was allowed to spiral out of control it could eventually reach a point where he was physically unable to eat the amount of food he needed to function and starved to death on a full stomach.

Fixing it is stupid hard because this particular sort of magical inheritance is really fucking inconvenient. And, of course, whatever is up with his biology also makes him insanely susceptible to addiction, so no coffee for him unless he wants caffeine withdrawal symptoms all the time for however long it takes to fix that. The constant Hunger also makes it difficult to get enough sleep. Have you ever tried to go to sleep on an empty stomach? Not easy, was it? Imagine that every night.

The Hunger is fairly central to the nature of the magic. Whatever supernatural entity he’s descended from, it is the Hungry kind. The ritual of defeating another supernatural entity, taking a bit of the defeated entity’s power, and incorporating it into himself serves as a sort of metaphorical devouring, (and metaphors matter more to magic than they do to normal biology). That’s why he’s able to gain power and abilities from defeated foes.

...

Tim’s relationship with his parents is complicated. His supernatural heritage comes from his mother’s side of the family. She did her best to teach him about it and how to cope with it, but a lot of knowledge was lost over the generations due to persecution forcing those like them into hiding more than once. There may have been a few individuals who spiraled out of control and caused small-scale famines before losing their lives. It only takes a few cases for people to decide that a specific category of people is simply not worth the risk of having around. Janet always referred to herself and Tim (as well as anyone else sharing the condition) as “those afflicted with Gluttony.” This is the closest they have to a name for the condition.

One of the important things Janet Drake teaches her son is to pursue his passions. It is incredibly important for individuals like them to have things outside the self that they can draw satisfaction and fulfilment from, things that keep them going in the face of the relentless Hunger. This is what leads Tim to his night-time photography of Gotham, and eventually to his fascination with the Bats.

Janet’s passions are archeology and travel. Unfortunately, traveling from dig site to dig site is not a particularly stable or safe environment to raise a child in. She needs to do these things to remain in good health. Without her external coping mechanisms, she could start spiraling. If she starts spiraling, it might trigger her son to start spiraling too because children in their developmental years are delicate, and this type of hereditary magic is fucking inconvenient (there might be ways of managing things that make it easier to live with, but between the knowledge lost and the risks that come with experimentation, they don’t have much info on how anything works). She comes home as much as she can without the risk of compromising both their health.

She also taught Tim how to calculate appropriate portion sizes based on nutritional data so as not to screw up his metabolism, and how to fix it if he does mess up. She also stayed and managed the process the first time it happened because the process of returning the metabolism of one afflicted with Gluttony to normal after it’s gotten out of hand is difficult and unpleasant and Tim wasn’t old enough to handle it by himself. The nanny that had overfed him hadn’t been malicious or unreasonable, she’d just been operating on the assumption that he had standard human biology. It took months to get Tim healthy again. It took several hefty bribes to keep things under wraps. Janet doesn’t know if there are still people out there hunting their kind, but she’s not willing to risk it.

Janet may not know about the aspect of the family magic that lets them gain powers from defeating other entities. It’s possible that she was holding off on explaining this until he was older and more ready for the responsibility of multiple superpowers. It’s also possible that the knowledge got lost somewhere along the way and Janet didn’t discover it herself because she didn’t spend her childhood running around Gotham at night and was more the sort of person who would stay home and read when she had trouble sleeping.

...

Tim discovers his ability to gain abilities from defeating other supernatural things fairly early on. The type of defeat can vary, but it has to be something of significance. A fight will work for most, but there are other particular challenges that will work for specific cases.

The first things a young Tim is able to beat are these small things, invisible to most, that gain power from learning secrets. What that power is used for, I couldn’t tell you. They don’t seem to do much other than sneak around and learn secrets. Tim doesn’t know if there’s a proper name for these things or not, but he calls them Secret Hunters. They are absolutely everywhere in Gotham.

Secret Hunters are invisible to most, but Tim is able to see them. It might be because of his own supernatural nature, or it might be something else entirely. If it’s hereditary it must have skipped his parents’ generation. Neither of them seem to be able to see them. Tim gains improved stealth and a sense for when something is hidden from catching Secret Hunters until they wise up and start avoiding him. (Catching them works in place of a fight because secret hunters primarily operate on stealth and evasion.)

He can’t just magically know secrets, but he can tell when there is a secret. (He still figured out Batman’s and Robin’s secret identities on his own merit. The most this ability would have done is alert him to the fact that they had secret identities if that hadn’t already been obvious from the fact that they were wearing masks.)

He also gets various other abilities from other things he encounters while scrambling all over Gotham at night. Nearly doesn’t get out of some of the scrapes he gets himself into. He gains the ability to cut with his fingernails as if they were razors from something that nearly killed him. He gains the ability to climb like a goat from a Jersey Devil. Etc.

...

At some point, Tim is targeted by a beldam. He doesn’t get the kind of warnings that Coraline does, but his ability to sense secrets lets him know that the Beldam is hiding something, and any child raised in any part of Gotham knows to be suspicious of things that seem too good to be true. Tim doesn’t have a convenient seeing stone from the neighbor, but he does have the advantage of his own supernatural nature which the Beldam doesn’t know about.

Tim finds a button-eyed doll that looks like him after his parents leave on yet another trip, and thinks it’s a gift they meant to give him before leaving. They do often bring interesting souvenirs. It wouldn’t be at all unusual for them to find an artist who sews dolls to look like people and have one made based on pictures of him. Later on, he discovers the key.

This Beldam is older and more powerful than the one from Coraline. She has more power and more past victims to work with, so she’s able to make a larger, more populated world.

Oh by the way, I head-canon that the Other versions of people in the Other world are actually past victims of the Other Mother, remade and dressed up for whatever role she has them play. The three ghosts were just the three most recent and not fully processed for use yet. That’s why the Others are able to act against her sometimes (Other Wybie saving Coraline from the mirror, Other Father tossing the eye to Coraline) or say things she doesn’t want them too (Other Father says “so sharp you won’t feel a thing” and Other Mother kicks him under the table).

The Other Mother doesn’t know all that Tim knows, so the Other World has inconsistencies like Other Batman and Other Robin sitting across the table from Other Bruce and Other Jason. She doesn’t know they’re the same people. She just knows that they’re all important to Tim. She also tries to tell him to “eat as much as he wants” when his real mother was the one to explain the dangers of attempting to eat to fullness for people with their condition.

There isn’t a cat to warn Tim but he doesn’t need it. He can sense hidden intentions in everything, and he’s fully capable of uncovering the hidden secrets himself.

Tim doesn’t have a cat, but he does have Other Robin, who might have been made from whatever remained of someone close to one of the people mirrored in the Other World made for Tim. He doesn’t remember his life, but somehow he feels incredibly motivated to help a boy who cares dearly for whoever and is willing to let him know that they're living a good life out there in the real world.

Tim discovers the nature of the other world and sets out to free the souls trapped there. He fights the Beldam will all the viciousness and desperation of someone who knows they’ve only got one shot. He takes everything he can from this fight as he makes sure she won’t ever hurt anyone again. He doesn’t stop until the beldam is well and truly dead. Then he unravels Other Gotham and spills all of the souls out into the world where they can move on and rest.

This is how Tim learns to Sew. He can’t make entire populated worlds like the beldam, but that’s mostly because he refuses to do what she did. He can control things he’s made (though there’s limits on how much) and even see through buttons he’s sewn (onto cushions and such, he's not the Other Mother). He also gets some minor illusory powers that let him make things look a bit brighter/nicer/cheerier than they are. It takes quite some time before he’s comfortable with using these powers. Trauma is a bitch like that.

Part of the reason this version of Tim was so desperate to do something about Batman losing it out of grief is because he already has Evil Batman trauma from Other Batman, and he doesn’t need that shit happening in real Gotham.

By this point Tim has a collection of powers that allow him to navigate the more dangerous parts of Gotham largely without fear. Now he has to learn how to manage without using any that he isn’t one hundred percent certain he can sneak past Batman, which means he’ll have to divide his attention between learning from the training and not letting himself do things the supernatural way. This is going to suck.

It does, in fact, suck.

Oh, it turns out some of the rogues are a bit supernatural. He gains a bit of an intuitive understanding of the health of plants from Ivy. He gains the ability to taste emotions from Scarecrow. (Also, Johnathan Crane is a freaking weirdo, fear tastes like spoiled milk!) The rogues with supernatural tendencies are freaking terrified of the new Robin because he always seems like he wants to freaking eat them. The non-supernatural types don’t get it.

Eventually, Red hood breaks into Titan’s tower. Tim, by this point, is very good at deciphering how supernatural entities work and is packing an extensive inventory of powers. He realizes quickly that this is some kind of manipulative entity that feeds on rage and pain attached to an unwitting host. When he realizes that the unknowing (and therefore unconsenting) host is Jason Todd, he tells the Lazarus Entity in no uncertain terms to give Jason back or perish.

Jason, who does not realize he has a malicious, mind-warping, supernatural parasite and believes there to be no one other than himself and Tim present, is understandably confused.

Tim decides that the Lazarus entity has had its chance and springs into action.

Jason is treated to the terrifying sight of just what Tim Drake is like when he’s not expending conscious effort on not being something out of a horror movie. Suddenly he’s in the middle of a spider’s web and no matter how hard he tries to fight back everything around him is under the control of his opponent. Furniture flies around on puppet strings. Getting too close puts him in range of the freaking claws this kid apparently has!? Trying to get away just leaves him caught in strings and the more he struggles the more entangled he becomes! The new Robin is skittering and gliding around in a decidedly inhuman way.

Jason honestly thinks he's going to die when he finds himself bound with Tim standing over him. He passes out when Tim rips the Lazarus entity away from him and destroys it.

Tim gains the ability to heal from defeating the Lazarus entity.

Jason is surprised and confused when he wakes up bundled in a handmade quilt with his head in Tim’s lap and a cool compress on his forehead, feeling sore but more well and whole than he has since before he died.

Jason later decides that his memories of the fight at Titans Tower must be some kind of weird fever dream caused by his body purging the last of the Lazarus Water from his system. It goes along with Tim's account of things.

According to Tim, Jason entered the tower, initiated a lock-down, and then collapsed on the floor. Then, Tim moved him closer to a wall where he was less likely to get stepped on than in the middle of the walkway and did his best to take care of him there because Jason was simply too large and heavy for him to carry all the way to the med bay by himself.

This is far more believable and less of a mind screw than what Jason remembers. Obviously this tiny, baby-faced kiddo who played nursemaid for a stranger who broke into the tower and now looks up at him with wide, starry eyes couldn't actually be the terrifying, predatory creature from the nightmare. It was all just a bad dream.

He's honestly glad he collapsed before he had time to do any harm. The poor kid will never have to know what Jason went there to do. Jason knows, though, and he'll do his damned best to make up for it. He may have flubbed first impressions, but he is going to be the best damn big brother that ever big brothered.

...

Tim might or might not go full on feral cryptid when Bruce is lost in the Timestream. I haven't decided. He will probably pick a fight with the Lazarus Pit much to the confusion and alarm of everyone around.

That’s all I’ve got so far.

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howtofightwrite · 7 months

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hey! i wanted to ask if you know how medjays would fight in ancient egypt? or alternatively a warrior type person during that time? thank you!

So, this one of those, “short answer/long answer,” situations. The short is that the Medjays were archers.

The long answer is that it's a lot more complicated than that, in part because the term Medjay referred to entirely different concepts over the course of ancient history. Also, simply saying, “in ancient Egypt,” covers roughly three thousand years, and things did change a bit over that time. Fortunately, the Medjay only existed for over a thousand years. Which, doesn't actually help narrow it down that much.

The original meaning of the term referred to Nubian nomads. It's not completely clear (at least, to me) whether this actually referred to a specific tribe or community of nomads, or if the term was applied indiscriminately. The Nubian focus on archery is something that persisted into the 8th century AD.

The term, Medjay later came to refer to an order of guardian/protectors in Dynastic Egypt. It's a little unclear how much continuity existed between these two groups. During the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt, Medjay mercenaries were hired by princes in Thebes to help recover Egyptian territory that was being held by the Hyksos. After the Hyksos were expelled and the New Kingdom was formed, the Medjay were repurposed into a kind of proto-police force, tasked with keeping the peace.

Sometime after 1570BCE, they effectively became, Egypt's police. This meant that they investigating crimes, interrogating suspects, and prosecuting criminals in Egypt's judicial system. (Judges were appointed separately, and the concept of a defense attorney didn't seem to exist. But, witnesses could testify on behalf of the accused. The system was: Guilty until proven absolutely innocent.) You can probably dig into this more if you really want. These police kept the name Medjay, even after the organization incorporated non-Nubian members. (Worth noting, this was mostly for secular laws and crimes. There was a separate branch of the Medjay who were tasked with protecting holy sites, and enforcing religious laws.)

Interestingly, there's surviving tomb art that depicts Medjay using monkeys and dogs (not both, at the same time) to assist in detaining fleeing suspects.

It's likely that the Medjay mercenaries were using shields and spears (there's some surviving grave goods that depict contemporary military forces), and this was a pretty common form of infantry throughout most of human history. Later on, Egyptian fighters would have been using the kopesh. This is a distinctive, curved, bronze sword. They dated back to the third millennia, and while their origin isn't Egyptian, they became quite popular in Egypt roughly at the same time that the Medjay were transitioning over to becoming the New Kingdom's police force. It's also likely that the original mercenaries were experienced archers, and may have continued serving in that role during the formation of the New Kingdom.

The historical Medjay are a pretty fascinating group, when you actually go and look at the history, and as a result, their depiction in pop-culture becomes somewhat disappointing as a result. These really weren't ancient warriors, so much as cops in antiquity, which is pretty wild when you sit down and really look at them.

It's worth that before the Hyksos occupation of Egypt, the Egyptian military was technologically antiquated. The Hyksos introduced the compound bow, and chariot to Egypt (among other technological innovations.) This meant that warfare in Egypt before the Hyksos invasion, and after were dramatically different.

-Starke

This blog is supported through Patreon. Patrons get access to new posts three days early, and direct access to us through Discord. If you’re already a Patron, thank you. If you’d like to support us, please consider becoming a Patron.

#writing reference #writing advice #writing tips #how to fight write #starke answers #history

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skitskatdacat63 · 10 months

Text

Fernando Alonso & His Relationship With Cards

I'm sure we're all familar with the cards on the back of Fernando's Vegas GP helmet by now, but did you know his relationship with cards goes a lot deeper?

I. Magic Tricks

You've probably seen or heard someone at least mention Fernando's propensity for card tricks. As far as I can tell he was doing them(publically) as far back as 2003 all the way to as recently as 2018. Even once performing a card trick, with a condom and a teddy bear(!??!?!??!!), in front of Valentino Rossi who said "How was that possible?"(x)

But how did this start? According to James Allen, "Fernando admits to having been heavily influenced by his grandfather, a mercurial figure, who taught him magic and card tricks, still one of his passions away from the race track."(x) And I'm not sure the validity of this one, because I couldn't find an actual source, but apparently he once said: "My parents are responsible for the two things I like doing most - driving and magic tricks. They bought me my first go-kart and a magician's kit."

In several interviews he described it as his hobby off track, and that he loved learning new tricks and surprising others in the garage with them! So clearly cards are pretty important to him both as a hobby but also to who he is as a person since they've been with him just as long as racing has.

II. Card Symbolism in His Helmets

This is the reason I originally made this post, but I thought I should also explain the origins of his card fascination first. As I said, we probably all remember the cards on the back of his helmet in Vegas, but did you know that wasn't the first time he had cards on the back of his helmet?

From 2008-2013, he used to have a pair of cards on the back of his helmets. The symbolisms of the cards themselves as well as the evolution of their design is really fascinating to me! Even more so with the recent development of the card choice in 2023.

Fernando said he wanted to reference his two titles in some way on the back of his helmet and after his friend sent him several ideas, he decided on having two cards(an ace of clubs and an ace of hearts, sometimes pictured with 05 and 06 on them as well), saying: "I picked the cloverleaf [the ace of clubs - Ed] to give me luck, but the only pity is that it doesn't have four leaves!"(X)

2008.

Here's the very first appearance of the cards! They're displayed flat, with the 05 and 06 clearly visible

2009.

Very similar to 2008, but with a slightly different design, and they're maybe a bit more straight with less shadow?

2010.

This is the first major change! I was sad they didn't have the years on them anymore, but then I realized they're sparkly to match with his signature lightning bolts on the top of the helmet!!

2011.

Honestly I'm still somewhat unsure if this is the actual 2011 helmet? It's pretty difficult to find clear photos of the back of helmets from older seasons. It's easiest to find them on replica sites or auction sites so I'm not 100%? But anyways, I like that this has the championship years on the underside of the cards

2012.

This is when I started getting weirdly emotional about the helmets. Do you see how they've progressed from being a centerpoint to being curled up and sad at the bottom of the helmet? Not listing the year anymore??

2013.

Same thoughts as 2012. And after this season, they cease to exist (just like his ferrari chair in the garage, WOAH CALLBACK), until cards make a reeappearance in his Vegas helmet, albeit in a different form

2013 Monaco(Honorable Mention):

For some reason 2013 helmets were easier to find proper pictures of, so I happened to witness this absolute beauty. The creativity of this helmet genuinely blows me away??? Wanting to keep the card motif, but making sure to incorporate it into the rest of the puzzle piece design?? Mwah! There was another special 2013 helmet but they didn't change the cards at all so I really applaud this one

2023 Las Vegas(The Return of The King):

The magnificent return! But look! The cards are different cards! Instead of being two aces, it's now an ace of hearts, a four of hearts(his driver number of course!) and, the, now iconic, representation of himself as a Joker. I literally could not believe my eyes when this helmet was released and I saw the Joker card, what a fucking silly old man....I really wonder if he felt nostalgic having cards on his helmet again or if he didn't think about it all and was just like, "ah cards because Vegas!!!"

III. Why Does This Matter?

*The rest of the post was factual, this is moreso my personal thoughts on the symbolism of the cards/designs

This post spawned from me recently watching the 2010 Bahrain gp and noticing "hey wait a minute...are those CARDS ON THE BACK OF HIS HELMET!?" It's a really tiny detail that's unfortunately covered up by the HANS device pretty much whenever he's wearing the helmet, so it's really difficult to spot! But I became fascinated with the fact that he had cards on his helmet before that recent helmet, and now here we are!

There's something to me about how the design of the cards evolves over the course of six seasons from the cards being front and center to being smaller, more folded up and closer to the bottom of the helmet. As I said, the 2012-2013 ones genuinely made me depressed because it feels, symbolically, like his hopes for getting another Ace are becoming more and more unlikely and falling away until they eventually fall falt and fade away entirely after 2013 and disappear for basically a decade.

But when they return? They're not the same cards! Instead of representing Fernando's championships, they now represent him as a person, displaying his driver number and his persona of being a Joker!! Though I do think it's interesting he happened to keep the Ace of Hearts, even though he talked more about the Ace of Clubs before. I'm not sure it's actually this deep in reality, but I like to think that it's him not letting his championships(and the lack thereof) define him, but rather letting who he is as a person shine and be the centerpoint instead! But on a sadder note, as @suzuki-ecstar said to me, maybe the Aces aren't there anymore because he's lost all hope for a chance at a third Ace entirely :(

#yes its finals week and im up to my eyes in coursework but instead decided to spend like 5 hours researching and writing this post #nah bcs i actually genuinely put more work into this then I think I have all semester dsfjdskjg #that thing about him using a condom and teddy bear in a magic trick genuinely had me crying with laugher. actual tears rolling down my face #<- HOW!?!? WHAT WAS THE TRICK?? its literally inconceivable to me what he did. oh if only there were pics UGH #anyways!! this post was a lot of fun to make!! i really really love the symbolism and design of helmets so this was a rly fun project #and i also went down a lot of rabbitholes while make this and saw many very weird articles from yore #i feel like i make an equal amnt of deranged posts abt seb and nando but i dont know why nando is gifted w all my well researched projects #<- i.e. chair post. that was the same level of research as this one but at least this one i could find actual sources about....#idk theres smth about the extremely long history of nando's history that evokes research posts like this KLAJSLSKDJ #theres just so much that i dont think I ever really see people discussing! so i must create.#haha what was that joke tag i wanted to make abt my researched posts? I think:#normal posts that catie normally makes in a normal fashion #<- one day ill go back and actually tag posts w that. bcs the amtn of research compared to my actual schoolwork is so unwell #fernando alonso #fa14 #f1 #formula 1 #catie.rambling.txt #we do a little bit of f1

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secondbeatsongs · 2 years

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Hello! I'm Julie from Cariona and I just want to ask if you're interested in doing ads/promotions here on Tumblr? If yes, how much do you charge per reblog?

For proof of legitimate promotions, you can check @catchymemes, @sulfatto, @isnt, and many others.

Website for reference: http://cariona.com Over 200 five star Facebook reviews: https://www.facebook.com/carionaproducts/reviews

Please feel free to respond here or reach out to us on [email protected] for more details! Thank you once again and have a great week!

absolutely fascinating that you decided to send this as an ask, when you also DM'd me. unfortunately, you may realize that this was a mistake - you see, asks can be responded to publicly.

so, allow me to respond:

hi, Julie! I'd never heard about Cariona before, so I decided to go poking around, and I learned something!

well, I learned a few things, actually. from your site, Cariona seems to be a small business that sells reusable menstrual products. and while I will never advertise a product that I haven't used, there's nothing wrong with wanting people to promote your company.

I have, however, found a few problems.

the first thing I found was this post by @crafiet from May 12th of last year, saying that shortly after making a purchase on your website, her debit card info was leaked, and used to make facebook ad purchases.

it seems that at least back then, your payment system was insecure. I'm really hoping you've fixed that, because. yikes.

and when I messaged crafiet to ask if it was okay if I linked to her post, she also mentioned that even though your website says you ship from Georgia, her package came shipped from China, and took a long time to arrive.

that's pretty sketchy.

the next thing I found was some folks talking about receiving cards with their orders that have a QR code on them with the words "Scan For God's Message To You", and that on the other side, have this bible verse:

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is. Psalm 63:1

fun fact! that's from the King James Version (which I have a lot of thoughts about, but I'm not going to get into that right now).

additional fun fact! that particular psalm is from that time David fled to the wilderness because Jonathan's dad was trying to kill him.

and that's why I have to talk about the verses that follow it:

(ID in alt text; link to the NIV version if you want it)

so...are we like 100% sure it's god that David is thinking about here? because...I mean...that's pretty horny, right? and all of this while on the run from his boyfriend's dad?

I'm not saying anything, but like...¯\_(ツ)_/¯

it's a weird verse to choose for this, that's all.

anyway, back to you, Cariona: after seeing people talking about the bible verse cards, I decided to poke around your website more, and allll the way at the bottom of it, finally found your "About Us" page, which ends with this:

...look. there's nothing inherently wrong with being christian. but to say "we do not wish to impose any beliefs on our customers", and to then put bible verse cards in people's orders? that's sneaky, and I don't like it.

I also think it's a bit sneaky that you've flagged your tumblr account as pro-trans on shinigami eyes. at least, I assume you flagged it yourselves, because I didn't find a single post on your blog that mentions trans issues.

(though you have, entertainingly, reblogged some stranger things fanart, and a castiel cat cosplay)

and while your website uses very gender-neutral language, your "About Us" page doesn't say anything about being inclusive of trans people, just that you don't "discriminate against anyone who has a different belief than ours."

unfortunately, that's not good enough for me. I have this sneaking suspicion that "trans people are the gender they say they are" counts as a "different belief".

lastly, since you say on your website that people can message you asking about your faith, I had a friend do that!

baptists. you're baptists, which is a pretty conservative denomination.

and according to you, part of that 10% you donate goes to your local churches, and some missionaries. who are also probably baptists.

so.

in the end, I just...don't trust you? I don't trust that the 10% you're donating is going to organizations that aren't homophobic or transphobic. I don't believe that you're not trying to impose your beliefs on others, because that's what you're obviously doing. I mean, your "About Me" says that one of the reasons you built this company is to spread the gospel.

and I especially don't like it that you reached out to me (an openly queer person) for promotion without mentioning that you're an evangelical company.

so to answer your question, Julie: no. I am not interested in doing ads or promotions for you on tumblr. and honestly, you probably picked the wrong website for this kind of thing.

#asks #carionausa #cariona #additional info for the record:#my friend told me they did say they donate to some environmental stuff #like maybe wwf they thought?#but from the wording they weren't sure #and also another charity called #Connecticut Quest for Peace #which I couldn't find out much about #it doesn't have a rating on charity navigator #but the posts I found about it on tumblr are all...mmm #very religious in nature #and no judgement if that's your jam #but it's not my kind of thing #so #no thanks #I don't like the idea of promoting a company that gives money to the baptist church and other religious organizations #I just don't #sbs rambles #and I couldn't even find much information about cariona besides this #no business registered in georgia under that name so #who knows #I wonder...hmm #if I was just looking at this information #with no other context #with the errors on the website #and the shipping from china #...I wonder where Cariona _is_ based.#or if it is in georgia - what name is it registered under?

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strawberry-jan · 5 months

Text

Back in late 2022, I started working on a long story about Ishin: a tale of two dummies whose weird one-night stand blossoms into a surprisingly caring relationship even as a (mostly) canon-compliant series of tragedies plays out around them. It’s a now-complete series in approximately 125,000 words and three parts, and you can read the whole thing right now on AO3: The Glorious and Bloody Deeds of Okita Soji, Volume 1: Okita Soji Versus the Scoundrel Saito Hajime; The Secret History of Saito Hajime, Volume 2: The Shiraume Incident; and, finally, Brief Notes on the Domestic Life of one Saito Hajime.

Taken as a whole, it's a story about identity and history and the stories that people tell each other and themselves about those things. And it's a story about one guy getting way too into weird Edo-era egg dishes, and another guy finding himself embroiled in an extended detective sequence, and a third guy composing a series of corny haiku that (almost) nobody wants to read. And, of course, it's also a story about people who are shamelessly and sometimes explicitly in love (so you probably shouldn't read it at work).

This whole big, sprawling thing has been a labour of love on my part: it turns out that I adore writing historical fiction and finding excuses to read books and journal articles in order to write it better. In addition to making not one but four little illustrations to celebrate the fic's completion (and please look at them up-close; I hand-inked all those kimono patterns), I've drawn up a list of some of the sources that I consulted for my writing, and you can find those under the cut.

This is not an absolutely exhaustive list of sources; I don’t think it’s super useful to catalogue the extremely nitty-gritty stuff, like that time that I felt compelled to find out what the state of strawberry cultivation was in 1860s Japan, or when I needed to picture exactly what it looked like when Haruka was repairing Ryoma’s kimono. That being said, I’ve added a couple of things that are really particular to my stories but that I thought were cool enough to share.

Foster, Michael Dylan. The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore. U of California P, 2015. (This one was a really fun read – it combines a short history of yokai in folklore with a little catalogue of yokai.)

Jansen, Marius B. Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration. Stanford UP, 1971. (Super useful as an introduction to the Bakumatsu era and for biographical details about Ryoma and the figures around him.)

“Japanese Wiki Corpus.” https://www.japanesewiki.com/. (This is a machine-translated collection of articles on the Japanese side of Wikipedia related to Kyoto. As with a lot of things on Wikipedia, the citations on these articles tend to be poor or nonexistent, but it’s a useful starting point for information on figures and events that don’t have an English wiki equivalent. Definitely more useful if you can then head over to the original wiki articles and parse them out yourself.)

“Kabuki21” and “The Noh.” https://www.kabuki21.com/section.php, https://www.the-noh.com/en/plays/index.html. (I’m lumping these two together because I tended to consult them in tandem. Without getting too much into my personal details I am – among other things – a non-practicing theatre scholar, so whenever I wanted to have characters in my old-timey fics refer to something cultural, my first stop was old plays. These sites have, respectively, summaries of kabuki plays and full texts of Noh plays available for you to browse. If you’ve read my other fics you will probably have seen that I referred to the kabuki play “Fuwa” in 亀が如く.)

Katsu, Kokichi. Musui’s Story: The Autobiography of a Tokugawa Samurai. Translated by Teruko Craig. U of Arizona P, 1988. (A book that needs to be taken with a grain of salt because it’s an autobiography written by a guy who sounds like a real blowhard, but it’s still a really fascinating look into the daily life of a low-ranking samurai.)

Leupp, Gary P. and Tao, De-min. The Tokugawa World. Routledge, 2022. (Of particular interest is Kimura Sachihiko’s essay, “The Shinsengumi: Shadows and light in the last days of the Tokugawa shogunate” [1104-1124], which gave me a bunch of incidental details about the Roshigumi that I incorporated into the sections of this series that were told from Inoue and Hijikata’s perspectives.)

“Old Photos of Japan.” https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/. (Pretty self-explanatory. Very useful as a resource for picturing scenes!)

“Shinsengumi Archives.” https://shinsengumi-archives.tumblr.com/. (A long-running tumblr dedicated to cataloguing resources about the Shinsengumi. There’s an absolute wealth of information collected here, and best of all, the creator cites their sources and even provides links to the original texts. Although it’s focused on the Shinsengumi, it’s impossible to overstate how useful this site is for prospective Bakumatsu-era fic writers in general. The collection of Hijikata’s poems with links to others’ translations and commentary is here: https://shinsengumi-archives.tumblr.com/post/683071924948058112/hijikata-toshizos-haiku-poems. The creator of the blog also links to a translation of Nagakura’s and Shimada’s diaries, and while the document is machine-translated, it’s still a great source of historical details: https://shinsengumi-archives.tumblr.com/post/678083336614428672/where-can-you-read-the-memoirs.)

Smits, Gregory. “Warding off Calamity in Japan: A Comparison of the 1855 Catfish Prints and the 1862 Measles Prints.” EASTM 30 (2009): 9-31. (Okay, this one is highly specific to my fic – it comes up in Part 2 when Okita tells his story about Kashima and again a couple of chapters later when his pile of remedies includes a crudely-drawn picture meant to ward off indigestion – but I love little details like this so I did want to make a point of sharing it here.)

“Tamago Hyakuchin” and “Tofu Hyakuchin.” http://codh.rois.ac.jp/edo-cooking/tamago-hyakuchin/recipe/, https://toyama-tofu.jp/tofuhyakutin.html. (These are collections of Edo-era egg- and tofu-based recipes. They’re two of the sources cited in Cookpad’s collection of modernized Edo-era recipes: https://cookpad.com/recipe/list/14604664.)

Vaporis, Constantine N. “Linking the Realm: The Gokaido Highway Network in Early Modern Japan (1603-1868).” Highways, Byways and Road Systems in the Pre-Modern World. Ed. Susan E. Alcock, John Bodel, and Richard J. A. Talbert. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. 90-105. (Some of the works cited in this article also sound interesting, but I didn’t have a chance to dig any deeper as I just wanted to know a bit about the Tokugawa-era roads. Also interesting in this vein is Jilly Traganou’s book The Tokaido Road: Travelling and Representation in Edo and Meiji Japan [2004].)

Wert, Michael. Meiji Restoration Losers. Harvard UP, 2013. (Not directly useful as a source for writing about Ishin – it’s about later events and it mostly tracks the posthumous construction of one specific Tokugawa magistrate’s history – but it was an engaging read and I found it interesting as an exploration of how people continue to look back on the Bakumatsu era and the Meiji Restoration, which is something that the game is, of course, also doing.)

Yamakawa, Kikue. Women of the Mito Domain: Recollections of Samurai Family Life. Translated by Kate Wildman Nakai. U of Tokyo P, 1992. (Another one of those bits of essential reading on everyday life for low-ranking samurai, this time with a focus on women’s lives and households more generally. I didn’t use a lot of from this book in my fic, but it has everything from translations of songs to records of families’ financial transactions, and it’s fascinating to read about all the turmoil in Mito playing out in the background of these families’ lives.)

“Yokai.com.” https://yokai.com/. (The creators of this site make a point of not going into detail about their sources, and they’re very careful to state that they don’t intend for the project to be “the final authority” on yokai, but I enjoyed browsing the site to get some ideas for Okita’s stories – and once you know the name of a particular yokai that you’re interested in, it’s easy enough to go look up other sources on them.)

#like a dragon ishin #crime boys #my art #I know I said I was going to turn my attention to the mainline games after wrapping this series up but #what if I just never got off the ishin train #I mean there's pretty much nobody writing ishin fic at this point and I can't figure out why #it almost feels like I have a duty #anyway I hope if you read this fic you also find yourself thinking about my extremely cringe ishin rarepair

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strwberri-milk · 10 months

Note

Hi hi! May I request Childe, Heizou, and Wriothesley (add anyone else if you want) with an Author!Reader who usually writes crime/detective, mystery, and horror? Reader is sometimes stressed and sleep deprived because of this and their writing space is a mess with papers everywhere too.

It's okay if you won't do this one! ^^

Childe absolutely finds it fascinating. He doesn't have too much time in between work to really dedicate to reading the books you've written but he does his best. He's got copies of your books lining the shelves in his office and when people ask he tells them they're yours and that he strongly recommends the books himself.

Sometimes, you shyly approach him to ask for some details that only he could provide to help make your books just a bit more realistic. It makes him very happy to hear that you need his help and when you show him the parts that he helped with he can't help but specifically mark those pages off to read over and over again, fascinated by how you turn his loose explanations into insightful prose.

He doesn't mind the mess you leave behind when working - in fact he likes to rifle through it - but he does hate how stressed and tired you are. No matter how often he finds you passed out in your work he'll always take care to put you in bed and clean you off so you can rest. He won't leave you alone which means you're forced to rest, falling asleep against his chest.

Heizou didn't realise he was a casual fan of your books until after you told him that you wrote some of the books he's got on his shelf. You were just making a simple observation, not wanting to keep your occupation a secret nor make a big deal out of it but he took the opportunity to pull down the most memorable one and ask you some questions he remembers having while reading the book.

He likes to pop in whenever you're really struggling on a scene, wanting to offer up his expertise whenever you find yourself in a particular difficult situation in your writing. You can hand off sections of your manuscript to him and he's more than happy to read through the pages. Most often he points out any discrepancies he can personally find and helps reconcile them when he can.

The two of you often end up accidentally spending the night working on your projects, trying to keep each other awake or trying to convince the other person to go to sleep. You both try to work in organised chaos so he's familiar with how to stack your papers before you fall asleep to prevent ruining your workflow. You try to complain that you've got too much to do but he won't take any of it, shoving you back into bed playfully to make sure you manage to sleep.

Wriothesley likes to come down from the day with his tea, snacks, and a nice book in hand. It just so happens he was recommended for your book and he recognised the pen name you said that you use when writing. Without telling you, he quickly finishes the book and starts on another, finding himself thoroughly excited to work his way through your work.

You like watching the people in the prison, finding inspiration from the passing stores people tell you or just things you happen to over hear. You've got a lot of little notes sitting around of things you might want to expand on but for now, you're never lacking inspiration.

He also loves watching you work. It's always fun for him to try and make sense of all the paper you leave around. It's like some sort of puzzle he work on as you ramble to him about some ideas you've got for the continuing of your story - something he also listens to very intently.

Whenever it looks like you're about to pass out due to exhaustion or stress he simply removes you from your work site. He'll make sure you've got something to eat or drink before tucking you into bed no matter what you tell him. He'll remind you you can't do your best work if your mind is distracted and your body is starving and considering how assertive he can be there's not much you can do, but you also don't mind.

#genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #heizou x reader #wriothesley x reader #childe z reader #ajax x reader #tartaglia x reader

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hannibals-favourite-meal · 1 year

Note

How about 15 from your 3000k with either Arthur Curry or Billy Hargrove? 🙃

Small Town Summer Days

Billy Hargrove x plus size reader

Summer brings hot weather, which means days lounging by the pool, tiny swimsuits and sundresses

Warnings: Billy is hornee lol, vague mentions of bullying and fatphobia, mutual pining, sexual tension, implied smut

WC: 995

Minors DNI

3000 Follower Celebration

Billy knows that he should look away from her, that it was dangerous to stare at her. Because if he stared for too long, she’d notice. And if she noticed then she would smile. And if she smiled, Billy doubted he would ever be able to dig himself out of this hole he found himself in.

But to look away meant that he wouldn’t be able to see her anymore. He wouldn’t be able to watch as she leaned back into the pool chair, her overly curvy body on display behind a criminally tiny bikini as she read that dumb book Nancy had given her. And if he couldn’t witness that site anymore, then what was even the point of being a lifeguard at this shitty small town pool.

She was the sweet girl in his grade, the quiet one who had instantly caught his attention when he strutted into math on his first day. She was bigger than the other girls who threw themselves at him, sure, but he did always enjoy women with a bit more meat on their bones, he knew they could handle him real well. And she was shy, so very shy. She got flustered when he said her name. By the time December had rolled around, Billy was already playing around with the idea of how his last name would sound after her first.

That’s how he justified not sleeping with her, she was just too damn innocent and he was too damn deep already. No matter how badly he wanted to corrupt her, he didn’t want to break his own heart when she would inevitably figure out what a bastard he was. But she was making it very difficult for him.

She showed up every day about an hour into his shift, a small tote bag on her shoulder, a floppy hat on her head, and the shortest, sluttiest sundresses he had ever seen covering her large body. The hem always landed in just a way that he could see the seam of where her plump ass met her thighs whenever she bent over. It was a far cry from her normal school wear (which he also found very attractive) and Billy couldn’t help but be thankful for the blistering heat.

Her routine was always the same: claim her chair (usually the one directly across from the life-guard tower), lay out her towel, slip whatever dress she was wearing over her head and carefully store it in her bag, lather up her perfect skin with sunscreen, and then settle down to read for a few hours. Occasionally, she would slip into the chlorinated water with a graceful dive and emerge on the shallow end like a Bond girl stepping from the surf in one of those spy movies. He loved those days, they were his absolute favourite.

His other favourite days happened to be whenever she would wear her purple swimsuit. Somehow it made her skin glow in the Indiana sun. Plus it helped that it was her tiniest swimsuit and it showed off everything.

His blue eyes were so firmly fixed on the way the lilac bikini top stretched over the soft fat of her tits that he didn’t notice the fact that her book was now forgotten beside her and her heart-shaped sunglasses rested at the tip of her nose. But he did see how her nipples pebbled under the thin fabric and goosebumps exploded all over her skin like a cold wind had washed over her.

“Fuck me.” He groaned under his breath, his already small swim shorts getting even smaller.

Billy’s firm gaze was not unfamiliar to her, in fact, he had been glaring her way since the first time he waltzed into Hawkins High. He, like everyone else, seemed to find her infinitely fascinating in the worst way. But unlike the others who had tormented her throughout her school years, she found herself looking forward to his scrutinising looks.

He was handsome, far more attractive than the boys she had grown up with, but he also had a confidence that drew her in like a moth to a flame. Like every other teenage girl in Hawkins, she fell quickly and she fell hard but unlike her peers, she knew that Billy wouldn’t even consider her as a hook-up.

So his tanned muscular body and perfectly messy blond hair remained firmly in her fantasies, fuelled by her daily visits to his work-place. She dreamed about him strutting over to her chair, his deep voice, tinged with a slight surfer dude accent, crooning to her. He would invite her to the private lifeguard locker room to “cool down” or offer her a ride home in his Camaro which he would pull over to the side of a dirt road and then pull her into his strong lap. When the images flashing behind her eyelids got too steamy, she would force herself to take a quick dip. Ignoring the intense glare from the King of Hawkins as she would emerge from the cold water.

And now, she felt like her whole body was on fire. Billy was watching her again, absentmindedly biting on the end of his sunglasses as he did so. Wetness pooled at the apex of her thick thighs and she squirmed, her nipples tightening with arousal.

Even from across the pool, she saw the way his eyes darkened with lust. His plump lips curled into a smirk as he finally met her gaze. He kept eye-contact while he stepped off of the raised chair and began to saunter over. Her chest heaved with desire which grew stronger with each step he took. By the time he reached her chair, she felt like the air had been ripped from her lungs.

He gave her a slow once over, letting his blue eyes trail over every single piece of exposed skin. And then grinned wickedly.

“So princess, how bout I give you a ride home.”

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