#alternatively for extra relatable points from me

[fallen-w1ngs]

'' flower shop of new feelings ,,

[ bad feeling ]

|| pairing : james "bucky" barnes x florist!reader

|| warning : nothing !... maybe

|| wc : 1.1k (real short , sorry gang )

Ever since Peter agreed to hide Bucky’s secret friend, again he still didn’t get why he was hiding you, but he was getting 20 bucks richer every week! He wasn’t going to complain. But, as said before, ever since he’d been sworn to secrecy, Bucky and him have been talking more.

Or, an alternative way of saying it, Peter’s been annoying Bucky a bunch.

“When’d you even meet them?” Again, asking about you.

“Clint’s birthday.”

“Really? I didn’t see ‘em”

“Got his birthday gift from them.”

“Ohhh, you’re the one who got Mr. Barton the flowers!” Peter snapped his fingers and had a wide grin tugging at his lips. “Wait, so.. You’ve known them for 3 months??”

Bucky bit back a small sigh as he grabbed a weight and started to do his usual work out routine as he hummed in response, a confirmation of sorts.

“Then why haven’t you introdu–”

“Peter.” He shot a small glare at the teenager, his eyebrow twitched for a moment. “If you wanna know more, you could just ask them.”

Peter huffed and picked up a weight as well, imitating whatever Bucky was doing. “Well, I want to, but every night they come home from work they look EXHAUSTED. I mean, you’d think running a flower shop’s not all too bad, but I mean you should really see them!”

“Okay, then ask them over text.”

“.. I don’t have their number, only Aunt May does.”

“Then ask your aunt.”

“But you’re right here!”

“And you live with your aunt, what’s your point?”

“Well-” Peter cut himself off before sighing. Fiddling around with the weight in his hand. “I mean, I don’t wanna ask Aunt May, she’ll tell them I asked then it’ll be awkward.”

“What if I tell them?”

“I know you won’t!”

“And why is that, exactly?” Bucky put down the weight and raised their eyebrow in confusion. As well as some curiosity. Bucky is like a lock, only one key can unlock his secrets, and that key is rusted, dusted and thrown away to the deepest dark of the ocean.

“‘cause then they’ll know you talk about them, and you have a crush on them.”

…

At that moment it was as if Bucky was frozen in ice again. He didn’t dare even take a breath. A crush? First of all, what are they? Kindergarteners, why call it a crush? Second of all.. NO. What?! He does not have a crush on you! That’s actual crazy talk. You’re just a friend, like- like Steve, but not like Steve.

“That’s false.” was all he could utter out before trudging over to the next things he used for his workouts.

“Whaaatt? But.. What??” Peter put the weight down and followed Bucky, as if he were his mama duck. Haha, Ducky-Bucky. “You hide them for 3 months, from what I hear from Mr. Wilson, you stay out longer than usual ‘cause of them a-and you pay me not to tell anyone about them.”

“Because I know how much everyone gossips, Peter. Now buzz off. I need t’get ready for a mission.”

“Awh, man.” Peter scratched the back of his neck and sighed dramatically as he started to walk away, like a kicked puppy. “You’re lucky Mr. Stark told me I had to do some extra assignment, or else I’d be here asking you all about [Name].”

“Yeah, yeah, get outta here, punk.” He muttered, almost as if saying it to no one. As much as he tolerated Peter more than some of the other Avengers, he still needed his me time. People were tiring, Especially these people.

–

It was as if time had barely passed yet stayed still at the same time. Bucky, Natasha, Sam and Wanda were on the Quinjet as of right now. Man, how he’d wish to God he was back home. Look, he respected everyone on the plane. Sam wasn’t someone Bucky’d go out of his way to hang out on a regular, but he likes him better than Tony. Natasha and Wanda, he saw the two as someone he could sort of relate to. Natasha being a part of Hydra and a trained assassin for them unwillingly, and Wanda was an experiment for Hydra.

Small comrodaries in trauma.

All things considered though, he’d be doing anything but being on this flight. All that the four would do was beat up some people, find intel on some enhanced people they’d gotten a tip about, and figure out if they’re a danger or not.

Thinking about that wasn’t what Bucky was preoccupied with though, no. His thumbs were occupied by texting you. Thankfully, the quinjet was big enough for him to text in his own corner of the aircraft.

florist : we can have a movie night, my place if you want! when you get back?

james : only if you want to.

florist : i’ll provide the snacks if you pick the movie <3

That stupid looking heart did wonders on his heart.

james : how about a comedy?

florist : my, my james! i didn’t think you’d want a comedy! with how stoic you act all the time LMAO

james : even i need a laugh sometimes.

The main reason was ‘cause he wanted to hear your laugh.

“Prepare for landing, gang!” Natasha yelled to the group. Oh, great, mission starting soon. Bucky stood up from the metal flooring of the quinjet and shot you one last text before powering his phone off:

james : mission time. i’ll text you when i’m back.

–

You stared at the text on your screen for what felt like ages. You didn’t know why, but that text made you feel.. Anxious. Worried, all the bad feelings. Sure, Bucky was a super soldier AND an Avenger.. But you knew of the dangers, of the threats. He’s still only human.

But, you pushed your emotions aside and texted back, even though you knew he wouldn’t get it back until after the mission.

florist : goodluck, james. <3

Okay. Before we start, yes.. You may have a small, itty bitty, miniscule, super insignificant crush on Bucky. I mean, who doesn’t? He’s tall, muscular, and a quiet giant. And he actually LISTENED to you. He liked to listen to your yaps, and when you think it doesn’t get better, IT DOES! Because he actually remembers the details.

Bucky’s sweet, patient and kind. Despite the rough edges, he’s a good person. Even if he didn’t think that.

A small sigh left your lips as you clicked your television on and started to drift asleep,letting your anxieties and worries melt away with the old British narrator guy talking about “the three toed sloths” on the tv. Your dreams consisted of darkness, flowers, and warmth.

You were calm in your voided dreams, unaware of what the hell was going on with James.

|| smiles deviously, deviously smiles !!

taglist : @iyskgd , @highhopes1008

[holy--milk]

seeing this post and particularly the notes kinda reminded me of how the larger MXTX fandom sometimes tends to see all MXTX tops as like. basically one character in different skins? and while it's true that the three of them basically fit the same general archetype (which i'd probably call something like "overpowered sexy dom + service top + trophy husband"), i think that's still a pretty big mischaracterisation.

so like if we take the situation of "i need to chose between saving my husband and someone else who's important to me", here are what i think would be the biggest differences in approach between the three:

luo binghe: LBH straight up doesn't understand that it's supposed to be a difficult moral dilemma. of course he saves shizun, why would he even hesitate? he's fine with sacrificing someone important to SQQ (like YQY, LQG and even NYY) as long as it means SQQ gets to live, even if SQQ gets upset and leaves him as a result. the only other alternative that could perhaps make it a bit difficult for him would be his adoptive mother, but she's conveniently already dead at this point.

hua cheng: similarly to LBH, it wouldn't be a difficult choice for him since he doesn't really have anyone he cares about to the extent he cares about XL, HOWEVER. he does care about what XL would think about someone else being sacrificed for his sake, especially if it's someone XL personally cares about (and, inconveniently, XL cares a lot about a lot of people). he would obviously still choose XL, but he would probably take extra steps to hide the fact that there was a sacrifice if at all possible.

lan wangji: the only one out of the three who may even see it as a Choice to be made to begin with, since he's also the only one out of the three who still has his family and non-husband related responsibilities he cares about to some extent. it's an easy choice if WWX is pitted against someone he already dislikes (like JGY, SMS, JC and like 80% of the cultivation world), doesn't have a personal relationship with (like WN or, say, mianmian) or someone who would willingly sacrifice themselves out of love for either of them (like LXC or JYL). but if it's LSZ, someone who he both personally cares about AND has the duty to protect as his student? and who he knows WWX cares about as well? i don't think the answer would be quite as obvious to him as it is to the other two, from the purely emotional standpoint.

although to make it a bit more convenient for him, WWX is canonically a genius who may just be able to come up with a creative solution and save everyone. so saving him first is also justified from a pragmatic standpoint.

[aamputation]

SVSSS AU ... Benevolent System 0.2

related to -> [THIS] Shen Yuan art, just a lil bit i typed up and want to share

EDIT: added more! > [1st] [3rd]

He can’t recall a time where he's ever felt so light before, in his past life or even now. He grins, patting down his new body, flush with health and brimming with energy. If he focuses on his breathing, he can feel his qi and the way it circulates through his meridians, full and robust. It feels wild, and exhilaration takes him over, a laugh bursting forth.

“Hey, System, you sure the prices in the shop weren't glitches? This feels like it's too good to be true for a total of 45 B points…”

《 Answering [Host] … 》

《 This System promises it was not a glitch! 》

《  o(〒﹏〒)o  》

《 This System merely wishes to fulfill its promise to be of use to [Host] in the world of [Proud Immortal Demon Way]!! 》

Shen Yuan snorts; he’s never going to get over the fact that this baby system used kaomojis of all things to express itself. On one hand it's a bit alarming, the difference between the one that attached itself to him versus the original system that yoinked his soul into that extra-planar space to begin with. That system was undoubtedly an asshole and Shen Yuan would have absolutely hated being stuck with such an obnoxious tyrant. Yeah, while this particular system just reeks of didi energy, it sure beats whatever nasty vibes the OG system was putting off. Good fucking riddance!

“So I've still got 55 B-Points left…” he rubs his chin as he hums, staring into the semi-transparent, floating holo-display showing him the System Shop.

《 If this System may offer [Host] a suggestion? 》

“Yeah, sure, didi,” Shen Yuan replies absently, scrolling through some cultivation manuals available for purchase out of his price range, “go ahead.”

The System makes an alarming electronic noise that to his ears, sounds remarkably like a flustered keysmash. 

《 Di-didi!? {ERROR.404: Name not found} This System apologizes to [Host] but it does not understand– 》

“Ah, my bad. You just remind me of what having a baby brother might be like, so didi slipped out. I can just call you System if you would prefer–”

《 … 》

《 {REGISTERING.BS01.NAME:[DIDI]} 》

《 … [Host]  is more than welcome to call this System Didi. 》

《  (/▽＼*)  》

“Okay then, didi. What was your suggestion about the remaining B-Points?”

《 Answering [Host] ... 》

《  This Didi would recommend purchasing world-appropriate styling. [Host] comes from an alternate world, and modesty standards are different. Would [Host] like to view available options within his budget? 》

《  Y  /   N  》

Shen Yuan nods, “I should have thought of that–thanks, didi.” He clicks YES, curious as to what the little system will show him.

His System—Didi, now—vibrates a little, the holo-display sending off little pink sparks that look remarkably cute alongside the blue and purple color scheme. It immediately pulls up the section on xianxia fashion, again all with shockingly low prices. Shen Yuan raises a suspicious eyebrow.

《  (���‿←;)  》

Shaking his head in bemusement, Shen Yuan begins his selections. He already knows exactly what he's going to do once he lands in the PIDW universe—why he basically maxed out his constitution, dexterity, and cultivation potential: it’s all for the monsters! He's finally got the chance to observe up close all the incredible beasts Airplane wrote about as mere stepping stones for Binghe's path to conquest! Knowing his plan to get up close and personal in observing and learning about these super cool monsters, he’s got to be practical.

His clothing choices probably would leave his family horrified with how unassuming and bland they are—utilitarian, easy to move in, and all muted neutral colors. He does splurge and spend a whole 15 B-points on the qiankun belt pouch, but the opening is large enough to fit anything the circumference of his arm, so it should be fine for now! He can always get a bigger bag at a later date. His other splurge is the pair of cool eyeglasses he can’t help buying, even though they’re 10 B-points. His face would feel naked without glasses, he's worn them for so long! Left with 15 B-points after his mostly-frugal fashion choices, Shen Yuan goes to close out of the menu but Didi stops him.

《 [Host] is forgetting that his current hairstyle is inappropriate for the world setting! 》

The holo-display automatically opens up the hairstyle menu options, and Shen Yuan's heart drops.

“Didi, no way! I- There's no way I'm going to be able to manage hair like that!”

《 Answering [Host] … 》 

《 These are expected styles for a [righteous cultivator] within the [xianxia] genre! Closely cropped hair is for criminals and slaves, and [Host] is neither! 》

“No, absolutely not!” Shen Yuan crosses his arms, the leather of his new arm guards creaking slightly with the movement. “Didi, I'm going to be studying monsters, okay? Big, scary, drooling oozing beasts. There’s going to be sludge and slime and probably shit, do you really think I'm going to have time every day to do my hair of all things?”

《 We- Well– 》

“No! The answer, didi, is no! I'm probably going to be a wandering cultivator once I get into the PIDW world, okay? I'm not exactly going to be living in comfort. Where would I even get the resources to take care of stuff like that? Huh?”

《 … 》

《 … [Host] has made his point. This Didi will remove excessively long hairstyles while remaining within style parameters for the world of [Proud Immortal Demon Way]. 》

Smugly, Shen Yuan grins at the holo-display, watching as the hair options dwindle down to a total of five. He immediately picks the shortest of them all, even if a below-chin length bob still feels like it's too long. Didi makes an electronic grating noise that to Shen Yuan's ears sounds somewhat distressed. He pointedly ignores it and idly runs his fingers through his new hairstyle, poking at the simple guan and hair ribbon that came with it. Meh. Good enough.

Alright, he thinks to himself, that leaves me with 10 B-points. There doesn't seem to be anything else in the System Shop that he can afford with the meagre currency he has left, not to mention his suspicion that he ought to keep at least a few points, just in case. He puts his hands on his hips and closes out of the Shop decisively. 

“Well, the only thing I’m missing is a weapon. I can’t afford anything else aside from this simple fan I bought in the Shop, but it’s going to have to do for now.”

《 … this Didi believes it can open the correct pathways to allow [Host] to find his own spiritual weapon within the world of [Proud Immortal Demon Way]. 》

《 Is [Host] amenable to this Didi’s suggestion? 》

《 (*•̀ᴗ•́*) 》

《  Y  /   N  》

Shrugging, Shen Yuan taps the YES on the holo-display. “I guess so. Hey, quick question! Will anyone else be able to see you after you drop me in there? Like, how do I interact with you?”

《 Answering [Host] … 》

《 This Didi is tethered to [Host]'s soul, only [Host] and other potential [Hosts] can see this Didi. Interfacing with this Didi can be done with a thought. 》

“So the holo-display will pop up if I need to interact with you? That seems… kinda awkward. Really breaks the immersion, doesn’t it?”

《 … 》

《 This Didi understands [Host]'s concern! Would [Host] like this Didi to synchronize with the [Plain White Hand Fan] he purchased from the {System.Store}? 》

《  Y  /   N  》

Shen Yuan stares at the YES / NO hovering before him, chewing his lower lip. “So you’d be… living in my fan, basically?”

《 Answering [Host] … 》

《 This Didi will not appear to [Host] while within the world of [Proud Immortal Demon Way] as an interface screen due to [Host]'s desire for deeper immersion. [Host]'s hand fan will serve as medium for all interactions with this Didi during his transmigration experience. Should [Host] wish to interface directly with this Didi, he only needs to say so. Otherwise, all needs can and will be met while this Didi remains within the confines of the [Plain White Hand Fan]{System.Store_PlWhite.Hand-Fan.pkg}. 》

“And will you being part of my fan grant it any special capabilities? Like, maybe… turning it into a cool weapon since I don’t have one?”

《 This Didi can modify the content code of {System.Store_PlWhite.Hand-Fan.pkg}, yes. Would [Host] like this Didi to implement code changes? 》

《  Y  /   N  》

“Yes!”

《 {INITIALIZING … [BS01_DIDI.EXE]{System.Store_PlWhite.Hand-Fan.pkg}  INTEGRATION.DAT} 》

Shen Yuan can’t help the tiny gasp that escapes him as the holo-display he’s started to become used to glitches and flickers out of existence. The simple fan he’d bought from the System Shop is forcibly pulled from the confines of his qiankun pouch and with a flash of absurdly bright light and a loud, electronic crackling noise, collides with the glitchy holo-display and explodes in a shower of sparks. The The fan returns to Shen Yuan’s hand, and he flicks it open on a reflex. There, staring back at him, is a message box plastered across the once-blank white surface. If squints, he can see the rapidly developing hex markings and digital-looking tracks that crawl out across the white silk like vines. He still hears didi’s voice in his mind, the Google Translate voice beginning to grow on him as it tracks its integration progress.

《 «𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡... 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎…» 》

《  ▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 0%   》

《  █▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 8%  》

《  ███▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ 29%  》

《  █████▒▒▒▒▒ 50%  》

《  ███████▒▒▒ 83%  》

《  ██████████ 100% ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇ!  》

《 «𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠…» 》

《 {INITIALIZING}[BSF01_DIDI.EXE]INTEGRATION.DAT} 》

Shen Yuan blinks down at the fan in his hands as it vibrates and shivers before fluttering with a spray of pink and purple sparkles. 

《 Greetings, [Host]! 》

《 This Didi has successfully integrated with [Host]'s {System.Store}  purchase. [Host]'s [Plain White Hand Fan]  has evolved into the [Benevolent System Fan] and can boast many new capabilities. This Didi is also eager to serve [Host]  as he journeys through the world of [Proud Immortal Demon Way]! 》

《 o(≧▽≦)o 》

《 (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ 》

《 (ﾉ◕ヮ��)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ 》

[1st] < > [3rd]

shout out to adornedwithlight for the reblog banner

[mymoshangthoughts]

oki oki oki

so i love, you love, and we love the whole "everyone sees moshang except for moshang" thing, bc it's funny to have everyone else be like "ohwow those two idiots dont realize they're married huh"

but like

might i suggest the alternative?

idk i was rereading svsss and like, since the whole thing is basically shen yuan's pov and he's a relatively level headed dude, i can't help but think about the way that he looks at moshang

like, he really doesn't seem to have any idea that moshang could be a thing. from his pov, shang qinghua/airplane is a sniveling backstabbing asshole who gets what deserves and deserves quite a bit more thwacks and mobei jun is just kinda... there. like even after knowing shang qinghua for YEARS and being fairly close people who can confide in one another, shen yuan seems pretty fucking shocked when airplane jumps off a cliff to save mobei jun. from his pov, it's almost random. like "huh wow that is the weirdest thing i've seen all week, and airplane is NORMALLY very weird so like... huh???"

now by the time the airplane extras occur, shen yuan DOES seem to have some idea of moshang with his whole "youre just waiting for him to apologize and keep beating you" thing, but again, might i point you to the YEARS it took him to get to that point. having to see shang qinghua literally pull a death defying stunt to save mobei jun's life before he sees even a glimmer of moshang

like, when they were working on the mushroom together, they clearly spent a long time with each other. they had to travel together, they had to come up with plans together, they also likely just had social visits bc being the only other transmigrator in a world that is so fucking weird would definitely drive up a certain level of honesty and companionship

now again, shen yuan is lowkey the sort of guy who's like "i dont see gay themes even when they're reeeeaaalllyy obvious", especially with relation to himself (dont get me started on how one of my least fav mxtx themes, after the blatant crummy treatment of female characters, is the whole "im not GAY, gay is WEIRD, im gay FOR YOU, thats DIFFERENT" which winds up reflecting as internalized homophobia their protags), so it's possible that moshang is obvious to everyone who isnt shen yuan.

BUT I CONTEND THE OPPOSITE

as ive expressed before, i love "mobei jun is just fucking weird, demon courting isnt like that" headcanons, so what if no one knows what the fuck is happening between moshang. like they're just this super weird mismatched combination of people that everyone just kinda tilts their head at like "...huh, wouldnt expect to see those two together but whateves" and then proceed to not fucking care to know the answer

shang qinghua seems to have kept a purposeful emotional distance from... everyone (likely due to the whole "haha everyone here is gonna fucking DIE someday" thing) and as said above, even after years of a relationship with shen yuan, he doesn't seem to have talked about mobei jun to him much (who is, by airplane's own admission, the most important person to him in this world considering he's the only person that had airplane going "i mean... maybe i dont push the go home button?"). so no one really seems to give a fuck who he's hanging out with bc he's not exactly out here making friends

and mobei jun, i contend, is a weirdo outcast who does not know how to socialize bc his uncle is a dick LOL. also his father. and also his childhood. and other demons tend to look at him and go "fucking weird man... i think he keeps a human pet?? kinda weird but w/e, the emperor is into necrophilia so /shrug/"

so like, maybe if anyone paid attention to them, they might notice the signs of moshang, but because most people kinda dismiss them, no one knows

I CONTEND THAT THE ONLY ONE WHO DOES KNOW IS LUO BINGHE THO

mostly because i find it FUCKING HILARIOUS but also bc i like to think luo binghe's whole "youre not used to his lil human pet yet? he brings it everywhere smh get over yourself" thing was luo binghe's way of being a wingman lmfao. he wont actually help or offer advice or do anything USEFUL, but he'll allow them to hang out when he has every ability to separate them LOL and i think that's funny

altho i still like the idea of luo binghe ALSO not knowing that moshang is a thing pfff. but having him know also amuses me.

ANYWAY ONTO THE ACTUAL APPLICATION INTO MOSHANG IDEAS

now the use in modern au's goes without saying. the good ol' "wait, THOSE TWO ARE A THING?!" coming from everyone who knows them. as an example, some form of workplace romance and even tho moshang can always be seen together in the office, because they dont seem to get along and no one cares, everyone is just like "shrug, they have a project together idc". like they're more likely to think that shang qinghua and shen yuan are dating bc at least those two have secretive meetings and have been caught, more than once, talking about sex. then one day shang qinghua shows up to work with the biggest rock on his finger pfff and mobei jun has a matching wedding band or someshit and everyone is shocked. or even better, some of the romantic pre-relationship stuff starts happening at the office but it's all stuff that's kinda easily misunderstood. and since no one would guess THOSE TWO together romantically, they just come up with any other plausible explanation. "why did mobei jun send shang qinghua flowers? idk, maybe his mom died. should we send him flowers too?" its not even a 'it couldnt be THAT', it's a straight up 'THAT never even crossed their minds for a second' until it gets really fucking ridiculous lololol then mobei jun and shang qinghua are applying for the same days off and mu qingfeng in HR is like "oki what for" and has to NOT do a spit-take when the two of them are like "our wedding" or someshit lolol

LOOK I JUST THINK IT'S VERY FUNNY

now as for the post-canon application, i still find this IMMENSELY amusing. for the sake of my amusement, im also choosing to interpret shen yuan's "you just want an apology" statement to have been given without imagining that the two of them might like-like each other. he's just being dismissive because airplane is fucking weird. like "look, idk why you are into role-playing as a humble servant and idk if i wanna know, actually, i definitely dont wanna know. you two clearly dont even like each other but you're in some weird co-dependent mess of a... friendship? friendship seems like a strong word. point being, get out of my house"

no one has the slightest clue about moshang's feelings for one another (except maybe binghe lolol) and they are REALLY not ready for when suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, shang qinghua is sending in his two weeks notice for an ding peak bc "oh im the northern consort now lol" and everyone is trying to just understand WHEN and HOW

like people straight up being like "is this a prank? i feel like im being pranked?" and others like "oh they might have gotten like... fake married? is this an insurance scam? hmm"

and basically for the first time ever people are really trying to understand and think about moshang bc they are SO FUCKING CONFUSED. there are betting pools over what the REAL REASON behind this CLEARLY fake marriage is. luo binghe has put his bet on "they're actually in love and fr married" and people SCOFF. he's the only one betting that and wow, the demon emperor is clearly blinded by his own weird relationship and cant see that NORMALLY this sort of relationship would NEVER happen

(actually this could apply for modern au too pff whateves, im jsut having fun here)

inquiring minds just being like "shang qinghua, blink twice if you're being threatened, we can get you out of there". demons out here like "we should prrobabblyy find the cure for whatever potent love-poison that creepy lil human slipped into mobei jun's drink, or maybe a mind-control plant?"

stuck on whether i want moshang to be utterly oblivious to everyone elses skepticism bc they're just on their happy lil honeymoon stage or if i want them to find the confusion Deeply amusing.

moshang get-together being dramatic but not bc either of them are oblivious, just bc there are communication issues pff. theres no "i love you" "but you CANT love me" drama, instead its "i love you" "oh shit SWEET, lemme hop on your dick". i like the idea of moshang only struggling to understand one another when the pair of them are holding the other at arms length (mobei jun being a tsundere and airplane out here like "getting attached and taking things srsly IS THE ENEMY") but whenever theres like, a clear statement of intent, they're quick to let go of misunderstandings and just get on with it. now while i favor this interpretation of their characters, i find it PARTICULARLY funny in au's like this! bc it also means that the pair of them learned to understand all of their weird behavior as well. so they're still fucking weird around each other, so people really dont believe this is real. mobei jun is still just as likely to yeet shang qinghua into a death cave and shang qinghua is just as likely to literally hug mobei jun's thighs while pleading for mercy. it doesnt LOOK like a loving relationship to anyone with eyes LOL (not to say that they dont grow and treat each other better, but just having a deeper understanding of one another means they dont change behavior 100%)

which actually isnt why i find it funny lol, i just enjoy the subversion of expections. rather than moshang being oblivious to the point of mind-numbing hair pulling stupidity, it's the rest of the world x'D and then it's just moshang casually proving that nah, they're for real, and yep, they're super in love, to an increasingly confused audience

this could work really well in a celebrity au now that i think about it LOL bc celebs so frequently have fake relationships and hidden relationships and all that sort of weird shit and people love to speculate about it online. so just everyone being like "calling it right fucking now, this relationship is a publicity stunt" and literally NO ONE believes they're for real, even years into it LOL. im actually usually a person who really doesnt care for celebrity au's but tbh this prompt fits so well for that, so im sold

but it goes beyond just fans speculating online. even fellow coworkers are like "huh, weird choice of publicity stunt" and dont believe for one fucking second that moshang is actually happening. oki yeah im sold

shang qinghua - famous author turned screenwriter (does some directing and he's actually pretty good at it, has a cult following, but mainly he sticks to writing. he doesnt need that kind of stress in his life LOL). he's finally reached a sort of financial stability with his work, but he hasnt broken the habit of doing whatever the audience wants because "I DONT WANNA FUCKING STARVE BRO", and he's generally disheartened when his works that he puts his sincere vision into have a tendency to be SIGNIFICANTLY less popular

mobei jun - actor, specially known for stunts and action movies. doesnt actually have any history of scandals, other than it's known that he's kinda hard to work with. just kinda cold and distant. THERE ARE some lowkey scandals with his family tho. he's definitely a nepo baby of the industry and his uncle and father dont have clean reputations. mobei jun normally keeps a pretty big distance away from them so he's kinda like, in the splash zone but not dragged in.

shen yuan - long time fan of shang qinghua's work, even back when the hack of an author was just posting web novels, his favorite insult is to call him a sell-out bc very often his deepest criticisms of shang qinghua's works are clearly choices made for money. as an example, a perfectly directed film that he wrote and nearly brought shen yuan to tears and quickly became his favorite movie EXCEPT theres fucking product placement in NEARLY EVERY FUCKING SCENE and sometimes it makes the movie fucking UNWATCHABLE. anyway, shen yuan runs the fansite for shang qinghua and is a LITTLE BIT OBSESSED with his works, but still has a love/hate relationship with the whole thing

luo binghe - pop idol who sometimes does acting work. he's known as an all-around talent. his acting is just as good as his singing, if not better, and basically everything he tries to do is wildly successful and genuinely fucking good. he's insanely popular to a scary degree (shen yuan is only familiar with his work bc he's acted in some of qinghua's movies and sometimes qinghua uses his music, shen yuan has an overall favorable impression of the celebrity but no obsession. mostly a "oh nice, that actor is really good, that and THAT HACK AUTHOR directing is sure to make this a must-watch movie" type of fanning)

liu qingge - stunt man and martial artist. he's not crazy famous, he's more like "if you're really into martial arts, you've definitely heard of him" or "if you're really into stunt work, you've heard of him" famous. but if you don't have those special interests, you have no idea. he MIGHT look faintly familiar to you, but you're unlikely to put a name to the face

shen jiu - actor, many scandals, SO MANY SCANDALS. he's very successful, infamously difficult to work with, has so many accusations hurled at him (and a majority of them are true) that when you hear "omg did you hear abt shen jiu" the answer is "ohyeah, the red-light district thing?" and the reply to that is "nonono, that was LAT MONTH, im talking abt the abuse allegations that came out yesterday!" and so on and so forth. shen jiu is a hot fucking mess and the industry has NOT helped him one bit. he has the money and power to get away with being his worst self and he Does Not Fucking Care (he cares so fucking much, he's literally burning from the inside out)

yue qingyuan - childhood friends with shen jiu, kind of accidentally being an enabler of shen jiu's spiral to hell. he's a producer and he's very successful and he keeps paving the way for shen jiu to continue getting work and help to bury scandals and basically the dude is trying his best, but he really should be putting his foot down and sending his friend to rehab instead of helping him like this

sha hualing - actress, does her own stunts, very temperamental. difficult to work with in that she's a bit (a lot) of a loose canon. she's hyper capable though and VERY popular. not a ton of scandals other than some violent behavior. she's also very good at dancing, basically anything that involves moving her body, she excels. her and mobei have totally starred in action movies together where theyre basically "hot beefy action hero and sexy badass love interest". they have a casual frenemy relationship

liu mingyan - average fanfiction writer, huge fan of rpf. she is relatively untouched by her brothers fame and intends to keep it that way. that said, she's more than happy to utilize the gossip that her brother sometimes brings home to implement as 'headcanons' into her fanfics >:D she does not tell her brother about this pfff. she also does martial arts and she's very good, but she has no desire to pursue fame. the closest she gets to it is sometimes watching her brother on a set (while secretly paying attention to everyone else for rpf bait LOL). she is not a fan of the whole moshang thing because it separates her otp (mobing for life!) and she's also convinced that its CLEARLY fake

mu qingfang - doctor, just a normal doctor, no fame involved. but his guilty pleasure is that he enjoys looking at celebrity gossip while on break. it's just a very lowkey sort of cathartic drama that he has no stakes in and helps him destress from his very stressful job. he mostly just lurks, but he's been known to write the occasional comment if he feels he has some useful insight to contribute

ning yingying - over-worked office lady. she wanted to be a pop idol when she was younger but it just wasnt in the cards. now she just enjoys getting a little parasocially invested in celebrity gossip, ESPECIALLY around luo binghe bc she's a. a mega fan. b. they were actually classmates in highschool. she's a fierce defender of his online and also one of those people who gets kinda offended by rpf bc "HOW COULD YOU THINK THAT" but also hypocritically will read every single "rpf character x reader" fanfic she can get her hands on

ming fan - luo binghe's hater online. mostly because he also knew him in highschool and hated the guy and now he's ugly jealous of his success. he likes to spread mean rumors about binghe online, just to blow off some steam. but his stupid obsession with slandering his ex-classmate sort of grew into a genuine interest in celebrity gossip and now he's a bit of an internet troll who's a little too invested in this shit. he's not a complete asshole and there are lines he won't cross, buuut he's also one of those assholes who sorta feels like "its online so it doesnt count if im a huge asshole" and just is his worst self online. he constantly gets in fights with ning yingying online (without knowing its her) about luo binghe. shen yuan sometimes gets involved too bc while he's not huge into the binghe fandom (that place scares him) he IS big on fact checking and whenever ming fan says something OBVIOUSLY false, shen yuan can't help but go in for corrections

qi qingqi - actress, successful, very low drama. she's famous and well liked, no major scandals, just a successful woman with a good career.

zhuzhi-lang - works as his uncles assistant. he keeps track of online drama because its part of his job, sometimes his uncle has him spread rumors online too so he has a few alts that are believable fan accounts for various celebrities.

tianlang-jun - one of those people who's basically famous just for being famous. he has done a bit of everything, but it's mostly that he's a household name that makes him famous. he currently works as a producer because he finds it really fucking funny. but it's anyones guess when he'll get bored of this and flit off to do something else that catches his fancy

su xiyan - model and martial artist. she's mostly famous for her TURBULANT relationship with tianlang-jun. she's skilled at both her crafts and has success, but she has no real ambition for fame. also her career is often held back by the shitty people in her life (her ex-mentor being PRIME among them, the grooming old scumbag). she got pregnant with binghe very early in her career and gave him away for adoption for various reasons. she has a good relationship with his adopted mother, but she's chosen to stay out of binghe's life. tianlang-jun doesn't know binghe is his son LOL

meng mo - thinks of himself as a star-maker, he's luo binghe's manager and has a VERY high opinion of his skills bc he's had a few successful clients. he does however tend to give very bad personal life advice

yang yixuan - one of liu qingge's students. he's only passively aware of celebrity gossip, it's really not his thing, but he is a bit of a mobei jun fan. mostly bc mobei jun does his own stunts and yan yixuan can recognize the skill involved and just thinks the guy is really fucking cool (not more cool than liu qingge OBVIOUSLY but still cool). he's very disappointed to hear abt this clearly fake relationship with shang qinghua, he thought that mobei jun was above all that petty celebrity bullshit of fake relationships and tabloid bait

gongyi xiao - aspiring young actor, overall just a nice guy. no scandals, not really famous yet but he has a promising lil fanbase that is slowly growing. however, he does have a bad habit of answering too honestly while being interviewed which can inadvertently have bad consequences LOL (example: "so what do you think of this moshang thing?" "hm, i mean, it really surprised me? seemed out of nowhere haha, i guess good for them??" which quickly spirals into "omg gongyi xiao CLEARLY knows it's fake! he cant lie for shit! THIS IS BASICALLY EVIDENCE")

qin wanyue - binghe fan, terminally parasocial, lives off of rpf fanfiction, literally missed her younger sisters funeral to attend a binghe concert, probably needs professional help like yesterday. when the online conversations of moshang start involving binghe, she gets VERY FUCKING UPSET

little palace mistress - nepo baby pop idol. very obsessed with binghe but also in a love/hate sort of way bc he doesnt do what she WANTS him to do and she craves the obedience. she takes out her impudent rage online. she's a big mobei jun hater bc she saw the mobing conspiracies before moshang happened AND SHE SAW RED. she now wants moshang to crash and burn bc she hates mobei jun with an irrational passion. she is doing her best to sabotage whatever stupid publicity stunt this is

(ships: moshang, bingyuan, liujiu, mingling)

moshang had their own super slowburn romance of actor x director that happened over the course of years and the mutual pining was basically killing them both and they had their own dramatic love confessions and shit, but it all happened behind closed doors so no one knows any of that. all they know is that this relationship Makes No Sense and internet sleuths are very invested with UNCOVERING THE TRUTH

[jshkprompts]

✎ jshk writing prompts !!

run by @lyingintheclouds yes its me again lmao as the url says, we give you ✨ jshk writing prompts !!

feel free to submit a prompt/request a specific one w specific themes !!

we’ll have tags for #characters & #ships!

be aware that most of these are just random prompts i haven’t been able to write myself, so they range from really vague to super duper specific

if you do write something or take inspiration, please ping us/reblog !! we’d love to read anything jshk related <3

and please give credit for anything tagged #from cinna’s drafts ♡ !! these come straight from my planning sheets so i might write some later on~

tag list & terminology

#canon divergence -> something’s been altered in canon at a certain point of time that changes the course of the story

#alternate universe -> completely or almost completely different universe

#canon compliant -> set in the canon universe!

#simple prompt -> short and sweet, with hopefully no extra notes ...

#complex prompt -> tends to have longer descriptions and side notes

#excerpt prompt -> a summary, quote or paragraph pre-written for you ! will absolutely have extra stuff bcs these are the ones most often from my own sheets

#from cinna’s drafts ♡ -> see above !

#what the fuck cinna ♡ -> crazier prompts that i personally love !

[oh-no-its-bird]

TMA naruto au time buckle up,

Jon should get to be a half Uchiha bastard who has an infamously hard time controlling his sharingan.

His mangekyo (which he gets very very young when he accidentally leads a bully to their death at the hands of a nukenin with a love of spiders) basically acts as his beholding abilities and can allow him to compel people to sit still and answer anything he asks of them, which gets really messy when you consider a) shinobi society is built on secrets, and b) he has a really hard time turning it off

His visions absoloutley fucked but whatever bloodline his father was from seems to have caused the deterioration of his eyes to stop where it is— and is also the cause of why he has extra difficulty w it's flip switch

Anyways, Inuzuka Daisy or Hatake Daisy, I can't decide. Either way shes wolf coded as fuck and also in a similar boat of being absoloutley shit at controlling her bloodline. She and Jon are so problem child coded, and I think part of the reason she hates him as kids is bc she sees a lot of herself in him but like, at her worst. All of her issues but he just lays down and takes it when she fights tooth and nail against anyone who so much looks at her wrong. They are opposite ends of the spectrum and she's hyper aware of it

I think that when they're older they should get to go on a mission together and basically the whole coffin thing happens but with like an enemy nin w an earth chakra type.

Mmm alternatively tho, sprinkle in hints of the dreaded fears and play w the beasts and yokai of naruto canon, pull some spooky shit.

They get in over their heads, coffin happens, Jon goes back for her then we end with them both just kind of looking at eachother like "there are things in this world we can not comprehend."

Mmm, naruto version of the fears,,, that could be fun. Incorporate the bijuu maybe, idk

Anyways, Daisy hates Jon, coffin time happens and Jon escapes but then goes back for her (if she's a Hatake, this could also play interestingly w parallels to Kakashi) and they come out of the whole thing having Seen Thing(tm) and are irriversably changed and also now very much edging into co-dependant besties territory

Can u tell I'm a big fan of the Daisy and Jon besties agenda bc I so am

Moving on to the others ->

I want to say civilian Martin? I don't have much for him tbh, it'd be cool if he was like distantly related to Haku tho. Give him the cool ice mirror bloodline limit or whatever bc smthn smthn the lonely.

Mmm ok acrually hear me out: civilian Martin who's trying very hard to avoid shinobi things. He's actually a defected Kiri nin who forged a new identity for himself and fled to Konoha to start a new life after the bloodline hunts back in Kiri killed his whole family (except for Haku, but he doesn't know he's still alive) He's trying very hard to fly under the radar, but I doubt he'll succeed for long

I want him to look like all those fun lonely avatar fan arts of him w the sharp teeth, white streaked hair, dulled looking skin and kinda fishy vibes overall actually, but like he uses a seal to keep a permanant henge on him to look normal bc hes very visibly Kiri otherwise

Tim is giving me Yamanaka vibes for some reason. I like that also bc then we could possibly get him and Jon working together in T&I, which like yay parallel to how they used to work together before the archives

Sasha is giving me civilian born shinobi vibes, I think she should get to work in the hokage tower. Paper pusher with big dreams of moving up the latter and really being someone one day. She has her eyes dead set on a position in the Hokage's office

Basira is ,,, somewhere. You really can't have Daisy without her that's just illegal but I'm not too sure where to put her. Civilian born Basira kinda suits her but I'm ngl I'm kinda eyeing Nara Basira. Wait no fuck ok, Nara Basira and she was on a 3 man unit with Tim at one point, now they just need a Akimichi to complete the narashikacho trifecta there

She totally works in T&I now, or maybe with the Uchiha police force? It's like 90% Uchiha but I'm pretty sure some other clans are spotted here in there among them, and if they're not, I mean, I don't actually give a shit so .

I don't know if this is one of those aus where canon is still there but we're just adding tma characters into the mix or if it's just vague naruto setting but tma characters are our focus / replacing the main cast. But I think it's the first. If it was the second tho I'd say Elias as Danzo in a heartbeat

But since it's the first, Nara Elias who got a mysterious eye transplant years ago that seemed to have changed his personality entirley (were totally keeping the body hopping shit, rip the real Nara Elias who's been dead for years)

He's a slimy politician who works closely with Danzo

Ok so main narrative:

I'm thinking the coffin thing happens with Daisy and Jon, and now they're kind of eyes open to the existence of whatever version of the fears exist in this world. Jon is Jon and can't let sleeping dogs lie, and Daisy is Daisy and does her twitchy "there's something dangerous out there I can't control/don't know about" thing so she's really not stopping him, but she is helping him be more smart about it. Sometimes. They're both kind of lose canons tbh holy shit this is gonna be a disaster

So Jon gets kind of obsessed w whatever the FUCK that was, and Elias smells blood in the water and approaches

Idk what's going on with Elias but he's still body hopping bitch boy Jonah here. He's very involved in the fears, and he's had his eyes on Jon for a while. You see, the way that avatars manifest in Naruto world is that sometimes they'll often show their influence through bloodlines— Nara the dark, Yamanaka the beholding, Inuzuka the hunt, it's all there if you look for it.

Those in 'the know' believe that all bloodline limits came from the fears— sometimes their influence shows more than others. And very very rarley, that influence becomes a a bit more... potent, than in others.

Elias believes that Jon is one such instance of this, his strange mangekyo being so painfully and terrifyingly beholding coded, far more than his clansmen who's own mangekyo tend to branch off lightly into territories of different fears.

Jon (and Daisy, but Elias has a clear favorite here) running into such a strong instance of the buried, which is rare on its own, has only made Elias even more interested, taking it as some sort of sign that there really is something especially odd about Jon's unusually strong link to the fears.

Anyways, Elias sponsoring Jon's investigation into the fears, their links to the bijuu, how they interact with chakra and if they might truly be the source of modern bloodline limits.

Konoha secret supernatural task force (not to be confused with ROOT or ANBU) meant to monitor the fears influence in Konoha,,,

(God, of course Elias couldn't help but make his own fucking secret service in opposition to ROOT. He couldn't let Danzo upstage him)

Just like how ANBU has their shoulder seal and ROOT the tongue seal, I'm thinking their seal is a stylized eye on the back of their neck, which ofc Elias is always watching through, rip

Oh fuck, actually give me seal master Elias and his special spy seals he can watch and listen through. It's not a power thing it's just a specialization thing— he has his own eye tattoo that allows him to directly see through all his seals at any time.

Anyways we're calling this organization ARCHIVE bc I am a simple gal. Don't ask what it's supposed to stand for in verse, idk

Idk who else should be in it, or if it should be like ground up and Daisy and Jon are the first. Wait what the fuck am I saying, Gertrude and Gerry obviously. Michael Shelly too, can't forget him

Toss in Mike Crew and Jude Perry also just bc I like them. Maybe Nikola and an Aburame Jane Prentiss? But also idk if I'd want to put them in the position where they're technically working under Elias, I feel like that just doesn't fit. Better to leave them out in the wold to run into instead for conflict. Except Mike Crew, who is my favorite little guy and who should get to be here on loan from Elias' friend and Daimyo's court shinobi, Simon Fairchild

Honestly be funny if Kakashi was in it at one point just bc then he'd have been in all 3 konoha secret services and honestly? Hilarious. Someone give that guy a fucking break oh my god

Obviously Tim, Sasha, Martin and Basira all eventually join in, tho idk how. Maybe Jon is actually asked who would be a good choice for it? Jon says Tim and Daisy says Basira, then they both kinda eye Sasha who's been very fucking vocal ab needing just a chance to get her claws into the hooks of the Konoha power ladder and reccomend her too

Martin is the tricky one, I'm thinking Elias somehow finds out ab his Kiri background and has always wanted to poke more at the lonley's very visible connection to many kiri bloodlines— but Martin's in particular. So he kinda blackmails him into it, but framed in a more friendly "I'll make sure you don't have to hide anymore, I can secure your place in Konoha even with your ancestry :)"

Also maybe he was impressed by Martin's disguise seals, that'd be neat. Seal master Martin but he's Martin so he's like "Ah, I'm really not that good at it :("

(Jon is infuriated by his seemingly natural talent then even more infuriated when it becomes clear he's actual shit at most other shinobi things)

Ok so peddle it back to Mr Jonah eye fuckery Magnus here -> he was once like Jon. A man born into a clan w a link to the beholding, with a light eye themed bloodline limit. But he was born with a stronger tie to their patron than the others, strong enough to recognize they had a patron at all. And by feeding into it (don't ask me how I have no clue) he was able to strengthen that tie, gaining more power, and the ability to body hop through eyes

And he looks at Jon and wonders if he can replicate that in him. Groom him into something closer to their god, then feed him to the beholding to further his own power, which seems to have stagnated in growth.

I think also there's just a good amount of spite for ROOT and hunger for political power that he might get from ARCHIVE, and Jon is a clear fit for it, so like. Add him to the pile !!

I have a couple more vague thoughts for this -> the archive tunnels correlating to ROOT tunnels, the real Elias being childhood friends w Danzo and Hiruzen before Magnus took his body, Madara off in his cave somewhere being influenced by a Zetsu who serves the fears instead of Kaguya, etc.

But I'll leave it here for now, thank u for ur time

[miafeystits]

re: that last poll i reblogged, one of the reasons i find both mpreg & a/b/o fic kind of morbidly fascinating after many years in fandom (despite not liking either) is how these kinds of fic often function as a way of mapping the tropes and gender dynamics of cis/heterosexual romance onto (almost always cis) m/m stories without going so far as to gender-swap either character

like, this is pretty obvious with mpreg centered on cis men, which is often just the application of common pregnancy-related romance tropes to cis m/m couples (note: im excluding depictions of trans masc pregnancy from my discussion here because i just think its a separate convo with its own nuances, and because i think much of the fic im describing here generally draws from ideas about cis men & women without much consideration for transness). however its ESPECIALLY apparent if you look at common a/b/o tropes in m/m fic. namely, the fact that an a/b/o universe is generally a world in which irl gender essentialism and the resulting sexual power dynamics between (cis) men and (cis) women are able to be applied to relationships exclusively between cis men-- with one partner being dominant, often physically stronger and aggressive, and socially privileged for this (perceived or real) biological superiority, and the other partner (who is generally the one able to bear children) being sexually submissive, weaker, and thus socially disadvantaged or oppressed as a consequence.

furthermore, something EXTRA interesting to me is that in this type of fic these power dynamics are very frequently not just social constructs (the way they are in real life-- pls dont misunderstand me and think im saying women are inherently biologically submissive to men irl or something), but rather almost always depicted as a biological reality within the world of the story. this type of au (at least in m/m dominated circles) offers a way of exploring and depicting what are basically misogynistic tropes without ever naming it as misogyny or involving women at any point. and i'm not trying to make a moral judgement here--i just genuinely find it very interesting that one of the main ways that misogynistic sexual dynamics (and, frequently, the violence resulting from such dynamics) gets explored in fandom spaces is through the development of an alternate biological and social reality in which cis men experience a mirror of those power dynamics, often turned up to 11 via in-universe biological essentialism. it strikes me as a way to engage with irl misogyny and its role within relationships with a certain amount of emotional distance, for better or worse. on one hand, it might be used to explore this imbalance of power without ever needing to depict misogynistic violence happening to female characters, but on the other hand also often offers a way to engage with romantic tropes steeped in irl gender essentialism in a way that is justified within the fiction of the universe and therefore do not need to be considered as critically

now i dont think this alone justifies this trope's existence or popularity (i'm sure a large part of its popularity is people just thinking it's hot tbh, which is fine im not here to judge), and honestly i'm not interested in litigating the question of why people write or read this trope in the first place, but i AM continually fascinated by the degree to which heteronormativity is able to influence what are ostensibly depictions of queer relationships

[zeethequeer]

ABOUT MY MODERN SINGER+ACTOR DR

✨BASICS✨

Name: Eliana Davis

Age: 34 (As of 2025)

Height: 5'6"

Hair Color: Red and Purple (Naturally brown)

Eye Color: Brown

Skin Color: Light

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Pansexual

Pronouns: She/They

✨FAMILY✨

Mom: Geena Davis

Dad: Jeff Goldblum

Siblings: Half siblings are Alizeh Keshvar Jarrahy, Kian William Jarrahy, and Kaiis Steven Jarrahy (Didn't have plans on scripting out her family from this reality, just basically put myself in the mix.)

Aunt: Pamela Goldblum

Uncle: Dan Davis, Lee Goldblum

Cousins:

Closest Friends: Demi Lovato, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Dove Cameron, Sofia Carson

S/O(s): Nick Jonas

✨EXTRAS✨

Favorite Color: Purple

Favorite Food: Sushi

Favorite Show: Steven Universe

Favorite Drink: Strawberry Soda

Hobbies: Singing, dancing, painting

Time Of First Shift: Undecided

Song That Reminds Me Of DR: ---

✨MY LIFE STORY✨

I started acting at age 15 in 2006, my first major role that helped start my singing career wouldn't be until Camp Rock in 2008 which is also how I first meet Nick. (Will eventually be adding list of movies and TV shows to this post or making a separate post)

In 2015 I release my first album, the first edition of 'Eliana Davis Christmas'. It includes duets with my parents as well as my friends and Nick.

✨ FAVORITE SCRIPTED✨

✨MOMENTS✨

None yet!

ALBUMS (no particular order up to 2025)

1. Eliana Davis: Romance Through The Years (2023)

This album is a combo of sweet and spicy love songs from a variety of artists such as Frank Sinatra, Olivia Newton-John, and Ghost. Includes 10 tracks with an extended edition with 25 tracks in 2026.

2. Davis Sings Disney: Favorites Edition (2025)

An album of some of my favorite Disney songs. Includes 10 tracks from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel. Includes collabs with some of my friends that were in the original 'Davis Sings Disney' album from 2017.

3. Childhood Soundtrack (2020)

An album consisting of songs from movies and TV from my childhood. Ranging from Steven Universe and Adventure Time, to Disney songs (ones that aren't later in Davis Sings Disney: Favorites), and more. Includes 10 tracks

4. Eliana Goes Broadway! (2024)

My top tracks from my favorite shows. Includes songs from shows like Little Shop of Horrors, Newsies, Hadestown, and even a few songs from non-staged musicals such as EPIC. Includes 18 tracks.

5. Hall Of Fame (2019)

A collection of big hits from big artists from both past and present. Including Lady Gaga, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, and more! Includes 15 tracks.

6. Something Something Heartbreak (2021)

That one "songs for after a breakup" album. Just being a girls girl and giving fans something to cry to in the car. Not related to going through a breakup myself, scare some fans into thinking that though. Includes 9 tracks.

7. Eliana Davis Christmas (Various Years)

There's multiple versions of this one, with the first released in 2015 with 5 tracks, 1 or 2 being added in new editions every year up to 2025 with there being 20 overall tracks in the latest version ready for 2025.

8. Davis Sings Disney (2017)

My first Disney album. I collab with several other musicians and singers who'd been or still are "Disney kids" at this point in time like the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Dove Cameron, and Miley Cyrus. Includes 26 tracks.

9. Rock The Block (2022)

A collaborative album with several rock and alternative groups such as Set It Off, Ghost, Divide The Day, and Green Day. It's my largest album at 36 tracks that had been recorded over time.

10. Strange & Unusual (2024)

A Halloween album featuring songs like Thriller from Michael Jackson, songs from Roe Kapara, and various other Halloween classics. Includes 12 tracks.

[sad-scarred-sassy]

In an alternate universe where Elain met Lucien before becoming fae

(an Elucien daydream)

“I would like to show you my estate, Lady Elain” The young Lord Graysen said and brought back her attention to the present moment. “I heard you like nature, would you like me to escort you?”

Elain took a little moment to ponder on what he was saying, her gloved hands resting on his forearm, his face open and waiting for her response, even if through the glimmer in his eye she could tell he already knew she would say yes to him. The man courting her was used to women bending themselves for his affections, constantly trying to make him like them, be the ones holding the key to his affection. And the gods knew she used to also feel that way, like she was special when she was the one those eyes were fixated upon. Lately, she realized, it did not matter as much as it did before.

Elain nodded and smiled as he guided her through the lands on his estate, she was not going to miss the opportunity either way. It was true, she did love nature and she did not have an abundance of opportunities to wander around places like these in her day to day life.

“These lands are very close to the wall, but worry not, they are very safe thanks to our sentries patrolling night and day” Graysen proudly announced. She glanced towards the thick folliage of the woods next to them. So inviting.

“Is it the same for those woods?” She asked pointing to the forest curiously.

“Yes, if we don’t stray too far from the manor, they’re as safe as can be” He said matter-of-factly. “Would you like to see?”

Elain nodded immediately and with a slight bow he directed her through one of the paths into the green thick forest.

Elain wondered if she should take his word for it as they walked further and further into the blooming nature, but any lingering reservations she may have was replaced with the allure of the mystical beauty of the woods, making her question what more exotic things could be found at the other side of the wall he had mentioned. A little nudge she felt in her chest made her curious about the things that her sister Feyre had once spoken about to Nesta, wonder if perhaps she hadn’t yet seen true beauty at this side of the world.

“Have you ever seen a fae?” That curiosity led her to ask her companion, his face incredulous for a moment and a bit irritated too.

“I- No” He said, a bit upset at admitting it. She knew that his family was very much against faeries, raising their heirs to become hunters, building their homes to protect themselves from the magical beings. She could tell that admitting he had never seen and naturally never fought one was a bit embarrassing to him, but she didn’t comment on it.

She had never really formed a strong opinion on the fae. Yes, she was raised to fear them, but after Feyre had come back from beyond the wall and had told them of the incredible things she had seen, and how she had even fallen in love with one of them, her mind could never stop wandering towards that. It was probably silly, and she doubted she would ever see anything related to the other side in her lifetime. But Elain still held her eyes ahead, as if she could see through the forest, to what was beyond it.

“If I ever get to see one, I doubt it will be a long encounter, my whole life I’ve trained to slay them. I hope I get the opportunity one day” Graysen continued and Elain simply nodded. He was brave, she thought.

They were walking by a blackberry bush when suddenly one of the Lord’s sentries atop a brown mare appeared from the forest folliage

“Pardon milord, but- we need your assistance, there has been an incident in the north border” He said, one more sentry appearing at his side, pulling an extra horse with him.

“What is it?” He asked.

“It-“ The guard glanced at Elain for a second. “We have found something you might want to see” He ended with a sense of importance.

Graysen nodded at the sentry and then looked at Elain. “Will you be fine going back to the manor from here?” He glanced at the manor, clearly visible from the place where they were standing.

“Yes, don’t concern yourself” Elain half smiled, not completely certain about how to feel. He let go of her hand and she awkwardly fumbled with her gloves as she watched him quickly near the extra horse. With a swift move he climbed into the saddle and directed his gaze to Elain.

“I’ll see you back at the manor, Lady Elain” He said and with a quick bow of the head he was gone, engulfed by the foliage of the forest surrounding her.

Elain watched him go for a moment, suddenly realizing how strange it was for her to be so… alone. The forest around her was very much alive, though. Birds chirping and wind singing through the leaves, the light breaking through the canopy by the lovely midday sun. It was a shame that the exploring had been cut short, Elain had just started enjoying herself, she pondered, fingers running softly through the leafs of a jasmine vine.

She glanced towards the manor. It was probably the wise choice to just go back and wait for Graysen to be done with whatever it was he needed to do.

It was the wise choice.

But something Elain could not really explain made her take a small step back into the woods. Just a little wandering wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it?

She told herself it was the feeling of finally being unrestricted that guided her further and further into the lovely woods. She didn’t know why it made her heart so happy, her limbs so free, she was suddenly smiling to herself, laughing even as she discovered a magnificent owl sleeping not far away on top of an oak tree branch, giggling as she skipped through leaves, passing by wildflowers and vines and apple trees. Even if a bit pathetic, she felt free and alive and somewhere down the line she lost her gloves and both her shoes were now hanging on her fingers, her stockings now the only barrier between her and the warm forest soil at her feet.

That was until she suddenly stepped onto something hard but soft and before she knew what was happening, she was stumbling face first down onto the ground.

“Ow” She groaned as the pain hit her ankle and she tried to gather herself. What in the world had made her fall-

She saw him then. She almost shrieked as her eyes took the sight all at once. Red hair, the most vibrant and rich crimson color she had ever seen, an enormous body, sprawled right beneath her as she sat on hands and knees. Directly in front of her: tan skin, with a few freckles speckled on his chiseled cheeks, a long brutal scar down the side of an otherwise perfectly handsome face, breaking through one of his thick dark eyebrows. Long lashes resting softly on his high cheekbones. And the ears, the slightly curved pointy ears pierced and sporting the most exquisite jewels she had ever seen. Elain gathered it all in seconds, and instinct made her jump and retreat away until her back painfully met the trunk of a tree.

Her heartbeat was pounding on her chest, the adrenaline preventing her of thinking straight.

A fae. A fae was lying right in front of her. She had stepped on… him. She had landed right on top of him too. Her hand pressed to her mouth.

She should run. She should already be running as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

She stared at him once more. He was looking so peacefully unconscious she suddenly wondered if he was even alive. She studied him warily. Why wasn’t she running again?

Gathering her strength she stood onto her two feet and wincing at herself, peered a look closer to him. She had never seen a fae before, curiosity taking the best of her as she took another step closer.

It hit her then that he was magnificent, something completely out of her world. Every inch of him designed for a much more exquisite realm, as much as deadly as he was beautiful.

Common sense urged her to leave him, to run. But something deep inside her commanded her to stay, to inspect. For some god forsaken reason she was not as scared as she should have been when she reached softly and placed two fingers on his throat, just to find warmth and a rhythmic pulse underneath her fingertips. She looked down on his body. Even while hidden under the most exquisite clothes she had seen, she could tell the… male was ripped with muscles, strong forearms leading to big wide hands adorned with golden rings. The steady breathing marked by the rising and falling of his strong chest. Her eyes wandered a bit before coming back up to his face and to her utter shock, finding him staring right back at her with a pair of mismatched eyes.

Elain almost yelped as she was suddenly being thrown on her back, one of those broad hands instantly on her mouth holding any sound she might make, his whole enormous otherworldly body encasing her and making it impossible to leave.

“I won’t hurt you” The male said just as she was going to start screaming nonetheless. “Don’t make a sound” He said, his handsome face inches from hers as she heard dogs barking and coming straight towards them.

The hunting hounds.

“Mmm!” She said, trying to warn him that they would end up being their food in no time.

“Don’t” He murmured. “They won’t sense us”

She looked at him with an incredulous look, her eyes about to pop out of their sockets at how wide they were as he just waited for the hounds to come.

And they did. The enormous dogs barked and passed right by without a second glance. How was that even possible?

Before she could move she heard the sentries going after them. They were following a trace, Graysen with them. They rushed through the forest and then disappeared. The male on top of her just stared ahead, waiting for them all to leave, his hand still unmovable on her mouth as he counted the seconds, while she looked at his long strong neck in front of her. He finally looked down at her again,

“Can I trust that you won’t scream bloody murder if I move my hand?” He asked. Elain nodded once, eyes locked into his mismatched gaze, one eye of russet, one of gold. It was the most enchanting thing she had ever seen and she felt ashamed at the thought.

He nodded as well, hand falling from her face as she gaped at him.

“My apologies, lady” He muttered, still atop her. “I couldn’t let them find me you see.” He slowly got himself off her smaller frame, he pulled himself to sit on his knees, extending a hand to her to help her sit up, she realized.

Warily, she took it, the act of sliding her hand through his warm calloused palm a lot more exhilarating than she had predicted it to be. He helped her up with no effort whatsoever until she was sitting straight facing his impossibly beautiful face. She could not stop wondering how such a being could possibly exist, let alone be talking to her in this moment.

“I’m Lucien” He suddenly said, something about her intense gaze apparently making him lower his gaze for a mere second and run his hand through his molten red hair. Lucien, even his name was new to her ears.

“You’re fae” She said, and that earned her a lopsided smile from him.

“I am” He said, his white smile bright as he displayed his pointy canines to her. Elain couldn’t help but to gape again. “And you’re human I see” He pointed out.

“Well- obviously. You’re in the wrong side of the wall, you know?” Something about his smile made it easy to talk to him and she surprised herself at her boldness. Again, shouldn’t she be running away from him?

“I am aware” He said as his smile turned into a sly smirk.

Elain arched an eyebrow at that, but he only assessed her further, his intense eyes going from her eyes, to her mouth and neck, the disarray of her dress and her muddy stocking clad feet on display. Her cheeks flushed as his gaze stayed there.

“Were you running from someone?” He asked slowly.

“No” She said, his eyes traveling just a little up towards her ankles, as if he could see her little injury from the fall. “I was just wandering through the forest” She said.

“Well, I owe you one, because if it wasn’t for you I might not have awoken in time for that” He said, pointing towards the way the dogs and the sentries and Graysen had gone through.

How had she awoken him?

She was still pondering on that when he said. “I can heal that, if you’d like, it wouldn’t take long” He gestured to her sore ankle, one she didn’t realize she had been softly rubbing. She was hesitant when he added. “Please, as a repayment for… helping me”

She glanced at her ankle, it was sore and… something inside her was still curious, peeking its ears at this new stranger, so different from anything she had ever encountered.

“Will it hurt?” She asked, tilting her head faintly at him.

“Not in the slightest” He put his hand on his heart. “I give you my word”

She pressed her lips slightly as she pondered before slowly nodding her approval. He approached carefully and Elain wondered if she had made the right call as he glanced at her for permission to touch her ankle, pausing until she dipped her chin softly into a nod.

Her stocking was loose on that side, and as he softly took her foot into his big palm, he realized it had come loose from its suspenders, so he simply began pulling at the fabric, making her blush even more furiously when seeing him strip her foot bare.

“Where does it hurt exactly?” He murmured when the clothing item was discarded.

“I thought you could see it” She said with an inhale. Something about a stranger touching her bare foot was finally hitting the mark as scandalous, but she couldn’t get herself to make him stop as his fingers brushed her skin softly, in a way that made her wonder if his intentions were exactly as selfless as he had expressed.

“Clever” He said with a slightly wicked smile. “I did… sense your ankle was hurt, but I can’t see exactly where” He explained as she wondered how that could even be possible. “Is it here?” He pressed on the top of her foot. She shook her head slightly as his eyes found hers again. “Here?” He moved his long fingers towards the side of her ankle and she shook her head again.

“The inner side” She said with a breathy voice that she could barely recognize as her own.

He nodded as his hand moved to where she directed him. The pain concentrating there as he moved her ankle slightly and she flinched.

“It’s not every day that I get awoken by a beautiful lady in the middle of a forest, you know?” He said as little sparks of light began spreading around her ankle as he worked. Elain was in awe as she stared at his magic, almost enough to make her miss the way he called her beautiful.

She hid her blush. “And it’s not every day that I stumble upon a sleeping fae in the middle of a forest too”

He gave her a roguish smile. “Ah, I do have a habit of sleeping around” He teased and she smiled a bit at his sass, right as the last of the pain got swept away, but he still did not put down her foot.

“What were you doing here?” She was compelled to ask as he looked into her eyes.

“I was dropped here by- …it doesn’t matter” He set down her foot at last. “They wanted me to end up ripped to shreds by those hounds just for funsies you see”

“Why?” She asked in horror.

He just shrugged. “They love to play with their enemies and I fell right into their grasp” He said, for a moment he looked around, then back at her. “You shouldn’t be around here… especially alone”

“I lost track of where I was going” She didn’t even know if she could go back through the same path she had taken without ending up even more stranded into the forest. He studied her quietly. She couldn’t understand why she didn’t feel scared of him, even for one moment, when his whole body screamed at how much of a warrior he had probably been forged to be, his muscles rippling through his clothes with every move.

“Were you having fun?” He asked her with a slight smile.

“I was” She admitted. A smile creeping into her mouth too.

“Is that an unusual thing for you?”

She bit her lip, wondering if she should be opening up to this stranger here in the middle of the woods. “I’m not used to feeling… unrestricted” She surprised herself by saying.

“That’s a shame, milady” He gathered himself to stand, and Elain could do little more than gape at how tall he was, more so than what she had expected. He extended a hand towards her again, and when she took it, a small frown crept on his brows as he stared at her small hand in his and pulled her to her feet, not a trace of pain as she stood. When he looked up at her face again, catching her gaze with predatory swiftness, he smirked at her once more. “In my humble experience, there is no greater fun than a female unrestricted” He said and she shifted on her feet as a blush crept onto her cheeks. Scandalous, that’s what this was.

“Are all fae this shameless?”

“Are all humans this curious?”

She realized her hand was still in his when he said it, and she nimbly pulled it away, his broad palm remaining open as it had been. She couldn’t understand what had gotten into her, and why she did not have the mental capacity to look away from his intent gaze.

“As much as I’d love to stay and aid in your adventures” He mused and Elain averted her eyes. “I gotta go, as you probably do too” He said and she looked back at him, his body straightening to take a step away from her. Something deep, so deep inside of her urged her to stop him for a moment longer, and before she knew it she was talking.

“Lucien-“ She said, and his head whipped towards her again, as if hearing his name from her lips startled him for some reason. “Will we ever meet again?”

Something flashed through his eyes as he contemplated her question.

“What’s your name, lovely forest nymph?” He asked her with a sly grin.

“Elain” She said, and again he started, as if something finally clicked. “Elain Archeron”

“Elain-“ He repeated. “You are Feyre’s sister”

“You know my sister?” She tilted her head, taking a small step closer to him. “How is she faring?”

“I’m her friend. She’s well-“ He said, his eyes averting her face for a second. “I’ll send her your greetings-“

“No- I” She said too quickly. “Can this stay between the two of us?”

He looked at her long and hard. His mismatched eyes enthralling her, the strands of his hair falling to frame his handsome face. Elain realized her neck was almost bent in half to maintain their eye contact from where she stood in front of him.

He finally bowed his head just slightly. “Of course, Lady Elain” He said. “And to answer your question” To her bewilderment he brought one of his knuckles and brushed them on her chin in the faintest motion, making her heart start beating hard and fast. “I hope we do” He said at last, his eyes falling from her eyes to her lips and back again. Elain felt herself gulp for air. In that moment she felt her body be transported in a blink of an eye, and before she knew it the beautiful male was gone.

She shook her head and noticed the blackberry bush near the entrance of the forest, she could see the manor from where she stood, as if he had brought her exactly to where she had been before, and then left as quickly as he had appeared.

The faint whisper of his touch still remained on her chin, the smell of him still lingered on her nostrils. And Elain could not understand for the life of her why she could not shake the feeling that she would always be looking for him. Somehow she knew he felt the same. And a faint voice in the back of her mind told her that they would someday meet again.

[sometimes-love-is-enough]

Every time you talk about giving yourself writing challenges, I think about how it would be fun to have a 'handicap bingo'- where you get a random writing 'handicap' like not being able to say any character's name, and have to write a full story with it. Idk. I think it would be fun

Min's Writing Challenge

Rules: Roll a d20, accept your fate, write a fic of your choosing and follow your fate to the letter. (Creative workarounds encouraged.)

Roll twice; you have to use both. If you roll another 1, the extra challenges compound accordingly.

Pick a single letter, A-Z. You're not allowed to use it for the entire fic. (Bonus challenge: E.)

Every sentence must be under ten words long. (Bonus challenge: five words.)

Pick a poetry/lyric style (sonnet, terza rima, ballad, etc). The whole fic must be written in that form. (Bonus challenge: keep it still obviously a normal fic, with appropriate tropes and narrative conventions.)

You must write in future tense.

You must write in first-person POV.

You must write in second-person POV.

Take your least favorite fanon concept/trope, and make it into something you want to write. (Bonus challenge: play the trope entirely straight - no subversions! - and make it enjoyable anyway.)

No character names allowed. (Bonus challenge: no dialogue tags either; you can't use descriptive phrases like 'the man in the prince costume' to work around it.)

No dialogue allowed. (Bonus challenge: no internal monologues allowed, either.)

Dialogue only - playscripts encouraged.

Epistolary fic - only letters, emails, notes, etc.

Write an AU, but the alternative universe is a profession!AU that you know nothing about. (Bonus challenge: no research allowed.)

Unreliable narrator. (Bonus challenge: the narrator is good at being unreliable, to the point that they might legitimately fool a reader.)

Whatever fic concept you have, you can only write the very ending of it. (Bonus challenge: you aren't allowed to use any exposition to explain how you got to that point.)

Write any AU of your choosing, but you must choose at least one major canonverse event/plot point and adapt it accordingly to your setting of choice. (Bonus challenge: Make the canonverse event and AU of choice absurdly incompatible.)

Must start in medias res, with a 'yep, that's me. Bet you're wondering how I got into this situation!' moment. (Bonus challenge: Don't plan what the in medias res situation is before you write it. Force yourself to resolve whatever bullshit you come up with on the spot. I've definitely never done this in my life, ever.)

You must write in outsider OC POV - no canon characters allowed. (Bonus challenge: No Sanders Shorts/related characters allowed.)

Pick a fairy tale, fable, or myth. The fic must be a retelling or reinterpretation of it. (Bonus challenge: you aren't allowed to reread or reference any version of it while you're writing - from memory only!)

Dealer's choice - pick from any of the above.

Good luck.

[doyoulikethisanimesong-poll]

I have finally caught up with my Ask inbox!

After having my inbox closed for probably a month or so (I really should note this shit down), I have finally reached the latest ask and queued it up.

Shits Changing

After having a couple weeks of going through your submissions, I had some ideas on how to improve this system because it wasn't working for me and wasn't working for many of you either (as evidenced by the confusion from some people when the 17th Zetsubou song came on). I tried to mitigate this by putting a day or two between songs from the same artist or anime but it wasn't perfect and didn't fix the issues I was having on my end (namely that I just don't want to listen to an animes whole ost for an hour)

From now onwards I will be doing submissions through google forms (or some kind of alternative if something catches my attention. If you have any reccs, lemme know). I will have the submission form open until I get roughly 50 songs (subject to change if I think its too many or too little) and there will only be one song per submission. You will have to be logged into google to make your submission although I will get no data about who sent what, its just a way to stop people from making 17 submissions under the same email. If you want to game the system, I'm gonna make you put atleast a little bit of effort into it.

However do not be discouraged, it doesn't mean you get one submission ever, it just means you only get one submission per submission period. At a rough estimate of how many songs I queue up a week, you will probably get about one submission a week/fortnight.

Here is the current submission form:

The latest submission form will always be amongst the blogs links thing (if you can't tell at this point, I am not particularly good at tumblr and honestly have no idea what half the stuff is called.)

I'll just post a picture and hopefully it will make more sense. I will also be making a post everytime a new submission form is made as well.

Right there in the middle called Submission Form #1, thats what I'm talking about and hopefully is accessible to all of you (I really do not understand how this site works).

But what about my submission, I haven't heard it yet?

If you haven't heard your submission by Poll #493, that means I haven't queued it up. This can be for multiple reasons. The biggest one is that you didn't give me enough information and I could not be fucked scouring the internet trying to decipher your submission so I will be making certain info required for future submissions. Don't be discouraged if you didn't hear your song at that point, it doesn't mean that I hate it and never want to listen to it again, just resubmit it in the new submisssion form with the required information and I will happily throw it in the queue.

Back to the Asks

The ask feature will now go back to being used as intended, namely to ask me personal questions and blog related questions. Any submissions sent through it will just be ignored and deleted but if you want to ask me about my favourite food, favourite anime or my opinion on anything, I will happily answer.

This is my last paragraph, please put up with my last ramblings

From Poll #500 to #510, I will be testing a new poll layout. This is due to people wanting certain options on the poll that I did not originally add due to the limited amount of votes. Now that a poll gains roughly 300 votes at mininum though, I feel its a good time to test a couple extra polling options.

[ready-to-obeyme]

(not) pleased to meet you

lucifer x reader

notes: gender neutral; an alternative first meeting, implied annoyance to lovers; pre-relationship; (feels slightly like crack but that's just lucifer having a hard time lol)

word count: ~1.3k

No matter how Lucifer likes to spin it years down the line, the truth is, it was annoyance at first meeting with you.

For the last few months before the beginning of the exchange program, he's been doubling down on more work (if that is even possible) trying to finalize the details. Picking you for a human representative at random was the last thing he had to do-- and Father forbid Diavolo ask him how he chose you. (He thinks the prince would get a kick out of it if Lucifer told him it was the first paper that landed on his foot after they all fell on the ground.)

Just when he thinks he can finally filch some responsibility to Mammon as your attendant when you're summoned down to the assembly room, Lucifer watches with quickly growing iritation as you insist Diavolo-- crown prince of the Devildom-- make additional accommodations before you spend the next year with the demon brothers.

"I mean," you say with growing distress, "you can't expect my family and friends to just be... okay with my sudden disappearance, right?"

Damn.

It's rather unfortunate you make sense with the points you bring up; Lucifer would have rather preferred to ignore you entirely and get on with everything. The feeling must have shown on his face because when you turn to look at him, you narrow your eyes in a way that almost mirrors his own displeasure.

Truly, Lucifer thinks seethingly with a charming smile now plastered on his face, an annoyance.

You turn from him quickly when Diavolo lets out a thoughtful hum, glancing at Lucifer with an otherwise well-disguised amusement had Lucifer not seen the expression numerous times before. It normally does not bode well for him.

"I must say, you've brought up rather important details to our attention," Diavolo begins. "I must apologize on all our behalf; we utilized the other human representative as the backbone for human accommodation, but perhaps he was not the best candidate for a normal human."

Curse that black-hearted sorcerer, Lucifer thinks instinctively. (In Purgatory Hall, Solomon sneezes twice in the middle of baking fresh cookies for his new angelic roommates.)

"That's alright," you say in relief. "Glad you're so understanding. So you can send me back--"

"And Lucifer will accompany you to the human world to tie those loose ends," Diavolo tells you cheerfully, and Lucifer watches as your expression freezes (in the same manner as his, most likely).

"Uh, what-"

"We discourage hypnosis on humans for the sake of better relations, but I think we can make this the exception." Diavolo nods, counting off his fingers the long list of 'loose ends' you so kindly provided to him not a minute earlier. "Your family, your friends, your work place, and wherever else you believe a long absence will be alarming, please allow Lucifer to help you make it more palatable. I would hate for you to be jobless or homeless when you come back, of course!" He laughs, and you can only smile back weakly, knowing when it's a losing battle, to Lucifer's surprise.

You look to Lucifer again then with a mildly defeated expression, and the smile Lucifer gives you then is just a smidge more genuine as it is wry.

.

.

.

You follow Lucifer quietly through the portal that connects the Devildom to the human realm, only always a few steps behind. You are quick to jump in and lead the way once you are near where you were first summoned, and for the most part, the journey is oddly quiet.

Lucifer rather expected begging, or at least, more insistence on not being a part of the exchange program since you were so adamant a few hours prior. He is allowed into your home and, with reluctance, into your room as you pack some ammenities and extra clothing for your stay in the Devildom. "It's messy; don't look," you tell him, waving your hand in his line of sight. "I haven't had time to clean it and, well, I probably won't have time to now either."

"Diavolo granted us a few days to... settle your matters," Lucifer explains, glancing over at your open closet, to which you stand up and futilely attempt to block his view. "You can afford to take the time to clean up."

It's amusing to see you embarrassed of an unkempt room of all things after standing up for yourself in a room full of demons, but perhaps that was simply another human peculiarity.

"You sound like my mom," you mutter.

Lucifer glares. "What?"

"Nothing!" You sigh, shoving a set of clothes into a suitcase. "By the way, you think you can convince my work place to give me a whole year leave of absence?"

"I don't see why I would be unable to," Lucifer replies, trailing off. He watches as you take a small photo album from your drawer and place it into your suitcase pocket delicately. Your expression is wistful - a far cry from your earlier determination or previous irritation. You obviously have reasons not to leave for the Devildom, which makes him all the more curious as to why you've come willingly to say goodbye. It makes him pause before saying your name.

It's only when you turn to him quickly that he realizes it's the first time he's used it. Lucifer clears his throat before continuing, "You seem... to be reacting well to the exchange program, despite your initial hesitance."

"Oh, well." You look down at your packed suitcase. "I just thought the idea sounded... rather nice," you say, "despite how inconvenient it's been for me." You zip it up swiftly, with a finality. "Peace in all three realms-- I like that... even though the knowledge that heaven and hell actually exists is insane--"

A human believing in the dreams of a demon and giving him the benefit of the doubt. You must either be brave or foolish for going along with it-- or maybe both, Lucifer thinks, watching you clear out your desk. Perhaps he had chosen right with you, even if it was technically at random. Perhaps it was fate to bring a human that would fit right into the Devildom.

You stand up and turn to him with your luggage packed and ready, and Lucifer realizes then how quickly his annoyance turned into genuine interest. It's ridiculous to think about. Him? Invested in the fate of a human? Are all of them like you, he wonders.

"This clean enough?" You say almost teasingly, and Lucifer looks around before giving you a smirk. He's pleased to see you look down, cheeks warm and expression embarrassed because of him, before he can even respond. (Perhaps you are not so infallible...)

"I expect this level of cleanliness when you live in the House of Lamentation," he tells you with amusement. "I'll be checking ever so often, so try to keep the mess to a minimum."

"You really are the eldest brother," you say with a surprising amount of exasperated fondness. Before Lucifer can register how that makes him feel, you walk past him, saying something about having someone take care of your pet, and the moment is gone.

He watches you flit back and forth between rooms, putting your life in a neat box before you return to the Devildom with him, and briefly, he wonders if you could help him keep his brother in check rather than the other way around.

He supposes he will just have to watch over you to see what happens.

[lindsey-laufeyson]

Distractions- Chapter 9

Distractions Masterlist

Pairing: Reader x FWB!Tom Hiddleston

Series Warnings: SMUT, fluff, angst, friends with benefits

It was the morning after you had discovered the drunk texts from Tom and you were exhausted. Though you had tried to sleep, your anger kept you awake until the wee hours of the night, and when you finally fell asleep, you dreamt that Tom was saying the exact things he said in those messages, but in person. He was spitting them at you like a cobra spits venom, over and over until you woke up in a cold sweat. You dragged your feet getting ready for work, dreading the day ahead of you, and you had to put extra effort into covering up all of the marks Tom left on your neck the previous night. Unfortunately, that meant you didn’t have time to get yourself a latte on your way to work, and you hated drinking the shitty coffee from craft service. 

When you arrived at work, you were glad to be setting up alone. You and Kaitlyn had taken to alternating days where one of you would prep in the morning and one of you would close up at the end of the day. By now, you’d considered Kaitlyn to be a friend, but you hadn’t forgotten the fact that she’d told Tom about Trevor. Eventually, you would have to confront her about it, but for the time being, you would simply enjoy your peace and quiet.

Half an hour later, Tom and Kaitlyn arrived at the same time, Kaitlyn greeting you with her usual, much too chipper “good morning,” and Tom with an apologetic look in his eyes and two coffees in hand. You merely gave them a half-hearted “morning” before turning back to your station. 

“I thought you might like a latte,” Tom said meekly, putting the coffee cup from your favorite café on the counter in front of you. 

“I’d like to get started right away, if that’s alright with the two of you,” you stated, refusing to look at Tom and ignoring the latte you so desperately needed.

“You alright?” Kaitlyn asked. 

You shrugged. “Tired. Didn’t sleep well.” Out of the corner of your eye you saw Tom look at you with concern, but just like the latte, you ignored it.

The minutes dragged on at an agonizing pace as you listened to Tom and Kaitlyn make idle chit chat while you worked in silence. Whenever they attempted to bring you into the conversation, you gave them one word answers without looking up once. You could tell they were both uncomfortable with the palpable tension emanating from you, but you didn’t care. 

By the time Tom’s hair and makeup was almost finished, you’d decided that you were desperate to leave the awkward silence you’d created and even more desperate for caffeine. “Kaitlyn, you finish up,” you told her. “I’m going to go get some coffee from craft service. I’ll meet you on set.” 

“But–” she began, confusion in her voice as she pointed to the now cold latte sitting on the counter. She was cut off by the sound of the trailer door shutting behind you.

…

When you arrived on set, you decided you’d rather stand in the back rather than sit in your chair next to Kaitlyn. It wasn’t just that you were angry with her for telling Tom about Trevor, but you also knew that she would want to know why you were ignoring Tom and try to pry it out of you as soon as she had the opportunity. Mostly though, you just wanted to be left alone for a while.

Of course, your job wasn’t that forgiving. You couldn’t keep putting your assistant on Tom, and you were nothing if not professional. Well, you had been before he came along. So, when duty called, you did what needed to be done with the intention that you would simply treat Tom as if he was a client you’d just met and keep things as professional as possible. Of course, Tom had other plans.

“Y/n,” Tom began as you touched up his makeup.

Without looking at him, you stopped him immediately. “If what you’re about to say isn’t strictly work related, I’m going to have to ask you to shut it.”

“I don’t understand why you won’t just hear me out.”

“I think you’ve said plenty in those texts you sent me.”

“I don’t think you’re being entirely fair…”

You finally looked him in the eyes, your eyebrows raised. “I’m not being fair? You basically called me a slut, Tom.”

His brow furrowed. “You know I would never call you or any woman a slut!”

“You may as well have.”

“I was pissed out of my mind!”

“So was I! But I didn’t send you any nasty messages, did I?”

“No, you just slept with Trevor.”

You shook your head as your eyelids narrowed. “Oh, fuck you, Tom. Don’t you dare throw that in my face. Last I checked, we’re allowed to sleep with other people.”

He stood his ground. “But you wouldn’t have slept with him had you been sober, just as I wouldn’t have said those awful things had I been sober.”

“That’s not the bloody point,” you shot back before you spun around and stormed back to where you had been standing before, eager to regain your solitude. You spent the rest of the morning there, and anytime Tom needed hair and makeup from that point on, he was wise enough not to push you any further and just let you work in silence. 

Kaitlyn, however, couldn’t stand your cold shoulder any longer, and just as you suspected she might, she eventually came to confront you.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on with you or do I have to force it out of you?” Kaitlyn demanded.

You sighed and then looked at her with irritation. “Do you remember yesterday when I told you never to mention the whole Trevor fiasco ever again?”

“Yeah…” she replied with nervous hesitation.

“Well, for future reference, when I say that, I mean never to mention it to anyone.”

She scrunched her face in guilt. “Tom told you I told him?”

“He told me you told him.”

“But you didn’t tell me not to tell him!”

“Unless I tell you to tell someone, don’t tell anyone!”

“Wait, I’m starting to get confused.”

You let out an exasperated groan. “Why did you tell Tom about Trevor?”

“It was an accident, okay? He was so quiet yesterday, so I was trying to fill the silence when at some point it just sort of slipped out. I don’t see what the big deal is anyway. You guys are such close friends that I figured you were going to tell him anyway. I mean, you told Warren of all people.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “The point is, it’s my business and I should be able to decide who is privy to it and who isn’t.”

“You’re right,” she agreed. “I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Thank you.”

After a beat, she spoke up again. “So now I know why you’re mad at me, but what did Tom do? I mean, it was pretty cold to blatantly reject his latte like that, and you haven’t exactly hidden the fact that you hate the coffee here.”

“I don’t hate it,” you defended. However, in your attempt to prove her wrong, you took a sip of your coffee and couldn’t fight back the grimace that appeared on your face.

“You were saying?”

“Alright, without giving too much detail, he said some things to me that a real friend would never say.”

“What?” She looked surprised. “That doesn’t sound like Tom at all. What did he say?”

“Do you really think I’d tell you after you opened your big mouth yesterday?”

“It just seems very unlikely that he would say anything untoward to anyone, let alone you.”

You shrugged. “It turns out people can surprise you. And what do you mean by ‘let alone me?’”

“Please. Are we going to pretend like you two don’t instantly light up every time you see each other? At least before yesterday you did. I can’t say whether it’s just your friendship or something more, but the two of you are like flint and steel. Together you create a fire that warms the entire room. The last two days, however, it’s been cold and dreary on set, and everyone can feel it, whether they realize why or not.”

You thought about what Kaitlyn said. While the sentiment was nice enough, you weren’t sure you believed her; or for some fucked up reason, you didn’t want to believe her. “I think you’re imagining things, Kait.”

“Deny it all you want, but it’s true. I don’t know what he said, but I think it might be worth it to forgive him. Not many people have the kind of infectious chemistry that you two have.” And with that, she left to go back to her chair.

You folded your arms and leaned back against the wall behind you. You were somehow more angry now because you knew Kaitlyn had a point. Was it really worth it to keep punishing Tom if it meant stewing in your own anger all day? But then Tom’s messages appeared in your head again, and the image from your dream of him yelling them at you. No. You weren’t ready to forgive him. As much as you wanted to, you just couldn’t. Not yet anyway.

…

By the time lunch was called, Tom felt utterly defeated. He knew he’d royally fucked up, but he didn’t know how to fix it. Typically he found that his words were his strongest asset in expressing himself, but he couldn’t begin to find the words to express how sorry he was, and even if he did, you refused to listen to anything he had to say. Not that he blamed you. 

While everyone else swarmed craft service or went off the lot to get their lunch, Tom found that he wasn’t hungry. This was the second day in a row that you had affected his appetite and it was maddening. He resolved to go back to his trailer, and on his way he heard your name come from behind one of the other trailers in the lot. He paused to listen.

“…but Max here was too bloody chicken to bag that bird!” exclaimed the voice of a man Tom didn’t recognize.

Then came a voice he could only assume belonged to Max. “I wasn’t chicken. She was just a fucking tease.”

A third man chimed in. “It’s a shame, really. Can you imagine what a spitfire like her is like in the sack?”

Max laughed. “The best part would’ve been getting to say that I fucked Hiddleston’s whore!”

Filled with blinding rage, Tom couldn’t listen to any more. He rounded the corner and met Max with a right hook to the jaw. The brawny man immediately retaliated with an equally devastating punch to his assailant, only to realize seconds later whose million dollar face he’d just marred.

“Shit,” Max cursed, his eyes wide with fearful regret. “Mr. Hiddleston, I—“

“If you ever want to work in this industry again,” Tom interrupted with a low growl. “I suggest you leave this studio in the next ten seconds and reevaluate how you’d like to treat women from now on.”

Without a word, Max nodded his head and sped off, his two friends following close behind him. 

“Fuck,” Tom hissed in pain as soon as they were gone. He held his right hand in his left, flexing it open and shut a few times while he examined it. The skin over his knuckles had split open from the force of his punch to Max’s hard jaw bone. He then carefully brought his fingers up to his throbbing left cheekbone, the sharp pain causing him to instantly retract them. 

It was a stupid thing to do. Tom was fully aware of that. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d thrown a punch that wasn’t choreographed. He was never an aggressive person by any means, and he had certainly never abused his power like that, but he couldn’t stand men that were so blatantly disrespectful to women, let alone you. He began to shake with anger again just thinking about what Max had said about you, what he’d called you. 

…

For your lunch break you wanted nothing more than to hide away in your trailer, away from Kaitlyn’s infuriatingly insightful observations and, most of all, away from Tom’s stupid face. But you should have figured out by then that luck was not your friend as of late, because who should you run into on your way to your trailer but the exact stupid face you were trying to avoid. All anger was momentarily forgotten, however, when you saw he was hurt. 

“Oh my god, Tom, what the hell happened to you?” you asked in a panic as you rushed to him and grabbed his injured hand.

“It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” You brought your hand up to his cheek to examine his face. “You’re bleeding! You need to see the medic.”

He shook his head. “Nevermind, it’s fine. I have a first aid kit in my trailer, so I can just patch myself up.”

“If you won’t see the medic, at least let me do it. I have some liquid plaster in my kit.”

“You don’t have to,” he urged you in a low, gentle tone. “Really.”

“Tom, it’s fine.”

He tilted his head forward and raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

You sighed. Damn him for being so considerate. “Let’s just go before I change my mind.”

Tom’s trailer was small but rather nice, with a kitchenette, a table and two chairs, a sofa, a bathroom, and even a small bed in the back. Tom fetched the first aid kit out of one of the cupboards. 

“I’ll take that, you sit down.” You gestured to one of the chairs. He raised his eyebrows at you. “Sit.” You commanded once more. He obliged. After getting some ice from the freezer and putting it in a bag, you handed it to him “Hold this on your face.” Then you washed your hands, found a clean washcloth, and wet it with warm water. The whole time Tom simply watched you, looking up with those puppy dog eyes that always made you weak, but you were determined to focus on the task at hand. You sat down in the other chair and pulled it close to him so that you were sitting between his wide-spread knees. Letting out a quiet sigh, you took his injured hand and began gently cleaning it with the washcloth. “So, tough guy, who was it?”

“Sorry?”

“Don’t be daft, Thomas. I know fist fight injuries when I see them, so out with it.”

He hesitated for a moment. “I’m afraid you’ll be angry with me.”

“Well I’m already angry with you,” you told him as you took the liquid plaster out of your kit and applied it to the cuts on his knuckles. “So what have you got to lose?”

“It was Max.”

“What? Why would Max punch you?” you asked with a small chuckle at the ludicrous idea.

“Because I sort of punched him first.”

Your head shot up to look at him. “Why the fuck would you do that?”

“He was saying awful things about you,” Tom defended. “And don’t ask me to repeat them because I won’t.” 

“Oh well now you have to,” you told him, your curiosity piqued.

“I’m telling you, you don’t want to know.”

“I’m a big girl, Tommy. I can handle it.”

He sighed heavily and you could see the anger seep into his features as he thought back to what happened. “He called you a ‘fucking tease,’ and he said that he would’ve liked to have been able to say that he fucked ‘Hiddleston’s whore.’ And then, I don’t know, my anger just took over, I guess. I punched him and then he punched me back before he realized it was me. Once he did he ran off.”

“‘Hiddleston’s whore?’ Do you think he knows we’re fucking?”

“That’s your takeaway from this??”

“What do you want me to say? As flattered as I am that you would punch someone to defend my honor, it was still an incredibly stupid thing to do.”

“I know. I wasn’t thinking.” 

You finished his knuckles and moved the bag of ice from his face to his hand, so you could begin to clean his cheek. “I’m just glad this is the extent of your injuries. He could have given you a concussion.”

“Do my ears deceive me, or are you worrying over me?” he carefully prodded.

“Don’t make a big deal about it,” you warned. “I’m still cross with you.”

“I know. You have every right to be. But I need you to know that I didn’t mean those things I said. 

You kept your eyes on his cheekbone while you mended it with plaster. “Whether you meant them or not, they still hurt.”

“And I hate myself for that. You’re the last person on earth I’d want to hurt.”

You looked at him skeptically. “What about your mum?”

“Okay, you’re the second to last person on earth I’d want to hurt,” he corrected.

“What about your sisters?”

“Are you kidding? We tortured each other growing up. You’re still second.” He smiled at you and though you tried your hardest not to, your lips still curled into a small smirk while you rolled your eyes at him. 

Once the plaster was set, you took out some foundation and a blending sponge to cover up his injuries as best you could. 

“Ow,” he winced and pulled away when you began tapping the foundation into his bruised cheekbone.

“Oh hush, you big baby,” you told him, cradling the side of his face and neck to keep him from moving. The two of you were quiet for a moment as you continued to blend the foundation on his face. You kept your eyes on your blending sponge, but his eyes stayed on you. His gaze darted between your eyes and your lips, his eyebrows slanted upward and inward ever so slightly. You’d seen that expression many times before. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?”

“Making that face.”

“I’m not making a face.”

“Yes you are. It’s the face you make whenever you want to kiss me.”

“I do want to kiss you.”

You paused, looking at him briefly before bringing your attention back to your sponge. “It’s not that easy, Casanova.”

“Very well,” he said, his grin never faltering. Suddenly the speakers in his trailer came alive with the sound of an electric guitar strumming in an upbeat rhythm, making you jump. You looked down to find Tom’s phone in his hand, having just pressed play on the song “If I Could Turn Back Time.” When you looked back up at Tom, he was swaying his shoulders to the beat and singing along with Cher.

“If I could turn back time,” he sang, his eyes locked on yours..

Your wary gaze followed him as he stood up. “What are you doing?” 

“If I could find a way,”

“Thomas…”

“I’d take back those words that have hurt you, and you’d stay.”

Listening to the lyrics, his intentions dawned on you. “Oh, you think you’re clever now, don’t you?”

In lieu of an answer, Tom simply winked at you as he serenaded you through the first verse. You glared at him while you bit your lip to stop from smiling. “I don't know why I did the things I did, I don't know why I said the things I said, pride's like a knife, it can cut deep inside, words are like weapons, they wound sometimes.” You almost broke during the pre-chorus when he fell to his knees in front of you and made like he was begging for your forgiveness while he sang, “I didn't really mean to hurt you, I didn't wanna see you go, I know I made you cry, but baby, if I could turn back time…” As he went back into the chorus, he stood back up and reached his hand out to you as an invitation to dance with him. 

You shook your head. “Oh no. Absolutely not.”

Still singing, he ignored your objection, grabbing your hand and pulling you up out of your seat. 

“No no no no no,” you protested in rapid fire succession as you were lifted onto your feet.

He wrapped one arm around your waist and with the other he took your hand in his. After rocking with you back and forth to the rhythm, he spun you around and dipped you, an impressive feat in his small trailer. By that point you couldn’t hold back your smile any longer. In fact, you found yourself giggling uncontrollably. “If I could reach the stars, I’d give ‘em all to you, then you’d love me, love me, like you used to do.”  The two of you danced and sang and giggled through the entire remainder of the song, each of you trying out your best Cher impressions and laughing even harder in turn. It was silly, and uninhibited, and by far the most fun you’d ever had. It made you realize how lucky you were that you had the privilege of seeing this side of him, away from cameras, and press, and fans, where he could completely and totally be himself. You didn’t understand why, of all people, he felt comfortable enough to share that part of himself with you, but you did know without a doubt that you felt just as comfortable with him. 

As the music began to fade, Tom spun you out one last time and then spun you back into his arms and held you close, your heaving chests flush against each other while your lips were mere centimeters apart.

“You make it incredibly difficult to stay angry with you, you know that?” you told him breathlessly. 

He let out a small chuckle, and then looked down at your mouth like it was water and he was dying of thirst. Slowly, cautiously, he brought his lips to yours. He kissed you with a softness you hadn’t felt from him before. It was tender yet deliberate. You reciprocated with the same gentle affection, savoring it for as long as you could until you were startled by a knock on the door, causing you both to pull away abruptly. 

“Mr. Hiddleston?” came Trevor’s voice from outside.

Fucking Trevor, you thought. 

“Yeah,” Tom called, looking and sounding as if he’d just woken up from a dream.

“They’re waiting for you on set, mate.” Trevor said.

Tom sighed. “Be right there!” You looked at each other with cheeky grins on your faces until you were sure Trevor had gone, at which point you both burst out giggling again. When you settled down, he put a hand on your waist. “Thank you for patching me up.”

“Nevermind. Just promise me you won’t go round punching anyone else for me.”

“I’m afraid I can’t make that promise.”

“Well, try. You’ve made my job hard enough as it is now I’ve got these cuts and bruises to cover up for the next week.”

“I’ll do my best,” he replied with a chuckle. He kissed your forehead and headed for the door, turning back to you once he’d reached it. “See you out there, yeah?”

“It’s my job, isn’t it?” you teased him.

“And maybe you can come over after?” he suggested hopefully. 

“Don’t push your luck, stud,” you replied, but there was no hiding the uncontrollable grin on your face. 

Taglist: @chronicallybubbly, @the-princess-of-loki, @princess-ofthe-pages, @darcylikesloki, @kikster606, @foxherder

[divinit3a]

hi!! i have a few art/writing related questions, if youre willing to indulge! ₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎

i was wondering what program you use to draw, and what brushes/sort of brushes? i was also wondering what your art process looks like, and if you use more than one layer or not!

and for writing, i was wondering what your planning process looks like? how you go about planning your works.

just curious is all, have a great day (˶ˆᗜˆ˵) 🩶 no pressure to answer at all, feel free to ignore parts of this message, or the whole message in its entirety!

ahh ;-; hello hello, you are sososososo sweet! It made me smile to receive your asks. I'm happy to talk about art & writing, anytime! :D

I'll try to be clear & concise, as, I'm a total rambler--

🎨

Art Programs? I use Procreate & Clip Studio Paint! However, there are a lot of great free alternatives, like Krita. What Brushes/Sort of Brushes? I love a brush with a textured edge, shape dynamics, and opacity based on pressure input! Some of the brushes I use are modified from MaxPacks's Gouache and Painter's set. I also really love the brushes oobear has shared! Clip Studio is where I found a massive pack of the "dot"/screen printing textures!

Art Process? A hot mess, really. There's a general flow I follow... But! I try to experiment to keep it fun.

I definitely use more than one layer! At certain points, I merge down the layers to mold parts of the piece around.

I tend to save extra copies of 'checkpoints' in case I want to go back, for whatever reason :3 An example . . .

my descent into madness... (art 🔥🔥🔥)

📝

Planning process for writing? Depends! For one-shots I don't plan much in advance. Writing is a great way to explore ideas and surprise yourself.

Usually as I go, a scene or ending will pop up & make me want to "chase it" (like a carrot at the end of a stick, haha)

For longer stories, the process is scaled up. I know there are scenes I really want to write. Then most the work is connecting it all together. So:

Create a bullet point list of ideas (they are pretty much shitposts, or random bits of dialogue, so on)

Keep asking yourself questions as you go! Why would XYZ do this? How are they feeling?

Grab a bullet point, slap it down. Now turn it into the bare bones of a scene! ('draw the rest of the owl' behavior)

... How? Well, honestly, I'm still learning. The "yes, and" or "no, but" structure helps. The character succeeds, and then this happens. Or their actions fails, so this happens instead. Consequences!

Hope this is helpful, or was a fun read! :D Thanks again for asking, you are very sweet.. 💚💚💚

[fandsart]

What's in Deoxyribonucleic Acid

I just realized I never posted this here, only on Ao3

Summary: With the revelation that Lou Jitsu is the source of their human DNA comes a second revelation: They are all genetically related. It changes nothing. So why is Donnie finding it so hard to deal with it when Splinter is revealed to be Lou Jitsu?

The decision for Donnie and Leo to be ‘twins’ isn’t exactly organic. Despite how seamlessly the notion slipped into reality, they do initially do it for Mikey’s sake.

The fact that they were brothers had never really needed to be a thing before. The word brother applied to them so easily. They knew what a brotherly dynamic looked like. They’d watched TV. Mostly Lou Jitsu and Jupiter Jim—which don’t portray a lot of sibling dynamics—but they’ve also seen their fair share of family sitcoms.

Splinter almost never forfeits his control over the tv, so it’s rare that they actually get to watch Jupiter Jim, but that just makes it extra special. And while Splinter is just as obsessed with Lou Jitsu as his kids, he sometimes has days where he refuses to put it on. That can be hard sometimes, at least for Donnie. Because it sometimes feels like the one thing he shares with them. Those are the days when a lot of sitcom reruns from the 80s get put on.

One day they’re watching and there’s an episode where the family’s mom gets pregnant again and there’s a whole explanation about how babies grow in a mother’s tummy and when it gets big enough and healthy, the mother will birth them. Something about that seemed to click something within Mikey and he started to retreat in the following days. Splinter had all told them the story of how they were all transformed with some kind of ooze he’d found in the sewers.

And look, they all know that parts of the story Splinter tells them is a lie. While their memories from the very early days of their living situation is a bit hazy, they’ve seen photos of Splinter from that time and know he used to be more man than rat. His claim that he was a rat initially is an obvious lie, probably stemming from some kind of embarrassment. It’s less embarrassing to have been a rat before who became more human than to have been a human who became a bit of a rat.

Regardless of any of that, they all know they have different parents, because none of them are the same species of turtle. It was never a problem before that one dumb dumb episode of that dumb dumb show. Mikey starts getting mad when anybody uses familial terms.

One day he storms into Donnie’s room (without knocking, let it be noted!) and squints up at him somewhat suspiciously.

“Are you and Leo twins?” he asks flatly.

“What?” He looks up from Mikey and sees Leo in the doorway (technically the small opening of the curtain), holding his hands together silently, prayer style. Pleading.

“I told Leo that none of us are actually brothers and he said ‘then explain how me and Donnie are twins.’ But you aren’t twins just because you’re both six. Right?”

Donnie glances back at Leo momentarily. “Well first of all it should be ‘Donnie and I.’ And…” he looks back up at Leo for a moment. He understands the premise of the idea. Mikey is clearly very upset at the notion that they aren’t a ‘real family’ and if they can convince him that they somehow are, everything could go back to normal. But Donnie’s never been a very good liar. So he takes a deep breath and means it. “Yeah. We’re twins.” He sees Leo beam in his periphery.

“What?” Mikey says, baffled. “How does that work?”

Even at their ripe age, Donnie has already established himself as someone who will explain ‘how that works.’ It’s gotten to the point where the rest of the boys’ incessant ‘Why?’s are redirected to Donnie, because he’s largely unbothered by answering questions. So he knows what Mikey is expecting from him. Some kind of alternative to the story he was told about birth. Something along the lines of ‘Sometimes babies do actually come from storks, and when one stork is responsible for the delivery of everyone in the same family then they are related.’ But that’s not how it works.

“It works because I said so. Now get out of my room.” Yes he has all the facts about how twins typically work, biologically and genetically. But he also knows the intuitive understanding of being brothers. He’s sure Mikey does too. This whole new thing he’s been doing is incredibly odd and out of character for him.

But Donnie and Leo are brothers and they’re the same age. When you break it down, what more do you really need? Especially when you take into account that coming from the same egg is not at all the only thing that defines even just a biological twin. So really, that’s all there is to the experience of being a twin. But given how poorly Mikey has been responding to Leo and even Raph’s appeals towards, Donnie doesn’t think any of that explanation would work very well, and also as soon as it comes out of his mouth, he might not be able to maintain his own belief in the idea, and could come across as a more obvious lie.

Miraculously ‘because I said so’ works on Mikey for once. Maybe Mikey thinks that if Donnie of all people is holding firm on something so based in emotion over logic, then maybe it’s more of an emotion based concept. That would be correct anyway.

A couple of weeks later a birthday episode comes on and they all decided to pick dates for their own. Donnie and Leo make a point to pick a day they both like.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Learning that Lou Jitsu was the source of their human DNA is… surreal. And exhilarating. Exciting, but somewhere on the spectrum of things that are hard to contend with. Remembering that celebrities do in fact exist on the same plane of existence as everyone else is a mental exercise sometimes, especially a celebrity who went missing years ago. It feels kind of fake, despite the evidence they have of the contrary.

Which makes it almost more shocking, though not really more exciting, when he realizes the implication. He stops in his tracks as they head back to the lair.

“Guys, do you realise that if Lou Jitsu was the source of all of our human DNA, then that means we’re all biologically related?” He doesn’t miss the nervous glances Raph and Leo give to Mikey.

“Well, why should that matter?” Leo asks, faux causal.

“It doesn’t. But that’s what makes it weird. We’ve never needed to share DNA, but apparently we just have; this entire time!”

Mikey gasps. “Donnie is so right!” Mild alarm crosses Leo’s and Raph’s faces before Mikey continues. “When we tell Splinter about Lou Jitsu—which face it, we wiiiiill—we have to let him know it doesn’t matter. Lou Jitsu might not even know we exist!” He puts up a finger, matter of factly. “Lou Jitsu is not our ‘real dad.’ Just our father.” Donnie’s not entirely sure if the wording of that tracks, but Mikey has a point with it. Who knows what Lou Jitsu’s doing these days, if anything.

“Good point, Miguel!” Leo says, draping his arm over his shoulders and guiding him back towards the lair. “Now go go go go go go go! Last one to base is a long winded egg head!” A very targeted attack, as Donnie now stands several feet behind and Leo gets everyone else moving before Donnie can start.

“Hey- Hey!” He chases after them.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Leo’s the one who makes the first move to break the news to Splinter, and—dumb dumb that he is—he retains Mikey’s description of father.

“Lou Jitsu is our father!” he blurts.

Splinter doesn’t seem to be taking it well, so Donnie takes initiative in being the one to clarify before it becomes a real issue. “What Leo means is Lou Jitsu is our human DNA!”

Maybe it’s through Donnie’s correction that Leo is prompted to come down from his excitement and grow sincere. His brothers are better at this kind of thing so he lets them take the reins on this sentimental journey while making it clear he agrees with everything being said.

They get a group hug over it. Sure, Raph was the one to initiate it, but Splinter doesn’t push them away or tell them off for interrupting his show. Donnie calls that a success and marks the event in his log calendar.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

Even though they all knew Splinter was a human before, despite his claims, it takes until the car fair, which is apparently actually a demolition derby, for him to finally kind of admit it. It’s implied, but he makes reference to waking up every day as ‘a tiny rat man’ which is as good an admission as any, as far as Donatello is concerned. Especially the ‘tiny’ part, considering he’s considerably larger than the average rat.

It raises several questions about the ever shady past that Splinter totes. He initially wants to think that Splinter had stumbled upon the ooze, as he described initially, and then later found the turtles. But why would the ooze turn him into a rat of all things and why would he have found it in the sewers. Maybe the oozequitos weren’t exactly as new a thing as they’d thought and he’d been bitten by one, but why lie about that?

It’s just something he likes to think about as sort of a mental exercise, but he’s long since accepted that he’s never actually going to get answers from Splinter.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

He never does get his answer from Splinter, because when it’s finally revealed, it's not of his own volition. It’s only revealed because Baron Draxum recognizes his ‘fire,’ and loudly proclaims it. Even for as non-concrete as the revelation is, it makes enough sense with everything they know about Splinter and their creation and- Splinter didn’t exactly seem shocked to find out that their human DNA was from Lou Jitsu, just that they’d found out about it. Of course he was Lou Jitsu!

It’s exciting at first, or maybe relieving. Donnie always finds comfort in things making sense, and this just makes too much sense. Then they’re forced to retreat and then Splinter grounds them?

He grounds them for not telling him that they knew who Draxum is and disregards Leo’s very important point that Splinter has been keeping secrets from them for their entire lives. How were they even supposed to know to tell him that if they didn’t know that Splinter knew who Draxum is? That was one of his secrets. Are they just supposed to keep a running list of all the new people they meet? How did he think they found out where their human DNA came from?

But then he sits them down and explains everything. It’s strange, because having a better understanding of Splinter is like… everything he’s ever wanted. He likes learning new things about him because it makes him feel closer to him. Like a real father and son, the way he felt during the derby and he got a rush from it that drove him to want to help him relive some of the glory he was as of yet privy to. And Splinter told him he was proud, which he always craved so much.

That memory feels… dimmer now, as Splinter reveals what those glory days were. He explains the whole story and Donnie’s brothers lean forward in anticipation of every detail and Donnie feels… Ugh, groan. He doesn’t know. Nothing, he supposes.

Until he heads back to his lab and immediately punches a wall and swipes all the papers off of his desk with a frustrated wail. So he’s mad. They did get unfairly grounded so he thinks that tracks well enough.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

It’s been a week since they were all officially ungrounded. They are no longer grounded. He should stop being mad any day now.

He’s starting to think this has very little to do with the grounding actually. He’s not exactly the most in touch with his emotions. It’s not like he’s under the impression that he doesn’t experience emotions, because that would just be toooooo convenient now wouldn’t it? But usually he can tell that something is objectively upsetting before realizing that his body is reacting to it. Crying or flailing, all that embarrassing stuff.

He’s never reacted to something… that he doesn’t know what it is yet. Or maybe he has and it just hasn’t really stuck around for long enough to be worth noting or noticing. If that’s the case of course it would be over anger. If there’s one emotion based thing he knows how to do it’s holding a grudge.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

It’s been two weeks since they were ungrounded and Raph approaches him with… some concerns.

“Donnie, you’ve been actin’ irritable for weeks now. More than usual.”

“Maybe try being less irritating.”

“Donnie, you-” Raph cuts himself off with a labored sigh. “Ok, let’s just- Let’s start there. What exactly do you find irritating?”

“Ugh, sigh. Nothing I guess.”

“Nah, nuh-uh. You can’t do that.” He speaks forcefully and firmly and Donnie’s not sure if he should prepare for escalation. He glares for good measure. “Nope, put that away.” Raph says pointing at Donnie’s face. That’s probably a good sign that there would be no escalation to be expected then. He drops the glare and turns back to his coding. Raph sighs. “Fine, keep coding, but you gotta listen. Don’t ignore me.”

“Mhm.”

“Donnie, no one can help you if we don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Let me know when you figure it out then.” Frankly, he’d love to know.

“Fine, just… just be that way I guess…” Raph says as he leaves the room.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

They’ve started having family meals. It used to be that everyone could just kind of grab whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. For nutrition’s sake it was pretty lucky that Mikey had grown a culinary interest as a very young child because that often meant there were well filling meals packed in tupperware in the fridge, ready for the taking. Mikey wasn’t going to eat all that, he just wanted to make them. As they got older they’d developed a decent enough palette to not want to eat candy exclusively and could branch out and make their own meals.

Now they’re having family meals though, as Splinter has suddenly developed an interest in improving his parenting methods. This should be nice. His brothers seem to like the newfound attention and conversation, and this should be the fulfillment of some of Donnie’s greatest dreams. But he finds himself moping in his chair as Splinter places the pizza on the table.

“I know, I know. You boys all have your particular pizza tastes. I will get them down some day. For now, I have just ordered cheese.”

Amidst all the reassurances that cheese is fine, Donnie can’t help letting out a sarcastic, “Yeah, great, thanks,” as he grabs one of the slices.

“Purple!” he gasps, shocked before moving on to defend himself. “I understand this might be a disappointment to you, but changes can’t be made overnight!”

“Uh, don’t worry pops!” Mikey jumps in nervously. “Donnie just kind of sounds like that sometimes.” Which is true and ideally wouldn’t need to be something that someone should have had to explain to him. Not that it actually applies in this case. “Tell him you meant it Donnie.” Donnie doesn’t respond. Can’t really. How is one supposed to respond to that?

“God, what is with you lately,” Leo says to his left, taking a bite of his own slice.

“What’s with me?” The question comes out before he can even process what he means by that and he finds himself standing.

“You actually like the plain cheese.”

“Grooooan, that’s not the point, Nardo.”

“So, what is the point, Dee?” Raph is basically pleading, leaning about halfway across the table.

“You’re all… You’re all acting normal!”

“And that’s… a problem?” Mikey asks, confused.

“We aren’t normal! We’ve never been normal! What is this- this charade? Gathering around the table acting like we’ve ever done this before.” He slaps his pizza back on the paper plate at his spot for emphasis.

“Purple, I know change has always been difficult for you, but-”

“Don’t touch me!” Donnie shouts as he jolts away from Splinter's oncoming attempt at physical comfort. And this time Donnie can’t really fault Splinter for looking over to the others in response to his outcry. Sure Donnie has days where he avoids touch but he’s never declined it from Splinter before. He’s even had bad touch days where he’d allowed Splinter’s touch just because he didn't want to push Splinter any further than he’d already been. It was touch, but it was attention. He can’t bring himself to care now.

“Hey, hey, woah,” Leo says standing. “Let’s take a breather, yeah?”

He guides him back to Donnie’s room, to his bed, with hovering hands. Once he’s seated, Donnie feels more than sees as Leo drapes the weighted blanket over his shoulders.

“Scoff, I could have done that.”

“But you didn’t.”

Donnie grumbles.

“Soooo,” Leo segues. “You wanna tell your favorite twin what’s on your mind?”

Donnie hums. “We’re not… I mean, we chose to be twins.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think biological twins ever… choose not to be?”

There’s a pregnant pause before Leo chuckles. “Where are you going with this, bud?”

“I don’t know…”

“Ok, ok…” Leo taps at his own knees a couple of times in the corner of Donnie’s eye. “Do you…” Leo clears his throat. “You said we’ve been… acting too normal? What did you mean by that?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’re a real broken record there Don.”

“I just-” He lets out a frustrated huff. “Is it not weird to you that Splinter tries to step up his whole parenting game as soon as we find out he was Lou Jitsu?”

“Well I wouldn’t say as soon as,” Leo grumbles. “He did immediately ground us for something he did too. But what? You think he’s tryin’ to make up for lying?”

Donnie hums. “Maybe…” He hadn’t considered that. He doesn’t know why, but so far every time he thinks about Splinter being so paternal now it feels like a slight. And that would make sense, wouldn’t it? He’s mad that Splinter lied to them. Even though he’d always known Splinter’s past was a secret.

“Might be worth talking to him about it then.”

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

No one in the family has a consistent sleep schedule. You always know that at least one other person is going to be awake at any given time. It’s a nice set up. Sometimes it’s general–sleeping–time, but you’re trying to do something that requires another set of hands. There’s always someone available. Donnie’s not entirely sure he’s ever used it for the convenience of trying to keep a conversation private before.

If he’s entirely honest, he’d never planned on going out of his way to talk to Splinter about it. He wishes he could just get over the petty behaviors he’s been displaying lately. Splinter being a more proactive part of his life was everything he’s ever wanted. He’s heard the phrase ‘He only wants what he can’t have’ before, but he’s gotten his hands on things he’s wanted less than this before and remained enthusiastic at having received it. This tops the list so why is he so unenthusiastic (to put it lightly) about it?

But he happens to find himself in the situation where he and Splinter are the only one’s awake and the biggest reason he’d surrendered to leaving things alone was knowing he wouldn’t be able to drag Splinter away from his chair and not wanting prying ears about this. And he still doesn’t exactly want to talk about this—it’s so embarrassing—but he can feel Mind Raph staring him down about it.

“Labored sigh,” he grumbles to himself before approaching the chair. He takes a deep calming breath. “Father, a moment of your time, if you will?”

“Ah, yes Purple?” Splinter says, scrambling for the remote then muting the tv. Donnie’s not the most confident that having a discussion about all the lies Splinter has told will solve everything but it might be a good place to start and he could at least tell himself he tried. He takes in a breath to begin speaking but then… Splinter drops down from his chair and just… stands there. His hands clasped in front of him, a gesture of good will, a sign that he’s intent on listening but…

It’s so frustratingly performative.

“You know what, forget it.” He walks away briskly, his body tense.

“Wha- Donatello!” Splinter calls after him, shocked. Donnie jolts at the name and his body tenses further. He couldn’t have a conversation now if he wanted, his jaw is clenched so tight.

He darts to his lab where he spends almost three minutes just heaving before deciding to put the energy to good use. It takes 200 pushups before his anger fully simmers out into exhaustion and he decides he’ll need a shower before heading to bed.

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

They’re heading back from Run of the Mill Pizza. It’s better for Donnie when he’s out of the lair these days and he thinks his brothers know, as they’ve been suggesting heading to the hidden city more and more often. It’s a striking departure from his usual, more hermetic tendencies.

The thing about the hidden city is that there’s more to do there than they’re capable of doing in New York, but there’s also the pretty big issue of just how many powerful yokai kind of have it out for them. One yokai in particular…

“You know,” Mikey says, when the topic of avoiding Baron Draxum in particular is brought up, “when you think about it, he’s kind of our other dad.”

“What?” Leo wheezes. “Wha-no! He is not! Also we’ve been over this enough times: Genetics do not equal family.”

Mikey laughs. “He’s not genetically related to us,” he points out. “But he did play a big role in our creation.”

“So did dad,” Donnie cuts in.

“Exactly!”

“Wait wait, no,” Leo interrupts, halting and causing the group to stop walking entirely. “Donnie, what do you mean by that? I know you’re dealing with some kind of issue with him right now, but you can’t just- What are you implying?”

There’s a long pause as Donnie figures out his response. “I’m still thinking,” is what he comes up with, though he thinks he’s pretty close to figuring out what the hell his problem is.

“Donnie…” Raph starts sounding rather disappointed. “It’s been close to a month now-”

“I know, I know! I’ll talk to him soon. I will.”

↞⬡+¤+⬡↠

He parks himself on the floor outside of Splinter’s room. Splinter had gone to bed fairly early so Donnie figures it would probably be easiest to have a conversation whenever he got up, since everyone else would probably still be asleep.

By the time the door opens, Donnie has been awake for almost 22 hours. Which probably isn’t great for the sake of the conversation, but he needs answers.

“We need to talk,” he says when Splinter is visibly surprised to see him sitting there.

“I hope you don’t plan on running away again,” he says, opening the door further, invitingly.

Donnie gulps as he stands and makes his way over to Splinter’s bed, taking a seat. Despite how long he’s had to prepare for the talk, he finds himself hesitating.

“I understand my parenting has been less than great,” Splinter starts, encouragingly. “I’ve gotten several talks from your brothers about this over the past few weeks. I want to be better, and I cannot do that if you don’t tell me how.”

“Why now?” he asks. The question that has been repeating on a loop for the past hours he’s spent camped in the hallway. “I have my own theories but I want to hear it from you. Why did you only start putting in effort after we found out we share DNA?”

“Purple. I am being more… attentive… because… there is a danger, which I was allowing myself to ignore before. I was not even fully sure if it was real until faced with the foot clan’s schemes. It has nothing to do with the DNA.”

“Oh…”

“Did you think that it did?”

“I thought-” He curls in on himself a bit and feels his face heat up. This is going to be embarrassing, but Splinter said that he wanted to hear it. “I always thought I couldn’t complain about it. Because you just found us, and you didn’t have a reason to take us in, but you did it anyway. That you didn’t owe us anything- Not that you do, like the DNA should change anything! It shouldn’t! It’s just-” he jolts at the hand Splinter places on his shoulder, an attempt at comfort quickly drawn away.

“My apologies. I’ve found that I need to completely relearn how to do this. I have been recently informed you don’t always appreciate touch. I wish I could have known this sooner.” He opts to pull himself onto the bed next to Donnie instead. Maybe as a way of communicating that they’re on equal ground.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, no. You were wrong. I did owe you a better upbringing. I did. Regardless of our genetic connection, I made the decision to commit to raising you. I should have paid more attention to your needs. And I owe it to you to do so now. Everyone is owed respected boundaries and I’d… assumed that you all would have the same boundaries I did as a teen. I did not think any of you would have appreciated me prying into your business.”

“Why would you think that? We’ve tried to include you in things all the time. We want you around. We couldn’t have been clearer.”

Splinter takes a deep breath. “My mutation was very slow. I had a difficult time with it. Emotionally. You boys all noticed, I know you did. You were all always trying to cheer me up, but I was never your responsibility. I suppose I missed the point when seeking me out stopped being for my sake.

“My attempts to be more involved did not start when you found out my human identity, it started after the derby. But it was so soon after that when I found out that the foot clan was still in operation and… I can no longer bear to sacrifice my time with any of you. I did not realize how deeply my absence may have affected you all until I started getting corrected on my conduct. Orange needs space when he’s cooking, Red is particular with his patrol schedule, Blue does not like to be coddled. I did not know these things until they were told to me. I want to encourage you all to tell me these corrections. You have not spoken to me in weeks.”

“I… apologize.”

“You do not-”

“No. I made all kinds of assumptions about why you hid it. Like you were avoiding responsibility. That wasn’t fair.”

“No, it was a fair assumption. I left it easy to come to. I should have just told you where you came from. I want to do better. I’m sorry that I don’t know how yet.” Splinter makes an aborted move to touch his shoulder again, but Donnie wouldn’t mind it now. He leans towards Splinter and soon finds himself drifting to sleep, his head in Splinter’s lap. There was no intention towards that, but it’s been too long since he’s slept, it just happens. He wakes ten hours later, his headgear and battleshell removed. He probably should have taken them off before camping outside the door. Splinter hasn’t moved. Even with the anger of a week ago, it would have been hard to call his stay performative.

[kenobers]

What kind of music do you think the other Batboys listen to? (If you're interested in them ofc)

okay, first of all this is my first ask!! hello!! and it's about music, so extra bonus points to you!! 🌟

second of all, of course i'm interested in the other batboys! i'm working on their spotify wrappeds right now. for anyone’s who interested, here is my spotify!!

these are what i personally think each of them lean towards music wise based on canon and my own headcanons, please don’t stomp on me if you disagree :-)

Dick listens to clown music i really only found one panel of Dick listening to music and it was mostly Original Pilipino Music and mostly ballads, which i love. it also lends itself to Dick being a fan of indie and soft rock, as well very much being a child of the 90s. The Cure and Billy Joel are artists i see him enjoying. i know a lot of people envision him as a pop fan and i think he specifically listens to early rock-pop music from the 70s; think ABBA, the Carpenters, Donna Summer, artists who would mix well with his affection for balladeers. My self indulgent headcanon is that he's a huge Fleetwood Mac and Mavis Staples fan. i think it's a legal obligation to have an appreciation for grunge to be part of the batfam, but i think he sticks with the basics.

Jason canonically likes Slipknot, Lacuna Coil and Poison Idea (which i forgot to include on his spotify wrapped, oops). however, given his background, his continued interest in being connected to the streets of a large east coast city and the fact that we know he loves good writing, he's definitely a 90s east coast hip-hop guy. i really envision him being a huge Wu-Tang Clan fan (as we should all be) and DMX wrote his theme song Where The Hood At. both the metal/punk and hip-hop genres have heavily political roots and the flaws of political systems are a common theme, which is something he’d appreciate. however, i think Jason's criteria for adding a song to his spotify is if it's good. he's not a snob, he just likes his music to be loud and have good lyricism. he likes to be able to relate to it, whereas Dick would be more about the vibe. i love the idea that he's into Jack Johnson when he wants a softer sound. he also gives me major Artic Monkeys vibes.

Tim canonically likes The Clash, Green Day (i think this is another one they all have in common) and i believe Oasis. so one could comfortably deduce that he's into punk rock, early alternative and brit pop (which makes sense, these all tend to go hand-in-hand). i think he would be fond of alternative and indie, like i think he would dig Steve Lacy and Frank Ocean (he's also a bisexual man in his late teens/early twenties who's heavily online, so i feel like it's also a fairly safe bet that he listens to Frank and probably Tyler too). i think he goes through strong phases of certain artists/genres. i think, like Jason, he likes to be able to relate to his music, but he’s also a bit of a music snob.

Steph's most streamed artist is Mucous Membrane. i get strong punk rock, punk pop vibes from her. she likes anything she can scream along to. My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Avril Lavigne, Pierce The Veil, Hollywood Undead. she definitely had a very strong Panic! At The Disco era. she's got a soft spot for Megadeath too. but i think she’s also more than capable (and willing) to scream along to some bubbly pop music too.

Duke has been seen singing The Man on The Flying Trapeze by Spike Jones. granted, this is a fairly well known song and it had a specific context, but i also kind of love the idea that Duke listens to jazz, like also has a lot of Chet Baker and Billie Holiday saved. that’s his time-to-lock-in music. then i could also see him digging a genre that samples a lot of these artists, like r&b and hip-hop. i see Kendrick Lamar pop up on a lot of Duke playlists and i’m inclined to agree. i’d also add Jay-Z to the mix. a good chunk of his spotify wrapped is stuff he plays to get hyped up, which can vary quite a bit. there’s some Fall Out Boy, Chase Atlantic, Rihanna and some classic rock. i think he also daydreams to Holding Out for A Hero quite a bit as well.

honestly, i feel like Cass pulls the most from everyone else’s playlists. i would say that she’s family spotify stalker, but frankly i feel like she uses youtube music. anyways, her personal tastes would lean more towards the sad girl side; Halsey, Mitski, Phoebe Bridgers, Mazzy Star. maybe Penelope Scott and Grimes - i could see her vibing with the combination of the sad girl feel and a unique sort of sound. thanks to Jason, she also digs System of A Down. for Cass especially music is an emotional outlet, so i think she’d be drawn to more emotional stuff. that said, she’s definitely an ABBA girl.

i see people try to argue that Jason would listen to musicals, but if anyone is the secret theater kid, it’s for sure Damian. he likes the drama and the flair of a megamusical and as such, a couple of songs from The Phantom of The Opera make their way onto his playlist (he secretly relates to certain aspects of the storyline but he won’t say that part out loud). he’s a musician himself so it’s not hard to imagine him enjoying someone as genius as Sondheim, although i imagine he’s very picky about which cast albums/recordings he spins. he listens to a lot of classic music, with a special appreciation for Bach as he’s more or less the violin king. but Beethoven’s got a little more flair. i think he also has a playlist of songs he picked up from his siblings and Superboy

i think they all share an appreciation for Nirvana, The Pixies, The Spice Girls and A Tribe Called Quest.

and i do think The Spice Girls comes strongly from Dick’s influence.

what do y’all think they listen to?