#am i a trustworthy person based off of this

[nayatarot777]

What Do You Need To Know Right Now?

• Pile One •

Hi, Pile One. This will be your reading for messages about what you need to know right now. The first message here is about some type of celebration that is possible. However I feel like your anxieties, your fears your worries, might be getting in the way of this celebration. There’s something that you need to learn from this, or there’s something that you need to incorporate into your mental space related to a higher perspective. This celebration is your manifestations. You have been working with Spirit to create the life that you want. However, there seems to be quite a negative thought pattern that you have that is operating as a blockage to your manifestations coming into fruition in the physical world. You must remember that you are the queen of pentacles. You have so many opportunities and possibilities for the future based off of your actions and your decisions in the present moment. Your anxieties and your fears are getting in the way of you taking action and working with spirit and with your life. You need to get to the bottom of why you have these fears and anxieties. You also need to remember to rest in your feminine energy in relation to attracting physical possessions and stability. The way that you manifest is leading you to a very stable, materialistic, and practical life. However, there are some things that you need to learn about physics. About how energy changes the physical world. About how energy helps to manifest into the physical world. About the effect of energy on particles and atoms, because this knowledge will help you to feel a lot more rooted and stable in your ability to manifest. Meaning that your manifestations will come through much easier and with less doubt.

• Pile Two •

Hi, Pile Two! Welcome to your reading. This is about deceit that you have intuitively picked up on from someone in your support system or your social circle. This is someone who you all have developed a brand-new connection with and this person seems to be quite giving - especially giving in terms of materialism or money. They could go out of their way to spend money on you or other people in the social group. There is some people pleasing energy that I am picking up from this, but you can see the truth about this person because your intuition is very heightened. I have a feeling that everyone else in this group seems to really love this person and this is what this person wants. That’s why they are so people pleasing and ready to spend money on people who they barely know - because like I said, this person is a brand-new addition to the social circle and they are trying to be likeable to everyone here. But this person is not trustworthy and I feel like you are either the only person who has picked up on this or one of the very few. They are trying to go under the radar and assimilate into this group of people, but energetically they clearly stand out because they are not pure with their intentions. And if anything, I’m hearing that they want to feed off of the purity of those around them. So this is a situation in which they are trying to associate themselves with people who are known for being very kind, pure, and caring, with the hope that they can be seen in the same way. But not to worry, because the truth will be spoken about this person. This truth is going to be spoken by either a Libra, someone who is a known for being a peacemaker, someone who is considerably older, or someone who’s known to be much wiser and older beyond the years.

• Pile Three •

Hi, Pile Three. Welcome to your reading. You guys are in a very difficult time period mentally as well as emotionally. There are a lot of fears and anxieties about a masculine. Either a masculine fire sign - so an Aries, Leo, or Sagittarius - or a masculine who is just very egotistical, passionate, and I’m hearing dominating. This masculine fire energy is someone who you feel tethered to and tied to. This is someone who has very controlling energy and they control your mind to put it in a very negative headspace. This is the way that they make you more malleable in order to control you. You’re wanting to continue to work on your relationship, friendship, or connection with this fire sign, but this person is very egotistical. They have an ego that’s very strong and therefore they are very self-destructive because they don’t see the inner work that they need to do. They also fulfil their ego by controlling other people such as yourself, and instead of choosing to invest more time and energy into this situation with the intentions of manifesting something stable with this masculine, you should be investing time and energy into looking within yourself in order to get to know yourself and start learning about who you are. You need to build a connection with yourself because you don’t know yourself enough and this makes you vulnerable to people like this masculine sign who can mould you into the type of person who they want you to be. There is something that you need to look at within yourself. I feel like you have already done a lot of inner work and introspection, but it’s almost like you became stagnant with that when this masculine fire sign came into the picture. You will not get what you want in terms of a stable connection and the manifestations that you want with his fire sign. He is only interested in controlling you in order to mould you into who he wants you to be in order to have someone who he can use to feed his ego and do their bidding for them. They are controlling you to make you into the type of person to reinforce their ego instead of working on their ego themselves. They are trying to control you through sexual energy or just major dictatorship over how you think about yourself and your ability to find someone better. Your whole reading has been overcasted with the energy of The Tower card. And tower moments are moments of complete disaster due to a foundation not being built with an any type of stability. This connection with this masculine was not stable so therefore it had to crumble, but tower moments are opportunities to look through the rubble of the situation and rebuild something that’s actually stable for yourself. But you will not find stability with this masculine - not stability in a connection with him nor stability in yourself, because that is something that he will continue to knock down in order to benefit himself.

[genevawrenn]

I have so many thoughts surrounding what Fit and Bagi discussed about Phil on stream today, then Fit's realisation it might be the Ender King.

First of all; FitMC, you chef above the rest, you fucking cooked today.

Second I think Fit was our best chance of that connection being made because he is the one Phil has confided in the most besides his own kids. Fit was the person he grabbed when he was convinced he was seeing things. He told the anarchist about the birdhouse plot. He brought him *again* when he saw things his kids didn't see.

Fit, is quite possibly, the only one outside his immediate family that knows the most about the crow and he knows something is wrong.

And of course this is happening the moment before he is also being dragged off to his own mission, but he can't help but worry about Phil's kids alongside Ramon and Pac.

Because Chayanne seemed genuinely worried and Fit took it seriously. He knew something was wrong the moment he saw the duckie-wearing dragon child and how he was snarky but sorrowful with responding where their father is. Tallulah told him she's had better days, and you can tell the moment he focuses up.

[And its delicious. Whenever those cc's focus in, I sit up straight cause its so impressive.]

Fit has some of the most regular content on that server. He sees things and records them, filing them away for later in case he needs that knowledge.

So the moment it clocks in that Phil is being weird enough his children are being outspoken, he engages. They took him aside, especially, and opened up more to their Tio Fit than I have ever seen [except maybe Tallulah with BBH, who now has amnesia, and Bagi, though misguided has a good heart (thinks Phil is a Federation experiment)].

And he's made the best connections using his past knowledge and experiences.

Bagi helped with showing the crying obsidian and comparing it to the markings that spread across Phil's shoulders and back where the backpack hung, and I think that's when it clicked for Fit.

But he didn't want to tell Bagi because he isn't certain and perhaps he remembers Phil stressing this 'him' is dangerous. But the similarities have started to snap into place; especially with crying obsidian being a marker of the End Dimension, or at least drawing his thoughts that way.

Basically at the end of all of this; Fit had the best damn shot of making the connection based on lore from months ago and I am so fucking glad he did cause at least another Islander finally has a name for the fallen god chasing their crow.

I hope to God he or Ramon share this knowledge with another trustworthy source if an emergency comes up [Hoping on Bagi, Etoiles, Cellbit and Pac]. I have never been more proud to call that beautiful bald man one of my streamers, Veteran's Duo understand each other on a level no one else comes close too.

Yes they have their own important secrets. But, when they are themselves, they will trust one another to protect anyone effected if it becomes dangerous. It's been them since Day 1, between the regular visits and missions Fit is the closest brother in arms Phil has.

Despite the crow believing no one will care nor want to get involved due to the danger, Fit, Pac, Bagi and their families are all ready to prove them wrong. Phil sees himself as removed from the rest because he can be rather blind to affection and fondness, his self-blame not allowing him to acknowledge he is cared about.

But he is. And by Goddess will that server prove it, with Fit and Ramon at the front of the pack.

[mizuski-pirat]

Disclaimer: This post only applies to Phil's trust regarding his eggs and somewhat himself. He might be willing to give away almost every other kind of trust pretty freely but he is VERY protective of his family.

I might not be a lore expert, but I am a crow!

(I just wanted to long ramble about my streamer lmao, this is based on a post I saw)

Phil is far from naive, in fact, I'd say he might be one of the most paranoid members of them all. He is, above all, a survivalist. His entire character is based upon his IRL YEARS spent in his hardcore worlds. He is constantly living like he only has one life to spend, whether he realizes it or not. For example, during the elections, he actually said he wasn't going to vote at all for a while bc of his fear of him or his children being targeted for it. (He eventually did vote for forever and etoiles bc of how influential the player votes were but even then he told no one)

Yes, I would say Phil is a VERY loyal person, he's protective and kind in nature, similar to etoiles, but that doesn't mean he just gives that loyalty away right away. If he can give his strength or items to people in need, of course he's going to give them! Trusting them to take care of his kids? Not so much. He was I'm pretty sure the first person to ever protect his little house on the wall with a block reinforcer (albeit a little illegally). Only a select few have access to his basement in the wall, and even less to his storage room. It's only people he's absolutely sure would never hurt his kids (not even Tubbo has access lmao)

Also, Phil is a great judge of character! I'm sure everyone has seen the clips of him with the code versions of his eggs and sussing them out immediately, but there are also multiple times where he's correctly guessed the intentions of Islanders and acted accordingly.

Phil knows that most of the island residents are good people, and he helps them in any way he can (evidence for cellbit, helping cure forever, etc.) He knows kindness is a gift most people need more often (he's pretty damn wise ig. Old ass mf) and he also knows that any trust he gives will probably be repaid back to him eventually (Insert clip of Bad, Etoiles or Cellbit saying Phil is trustworthy and including him in plans/info) and they all need to work together to get off this damn island anyway, so why not show a controlled amount of trust off the bat even if he might never trust them completely?

TLDR: Cool bird man actually very paranoid, careful, and meticulous in some aspects, smart birb. Good birb. He knows exactly what he's doing when he trusts people, and he almost never trusts people 100%.

Old

Wise

Crow

[auntie-histamine]

My therapist just sent me this article, and I think it should be required reading for everyone who's feeling scared this morning. Tumblr won't let me put the whole article under a readmore, so I've included a shorter, edited version below. I highly encourage everyone read the full article, especially as I couldn't include everything here that I wanted to.

Please be aware that I will not be interacting with comments and/or reblogs, unless it is to help with directing to resources mentioned in the article. I am grieving too, like many of us, and I don't have the spoons to facilitate anything more. Read, share, and get organized.

The below are selections the article "There is hope - 10 ways to be prepared and grounded for another Trump presidency" by Daniel Hunter from Waging Nonviolence.

1. Trust yourself I started writing this list with strategic principles (e.g. analyze your opponents weakness and learn to handle political violence), but actually the place to start is with your own self. Distrust fuels the flame of autocracy because it makes it much easier to divide. We can see that in the casual nature of Trump’s rhetoric — telling people to distrust immigrants, Democrats, socialists, people from Chicago, women marchers, Mexicans, the press and so on. This is a social disease: You know who to trust by who they tell you to distrust. Trust-building starts with your own self. It includes trusting your own eyes and gut, as well as building protection from the ways the crazy-making can become internalized.  This also means being trustworthy — not just with information, but with emotions. That way you can acknowledge what you know and admit the parts that are uncertain fears nagging at you. Then take steps to follow through on what you need. If you’re tired, take some rest. If you’re scared, make some peace with your fears. I can point you to resources that support that — like FindingSteadyGround.com — but the value here is to start with trusting your own inner voice. If you need to stop checking your phone compulsively, do it. If you don’t want to read this article now and instead take a good walk, do it.

2. Find others who you trust Hannah Arendt’s “The Origins of Totalitarianism” explored how destructive ideologies like fascism and autocracy grow. She used the word verlassenheit — often translated as loneliness — as a central ingredient. As she meant it, loneliness isn’t a feeling but a kind of social isolation of the mind. Your thinking becomes closed off to the world and a sense of being abandoned to each other. She’s identifying a societal breakdown that we’re all experiencing. Under a Trump presidency, this trend will continue to accelerate. The constant attacks on social systems — teachers, health care and infrastructure — make us turn away from leaning on each other and towards ideologically simple answers that increase isolation (e.g. “distrust government,” “MAGA is nuts,” “anyone who votes that way doesn’t care about you”). If Trump wins: Get some people to regularly touch base with. Use that trust to explore your own thinking and support each other to stay sharp and grounded. I’ve written an agenda for such gatherings right after a Trump win that you can use.

3. Grieve No matter what we try to do, there’s going to be a lot of loss. The human thing to do is grieve. If you aren’t a feelings person, let me say it this way: The inability to grieve is a strategic error. After Donald Trump won in 2016, we all saw colleagues who never grieved. They didn’t look into their feelings and the future — and as a result they remained in shock. An alternative: Start by naming and allowing feelings that come to arise. The night that Donald Trump won, I stayed up until 4 a.m. with a colleague. It was a tear-filled night of naming things that we had just lost. It wasn’t anywhere near strategizing or list-making or planning. It was part of our acceptance that losing a presidency to an awful man means you and your people lose a lot. Ultimately, this helped us believe it — so we didn’t spend years in a daze: “I can’t believe this is happening in this country.” Believe it. Believe it now. Grief is a pathway to that acceptance. 

4. Release that which you cannot change Under a Trump presidency, there are going to be so many issues that it will be hard to accept that we cannot do it all. I’m reminded of a colleague in Turkey who told me, “There’s always something bad happening every day. If we had to react to every bad thing, we’d never have time to eat.”  Chaos is a friend of the autocrat. One way we can unwittingly assist is by joining in the story that we have to do it all.  Unaddressed, this desire to act on everything leads to bad strategy. Nine months ago when we gathered activists to scenario plan together, we took note of two knee-jerk tendencies from the left that ended up largely being dead-ends in the face of Trump: - Public angsting — posting outrage on social media, talking with friends, sharing awful news - Symbolic actions — organizing marches and public statements The first is where we look around at bad things happening and make sure other people know about them, too. We satisfy the social pressure of our friends who want us to show outrage — but the driving moves are only reactive. The end result wasn’t the intended action or an informed population. It’s demoralizing us. It’s hurting our capacity for action. Public angsting as a strategy is akin to pleading with the hole in the boat to stop us from sinking. Symbolic actions may fare little better under a Trump presidency. In whatever version of democracy we had, the logic of rallies and statements of outrage was to build a unified front that showed the opposition many voices were opposed to them. But under an unleashed fascist — if it’s all you do — it’s like begging the suicidal captain to plug the hole.  Let me be clear. These strategies will be part of the mix. We’ll need public angsting and symbolic actions. But if you see an organization or group who only relies on these tactics, look elsewhere. There are other, more effective ways to engage.

5. Find your path I’ve been writing scenarios of how a Trump presidency might play out. The initial weeks look chaotic no matter what. But over time some differentiated resistance pathways begin to emerge. One pathway is called “Protecting People.” This might mean organizing outside current systems for health care and mutual aid, or moving resources to communities that are getting targeted. Further examples include starting immigrant welcoming committees, abortion-support funds or training volunteers on safety skills to respond to white nationalist violence. Another pathway is “Defending Civic Institutions.” This group may or may not be conscious that current institutions don’t serve us all, but they are united in understanding that Trump wants them to crumble so he can exert greater control over our lives. Each bureaucracy will put up its own fight to defend itself.  Insider groups will play a central battle against Trump fascism. You may recall government scientists dumping copious climate data onto external servers, bracing for Trump’s orders. This time, many more insiders understand it’s code red. Hopefully, many will bravely refuse to quit — and instead choose to stay inside as long as possible.  Institutional pillars understand a Trump presidency is a dire threat. Then there’s a critical third pathway: “Disrupt and Disobey.” This goes beyond protesting for better policies and into the territory of people intervening to stop bad policies or showing resistance. Lastly, there’s a key fourth role: “Building Alternatives.” We can’t just be stuck reacting and stopping the bad. We have to have a vision. This is the slow growth work of building alternative ways that are more democratic. Each of us may be attracted to some pathway more than others. Your path may not be clear right now. That’s okay. There will be plenty of opportunities to join the resistance.

6. Do not obey in advance, do not self-censor If autocrats teach us any valuable lesson it’s this: Political space that you don’t use, you lose. I’m not coaching to never self-protect. You can decide when to speak your mind. But it is a phenomenally slippery slope here we have to observe and combat.  Put simply: Use the political space and voice you have. 

7. Reorient your political map A Trump presidency reshapes alignments and possibilities. The bellicose, blasphemous language of Trump will meet the practical reality of governing. When you’re out of power, it’s easy to unify — but their coalition’s cracks will quickly emerge. We have to stay sharp for opportunities to cleave off support. Even if you don’t want to engage with them (which is fine), we’ll all have to give space to those who do experiment with new language to appeal to others who don’t share our worldview of a multiracial true democracy.

8. Get real about power In Trump’s first term, the left’s organizing had mixed results. It was elections that ultimately stopped Trump. This time will be much harder. The psychological exhaustion and despair is much higher. Deploying people into the streets for mass actions with no clear outcome will grow that frustration, leading to dropout and radicalized action divorced from strategy.  Trump has been very clear about using his political power to its fullest — stretching and breaking the norms and laws that get in his way. The movement will constantly be asking itself: “Are you able to stop this new bad thing?”  We're not going to convince him not to do these things. No pressure on Republicans will result in more than the tiniest of crumbs (at least initially). It will be helpful to have a power analysis in our minds, specifically that’s known as the upside-down triangle. This tool was built to explain how power moves even under dictatorships. In our country, pressuring elite power is reaching its end point. Power will need to emerge from folks no longer obeying the current unjust system. This tipping point of mass noncooperation will be messy. It means convincing a lot of people to take huge personal risks for a better option.  As a “Disrupt and Disobey” person, we have to move deliberately to gain the trust of others, like the “Protecting People” folks. Mass noncooperation does the opposite of their goal of protection — it exposes people to more risk, more repression. But with that comes the possibility that we could get the kind of liberatory government that we all truly deserve.

9. Handle fear, make violence rebound Otpor in Serbia has provided an abundance of examples on how to face repression. They were young people who took a sarcastic response to regular police beatings. They would joke amongst each other, “It doesn’t hurt if you’re afraid.” Their attitude wasn’t cavalier — it was tactical. They were not going to grow fear. So when hundreds were beaten on a single day, their response was: This repression will only stiffen the resistance. Handling fear isn’t about suppressing it — but it is about constantly redirecting. Activist/intellectual Hardy Herriman released a studied response about political violence that had some news that surprised me. The first was that physical political violence hasn’t grown dramatically in this country — it still remains relatively rare. The threats of violence, however, trend upwards, such as this CNN report: “Politically motivated threats to public officials increased 178 percent during Trump’s presidency,” primarily from the right. His conclusion wasn’t that political violence isn’t going to grow. Quite the opposite. But he noted that a key component to political violence is to intimidate and tell a story that they are the true victims. Making political violence rebound requires refusing to be intimidated and resisting those threats so they can backfire. (Training on this backfire technique is available from the HOPE-PV guide.) We can shrink into a cacophony of “that’s not fair,” which fuels the fear of repression. Or we take a page from the great strategist Bayard Rustin. Black civil rights leaders were targeted by the government of Montgomery, Alabama during the bus boycott in the 1950s. Leaders like the newly appointed Martin Luther King Jr. went into hiding after police threats of arrest based on antiquated anti-boycott laws. Movement organizer Rustin organized them to go down to the station and demand to be arrested since they were leaders — making a positive spectacle of the repression. Some leaders not on police lists publicly demanded they, too, get arrested. Folks charged were met with cheers from crowds, holding their arrest papers high in the air. Fear was turned into valor.

10. Envision a positive future We’ve all now imagined storylines about how bad it might get. We would do ourselves a service to spend an equal measure of time envisioning how we might advance our cause in these conditions. As writer Walidah Imarisha says, “The goal of visionary fiction is to change the world.” In my mind if Trump wins, we’ll have to eventually get him out. There are two paths available to force him out. The first: Vote him out. Given the bias of the electoral college, this requires successfully defending nearly all local, state and national takeovers of elections such that they remain relatively fair and free. Winning via the path of electoral majority has a wide swath of experience and support from mainstream progressive organizations and Democratic institutions. It’s going to be a major thrust. In my scenario writing I’ve explored what that strategy could look like, including preparing electoral workers to stand against last minute attempts by Trump to change election rules and even stymie the election with dubious emergency orders. They don’t obey — and go ahead with elections anyway. The second strategy is if he illegally refuses to leave or allow fair elections: Kick him out. That means we are able to develop a national nonviolent resistance campaign capable of forcing him out of office. I’ve written several versions of this: One where large-scale strikes disable portions of the U.S. economy. If you recall from COVID, our systems are extremely vulnerable. Businesses running “just in time” inventory means small hiccups in the system can cause cascading effects.  Sustained strikes would face deep resistance, but they could swing communities currently on the fence, like the business community, which already is concerned about Trump’s temperamental nature. Trump’s own policies might make these conditions much easier. If he really does mass deportations, the economic injury might be fatal. In another scenario I explore another strategy of taking advantage of a Trump overreach. Autocrats overplay their hands. And in this imagined scenario, Trump overreaches when he attempts to force autoworkers to stop building electric vehicles. UAW workers refuse and keep the factories running. Eventually he’s unable to stop them — but in the process he’s publicly humiliated. A very public loss like this can cause what Timur Kuran calls an “unanticipated revolution.” He noted many incidents where political leaders seem to have full support, then suddenly it evaporates. Kuran’s analysis reminds us to look at Trump’s political weakness. Political hacks like Lindsay Graham appear to be sycophants — but if given the chance to turn their knife in his back, they might. This means exposed political weaknesses could quickly turn the many inside Trump’s campaign against him. That feels far away from now. But all these remain possibilities. Practicing this future thinking and seeing into these directions gives me some hope and some strategic sensibilities.  On the days when I can’t sense any of these political possibilities (more than not), I zoom out further to the lifespans of trees and rocks, heading into spiritual reminders that nothing lasts forever. All of the future is uncertain. But using these things, we’re more likely to have a more hopeful future and experience during these turbulent times.

[aconfusedkitten]

i'll race you to the graveyard - excerpt two

They finally manage to find the doctor an hour later, and when they do, March involuntarily stops in her tracks. Even though it’s only been a few hours since they last saw Ratio, he looks exhausted.

Dark circles under his eyes, hair mused, clothes wrinkled and out of place.

If March didn’t know better, she’d say that he must have got into a fight, except it’s barely been two hours, and he doesn’t look injured as much as he looks drained. With practically every word they say – and it doesn’t matter who says it, whether it’s Himeko’s diplomacy or Stelle’s brash commentary – the irritation in his eyes grows, as does his impatience.

“Did you really,” he says, sharply, “only just realize the Family’s manipulations? Even Aventurine was prepared for that, and he wasn’t even here a day.”

And-

Something about those words feel off.

Himeko just smiles, like Ratio’s words are as sharp as a blanket, instead of a knife. “We weren’t expecting to receive an invitation, Doctor Ratio,” she says, smooth as can be. “We only had a few hours to pull up our archives, and even then, there wasn’t much. As you know, the family is secretive.”

Ratio rolls his eyes. “The Family is about as trustworthy as the IPC,” he says, crossing his arms. “Trusting either party is bound to end badly, no matter the results one is trying to achieve.”

March puts her hands on her hips, sends him a glare. “You are a part of the IPC,” she reminds him, “Isn’t that a little bit hypocritical of you?”

“I am far from the first person to disapprove of the IPC’s methods while still being associated with them,” Ratio says. “In fact, I find it to be a rather common occurrence.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” March says, under her breath. Based on the look Welt gives her, and the gentle nudge from Stelle, she doesn’t exactly do a good job at keeping her voice low. But then she has a thought, one that’s pressing and suddenly important. “Is that the case with Aventurine?”

Ratio freezes. Goes stock still, as though she’d trapped him in six-phase ice, instead of merely asking a question. “I told you before,” he says, haltingly, “Aventurine isn’t my concern here. His past and motivations are none of my business.” His eyes narrow. “I suggest that you remember it isn’t yours, either.”

a follow up to this post here!

[lucysarah-c]

Hi Lucy <3 As promised, I am back mwahahah I really hope you are well and, before I start, I do want to say that, Levi content aside, it is always a joy and a bunch of good vibes every time I see posts from your blog <3 So, thank you so much for putting up with all of us and for doing it so gracefully every time <3 I then come to you with a question (perhaps more than one, but I might send a separate ask) which has been nagging at me for a while: imagine Y/N being in a stable relationship with Levi. She's a scout too, and a pretty competent one - trustworthy and with her fair share of battle experience. In a fight, she gets hit. Not fatally, but still on the ground. How does Levi react to that? Does he stop what he's doing and immediately rush to her? Or is duty more important, and he carries on slashing titans? How's also his reaction? Is he able to contain his emotions or is there something (or a lot) coming through, both in the moment and afterwards? (I am trying to gage how much Levi would get attached to someone who manages to get as close as being in a relationship with him, and how much that could "compromise" his normally stoic behaviour lol) Once again, thank you so much for your patience Lucy <3 (there is absolutely no rush in answering this question <3)

Welcome back! OMG, thank you so much for your kind message! <3 It’s always a pleasure to pop up on your dash. I pull up with all of you just as much as you put up with me, haha.

As you mentioned in a specific ask (which, by the way, happens a lot when I get asks—I often have to explore multiple scenarios to reach a conclusion), you clearly stated that she’s not fatally injured, just hurt, but not in any life-threatening way. I think this is where I’ll base my response.

If she were severely injured, like being grabbed by a Titan, she would obviously need urgent medical attention, and Levi would likely rush to save her. It would be similar to that spin-off where Oluo gets grabbed and Levi jumps in to save him. Since that’s not the case here, I feel Levi wouldn’t be able to resist turning around to check how things are being handled. But if he sees there’s no imminent danger, he’d carry on with his duties. This is where I believe Levi would quickly assess whether the situation requires his presence or if he can continue with his mission. Still, he would 100% check on her when he gets the chance, just to make sure she’s truly safe.

To give an example: in Levi’s first appearance, he entrusted a Titan to his team and moved on, only to come back later to check on them when he was done. Levi knows she’s capable—she’s hurt, but the Titan was taken down, and she’ll be alright—so he’d continue with his responsibilities.

The situation might be different if the Titan hasn’t been taken down yet. In that case, even if she’s not fatally injured, the risk of the Titan eating her could make him turn around to help… I believe. But I often struggle with this idea too—how far can Levi focus on his duty without being distracted by his personal feelings? It’s something I’m not entirely clear on either, as it depends a lot on the specific situation, as I’ve mentioned.

Sorry it took me this long to reply! Thank you for your patience and support <3 It means a lot to me. Have a lovely day, Feris!

[kanmom51]

JK's Weverse live 2 Feb 2023

OMG OMG OMG.

JK man, what did you do to us?

4 hours of JK. 4 friggin' hours.

Before I dive into the abyss I will say that this post is based on multiple trustworthy translation accounts, seeing there is no official translation nor will there be for quite some time now (4 hr. live, lol). I will update if any changes need to be made (after the official translation comes out).

Also, This is a long ass post, so breach yourselves, get yourselves your favourite snacks sit down and enjoy the ride. So so much to come.

Starting with his:

Knock knock, cheeky JK.

Let's sum up the 4 hours of the live shall we:

JK did the live in Brunnan.

JK's hair is long.

JK loves Bammi.

JK talked about his tattoos.

JK drank more beer than I could ever in one seating. Or maybe even 2 or 3 or 4...(I am a lightweight though).

JK was tired and still continued the live.

JK isn't working on his album at the moment, he's at home not doing much, well not working in any case.

RM commented a lot.

Tae commented a lot and got JK to do a live on IG that turned out to be pretty short, just surpassing his 7 min. live a few days back.

JK sang. A LOT.

JK sang Vibe. Twice. After calling JM cool, then adding Taeyang is cool too. He also gave us a little dance move.

Ooh, and we got JK singing Sam Smith's Unholy.

That's 4 hours in a nut shell I guess.

End of post.

Nah, gotcha.

We have tons to cover, so let's get it:

JK starts the live telling us he's not really supposed to be doing a live, I told you, cheeky boy.

Lol.

JK moves on to tell us he's not working on his album at the moment, and actually not doing much of anything at the moment.

I'm all for it. After 10 years of working practically non stop, throughout his youth, he deserves this time off.

JK does say he's spending time alone, at times hasn't left the house for 6 days in a row.

And as the introvert that he is, and as the introvert that I am, I get him. Totally. I could stay at home for days and feel totally content.

Doesn't mean he's not doing anything though. He's doing what he wants to do as opposed as living by a schedule. Taking the time to watch shows, videos, clips he wants to watch is one of those things he told us he does. I just do hope he's in a good mind space. The past couple of years were not easy. The not knowing not easy. Knowing MS is around the corner not easy. Jikook having to adjust to the new reality not easy. He needs this rest and I'm happy he's getting it.

Makes me think though about those stories told of him going out on the town like going skiing or snowboarding or spending time with Tae all the time (I literally have an ask in my inbox telling me just that). Dunno, perhaps it's time for many to finally start questioning these unsubstantiated stories?

Now don't come at me. Not saying JK and Tae aren't close friends. They might be both meeting up occasionally and/or playing online games together all day everyday. What I'm saying is that I'm sick of unsubstantiated stories someone sprouts on Twitter turned into facts without any actual proof.

And it's always the TKK side of things - believing until proven wrong. Because when the shoe is on the other foot, aka JKK, the knee jerk reaction is to not believe until proven true.

Just a thought...

After JK talks about how long his hair has grown, and damn, it has grown so long, Bam makes an appearance. Bammi. How we missed him so.

I truly think Bam deserves a whole post of his own, and I will give you one. I promise. Cause so many cute Bamkook moments, including a lethal Bam kiss.

JK's asked about Jin and says he thinks he's doing well and that he's in touch with them occasionally in their group chat. That same group chat many fans forget they actually have to communicate amongst themselves and not via their public IG accounts. That is when they don't communicate personally with each other privately.

JK brings up not seeing "Yoongi marry me".

Vibe.

Next JK started with the karaoke. We got to enjoy JK's flawless voice throughout his live. But he started us off with Vibe.

JK singing and dancing vibe on his live - all I've been living for the past couple of weeks, lol - singing it TWICE.

This too deserves a whole separate post, and it probably will get one.

Saying that, JK with singing Vibe (do I have to remind he did it twice?) has now performed 7 of JM's songs while live or recording content.

JK continues to sing several songs by TXT, New Jeans, Seventeen, RM, etc. Like I said, karaoke night full blow (filling up the 4 hour live).

A list of his songs throughout the live can be found here:

JK was asked if he has a tattoo on his back, to which he said he doesn't, only on his right arm.

We had a little JK-Army flirtation going on, as per usual, lol.

Mr. Jeon Jungkook also thinks maybe he's the next to get appendicitis. I sure hope he's wrong.

And that at 25 yo he's getting old.- everything hurts. Why am I not surprised (man cannot do anything half way).

RM popped in to visit JK's live, a little drunk perhaps, lol.

And JK...

Next comes the thing everyone has been literally waiting for...

The tattoos.

I know this will be twisted and turned and I feel sorry for the accounts with their anons open, cause this, not surprisingly, is turning into to a shit storm...

There are a few translations out there, most not full ones, and others pretty unreliable.

So, I'm still on the lookout for a reliable full translation for these. I've found a couple that feel like they have an agenda.

I did find this one, a full translation that seems to be more or less on the up and up - lines up with all the bits and pieces I've found in the accounts I do trust.

One specific tattoo JK neglects to talk about is the eclipse tattoo. Unintentional you think? I think not.

So, let's get down to what we really came for, eh? His hand tattoo. The talk of the town.

I know JK said the J is for JK. JK and Army.

Loud and clear, right?

But is it?

Is JK sharing the whole story with us?

Why then on the ring finger?

Why over the M?

Why not allow anything come between the two?

Also funny, as @jaksal pointed out, how for JM's birthday in 2021 for some reason the J and M were kept apart, distanced, quite like the J and M on JK's finger. Apart but not parted (mostly).

Another question I can't help but ask is since when does J stand for JK? Really. Please tell me when was the first or last time JK ever referred to himself as J.

Jungkook calls himself JK. He is referred to by others as JK. When he writes his name in Roman letters he writes JK. Never J.

On top of that, why not put the J over the A? Would make more sense, J + Army from the start...

And if he decided to put the crown over the A, which he did, then why not put the J over any other finger other than the actual ring finger that happened to make a lovely clear and constantly touched up and darkened JM?

Could JK share the whole story with us even if he really wanted to?

JK in essence debunked the story that Army were living for since 2019 - that Army with the J stood for all the 7 members of BTS. The A inverted standing for V.

Yes, he said the J is for JK, but could he say he added the J on his ring finger over the M to make JM? The only one out of all of the members he decided to tattoo onto his skin, have on his hand for all to see?

Telling us J over the M on his ring finger stood for JM would be literally outing the two as a queer couple. No ifs ands or buts.

And you can't say the same about him telling us army is army. Because admitting army was for all the members wouldn't put him in a queer relationship with one of the members, all while having JM on his ring finger would seal the deal on that.

So what did JK do talking about his tattoos? He omitted the JM, and the eclipse - the two specific known tattoos that can link him directly to JM (and if the eclipse had nothing to do with JM why not talk about it too?).

Oh, and I know what comes next -

Being asked "are you calling him a liar?"

Heck no.

But telling a necessary untruth, or embellishing the truth, or omitting some facts, or perhaps the right way of seeing it is giving us the acceptable excuse.

Nope. Not lying. But all the above... yeah, that.

Seriously, take a second to think clearly. What was he supposed to do? Really? Admit that the J and M are connected and mean JM?

I've been seeing people talking about how JK didn't realise what he was doing. That he didn't see the placement came out like JM. Please give me a break. Do they really have such low regard for JK?

The man that came up with this:

Wouldn't realise the J placed over the M makes JM - Jimin. Ha-ha-ha.

With or without the next paragraph, JK knew what he was doing.

But if we do trust this specific translation, JK points out that he placed the crown over the A. Thoughtfully. Intentionally. Do we really think he wouldn't have had the same thought process with the J?

Please don't insult JK's intelligence.

And if you wonder what K-JKKs are thinking:

And being harassed and bullied and bad mouthed for speaking their minds. How familiar...

Oh, and just in case we forgot, during the live JK made sure we'll remember how he refers to Jimin... starting to actually say the actual name and then intentionally changing it up to JM. See for yourselves.

And if you are even interested to know what my 21 yo army non Jikooker daughter's reaction was to the whole Army and J tattoo explanation (you're getting either way)...same daughter that told me the army stood for all members and we argued about it many a times.

You know what she said to me?

"Well, what do you expect him to say? That it's JM? Of course he can't say that".

EXACTLY!!

He can't say it.

So, if I haven't made myself clear by now I'll say it once more with feeling:

The combination of the J and the M on JK's ring finger stands for JM.

Again, I don't think JK is lying. But he's omitting.

The J could definitley be there to not only mean JM but him as well, which would make it even more romantic, if you will. The J and the M, JK and JM marked on his ring finger. If that's not commitment idk what is.

Then Tae joined the fun.

So, JK started the live.

Full untranslated live here (couldn't find a reliable translated one on YT just yet):

JK getting up mid live, to get something?

comes back and still talk for a few minutes, to each other (?) and that's it.

Not much was going on there.

Not gonna say the D (disconnected) word, cause y'all gonna come down my throat.

What was kind of obvious is that no, they no bumping knees. Two mates talking. To each other, next to each other, sometimes the first, sometimes the other.

When you are asking to have a live but then reduced to play with the filters cause the convo, it just ain't flowing, all to end the live after around 10 minutes (I think only around half of that was them talking to each other)...

I'd say reach your own conclusions.

The apartment

Before moving on let's talk a little about the apartment shall we?

We know who is on the lease of Brunnan.

We know it's furnished with some of the dorm's furniture (I'm not 100% sure, but that lounge sure looked like the dorm lounge).

Walls bare.

Clothes rack empty.

What looked like his coat maybe lying on the lounge next to him.

This time he was prepared with a chilled beer glass (after the tea cup wine drinking debacle, lol).

Let's get real here.

Could he be living there? Sure he could. Spending days on end in a bare, cold, lifeless apartment with zero character.

Could he be living elsewhere, let's say somewhere where we aren't even shown anything other than the tv screen? Sure he could. But not on paper. Not officially.

Could two grown men that literally aren't allowed to be in a queer relationship starting the second they enlist need to have official/public known separate addresses, and perhaps there is another place, kept secret, where they can spend most of their time together their privacy guaranteed? Knowing there are still queer couples in SK that live that way, my answer to that will be yes.

Do we know for sure? Heck no. And that, my friends, is the whole idea. We're not supposed to know, as much as our curiosity kills us.

Just a couple of more things and we're done. Phew...

We had this:

JK likes cute

Just in case we weren't aware of it, once again JK confirms that his type is cute. Since forever.

Cute has JK giggling.

Cute has JK drooling.

Another one that deserves it's very own post. So much to do...

Note to self: you asked for Jikook content, don't complain now that you got some.

Sam Smith's Unholy

I'm going to end this long ass post with some JK singing and dancing to Sam Smith's Unholy.

Because how better to end this with a diva JK?

Of course he'll know the choreo.

[natalieironside]

hello ms. comrade Ironside, longtime reader, first time caller.

as a fellow writer of queer erotica, I was wondering if you had any thoughts/spoons to share those thoughts on wordpress being swept into the AI debacle under automattic? (I think that’s what you use to host your cool website, forgive me if I am mistaken.) I’m trying to figure out where to set up an author website of my own so I don’t have to host my stuff on tumblr anymore, but I’m a bit gun-shy in the current moment. I know AI trawling is inevitable in today’s internet, but as someone who’s been doing the indie author thing for some time (and admirably!), is there something you would recommend, best practices or otherwise, to someone just trying to get their metaphorical kite off the ground? or anything you wish you knew when you set up your own author-type socials? any thought at all would be genuinely appreciated.

thanks for your time, and I hope you and yours are as well as can be expected 🖤

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but afaik nothing approaching best practices has been figured out yet; it's all already happening and there's precious little as can be done to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Of course I uncheck all the little boxes in settings and deny them my consent or whatever, but I don't think a gaggle of unimaginative piss-bellied technocrats who decided it was a sensible use of vast amounts of water and power to teach a computer how to write very badly are what I'd call trustworthy. I'm still gonna move all my website shit off of Wordpress because they won't let me get rid of the stupid AI assistant thing, but that's more a case of their UI being ugly and dumb than me thinking it'll actually do any good.

Best I can tell you on that front is to try to find yourself a niche and develop yourself as an artist from there; "Write the kinds of books you wish other people were writing" is good general advice, and a human operator is always going to be capable of things a predictive network just isn't. Other ppl are gonna disagree with that, but they're wrong. Their understanding of resource allocation and scarcity is just childishly naive and you shouldn't waste your time listening to people who think we're gonna solve climate change with apps or whatever.

Far as social media goes, this is still the best one for hocking books as far as I can tell. I'm hearing a lot of good things about Cohost and Pillowfort, but their user bases are still quite small, and I haven't found the indie author community on Bluesky yet. If Tumblr goes belly up I'll probably end up migrating to one of those first two primarily b/c I think longform blogging is the secret stuff for ppl like me who are just too crabby and agoraphobic to be Twitter influencers; I may not be any good at videos or regular quick posts or documenting the writing process (which is too bad, b/c a lot of my friends who do that stuff seem to be having fun with it), but I sure can Lay Out Some Thoughts in A Few Paragraphs and I like to think that's something ppl expect from a novelist.

Also, never get in a public argument, don't go posting Your Thoughts On The Issues unless someone asked or you feel like you've got something interesting to say, and be very selective with how much and what personal information you give out to the hoi polloi. Those are my 3 rules for how to do social media good.

[sl-newsie]

Mature (Dr. Spencer Reid x College Student)

(Summary: The BAU gets a case that takes place near a college campus, and one student seems to catch Reid’s attention. There is a bit of an age gap. This is based during the end of Season 6. Warnings: Talk of cannibalism, gun violence)

“Remember class: Monday’s exam will have 150 questions and no makeups. Remember to study hard!”

My dental hygiene professor finally releases us, signaling the beginning of the weekend. It’s currently 5:30 on a sunny but crisp Friday in October. Nothing special, but the lack of leaves and chilly frosts makes it one of my favorite seasons. But I can’t take too much time to watch the weather- I’ve got work to do.

Of course I’m the only student who dares to sit in the front of the lecture hall, and I take my time to gather up my things as the others start filing out.

“You going to the game tonight?” One guys asks his friends.

“Yeah it’s gonna be sick! You’re bringing the beer, right?”

“Sure am! And what about-” He whispers: “The pot?”

Their conversation dies away as the walk out of the room, leaving me to shake my head in disappointment. No doubt their whole weekend will involve drinking, getting high, and possible sexual content. More than likely they’ll fail the exam.

“Merrian! Are you coming to the game?” I hear one classmate, Regina, ask.

“No, I can’t. I’m going for a jog and then starting my flashcards for the exam.”

Regina, one of the more popular and *cough* snobby girls gives me a fake smile. “Oh you never go to any social events! Why not give that brain a break and be a college student for once?”

I just shake my head and continue to look through my notes. “I am being a college student, only I’m being a smart one and actually trying to get through this class without depleting any brain cells through alcohol abuse.”

But my insult flies right over Regina’s head. She just keeps smiling, turns and walks away, leaving me (no surprise) alone again. But it appears today has something else in store, because the door opens and my professor walks back in leading a group of people who look way too professional for a place like this. The one that appears to be the leader is tall, dark-haired, and is wearing a traditional business suit. The man following next to him appears to be of Italian descent and is wearing a dark suit similar to the leader’s. Next is a blonde woman wearing- quite honestly, one of the most unique outfits I’ve ever seen. It’s a purple and blue patterned dress, hot pink heels, and a big purple bow with her hair in pigtails (it almost puts my current Veronica Sawyer gray skirt and blue blazer outfit to shame). Another man is bald with darker skin and a more athletic build, wearing a more laid-back style of clothing, obviously the muscle of the group. And last behind him is- huh. He’s a lot younger (and much cuter) than the others, one might say a few years older than me. He’s dark-haired like the other men and wearing slacks with a white shirt with a gray vest and blue tie, almost matching me. But what stands apart from his attire is the pistol tucked in a holster attached to his belt. It’s almost like the one I’ve got tucked under my skirt (for protection, of course). Are these guys from the police station? They don’t look like local authorities.

But sadly I’m still in the front and am caught looking.

“Who’s the model?” The blonde with pigtails asks, making me turn pink.

My professor finally notices me. “Oh yes. This is Merrian, one of my students. She’s just packing up-”

“On the contrary, it might be nice to have a younger person’s opinion on this matter,” the Italian agent speaks.

A younger opinion?

“By the way, I love your blazer!” The blonde squeals and rushes over to get a better look.

I title my head. “Not too bad yourself, Barbie.”

But the leader doesn’t seem too impressed. “At ease, Garcia. Remember why we’re here.”

The blonde nods and backs off, leaving me facing the group head-on.

“Is she trustworthy? We need to keep this as confidential as possible,” the athlete says.

My professor nods her head. “Merrian is one of the most dedicated students I have. I guarantee she’ll give you her best effort.”

“Very well.” The leader steps forward to shake my hand. “I’m FBI Agent Hotchner of the BAU. These are Agents Rossi, Morgan, Garcia, and Dr. Reid.” He points to each agent, and when he introduces Agent Reid I can’t help but notice his body language shifts. He keeps playing with his hands and changing his footing, and isn’t as relaxed as the other agents. Maybe he just drank coffee.

I give a small wave. “Hello. So, what is it you guys do? Obviously you’re a government department but I’ve never really paid attention to that stuff.”

“Don’t you watch the news?” The blonde ‘Garcia’ asks.

“Nope.”

This answer gets me surprised reactions, especially from Reid. 

“Why not?”

Yes, he’s definitely younger. His voice reminds me of the smart nerd type, but with my educational history I’ve never actually been able to meet many smart guys so it’s very new to hear this.

I shrug. “Ignorance is bliss. I figure if there’s something that’s truly important that’ll affect me then I’ll hear about it sooner or later. I try not to let the fear that strands from current events control my life.”

“Ok. Then to catch you up, we have a potential threat that’s been sited near the edge of town. There’s a man who’s been catching people in hunting traps and then eating them.”

Uh- Oh my! Was not expecting that. 

I try to keep a steady face. “Alright. So what does this have to do with me?”

“Your current study of dental work, plus the unsub seems to prefer female victims,” Reid speaks up. “There’s one witness who managed to escape his trap, but not before he bit her. We’ve been able to analyze the teeth marks, but it doesn’t match the correct dental records. They show the unsub’s supposed to be someone who died 10 years ago. We checked the death certificate and sure enough the body’s buried in a nearby cemetery. Do you have any ideas why?”

I take a deep breath and try to piece together what I’ve learned so far. I’ve only been in this program for a year, but that doesn’t mean I’m useless.

“Take your time,” Agent Rossi assures. “It doesn’t have to be much, just anything we might have missed-”

I snap. “I got it! Have any of you guys ever seen the movie The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis?”

Most shake their heads, but then Reid seems to follow my idea.

“Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? Brilliant, Marrian!”

“Excuse me, mind letting us in on your inside joke?” Agent Morgan questions.

“At the end of the movie, they modify another body’s teeth to match Bruce Willis’ character and then burn it in a fire so the mafia will think he’s dead. What if this unsub had dental work done so he couldn’t be traced? ” My explanation starts the agents sparking up new conversations, leaving me to believe I might have actually just helped solve an FBI case.

“I know it’s not the type of professional answer you might have wanted.”

“That’s just the kind of insight we were looking for,” Agent Hotchner finally addresses me. “Thank you, Merrian. We’ll be sure to stay in touch and inform you if this threat is neutralized.”

He walks out, followed by Morgan. But the others linger for a moment.

“You’re taking all of this surprisingly well,” Rossi points out. “Ever consider becoming a profiler?”

I chuckle. “I did once, a few years ago. Sociology is one of my favorite subjects to learn, but I’ve just used that as a hobby. When I looked further into the job description I decided I wanted a career that wouldn’t take so much out of my free time. So for now I’m sticking with dental hygiene.”

He nods. “Well if you change your mind, here’s my card.” He hands me his contact info and exits after the other 2 agents.

“Tell me- where did you get your shoes?” Garcia asks when she points to my feet.

“Oh. Um, Goodwill actually.” I’m a bit embarrassed to say I’m a thrifter, but in college all money must go to classes.

“They’re so cute! I’ll email you my list of favorite thrift websites later,” she remarks as she walks to the door. 

“B- But Agent Garcia you don’t have my email-?”

“I’ll find it.” She winks. “And call me Penelope!”

She gives Reid a smirk and shuts the door, leaving me alone with the last agent.

“I gotta ask, how old are you?”

My blunt question doesn’t seem to be new to him. “30.”

I was right!

“Sorry for asking, but it’s just very different-”

“To see someone like me on a government bureau team,” he finishes. “It’s ok, lots of people ask. I could say the same thing about you.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

He mirrors my confusion. “Aren’t you close to my age?”

“I’m 22.”

Reid’s eyes widen. “No way! You look- I mean, you seem- Um… you don’t act 22.”

I chuckle and go to grab my backpack. “I get that a lot. My mom says I’m more mature than most people my age, which means I have to be forced to associate with immature peers. I just hope other people never assume I’m the typical college type. You know, drugs, drinking, sex, procrastination. I’ve never even gone to one party. I apologize for the idiots you might come across here.”

I expect the FBI agent to leave it at that and go off to find his team, but instead he jogs up behind and walks with me down the hall.

“No I don’t see you like that, it’s just… you’re definitely more mature, and seem more clear-headed than the other students I’ve seen here so far.

I hold my head back and laugh. “Oh, no. By no means am I as smart as you might think. I have what I call ‘selective knowledge.’ I never picked just one topic I like, so I find bits and pieces of information about all kinds of topics. But not too much in depth that I’m an expert. With what I know about you so far I’d say you’re way more smart.”

He looks down. “Yeah, kinda.”

“Spill it. What’s your education background?”

“Um… I’ve got PhDs in mathematics, chemistry, and engineering. Bachelor’s in psychology, sociology, and in the process of one in philosophy.”

I stop dead in my tracks and turn to look at him with wide eyes. “And you’re downplaying that? Jesus, you’ve got more knowledge stuffed in your brain then I’d ever have in 5 lifetimes! Why choose a job in the BAU?”

He considers this. “I find that I do some of my best work under intense terror.”

I nod. “It’s nice to know what type of job works best. I’ve jumped around different jobs, and still haven’t found one that fits right. As for the terror thing, props to you for dealing with that on a daily basis.”

Dr. Reid seems surprised. “Hm. You don’t mind crazy talk, do you?”

I stifle a laugh and hold the next door open for him to pass. “‘Crazy talk?’ What’s that?”

“Talking about subjects that any random passerby would find odd, like murder or psychological disease.”

“You’re talking to someone who watches The Conjuring as a comfort film. I don’t call that crazy talk, I call that enjoyable conversation,” I smile cheekily as he walks past me through the doorway. “You gonna go find your team now?”

Reid clears his throat and bites his lip. “Well, um… Since the unsub’s been sighted near the city I should make sure to get you to your dorm safely.”

This unsub must be pretty dangerous for him to be this anxious. Or is it something else that’s got him so worried? I must say it feels nice to have a smart guy to talk with who’s actually taking the time to make sure I’m safe instead of daring me to chug a beer.

“Aw, that’s sweet. But I don’t live in a dorm, I live in a small rented room downtown.”

“Really? I guess you really aren’t like normal students. So where are you going now?”

Is he asking professionally or out of curiosity?

“There’s a secret spot I have in the theatre lab. Dark and quiet with a nice table. Good for studying.”

He perks up. “Dark? Do you think you could show me?”

I shrug and start leading him to the lab, pushing my sleeve back to check my watch. “Sure, just don’t tell anyone. I like having a place where stupidity is at a minimum.”

Reid gets a wide grin on his face and follows eagerly. “Your secret’s safe with me. It’s kind of embarrassing but lately I’ve been dealing with- Oh my gosh! Are you hurt?”

I follow his gaze to my arm, which has gauze wrapped around it. I’m surprised he noticed- usually people don’t give it a second thought.

“Wha-? Oh, no. I donated plasma earlier today and have to keep this on for 2 hours.”

“I see. Do you get paid?”

“Yup. If they’re willing to pay me to sit in a chair for an hour, money is money. Gotta pay the college bills somehow. So what have you been dealing with?”

“Right. Um, I’ve had these headaches for a while now and none of the doctors I’ve seen can tell me what’s wrong. They’re triggered by bright lights, so that’s why I like to find dark places to think.”

Hearing this makes me sad, especially since a nice guy like him shouldn’t have to go through something like that.

“Then don’t have me keep ya waiting. Here we are!”

Now we’re at the theatre lab and when I open the door to let him in, Reid . “So then how are you liking your dental hygiene clinicals?”

I set my backpack down and switch a small light on. “I like it, but it’s more of a job that pays well and allows me free time. Next summer I’m looking into a program that gives me a certificate in culinary pastry design-” I stop myself before I start ranting. “Sorry, I don’t mean to talk your ear off. People don’t always listen this long so I usually just talk to keep away any awkward silence. Americans are intimidated by it, you know.”

Agent Reid just nods and sits down on a nearby stool. “I don’t mind. I like hearing you talk.”

“But it’s not as intellectual as you’re used to.”

“Maybe not, but- how should I describe it? You’re like a funfetti cake.”

Reid’s analogy makes me giggle and give him an odd look. “Um, thanks? How so?”

“Because you’re not just one flavor. You bring a sprinkling of all different topics, and none of them are boring or immature. Go ahead, continue.” Reid sits back as if he’s sitting in for a lecture, and I’m the teacher.

“Um… ok. So anyways, between work, school, and all my other hobbies it’s no surprise when I keep telling my mom I haven't gone on a date-”

“Wait, seriously?” Reid interrupts. “You’ve never gone on a date?”

I try to ignore the heat rushing to my cheeks and go turn on the music speaker. “Never got a chance to. Back in high school I was more introverted and read all the time. Now no one wants to be around a boring, mature college student who dresses… like this.” I gesture to my unusual outfit.

“Hm. I’d think you would’ve been able to find at least one decent guy.”

I’m not sure if he’s kidding or just trying to be nice.

“Don’t make me laugh. Even the few guys I’ve talked to see me as a colleague or acquaintance, not even friendship status. I’ve steered clear of all the red flags and bad habits college kids typically get into, and it’s gotten me this far. All I’ve got is some family, my cat, and my brain.”

Reid doesn’t say anything, and a part of me is glad for it while the other half is a nervous wreck. While I don’t want to really get into the details of my miserable social life, at the same time I’m strangely anxious about what the handsome doctor thinks of me.

“It’s the musical season, isn’t it? I can tell you’re a fan.” How does he-? “I’m guessing on account of the Newsies sticker on your water bottle and your outfit that resembles Veronica Sawyer from Heathers.”

A smile grows on my face. “Oh! A profiling genius and a theatre fan! You’ve got quite the brain, Dr. Reid.”

“I actually only recently got interested in it after watching one of Garcia’s plays- oh! You actually remembered!” Reid scratches his head and smiles. “Thanks, that means a lot.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“People don’t always address me by my full title. So what’s on your agenda now?” He seems to rethink and adds: “Not that I’m being nosy!”

His curiosity isn’t uncomfortable for me. If anything it’s nice to have someone take an interest.

“I was going to practice for musical auditions, but since you’re here I’ll just do some homework.”

“Oh I don’t mind! Really! I won’t laugh, promise,” Reid says sincerely.

“No, no. I do my best work alone, as always.”

He frowns. “That’s not a healthy mindset.”

I chuckle darkly. “I’m not exactly the ‘teamwork makes the dreamwork’ kinda gal. I’ve always done best on my own, so I don’t argue it-”

“Attention, attention!” The intercom starts blasting an alarm overhead. “There has been a potential shooter spotted near the edge of campus. All students, staff, and visitors are to head immediately towards a sheltered area. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill!”

Agent Reid immediately goes alert and checks his pistol. “We better get to a more secure location. Come with me!”

He goes for the door, but I don’t see a reason to leave.

“No, you go find your team. I’ll stay here. It’s a hidden spot, anyway.”

But Reid shakes his head with concern and takes my hand. “No, I can’t allow that. If the unsub is here he’ll go after you. You’re his type, Marrian, and I won’t let you get hurt.” 

Wow. I’m sure he’s just doing his job. Still it’s becoming incredibly difficult to ignore the growing affection for the geeky agent. And it doesn't help that normally I’m a very anti-touching person. 

He pulls out a cell phone and dials a number. “Hotch, this is Reid. What’s your location?” After a few moments he says: “Yes, I’m here with the student we interviewed in the theatre lab. We’ll meet you there. Yeah I know, we’ll be careful.” Reid seems to notice my slight reaction to his physical touch and his hold tightens. “I need you to stick close to me, understand?” 

I nod and follow him out. “This is… definitely not what I planned for a regular Friday evening, but as my mom always says I need to stay open-minded. Lead the way, Dr. Reid!”

His stern face lightens by a fraction. “Um, you can call me Spencer if you want.”

Is- Is he trying to flirt? Seriously, I wouldn’t know. Somebody tell me!

“Isn’t that less professional? I thought you FBI guys were all suits and no humor.”

He doesn’t answer and triple-checks the hallway before signaling the all-clear. We quietly make our way to the main office, and the whole time I’m trying to ignore Reid’s hand clutching mine. 

“We'll be able to-”

“Look out!” I push Spencer out of the way just as a bullet flies past my head, but I’m not too lucky with the second one. It buries itself in my left shoulder blade and the sudden force sends me crashing to the cold floor.

“Oh my God!” Reid shouts and kneels down to address my wound.

“Well hello, my pretty,” a deep sinister voice chuckles. A figure in a black hood lurks out from the corner, with a hunting rifle pointed directly at Spencer.

“I’ve gone too far this time, too far to disappear. But I’ve got one more chance, right? That’s right.” He points at me, the gun wedged pointed on his shoulder. “I’ve been watching you, girly. And I like you. Your healthy diet is most delightful, and…” He gets a twisted look with a sinister smile on his face. “Such a pretty face…”

“You leave her alone!” Reid speaks sternly. 

I turn to find him pointing his pistol at the unsub, but the man just laughs.

“My my, Dr. Reid. You’ve grown quite attached to this woman. I’m almost sad to have to kill her and end such a blooming young love.”

Love? I don’t know who this guy thinks he is, but he’s creeping me out! Still not what I planned for a regular Friday evening… 

The unsub starts to creep closer, and before I know it I’m backed against the wall with Spencer at my right.

“Don’t you touch her!” Reid shouts. “Stand back or I will shoot!”

“Oh no you won’t, Dr. Reid!” The unsub turns angry. “You won’t, or else I will skip my evening meal and blow a hole in this girl’s brain right now!”

He’s going to kill me… Eat me… Oh God. But I can’t let him hurt Spencer. His life is worth a thousand times more, and I couldn’t stand to see him get hurt.

The unsub is still focused on Spencer, so while he’s distracted I slowly inch my hand towards my skirt, almost to my concealed pistol-

Bam!

The unsub fires what seems like a warning shot and in the sudden chaos Reid fires his gun too. Reid doesn’t get shot, and instead his own bullet buries itself in the unsub’s calf. He stumbles out of sight around the corner.

“Quick! In here!” Reid pulls me into a nearby classroom and shuts the door. “Are you in pain?”

Yes! Every inch of skin in my shoulder is screaming at me and the adrenaline is starting to wear off, allowing the pain to escalate. But I need Reid to focus on the task at hand.

“I’m fine. I’m fine…” My head starts to feel dizzy and I put a hand to my shoulder, pulling it away to find it covered in blood.

“No you’re not fine. Here-” Spencer takes off his tie and does a makeshift tourniquet near my acromial region. “It won’t last long, but it’s the best I can do.” He kneels down and starts searching through his pockets. “I’m all out of bullets!”

“My… my skirt. Under my skirt…” 

He lifts the fabric up to reveal my pistol. “When did you get that?”

“Since I turned 21, but I’m too dizzy to shoot it. Take it!” Reid removes my pistol from its holster, using careful hands to show modest intentions. “Now go. Go stop him.”

“But if you don’t keep appropriate pressure on it then you could bleed out!”

“Just go! I’ll figure it out. I don’t care if I pass out, you gotta go stop him and end this.”

I’m pretty sure Reid’s now speaking through panic mode. “No you can’t die! I still need to ask you out!” Did I hear that right?

“You- what? I think I’m starting to blank out. You need to what?”

But Reid doesn’t answer. He just rubs a hand through his messy hair in frustration, while all I can do is slowly slip in and out of consciousness. When he’s decided his next move he leans down and kisses my forehead, and if it weren’t such an unusual situation I’d actually have butterflies in my stomach.

“I’ll be right back, Merrian. I promise.”

And just like that he sprints out. I don’t know how long it’s been, but soon I hear gunshots in the hall and all I can do before I pass out is pray that Spencer’s ok…

“She’s lost a lot of blood, but she’ll live.”

“Quiet an injury. She’s lucky you were with her.”

“And where is she going to?”

My mind buzzes to life and I start to become aware of my surroundings, opening my eyes to find myself in a hospital bed. My arm has an IV. More than likely they’ve given me morphine for pain control. But the biggest relief is when I see Reid talking to one of the doctors at the foot of the bed.

“Spencer… you’re ok,” I croak through a groggy voice.

He notices I’m awake and quickly rushes over to give me a gentle hug. I see he has no wounds, another relief.

“God Merrian, I’m so sorry. I was supposed to protect you-” He whispers into my hair.

“No, don’t worry about me. You did all you could, Spencer. Is the unsub taken care of?”

He nods repeatedly. “Yeah. I shot him dead right after I left, but by the time I got back you’d already blacked out-”

“Excuse me sir,” the doctor steps forward. “I’m afraid she has to be transferred now.”

I look up with wide eyes. “Transferred? Where? What do you mean?”

“The bullet nicked one of your main arteries,” the doctor explains in a calm voice. “We don’t have the proper tools or expertise to perform the surgery on your shoulder, so you are being transferred to Grand Rapids.

“Then I’m going with her,” Reid pipes up.

“I’m sorry sir, but unless you are a guardian or next of kin then you cannot accompany the patient-”

“She’s the victim of a BAU unsub. That makes this a government matter so I should be able to find an excuse to go-”

“No you can’t, Reid.”

We all turn and find Agent Hotchner, along with the rest of the BAU team, walking into the room.

“We’ve been called back to Quantico. I’m afraid you need to say your goodbyes now.”

Spencer and I exchange disappointed looks, but I figure good things must come to an end. All this unsub business is enough excitement to last me a long time, even though I am sad to see the handsome agent go.

“I’ll be fine, Spencer.” I give him a small smile. “Go do what you do best.” 

He nods, seeming to debate something in his head. “I- I’m glad I got to meet you, Merrian.”

I chuckle. “I should be the one saying that about you, the great Dr. Spencer Reid.”

Spencer returns my laughter and takes my hand again. “Feel better. I know from personal experience that recovering from a gunshot is no easy task. I’ll come visit as soon as I have free time. And… I’d like to take you out sometime, maybe someplace where you won’t get shot?”

His question is asked as if it’s a simple classroom inquiry, but it’s making my heart jump (unfortunately shown by the heartbeat monitor). I can tell Reid’s nervous just as I am, but I know it’s all part of the dating ritual.

“I’d like that.”

He cocks his head. “What part?”

“The not being shot part is definitely a perk, but I’d like to finally go on my first date. With you.”

Spencer gets excited and I can already see the wheels spinning in his head just as Agent Hotchner calls for Reid to get going.

“I- I’ll see you later, then! Hope you won’t mind me ranting about literature by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?”

I squeeze his hand just as the paramedics start to get me ready to leave. “It’s a date, Spencer.”

Reid’s POV

The ride on the Jet is quiet, and as usual I chose to read alone in a corner. This time I’ve chosen Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie, most appropriate for the upcoming holiday in a few weeks.

“Hey loverboy! You gonna join us for a card game?” Morgan smirks from the table. “Or is your head too fuzzy thinking about your new friend?”

“You do know I could still beat you, right?” I ask matter-of-factly.

“Screw cards! I wanna hear all about the boy genius’ new girlfriend!” Garcia giggles.

I just shake my head and turn back to my book, ignoring their gossiping chatter. I won’t let their teasing get to me. Ever since Emily died my mind’s been in a fog, but meeting Merrian seemed to snap me back into reality. Give me something to hope for. All I know is I can’t wait to get time off so I can see her again…

[aaakikoo]

BEST MATCH

paring -> b. katsuki x f!reader

an -> enjoy the first part, tell me if I missed any warnings.

summary -> your dating life sucks. luckily for you, you have your best friend on your side to help you.

warnings -> cursing, jealousy, crying, getting stood up, breaking up, breakdowns, one suicidal joke, tell me if I missed any!

series m.list - first part

“what the fuck do I do know?” You asked the blond beside you in an annoyed tone. “The fuck do I know? Tell him to fuck off or something.” The boy next to you grumbled back at you.

“Fine, you shithead.” You said as you began typing on your phone.

The blond guy next to you chuckled as he continued to play the game on his phone. The blond is none other than your best friend, Katsuki Bakugou.

You guys were more of enemies during U.A. Both of you really got on each others nerves. What a way to bond.

After all, you two became really close during the third year. And right now you work at his hero agency with your own department, you specialised in planning & health services. Though, when we look at your personal life. It’s not as put together as your social one. Because since U.A you’ve had a terrible history with guys.

You’ve been stood up. You’ve been rejected both nicely & ashamedly. You’ve been pranked. Bet money on, & lusted over. Conclusion, you were fucking terrible.

Luckily for you, you had a shoulder you could cry on. By cry on I mean complain and whine to.

Bakugou had been through it all with you.

He had seen the way you flirt with guys which ends with you in his bed, then kicked out so you’d have to call Bakugou to pick you up. He also had seen the way guys try to chat you up when you’re not interested, so you end up pranking them & hurting their feelings. He had seen the way you’d swing your feet whenever you get a text from that one boy you were crushing at from the coffee shop store. Conclusion, he had been through it all.

“What did he say?” Katsuki asked as he put down his phone, now invested. You rolled your eyes at him. “He said I was mid anyways.” You scoffed. Katsuki started laughing.

“If he thought you were mid why did he ask for your number in the first place?” Katsuki asked as he sat down fully on the bed. “Exactly, that asshole.” You agreed.

After a moment of silence, Bakugou asked. “Soo…?” He told you as he put his arms behind his head. “So what?” You told him as you got up from the bed. “So what now, are you gonna give up on your boyfriend haunt.” He said as he smirked at you.

“I am thinking of doing so, I’ve been looking all over the place for the past years and I haven’t found the right man.” You said as you started walking out the room, Bakugou following behind you.

“That’s because your standards are through the fucking roof, princess.” He smirked as the two of you walked downstairs.

“Whatever, pour me a drink, what about the new guy.” You told him as you sat on the island chair. Bakugou opened his fridge and pulled out apple juice. “What new guy?” He asked as he poured you a drink and passed it to you.

“Can you stop acting so fucking dumb, you know who I am fucking talking about.” You spit angrily as you chugged down the juice.

“Damn, you’re mad today.” He said as he sat down next to you. “Katsuki, just tell me about him, I wanna know if I might have a chance with him, cmooon!!” You whined.

“Fine, idiot. Whatever based off his CV, it says that he’s hardworking, trustworthy & humble. He’s willing to learn new stuff & make friends.” Katsuki said as he also chugged down the Apple juice.

“Wow so fucking cool, tell me about how he looks like,” you said sarcastically, “calm your horses, woman. Haven’t met the man yet.” He told you as he flicked your forehead.

“Tell me when you do.”

“Y/N!” You heard bakugou scream from behind. You turned around to, not greet him, but yell at him. “Don’t you know it’s disrespectful to walk into someone office without knocking?” You asked angrily with arms crossed over your chest.

“Don’t gotta remind you when you walked on me half naked.” He said as he reminded you of the time you opened the door while he was in nothing but a thin towel around his slander waist.

Your face grew red the more you thought about the memory. “Whatever, what the hell do you want?” You said as you pushed your hair out of your face.

“Damn so fucking angry and I was doing you a favour. The new guy is coming soon, if you wanna interview him with me, and some of the other hero’s in this agency then come to the meeting room 4. At 16:00.” He said as he looked at the clock that was hanging on your wall.

“It would be great to have you there ms. Planning & health manager.” He teased you a little as he rubbed the top of your head. He simply walked away before hearing your answer, guessing the answer himself.

As katsuki walked away you began thinking. All those years ever since your second year in U.A, you’ve been so desperate to find yourself a boyfriend only to be humbled in the most awful ways possible.

Is this really who you are? You thought to yourself, so you decided that you would get your professional self during this meeting and won’t let your desires get the best of you.

Your clock ticked 15:55 by now, so you decided to head over to the meeting room, you walked in seeing Bakugou and Kirishima there. You greeted them as you took a seat behind Kirishima.

Soon after all the hero’s, side kicks, secretaries walked in and took a seat before the new guy walked in.

Oh, he was soo…

Tall, sexy hero costume & purple messy hair.

No! You needed to get yourself together. Bakugou looked at you and smirked a little bit.

The guy took his seat before Kirishima announced the beginning of this job interview and asked the following. “Please introduce yourself.”

The guy stood up and said, “good afternoon everyone, my name is Hitoshi Shinsou, & my hero name is Mind Games. I am 24 years old.” Shinsou said as he sat down.

Another woman asked, “hello you Mr. Mind games tells us about your quirk.” Soon after the guy began explaining and everyone around you started taking notes. Of course, except for you. You were to busy staring at him, before Bakugou pushed your foot under the table that made you snap back into real life.

Then Bakugou asked, “why should we hire you Mr. mind games?”

The boring interview went for about 45 minutes before Bakugou announced that he was hired as a Patrolling pro-hero.

After the interview everyone had gotten to their office and packed their stuff to head home. Except for you because you wanted to make a cute impression on shinsou, so you fixed your hair quickly as you went up to him and said.

“Hello Mr. Hitoshi, congratulations on your new job.” You said politely with hands behind your back. The man turned around and said, “hello, Ms.??”

“My hero name is H/N, but you can call me L/N!” You smiled as he returned it.

“Nice to meet you Ms. L/N, and thank you. I’m very happy & excited to work here.” He said. “I’m also very happy for you I hope we get along. This place can be crazy sometimes.” You joked a little.

“No worries, I also hope we can get along, it was nice meeting you. have a nice day.” Shinsou ended the conversation as he picked up his suit case and walked away.

You watched him walk away as if he was the most handsome man on this earth. You would have been drooling by now if it wasn’t for a certain annoying blond.

“Ehm! Y/N, snap out of it you creep.” He said as he walked up to you, all changed from his hero costume to a hoodie and sweats. “Don’t be scaring off my employees.” He told you as he once again snapped your forehead.

“Ouch! Would you quit that? Not my fault he is handsome as fuck.” You said as whined in pain, “whatever you big simp, I’ll be waiting for you in the car, quickly change.”

After you had changed you waved a goodbye to the secretaries as you walked into the garage and hopped into Katsuki’s car. “My place or yours?” He asked. “Drive me to mine today, I’m feeling like sleeping.” You said as you looked outside the window.

After many moments of silence you asked, “katsuki?” You said, “hm?” He hummed back in response, “do you think I might have a chance with shinsou, I don’t know yet if I like his personality based off the 3 minute conversation I had with him, but his appearance is definitely something.” You said.

“To be fair, I don’t know y/n.” Katsuki said as he chucked a little. He stopped in front of your house as he said, “we are here, princess.” As he picked up your left hand and playfully kissed the top of it, “knock it, corny motherfucker.” You laughed as you pulled your hand away.

“Always so bratty.” He said as you looked at him for a second, “what bitch? Get the fuck out of my car.” He yelled, “you’re a bitch, you’re supposed to open the door for me.” You yelled back as he opened the door for you from his seat. He stretched his arm and pulled the handle, which wasn’t what you wanted.

Instead you wanted him to be all Romantic and get out the car for you and open it from the outside, instead you get this. “Bye princess see you tomorrow.” He said as he drove off.

“Good morning, Ms. L/N.” You turned behind you to see the owner of the voice. Only to be shocked. It was none other than shinsou!

“Uh, good morning Mr. Hitoshi” you said back as you took your cup of coffee from the machine. He stood in front of you for a moment before you asked, “how are you today?” You asked, “I’m really good, thank you. I think I made a good impression on Dynamite’s best mate, Red riot.” He said as you chuckled a little bit.

“Aw that’s so good for you! You’re definitely gonna make a good impression on everyone here.” You cheered him a little as you took a sip from your coffee.

You both took a seat in the cafeteria before he asked, “what are you specialised in Ms. L/N?” He asked as he placed his chin on his palm interested to find out. You quickly drank all the left coffee before you said, “health & planning services.”

“That’s really cool, but I have to go back to patrolling with Red Riot, see you during lunch!” He said as he walked away quickly. You got up and headed to your office.

You started working with paper works, and papers that needed to be signed for Bakugou. You worked for hours and hours till someone knocked on your office.

“Enter!” You shouted.

“Missed me, princess?” Bakugou asked as he walked in. “Hell no.” You replied back as he took a seat besides you. “What are you so mean for?” He laughed.

“Not in the mood for your corny comments.” You said as you crossed your arms over your chest.

“What do you want, katsuki?” You asked the guy, “do you wanna have lunch with me?” He asked, you know that lunches with Bakugou are the best, because he would take you to his office and order something good each time.

But you had already told Shinsou that you would see him during lunch?

“Nah, I’ll pass this time.” You said as you handed him bunch of signed paper. “Are you mad at me or something?” He asked as he looked at your confusedly. “No I’m not, but I might see shinsou during lunch today.” You smiled a little before he scoffed.

“Alright, you’re missing out, though.” He said as he walked out.

Now during lunch you fixed your hair a little bit, before applying a tiny bit of lip balm that gave a pink tint before you walked down to the lunch area.

You bought a sandwich and coffee and sat down and waited for him.

Slowly the lunch room began filling up with employees but no sign of shinsou. So you decided to wait a little bit longer.

5, 10, & 15 minutes and no Shinsou. After 20 minutes you got up and threw your paper plate in the trash before Bakugou come down to the lunch room, he is never there.

“What are you doing here?” You asked him, “I came to tell you, that Eijirou and Hitsohi they had lunch in a restaurant after their shift, that if you were looking for Mr. Knight and shining armour.” He laughed a little.

“I wasn’t looking for him.” You lied straight to his face after you had told him that you would be waiting for shinsou.

“Sure now come to my office. I’ll give you a better lunch than whatever you had.”

A couple of days later, you were lying in your bed. Very tried after you had to cover up a shift for Kirishima because he was going to see his sick mom.

You were mindlessly scrolling through your phone until you revived an email.

You quickly opened your email app to see who sent it.

Hello Ms. L/N!

Good afternoon, this is my job email, Mind games.

@mmindgames.hero

Sorry to bother you but I really needed to apologise for that time where I said I might have lunch with you but ended up having it with Red Riot instead.

I’ve got a really bad feeling about it and felt like I needed to do something about it. I have found your Instagram but I figured it would be unprofessional of me to DM you so I just found your job email instead.

Please message me on +xx xxx xx xxx xx, that is my work number.

-Mind games.

Oh. My. God

Your heart starting beating 200km/h.

You almost couldn’t believe what you just read.

You quickly exited the email app and sent a message to the number.

YOU at 20:46 [ hello, Mr. Hitoshi! I’ve received your Email. It was really kind of you! Don’t worry I didn’t mind I ended up having lunch with dynamite! ]

UNKNOWN at 20:47 [ hello, Ms. L/N! That’s really good! You seem really close with dynamite, no? Haha! ]

YOU at 20:48 [ haha, sort of? We’ve been really close friends since high school. He’s just a child in a big body! 😭 ]

HITOSHI at 20:48 [ now I know where to go if he gets mad at me someday. ]

YOU at 20:48 [ haha! 👀 ]

HITOSHI at 20:49 [ may I ask something Ms. L/N? ]

YOU at 20:49 [ sure go ahead! ]

HITOSHI at 20:49 [ would you like to get my personal number? ]

YOU at 20:50 [ yeah? Sure I don’t mind. ] oh you definitely didn’t mind that.

HITOSHI at 20:50 [ cool it is at +xx xxx xx xxx xx, thanks again Ms. L/N! I just feel like I could get to know you better if that’s alright, it’s a great way to start here? ]

YOU at 20:51 [ yeah of course I don’t mind. As long as there are boundaries! And also please drop the formality! You can call me L/N. 😁 ]

HITSOHI at 20:51 [ sure, L/N! You can also call me Hitoshi. ]

YOU at 20:52 [ no worries 👀 ]

HITOSHI at 20:53 [ any plans for tomorrow? It’s Saturday! And for once I actually have a weekend. ]

YOU at 20:53 [ no way same! I feel the same sometimes I end up working even in the weekend, luckily tomorrow I’m also free. Might see dynamite or something, that man is lonely as fuck sometimes. ]

HITSOHI at 20:54 [ great then! would you like to hang out we could go to a fancy restaurant or something. ]

YOU at 20:55 [ hmm? Are you trying to invite me out on a date? 😏 ]

HITOSHI at 20:56 [ I mean I did say I wanted to get to know you better so maybe a friendly date? ]

YOU at 20:57 [ sure, I don’t mind actually. Would you like at 4pm at xxx restaurant? ]

HITOSHI at 20:57 [ sounds good to me! ]

YOU at 20:58 [ alrighty, see ya. Good night. ]

HITOSHI at 20:58 [ good night to you too. ]

When the conversation ended you started kicking your feet on the bed as you got up from it. You took many screenshots of the text message between you and Hitoshi and sent them all to Bakugou.

After a few moments he replied back with.

KATS at 21:00 [ WHO TF YOU CALLING A CHILD IN A BIG BODY? ]

YOU at 21:01 [ you, who else katsuki? ]

KATS at 21:02 [ whatever, I thought we were hanging out tomorrow now that bastard is taking you out on a date? ]

YOU at 21:02 [ too bad, your bitch is gone. I might actually have a chance with a real man like shinsou ]

KATS at 21:03 [ babes, you’ve only known the man for a week. ]

YOU at 21:04 [ there are no rules for love, katsuki. You surely cannot relate. ]

KATS at 21:04 [ sure, good luck with your date. ]

YOU at 21:04 [ thanks, see ya on Monday. Unless I come to yours before and cry to you. Good night kats. ]

KATS at 21:05 [ night ]

The next day you woke up excited at 10 am.

You decided to have a little bit of me time before your date.

You took a bath as you watched Netflix and ate your breakfast, after, you used your most expensive body scrubs and washes that smelled like cherry blossoms.

After you got out you applied your most expensive moisturiser to calm your skin after the shower. After you had gotten out from the shower dressed in a white tshirt and shorts, you opened to laptop and began searching for outfit inspirations.

At 14:00pm you decided it was a good time to put your outfit together. You decided go got with a white fitted dress, along with a pair of white sneaks, to keep your outfit cute but also a little bit casual so it doesn’t seem too much.

As well as golden jewellery that covered your neck, fingers and ears. THE OUTFIT.

You did your hair and make up perfectly, you took some pictures and sent them to Katsuki before he soon called you.

“Hellooo.” You teased him as you pressed your phone to your ear. “Didn’t think you’d be able to pull off a look like that.” He joked.

“Funnnyy, what are you doing.” You asked, “chilling a little. Make sure not to be weird, and don’t drool.” He joked once again.

“Yeah I’ll keep that in mind, anything else, like do you have actual tips you can give me?” You asked.

“Uhh, be yourself but not too much of yourself if that makes sense, and be nice and try to be funny.” He said a little bit unsure.

“Alright thanks kats, wish me luck.” You said as you blew him a kiss and hanged up. You left your house at 15:30 and took a taxi to the restaurant.

You walked in and picked out a table yourself. Soon after he walked in and greeted you, you happily greeted him back.

Compliments were going across as well as questions like “how are you?” & “what’s new?”.

You had told him many stories about you and Bakugou and during your days in U.A, as well as you learned more about shinsou in general and about his childhood.

Flirty comments were also thrown here and there between chats which was really nice. At the end of the night Shinsou had offered you a ride but you thanked him no, as you wished him a good night and a see you on Monday.

When you arrived home you got a text from Shinsou that said, “good night L/n! The date was really fun, we should do this more often.”

You could feel your he at t drop at that. Before another message snapped you back to reality.

KATS at 22:30 [ how was your date? ]

YOU at 22:32 [ you’re so invested in this, arent you? 👀 ]

KATS at 22:32 [ fucking idiot, since you always jump to conclusions, why don’t you jump off a cliff too? ]

YOU at 22:33 [ ouch? that was so fucking far?? ]

KATS at 22:34 [ I was just checking up on your ugly ass. ]

YOU at 22:35 [ the date went extremely well, you have no idea! He even said he wanted to see me again! ]

KATS at 22:35 [ that’s great, huh. ]

YOU at 22:36 [ thank you katsuki, I appreciate your help. ]

KATS at 22:36 [ don’t worry about it princess, good night I’ll see you on Monday alright? ]

YOU at 22:37 [ sure, nightsss ]

On Monday after work, katsuki called you in to his office.

So you were now on your way there. You knocked the door before he told you to come in. To see him all changed from his hero costume to casual clothes.

“What do you what?” You asked a you sat on the sofa in his office.

“So check this out.” Katsuki said as he handed you his phone. It was DM he had received, username is. @gravityyura.

Your mind completely thought of your ex-classmate, ochaco uraraka.

The DM stated.

hii bakugou! long time no see, how are you doing? I’ve heard that your agency is doing really well! I just wanted to say that I really want to see you if that’s possible. text me back, love ocha x

“The fuck?” You said out loud, “exactly what I thought.” Bakugou chuckled. “Since when is she interested in you?” You asked as you tossed him back his phone.

“The fuck do I know I thought she was together with shitty deku.” Bakugou scoffed a little, you know about the little crush he had on Uraraka during his first in U.A, after she stood up again him in the sports festival.

“Actually, Mina told me that shit didn’t go well with them, so they broke up. Also her agency failed miserably, now she is in need of money:” you told him the blond as you crossed your legs.

“Gold fucking digger.” Bakugou cursed.

“I say. You replay to her, tell her if your interested or not.” You told him. “After all, it’s worth a shot and I don’t want you to be single for ever.” You laughed.

“Whatever princess, I’d rather be single than be with round cheeks.” He said as he began packing his stuff.

“You would never drop those names will you?” You asked already knowing the answer.

“Yes.” He said as he picked his black bag and headed down to the garage with you. He gave his secretaries a few nods before heading there by the elevator.

As the two of you sat in the car he once again asked, “mine or yours?”

“Yours actually.” You told him as the blond began driving.

“Alright.”

When you arrived at his house, you got a message.

You sat down on the couch as he began preparing some sort of snacks as you opened your phone.

Your eyes widened at the message.

HITOSHI at 19:04 [ hi L/N! I was wondering if it would be alright with you if I invited you over to my place after work tomorrow? ]

YOU at 19:10 [ hi shinsou! Yeah I don’t mind! ]

SHINSOU at 19:13 [ great see you! 😁]

You smiled a little bit before Bakugou came and sat down next to you.

“What’s this?” He asked, “shinsou invited me other to his house after work.” You said excitedly as you put down your phone.

“Dunno about that princess, doesn’t sound super safe to me. You’ve only known him for two weeks, you don’t know much about him.” He told you as he put a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“You worry too much, kats.” You brushed him off, “he’s good guy.” You assured him, “make sure to give me a call if shit really goes down.” He said as he turned on the tv.

You both heard Bakugou’s phone go off, before he picked it up, he opened his Instagram to see another dm from Uraraka.

left me on read :(, what kind of man are you?

“What the fuck do I reply to this shit?” He asked you as you took a look at the dm, “tell her that you were busy.”

hello, i was busy.

“Like this?” He asked as the boy pressed send.

“You’re so dry, and then tell her if you’re interested in a date or not, I say you go for a date it wouldn’t hurt.” You suggested, not really wanting to make him go on a date with her. You think it’s really selfish of you, but you don’t know why.

“Alright I’ll go for it.”

yes, i also want to see you. next week if it’s possible, Friday?

Moment of silence before Uraraka replied.

SURE! Friday at 7pm?

“Where do you wanna meet her?” You asked him as he began thinking. “Maybe x restaurant.” He said.

Meet me at x restaurant at 7pm, next Friday.

alright see you Baku!

“Ew can’t believe she just said Baku…” he started. “Oh shut it katsuki.”

“Katsuki is going on a daaaaateee! With his high school cruuuuush!” You teased.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP.”

[adelrambles]

Idk if you’ve ever fully answered this on your blog but: DO YOU THINK Bishop fully redeemed himself in the future? By becoming president and uniting all races? Or is he still 🗑️

Oh man no, I don't think Bishop's Good Guy act is all that genuine. I think there's some change, but at his base, beneath all the subterfuge, he's still the same guy. I may have gone over this on the blog before, but like ey what am I gonna just get handed this opportunity to ramble ad nauseum and not take it? NEVER

There are a few pieces of evidence we can read into regarding the faux-ness of Bishop's new persona. First and foremost, for me, is the two instances where he presents the turtles with his "origin story," so to speak. In each instance, he keeps the details vague, and is very hesitant to admit to any direct wrong-doing on his part. The first story is so vague on the details that it feels like he's trying to brush past the turtles' concerns as quickly as possible. The SECOND, though. Bishop consistently dances around going into any detail about what he did or why it was wrong. And he goes on to push all of the blame onto Stockman! I mean honestly, he says Stockman "took things too far." Like dude!! We already know nothing is "too far" for you! It's very suspect to me that the subsequent lab collapse could have been ALL Stockman's fault. Bishop also elevates his own accomplishments and takes full credit for the success of the PGA. Idk but there's something really insidious to me about how he presents the information to make himself look as good as possible-- and the way he's able to convince at least a few of his former enemies that he's trustworthy.

There are other little inconsistencies in his behavior, like him writing off the turtles' warnings about Sh'Okanabo. The Bishop I know is a paranoid freak, he would never in a million years brush off a lead on a possible threat without checking it at all. And if we assume that, then that suggests Bishop said as much to give the turtles the impression it wasn't something worth looking into, meaning he was probably trying to direct their attention away for some reason. All of this tells me (if we just. ignore the possibility of it being a writing flaw agdhgshd) that Bishop is still a very cold and calculating personality, fully willing to throw others to the wolves for his own purposes, but he is WAY better at manipulting, now.

I've said before that I find it likely Bishop's weakest point is his social skills; we see that his superior officers (i.e. the president) dislike him-- which, frankly, is a detriment to his cause as it put his funding in jeopardy at least once that we know of-- and everyone he meets tends to come away some level of discomfitted. So what FF presents us with is a Bishop who needed to improve these skills for the sake of his ultimate goal. If the safety of earth requires friendly relations with aliens, then he needed to become an ambassador, and if he needed to become an ambassador, then he needed to be less overtly unpleasant. Thus, he changed tack. As a result, we have someone who appears trustworthy and is very good at lying and directing your attention, but is just as utilitarian as ever under the mask. That's just his job, after all.

Other details include:

- His intro. We see Bishop personally taking time out to go through monitors all over the city. He apparently has a very thorough surveillance system that he reviews himself. Again, paranoid freak.

- When addressing the turtles, we sometimes see him slip back into snarkier comments. This usually happens when he's frustrated (snapping at them for not attacking the Mouser fast enough for his tastes,) or when he's not being obeyed (making a snide comment about Cody having nightmares when they refuse to exclude him from a mission briefing.)

- As my friend Trauma pointed out to me recently, when storming the moonbase Bishop's men had their guns defaulted to lethal force, he had to give the order to switch to non-lethal. He was fully ready to wipe that place out.

- His willingness to include the turtles and later Cody on missions strikes me as, yknow, very utilitarian in its own right. Cuz those are teenagers, yeah. It could be argued that Bishop can't tell how old the turtles are but he definitely knows Cody is young, and knows well enough that he shouldn't be in a combat situation. But in the finale he praises Cody's decision to defy him and fight anyway. So what changed? In essence, Cody was effective. Bishop is fine with child soldiers as long as they do a good job (and can't be publicly traced back to him.)

Also like did you see that car chase? He ran civilians off the road and did not give a FUCK. That's the same guy.

[littleshopofchaos]

You are a trustworthy sort of person, and have a lot of respect by several communities. As you live by the sea, it’s not uncommon for several seal coats to be left on your coat rack, with the quiet trust and knowledge the coat will be there when the owner returns in the evening

Thank you @lordkingsmith

This is slightly based off / inspired by the song Piano Man

The daughters of the sea used to tell me about the fishermen who would hunt endangered species when they're not supposed to.

I had only been a year at the coast when I witnessed it for myself. People would go hunting, and some would never return. Others would come back wounded. I often said it served them right. But it didn't sit right with me that I just sat idle and did nothing.

So I did what I had to. I brought a boat, I painted her, I made her into the best vessel anyone could ever want on these treacherous waters and I set out to save the endangered species that were being attacked, saving the Selkies, The Mermaids, The Sharks. You get the idea.

I'd be risking myself every day, every moment of every waking nightmare. I'd often be brought to shore by the daughters of the sea and their friends, who would guide my vessel home to shore.

"And what do they call you?" The daughters would ask each time I awoke.

"Justice. Jonathan Justice." I would say each time.

Over time, as word of what I was doing grew, more and more people began looking to help me, chasing off the bad guys and helping me roam the water on my vessel, looking out for anybody in need.

This went on for years. Each time they would ask for my name, and I'd reply the same.

This went on, people spreading the good word about what we were doing. Others trying to test their patience and piss me off.

The others who were on my good side, knew to leave their coats in the end. Because I'd look after them. It hurts when you hurt and you long for something more, like you've done all you can and its not enough.

I went to bars, I went searching. But still I found my way 'home', back to that house where my friends would leave their coats and go out for a smoke and go to see who else would need their help.

"Who is that man?" The others would ask on repeat, day in and day out.

"Jonathan Justice is a friend of mine" Was all they would ever say.

And one day when they got home and they took their coats, I found my true home was calling me: The sea.

The daughters of the sea welcomed me, and made me one of their own. All what I was just went away, and the heavy heart I had was slowly lifting.

I am free.

I am free.

[wwillywonka]

when you're writing heaven on their minds, what version of willy is in your mind? is it depp wonka or wilder wonka? I know for sure it's not chalamet wonka. or maybe the musical ones? borle or snook?

hi anon! thanks so much for the question!<3

i try to emulate this in heaven on their minds by the very fact that i include bits and pieces from all versions of canon, but my willy is very much an amalgamation of every willy. and when i say every, i mean every, which is why i reward myself (with the self-awareness of its pomposity) with the Wonka Expert title - because i don't consider just one willy wonka to be The willy wonka; they're all him and he cannot exist without every piece of himself.

in terms of physical appearance, i've shared my art of him on here (and on my instagram @/corduroycyborg), and those drawings are about as close as i can get to portraying how he looks in my mind: tall but too thin for his height, mid-length thick curly chocolate-coloured (ha!) hair that he straightens within an inch of its life, deep set electric purple eyes that can increase or decrease in saturation depending on his mood, nose like a rabbit's, perfect teeth and painted nails and gold jewellery and always a thick layer of makeup to hide his insecurities. i also go back and forth a lot in my head about his race considering i myself am mixed asian and pretty much project everything about myself on him. but i like to keep it ambiguous to make him an accessible character for all readers, an intentional choice that plays into the themes in hotm of him feeling like he isn't a person without the media and his fans telling him who he is. hotm (my) willy is definitely more based on 2005 because that is my favorite version (and because i am hopelessly, unfortunately attracted to twink johnny depp for no reason) but also because i feel like that movie does the best job of externalising his inner self through his appearance. wilder wonka is classic, of course, but i've always thought, even as a kid, that he just looks too damn nice, is too charismatic. wilder wonka, while definitely mad (the boat scene>>>), is just a big ol' teddy bear. his hair looks so soft, and the way he picks up charlie and twirls him around is so 🥺🥺🥺. gene wilder himself said that he wanted his wonka to look trustworthy so that he could focus on making his personality unpredictable, which i appreciate and think works well in the 1971 movie - but willy is supposed to be antisocial and scary and off-putting. it makes him so much more interesting to me. the original book describes him as bright and colorful, yes, but also as someone charlie immediately wants to unpack, to study, to understand. and the way wilder wonka doesn't even wear gloves...!! that's a hugely essential part of willy's character and his adversity to the outside world, and it just isn't present in what is typically considered the "best" version.

in chapter 7, i describe willy lounging in a oscar wilde-esque fashion, with a floral robe and lipstick and a french bob. i know this is technically me stretching the femininity of depp wonka perhaps a little too far, but it's my own special charm i've built around the character in the past many years of him being my favorite character of all time. perhaps it's just me being really bisexual and projecting my particular type and relationship with gender onto him; i accept that and own it. i will forcibly feminize my blorbos all i want and that is my right. now, to address gareth snook wonka. tbh the worst wonka look besides the unspeakable tom and jerry movie. THAT BEING SAID, uk tour willy is probably my favorite portrayal of the character ever. he's unpredictable, he's scary, and his attractiveness and charms are so unexpected but make so much sense in the most surprising ways - snook wonka is cunty, i'll say it. mix his personality with depp and that's MY willy!!!

and yeah, definitely no chalamet wonka. i literally don't think about him at all while writing the character unless i'm considering how noodle fits into the story. and i've said this before but i don't care for borle wonka even though i know he's a fan favorite. sorry lol.

TLDR: 93% depp, 6% snook, 4% dahl, and 2% wilder. ("but that's 105%!" yes.)

((p.s. the artist who appears most on the big unpublished playlist i have for him is lana del rey. if that helps paint a picture🎀🍫🐇🍒).

[lacunasbalustrade]

what are your general thoughts on queer(gay n trans n all) people? like you dont seem to be against gay ppl from what i can see but i also see that you've like never really openly said something pro or against trans ppl. sorry if its out of the blue im just curious esp seeing your pov as a religious person who has trans mutuals/follows n all bcuz i (unfortunately) know plenty of christians that know trans people but only tolerate them instead of accepting them (which usually means they misgender/deadname them)

hi! I'm happy to answer your question - it's a bit controversial, though, and a sensitive topic for everyone, so I do ask for your understanding if anything I say happens to offend you.

as a Christian, I believe in the stance the Bible puts forth: that BEING gay is not a life choice, it's an inclination that came forth due to the presence of sin in the world. the continuation, however, of this choice, is a sin.

To quote so no one thinks I'm speaking out of some random, bibically incorrect bigotry, Romans 1: 24 NIV "Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another." ,Romans 1: 26 "Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones." , Romans 1: 27 "In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error."

obviously my faith and beliefs should not be forced on unbelievers. I am not any holier than anyone else because I am straight. I am every bit as sinful because it's impossible to avoid committing sin.

so if I'm going to sum it up, it's best said as: none of my business because Who Am I to tell you how to live, right? you're my friends and 'preaching' isn't actually loving. the best form of loving others as a Christian is to accept them as a person before judging based on whatever life choices they've made or pronouns they call themselves. which brings me into the next part!

theologically, I have to admit I'M NOT VERY SURE about trans people. I genuinely cannot find many sources of literature on the topic. There are intersex people, there are people with gender dysphoria. The Bible doesn't talk much about those, enough to give any real objections anyway. To talk about my beliefs based off the context, if God made you as you are, you shouldn't be trying to change you...is the logic, but again, no reason to force biblical beliefs on unbelievers.

I do disapprove of the extent to which some trans people have taken this schtick. I've seen posts saying 'oh if kids can play soccer and do ballet which messes them up for life, they can also do trans surgeries!' I'm sorry. That just doesn't make sense. WHY would anyone want kids to have permission to do Very Risky Things when they are small enough to not know better or make informed choices? And I also know many posts say that 'common sense', kids aren't gonna do those things till they're old enough to feel like they need to do them....those posters need to remember the last time they regretted doing something as a child. Common sense can't be relied upon in my experience.

Plus, given the kidnapping laws in the U.S which basically allow children to be taken away from their parents if their parents disapprove...lol yeah now make a law where my child can be taken away from me if I'm not in the same fandom as them. It can be hurtful to receive dissent on your life choices, but that don't mean up and leaving is the solution, unless the living situation is physically dangerous in some way or you are an actual adult. Children are not trustworthy indicators of whether or not a parent is problematic. And I'm saying this having had problematic parents myself - sometimes we are part of the problem. And if it's difficult, you should still try not to give up on them.

This might be the most important part: I'm wondering whether the gender stereotypes placed on girls and boys are the markers trans people want to overcome. Because from what I've researched, there are two different camps. 1: people who admit that they are biologically whatever sex they were born, and just enjoy dressing like and passing for the other sex because it makes them more comfortable. 2: people who actually believe they are the other sex because they feel that way and they are only effectively realizing that change to their 'authentic' self by transitioning.

I don't believe in gender stereotyping. Like, girls wear skirts boys wear pants. Boys can't wear pink etc etc. So the concept of a trans woman thinking they are a woman because they enjoy the markers attached to being a woman, like, for example, having long hair and wearing skirts, makes me really uncomfortable. Because that's not the whole experience of being a woman. It's only a small part of it, and it's not universal at all. And while no one can claim that ALL woman have experienced a certain set of conditions that make them woman...the only standard for BEING a woman, in my book, is to be a biological one, because it's the only defining trait. When people think of girls, I don't want them to automatically think of girls with skirts and wearing pink. I want them to acknowledge that all girls are different, and the only thing that makes them girls is the gender marker, not their conformance to 'gender norms' that have arisen from societal conditioning.

The idea that someone's feelings can be 'authentically accurate' makes me feel even more....nah. Feelings are valid but if I trusted mine all the time, I'd definitely be all over the place.

To sum it up: no problems with the trans behavior because I'm not into forcing biblical perspectives on y'all. But I definitely have a problem with the idealogy and the legislature.

dead name, misgendering wise...I believe people should be called whatever they want to be called unless it makes the other person uncomfortable. In which case the other person should just stop interacting with them since they're so uncomfortable. (E.g you want me to call you Baby Chicken. For some reason I have a problem with it. Maybe I have a strong fear of chickens.)

Basically I respect your life choices. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk haha.

[zelda-without-a-licence-plate]

I. CANT BELIEVE. I FORGOT TO POST DARUNIAS FINISHED REDESIGN ON HERE. I DONT SEE IT ON THE BLOG ALREADY SO I MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN...... AUGH....

ANYWAYS sob here is Darunia's official redesign for the OOT rewrite full notes and thought process below the cut:

All my goron designs involve giving them less cartoonish and caricature-like features and proportions, so of course that was the first thing I tackled here. I made him very square-and-solid looking. I wanted him to have an appearance that read both as very dignified and also very personable. One should be able to tell at a glance that he is someone who commands a great deal of respect and is worthy of that respect, while also being approachable and trustworthy. Simultaneously larger than life and down to earth. His expression is stern, but with an undertone of warmth. In the original game, Darunia seemed to me like a character who wasn't really meant to be taken seriously, but for our version we want to give the opposite impression. When Darunia speaks, you will listen. I intend for him to be a character that commands respect both from the other characters around him and from the audience as well.

Aside from that, his defining characteristics remain, especially his beard and hair which are what make his silhouette most easily distinguishable. Rather than changing very much I mostly just added more, like his accessories, clothes and tattoos. Many people in the past have pointed out that the gorons, in oot especially, have many elements that appear to be based off various cultures from across the African continent, but again, especially in oot, that was done rather insensitively. So I also decided to look to the west African region in particular for some inspiration for my Darunia redesign. I ended up using mostly references from Ghana after searching through a few different sources, and the traditional clothing there influenced how I dressed Darunia, like with the brightly coloured and patterned cloth of his waist-wrap thing and his sandals-- which from now on I have decided to draw all gorons wearing sandals. The cloth Darunia wears is not fully patterned like those from Ghana since I played around with a few different patterns before settling on this, but in the future I may try drawing something more 1-1.

His tattoos are also based off the Adinkra symbols. Researching the Adinkra symbols was very exciting and interesting for me, and there were many that were perfectly suited for the things I had planned. I didn't want to just copy them directly, so I made slightly altered versions of some of the symbols with their original meanings. My hope is that anyone familiar with the Adinkra symbols would easily recognize them as the source, and be able to tell which fantasy versions are derived from which real ones, with or without the meaning listed alongside it. The ones I referenced for Darunia specifically were the Dwennimmen, meaning humility and strength, the Akoben meaning vigilance and wariness-- which is depicted on his necklace-- the Nkonsonkonson meaning unity, or brotherhood, and the Aya meaning endurance and resourcefulness. The anvil symbol, the one representing Temna/creation/ingenuity, is one I invented imitating the existing symbols' style. I chose these for their meanings, which I feel represent Darunia's character well, and seem like the kinds of things he would value and choose for himself to wear.

The red tattoo sleeve framing the goron ruby is meant to represent streams of lava flowing down the mountainside. This one single element gave me more grief than any other part of the redesign, I went though so many drafts of just that one tattoo and it was what caused this redesign to take so long! Though now that I have emerged victorious from the bloodstained battlefield (clip studio paint), I am very pleased with the final result!

Also, you may notice that the ring on his left thumb looks remarkably like the game's power bracelet. That's because it is the power bracelet! If you'd like, you can wait until we reach that part of the fic to learn what the deal is there, or if you're feeling impatient and don't mind some light spoilers, you can read Darunia's character profile for our rewrite here on world anvil, which is one of the few I've actually completed lol

[parasiticghostwasps]

Some thoughts on the characters in Touchstarved, based on the demo. Spoilers for the demo and I’ll be bringing up spoilers from other promo material that aren’t in the demo as well

Just gonna go in order of introduction here

Kuras

I don’t really have much of a read on him yet. He definitely comes off as the most likable and trustworthy of the love interests so far

I want to get past his seemingly unshakeable demeanor and see his flaws and learn his tragic backstory

The fact that his first line is “do not be afraid” is great, though. Fun foreshadowing to him being an angel

Also him cheating the person from the Senobium when you follow him out of the bar is fun

Leander

I don’t have much to say about him. He’s cute, but the one who intrigued me the least

I did notice that he’s the only one whose silhouette in the background of the promo posts is the same silhouette as his sprite lol. He’s being set up as the most human romance option

What Vere says about the Bloodhounds and the Senobium being the same caught my attention. I would love to see his good intentions take a dark turn, even if it’s just in the Bloodhounds harboring a corruption that wasn’t what he meant them to be

Vere

Not kidding about being good at killing. I think he’s the only one who can kill you in the demo

He’s a foxboy and I was pleasantly surprised that he’s not especially feral or animalistic. He’s more of a vampiric sensibility, a cunning predator who lures you in with roguish charm and plays with you before going in for the kill

The looming shadow before you see him. The way he steals your key. The part where he references the backstory you chose that you definitely did not tell him. Whatever makes you want to surrender to him. Maybe not all of these will be related to supernatural powers he has, but he clearly has powers that aren’t explained in the demo

I like the sense of kinship he seems to have with the protag upon finding out that they aren’t a normal human. The way he talks about the two of them being the same sort of thing. That’s juicy, I wanna see that develop into a greater and greater affection

I was not interested in him before the demo and he’s totally won me over. I’m scared of his power, sympathetic to his bondage, and I wanna know his deal. Definitely the character I’m most eager to learn more about

Ais

The first time through the demo, he kinda convinced me he was secretly a cool guy. The second time through the demo, I payed more attention to the ways he’s violent and controlling

I am inclined to believe he wants to be a good guy. But he’s clearly powerful and likes being powerful and has some fun abusing his power. That’s dangerous. That scares me more than Vere, tbh

I have no idea what to make of his brief mention of a presence in his head, but I’m intrigued. Is it because of the seaspring? Is it what stopped him from losing his mind to the seaspring? Something else entirely?

I’ve been pronouncing his name “aye-ees.” Since the Kickstarter got enough money for VAs, there’s a chance that this will be canonically the wrong pronunciation and I’ll be disappointed UPDATE: I was pronouncing his name wrong, but it’s fine. Glad to know sooner rather than later when I’m already stuck in my ways

I hope protag can have tentacle sex with him

Mhin

The other promo materials seem to suggest they’re some sort of were-crow and they’re so adamant about pushing people away because they don’t want to hurt people when they become a monster and lose control

I like the commonality of them and the protag both being outsiders and that they seem to also have come to rid themself of a curse that makes them dangerous to other people

The part where Kuras escorts you to the bar and Mhin follows you two, even though they were talking like they wanted nothing to do with you….. they come off as real lonely and tsundere

I am incredibly weak to characters who self-isolate despite wanting connection. So naturally, I love them