#and also wanted to develop their dynamic somewhat

[jerseybuck]

'cause there's something about us anyway

[theatricalmage]

The brainrot took over and so here's a vat7k hadestown au!! Don't know if I'll develop it fully but I liked designing it at least!

More info under the cut:

- Varian, the Coronan royal alchemist, tasks himself with deciphering an incantation capable of bringing the world back into tune. Times are tough, and the royal family + Quirin are doing their best to cope with the meagre crop yields and desolate weather (Corona not really being the sunshine kingdom - hasn't been for a while). He wants to help and do good and I think he'd be a good Orpheus.

- Hugo, having moved about from place to place, still has his interest in alchemy and does what he can to get by. He plans on temporarily staying in Corona before looting, but he encounters a certain like-minded scientist at the Snuggly Duckling. I think him being selfish works especially well in Eurydice's role, having a more pessimistic view of the world. It also works with how he gets drawn to Donella's offer of working for her later on, leading him to his death.

- Ulla as Persephone! I was initially stuck on whether to have Rapunzel (and either Eugene/Cass) as her (and Hades) but I was drawn to the connection that Hugo has to Donella and the Donella/Ulla relationship in vat7k just works too well. In this case, Ulla won't be Varian's mother. She's still gonna be somewhat of an inspiration to him though, being the previous Coronan royal alchemist and for her intelligence. For half the year, she'll return to Corona with food, drinks, and alchemical compounds/inventions, bringing Spring and Summer to the world, if only for a bit.

- Donella would be such an interesting Hades, losing sight of her love for Ulla, heart filled with fear and hurt, leading to bitterness and cruelty. Ingvarr being Hadestown and how by being the esteemed Ingvarrian engineer, she'd be in charge of major technological advances across the kingdoms and so would wield a significant amount of power (like how Hades is literally the ruler of the underworld). Ingvarr essentially being a near death sentence for its workers while also displaying its technological prowess, all still shrouded in mystery and corruption - a place so otherworldly compared to the rest of the kingdoms.

I didn't want to modify the outfits too much nor the personalities,, if anything I imagine the general plot beats being the same as the original musical/story but with slight differences that'd you get inherently as a result of these characters. I wouldn't want it to be the case where it's just the show but the names are changed. I'd want this to still make reasonable sense in this AU, with the actions being understandable for this particular cast of characters.

For Hermes, I ended up picking Xavier, as he's most knowledgeable of old legends and stories, which would work in reference to the Hades and Persephone myth (and so Donella and Ulla)! He'd act as a mentor figure for V, someone who can guide him in uncovering the forgotten incantation. Quirin would still be the good supportive dad he is (even if he doesn't fully understand his son's project).

Last but not least, the fates!! often lurking in the background, I'm still a bit stuck on who it could be? I'm tempted to have it be Raps, Cass, and Nuru as they've had celestial connections at some point (and ya know how stars can represent fate), but I also love the freckled siblings dynamic so much. Also Team Radical... Maybe Raps and Cass can be their normal selves but their Sundrop/Moonstone counterparts are the manifested physical forms of the fates? They wouldn't be visible to the characters though, just voices in the wind.

Anyways yeah!! Those are my thoughts. Do let me know if you've got any cool ideas or questions. I'm really combining my interests at full force and there's nothing anyone, not even myself, can do about it quite frankly. 😮‍💨

[cupcakeinat0r]

A Nerdy Middle-aged loser Miguel with a dad bod who teaches your genetics class

In celebration of 1k followers, I give you Pt.5 <3

Enjoy! - Cupcake

Since that day you kissed Miguel on the cheek, the dynamic of y’all’s relationship had totally changed, but not drastically. Miguel was back to acting soft towards you, greeting you upon your somewhat late arrivals, getting you little gifts that reminded him of you, and the subtle exchange of glances in class.

Professor O’Hara was a little handsy during your tutoring sessions before, but now he was even more so, your little peck on his cheek was all the encouragement he needed. For sure, his job was on the line since anyone could’ve walked in and seen the two of you like this, but it was worth the risk. Just as long as you both acted this way in his office, the coast was clear.

The head messages had doubled, footsies was played underneath his desk, and he’d even find any excuse to have his hand on yours while you both worked independently, sitting in peaceful silence with each other. You found it hard to complete the research questions when his thumb kept caressing your knuckles, yet, you never protested. His flirt game was rusty, his advances limited to innocent touching and praise, but nonetheless, it was adorable to you the way he tried.

After that day in his office, tutoring sessions became less about tutoring and more just about being in each other’s company. Instead of spending an hour practicing formulas, you both would mingle while organizing the lecture hall or filing research papers. Anything to help Prof. O’Hara, or rather Miguel, since y’all are officially on a first-name basis.

A new development was when you started staying after to help him grade papers. The two of you would use this time to talk one-on-one more, no one there to interrupt. Miguel was just as handsy during this time, too. As mentioned before, he’d find any excuse to touch you, and in the most innocent ways. For example, if he saw a strand of your hair falling on your face while you were grading a paper, he’d simply tuck it behind your ear for you, or when the necklace he got you was crooked or facing the wrong side, he’d gently fix it for you while you spoke to him about one of your current interests, following along with low hums and ‘mhm’s. It’d make you blush and stutter mid-sentence, inflating his otherwise small ego.

Miguel wasn’t a very vocal person, you knew that, but you can see by his actions that he really really liked you. You continued to show your appreciation by leaving treats on his desk, keeping note that his favorite was black coffee and a quesito from the bakery he showed you on campus. A pastry not too sweet, and goes perfectly with a cup of cafécito.

But you were just too sweet and Miguel completely fell for it. He saw how eager you were to help other people in the class, and seeing how willing you were to stay with him to help him with anything you could. He admired that. It also confused him for so long because how has no one swept you off your feet? You were literally perfect? Certainly, people have tried, there’s no way he would believe that no one has. It’s apparent now that the both of you share feelings that are beyond platonic, it’s just a matter of time before someone makes the next move. Given the circumstances, for now, Miguel is taking things microscopically slow with you. He doesn’t wanna scare you off. The last thing he wants is to ruin his chance with you.

His feelings for you were growing, which slightly terrified him given that you are still, in fact, his student, no matter how grown you were. He couldn’t help it. His dreams about you were turning less lustful and more wholesome. When he sleeps, he would see himself coming home to you, cooking with you, reading books next to each other, or even cleaning with you. Just mundane day-to-day tasks, only they’re with you. Maybe for now, they’ll just stay in his dreams. Maybe.

<3

The lecture had just finished and you sent your new best friend, the transfer, away with a European farewell, kissing both of his cheeks. Without you knowing, Miguel watches on with an unamused smirk, remembering how he mistook your relationship with the transfer as a romantic one.

Before leaving the lecture hall, you strut towards Miguel to give him your now-routinely kiss goodbye (on the cheek, of course…). As you walk, you see that he’s crouched over his computer, tired eyes glossing over the screen. The fatigue of finals season is beginning to show on him, and it was a pitiful sight that made you purse your lips. Although it made you sad, you couldn’t help but let a small puff of air out your nose with how his glasses sat low on his nose. He never bothered to fix them, so you were the one who’d fix them oftentimes, and every time, he’d give you a small, “gracias, mama.”

You set down your bag, the thud of it hitting the floor finally stealing Miguel’s attention away from the blue-lit screen. He looks you up and down over his lenses, the small, fine lines of his face showing his age and you loved ittt.

“Sweetheart, as much as I love it when you stay and help, I’d be happier knowing you’re at home getting the rest you deserve.” He softly speaks, this version of himself that is so different from the one he presents in front of his class and colleagues.

“You worry too much, Miguel.” You plant yourself next to his chair, leaning down to get a better look at what on the computer has him so worked up. “Jesus, Miguel, no wonder you look sick.” You scroll through what seems like an endless list of students who signed up for office hours. With the amount that registered, Miguel would have to work even outside of his office hours.

From Miguel’s seated position, he has first-class access to your sweet perfume and a million-dollar view of your neck and chest, his mind wandering for a moment.

“Are you listening to me? This is ridiculous, there’s no way you’re cramming this amount of students… is there not another professor who could tutor as well?” the small raise of your voice is enough to bring his attention upward, not that that was any better of a view. Now, he was just looking at your lips, and how your lip plump makes them looks deliciously kissable. He imagined how’d they’d look if they were-

“Miguel O’Hara!” He blinks once or twice, gaining consciousness again, “Excuse me, uh, yeah, no, I’m the only one who can. For this class, I mean.” He rubs one of his eyes, letting out a sigh as he looks at the heavily packed schedule displayed on his desktop. “Anyways, it’s my responsibility. This was in the job description, so I gotta do what I gotta do.”

You roll your eyes in annoyance, hands on your hips, “Okay, but that doesn’t mean compromising your own health. There are healthy and efficient ways of doing your job, Mig.”

There’s that nickname he loved. He melted every time you used it, the familiarity of y’all’s relationship shining through the most when you did. He especially loved it when you were upset. He thought it was cute.

“Let me tutor some.” This snaps Miguel back to Earth, but this time, he’s in disbelief. “You’d tutor other students?” This was a rhetorical question, of course, he knew you were serious. He knew how big your heart was. He guessed he was just in disbelief because, once again, he was beguiled by the existence of a literal angel sent to Earth. He can’t believe he’s been blessed by your presence and friendship (?). You were so kind, so intelligent, so put-together, extremely gorgeous… you were utterly perfect.

“If splitting the work meant you got some sort of rest around here, then of course I would! Mig…” You grab the nearest chair and pull it to sit next to him, placing a hand on top of his. His hand relaxes under your touch, “You’ll work yourself to death like this.” You send a warmth onto his hand and up his arm you rub circles on his knuckles, the same way he does it to you.

“You’ve done so much for me, Miguel. Let me repay you, please? Please let me do this?” You bat your eyes, Miguel’s kryptonite.

Miguel turns his hand to intertwine his fingers with yours, seeing the genuinity in your eyes. He gives it a small squeeze before saying, “What did I do to deserve you, hm?” it comes out just above a whisper.

“Plenty, Miguel. You’re the hardest working man I’ve ever met,” you cock your head to the side, your eyes tracing the muscles of his broad shoulders, counting in your head all the possible knots buried deep in there,” Here, sit back, please.” You say sweetly, standing back up to travel to the back of his seat.

“What’re you up to?” His eyebrows raised, but he eased again when he felt your small hands massaging the crooks of his neck. “Sshhhh, just relax, Mig. It’s ok.”

He furrows his brows feeling the scrumptious pain of knots unfurling and tension melting away, your soft hands kneading his back muscles like readied sour dough. You know you hit a good spot when he accidentally lets out small groans. You’re doing so good that it takes every thing in him to hold back any embarrassing moaning. You can see his fits clench around the arms of his chair. His breath shakes from the sudden touch, but it’s not in protest; just surprise. Astonished that the woman he dreamed of every night was currently giving him a message.

You can see his literal jaw unclench, happy to see him so relaxed. “Feel good?” You whisper in a sugary tone, Miguel nodding with his lips parted. He lets out a small noise of approval, urging you to keep going. With his eyes closed, you were able to closely examine all the sharp features that make up his beautiful, sculpted face. He was simply gorgeous. Slowly, his hands relax, signifying that he’s becoming comfortable with this, welcoming your soothing touch.

“S’good, mama… s’good…” he speaks under his breath as you knead out the stubborn knots on the stiff tissue of neck. Once you feel like you’ve ridden all the points of tension there, you slowly work your toward his clavicle. He lets you unbutton the first three buttons of his polo sweater. With your whole hands, you apply pressure there, offering weighted comfort to the area. He takes a deep breath and exhales with an open mouth, as if releasing all the tension and stress.

Then you rub up and down slowly, the sensation of his chest hair tempting you to venture deeper down his thick torso. Due to the immense relaxation, Miguel’s head begins to fall back onto your stomach, so you step closer to give him extra support.

He hums when he feels both of your hands cup his face. You then remove his glasses so you can work on his temples. His eyes are still closed, but you can see his lips slightly curl, which makes you smile. You wonder what he’s thinking about as you give his scalp a good rake.

Miguel is currently thinking about where he should get down on one knee for you. He’s thinking about what color you’d possibly want the cabinets to be in your shared home. He’s thinking about if y’all’s child will be as nerdy as him or as fashionable as you. Either way, he’d be the happiest man in the world. He’s on cloud nine as far as he’s concerned. He couldn’t remember the last time he relaxed like this. This train of thought is stopped by the sensation of your lips on his forehead. His heart stops as well.

Then he feels the soft smack of your lips on his left cheek, then his right, leaving behind a trail of lip gloss prints. Anticipating a potential fourth kiss somewhere specific, he slowly opens his eyes, your face inches from his. His head leans all the way back, resting against your stomach still.

It’s silent between the two of you. You lock eyes, completely drowning in the other's gaze. No words were exchanged, but there didn’t need to be.

Seeing no other action fit for this perfect moment, Miguel raises his hand above him to cup your face, caressing your cheek with his thumb. You inch down closer, your heart racing. His is, too. His thumb itches to move, brushing along your bottom lip softly.

In what would be considered “Spider-Man” style, you both share a kiss, so sweet, so tender, and so innocent. The perfect first kiss. After a few mind blowing seconds, you’re the first to pull away, but not wanting to stop just yet, Miguel crashes you back into his lips by adding his other hand to your head, extending the moment just a bit longer. You weren’t complaining, though, you’d stay here forever if you could.

Feeling your knees getting weak, you shift all your weight onto Miguel, your hands traveling from the sides of his face back down to his pecs underneath his sweater, his chest in a slow rise and fall rhythm. To deepen the kiss even more, Miguel's hands wrap around the back of your neck. You both come up for air for just a mere second, Miguel breathlessly letting out a weak, “Please.”

knowing what he meant, you smile, going back down again but this time, open-mouthed. Miguel groans into your mouth with the feeling of his tongue on yours, practically treating it like his lollipop. The kiss becomes hungrier with a nibble on your lip by Miguel, pulling on it while you get some needed air. It’s getting sloppy now, and your hands travel lower, meeting the softness of his belly. His breath hitches when he feels them there, half-expecting you to be revolted in any way, but your hands just sit there. In fact, you start messaging there as well, giving love to his whole body. The feeling of the softness of his body in your hands grants a small moan, loving every piece of him. Your hands drag up and down his whole torso with each wet collision of your lips. Your hands would go as low as the pudge sitting above his belt, all the way to up his knife-like jawline, and back down again, and repeat. It’s like you wanted him to know you worshipped his body, and Miguel wanted to show some in return.

Using his hands on the back of your head, he tapped you to pull away so that he could take your hand and guide you around his chair, pulling you to straddle his lap. “C’mere…”

Tongues are going down throats, moans are being heard, and hands are becoming desperate. The fingers tugging his hair, his hands squeezing the globes of your ass, him desperately lifting his hips to make some friction. It was like horny college kids fucking for the first time…. or at least maybe one of y’all felt that way. The other was just that. A horny college student.

There was no stopping either of you, except maybe for the knocking at the lecture hall door.

Both your heads snapped toward the thankfully semi-transparent, iced door. You scramble to get off Miguel’s lap, Miguel wiping your lip gloss off his face. You go to button his sweater and fix his hair as he calls out, “Just a moment.” You give him his glasses when you hear the voice of the student speaking about a tutoring session with Miguel through the door.

Miguel thinks he’ll go to the door, but he feels you grab his hand. “Hey,” you pull him in for one last peck, “I’ll take this one, mkay?” You smile up at him, a very dazed Miguel looking back at you. As far as he’s concerned, he’s floating right now.

“Anyways, it seems like someone,” you look down, motioning to the prominent bulge in his pants, “needs a moment to calm down.” You chuckle, practically gliding to the door as Miguel looks down at his excitement, wide-eyed and making his own way into his private office to… read about DNA Polymerase Replacement or something.

Want more Dadbod!Miguel? Here's my mastlist, bae!

A/n: I just wanted to thank you guys for 1k followers as well as all the appreciation on this lil story of mine<3 y’all so sweet n cewt, and it’s so much fun writing this fic n just writing in general! Ty for letting my creative juices fuel ur delulu <3 I also hope that this hot, wet, fat kiss made up for all the edging I’ve done, if not, sorry <3 Next chapter tho………….. but chu gotta stay tuned, yall hear meeeeee????

<3 Tags <3

@safixiovi @mukeovernetflix @mochikisses @miguels-cock-piercings @miranexx @bunnibitez @deepdiveintothedeephive @faretheeoscar @sillygardeneggperson  @librababe99 @sariespi @little-lovelace @monstersimp @oharasfilipinawife @obi-mom-kenobi @hyjionie @maomaimao @pomakori @rxckstarss @mochimoqa @princesatracionera @queerponcho @walmaerts @froggygal @yaysposts @koko-1025 @kikaaauu @lauraolar14 @anotherprettyprincess @kaidxra @farrowroyale @pigeonmama @exactlyyoungchaos @fayeofthenightingale @s4dow  @hartsucks @amberbalcom14 @wait2nourh @tatooieve @helen-j-magnus @ce3stvu @mintssanctuary @migueloharasoulmate @veyveys @theanbitchless @nebulositycloud @jh7ley @gothicteddybearhugs

[daymarenightdream1]

❝𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗰:)❞

𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤: angst but it turns fluffy :D character death (reader’s husband)

ℙ𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤: Satoru x reader. Friend!Suguru and Friend!Shoko

𝕊𝕦𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕪: modern au. Satoru was too afraid to confess to you. You never found the strength to confess either. You lost contact, but a class reunion might repair what was lost.

𝕎𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕔𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕥: 5.6k (I actually don’t know how I managed to write this much o:)

𝔸𝕦𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕣’𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥��: I don’t know how i feel about this one… There are parts that I like but idk… This was also meant to be a drabble but then I kept having ideas so it might be all over the place…. Argh give me pointers if you see any issues with it <3 hope you enjoy it anyway! (not proofread)

You sipped at your bitter coffee, side eyeing the letter that had been mocking you for a few days now.

                  ’10 Year Class Reunion’

They’d planned some silly dance at some five-star hotel to “reunite with old friends under starlight”, in their words. To be frank, the event itself sounded wonderful, but you were hesitant to attend. The thought of seeing your high school friends (and enemies) filled you with dread. Had it been at any other time in your life, you might have been ecstatic to receive such an invite, but following the death of your husband, just a year prior… You were hesitant to see anyone ever again.

There was one person you wanted to avoid, in particular. Your old best friend, Satoru Gojo.

The two of you had been “best friends” ever since that day in your childhood, when he’d pushed you straight into a muddy puddle on the first day of school. You’d sat back, wailing and drenched in cold, brown water as the little boy with a mop of white hair cackled beside you.

(From the moment he saw you, Satoru had immediately been drawn to you. He had quickly noticed your sweet smile, the pink-and-blue bobbles in your pigtails, the little SpongeBob SquarePants lunch box you took everywhere, and had the breath in his lungs knocked right out by an instantaneous rush of emotion. Being so young, he hadn’t known how to deal with such big feelings or what they even were, and decided the best route of action was to bully you, hence your accident with the muddy puddle. Not that you had ever seen it in that way, being somewhat oblivious to how strongly Satoru felt towards you.)

Over the years, Satoru’s behaviour transformed into a sweeter form of torment, and the two of you settled into a comfortable friendship, spending hours together. As teenagers, Satoru and Suguru often visited you after school days. Satoru would lounge on your living room sofa, long legs thrown over the back and head against the cushion as he teased you, which often led to you throwing whatever was in arms reach at him.

Suguru would sit politely on an armchair, answering your sporadic questions on homework, and keenly observed the dynamic developing between Satoru and you. The longing stares when the other wasn’t looking, the way that Satoru would always find a way to be nearby you, the way you’d always find a way to touch him, no matter how briefly…

Suguru found Shoko in between their classes one day, groaning in frustration. “Shoko, Shoko, it happened again,”

Shoko shut her locker with vigour. “No… What now?”

Suguru gently banged his head against the adjacent locker. “Y/n asked him what he likes in a girl, and he basically described her,”

“Oh my god, that’s great!” Shoko smiled and bounced on her feet, hoping Suguru would tell her they finally opened up to each other.

“No, no, it’s the opposite of great,”

“What happened?”

“She started freaking out, and said that it sounded like he described her, and he turns around and goes, ‘oh, god no, no, not you, you’re like my little sister’.” Suguru groaned as he leaned his arms against the locker.

Shoko groaned, placing a palm over her forehead. “That boy is so stupid sometimes…”

On prom night, in your last year of high school, when a woozy and cliché song begun to play, the type meant for slow dancing, Satoru had asked you to dance. He’d finally plucked up the courage to do something, and (after a long pep talk with Suguru) was determined to confess to you.

Giddy with excitement, you had accepted his offer to dance and let him lead you up onto the dancefloor, where you swayed with him softly.

“Y/n?” He’d said in a low tone, looking at you like there had been no one else in the sparsely decorated school hall, lights dimming and smoothly shifting colours.

“Yeah?” You’d breathed.

“Can I… Can I kiss you?”

You kept quiet, turning a bright shade of red which you hoped would be hidden by the dim lighting.

“Sure,” you whispered, feeling like your chest was on the verge of exploding. Did this mean… He liked you? The way you liked him? You felt your pulse in your neck as you smiled shyly.

Satoru had finally leaned in, hands sweating, heart threatening to burst out of his chest, and pressed his lips to yours. It was a soft and slow kiss, a gentle admission of warmth.

(Suguru and Shoko had been staring from the walls, slack-jawed and exchanging looks of total shock.)

You pulled away after a moment, opening your eyes to see Gojo’s face split into a full-faced grin.

Another shy smile spread across your face, warmth and disbelief bubbling up into your chest. You felt as though you were floating. “What was that for?” you asked quietly, happily.

Satoru placed his hand on your cheek, brushing his thumb back and forth over your lower lip. “Oh, nothing, nothing at all…” His grin softened into a gentle smile, his head tilting as his eyes sheened. A subtle blush dusted over his cheeks. “Just… been wanting to do that for ages.”

“Satoru, I-” But you didn’t have the chance to say those three little words as the DJ switched from the slow song into a pop song meant for rowdy dancing. Satoru’s basketball buddies swarmed him, slapping his shoulder and suddenly whisked him away. You giggled and waved him off as he turned back to you with an apologetic look. “I’ll come find you after this song!” He’d shouted.

You slunk off, finding Shoko and Suguru.

“I can’t believe it finally happened.” Shoko said as you leaned against the wall next to her.

“We were beginning to think it never would,” Suguru added, shell-shocked, staring onto the dancefloor in a state of abject disbelief.

“I still can’t quite believe that just happened.” You murmured.

Then you all started college, and Satoru got a girlfriend.

Not just any girlfriend either, a famous model from a wealthy family. She was all legs and pristine clothes and natural beauty, and to top it all off, she was an angel. She always spoke kindly to everyone she met and volunteered at food banks and how on earth were you meant to compare? You spent many days crying in Shoko’s dorm room, lamenting over this fact.

You spent months pining over Satoru, keeping your true feelings hidden whenever you met him for a study session or coffee. Satoru was tall, handsome, and popular, and you were just… The annoying childhood friend he’d kissed one time. Not much to look at, not much keeping you together other than the fact you’d been friends for so long. Why on earth would he choose you over her? Even if, once, he had smiled at you like everything had been right in the world, for just a moment… What if he had just wanted to kiss you? And that was it? Nothing more, nothing less? You were too afraid to tell him what you really truly felt.

 If only you’d known he had felt the same way towards you. But he had stupidly convinced himself that you just didn’t like him the same way and he didn’t want to throw a wrench in your life with his own feelings.

A kiss was just a kiss. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sure, you’d looked so happy after, but… That didn’t mean you wanted more than friendship, didn’t mean you wanted to be with him and all the baggage he brought along. So, he tried to move on, move past you, and it wasn’t that he didn’t love his girlfriend, but she wasn’t you.

And when you got a boyfriend, it felt as though the final nail in the coffin had been hammered in. He’d shown up to Suguru’s dorm room in the middle of the night after he found out about your new relationship, heavily intoxicated and swaying as he slammed his fist against Suguru’s door.

“Suguru, Suguru, help,” he’d slurred, “I’m dying.”

Suguru wrenched his door open, stilling upon seeing the pathetic mess of his best friend. “You’re drunk.”

Satoru leaned against Suguru, gripping his shirt as he started to sink to his knees. “I’m dying, bro, s’over for me,”

Suguru pulled Satoru into his room, grumbling all the while. “What on earth are you talking about?” He sat him on his narrow bed, Satoru immediately flopping onto his back and laying an arm across his eyes in misery. “What happened?” Suguru questioned worriedly, arms crossed.

“She’s got a man, and s’not me,” Satoru wailed.

Suguru sighed.

“I can’t bear it, seeing her with another man,” Satoru said defeatedly.

“You need to tell her, man. This is beyond pathetic.” Suguru responded.

“My poor heart!” Satoru flailed his arms over his head, then brought his hands to his face, his voice muffled as he spoke through his fingers. “The Satoru Gojo’s heart is breaking!~”

Satoru had finally dredged up the courage to talk to you on graduation day. He clutched his heart as he saw you in your graduation robes and a stunning form-fitting red dress. His eyes had widened, and he had stilled, shocked into paralysis by your incandescent beauty.

You were everything to him.

He felt the words ‘I love you’ bubble up into his chest as he approached you, the years of repression fading away as the anticipation of finally, finally telling you everything urging him forward, urging him to go faster, faster…

And he truly had intended to talk to you, tell you everything.

But then your boyfriend wrapped an arm around your shoulders, and you giddily smiled at him the way you used to smile at Satoru.

Satoru slowed, and slowed, feet dragging, and finally came to a stop.

He swivelled on the spot, and left, not bothering to even congratulate you on graduating as his heart cracked and splintered and shattered.

You’d searched the crowd for hours for Satoru that day, never finding him.

For years after, you’d often wondered what could have been had you just confessed to Satoru. You still kept in touch with Suguru and Shoko, and they’d update you infrequently on his well-being. The low point came when Suguru informed you that he’d gotten married to the model. You’d spent that night looking at pictures from high school and your heart would sink when you saw pictures of the two of you together.

You had married your boyfriend a few years after leaving college and were perfectly happy in the relationship. You loved your husband. This was a mantra you would often repeat to yourself.

It wasn’t that you didn’t love your husband.

But you had loved Satoru for so long, that even a small reminder of him would set off a flurry of what if’s and could have been’s. You even started to resent Satoru a little, resent his stupid, stupid, beautiful face. Why had you ever felt any shred of affection towards him?

But you knew exactly why.

Why hadn’t you ever dredged up the courage to tell him? You found yourself wanting to call him, sometimes, missing that old and comfortable friendship. But whenever you sat in your kitchen in the middle of the night, staring at the pictures of him with a glass of wine in one hand, wondering if you should ask Suguru for his phone number, you’d start to feel sick with guilt. Here you were, with a wonderful and loving husband who doted on you, still hung up on a boy who had never showed any inkling of romantic interest in you.

Sure, there had been moments where you’d thought maybe, just maybe, there was something there, like the prom night… but nothing more had ever happened. He’d moved on with his life, chosen and married the love of his life, and you were still thinking about him, pining for him, while he had left you behind.

You were pathetic.

And then your husband died. Some cruel stroke of fate. He’d been in a freak accident, a truck driver lost control and barrelled straight into your husband’s car on his way to work.

The doctors told you he’d likely died instantly, and not suffered. Which was meant to be a relief. And it was, you supposed.

But it didn’t bring him back.

You’d sunk into a terrible depression, keeping the blinds shut all day and barely leaving the house. You’d stopped eating for a while, feeling sick at the thought of it. Throughout it all, you kept wondering if you should just swallow your pride and ask Suguru for Satoru’s number, missing your best friend. But every time you came close, a hot wash of shame flooded you, and you’d throw your phone to the side, opting to hide under your covers instead.

It took you months to stop feeling like part of you had died. Slowly, you started to heal and return to some modicum of normality, but you felt permanently changed, like something within you had shifted and altered irreversibly. Most days, you felt brittle, on the verge of shattering.

And then you received that stupid letter and the thought of seeing old friends, touching your old life again, gnawed at you painfully. It would be like trying to force yourself into shoes you wore as a teenager. Like looking through a telescope into what your life was supposed to be.

“It would be great to see you again, y/n,” Shoko said down the telephone.

“I just… I don’t know if I can stomach it, Shoko, especially after… the accident…” You confided.

“I know it’s a hard time for you, y/n, and I totally get it if you decide not to come, but it would be really nice to see you. Properly see you. And, you never know, it might do you some good to see some old friends. Might distract you from… everything.”

You sighed. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. But, I have to ask, do you know if… everyone is coming?“

“What do you mean?” Shoko asked.

You decided to just bite the bullet. “Do you know if Satoru will be there? I just… I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep it together if he shows up with his wife…”

“Oh, y/n…” Shoko breathed, her heart swelling in sympathy for you. “I’m not a hundred percent sure if he’s coming, it’s likely he will, but… I would love to see you. And I’m sure Suguru would love to see you, too. It’s been so long…”

“Shoko!” You squealed, tears of joy streaming down your cheeks as you embraced her.

Shoko gripped your arms tightly, tears pricking at her own eyes. “I’m so happy you came!”

“Y/n, long time no see!” Suguru smiled, leaning in to hug you.

“Suguru! Good god, your hair has gotten long!” You laughed as you looked at his hair, which ended halfway down his back. “What on earth happened? I thought you had your emo phase in college?”

Suguru’s head fell back in laughter. “It wasn’t a phase,” he grinned.

You smiled, feeling a sense of relief at seeing your old friends once again. The evening was going well so far. The event planner had directed the large crowd, yourselves included, to the private gardens of the hotel. The location was splendid, surrounded by acres of tall pine forests and miles of rolling hills. The event itself was on a sizeable deck, which had cosy beanbags, loveseats, and outdoor heaters in one area, as well as an open area for dancing with a DJ’s deck. You hadn’t failed to notice the quaint gazebo, decorated romantically with fairy lights and flowers of many varieties.

You fell into a comfortable nook with Shoko and Suguru, catching up on news over the past few years as the DJ played a mixture of suave jazz beats.

A few hours after the start of the event, you had started to scan the crowd for a certain mop of white hair.

“It looks like he’s not coming, then.” You murmured to Shoko and Suguru.

“About that…” Suguru chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. You whipped your head over to Suguru as he continued. “I might have… told him to… come. Well, threatened might be a better word, really…”

“What.” You bit at Suguru.

He lifted his hands in surrender. “I know you probably don’t particularly want to see him, and I know it’s a tough time for you, y/n, and I’m sorry to spring it on you so suddenly,” He huffed, “but you two used to be so close. You deserve to have your best friend with you right now, even if he is a complete idiot.”

You started to hyperventilate as you stood sharply. “What the fuck, Suguru.” You narrowed your eyes at him. “You know that I wouldn’t want to see him right now. You know how hard it was for me just to come here. Do you even know how inappropriate-”

Someone coughed.

You froze.

Suguru sat back in anticipation, looking sheepishly smug. He’d obviously pulled some strings to get the two of you in the same place at the same time.

Even if you were dead, you’d recognise that cough, that voice. Every cell in your body started to hum in desperation, urging you to turn and fall into his arms… But he’d shown you how he felt years ago when he’d cut contact, and you couldn’t be that pathetic. You were just vulnerable, it being such a short time after your husband’s death, and you missed your best friend. That was all.

“Sorry, am I interrupting something?” Satoru Gojo asked.

You turned around slowly, bracing for the worst. If he had brought his wife with him, you might just end it all right there and then.

You locked eyes with him.

Gojo staggered backwards, his typically cocky smile dropping into pure open-mouthed shock.

God, he looked so beautiful, his hair glinting like silver ribbons under the moonlight. Your heart squeezed in a painful mixture of love, remorse, and anger as you hungrily gazed at his shocked features.

He inhaled sharply, closed his mouth and rubbed the back of his neck. “Y/n? What are you… What are you doing here?”

“Leaving.” You glared at Suguru as you collected your things and stuffed them angrily into your handbag.

“Wait, what? Why?” His voice broke as his eyes widened.

“Sorry, I… I need to go.” You couldn’t stay, the thought of staring at his beautiful face and listening to the details of his beautiful life… It would kill whatever small piece of your mangled soul had been healed over the past few months, and you knew that seeing him happy with his wife might break you beyond repair.

“But, wait, y/n, please, just wait a minute! I haven’t seen you in years!”

Suguru elbowed Shoko discretely, mumbling something as she rolled her eyes. You threw another dirty look in their direction.

You shrugged your handbag over your shoulder. “Screw you, Suguru. And Satoru, I’m sorry, but… I can’t do this right now. Go find your wife and enjoy your evening.”

“Wait, wait, y/n! Just- Just stop, for a second!” he begged you, grasping your wrist.

Tears begun to prick at the corners of your eyes. You wanted to go sit in your dark car and cry. “What?” Your breath burned in your lungs. Why wouldn’t he let you leave? Why was he so hellbent on making you suffer through every excruciating detail of his wonderful life?

He looked to the side, not letting go of your wrist. “It’s just me.”

“What? I know it’s you, I don’t care, go find your wife and let go of me,” you bit out.

“No, I mean, it’s just me, here. She’s not… We’re not together anymore.”

You stilled. Suguru and Shoko stilled.

“Oh.” You lowered your bag slowly, wiping your eyes hurriedly. Well, maybe you didn’t have to leave this instant. You could always cry in your car tomorrow.

“Yeah. We got divorced last year.”

“Sorry to hear that.” You murmured, not feeling particularly sorry, glaring at Suguru as he pointedly ignored your gaze. Oh, the crafty bastard was pulling strings, alright.

“Please, can we talk? It’s been forever. I had no idea you’d be here.” Satoru pleaded with you as his eyes darted over to Suguru, who was also pointedly ignoring Satoru’s gaze. “I’ve really missed you.”

You breathed deeply, trying to steady your bounding heart. He had only gotten more handsome with age. The boyish features and the lanky figure you remembered had transformed into a more mature look. He filled out the navy suit he’d worn wonderfully well, biceps flexing as he held your wrist. You felt like you were back at high school all over again, painfully in love with your best friend while he obliviously lived his best life, leaving you to drown in deep waters.

“You don’t want to catch up with Suguru or Shoko?” You attempted to throw him off feebly.

“Forget those losers, I see them all the time.” He stepped forwards, taking a deep breath. “I want to talk to you, y/n. Please.” Satoru begged you again. “It’s been so long…”

You looked away, frozen into silence.

“Please,” his voice trembled as he squeezed your wrist.

“Okay, fine.” You relented.

It would be nice, you supposed, to talk to your old best friend. There had been a Satoru-shaped hole in your heart ever since you’d stopped talking, and you had to admit you had missed him, especially since your husband had died. Spending each day in solitude hadn’t really helped in that regard.

He led you over to the loveseat closest to the heater, out of earshot of Suguru and Shoko (who were not even attempting to hide their intense stares). You really did feel like you were back in high school.

Satoru leaned back into the small sofa, his legs longer than you remembered. His thigh pressed against yours as you held onto your handbag, trying to find something to do with your hands as you tried to ignore the small point of contact that was sending sparks up through your spine.

“How have you been?” He murmured, gazing directly at you as you stared at your hands.

“Fine, I guess. You?”

“…Fine. Things have been difficult since the divorce.”

“Yeah.” You whispered.

“How are things with you and your husband?” he asked gently.

“He’s dead.”

Satoru froze. “What? God, y/n, I’m so sorry. When… When did he-”

“He died last year. Freak traffic accident. Doctors said he died on impact.”

“God, I’m so sorry.” He offered sympathetically.

“Yeah. Me too.”

“Why didn’t you call me? I wish I could’ve been there for you.” Satoru said quietly.

You remembered all the times you’d been close to calling him. Something in you splintered at his words. “Why didn’t you call when you got divorced?” You countered as you glanced up at him, trying to stop your lip from quivering.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs as he sighed deeply. A heavy silence sank over the two of you.

“What happened to us, Satoru? Why did we stop talking?” you leaned towards him, aching to know.

“Because I was an idiot. I was an immature, spineless idiot.” He shook his head as he took a breath, then continued. “I saw you on graduation day, with your husband, I mean, he was your boyfriend at the time, but… I saw you smile at him… You looked so happy.” And he thought he’d missed his chance to tell you, thought there was no point in torturing himself with the what ifs, he refrained from saying. “I didn’t want to mess up your life, so I left. But I regretted it, from the moment I left, I regretted it. I missed you so much. I missed my best friend.”

Suddenly, you heard a slow song filter in through the speakers. The same slow song that had played all those years ago, on prom night. A different world.

You turned to Satoru, only to see a warm smile and a soul-shattering gaze. His brows were upturned, and his vibrant blue eyes were shimmering as tears pricked along his lashes. The sheer intensity and vulnerability of his gaze stole the breath right out of your lungs. You almost wanted to tell him to stop, stop looking at me like that. It was too much, like he was looking straight into you, past all your carefully crafted barriers. It was as though he were offering his heart to you on a silver platter, as though he were saying, please, let me see you again. Let me in again. Please, please, please. Please don’t shut me out.

“Do you remember this song?” You whispered, voice breaking.

He smiled sadly. “How could I ever forget it?”

You slid your hand into his, squeezing. “That night, I’d never felt so happy.”

He stilled for a moment, breathing quietly.

“Let’s dance, it’s been so long, let’s dance.” He said breathlessly and you tensed. “Won’t you dance with me?” he pleaded, a quivering tone in his voice.

You smiled, feeling a little giddy, a little sad. “Okay,” you whispered.

He dragged you up, leading you to the gazebo. “This seems like the right place for it.” He smiled just like you remembered, just like he used to in school. Like you were the only one he was smiling for.

He pulled you into his arms, swaying you softly. The beat of the music slowed to match your pace as the warbling voice drifted over the low bass of the song.

You leaned into his chest, resting your head against him as tears started flowing down your cheeks. The what if’s were threatening to burst out of your chest, agonisingly so.

“Y/n?” Satoru said in a low tone, lifting your chin with his pointer finger.

“Yeah?” you breathed, excitement intermingling with agony.

“I know I have no right to ask this, but… Can I… Can I kiss you?”

You kept quiet for a moment, a light blush dusting over your cheeks. You hoped it was too dark for him to see.

“Sure,” you whispered. It wasn’t like you had someone at home to get upset at you if you did. “Why the hell not.”

Satoru felt his heart race. He had you in his arms, finally. It felt as though everything was right in the world once more. All those years, all the achingly empty days when he’d wondered how it could have been had he just plucked up the strength to talk to you. This was his chance, finally, to tell you, and bring you back to his side. Where you were meant to be.

Satoru leaned in slowly, his hands trembling, and heart threatening to burst out of his chest as he pressed his lips softly to yours.

It was as though a dam broke, and suddenly a flood of emotion overcame you. Tears spilled out and you started to cry. Satoru held your face with both hands, delicately wiping away your tears with his thumbs.

He pulled back an inch, sharing your breath as he leaned his forehead against yours. “It’s okay, sweetheart, I’ve got you.”

Something deep inside of you twinged painfully as you clung to his shirt.

“Why did you get divorced?” you sniffed.

Satoru stared at you, quiet for a moment as he wiped your tears away. “She wasn’t you.”

You stilled, staring at Satoru, not fully believing those words. You tightened your grip on him, feeling a sick sense of hope pulse through you. “…What?”

“She could… She could tell. That she wasn’t what I wanted.”

You couldn’t take it anymore. You needed to hear it, word for word from him.

“What are we, Satoru?”

He froze.

“Just tell me the truth. Don’t… Don’t hide it…” You cried quietly, folding into yourself a little as you dropped your head, trying to hide your tears.

“I love you,” He breathed as he started to cry, not believing that he’d finally said it out loud. “I love you.” He said breathlessly.

He kissed you again, pressing his lips against yours with the fervour of a man who’d spent decades longing for you. Your tears mixed and you tasted the salt as he pressed your lips open, consumed with a soul-devouring hunger for you you you.

Your fingertips tingled with the need to hold him tighter, but you had to make sure.

You pushed away from him. “Are you just saying that because you got divorced? Because… I can’t… I can’t… I can’t keep doing this.”

Satoru started to hold you a little tighter, a little horrified. “No, of course not, y/n,”

“I can’t, Satoru, especially not now,” you heaved, “I can’t be the friend you decide to come back to after years because you lost what you truly wanted. I can’t be your second choice.”

He looked horrified. “No, no, that’s not it at all-”

“I’m sorry,” you said through a heaving sob, every emotion you’d been holding back for years rushing through you and coalescing into a storm of overwhelming agony, “I can’t do this. It was nice to see you,” You started to pull away.

“No, no!” Satoru cried. You’d slipped away from him so many times, he couldn’t let it happen again. He grasped you by the wrist, pulling you back.

“Please, y/n, please, please don’t leave me.” He gripped your wrists as he sunk to his knees in front of you. “Please. I need you. More than anything, I can’t… I can’t spend another second without you in my life, please, I’ve loved you since I first saw you,”

“Stop,” you breathed.

“Please, y/n, you are everything to me. Everything. You’re my everything. I’ll do anything, everything for you, please just stay. Please.”

You stared at him in shock.

His lip wobbled as he stared up at you, eyes wide and shimmering and vulnerable. “Please don’t leave me again. I can’t even fucking breathe without you.”

Tears streamed down your cheeks as you took his face in your hands delicately. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to stop breathing because of me,”

He barked out a laugh, and then stared into you, the corners of his lips turning down. “Please. I love you. You’re my other half. I should’ve told you years ago, but I was a stupid kid. I didn’t know how to. And I lost you. Please don’t let me lose you again.”

You bit your lip to stop it from wobbling. You pulled Satoru up onto his feet, falling into his big arms. He cradled you, rubbing your back in soothing motions, whispering a mantra of I love you, I love you, I love you…

All those terrible years of holding them back, and now he couldn’t keep those three little words in if he tried. You cried happily all throughout the evening, laughing and joking like you were teens again.

“I should’ve told you, too.” You said after a long moment of silence.

“What?” He murmured into your hair as the two of you swayed back and forth under the glowing fairy lights, tangled like two trees in a storm.

“Since we started high school. I’ve loved you since then.”

Satoru lifted his head, searching desperately for your eyes. “That… That long?” He threw his head back suddenly, laughing maniacally. “God,” he squeaked, wiping a stray tear, “We were so stupid, weren’t we?”

“Yeah,” you laughed. “But we can make it up to each other now.” A smile spread across your face, warmth bubbling up into your chest.

From a distance, you heard a sudden ‘whoop’, and turned to see Suguru and Shoko leaning on each other, drinks in hand.

“FINALLY!” Suguru roared. “THE TORTURE ENDS!”

You and Satoru both turned red as beets as heads started turning towards you from the crowd, some people from your class joining in with their own whoops and cheers.

You turned to Satoru, smiling sheepishly. “Looks like it was obvious to everyone but us, then,”

“In that case, let’s make it even clearer,” he smirked as he pulled you into another kiss.

[e3rt]

WOOD’S BROTHER HEAD CANONS!!!!!

(Art is mineeeee)

Art is how I picture Jeff after everything vs if it never happened to begin with.

- Eastern European but raised in the South(America)

- both have southern accents with some Eastern European inflections

- Jeff was always the creepy/weird kid but was generally considered attractive and could get his hands on anything so he was able to form some “friendships” off a transactional type of dynamic.

-Liu is the older brother because I prefer it that way

- Sully is like an alter Ego that took over Liu’s life and was originally made to fill the void of his family dying

- They’re Irish twins, so the brothers grew up incredibly close

-Liu was the favourite kid, he didn’t feel it though

- it wasn’t Jeff who cut the Chelsea smile, that’s just the town mythos that surrounded the case

- raised on a farm, both have farmer muscles

- the “bullies” were actually a group of boys from town that pretended to be friends with Liu, but would subtly bully him. It slowly progressed to physical altercations and blackmail. Jeff tried to help him but because of both their bad reputations, it was ignored by the school. Jeff had to step in himself which escalated everything.

-Liu can lie his way out of everything and anything, he was a lot more unassuming but only looked good compared to Jeff’s behaviour and personality

- Jeff is 24 Liu 25

- Jeffs ear was already partially deformed from fighting, the fire caused him to lose hearing in one ear and gave him nerve damage in his face and legs.

- his hands were one of the few places mostly unharmed in the fire

- the town boys had attempted to kill the whole family by burning their house down but Jeff was the only one home at the time

- after the fire Liu was the primary caretaker of Jeff while he healed(his “duty” as the eldest). He grew somewhat resentful during the time but then harboured a debilitating guilt after seeing how Jeff was disfigured

- Jeff whenever he is within Slendermans territory can communicate with spirits, he thought Ben and Sally were hallucinations brought on by his killings at first

- Jeff was a TBI kid, fell off a fence when he was a 10 and the adults in his life described him as “going dark” from that point on.

- both Liu and Jeff did petty crime and would instigate conflict with their peers often.

-the Wood’s home life was NOOOOT good at all

- Jeff didn’t try to kill his brother but indirectly led him to being nearly killed

-Jeff is basically a zombie, he made a deal with SOMETHING while in the slender forest and has been unable to die since.

- Liu has chronic pain from being nearly killed, while Jeff remains mostly unbothered by his injuries

- bisexual Jeff the killer 💯

- internalised homophobia Jeff the killer 💯

- academically gifted but never had the opportunity to develop it homacidle Liu 💯

- Jeff is pretty fond of Nina but not in a romantic or sexual way, he also managed to get close to Toby despite the guys allusive nature

- both heavy Nu Metal, industrial and midwest emo fans

Yeah these are all the ones I can think of rn but if YOU have any ones you think of or ones you want me to expand on I’d love to hear it forrealsies. Stay disgusting! 😸

[meanbossart]

Love Drow's camp greetings, but now I've got to know-- what would his romance path look like?

(This was a REALLY FUN thought experiment, thanks for asking about it!)

You'd get approval points by: -Picking the joke dialogue options, especially if they're dark or crass. -Succeeding intimidation checks. -Starting fights no-questions-asked with characters that don't immediately show you respect. -Defying authority. -Antagonizing drows, githyanki, mindflayers and goblins. -Being friendly towards animals. -Showing willingness to do what the dream visitor suggests. -Notable boost if you let him take on the Loviatar priest in your stead.

You get disapproval by: -Disclosing to people that you're infected with the tadpole. -Agreeing to help NPCs who aren't offering to get rid of your parasites. -Some deception checks (he doesn't always realize you're lying). -Being distrustful/pushy with Shadowheart. -Siding with the absolute. -Trusting or empathizing with the Emperor at all after he reveals himself (Yes, he will leave you if you bang the squid). -Massive point loss if you don't let him take on Orin on his own.

[More elaboration underneath the cut, CW for terrible relationship dynamics and implications of sexual coercion, especially within the context of BDSM.]

He can be persuaded to allow you to have a one-night-stand with Halsin, but will not agree to a three-way relationship or long-term arrangement.

He will stay with you if you sleep with Mizora without the need to roll for anything, but you will lose a lot of approval.

He will agree to a four-way with the twins at Sharess Caress if you ask him about it, but only after you complete his quest. If he has lost to Orin he will kill the twins during the act. If he has accepted Bhaal, he will ask if you want to kill them with him, but you can refuse/dissuade him from doing so.

In regards to his personal interactions, you would usually get choices between antagonizing him, expressing fear, not taking him seriously at all, or making flirtatious advances.

He's neutral/disapproving towards flirtation prior to triggering a romance (though he still reacts flattered). He's neutral/approving of not being taken seriously and/or being feared, as long as the PC is being somewhat facetious and not expressing outright distrust or doubt toward his capabilities. Basically, as long as what you're saying implies that he's formidable, or makes him laugh, he will like it.

After the romance is initiated, he will enjoy flirtatious dialogue options that put him in the role of the desired, compliment his looks/abilities, or express general affection. You would also get options that paint him in a kind of "sexually predatory" light - he doesn't like those.

You could encourage him to embrace his Urge at the start of the campaign for approval, then he flips to wanting you to discourage it after it grows outside his control. If he accepts Bhaal, this switches it back to where he approves of it being encouraged. If he loses to Orin, he will just agree with you whether you tell him to give into his Urges or keep fighting them.

You can break up with him at any point unless he has accepted Bhaal; In that case, he won't agree to it and say that when he takes over the brain you won't have a choice on the matter. The only way to keep him from betraying you during the ending is to either kill him or staying in the relationship with him and dominating the brain together.

As for the actual romance scenes, it'd be similar to Astarion's route where you get to sleep with him right away, then the following interactions are more focused on other forms of intimacy and developing the emotional side of the relationship. You would get the option to push for more sex every time, which he would turn down out of fear of what the Urge might do if he goes along with it - if you keep pushing even after that, it gets you disapproval.

During the scene that locks the romance path (prior to arriving at Baldur's gate) you can persuade him to have sex, and if you succeed he will lose control and try to murder you during the act. The only way to survive it is to kill him instead. You can be resurrected if you lose (he cannot) but he then breaks up with you.

The "themes" of his romance are supposed to allude to the different dynamics of a maso-sado/dom-sub relationship. If you push him to pursue Bhaal you are setting yourself up for a 24/7, lifelong arrangement. the relationship is reduced entirely to your sexual desire for each other, the pushing of boundaries with no limits, and constant one-upmanship. You are no longer allowed (and outwardly mocked) for displaying any tenderness that isn't sexually charged, and he will become angry with you if during your night together following the finalization of the quest you don't pick the aggressive/violent options during intimacy.

If he loses to Orin, he becomes entirely emotionally dependent on the player character, willing to bend to your every will and latch onto the PC as his new master whether or not they agree to it. He is terrified of his fate and desperately wants to please you so you don't abandon him before he loses himself. You can either take advantage of this and revel in the power you have over him, become frustrated, or demonstrate patience and try to encourage him to hold onto some individuality. You can also just kill him, which he will allow you to do through dialogue options at any point. During the romance scene that follows this path, you can only have sex if you restrain him completely first.

If he refuses Bhaal, you get yourself a quiet, cocky, but loving weirdo who enjoys play-dynamics a healthy amount but is ultimately in it because he likes you as a person. He's willing to compromise on the maso-thing as long as you don't put him down for it, and it is implied that while things may not be perfect, you are both willing to work on it through mutual understanding and patience because the relationship is based on more than just burning desire or co-dependency.

[cy-lindric]

bonjour cy-lindric, j'ai une petite question. when I was a young person, I read The Three Musketeers and then eagerly started to read Twenty Years After and was so upset at what had happened to my beloved young heroes that I put the book down and never picked it up. what do you think, should I try again?

Bonjour !

After reading The Three Musketeers, I also wasn't sure I wanted to read Twenty Years After, and I took a break inbetween both to read something entirely different (The Locked Tomb, iirc). I think my reason for that was kind of the opposite of yours ; I enjoyed T3M a lot and loved the characters, flaws and all, but by the end they had somewhat crossed over the line into being Too Awful and the lack of retribution left me a bit frustrated. I didn't see it as a failing of the story - on the contrary, their strong character flaws and downfall in the conflict with Milady is one of the most emotionally intense and compelling parts imo - but I wasn't sure I felt like hanging out with these guys for a few hundred more pages at that point.

If your vision of the characters as a young reader was a very positive and perhaps idealized one, I can imagine why you might not have enjoyed entering into Twenty Years after. The illusion of glory has worn off ; the characters have separated, they live unremarkable lives, and their personalities have evolved drastically with the passing of time. It's almost a brutal return to reality.

For me though, it added layers of characterization to the point where now it's clear to me that this version of the Inseparables is by far the one I prefer.

I hope it's ok if I take the opportunity to talk at length about what I like about TYA below the cut. TL;DR : I love that Twenty Years After is a more realistic look at the big four's personalities and how they evolved while still keeping them thematically coherent, and that TYA makes them confront the reckless and cruel shit they did in their youth.

Spoilers ahead obviously.

We've often talked about how T3M is at its core a story about the end of knighthood. It's a tongue-in-cheek approach at chivalrous initiation, set at edge of the modern world, inbetween the time of ballads about knights in armor and that of adventures about journeying gunmen and soldiers. I think TYA embodies that particularly ; the story of people who have carried the last of these intense, dangerous chivalric ideals in their youths, and who have now grown into middle aged adults who need to find their place in the world.

For a good chunk of the book, the big four are separated into two teams ; that in of itself might discourage some, but imo it's genius. Instead of the natural two-by-pairings, Dumas goes for a d'Artagnan+ Porthos and Athos + Aramis split on opposite sides, which makes for good drama and develops lesser explored dynamics. D'Artagnan and Porthos form a scrappy team of opportunists with money on their minds, and Athos and Aramis a more idealistic duo fighting for a noble lost cause. I think it's a bold choice but also premium sequel writing.

I also love the way the young and wild characters we knew evolve into middle aged men ; at their core, they're still the same, but they've all changed and struggled against the sunset of the golden age in their own ways.

D'Artagnan, after knowing such adventures and subsequent rapid social ascension in his teenage years, has been met in his adult life with the harsh reality that he is, in fact, not a noble knight but a soldier on payroll. His modest origins give him little hope for any further career advancement, and he takes on a new mission in his early 40s for a man he has no devotion for and a cause he doesn't care about, simply because he is bored and broke. D'Artagnan still has his quick wits, his strategic talent, his fencing skills, but he has grown out of the excesses of pride of his teenage years. I loved meeting him again in TYA, and it made so much sense to me that his bouts of anger and aggressivity would be a youthful trait that he'd ended up taming. He also realizes now a lot of what seemed like funny adventures and necessary violence was actually kind of fucked up ; that was a shock to me, as their shenanigans are treated so lightly in T3M, and tbh it healed me a little. Grown up d'Artagnan is cunning, calculating, down to earth and realistic. My foxy little man. I love him.

Porthos, likewise, has been struck by the weight of reality. He has made the sensible choice and got married to the rich widow who sugar mommied him in the first book. Now she's passed, he is rich, but he still fails to earn the respect of the high society he evolves in because he's not high born enough. Like d'Artagnan, he's stagnating and bored and now that he goes back adventuring it has nothing to do with the queen or the kingdom or honour ; it's about getting his damn nobility title.

Athos, on the other hand, is the eternal knight : the only truly high born of the four, and still hopelessly holding on to a time gone by. It's no surprise imo that his storyline brings him into the english civil war, doomed to fail at saving a king who'll end up executed right in front of him. TYA acknowledges more clearly than ever that at 28 yo, Athos was a depressed alcoholic, and an embodiment of what an excess of aristocratic righteousness can do. In TYA, he is sober and moisturized and a DILF, and now he's running around frantically looking for absolution for his numerous crimes. It's delicious.

Aramis is maybe the hardest pill to swallow. TYA confirms the T3M hints that he isn't really the prim and proper romantic boy he acts like he is, and that he's possibly the most hypocritical and ruthless of the four. It might be a harsh one for Aramis fans who like him better as a cute bean, but I love the early onset of remorseless conniving bloodthirsty ambitious Aramis. Another harsh bit might be the evolution of Aramis and d'Artagnan not really liking each other ; they were always the least close combination, and imo it makes sense that their personalities would clash. I think it's clever and compelling conflict.

Now, obviously, if you've cared enough to read all this and if you know me a little, you know that a huge highlight of the book for me was its late-appearing antagonist, Mordaunt. Mordaunt is the son Milady had with her english husband. Because of the Musketeers' intervention, he's grown up in poverty and has been denied his father's inheritance. He's now a Roundhead working for Cromwell, and set on avenging his mother at all costs. Mordaunt, unlike his mother who was this beautiful and dangerous force of nature, is very uncool and pathetic. She was the primordial snake, he's the gutter rat. Obviously, I love that in and of itself, but it's also kind of striking image of the wretchedness of what they've done to her, a fucked up little goblin ghost come back to haunt them as they're trying to make their life worth living again. This time, their enemy is not a cunning political rival with a flamboyance of body and mind akin to their own ; it's a shitty little guy with bad skin who wants to kill the king and punish the murderers. Watch out babes, it's the modern world coming for you.

Of course, they're the Four Musketeers, and they did what they had to do, so they get together again and swear friendship and keep going their way. But they're also old guys with difficult personalities in a world that's never going to be the same. I think it's a cool book.

[aventurineswife]

Hello, I've been thinking about this for a while but how do you think the Wuwa men would be like as dad's, if you can please include Geshu Lin because there are not many posts about him

The Weight of Legacy

Tags: Geshu Lin, Jiyan, Fatherhood, Headcanons, Parenting Dynamics, Emotional Distance, Tactical Parenting.

Warnings: Mentions of Emotional Distance (Geshu Lin), Themes of Rigorous Expectations and Tough Love (Geshu Lin), Subtle Themes of Anxiety and Self-Doubt (Jiyan), References to Past Trauma and Lingering Guilt (Geshu Lin and Jiyan), Exploration of Parenting Styles.

Geshu Lin would be a demanding and no-nonsense father, believing that life’s challenges should be faced head-on. He would teach his children the value of strength, discipline, and resilience, pushing them to be self-reliant from a young age.

He would have high expectations for his children, expecting them to excel in whatever they do. However, his praise would be rare, as he would focus more on improvement than celebrating achievements.

Geshu’s emotional presence would be somewhat distant. He may struggle with showing affection in traditional ways, focusing more on instilling a sense of purpose and duty. His love would be expressed through actions, such as ensuring his children are well-prepared for the world.

While he may seem indifferent to the emotional needs of his children, Geshu would ensure their safety and success by preparing them for harsh realities. He would not coddle them but would ensure they are ready to survive and thrive in a dangerous world.

Being a former general, Geshu would likely teach his children combat techniques from a young age, emphasizing discipline, strategy, and the importance of decisive action.

Geshu’s own tragic past would color his approach to fatherhood. He might overcompensate for his perceived failures in leadership, and his lingering guilt could drive him to push his children too hard, trying to make up for his own lost opportunities.

Jiyan, despite his stoic exterior, would be a deeply compassionate father. He would always ensure his children’s emotional well-being is a priority, offering support and understanding even when he is under pressure.

Jiyan would teach his children the importance of justice and protecting those in need, but in a gentle, caring manner. He would want to ensure they understand responsibility but also feel loved and nurtured in the process.

As a strategist, Jiyan would approach fatherhood with a logical and thoughtful mindset, planning ahead to ensure his children are well-prepared for the future. He might be the kind of father who has a long-term vision for his children’s development, balancing their academic and physical growth.

Jiyan would show his children the importance of balance in life—how to be both strong and kind, and how to be a warrior while maintaining compassion. He would work to avoid the mistakes of his predecessors and ensure that his children never lose sight of their humanity.

Jiyan would be a forgiving and patient father when it comes to discipline. He would prefer open communication, understanding his children’s perspective and offering guidance instead of harsh reprimands.

Jiyan’s own doubts about his role as a general would carry over into his fatherhood. He might constantly worry about whether he is doing enough for his children, driven by a desire to avoid the emotional and physical sacrifices he endured growing up.

[thehighladywrites]

ACOTAR MEN X READER, BEING THEIR SNEAKY LINK

☀︎ — summary: sneaking around with the acotar men👀 How long does this go on?

☀︎ — warnings: 18+, nsfw themes, tw beron🤢 mentioned

☀︎ — amara’s note: had this idea for a while, let’s bring this to life😈oh to be sneaking around with them🙏🏽💔

Rhysand

With him, no one finds out until you tell everyone

He is able to keep the links sneaky for sure, also he masks your scents so that no one can tell

No one really suspects that ur sleeping together because he isn’t paying any suspicios amount of attention to you.

He makes it up later though👀

At first, it was just a way for him to recover from Under the Mountain, so he sought you out for help in order to gain back some controll.

And he got better and began to carefully heal, yet here you both were, still sneaking around years later.

Yeah, years bc that is how good he’s able to keep secrets.

Oh, he gets jealous too and masks it as being a good friend and high lord when asked about it by the rest of the inner circle.

His favorite trick is telling the ic he’s sending you on a mission so they think ur gone, then he suggests them eating out while you’re gone then tells them he can’t make it so he stays at home and then you guys can stay at the house unbothered and alone

Since he gets jealous, he gives you hickies or make your legs so sore you can’t walk

Rhys looooves the attention you get during morning training for the others

“Are you okay, did you trip or something?”

“No, no Az,I’m fine. I was just doing some stretches and I think I overdid it.”

Rhysand just stands there happier than ever as you glare at him

Azriel

Guys, let’s be so real. Azriel ain’t getting caught, ever💀

He teaches you tricks on how to hide better when you’re coming over to his room

And it’s usually his room you hook up in bc he has trained himself to notice anything being off. Like if a book has been moved like a millimeter, he knows so it’s the safest and least risky place for you to be.

Because he is so attentive and sneaky, he is incredibly risky

He loves risky sex. Bro will fuck your brains out knowing people are close bc he knows he’s able to cover it up

Azriel also uses his shadows on you in broad daylight.

You’re out for dinner w the inner circle and his shadows teases and rub your clit under the table. You use your magic to suppress your arousal but it’s kind of hard to not squirm and all that

Az just sits there cocky as fuck knowing that he makes you react like that without even touching you

So so so soooo much jealousy on your side bc Azriel gets hit on all the time, males, females, youngsters, oldies, bro everyone wants him

People don’t hit on you tho because Azriel is always standing behind you, exuding that scary aura and energy that has people running the other way

Even after you two become official, you keep it under wraps. You don’t want anyone or anything ruining it for you so it’s all very hush hush

Only years after, when your friends ask why none of you date people, do you spill. You tell them you and Azriel are together already but it’s a private relationship

They were a little pissed but they let it go when they saw how happy you were and how good your dynamic is

Eris

He is sneaking around with you because of both your parents

You’re the daughter of one of B*ron’s🤢 close advisors so you and Eris spend a lot of time together

Eventually it develops into a secret relationship with a lot of sex

You both know your parents would hung you both if you ever got exposed but you still do it.

You both act like you’re somewhat of enemies or don’t like each other in public so that no one can even rise suspicions againt you.

Behind closes doors he sluts you out like crazyyyyy, i’m talking any type of sex, rough, soft, different positions, different places, new things added, toys, rope, cuffs this man is kinky I KNOW ITTT

like he has no controll over his life bc of b*ron 🤢 so he likes taking controll in the bedroom and dominate, yum👀

It all becomes more interesting and exciting when your parents decide it’s high time to get engaged and married.

Your suitors always wonder why you’re late and messy, what they don’t know is that you were busy getting bent over by eris

anyways when b*ron 🤢 dies and eris takes over, the sneaky link ain’t sneaky anymore. The man fully claims you, even making you his high lady.

Ugh i love him💔💔💔💔

Lucien

You’re Cassian’s sister and you’re hooking up with him on the down low

Lucien caught your eye when he and Feyre came back from Spring.

He seemed uncomfortable around everyone and kept to himself, until you started spending more time with him

Time turned your companionship to a secret relationship

Please, we all know how charming Lucien is, I mean, shit I’d fall for him too🫨🫨

Sorry @thelov3lybookworm but your man is so fuckable💗

Anyways, he is super charming and silver tounged and that makes you jump his bone immediately

This guy is amazing with his tounge, head game goes CRAZYYYYY

At first it’s just sex, but then instead of fucking then leaving, you begin to stay during the nights and talk for hours.

Eventually you realize the depth of your bond and how much you love one another.

You were quite nervous when telling Cassian bc Illyrian’s are super protective and possessive over their family but he is fine with it bc he knows that there aren’t better males than Lucien

Anyways, you keep sneaking around bc you don’t want to outright make out infront of the inner circle so you sneak away at parties, meetings and dinners.

This man is a risktaker just like Azriel. I know he sneaks up from behind, saying crazy and stomach flipping things, waiting for your reaction then fucks you in whatever place you are

Cassian

You’re Lord Devlon’s daughter and you sneak around with him.

No one knows about your magic from your mother’s side that you use to remove any trace of cassian

At first you hated him bc of your father and bc he manipulated you into thinking cassian and his friends were dangerous

There is banter and mean words exchanged between you that only makes the sexual tension between you even stronger

One night you both snap and have hate sex and that one night becomes the start of years of secret meetings and rendezvous.

Whenever he's in Windhaven, you two have a blast. To dodge curious eyes, you've got this genius plan: throw a party whenever Cassian conveniently has a meeting or mission there. With everyone a bit tipsy, it's the perfect cover for linking up

After a while you’re caught by Devlon himself and all hell breaks loose. Rhysand has to come down and solve everything before blood spills

Devlon disowns you and would have killed you had it not been for Cassian protecting you from your father

So he takes you to Velaris where you live with him and eventually become an advisor for Rhysand since he hasn’t lived there for years and would benefit from someone who was so close to Devlon

You have so much fun and yeah, that’s how you went from hate sex, fuck buddies, in love and eventually mates

[thatbennybee]

ChordStriker!AU Q&A

I'm doing a bit of a Q&A about my ChordStriker!AU on insta after sharing this teaser WIP, so I figured I'd present some of the questions here! (Feel free to ask more btw!)

↓↓↓

Rock!Poppy

Q: "Is Poppy's family (Peppy & Viva) still with her since the Bergens didn't attack them?"

A: Peppy is with her, but he is confused/in mental decline like canon King Thrash was. Viva is missing. Poppy was old enough to remember her.

Q: "Will Viva play somewhat of a role in this AU?"

A: Yes, she's had a much bigger impact on Poppy's life, even till this day even though she's been missing for many years now. Poppy has never stopped looking for her.

Q: "Is King Peppy still a liar in your AU?"

A: Nah, he's normal. Sometimes hating him with my entire being is hard, so he gets to be a good dad this time. He's just not all there mentally so Poppy is more like his caretaker now.

Q: "Poppy's relationships don't last long because she gets bored... So how long is Branch going to last?"

A: The Rat Pack (Snack Pack) is wondering the same thing, but Poppy's never used the bf/gf/partner labels before meeting him which is strange... 👀

Q: "Does Poppy still party?"

A: She's a total party animal! Her parties are even more intense than a Pop Troll party since Rock Trolls are pretty extreme. LOL

---

Pop!Barb (Barbie)

Q: "What does Barb look like?"

A: For now, this is her design, it might change once I have time to draw her digitally.

Q: "Does this mean Barb has to go through the events of Trolls 1?"

A: Nope, Barb never befriends Bridget because they have never met. They have found a way to remain undetected in the forest. (Thanks to Branch’s constant nagging about safety)

Q: "How does Barb's gang look? Is there any significant differences in their dynamics?"

A: I haven't had time to finish them all, but here's some of them for now. There's more members of The Lunch Rush, but this is all I have for now!

Val Thundershock → Valentina Wondershock.

Only Queen Barbie calls her Val. She is very optimistic & loves to sing & dance! She's Barbie’s right-hand troll, BFFL & knows everything about her. They have a very... "close" relationship. ;] She's a popstar who's managed by Demo and loves to help make Pop Village a happier place.

Riff

He's a university student studying to be an engineer. He's very soft spoken, doesn't like to make a fuss and is probably the nicest guy around. He's quite close to Barbie and sees her as an older sister. He's actually on friendly terms with Branch. His favorite treat is lollipops. 🍭

Carol

But you can call her Carrie! Everyone does. She's a bit of a diva, loves to look good & dull things bore her. She will ignore anything that doesn't catch her eye, even trolls. Best to be looking your very best!

Sid Fret

Just call him Sid, no need to be so formal. He is every trolls dream guy and he knows it! He's a great roller derby racer and loves the attention trolls give him. Sure, he's a little self-absorbed, but he's a very loyal friend.

Demo

Not much has changed about Demo. He's perfect as he is <3 He's just a little more excitable & cutesy than before. He cares about Valentina a lot & they are very close friends.

Petra

She is the blueprint, she's the moment, she's everything. A model, actress, singer, you name it, she can do it. She's perfect... Who doesn't want to be her?

---

Branch

Q: "How different is Branch in this AU vs canon Branch?"

A: He is the same Branch essentially, just without the development he gains at the end of Trolls 1 & so-on. None of it occurred, so he is still grey, miserable & a recluse. He helped Barb to come up with a plan to keep everyone safe after nagging & warning her for ages, but after that, he returned to his bunker & is still not well-liked by the village.

Q: "Does she know Branch's whole past? If she does, what was her reaction?"

A: Not sure if you meant Barb or Poppy, so I'll answer for both. Barb—no. I don't think she'd ever find out, and she's also not the type to ask. Their personalities clash a bit too much, she stays out of his way like he asks her to.

For Poppy—I think it would come up naturally in conversation after a while when Branch feels more comfortable sharing. Poppy isn't the type to pry, but makes it clear that it's out of understanding, not a lack of caring. She can tell that he is closed off for a reason. She relates to that. I think she'd be beyond pissed once he told her, though.

Q: "Will Branch's brothers be in this?"

A: Yes, but Floyd will be getting the bigger role this time.

Q: "How quickly does Branch fall for Poppy? I'm sure the answer is yes, but is he happy?"

A: I'd say he's quite guarded in the beginning. He is cautious around her for the first few weeks, but he starts to come around once he picks up on Poppy being emotionally guarded herself.

Things move quickly once their walls come down around each other, & a mutual understanding is there. Poppy fell for him first. (At least, that's what Branch lets her believe, as it was love at first sight for him, but he'd never tell her that; she'd get a big head about it.)

[kwillow]

Why is ambroys so promiscuos, like psychologicaly. Is he just a Bimbo? Does he have a hipersexual disorder, is he just an asshole like that?

What drives this manwhore to this levels of slutness, UNPRECEDENTED HARLOTNESS i have to bear witness to

TL;DR: Sex is the lowest common denominator way to make people care about something and Ambroys wants people to care about Him.

Longer psychoanalysis under the cut, if you want a peek into the puddle-like depths of the world's shallowest man.

Surface-level, he’s just a hedonistic guy. He likes his base pleasures and indulgences.

Still, Ambroys is really more of an attention whore than an actual whore. He wants to be the main event everywhere he goes, and as most advertisers have noticed, sex appeal is a cheap and easy way to get noticed. Even if someone’s not attracted to you, they’ll probably at least look at you. And every pair of eyeballs is a win.

Additionally, seducing someone is a conquest. It makes him feel powerful. When people start seeming too messy and complicated it's a script to reset them to a dynamic that's within his control and understanding. Getting someone to fall for him reassures him of the "fact" that it’s his divine right to have what he wants, make others do what he wants, and make people want him. (Or as he would put it: he just wants to be loved — is that so wrong??)

This is why he sleeps with his friend nigh-immediately after breaking his once-paramour’s heart. His use of seduction as a comfort tool also creates the somewhat hilarious situation where he tries to fuck more often when he’s feeling bad, like women are his tub of Ben and Jerry’s and it’s binging time.

His other coping mechanism for feelings of inadequacy is sport hunting, by the by.

All that said, I don’t think Ambroys is much more promiscuous than your average frat guy. He is a young man brimming with energy and bereft of rationality, so a bit of skirt-chasing is to be expected. He just plays up the provocative libertine angle sometimes, because it’s easier than developing a likable personality.

[bugstung]

I love your disabled Adrien! I'd love to hear more about him, if you have the time!

Thank you!

I'm still currently figuring out his injury but I can tell you about the other things I got so far

So first of all I want to explore Adrien's relationship with others way more as I thought it was lacking in the show. I want Adrien and Nino to feel closer; the two got to know each others when they were paired to make a power point together and went at Nino's house to work. Nino wasn't the type to try to befriend Adrien day one beacuse of his status, and Adrien liked that. Adrien didn't get to play much video games growing up, and Nino gets to "nerdify" him a little

I also want Adrien and Rose to bond. I made that Rose had Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and uses mobility aids as well. They get to know each others as both of them are exempted from sports a,d so they hang out during those hours at the foyer. Rose is quite infantilized, and people tend to pity her way more than they do for Adrien because she's not popular (while for Adrien kids usually see as him being "brave" and all that). She doesn't try to hide her disabilities, she's pretty open to talk about it and customizes her mobility aids to fit her aesthetic. Adrien on the other side doesn't like to draw attention to his disabilities and will most of the time let comments on it slide. (something that will change overtime)

I got really inspired by skip and loafers so Marinette and Adrien personalities and relationship will be somewhat similar to Mitsumi and Shima. I want them to become friends and not have the awkward show typical Marinette stuff.

I also want a "crush switch" to happen later on. Marinette will try to move on when she realizes she cannot make Adrien's mask slip, and slowly fall for Chat Noir (I need to develop the super hero side of things more because so far I'm way more interested in slice of life lmao), and Adrien realizes his love for Ladybug was more of an admiration, and falls for Marinette

Also while Adrien is completly human, Felix is still a sentimonster. Haven't fully figured him out but there will be an interesting dynamic to explore there. Kagami is also getting a serious rewrite because I just do not like her lore. Same for Lila. Adrien will get to bond more with Luka as well. I've not thought too much about the other characters yet though.

Gabriel is more down to earth, and does genuinely care for Adrien (in still a very fucked up way). He sheltered him because of the accident and still dictates a lot of his life. Some change may happen to Adrien's mom lore since he's not a sentimonster but idk exactly what yet

Anyway if you have questions don't hesitate to ask! I still got a lot to figure out and asking stuff will also help me to think lol

[blackbullet99]

Debunking The Stupidest Pro-Zutara Claims.

Howdy y’all.

If you follow me, you know I’m a Kataang truther and a Zutara hater. I always thought Kataang was cute as a kid, but I honestly didn’t appreciate how mutual and well developed their relationship more until I was older. By contrast, I didn’t think much of Zutara initially, I knew it had a huge following and I kinda got why, they have a very interesting dynamic that drastically changes and them becoming friends is heartwarming, but I never got the hype. Then I saw this…

And I was utterly baffled at the mischaracterization, media-illiteracy, Zuko dickriding and Aang demonization on this post. Let’s have a look…

See what I mean about the Zuko dickriding and Aang demonizing. You compare one scene of Zuko making tea for everyone in Book 3, to Aang showing off in Book 1. Need I mention that Aang later apologized for getting big-headed by the end, and later episodes show that Aang (and the rest of the group) all work together. Right off the bat and we get this dumb Katara/Cinderella narrative.

Not another Dadko. Momtara I kind of get, but Zuko is not a father figure. Zuko himself is still young, still growing, still capable of being immature. The first moment isn’t even a parental thing, it’s more Zuko stopping Katara from confronting Aang because he somewhat understands Aang’s frustration of being unsure and conflicting about a huge decision, because he’s been there not long ago.

Comforting someone when they’re worried or grieving isn’t parental responsibility, that’s being empathetic and good friend. Katara comforts Zuko when he’s worried about comforting Iroh and these people lap that scene up.

“Aang acts like Katara’s son” is such a baseless argument. Ignoring the fact that Aang canonically has romantic feelings for Katara and vise-verse, the first moment was a one-off joke about Katara being motherly, the second was also a joke where Katara PRETENDS to be Aang’s mom and her brother’s husband, the last moment is Katara telling Toph how she TRAINS Aang because she’s his Sifu and so it Toph, does that mean Toph is also Aang’s mom?

Let’s go over this for the umpteenth time: Aang kissing Katara was wrong, it was bad, we should’ve seen him apologize, but he immediately regretted what he did, he knew he messed up, he’s not a sexual-assaulter, blah, blah blah. The problem with this is that these are both completely different situations and also Zuko had to be told to get off Katara, so not only is this point meaningless, but it doesn’t even support Zutara.

This has gotta be one of the dumbest arguments here, Aang has always seen Katara as an ally and dear friend first and foremost since day one. Admittedly Aang was somewhat possessive here, but him nodding mean he literally though Katara was his possession, more so him thinking Katara returned his feelings (which she did). But throughout the entirety of the show Aang sees Katara as not only an ally, but a friend, a fellow waterbender, Zuko only saw her as a friend and ally near the very end of the show, before that he simply saw her as a peasant in the way of his goal.

Again, both of these are completely different contexts and both Aang and Zuko were pretty adamant about how Katara feels about them. Zuko frustratingly confronts Katara about why she’s mad it him, he wants to earn to trust and sleep deprives himself so he can resolve this as soon as she wakes up. Katara asks why Aang is so crestfallen, he explains part of the reason, Aang (while being somewhat pushy) wants to know how Katara feels before he confronts Ozai in life or death.

Both are different situations and really I wouldn’t say either is better than the other.

Okay, there’s a lot wrong with these points, lemme go over them as best as I can.

Aang has put his needs over Katara’s several times, just to name three: he gave himself so the Fire Nation would spare her home, was willing to forgo his own Waterbending because Pakku wouldn’t train her, willingly put aside mastering the Avatar State because SHE WAS IN DANGER!

Aang understands the importance of Katara’s family, he leaves so as to to come between Katara and her family when she threatens to leave, he brings back her necklace knowing how much it means to her.

In both of mentioned Aang instances, he realized he was wrong and he and Katara reconciled, the first instance was out of a misguided attempt to set things right after he was killed, and the former is something Aang would never do again, in a later episode he actively takes Sokka to his father and Aang is content for he and Katara to go their separate ways for a while. I find it utterly hypocritical to be a Zuko dickrider while bashing Aang for mistakes he regrets, apologizes for and learns from, you know who else does that?

Once again, THE CONTEXT! In the first scene Katara mentions her mother’s death in a more matter of fact way to explain to Aang that the Fire Nation have killed a lot of people including his own. Aang however in a state of denial dismissed the idea of his own people being killed. In the second scene Katara lashes out at Zuko for all the trouble he caused and Zuko after going through some development prior empathizes with her in a way to get Katara to understand he means no harm.

Aang also empathized with Katara’s loss. In this same episode, he himself says he knows what it’s like to feel the pain and rage Katara feels, specifically when he found out all his people were dead and encouraged Katara to confront the person who caused said pain.

I REALLY HATE making a Katara centric episode about shipping, I really do, many people say Zuko was right Aang was wrong, or Aang was right Zuko was wrong. Neither side was entirely right or entirely wrong.

Zuko was right to take Katara to confront Yon-Rha and this was when he truly began to understand what Katara had been through and see her as an individual, while Katara comes to see Zuko as a friend and forgive him, however he had no idea what Katara was going to do and didn’t think of toll this would take on Katara if she did end up choosing violence.

Meanwhile Aang not agreeing with Katara and confronting her isn’t a bad thing, he understands just what it’s like to lose someone close to you and to feel unbridled rage and hate, he’s been there, he also knows Katara isn’t cold-hearted and she could come to regret seeking violence. He actively encourages Katara to face Yon-Rha without killing him, which she does and as Zuko says he was right about what Katara needed. But as Katara points out she didn’t forgive Yon-Rha, forgiveness wasn’t the right choice, and you know what, this is something Aang accepts.

These points in particular really highlight the stupidity and hypocrisy of the OP. For one, as we can literally see Aang ignored his training specifically because Katara was in danger and he wanted to save her, this is no different from Zuko sacrificing himself to save Katara, in fact Aang has put his life on the line for Katara multiple times. Furthermore OP gets on Aang’s case for leaving Katara to fulfill his duties in the Book 3 premiere, but then praises Zuko for leaving Mai to fulfill his duties. They’re literally praising Zuko for doing the same stuff Aang’s doing and whining about Aang whether he chose to ignore his duties to be with Katara or if he leaves Katara to fulfill his duties, you can’t win!

Okay, screw this guy, this has nothing to do with the Zuko saving Katara, OP just wanted to bitch about Aang not wanting to kill Ozai as if this supposedly makes him selfish even though Aang is literally facing Ozai to save the world and is simply trying to find a peaceful solution, it’s like the theme of this show was lost on this dude.

This was the creep who made weird comments about Katara’s appearance wasn’t it.

I really don’t get what this final point is trying to prove. The first scene is Katara happy that Zuko is alive, the second is Katara happily gazing at Aang, who never at any point tried to change Katara, at all. Point me to one scene, one moment. If this is about how Katara looks, she doesn’t look that different, at the very least, her eyes are slightly bigger in the second pic because she close to someone she loves, but even then it’s a lot of whining from this guy about nothing.

Case in point, this is when I realized Anti-Kataang Zutara shippers have are media-illiterate morons with not a single good take, fake-fans who only care about mischaracterization for the sake of a mid middle-school ship.

Maybe I should make a counter post about what Katara gains from Kataang.

[ennn]

Agatha and Rio as star-crossed lovers: Why a happy ending for them is unlikely (for now) but it'll be okay (probably?)

Look, I’m obsessed with these two—both their complex characters, their crazy unique dynamic—it’s a ship I actually can’t play favourites with!

BUT I also fully expect these two will fight it out in the finale and they aren’t headed for a happy ending, at least not a happy ending where they walk off happily into the sunset together at the end of this series and we shippers should maybe try to not freak out about it.

Let’s look at what the show is—in my opinion—telling us about these two. Under the cut for spoilers and my heap of meta thoughts–

Agatha’s arc is about her finding her coven, her community

I’ve written a bit more about the show’s and our protagonist's arc here: Basically underneath all that lust for power, Agatha’s deepest desire is to find a coven, a family of witches she can share her trials and blessings with. Agatha loves powerful witchcraft and she wants someone to share it with.

And she did find Rio. These two incredibly lonely women found each other, fell in love, and probably murdered their way through so many people together.

But then Agatha had a child and realised she could be a little bit less selfish for another human being. And then Rio took him away and they separated but i think they ultimately never dealt with what I think is at the heart of their rift now, of Agatha still having that bit of humanity and vulnerability for human connection in her.

Now of course at this point I don’t know what Rio’s deal is exactly. Is she human? Was she human? What happened in her past? What we do know is that Rio has a certain detachment from people, and that she enjoys watching Agatha kill witches.

Right now Agatha's getting a taste of what having a coven can be like. Something she's not had in centuries. Them working together, making magic together. That moment during the campfire where she realised they were laughing with her. The shared experience of riding those broomsticks.

Yes, covens—like any kind of family or community—can be good or bad. They can lift you up or tear you down. Agatha's first coven and mother failed her, we'll see how this one fares (especially after what we saw in episode 5). Will they be enough to bring out more of Agatha's humanity?

The thing is, Agatha is going on a bit of a character development journey and Rio—whose her world hasn't been rocked the same way Agatha's has—isn't.

Now I don't expect Agatha to turn over a new leaf by the end of the series but I expect her to be in a somewhat different place from where she started, and Rio I expect will not be in that same place. At least not by this series' end.

There is a certain tension at the end of episode 4 after Rio brings up the topic of "the boy". And again when Rio watches Agatha leave the cabin in episode 5. I think Rio is recognising that this isn't the Agatha she knew and first fell in love with many years ago, and she's not happy about it.

Agatha's moving in a direction Rio might not be able to follow, and I expect that's where we'll get our conflict down the road.

In a world without logistical limits, it's not impossible for these two to be together given enough time and character development (and hey that's what fic is for) but with 4 episodes remaining I expect we'll at best get more of a bittersweet resolution for them, after both of them finally let loose the anger they have at each other.

A closing of a chapter, I suppose, but not necessarily The End.

Agatha and Rio love each other, but they also bring out the worst in each other

It’s clear that these two have loved and do still have love for each other. That they found a special connection with each other that has maybe even saved one or the both of them before.

But they can also be standing in each other's way.

I'm reminded of these lines from Killing Eve:

I think my monster encourages your monster, right? I think I wanted it too.

Look, Agatha can't have a community if she keeps killing members of that community in the pursuit of power. Yes, with Rio around, it's terribly romantic: the two of them against the world. But what if Agatha actually wants to be a part of that world, even a little?

And as for Rio, now this is just my theory but it's possible Rio is perhaps too focused on the darker aspects of her role, of her power.

As The Green Witch, isn’t she meant to be more than Death?

I've been marvelling at all the details in Rio's nature-themed warrior witch outfit. It's beautiful, a celebration of life. She clearly has a strong connection with plants; there's a cute spider on her jacket; she's shown some ability to heal. Even her Death outfit has vines and roots forming her chest piece — what happened with Rio to make her hone in on spreading violence and death?

It just feels like there's a story there, to have her be The Green Witch as opposed to a more traditional or mainstream manifestation of a Death entity.

It's clear that these two came together and did monstrous things. There's usually reasons for that. Human or not, I suspect Rio has her own pain, one that's warping the balance of nature. Maybe they both need to heal in their own way, apart from each other.

This relationship is important to the show

Whatever happens, it's clear that this relationship is key to Agatha's story and the show. Their relationship, with its soft moments and sharp edges, filled much of the first episode on purpose and I expect it to play a major part in the finale as well – an appropriate bookend – including the fight between them.

You could even say that it's actually a good thing that these two are getting the focus at the show's start and end. It's always been Agatha and Rio: understanding each other, at each other's throats, pushing each other, tearing at each other, wanting but not meeting each other.

The thing about this being a "small stakes" show is that the cause of the fight happening between them can be very personal. A lovers' quarrel. Rio may simply want to kill Agatha for something she did, or in rage or fear of losing her.

On that note though, these two have such a long and complicated – and as Hahn once put it "toxic maybe but loving" – relationship that one big violent messy fight in itself doesn't worry me. I mean, we've all seen episode one.

Maybe sometimes you have to bleed to let the poison out.

This is still a love story.

[skippenloaf]

Transactions

I think something I really enjoy about Shima's character and the writing of his arc is how he has conceptualized wants as something that are beyond him - not necessarily because he doesn't have them, but because he believes they are not within his reach unless he is able to offer something of himself in exchange. Especially if that want is affection.

While Shima was definitely deliberately avoiding thinking about his feelings for Mitsumi, I do believe he had some understanding that he liked Mitsumi as more than a friend - that he wanted to be "special" to her.

While he did not (prior Vol. 9/10) conceptualize that "special" connection as necessarily romantic, he was definitely aware enough of that desire to be willing to ask her out.

While Shima has been pretty deliberate about not thinking about his and Mitsumi's relationship, he is incredibly aware of his attractiveness and place in the social hierarchy. From his perspective, romance is not necessarily a connection between two individuals as much as a part of a social politicking system.

This is definitely somewhat just me enjoying #problematic dynamics but I think that there is something very romantic about saying "I'm okay with being used if it's you" haha.

Since Mitsumi broke off their relationship, obviously, a big part of the development that's Shima has been going through has centered on him being able to confront even having desires, but I think they do such a good job with this of showing how his previous disappointments and rejections - largely from his mother - have led to him automatically assuming that others will not be amenable to his wants unless it benefits them in some way.

I think others might have another interpretations, but even this scene:

Is so funny to me because, yeah, obviously Mitsumi wanted some space to cool down, but also would have definitely said yes if he had just asked if he could tag along with her. His tendency to both be indirect and to show the "need" for him to be around are things that ultimately, don't work with Mitsumi.

Mitsumi beginning to move on from prioritizing him as a romantic interest, going back to just treating him as simply a friend - combined with him feeling unstablilized by not being wanted for his role as an object of desire, which he sees as the "value" he offers in exchange - is really what spurred his ask in Ch. 60 imo.

Still cannot conceive of a world where he can just ask for what he wants without needing to prove that he deserves it - or in this case, framing it as almost being "owed" it.

Tl;dr Shima is growing and healing but still definitely still in the torture cube

[magnuspanoptes]

Came across your blog and fell in love with your takes on arguably the most important dynamic in tma (like it made me miss them and actually start a relisten after like never finding the energy to after the finale years back). Do you happen to write any fics or have any fic recs?

RAHHH thank you!! this is exactly what i'm hoping to achieve every time i post yet another one of my delusional comparatives 🙂‍↕️

and i don't write fics but i do have recs!

I'd suffer all if you'd tell me, by RavenXavier is definitive S4 silence of the lambs / red dragon prison visit fic. to me.

Death Be Not Proud, by Startless - is another prison visit fic, but it's an AU where jon chose to die in his coma and woke up as an avatar of the end.

Pinned in vain desire, by statuscrows is about jon slowly developing compulsion which causes problems for elias :) they probably write the most in-character elias. he's not nice, but he's fond of jon. i recommend, like, every single one of their je fics. nobody writes beholding powers quite like them, almost every fic is based around an aspect of the beholding. Skeptic is an AU where jon finds gertrude's tape on the first day of the job. statuscrows always writes jon with his early seasons abrasiveness and mean streak intact, which is really all i want from jon's characterisation. i don't want nice jon, take that awayyy; Ritual misery is set immediately after 160 and is doing more interesting things with the web than all of S5 put together; From his prospect high - jonathan sims learns to See; Quenched in darkness you shall see - this is noncon and dead dove. read the tags! reccing this because ritual voyeurism to please the beholding is a real and true concept.

Perchance to Dream, by parva_dae and once upon a dream, by indelibleangel - are dream fics, inspired by MAG 120. first one is a snippet of elias poking around in jon's head and worsening his fear and paranoia. he would do that ^_^ and in the second one they talk. and kiss.

and lilies, by kototyph - i read two chapters while it was still ongoing but it's finished now and i haven't gotten around to it yet, but from what i remember this had, like, revolutionary elias characterisation. he's a disaster. a very well put together, beautiful disaster.

also these two one shots they wrote for jonelias week which i liked very much :3

something different crosses the threshold, by aguntoaknifefight - amnesia. classic.

a heavenly madness, by roundthedecay - this is one of the very few, proper gothic fics with these two. there's a cursed oil painting. jon's having his life ruined by said cursed painting. and jonah/elias gets a proper gothic villain treatment.

Worn to Shadows, by Ash_Rabbit, which somewhat satisfies my bluebeard itch, but it's an AU with no institute.

everything Candentia has ever written, basically. they write entity horror really well, and i think almost every one of their je fics are squarely in the horror genre, which i appreciate very much. i'm here for the horror. and you have to check out Beholding's Own if only for the jonah chapters. it doesn't have that older mentor shaping the younger in their own image dynamic because this an AU in which they're childhood friends. but it's so good. it's so good!! the georgian jonah chapters are exquisite. the tone, voice, word choice, atmosphere, general everything. also, some serious wuthering heights stuff happening between these two. like, they get it. they get it! they've also written a bluebeard (and cupid & psyche) adjacent fic - darkly, which is a fairy tale au. and Where Hope and Reason Part is tagged dead dove for the detailed descriptions of eye gore. which is my thing. we need more of that.

Professional Distance - takes place during the birthday tape, has an excellent elias voice. he's evil. and enamoured by jon. and evil.

a glass essay, by fairbanks is jonpeter and only tangentially lonelyeyes and jonelias, but it's one of the most gorgeously written fics i've had the pleasure of reading. excellent isolation narrative and has symbolism which pays off in an unexpectedly perfect way. and as a guy who does not care about peter lukas or any ships involving him in the slightest. well. this got to me.

Scenes from an Epicenter, by NeverwinterThistle which is set during S3 and the first je fic i recall reading. the bit where elias takes jon home after distortion helen drops him in his office is canon to me <3

Dark Square Bishop, by Blissymbolics, exactly what it says on the tin. homoerotic chess match at the end of the world.