#and he most likely never would've lived past 20

[victim9d]

i am thinking Very Hard ab the way that i think if tate were to show someone he recently met photos of him as a teenager (there arent many) they would struggle to really see it as the same guy or at the very least have that kind of. Moment of thought before the oh wow you look different

[polarisjisung]

LOVE ON THE COURT | 07 TAEHYUN FROM 3RD GRADE

SYNOPSIS | every college student has their struggles, but raising her younger brother has Y/N top of the list, struggling her way through college whilst balancing her academics and basketball captaincy is difficult no doubt and with Jaemin, her ex best friend and captain of the guys basketball team, and his growing one sided hatred towards her, it doesn't seem to be getting any easier

WARNINGS | swearing, sexual innuendos, kys/kms jokes, some more anti daegal agenda from haechan, jaemin is still a bitch but trust that will change shortly

NOTES | written cut ahead!! also just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's reading and interacting, I love reading all the comments 🫶🏼🫶🏼 +++ just a warning to be careful and stay safe for everyone in the uk with the ongoing violence :( please take care of yourselves!

Jaemin sighs.

Luck hadn't been on his side today, not when he woke up 20 minutes after his alarm, with the worst bedhead of his life and his hungry kittens practically hissing at him to be fed, not when he was late to school and the first class of the day and certainly not now.

Now as campus feels suspiciously empty, almost too empty, considering practise had ended only 5 minutes ago, jaemin stares up at the sky, thunder clashing, grey clouds looming overhead.

It doesn't take much longer for the rain to come, not a light drizzle but a full blown storm, the wind making the rain splash in his face, his pink hair matted to his forehead. A frown lines his lips.

And as if luck hadn't fucked him over enough, the bus service was cancelled all week.

If it wasn't for your slow, cautious footsteps, jaemin would've found himself trudging through the rain for the next half an hour to get back home.

He sighs in relief, convincing himself he'll ask the student approaching for a ride home, and like most students, who he was pretty popular with, he'd get a positive answer.

Jaemin's relief is short lived when he realises, that student is in fact you making your way over.

The way the concern paints your features and you rush over in the rain, not too bothered about getting yourself wet but still offering an umbrella out to him, the way you feign selflessness, the way you seem so innocent, it all convinces jaemin that maybe walking back home in the rain isn't too bad. He's already turned around before you can say anything.

He doesn't know why he stops when he hears your voice call out for him

"Jaemin" he doesn't know even more why he turns around to face you, holding perhaps the most eye contact he has with you in years.

"Do you need a ride home?" you ask, smiling as you wait for him to take the umbrella from you. He only shoves it back into your hands

All jaemin can focus on is that one word, did he need a ride, need?

Jaemin had never and would never need anything from you. He'd like to make that clear, but it's a lot less validating when he knows you won't respond the way he'd like. His bitter remarks were always met with silence on your end.

"I don't need anything from you" he spits the words out anyways.

You nod, but you don't let up, and apparently neither does the rain, it's speed doubling by the second and the size of each falling droplet growing.

"Would you like a ride?" you try again, despite the fact that you could barely make out jaemin in front of you and all you can hope is that he'll say yes.

His facial expressions telling you otherwise.

"Fine" he says, walking past you and towards your car, you can't help but smile, even if you had gotten completely soaked in the process of convincing him.

For a moment, you're close enough to blowing your cover, forgetting to ask for directions, but jaemin seems a step ahead, taking the initiative to put his apartment address into your satnav. Now you couldn't pretend that being next to him was easy, even if you tried to, jaemins presence left you in a constant state of uneasiness, like you were hyper aware of every sound you made, every word you spoke, worried you were breathing too loud or something completely out of your control would tick him off. It wasn't that jaemin was a horrible guy, he wasn't— you knew that better than anyone else, you just never knew why he had decided to be so horrible to you.

You choose to sit in silence, phone connected to the aux but no music playing as you drove. For just a second, you remember how comforting the silence between you both had once been, how there was never an awkward moment or thoughts of self doubt in jaemin's presence. Now it felt heavy, unspoken words and underlying emotions lingering in the space between you.

"Don't think we're friends just because I accepted your ride" he says, his tone sour.

"I know we're not friends jaemin, just doesn't hurt to be cordial"

You're not sure if he even hears what you said, but if he had, jaemin chooses to ignore your words. You don't say anything of it either.

He turns to face you, concentrated on driving through the heavy rain with a heavy grip on the wheel. You seem stiff for some reason, though he can't figure out why.

This is the first time, jaemin realises, that he's let himself look at you completely.

Your hands grip the steering wheel, some fresh red scratches on them, he wonders where they came from but moves on from the thought quickly, supposing you were just as clumsy as you once were. It's the only similarity he can notice, everything else seems painfully different to the old you.

Your hair is tied back in a ponytail and seems longer than he'd last remembered, perhaps a couple shades darker too, your facial features seem more mature and your eyes seem more tired.

For some reason each change, large or small, still manages to suit you well.

"Good game out there" you say and jaemin notices the changes that came to your voice, you've developed some confidence but speak in a softer tone than before, the smile on your face seems permanent, a realisation that makes his eyes roll.

"Can't say the same for you"

You nod, this really hadn't been your best game and the lack of sleep last night really hadn't helped.

"I hope you're not going to continue the rest of the season with the weak shots and shitty playing" he clicks his tongue, "it's not exactly best player of the year material is it?"

Most days you'd let jaemin take these shots at you, the wordless ones, the bold ones, and the quite frankly unnecessary ones, but today something urges you to defend yourself just a little.

"We all have our moments jaemin" you sigh, and despite wanting to say more, you decide against it, besides you were almost home anyway.

"Too many of those moments and we're in the same situation we were last year, wouldn't want to let the team down more than you already do would you?"

You don't respond, the car coming to a stop outside the front entrance to your apartment complex. You're glad it does, tears pricking your eyes as a smug jaemin steps out of the car.

"Thanks"

When the door shuts behind jaemin you can't help but let the tears roll down your face.

You wonder why you even make an effort.

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[velvetlilith777]

Cedar Smoke

Sebastian x Reader

Author's Note: Another practice drabble! This one was loosely inspired by a plot post I saw on tik tok that was so cute it stayed in my head rent free. Also wrote this one gender neutral and I think I did pretty okay if that's chill to say.

Synopsis: Neither you or Sebastian sleep well, so you decide to spend the nights hanging out together since there's nothing better to do. It's just a way to kill time, right?

CW: Fluff mostly!!! They aren't in a relationship. Swearing bc it's a Seb fic so of course there is. Mentions and descriptions of anxiety and mental health problems. Oh also cigarettes because - Sebastian <3

Word Count: 2k

Tick. Tick. Tick.

It was enough to drive a person mad. An incessant reminder of every second you weren't resting.

You were tired, of course you were. Operating a successful farm and carrying the needs of a small community on your back wasn't for the weak. Every part of your body and mind ached for rest at the end of every day.

Each night followed the same routine: get home, bond with your dog, eat dinner, shower and head to bed. At the end of it, you always felt like you'd be able to fall asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow. However, when your head would finally lay and you'd begin to drift off, the last second before the sweet release of your dreams was met with what felt like a hammer to your chest. Knocking the wind out of you, you'd shoot upright upon being greeted by your old friend, anxiety. It wasn't the normal kind you dealt with on a daily basis, manageable with medication and some methods Harvey had taken the time to teach you. It was much worse and much heavier in your body. You weren't sure what the root cause was, just that it had been happening every night for months now matter what you changed or how you tried to cope.

You'd been lying there for hours, the clock finally hitting your last nerve. Sighing, you rolled over in search of your phone, finding it shoved under your pillow from when you gave up on a video or a game helping you calm down. The screen illuminated far too bright as you turned it on. Noticing you had a text notification from 20 minutes ago, you already knew who was trying to reach you at such an hour.

Seb: sleeping?

Of course he wasn't either. Though he would never fully share what was on his mind, you knew similar circumstances kept him awake well past most people too.

nope 🙃

Seb: same. wanna chill again?

yeah, you can come over here if you want

Seb: cool, be there soon

Standing up from your bed, you started fumbling around in the dark looking for something to change into instead of your pajama shirt. Settling on a sweatshirt, you threw it on and left your pajama pants for your bottoms before remembering that everything would've been easier if you'd just turned a light on. You really weren't sure how you were able to get about your day anymore with the effects of sleep deprivation in full swing.

The first time the two of you had spent the night in each other's company was accompanied by a symphony of frogs surrounding the lake by his house. The familiar pang of nighttime anxiety pushing you to search for any solution, you'd taken a walk under the stars to try and work through the tightness in your chest when you stumbled upon him smoking in search of similar relief. Since that night when you'd both realized you had similar luck around sleep, spending the dark hours together had become common, happening most nights of the week.

Padding out to your living room, you turned a single lamp on and plopped down on your couch while you waited for Sebastian to arrive. You began to scroll through instagram to pass the time, only making it through a handful of posts before you heard a knock on your door.

"It's open!" A half shout left your throat.

Creaks filled your ears as the programmer swung the door open letting himself in. A smile crept across his lips as a greeting.

"Hey, are you cold?" His nose was covered in a flush of red, reflecting the chill beginning to settle in for the upcoming season.

"Always. We can start a fire?" Your head tilted towards the stone fireplace his mother had carefully installed in your home during your last renovation.

"Thank god, it's fucking freezing out there" he let out a low chuckle while shutting the cabin door.

"I can make us some coffee too? Decaf, though, unless you want to commit to this whole 'awake when we shouldn't be' thing?" You poked, hopping up and striding towards the mug cabinet in your kitchen.

Sebastian glanced up from the fireplace where he'd already achieved a successful kindle over to where you had sat two of your favorite mugs. "Decaf is fine, but only because we should be sleeping. Don't give me that shit during the day."

The two of you locked eyes, the emo giving you a snarky side smile.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

With your mugs full of your shared favorite beverage, you returned to your spot on the sofa and pulled out the giant, chunky blanket Emily had knit for you last Feast of the Winter Star. Sebastian followed not long after, the fireplace crackling with the sounds of warmth.

"What's the vibe for tonight?" Your usual cheery tone coated your words even at this hour.

"Mmhm, we could start The Witcher over again? It's been awhile." Fabric slid across your legs as he tugged the blanket lightly to join you in bundling up.

"I'll never say no long-haired Henry Cavill!"

Taking a swig of his coffee, he snorted a laugh and shook his head at your thirst. You met his gaze with a giggle, reaching for the remote on the table beside him. The familiar dum dum of the Netflix intro sound filled your living room as you flipped on the series you'd rewatched a dozen times now.

Feeling a familiar cramp start up in your thighs from the hours of labor you put into your work each week, you decided you hadn't picked the most comfortable position to rest in having sat cross legged on the couch. Sebastian caught you wincing out of the corner of his eye as you adjusted your legs for any alleviation from how taught your muscles had become.

"You okay?" It came out almost a whisper, so quiet you weren't sure if he meant to ask at all.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just sore from the farm. Sitting like this isn't helping either" a light laugh followed your words as you attempted to deflect from how unpleasant your pain had actually become.

He studied your face for a moment, your eyebrows had begun to furrow at the burn throughout your body while you continued to squirm in search of comfort. How you had overworked yourself to this point of exhaustion and still were wide awake with him he both did and did not understand. You should be passed out by now, but mental health was a bitch that took no prisoners, he knew that well.

"Would it help if you laid down?"

Shaking your head while giving him a tired smile, you returned "no, I can't watch the show from my room and I can't sleep either, remember?"

"No, on me" the emo blurted out so quickly he didn't realize how timid he should've been. "I meant, would it help if you laid on me. Out here."

Your mouth parted in shock briefly before finding the wit to respond. "Oh no, I really wouldn't want to do that to you I'll be f-"

"I don't mind. Promise" his face was straight aside from the worry lines on his forehead, giving away his genuine concern for you as he cut you off.

"Here." He gently helped you stand up before positioning himself horizontally on the cushions, resting his head on the arm. Once he had settled, his hand tapped against his chest beckoning you to him.

"Okay, fine, but this is better for your neck," you sighed a small laugh before tossing a throw pillow at his face. As you moved to crawl on top of him, he adjusted the pillow behind his head and moved to bring the blanket back over the both of you.

Stretching out, it was as if your body began to melt into his. Scent overwhelmed you in the best way. The air smelt of cedar from the fire, while the smell of tobacco smoke lingered on his hoodie. You weren't sure what cologne he wore, but something spicy and warm enveloped your head. Beams of light danced on the walls as the fire flickered around. Moment by moment, the ache in your chest grew lighter.

Geralt and Stregobor had just begun speaking in the illusion of the mage's tower when your eyes started to flutter shut. Sebastian's heartbeat thumping in your ear with the comfort of your favorite show in the other was enough to finish lulling you off with the anxiety now at bay. Once you allowed yourself to surrender to the exhaustion that was now your biggest worry, waking you up wouldn't be possible until morning.

"Want to watch the next one?" Sebastian quizzed as episode one came to a close.

Silence. Not even a twinge of movement left your body. He pushed your hair out of your face while he peered down at you in hopes of getting your attention. Greeted with the most peaceful he'd seen your face in months, the reality of the situation washed over him. You actually fell asleep. The corners of his mouth crept upward, relief brought to his mind that one of you was able to rest after all.

Seb pressed play on the next episode. Checking the time, he decided he'd put you to bed after this one and head home. His thumb mindlessly rubbed circles on your back and in your hair. Tension grew on the tv, but he found himself yawning when he should've been paying the most attention. Shit. He was about to fall asleep too. Realizing he wouldn't be able to make it through the rest of the hour, a wave of guilt hit him - he wanted to stay. Your body felt like the kindest weighted blanket on his own. The smells of amber and vanilla from your shampoo had been filling his nose as he played with your hair. His brain was quiet, and he couldn't remember the last time it was.

No. It would be wrong to overstay his welcome just because both of you had found peace in this moment. You weren't awake and able to ask him to stay and he wouldn't let himself cross any unspoken boundaries you may have had.

His elbows found the bottom cushions. He began to push both of you up in an effort to carry you to bed. As he slowly started moving, so did your head. Your arms wrapped around little tighter around his back. He froze, hearing you grumble something incoherent while your eyebrows furrowed together. Fuck. He wasn't sure how to get out from under you and keep you asleep.

Pulling an arm out from under him, he began to stroke your hair again.

"Hey, I need to get you to bed" he cooed.

You lightly shook your head, your brows still knit together. You muttered a small no along with it, but it was quiet enough to leave room for doubt.

He wasn't sure what to do. If he kept going, you were bound to wake up fully. You weren't actually awake enough to make a sound decision, but the small gestures you did manage made it seem like you wanted him to stay right there and stop moving. It went against everything in his moral code to stay without welcome, and he didn't want to put your friendship at risk. But god, his brain was calm and you were so comforting.

"Fuck it" he whispered to himself. If this was the wrong decision, he would gladly pay the price in the morning. His head met the pillow you'd given him as he wrapped his arms back around you. He swore he saw a smile tug at the corners of your lips in response. Hitting play on the show again, he let the quiet of his mind and the serenity of the moment soothe him away.

For the first time in years, he got a full night's worth of rest in your company.

[meimi-haneoka]

Shocking: English edition of Clear Card volume 15

I'm very pleased to inform you guys that a friend showed me some pages from the English edition of volume 15 of Clear Card (which has just been released) and they fixed a whole lot of translation mistakes I had pointed out when the relative chapters came out in simulpub!!

(all images courtesy of Sarah/Rainbowbee - reposted with permission)

I saw around 20 pages and I was so happy to see not only the fixed translations, but also some lines rephrased in a better way to explain things more properly.

The one above made me emotional because in that correctly translated "that makes me so happy to hear!" there's the emotional load of an underlying "I have no idea how my daughter will look like once grown up and I'll never live enough to find out, so at least learning that from you makes me happy" that a "thank you!" just didn't convey (and then again, it was just incorrect).

Like, seriously, they even rephrased what Lilie said as to make more clear what Kaito's goal has been the whole time, and it conveys better that the lie he told Momo was for a good cause (because he knew she was a kind creature, he didn't want her to grow worried and try to stop him).

Finally they have mentioned Lilie's ring was a price she paid to save everyone's derriere!!!

Akiho was not supposed to remember about Momo, and that's been correctly restored here.

This is the volume where Lilie and Momo explained to Sakura part of what was happening to her, included some concepts difficult to understand, and it was pivotal they nailed it right.

This hasn't been the case with the past releases (the mistakes of the simulpub stayed most of the time, and some lines that were changed only ended up being more wrong), so I wasn't really hopeful or anything, but today they shocked me in a positive way.

I remind you that in this volume there are 2/3 pages that have been partially redrawn by CLAMP (with changed dialogues) in the part where Lilie talks, so I warmly suggest you to get it and check them out when you have the opportunity.

Now, I can't help but wonder if the japanese side got any hand in this sudden care for the translation. If the long months between releases (english volume 16 will only come in March 2025 despite the japanese one has been out since April of this year) is because Japan wants to supervise the translation. After all, Ohkawa did say in that famous Space (where they mentioned being aware of the translation mistakes) that she would've liked to try talking about this issue with the translation team.

And I can't help but also think about what we could've had if they had just put this amount of care from the beginning.

If they had proofread from the start. If they had translated all the words in a sentence and not lost some along the way.

If they hadn't stubbornly chosen to phrase everything regarding a certain character in a malicious way.

I'm crossing my fingers that Volume 16 will get the same amount of care, if not more. 🤞

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Part 3

Danny would guess they'd gone about 20 miles by the time he'd stopped. They were well within Siren Territory by then, not that that was any comfort, considering the source of most of the trouble in the last six months, but distance was distance. Thankfully, none of his usual enemies bothered to rear their heads, likely licking their wounds from their last encounters.

In a tiny cave blocked off by kelp and coral, Danny leaned back against a wall and caught his breath. Damian had been silent for most of the swim, which was a small blessing. It let Danny think; think about what happens next. The tiny siren loosened himself from Danny's arms, and did a few cursory flaps of his fins.

"Where have you been taking me?" Damian mumbled.

"Around. Can't exactly double back to Amity right now." He hoped Bruce Wayne was an accepting man. He'd adopted kids from all manner of backrounds, but that didn''t help the same nagging uncertainty that plagued him whenever he thought about his own parents. If he'd just doomed Damian to a life without his father, he didn't know if he could live with himself.

Damian floated to the other side of the cave, his eyes on Danny the whole time, arms crossed in a scowling expression.

"And then?"

"I don't know. I give you back to your dad? I wasn't exactly planning out every step earlier."

"Then what were you thinking?" Damian's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Do you suggest I return to the public, to school looking like this? I can hardly breathe over water, let alone walk."

"I don't know! I just..." Danny poked his finger webbing. "I've been doing this for six months. And the whole time, even if it was hard and painful, I never lost someone. No one ever, well." Danny swallowed thickly.

Damian huffed. "You are a poor excuse of a hero."

"I failed you, there's no denying it. I was too late, and I let you drown. I'm sorry. There was no other way, I swear."

Danny looked up to Damian again, but the smaller boy looked away, his expression unreadable. "Take me back."

Yeah, that wasp probably the best he could do for Damian now. Bruce Wayne was probably having the mother of all freakouts, and if Damian never wanted to see Danny again, then that was fine. He was sure the world's richest man would be able to accommodate Damian's needs just fine. Rich people were weird like that.

It took some begrudging glares, but Damian at least allowed Danny to take his hand and use his much better swimming skills, but Damian didn't look very happy about it. Then again, today was probably the worst day in the kid's life.

They were approaching the island at rapid pace, its lustrous palm trees swaying in the distance, a promise of stability, and safety at last.

Motors hummed in the water. Danny's blood froze. Immediately he submerged and ducked near the sea floor.

"What is this delay for? Let me see." Damian pushed against Danny's hand, but the older boy kept firm.

"Patrol boats. Dozens of them. And they're all on high alert. And they've got Fenton tech. Shit."

"Can't you swim past them?"

Danny sputtered. What was this kid thinking? He wasn't some god of the sea! "I can't fight thirty boats by myself! They're gonna skewer us both!"

"What about your camouflage?"

"That would've worked a couple months ago, but these guys have got Fenton Sonars."

Damian did a double take. "The Fentons? You mean the town crackpots?"

Ouch, his parents were a little obsessed, but they definitely weren't crazy. Not anymore. "The town siren hunters. And yeah maybe Jack's not great at hunting, but their inventions work. I've got a scar or two to prove it."

"My father is on that island." Damian growled. "You have to do something."

"But it's not your dad on those boats, is it?" Danny furrowed his brow. "Those guys don't see you as human, or even sentient. They think you're another monster to be studied."

"No thanks to you." Damian challenged.

Danny growled back. "I was saving you! And now you wanna be un-saved?"

They glared into each other's eyes. Danny should really feel bad about squaring up to this literal child, but man was he difficult not to get annoyed at. Deep breaths, Danny, deep breaths. This was going to be more difficult than he imagined.

Damian glared at Phantom, the supposed siren superhero of Amity Park. He wanted to scream, to yell and to cut something open, preferably Phantom, if he weren't his only ticket home, and if only he had his weapons on him.

Such a loss of composure would be beneath him, so he remained stubbornly defiant.

As much as he wished for it not to be the case, Phantom was in all likelihood correct. This horrid, horrid body was new to him. Dozens, no, hundreds of foreign sensations flared from every part of his person, each impulse sending his body wobbling in new, unexpected directions. He would never get through the blockade on his own, which killed half of his initial plans. These blasted sonars killed the other half.

Damian grit his teeth. "Fine." He said, despite the embarrassment welling up at having to admit defeat. "But this conversation is not over."

"I bet." Phantom said, the infuriating cur.

By Damian's estimates, it should have been around midnight when Phantom stopped. They took refuge underneath a larger cave, filled with sparse furniture, a rug and some tables, with dark green curtains over the entrance. Small glowing jellyfish provided faint light. It seemed like the hopelessly domestic scene Jonathan would enjoy.

Damian slithered (He didn't crawl or shuffle. He was too dignified) into the corner of the cave, where he assumed a defensive position and poured all his seething hatred into glaring at Phantom.

"Welcome to Casa de Phantom! Or at least one of them. I've got a couple hideouts here and there. I'd say 'make yourself at home,' but I guess you beat me to the punch." Phantom said with a laugh. How dare he!

Damian hissed. "Tt. I am taking advantage of the opportunity for respite while taking necessary precaution against a rogue element."

"A rogue element? I don't know if you're serious or just pulling my tailfin."

"Do not test me, Phantom."

"Right. Look, I'm gonna go get us some food, so just stay put or something or other. I won't be long and then we can talk about where we go next. Oh, and don't touch anything!"

Damian growled at him again for good measure. Phantom exited the cave in short order, leaving Damian with ample opportunity for investigation. He wouldn't be a Robin if he didn't seize this opportunity.

Damian uncoiled himself and pulled his body along the soft sand. The grains tickled and pricked at his scales. The tables held a number of different gadgets and tools. Human clothes like t-shirts, a few vests and belts were scattered around. The bench held various strange devices, like a glowing blue lipstick, and a thermos of all things. Damian knocked on the thermos, the clanging sound confirming it was hollow. The most incriminating detail of all, however, was the distinctive F logo branded onto the side of each and every device.

How does a siren with no legs acquire so many inventions from siren hunters? He supposes they really are better siren hunting inventors than proper fighters. It was a miracle Jack Fenton hadn't drowned by now, considering how he conducted himself in a fight.

The thermos was lightweight, its metal settling gently against his webbed hands. Videos of Phantom's exploits have been scarce, and grainy, showing very few useable details. Various buttons and lights adorned the thermos, showing it was no ordinary soup holder.

Damian popped the cap off. The thermos' interior contained a circular mechanism of some kind. "What in the world?" Surely this could not be a weapon. The cylindrical design and lack of handholds would have made it too unwieldy. The kickback from any shot would throw off the wielder's aim every time. As Damian peered and tried to get a closer look, his finger slipped on one of the buttons. Blast.

The thermos whined. Its interior glowed blindingly bright. Before Damian could react, a blue beam engulfed his body. Damian felt his body warp and compress into a tiny space, before his vision went dark.

Damian awoke, vision blurry and head pounding. Phantom's smug face floated above him.

"And that's why I told you not to touch anything."

Damian shook off the grogginess and sat up, almost colliding with Phantom's face. "What manner of trap was that? Were you attempting to disfigure me once again for your sick pleasure?! En garde!"

Damian was no good swimmer in this form, but it was easy to launch himself off the floor and into Phantom. Phantom, for his part, didn't sit idly like the last time. He raised his arm and blocked off Damian's access to his neck, a shame, but that did not stop Damian sinking his teeth into Phantom's flesh.

That is, if he could actually penetrate his skin.

Damian blinked in shock. Sirens were supposed to have razor sharp teeth. He'd seen those fangs in Phantom's own mouth. He should be drawing blood right now, but as he was he was barely denting Phantom's scales.

Phantom laughed, as if it just tickled. "Dude, I literally let you out of the thermos. It's not a 'trAP to diSFiguRe yOu fOR mY sIcK PleaSuRe,' it's just a containment device for sirens. Also can you stop that please, it tickles."

Damian flung himself off of Phantom's arm, retreating back into his corner. "How have I not drawn blood?! This is madness!" Damian sucked in breaths through his gills, an endlessly foreign and vulnerating sensation. "The only useful thing about this body was supposed to be its natural offensive capabilities, yet it is unable to achieve even that!"

"Siren kids just have blunter claws and teeth. Youngblood's the same."

"Do not call me a child!"

"Your claws will grow in over time, it's just the nature of things."

"You say that as if you will not return me to my true human form."

Phantom shifted uncomfortably.

Damian pressed. "Well?"

"Yeah about that..."

"Do not tell me you have no way to reverse it!"

Phantom's look of guilt sealed it. Damian's heart sank. Goodbye Robin, goodbye previous life. All his hard work and sacrifice for naught. Phantom had saved him from death by drowning, but suddenly Damian felt as if he were better off dead anyway.

Tears built up. What was happening to him? He hadn't cried since he was five years old, a show of weakness that grandfather had beaten out of him. Then again, he was really one year old back then, artificially grown to a competent age.

"H-hey, d-don't cry or anything, I was just-"

"I am not crying!" Damian shouted. He turned away from Phantom and stuffed his face into his tail, praying somehow the tears would go away on their own. He was Damian Wayne, son of Batman and daughter of Talia Al Ghul, there was no such thing as crying for him, none at all. There had been nothing, absolutely nothing he had been unable to overcome. He was going to overcome this, no matter what. These things he knew.

Why had this feeling not abated?

There had to be a solution, there just had to be. There had to be some kind of surgery that could split his tail into legs again. No that was absurd, what kind of quack surgeon can completely alter someone's species? Perhaps magic instead? Normally he hated the involvement of magic, but if it was the only way. Perhaps Zatara could assist, or he could pawn something off to that Constantine. But nothing ever good happened from associating with that man. Or maybe Aquaman would have a solution, someone well versed in oceanic magic, except Aquaman's claim of being king of the ocean was doubtful considering the siren attacks that lead him and Father to this forsaken resort town in the first place. What if... What if....

Damian felt lightheaded.

A weight pressed on Damian's body. Warm scales against his own, their individual texture segmented, but smooth, like a kind of weighted blanket. A hand laid on his shoulder. Damian remembered where he was, remembered to perform the mental exercises Father had taught him.

Slowly, his breathing evened out. His fins steadied into a gentle lull. Damian's eyelids felt heavy. His chest vibrated in a strange rhythm he couldn't place...

Suddenly the weight disappeared, and Damian blinked himself awake. Phantom retreated a sociable distance away, looking sheepish.

"Sorry, about touching you without your consent, I just saw you were hyperventilating, and I remembered a few classes about this stuff, and I watched that film too, Puss in Boots 2, it was great and-"

"Do sirens watch human media often?" Damian said. He gripped his tail, something solid to keep him anchored.

Phantom seemed to freeze for a moment. "Uhm well, maybe they do! just because we're sirens doesn't mean we're uncultured!"

Damian would have loved to pick this information apart, scan it for weaknesses until he knew this person in and out, but at this moment, he simply sat and let it settle underneath the shame of expressing similar, or even more weakness.

"Speak of this to anyone, and I will have your head."

"Yeah that would be a dick move, so if I ever did that, feel free to take it."

[thecurioustale]

The "Middle West"

I was recently watching Trump speak (not something I typically do 🤢), and the most interesting thing he said had nothing to do with anything he was actually talking about: It was that he used the term Middle West to refer to that generally north-central part of the United States, centered on the Mississippi River, that is neither the South nor the Northeast (nor the Mid-Atlantic, but that's really just a subcategory of the Northeast that Northeasterns use to not get lumped in with each other).

We all know it today as the Midwest. But in times past it was much more commonly known as the Middle West.

(Tangent: It is also one of many geographical region-name reminders of our national East Coast beginnings, as America has like six different kinds of "West": the Midwest, the Southwest, the (Pacific) Northwest, the Mountain West / Interior West, the West Coast / Pacific West—and that's not counting the deprecated terms (such as "Far West," i.e. distinguished from the Midwest) or the old Northwest (which would've referred to places like Ohio and (what we know as) West Virginia)!)

Over the course of the 20th century, "Midwest" became an increasingly common form of the term, eventually overtaking "Middle West" in popularity and, by our lifetimes, completely replacing it. The only people who still use "Middle West" today are very old. I'm only aware of the term's existence because I'm a fan of midcentury media and if you go watch (for example) old Dragnet episodes from the 1950s you'll hear the term used.

I was looking at the Google Ngram Viewer to get a sense of the relative usage frequencies of these terms, and I noticed something interesting: Not only has "Middle West" been driven almost extinct from active usage, but "Midwest" itself has also declined precipitously in the 21st century. People today are not calling the Midwest the "Midwest," at least not with the frequency and relevancy they once did. I was curious if this was another permutation of the usage, so I also looked up "Midwestern" (which I included in the link above), thinking that maybe people nowadays are calling it the clunkier "the Midwestern states" / "the Midwestern US," but the adjectival has declined in step with "Midwest." It really does seem to be that people are just using this geographical category less often.

Perhaps unsurprisingly: the sociopolitical cohesiveness of the Midwest has significantly diminished over time. I think most Midwesterners would still recognize and affiliate with the term if you applied it of them to their faces, but increasingly I think many of them do not think of it in their daily lives as a personal or cultural identifier. Which has many fascinating implications that I'm not going to get into.

(Another Tangent: I feel like I've talked about specifically this "Middle West / Midwest" thing on Tumblr before, but I feel that way about half of everything because after all I've been writing down my thoughts for over 20 years and I've been having thoughts for considerably longer than that, and it's often not clear to me what I've talked about publicly and where.)

Anyway, this entire post is really just me scratching the itch of verbal brain noise about the orange guy using a term in a public address that I never hear people use in the present day. A little piece of lost language, hearkening back to a completely different era and world.

[youremyheaven]

on the topic of malefics and sensuality, i'm martian and unsurprisingly celibate. but one thing that i think is unique to martian celibacy is hating men and let me tell you... i sure do 😭 i've had a few experiences as a teen that were like okay at best but as i've gotten older i find men so disgusting and stupid and quite frankly sinister that i just cannot bring myself to even flirt with them. i think there probably is a man out there who won't make me feel this way (venusian munch man if you can hear me please save me) but in the meantime me and my misandrist martian friends (i'm like a mars magnet) are gonna be locked UP

and also, i have mrigashira moon and i think that mrigashira specifically makes you fantasize about romance/sex a lot but not wanting to actually do it. my mrig rising and venus friend feels the same way! we both spent our teen years on wattpad 24/7 😭 mrigs love escapism and fantasy!

omg BBG you spilled 💅🏼

I've noticed the man hating tendency with many Martian women lmaooo, everytime I hear it, I do feel a bit shook ngl, it's like Saturn men hating women

Venusian man save me is so realllll 😩😩😭🤣

Honorable mention for Jupiter men (esp Vishaka) they're the sweetest guys except they're kinda sexless (except Vishaka) they're romantic but not sexual??? If that makes sense??

My friend dated a Vishaka Moon man for a year and he apparently never ever touched her 😭😭😭and she thought it was because he found her unappealing lmao (dating within the Indian context means a man who doesn't touch before marriage is a good man etc so she felt too "slutty" to ask him for anything bc most men are sleazy and would've tried to pull something and him not doing so meant he was a decent guy and she was the problem 💀🤡)

I'd say Venus & Jupiter men are the ones who know how to treat women right 😌😉 (obviously how evolved they're as individuals also matter, there are sex addicted Venusians and party everyday, constant thrill chasing Jupitereans)

Lmaoo the Mrigashira fantasizing about sex and never actually wanting to do the deed is so true. My 60yr old aunt (Mrigashira Moon) has been separated from her husband for like 20 years (and she's thrived as a girlboss ever since) and she often talks about finding a handsome man etc 😌😏🤤 for her company but when my dad says "okay let's try matrimonial sites and find a guy for you 😌🫶🏼" she's like "🤮🤢🤢EWWW"

A gang of Martian misandrists is so funny 😭🤣😳😶‍🌫️💀🤣😭 I feel like Martian women are so unimpressed with me bc I seem like a deranged lover girl to them lmao,, my friend in college had Mars in Mrigashira atmakaraka and she literally acted like my mom and shooed away any man who approached me (since many of them were creepy, I was grateful for it ngl) but the WAYYY she spoke about guys always felt a bit unhinged to me like ??? it can't be normal to walk around with this much rage and angst ??? And I always tried to gauge if there was something in her past that made her this way 😔😶‍🌫️😶 but girlie never dated, never had a crush, never went near a man, was never assaulted/harassed/abused by men etc so I figured it must just be a hating Indian men thing bc who can blame her for that 😔🤡💀she did however feel like her dad was a patriarch with a misogyny issue but that's just every brown dad tbh :/// everytime I told her about a crush or about something some guy told me 🤪😜, she'd start the character assassination on him and make him sound like the worst person to have ever lived ,, and then lowkey make snide remarks that made me feel stupid for having my moment of fun😔like damn ma chill outtttt, I'm not having his babies!!!! We had a very homoerotic friendship so I feel like there's that as well 😬😶‍🌫️😬

[yurtb0y]

GNAWING ON THAT OC GIVE ME INFORMATION

YESYES OKAY!!! *inhale* SO.

(this all might change later since he's still pretty new)

General info I guess (haven't fleshed out his backstory much yet.)

was a Catholic priest before the AM takeover (obvis)

he's roughly in his mid/late 30's- early 40's

he doesn't have a name yet because I'm stupid.

He lived in the United States when AM attacked. He was born in Poland and moved to the US in his mid 20's. (probably someplace like Texas or Utah... )

probably gay or in some way queer but DEEPLY in denial. (also in my mind IHNMAIMS takes place in the 60s/70s somewhere around that time so like... y'know... also makes room for the religious guilt plotline.)

Kinda stopped believing in god after long enough in AM's complex because like really who wouldn't. throwback to Ted's entire spiel about AM being god y'know the one.( Ik that wasn't meant litterally but the sentiment still works.)

As for his relationship with the other survivors and his torture.

Ellen- He'd most likely be less harsh on her and not really like.... *ahem*. use her. He'd always been a pretty compassionate man he was never like the freaky creep kind of priest/pastor. He can most likely sympathize with her past a bit as well- or atleast as much of it as she's willing to share which I imagine isn't much.

Nimdok- This mf is Polish. He does not like Nimdok. (If we're talking game Nimdok which is what I'm basing this... AU, I guess? off of.) I don't think they'd actively beef but they'd prolly just try to avoid eachother within the group. In terms of book Nimdok I think there's a slight possibility they could've gotten along. Honestly for Nimdok like... (Idr if where I saw this I think it was from a fic somewhere) but I like the idea that he wasn't actually a n*zi but since it's mentioned his memory is fucked AM just convinced him and the others he was so pin them against him and fuck with him some more. idk man allied mastercomputer behaviour. It also makes me dread thinking about him a little less.

Gorrister- Surprisingly, I think they'd get along. Even if they don't share a religion I think they'd find solace in confiding their guilts in eachother, esp with Gorrister's guilt over what happened with Glynis-- also since it's mentioned in the book Gorrister used to be an activist (which I think is more interesting than his trucker backstory from the game so I'm sticking with the activist storyline.) I feel like he's the least likely to be quite as homophobic as the others (cause let's be real here.) so maybe. MAYBE. He'd eventually try talking about some of those buried up feelings with Gorrister. Unlikely though. Overall I think they could be the closest thing to friends I can imagine with their situation.

Benny- I think they could've gotten along pre-monkey'd, (For Benny I like to combine his book and game backstory in my mind so tldr he was a professor and was later fired when it was discovered he was gay and then the enlisted in the military and killed 3 people. boom.) I think Priest oc would've respected them but after the monkey moment I feel like he'd kinda treat him like the family dog just as the other survivors do.

Ted- Ohhh boy. I have some words I'm not sure I'm allowed to use on Tumblr. They'd either get along or beef or some secret third evil and more sinister thing. Toxic without the yaoi. They make eachother worse. I need to map my thoughts out better before I write anything about them out. giggles but not in a good way.

wow I really used this as an excuse to dump about my ideas for the other survivors too huh.

Whilst I haven't sat down to ponder how AM would fuck with him I do know I wanna play off the theme of guilt somehow. I can imagine him being ripped apart by wolves for some reason that's just been like stuck in my head the whole time I've been typing all this out. Also maybe almost something with sacrificial themes? I'm kinda thinking about how Benny's part in the game ends for inspo on that it's hitting the right vibe. Please don't cancel me I'm Polish and all my family is Catholic.

Annon I hoped you liked reading this cause I had fun writing it. Also here he is again for anyone who's seeing this but didn't see the og post.

also I'm SO open to name suggestions for this freak cause I've got NOTHING.

[verdart]

The group chat had been buzzing with excitement since September. Finally a ski trip. All for the gang to enjoy.

Everything was planned out Hiccup and Daggur took care of that. Made sure no one had their period that week, the weather was ideal, the skii rental place was fair priced, the roads were not icy, the minivan had everything prepared to take on the road trip and so much more.

Stoick had an estate close to a skiing town. It took some convincing and some white lies but alas Stoick gave in. He was actually happy to see Hiccup excited about snowboarding again. They used to go every winter. Well every winter till the accident. Hiccup tried once after having permission from his physical therapist but being only 16 he got frustrated, declared that he would never try it again and gave up on it. After 5 years he was willing to try again and Stoick didnt have it in him to protest much.

So on the faithful day of January 2nd at 5 a.m. 8 young adults were piled in Daggur's minivan. The trip was supposed to be 2 hours but with the gang it felt like 20 hours and 20 minutes at the same time. Fishlegs was the only one who managed to sleep, twins were already betting on how many times they could make Snotlout fall as he protested that he wouldn't fall at all. Heather and Astrid were talking about skii models, Hiccup and Daggur were arguing over music while also arguing with Heather and Astrid on the superiority of snowboarding.

Some of the gang had their gear packed to go but the rest needed rentals so after settling home they would go to the rental place. At 7 a.m. they were in the porch of the house. Hiccup felt a lump in his throat as he pushed the door open. It had been 5 years since he last saw the house. Everything looked as he remembered. After him the rest of the gang made themselves comfortable.

"Okay gang we suit up and get in the car at 8 no excuses" Hiccup said. Groans were mixed with cheers of excitement. The house wasn't big or at least not big enough to house the Gang comfortably. But when it came to them the sense of privacy was almost a joke. It had been more than 10 years of friendship (minus Heather and Daggur)

Clothing were piled up in the living room. Tee-shirts flying over heads, thermals being tossed around. By some miracle everyone was ready by 8 and they were once again driving tho this time it was a 10 minute drive to the rental place on the skirts of the mountain.

Fishlegs was a skier, he tried the snowboard once and decided that having both of his feet tied to the same piece of equipment was just not it. Twins on the other had were the nightmare of the slopes, reckless and boarded. Snotlout used to snowboard but at age 16 as a defient move against his dad he decided to pick up skiing, to Spitelout skiing was weak and feminine and Snotlout knew him skiing would piss his dad off so he did.

Rest of them had their gear, Astrid and Heather had their skis; Daggur and Hiccup had their boards. Hiccup also had his custom prosthetic which needed a bit of adjusting since the last time he'd used it. It was a bottom heavy thing, Hiccup didnt like walking in it for long distances hance they took the car down.

They arrived to the slopes by 9 which meant it was time for chaos.

"Guys I'll be in the blues today..." Hiccup said reluctant. He was starting to regret letting the ski trip go out of the groupchat.

"I'll come with" Heather said "I haven't skiied since junior year"

So they all made their way to the ticket desk to get their weekly skipass then it was the slopes. They took it slow to warm up and get used to the feeling again, except for the twins who were already making a hard left to dive into the powdered snow. Daggur stuck by Hiccup, he knew this because anyone who wasnt falling every 10 seconds would've made past him. Hiccup appreciated the company.

Most people would've tried to give instructions or help him but Daggur knew all he needed was some company not more reasons to be frustrated. Besides he figured he wouldn't be able to give Hiccup a good advice soley because he has never been in his shoes... shoe.

The parts of the aforementioned skii trip fic I wrote and then gave up on upon realizing idk jack shit about snowboarding

[alsoanyways]

@transgender-scout @1ight wait fuck now i have to compile them okay okay okay i have a feeling this is gonna get long so I'm gonna put it under a cut haha but for real thank you for asking!!

First things first! This is how I imagine the flock is able to disguise themselves. There's no going undercover at an actual school for them, but I don't think anyone's looking twice at a bulky coat, especially if it's set in the future. Not too far in the future though, still in the 21st century. I have no ideas for a plot restructuring or anything, I never read past Nevermore and I barely remember anything past the fourth book, so most of my headcanons are character dynamics and such. I do have some that aren't focused on the flock but not many. Anyways.

(also idk if most of this can even be considered headcanon bc its basically fanfic at this point)

A couple things I should've added to the design post are Toto's Total’s nonexistence (I'm sorry if you like him but I do not lmao) and the fact that their hair is feathers. Like those very fine and very long feathers that roosters get. The flock also doesn't develop superpowers.

In my version of things, there's a small town close-ish to the E shaped house. Far enough that no one in town is gonna drop by for a visit, but close enough to fly down to for some groceries, which they'd do after Jeb left and until the money was gone. I think he would've taught them how to forage for things and that's how they get by since then.

Max (21) isn't The Leader TM either, I think leadership is shared more with Fang/Friday and Iggy. She likes volleyball and usually the one to go foraging. She's never thought about it but if she did, she'd probably consider herself agender.

Fang/Friday (22) gets his name from a Friday the 13th DVD cover, Jeb thinks he wants to be called Jason when he first points to it. He used to help Nudge/Dora and Angel with their hair when they were little and still does occasionally. He likes to draw and he's the go-to when someone needs to be comforted. There's no way in hell I would let him be anything less than bisexual.

Iggy (20) is the one that probably hears Friday's voice the most. He was also taught braille and Jeb got them a labeling machine. He's still the best cook and he's very protective over the vinyls/tapes/cds in the house. He mourns the loss of them when they have to flee the house, but he is excited to finally have access to new music. He's also gay. Because I said so.

Nudge/Dora (17) still wishes she could live a normal life, but has accepted that it's just not a possibility. She clings to "Dorothy" when she learns it. Being talkative and into fashion are still part of her character, but now she also loves bugs. She tags along when Max goes foraging so she can try and get pictures of any new bugs she hasn't seen before. Friday often gets to hear which bugs and what they were doing when they're sketching together.

Gazzy/Gizmo (14) gets his name when he watches the Gremlins movie for two months straight and starts mimicking the mogwai noises. He almost kills everyone when he mixes a couple cleaners from under the kitchen sink. He's quickly enamored with the chemistry books he's given afterwards. Like any other teenage boy, he likes video games and has too much energy for his own good. Max offers to race him when he's particularly amped.

Angel (11) is the only one out of the group that wasn't experimented on and she doesn't get the protectiveness or why they never go anywhere. She likes sitcoms and never refuses an offer to forage with Max. She also took a liking to helping Iggy cook things. She was very quick to tell people she wasn't a boy once she had the vocabulary.

Ari (15) has chronic pain. Being turned to goo and rebuilt into something different will do that to you. It doesn't get better the second time. Nor the third. He used to live in the E shaped house, before Jeb brought Gizmo, back when he was a regular kid. He's always liked animals, caring for them. He wanted to be a farmer or something when he grew up. After he joins the flock, he and Gizmo are fast friends. (Watching him and Gizmo dick around is what makes Friday realize that he really is just a kid.)

Maya/Em (21, kinda) my identity issues queen!! Cloning keeps the original memories intact and then they were further messed with to ensure her allegiance. She has a hard time coming to terms with that, with not being Max, not being who she thought she was. Her friends aren't her friends, she didn't watch Gizmo and Angel grow up, she didn't go to Friday after another nightmare, or call Dora to come catch a spider. That wasn't her. Having time away from them before she joins the flock helps. She renames herself Em during that time, distinct enough from Max but not removed from it completely. She learns that she likes cooking and she discovers cheerleading. She thinks she'd like that if she got the chance to participate. She's also aroace. She wants nothing to do with any of that.

Dylan (21) sticks closest to Em, but he eventually grows close to Iggy as well. They share a soaring/gliding wing shape and Iggy is grateful to have someone who can fly as long as he can (recreational flying is always cut short in his opinion, because the others have to work harder to stay airborne and get tired). Dylan likes to tinker around with motors and mechanisms, trying to get them to work again or building them from the ground up. Not that he has an abundance of opportunities to do that, but being able to fix a busted car comes in handy. He's one of them gays that can drive.

Lastly, I do have ideas on Erasers and different classes of them and their usages but jesus christ this did in fact get very long and I need to go eat something lmao so that'll have to be a separate post for another time.

[slutforjeno]

Icing the Star - Lee Jeno - Chapter 1

Word Count: 639

Warnings: None in Chapter 1

A/N: I am so excited to present to you ... Chapter onf my own story "Icing the Star." Please enjoy and Please be kind!!

Synopsis: Jeno was the star player of the Dream Volleyball Team. Y/n was the award winning coach of the Dream Volleyball Team. What happens when Jeno starts to grow feelings for y/n? Will he risk his team and Volleyball Championship for feelings he isn't even sure are reciprocated?

Y/N'S POV:

The only thing you actually like about your volleyball team right now is how hyped they’re getting for the semi-finals. You can hear their “zone music” from all the way in the gym coming from the locker rooms. It would actually be a hype playlist if you weren’t suffering through an extreme stress-headache right now. The reason for your stress? Your team barely won the last game. If it weren’t for Jeno spiking the ball from back center at the last second they would've lost. Jeno likes to rub that in your face. “I’m your savior coach, you can’t be mad at me.” Jeno has a past of “jokingly flirting” with you, although you’re not sure it’s a joke anymore. The team snaps you out of your thoughts when they walk up to you and ask if you're ready. 

“Ready?” Jeno says.

“Yeah…” you replied

“Are you okay?” Jaemin asked, worried after seeing your face.

“Yea, i’m good I just have a headache” you added

Another member named Chenle said “Ok, well…let’s hit the road”

They all took turns hitting him and saying “read the room dumbass.”

After 15 minutes on the road with an hour still to go until you’re at the other team’s stadium, we stop for a bathroom break because Haechan’s bladder “can only take so much weight.” This is why you never go for congratulatory drinks with the team after their games. You always knew Haechan was a lightweight, this just proved your point. The boys switch out driving so they don’t get tired, considering it’s 5:00 in the morning. Now the seating arrangements are Me and Jeno in the front seats(he’s driving because I still have a headache(Haechan is screaming the lyrics to Boyfriend by Justin Bieber), Haechan, Mark, & Jaemin in the middle row. And Jisung and Chenle in the back giggling. That’s the last thing you hear before you drift off to sleep.

JENO’S POV:

She looks so peaceful, asleep against the window, sunlight beaming off of her naturally tan skin and plump pink lips.

“Eyes on the road man, u tryna kill us before the second-most important game of our lives?” you hear Haechan spit out.

“Shut up, Dongfuck.” I say smirking, holding back a laugh.

He whines “I told you to stop calling me that.”

20 more minutes pass & I can’t help but put my hand on her bare thighs because it’s the closest I can be to her right now in the car with these morons.

Y/N’S POV:

You wake up to a warm hand on your bare thigh. You were startled at first forgetting you were in the car with 7 men. When you lift your head from the window Jeno looks to you, then his hand, then back to you to see how you feel about it. He ends up moving his hand anyways because your face displays no emotion on the matter, because to be honest you didn’t know how you felt. This was the first time you felt him touch your bare skin. Your ears flushed red at the thoughts of him touching other bare part of your body. You immediately shake those thoughts as you read the GPS connected to the car and read 10 minutes until your destination. You immediately turn down the stupid playlist Haechan insists on playing before every game and begin your “you can do it” pep talk and scary “if you lose I will kill you all” speech. Although you’re not sure if it even scares them anymore since you say it before every game. But you don’t have time to ponder on the matter because you’re pulling into the parking lot of the other team’s volleyball court. You all put your “game face” on, grab your clipboard and head inside for warmups. 

[the-last-f2p]

Yandere promts day 20

20. “I spent so much time making sure everything was perfect… you’re not allowed to ruin it.”

Featuring: our king hes back Dark era Osamu Dazai

TW: Implied kidnapping, swearing, Stockholm Syndrome I think??, Implied punishment

Its been about a month since you were so kindly took from your home and be placed it a basement so dark that you are 98% sure you developed night-vision. How could you tell by the amount of times you slept so it could be exact under or above but you don't care because it feels like you are going crazy.

Your only interaction for the past month-ish had been your captor Osamu Dazai the Demon Prodigy of the port mafia so you already were in a pretty bad situation but ypu atleast thought he was gonna kill you or something but no he claims that he would never do that because 'He loves you and your his reason to live' his words not mine. So yep after he told you that you knew that you needed to get the hell out of here even if that meant sending a whole month in a basement to try win over your captors trust...

"BelladonnAaAAaaa!" He called you his favourite petname ew as he went down the stairs a bit to rushed like he had been waiting for this moment for his entire life.

"You've been such a good girl for all this month haven't you!" He wrapped his arms around you pulling you into an embrace again ew but atleast you know its been a month right!

"So I decided that you can come upstairs only if you want though!" Bullshit you didn't want to say anything to him so you just nodded.

"I'm not letting you up if you don't sayanything." Ok now you needed to say something .

"yes..." Even though this was like one of the most happiest days of your life you voice came out really quiet.

"Yes what Belladonna?" Dazai took advantage of the hug he so kindly forced you into and got really close to your ear.

"Yes... I love you." You were quite desprate so you blatanly lied.

"Yayyyy ok then lets go!" He smiled and took you out of the handcuffs that chained you to wall and picked you up bridal style carrying you up the stairs and opening the door... The light up here was quite overwhelming so you couldn't help but close your eyes nd wince.

"Awwww can my Belladonna not handle the light? I can always take you back down to the basement if its to muchfor you to handle...." You immdetally opened your eyes

"Nononono its fine.."

"Ok then..."

........

"HOLY SHIT." You scream as Dazai drops you onto something but the landing is soft and you realize its a bed. You feel kind of stupid now thanks Dazai.

"Ehe~ You're so cute has anyone told you that?" Dazai then flops onto the bed and snuggles into you.

You start to look around the room and quickly realize that it looks like a nicer bigger version of your bedroom you probably would've liked it if you weren't being held captive right now.

"You like it? I spent so much time making sure everything was perfect I even got Chuuya to help out and you’re not allowed to ruin it with your dumb plans to escape..” Of course he knew why did you think he didn't know at this point you should just give up he knows everything.... Before you knew it you started sobbing uncontrolably.

"Shhh its ok Belladonna you've been so good I'm not gonna hurt you unless you leave me you know that actually no you've exprienced that I don't want to hurt you again so just be quiet.." You really should be quiet the sooner you realize that Dazai loves you the sooner you can love him back...

[ssjumi]

It's been literally 20 years since I wrote the YGO fic that to some regard still defines how I view my favorite OC babygirl Aileen to this day 💕✨

So this is a gift for teenage me, who would've probably pretended to be too cool to care, but would have absolutely lost her shit seeing our girl in the style of the show (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

For those curious, here's a little (updated) character profile of Aileen:

Aileen Noda

18yo (half a year older than Seto, so a class ahead of him)

🇯🇵 (dad), 🇮🇹 (mom)

her dad got sole custody after her parents (never married) split; she's not close to her mom but they're on friendly speaking terms

—

heiress to a multimillion dollar software company that was in business negotiations with the Kaiba Corporation at some point when it was still headed by Gozaburo

moved around a lot as a kid before spending her tweens and most of her teenage years in South England, when business took them there

fluent in English and Japanese (although a bit rusty when it comes to not sounding too direct/impolite with latter) - had one year of German and almost three years of Mandarin before moving schools - knows just enough Italian to survive as a casual tourist

not rly interested in daddy's business at the time/shortly before our story, but figures she still has many years to live her own life and find her passions before she has to step up anyway

(spoiler alert: nope, she does not)

—

has a driver's license and drives just well enough to not get it revoked but not so well that it's a joy to sit next to her

pretty pragmatic with a dry humor

comes off as very confident and independent

loses her dad tho shortly after they've moved to Domino and went into new negotiations with the KC, which rly fucks her up since she hasn't made any friends there yet and her dad was basically her entire support system, which she never realized until he was gone

develops a socially encouraged kind of unhealthy relationship to food and working out, which is not helped by the smaller sizes considered standard in Japan

—

for some reason falls for Seto Kaiba of all people and even ends up with him unaware that she could do a lot better but alas, who am i to tell my daughter No

A while ago I gave rewriting the earlier mentioned fanfic a try, but since YGO isn't my active main fandom anymore, I'll probably never finish it and if I do, it will have a very different format than the original story.

But since we're already in Long As Fuck Read More territory, I've included the prologue and another tiny snippet here, for those who are curious:

Surprising as it may seem, given how his face is plastered all over the city they live in, Yugi and his friends don't really think much about Seto Kaiba in their everyday lives.

They're doing their thing and he does his. … Whatever his thing is.

Building theme parks probably? Yugi remembers him mentioning something like this the last time they spoke but he's not sure anymore. The fact that Kaiba's been gracing class with his presence for the past few days probably means that things are going well enough for him to have the spare time. Although he's spending most of that time on his laptop anyway, not participating in class at all and left alone by the teachers as well.

No, really. Neither Yugi nor his friends know what Kaiba's thing actually is.

So they're a little surprised when after class, during cleaning duty, a girl in another school's uniform slips through the door and makes a beeline for the desk in the far corner of the room where Kaiba, true to his famous team spirit, is still fully focused on his personal work instead of helping his classmates.

One of her long, black pigtails slips over her shoulder as she snatches a glance at his laptop screen. To which Kaiba just reacts by closing said laptop and shoving it into his schoolbag. Which in turn puts a slightly too sweet, almost teasing smile onto her lips. "Want me to give you a ride home?" He sighs and mumbles something that sounds a lot like "There are worse ways to die, I guess" before getting up and following her outside.

It finally becomes apparent why a few of the guys in the class have spent the past couple minutes at the window - the car Kaiba follows that stranger to is a red Porsche cabriolet that looks like right out of a Hollywood movie.

Jounouchi doesn't know what to be more scandalized about - that Kaiba of all people is getting picked up by a cute girl while he doesn't or that some of his female classmates seem completely unimpressed by all of this because "everyone knows he has a girlfriend, duh". He and his friends exchange confused glances.

Seto Kaiba is weird in occasionally dangerous but usually just a little annoying ways and overall just not that interesting. And, as far as they're aware, he's also completely uninterested in making friends or even just understanding the basic concept of friendship - or interpersonal relationships in general.

And yet.

Seto Kaiba has a girlfriend.

It went like this:

A girl had a friend who wasn't allowed to have friends, who wasn't even allowed to have a brother. But allowing him to spend time with her made her father more agreeable in business negotiations which in turn worked in favor of her friend's father. So he grudgingly allowed it for the duration of their business meetings.

Truth be told, it was a pretty one-sided friendship.

Her friend had already started to shut himself off from the world by the time she met him. He didn't start or even push forward conversations on his own accord, didn't answer most of her questions and didn't seem to have many, well, any hobbies. He was easy to taunt though, almost always falling for her dares, never willing to accept defeat and pretty blind to the fact that she usually didn't care who won - that ultimately, by the virtue of having gotten him to interact with her, she was the actual winner anyway.

It was a short friendship, lasting only a couple of weeks, and as soon as the grownups had concluded their business it was over again.

If you're still here: Congrats! You earned yourself the secret knowledge that this fic by the way isn't just Seto/OC but also YamiYugi/Seto, as in: Seto is gonna cheat on her with Atem, as soon as he finds out that he can not just play intense card games with the guy but also have sex with him - which never even occured to him until he already had Ati's hand between his legs.

Aileen will break up with him over it.

In the timeline of the original fic from 20 years ago they did end up back together and even marrying though and it wasn't even too bad for a while but became a very unhappy relationship over time, during which she fell for (and had one passionate night with) Seto's assistant Isono. She got pregnant from him and Seto is kind of aware that it is likely not his child and she knows that he probably knows... while Isono tries very hard to tell himself that this kid surely can't be his, nope, no evidence of this one night means it never happened and he never wavered in his loyalty to his Kaiba-sama, it's fine, he's fine, they're all fine.

(It's still mostly him raising the child since Aileen soon realizes she has no idea where exactly to fit a child into her life and Seto... to his credit did manage to not have Mokuba die on him while responsible for him in his teen years, but if we're all honest here that was not by virtue of him being a responsible and trustworthy parental figure.)

I haven't made up my mind yet if Aileen and Seto would also end up married in/after the rewritten fic tho.

Who knows.

Not me.

... Ah, yeah, and I also ship her with Ryou Bakura's dead sister Amane :D so there's that as well.

Anyway.

YAY @ drawing of her I'm very very very satisfied with （￣︶￣）✨💖

[these-detestable-hands]

Slightly long post about parents in octopath 1 and 2. Or, the lack of parents for certain characters. I'm sick and tired and didn't double check any wiki pages for this so idk if any of it is incorrect

For most of the travelers, we know the deal with their parents. The only ones who we don't really hear about are Cyrus, Olberic, Therion, Castti and Osvald.

With Olberic and Therion, you can make an educated guess as to what happened to their parents (Olberic's died during the fall of Hornburg and Therion's are likely also dead)

And then I'm left wondering about the other three.

With Cyrus, we know almost nothing about his life pre story. He worked with Odette 10 years ago but that raises more questions because he was 20???? But just with the main story, you're left wondering if he has family and how they reacted to the pedo rumors. Did they think they were true? Did they see him off when he left Atlasdam?

I think Cyrus should be studied more cause. Man. His story is also very impersonal. Everyone deals with old friends/enemies or has something else deeply personal at stake and then there's Cyrus who did all that basically because he was bored. His story honestly would've worked a little better if he was maybe 10-15 years older but that's another discussion entirely.

Anyway, enough pretending like this post was supposed to be centered around Cyrus, I only mentioned him cause I needed to double check in my head if any ot1 travelers didn't really mention their parents in their stories. Realistically, he just doesn't talk to them very much and the pedo rumors put a strain on their relationship so he decided to just not think about it.

CASTTI AND OSVALD TIME.

Did Castti's parents know any of what was going on? Did they know she traveled Solistia and helped people?? Did they live in Healeaks? Were they apothecaries as well??? But more importantly, did Castti ever even remember them? One interpretation of her story is that because she only went to places she visited with Eir's apothecaries, she only remembers stuff related to them and her brain just never really went "oh crap I had a life outside of my work and buddies".

I think the most realistic answer is probably that she doesn't talk to them :c

Osvald.

Ok listen I don't really have a lot of complex thoughts on this one, mostly just copy pasted from Cyrus but with bigger stuff like "did they believe he killed Rita and Elena?"

LISTEN I need Elena to have grandparents. It's unlikely Rita's parents are alive because sheesh we all saw what happened to Alpates but Osvald is literally just some guy.

How did they react when he went to prison? Would they want to talk to him again after his story? If they disliked him, would they at least still love their granddaughter?? Please just give Elena grandparents who will spoil and take care of her, she deserves to have living family other than Osvald.

[wisemins]

Howdy Starshine ♡!

I wanted to take this opportunity to ask about your bbc sherlock s/i!!! Please go wild go ham tell me everything about them and your story with them and aaaa I'm just here for it ♡!!

I wanna know everything so don't hold back I'm looking forward to it and having our s/is be friends ♡

Clover @tex-treasures

CLOVERRRR <333 The can of worms you've opened, holy MOLY. You've given me the Sherlock brainrot again, and I'm CHEESIN'

This is gonna be long and convoluted with needless details!!

So a fair warning before I begin, Sherlock and I are perfectly fine and amazing now-- engaged for two years already (that is wild!! need to plan a wedding), but we have definitely had a rough past together. Lots of angst given the circumstances and rough patches in canon. It's the nature of who we were and everything I didn't know about myself at the time all coming up to a boil and his stubbornness (mine included), lack of will to actively choose to be emotionally unintelligent and to put himself in danger, and both of our insecurities combined! So buckle up!! I'm pretty touch and go with canon, there's things I blatantly ignore (like Mary, for example. I never really cared for her, and plus my gf @shinyeeveelynn is John's girl forever <333) and people I despise, (like irene adler, cannot stand this iteration of her for reasons that would take an 20 page essay to convey) and I tend to just replace it with filler cases/my own stuff that I just come up with! So forgive me if the timeline is a bit wishy washy or jumbled up a bit! So, it all began with me moving to London, finding a nice land-lady named Mrs. Hudson, and her moving me right into 221C! We both got instantly close as I lived there for a few months, found a steady job as an artist/writer and had some peace and quiet, alone. Until of course, Sherlock had found his roommate and decided to move in. I didn't bug them much at first at all, I didn't even think they knew someone lived below them! Not until Mrs. Hudson started to get worried for Sherlock and John both, mostly Sherlock since he's a bit...well, you know exactly how he is.

So she sent me to go keep an eye on them, from afar as to not meddle with things, but I tried my best. I'm not the most unnoticeable person ever, so eventually Sherlock caught on, and made it into a whole convoluted thing about it being connected somehow to the case-- he then realized where he had seen me before. Just...coming in and out of my apartment to the store, talking to Mrs. Hudson, small things he just never paid attention to enough to remember willingly until then. I just explained the simplicity of the reason, and it turned into a friendly introduction via John, and an indignant realization on Sherlock's part. They let me tag along, much to Sherlock's dismay, and after the case was said and done I took them out to eat for a little post-solving victory treat. That's when I got to know them more, and they finally got acquainted with me. I was obviously a foreigner from the US, from some dusty, hot desert state. An irish-native american who needed a fresh start and inspiration for her artistic career. Although, Sherlock did his little observational party trick on me which-- well, it wasn't correct. At least most of it was incorrect. He got the American thing right, which would've been kinda funny if he didn't-- but the rest was around the area of correctness but not actually true. This knocked John's socks off since...well he usually gets that kind of thing right! That's when Sherlock's invisible beef with me began.

This started our first dynamic of me challenging Sherlock in many ways, most of them not even intellectually speaking-- I'm gonna say this in the kindest way possible to y'all, I'm...kinda smooth brained, but I'm funny about it. At least, academically speaking. I'm very much more intuitively inclined, and the 'Tism only assists me in gaining knowledge on things I like, I'm also far more creatively inclined. I'm a 6th grade dropout, I keep this in all of my canons because it's important to how I function as a person, I'm not academically inclined unless it's something I absolutely love. I do love deductions and solving problems, but not in the same way. Sherlock is unbelievably smart in his own way, but we're the same in the way of sometimes we're just stupid for no reason 😭😭

I also am of the belief that Sherlock is without a doubt autistic as well!! like him not knowing the earth revolved around the sun, CHOOSING to not know/forget. That's some shit I would also do. He's is more intelligent than I am on different levels-- but we both didn't always know this about each other. We're both on thin ice when it comes to social cues, autism be like.

Only this caused conflict more than once. Mental disabilities 100% clash sometimes and that was just apart of our past, we didn't understand ourselves or each other and we both ended up hurting. This will come up very soon!

It was probably a year/several months into those two solving crimes together that I decided I'd put in a joint effort to advertise their services with my artistic abilities-- with every blog post that John wrote about a case, I would draw up a small comic strip to gain a sort of brand/notable yet digestible theme. It was a hit, and it was something cute I wanted to do for them. Throughout the first three parts of series one, Sherlock and I had an on and off acknowledgement of our feelings for each other. He was crude, crass, sarcastic and sometimes blatantly rude to me, but there wasn't ever a true malicious vibe to his words, it felt more-so like a defense.

His actions spoke louder than his harsh words most of the time. Protecting me if I ever got involved, taking me out to eat to explain the details of the latest case, involving me in his process for no reason that he ever wanted to explain, I was also one of few to get a true laugh out of that man. Eventually John caught onto both of us, he's *definitely* more normal than both of us, still not quite normal, but average enough. He would talk to Sherlock about it, he'd deny it, then panic at random intervals to John about how to "deal" with his unwanted feelings.

Me, Mrs. Hudson and Molly would also discuss this in our own private girl-talk time. Mrs. Hudson was all of the mindset that if I truly liked him that I should go for it, but also warned me from heartbreak simply due to Sherlock's nature. She knew he was a good man with a good heart, but sometimes even *he* didn't understand that side of himself. He paraded around acting like a cold unfeeling robot, but deep down he feels sometimes even more intensely than others. Molly agreed generally, but also encouraged me in the same length.

I felt so impossibly torn between my feelings and protecting my peace. I didn't know how Sherlock truly felt, and I didn't want to get rejected by a man who could read you to filth and into your grave. But, I ended up just pulling up my boots and going for it, subtly. I began to actually try and flirt here and there, in my own way. Making him tea, making sure he's taken care of food-wise, more joking around and genuine compliments. And I noticed a difference, he was...softer. Less jabs, including me even more, and he would even compliment me right back.

But I knew something had changed when he commented on my appearance, that hadn't really happened before. Eventually, at some point we were always with each other, and always were doing *something* together. It slipped out of him during some rant after a guy was hitting on me-- that I was his girlfriend. And after that we didn't really quite say anything more on it, but affection came about far more loosely after that.

But, then we clashed throughout series 2. It was now us misunderstanding each other, me taking things personally, him becoming jaded that I was becoming more recluse, it wasn't fun and that's when things got very turbulent. With the label came both of us being inexperienced with relationships and a lot of hurt. John *really* tried to help us out but sometimes being autistic/having adhd can take a toll on communication because of how much you want the other person to just. READ YOUR MIND. But, that's not possible so we ended up in a huge mess. Long story short, we broke up probably just before The Reichenbach Fall. Sherlock stated that it was because of the impending threats I was getting and how dangerous it was for me to even be involved, but we both agreed it "wasn't working out".

Then Sherlock being Sherlock, well, he faked his death and that caused a whole world of hell for two years! I was obviously devastated, and regretted everything thereafter. I did the whole dramatic confession of love and adoration at his tombstone, not knowing he was being a little stalker from the shadows, stuff like that.

Those two years were rough for me because I was also left in the dark with John. I never quite moved on from the incident and it changed my way of life, I had to move out of the building due to the memories, my career path changed into working a standard job because being creative was too strenuous to keep up. The media frenzy was crazy too, so I had to avoid nearly everything I was used to.

All until Sherlock decided to prance back into the game, via jump scaring John and his...choice of a mustache (soz John that was NOT the move) and eventually he also decided to ease himself back into my life by approaching me at work, and when I didn't even notice him he got a bit offended and forward until I registered that it was him under a stupid disguise. Needless to say I had to leave work early, and hear him out in front of the street.

It was very emotional, there were instant hugs, attempts at beating his ass, but most of all a lot of crying from me. Apologies were said, but most of all it was Sherlock attempting to explain everything and why he didn't tell me sooner. I was pissed but mostly at the circumstances, and I tried to suck up all the tears and all the feelings that flooded back immediately. There was some beating around the bush but eventually Sherlock had asked if I had "moved on" from him. The answer was a giant no, obviously, and he seemed relieved. He said he hated how we left it, how he treated me and that he wanted to start anew, and I was beyond happy to hear that. Cue the first I love you's and kisses here!!! Very romantic!!!

Then began where we are right now basically! We understood each other better and now knew what we meant to each other which was a huge one. There was a lot of mystery on both of our parts because we didn't know if we truly loved each other. But, thinking someone you loved had DIED is a good way to figure that out. Damn you, Sherly.

Probably continuing further into the series, we became a full fledged couple that included me moving in with Sherlock and John part-time, solving cases again, going back to my artist career and living the chaotic domestic life!!! <3

At some point within that time period after the fact, Sherlock awkwardly proposed to me in his jammies one morning, and it was the most adorable endearing thing of all time. I love him so so much and I really do need to plan that wedding! So we've been engaged for two years now, more domestic bliss, cutesy stuff!

Sorry this took SOOOOO long to answer, I really just wanted to be concise and these aren't even all the details! Just mostly the timeline/startings of how we're together now! I really appreciated you asking me about this!! I love my Sherlock canon!!!

[circular-bircular]

on the topic of you being a teacher + system, how much did being a system affect your entry into a career?

im considering college but the problem is that it feels like my parts are all pulling me in ten different directions and im scared to start anything because where will i even be in 4-8 years yk? if i start a degree and end up hating it, or the part that wanted it doesnt want to fromt anymore, or— you get the picture.

how did you do it and do you have any tips for young adult systems who need to do the same thing?

I am greatly lucky that my system was very close to each other from the start. We had parts who were simply ambivalent to the job we would get, and parts who love teaching firmly. We didn't really realize we had anyone who hated teaching until we did our student teaching in my senior year of college -- which, shockingly, is actually when a lot of would've-been-teachers learn that they hate teaching. However, it's only about 2 parts out of my (currently) 14 who hate it with a burning passion, so... Majority kinda rules.

In terms of it affecting my entry just... symptomatically, it really hasn't been an issue. That's primarily because I have fought for my accommodations. I worked hard to make people realize that I needed assistance. I didn't go around telling everyone and their brother that I have DID, but I have made it known that, due to a childhood developmental/trauma disorder (depending on who's asked), I struggle with my memory a lot and benefit from reminders. On the lowest tier of "I need this person to accommodate me but I don't want them knowing jack shit," I literally just. Have asked if they would send a reminder out. Simple, easy peazy. Do NOT be afraid to ask for accommodations, buddy!

But it sounds like you're struggling more with the internal side of DID -- the disagreements between parts and trying to fulfill all their needs. To which I say: No matter what, someone is going to need to compromise.

We have a lot of disagreements, but they don't cause us any distress any longer, because we have come to terms with the fact that we only have one life to live. For instance, Numb would love to quit teaching and dedicate himself to writing full time... But Curtis would be devastated if we did that. So... compromise: Numb deals with teaching, but we make sure (and never let this one slip) to dedicate time to writing when we feel the desire to. We write at work pretty often, particularly when he's out.

You're going to have parts pulling you in many different directions, especially if you're starting out. If you're in your late teens to early 20s, it's important to recognize just how much life you have left to live. You are not past the hump yet -- you've barely scratched the surface of living. You are GOING to be somewhere new in 5, 10, 20 years. And you have survived this long; you'll survive that too.

My suggestion is to go with what the majority seem to agree with; if MOST of you like something, then odds are, it'll pan out in the end. But also, don't worry, because if you end up changing in the future... that's okay. You're supposed to. Everybody changes.

And also, as much as possible, compromise with those parts who are dissatisfied. Numb and Debbie have to deal with teaching, but we make it a bearable as possible in the times when they do front. We carve out time for everyone else's passions, even when it's hard to juggle all of that -- and when it gets too much to juggle, we have conversations with each other about what takes our priority (which, in the end, is almost always our health, and probably should always be our health).

Being a system is a lesson on collaborative teamwork. I wish you luck with yours <3