#and he’s an adult who has his life together for the most part and definitely could have talked to miles

[360degreesasthecrowflies]

I think the cloak was always intended to have some special prominence, and she only came up with the other two Hallows later, probably because some editor suggested Rule of Three to her.

As for Harry (and co) not being meant to be 17 at the end, I've convinced myself even more of that. Here's some reasons why:

Draco Malfoy is essentially a non-entity in DH. That makes a lot more sense narratively if he was only ever meant to be an important character of their schooldays, but ineffectual and passive in the adult world - which would fit (the young) JKR's view of the idle rich (probably less so now!). Likewise for him being given the quest to kill Dumbledore, randomly. That makes a lot more sense if it's given to him at 17, to prove himself as an adult out of his father's shadow, and that he's unable to do it and has to rely on his mother and aunt (to JKR, weakness) and Snape, his teacher, someone of lower social status. Even Ron and Hermione not believing that Draco might be a Death Eater is more believable if they're one year older than in canon because that's one more year of Draco not progressing as a challenge beyond childish pranks and taunts, while HRH are developing their magic and having adventures

Tonks and Lupin's romance isn't so breakneck and Tonks isn't quite so young when it first happens, given they are scheduled to die having just had a child at the Battle of Hogwarts which gives them a few years of peace to work on/through their relationship

Snape actually has time to 'become Dumbledore' and carry an increasingly darker and more knife edge part of his arc, while also gaining a greater appreciation for his former master, if he heads Hogwarts through multiple Voldemort era years instead of speedrunning that twist in essentially a 9 month three semesters

Harry, Ron and Neville get to have their Auror arc early and it doesn't necessarily happen off-page. Arthur Weasley is also definitely dead in this outline; which gives the Twins and the other Weasley kids an excuse to (be forced to) work to keep their house. Molly, naturally, now goes on missions, as a result it's not quite so surprising when she is able to defeat Bellatrix at the end of the Battle

Moody's death is more impactful as this is now Harry and Ron's direct boss and mentor rather than this guy they vaguely know

Peter Pettigrew likely dies in some other interaction with HRH rather than the out-of-nowhere compelled suicide in canon DH

Harry and Ginny's divide-and-reunite is stronger if they're an established couple who split for her own protection in wartime leaving her in safety to hide; also making it a twist on James & Lily's choice to BOTH hide; rather than them being a teen romance who were only together a few months before breaking up

Thematically, it's resonant if Harry returns to the castle to save it maybe 11 years again after he first joined it, aged 11, half his life ago. This - and retrieving the tiara from the ROR on that return - is also a neat dramatic parallel to Voldemort putting it there in the first place when he returned to the castle as an adult for the first time

But perhaps most importantly; making Voldemort's defeat later in the characters' arc means that JK gets to have her own 'Scouring of the Shire' with how Hogwarts has warped and changed under years of Voldemort's rule - which provides intense dramatic impetus to justify Harry & co's desire to 'put things back how they were' and lionize, no pun intended, the old status quo; instead of it coming off that Harry and his friends experience trauma through their first interactions with the Wizarding World in their first 5-6 years, then Voldemort takes that up to 11 in year 7, but their response in year 8 & beyond is that just bringing it back down to the initial years' baseline trauma would cover all bases as a satisfying solution.

(Perhaps controversial) theories on Harry Potter first drafts/story structure

I've been reading some more old Harry Potter meta (critique) (damn I miss those LiveJournal esque communities) and after some of the theories I've read I'm now 90% sure that Deathly Hallows was actually the third, or maybe even second book that Joanne started writing.

I love deconstruction and I am a writer, so this kind of thing interests me on a personal level as a high-profile reference that a lot of people might be familiar with, even as generally I have strong critiques for Joanne both as a person, and as what I consider to be something of an impostor in the fantasy genre, as a writer who both openly (at the start of her career) disavowed fantasy classics as beneath her, claimed not to be writing fantasy, and in my opinion, heavily plagiarised works of other authors within the genre and then played ignorant when called out on it by people who by that point had less power and industry clout than she did.

This is going to be critical of JKR, so for those not interested in that, maybe don't read on below the cut. It's not my intention to make anyone feel negative about something that's special or sacred to them.

Some members of the LJ community noted that Deathly Hallows (DH) has many, many recurring references and callbacks to the first book, Philosopher's Stone (PS), with certain characters even seeming to regress to those versions of them in terms of their behaviors, motivations, and what they centrally held as important.

After considering it again I've also come to the conclusion that that's one aspect that throws so many readers off DH as a conclusion to the series, a series that has 'grown up with' the reader and consciously shifted from children's lit to YA; and from a series of fantasy holiday movies helmed by Chris Columbus to a fantasy adventure series with gruesome monsters and wands becoming essentially the ranged weapon variant of lightsabers or the conduit for MCU-esque superhero abilities... that in terms of the writing, the morals, and the overarching themes, actually DH goes backward in that regard to the Roald Dahl-inspired simple morality of the first book where violence was cartoonish, monsters were existential rather than grounded, and Harry and friends were essentially young children trying their best to solve a mystery; rather than the adults the world has contextually by now established them to be.

Joanne has boasted that she had written the Epilogue very early on. What if she had in fact written out a lot of DH very early on?

She knew the books were going to cover (at least) seven school years. I think she decided after the first one, she would write (most of) the end of the series, and then if she needed to, she could write more than 5 other books in between.

DH takes place when Harry isn't in school. But nothing about the story means it has to take place when Harry should be in school.

Thematic and character-based parallels-wise, it might have actually made a lot of sense for Harry to be the same age that his parents were when they passed away, in Deathly Hallows, to make the walk through to the forest with his parents' ghosts, back the same age as they were when he first saw them in the Mirror of Erised more of an exact parallel tearjerker.

And a lot of the criticisms that DH faces - "why didn't we see inside Hogwarts during Snape's regime, and what happened to Neville, Luna and Ginny and the rest of the kids in Harry's year?" - would be nixed if this story was never meant to take place in Harry's final school year.

I suspect that what happened at some point during the height of her fame and blowup is that Joanne realised that a) she was so successful already she wouldn't have to write as many books as she had originally planned; especially because b) movies were now also in the works or being released, and the actors would only be believable as teenagers for a certain duration, but this led to c) now she had a smaller total possible number of books in which to fit all of her vague ideas of where the story would end up going and what the big setpieces were planned to be. (Hence the lengths started to balloon)

I might end up writing a part 2 to this because (ironically) I don't want to make this post so long, but as a starting point I would theorize her original outline may have gone something like the following:

Book 1, Harry Potter and the Philsopher's Stone. Establishes our characters and the main setpieces; Harry Potter, Ron-and-Hermione (who essentially function as a two-headed sidekick machine), Snape, Dumbledore, Voldemort, James-and-Lily-Potter

X number of books, as-yet undefined, at least one per school year, but potentially many more, like most contemporaries to her went in to their careers expecting to write, that expand on the young characters' relationships in small ways, with Draco Malfoy, his foil friends to HRH, and his family, as minor antagonists to drag out the series as long as possible - and never intended as more than that, while Dumbledore and Snape bubble away in the background

Harry's final year of school, in which Dumbledore is killed by Snape in front of Harry at the climax of the year, is buried in the school grounds, and Snape ascends to the Headmaster role

Only then at some point, Voldemort is resurrected and takes pride of place as the main villain, pushing Snape down into the secondary villain/antihero role

The final book in which Harry returns to Hogwarts a la Lord of the Rings/The Empire Strikes back, too late to have a confrontation with Snape (a classic tragic beat) and instead has his showdown with Voldemort, finishing his parents' legacy and completing what they themselves could not do.

I genuinely believe that all of the following were late additions to the story that ended up taking on a life of their own with the fandom, that Joanne never planned for, never really anticipated, and - because we know that she is both stubborn to change in general, and sees herself as a visionary above steer or critique - refused to meaningfully update or edit around in the final version of the last book:

Sirius Black existing at all

Remus Lupin existing at all

Peter Pettigrew existing at all

Fudge, Umbridge, and the Ministry-vs-Dumbledore/Harry sideplot - which, knowing that Joanne is a woman of faith, reeks of a 'skeptical nonbelievers vs true Christians of faith' plot

Luna

Everything about the Triwizard Tournament

Everything about the Yule Ball

Everything about the World Cup (I would go as far as proposing these were originally planned as three episodic books that she ended up blending together)

Spotlight Death Eaters like Barty Crouch and Bellatrix Lestrange

The Founders, the Basilisk, and the Sword of Gryffindor

The Horcruxes

Anything about magical creatures, aside from as episodic flavor to provide a one-off background character

International characters like Fleur, Krum and Madame Maxime

Most fight scenes, including everything with the Dept of Mysteries

Grimmauld Place and Kreacher

And perhaps controversially, most of the racist/blood war elements of the conflict in the books. Because, in DH, apart from flavor description of what the Death Eaters etc. are doing...

The conflict described seems, as it did in PS, to be primarily a personal one, with Voldemort's vendetta being against Harry specifically, and as a proxy, Dumbledore's followers, and people who believed in him and his ideals.

And maybe that's why Harry, the character, never seems to end up caring that much about the foundational principles of why they are fighting the war, and who it is actually there to protect, besides his personal connection with Voldemort as his personal nemesis...

Because Joanne never originally wrote it that way. Voldemort dies, and "all was well."

[authorityproblems]

one of the things i think gwen haters forget is that she’s like, max 17 years old in across the spider-verse, probably only 16 (she’s 15 months older than miles and he’s 15, but i don’t remember the exact timeline). you’re telling me that you’ve never made a mistake as a teenager? yes, gwen should have told miles but she’s literally just a kid who was almost shot by her goddamn father just a few months ago and is already going through a lot. she doesn’t think she can go back to her own universe. at that moment gwen would do anything to stay with the spider society because it’s the only home she has. but she still broke the rules to see miles because she missed him so much and she made that choice with her heart, not her head. but she was already dealing with so much and people who hate gwen don’t understand her

[laterreurofficial]

LT Doodle Stream Recap/Questions!

(Part 1/Part 2)

Hello everyone! Wisteriasymphony here. Yesterday the LT hivemind had the wonderful experience of our first doodle stream together!

For the purposes of cataloging all of the questions we answered on our stream (because somebody doesn't know how streaming works yet *COUGH COUGH*), I'm going to be answering them all here!

La Terreur takes place in 2002, and the events of the timeline last about a year. Of course, it's a retrofuturistic cyberpunk-y 2002, which explains later developments like the alliance ring and so on.

They're the same au! Miracle Exposure has just been a tag Silu has used to categorize talking about the effects of the miraculous, but it all happens within LT.

Hawkmoth is already a pretty solid design as is. Shadowmoth and Monarch will probably get overhauls later on, but why fix what isn't broken? Hawkmoth is already just the right amount of gross and creepy and fancy and bald, so no need to revamp that.

The consensus to far is that Felix arrived before the quarantine was instated, but he could easily have bribed officials into letting him into Paris if he needed to. The quarantine is mostly to keep people in, and if some idiot with a death wish high-paying member of the british aristocracy is willing to give money to a dying city just for a ticket in, then why wouldn't they let him?

@gaussiansphere put it quite nicely in the stream when he said that the heroes aren't trapped in Paris physically, but mentally. There's nothing theoretically stopping Ladybug from blowing a hole in the defenses of Paris and going on the run, but she has a moral obligation to protect her city. Everyone else feels roughly the same way, though we did discuss the idea of having the concept of migration fit Max better by virtue of his big goals in life involving getting out of Paris.

Also, the miraculous will likely be passed out differently. We're not following exact episodes, only storylines.

On a similar note....

Ladybug will probably alternate who she gives all of the minor miraculous to multiple times over the course of the story. She would find it ridiculous to pass them out to people "for keeps", as @sillysiluriforme put it, and before a certain point in the story will favor adult holders over teen holders. (Not saying why this changes though heehee, spoilers.)

MUCHAS GRACIAS!!!!!!!!!! Los ships no son un foco de La Terreur, pero.. Adrigaminette 100% mejor del mundo JAJAJAJA XP. de lo contrario es lo mismo que el canon.

Opinions de los kwamis hacia sus portadores es q los ven como niños. Son indiferentes a la humanidad en realidad. Los kwamis también los vicios q usan sus portadores para obtener. (Adrien huele a tabaco Y queso apestoso :/ Marinette no se afectada porque Tikki quiere el sabores dulces en su vaporizador).

#wispanol arc hehe. also YES you saw that right English audience, the kwamis are smokers. Marinette has to ask Luka's bandmates for vapes because the closest bodega to her house is run by a sweet Chinese grandma who her mom likes talking to, so if she bought from there she'd be absolutely screwed. Adrien just buys all of the tobacco as Chat, though.

We're not planning on having Aspik show up in LT, at least as far as we have planned. If he did, however, his rat eating desire would definitely go through the roof. He'd probably try and time his rat-eating specifically for when he's Chat Noir, just to make things easier for himself. (Until he eats one as Adrien by accident and has to live with the mental baggage for the rest of his miserable little life...)

Well.. there are a lot of characters that really don't need redesigns! Or where redesigns would be extremely minimal. Marinette's dad only really needs to get proportional legs and then that's it, and the same philosophy extends to most of the other minor characters.

Here are some of @clemnoir's designs for the rest of the class, though!

In fact, her lovely annotations somewhat answer another question we received....

We haven't figured out everyone yet, but the scholarships group so far is: Kim, Max, Ivan, Rose, Nathaniel, and Mylene. Adrien, Chloe, Sabrina, Alix, and Marinette are all paid tuition.

There could be! The ancient miraculous are indeed destroyed, much like the infinite amount of others like them, Bearinette and Lambdrien are just explorations of what it would be like if they hadn't been. The bear and lamb miraculous are not canon to LT, nor would any future ancients be. If we get any good ideas, you'll see them.

[wis is biting all of her fingers to prevent herself from talking about the coyote....]

The big issue Marinette has with being Multimouse is that she's no longer respected as the leader, at least as much as she's used to. Because she sees Ladybug as more of a responsibility than fun superpowers, her side effects are more psychological by consequence, whereas Adrien's are more physical. She also feels some sense of jealousy towards Scarabella, as well as general insecurity over not being the leader when she's Multimouse... but despite this she continues to use the Mouse Miraculous more often than in canon just for the sake of "training" Alya.

Silu dice muchas gracias!!!!! ...No conocen sus identidades fsgdss. Exposición al milagros del raton causa disocociación, duplicación no literal para Marinette jajaj. (Pero, no puedo decir si dos Marinettes aparecen en LT..... tal vez, tal vez no? huummmm)

Tambien, ellos comiendo ratones en privado. Nadie los trae en su almuerzo. Todos ellos tratan con sus síntomas en secreto.

Violence and misery and horror and class dynamics. I'll get into it more in Part 2, but characters' relationships to power is a huge part of this AU, both of the magical and non-magical variety.

[venusbyline]

Will Graham NSFW Alphabet

⚠️: Smut, Will Graham x Female Reader, switch!Will, CNC, mommy kink, daddy kink, mention of threesome/voyeurism, slight dark!Will, mention of mental health issues, mention of blood.

A/N: sorry guys, my depressive episodes and the college left me with a writer's block so fucked up. but i'll trying my best, i promise!

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Will cares a lot about the aftercare moment, even though most of the time it's you who has cheking that everything it's fine with him. So the best aftercare type for both of you it's just lying in bed, cuddled and covered by the bedsheet, feeling the heat and sweat of each other's bodies, while he caresses your hair or your face. Sometimes you talk a little and sometimes you stay just like that, both of you comfortable with the silence until fall asleep.

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Will's a little insecure about himself. He believes you could and should find someone better than him, because you're the most perfect woman in the whole world, and from his point of view, you deserve someone perfect too. However, he really likes his pretty puppy eyes. He knows how making good use of them to seduce you, whether begging for your touch or scolding your brat behavior during sex with a mockery or severe look. Will also likes his own hands, even though they've some calluses, he knows how making you feel so fucking good when he touches your pussy.

Will loves your boobs, no matter their size. Whether they're small, very small, mid, big or very big. He's always touching them and begging you to let him suck them like a baby, even when you're not having sex. If he's dominating, he'll roughly squeeze your boobs, making you whimper and biting your nipples. In a non-sexual context, Will loves your smile, it's literally the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. You're the prettier and most perfect person he has ever seen.

C = Cum (Anything to do with cum basically…)

Will cums A LOT. You two don't have much free time together to fucking regularly and he tries his best not to masturbate often, so when he cums, it's really a LOT.

He likes cumming inside your mouth or on your face, or even inside you. He loves seeing his sperm dripping out of your pretty little hole. Such a cute creampie.

D = Dirty Secret (Pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Will always has SO MANY dreams about a threesome with you and Hannibal. He also imagines what it would feel like seeing Hannibal fucking you while he's handcuffed and sitting in a chair, watching everything and trying not to cum in his own pants. He knows Hannibal would be so much rough and dominant with you than him. He knows Hannibal would force you telling Wlli that he's fucking you better than he'll ever be able to. He knows Hannibal will demand it so you can cum on his cock. In the dreams, Will doesn't care seeing you moaning that degradation, he doesn't care if ywour sentence it's true or not, he's even more horny seeing you squirting on Hannibal's cock, mouth or hands, seeing you crying because the overstimulation after that. Just like his dreams, Will always cums in his own pants, he also wakes up sweaty and with his pajamas dirty with sperm, running to the bathroom to clean himself up before you can wake up worried and ask if he's okay.

These dreams and thoughts happen very frequently as fuck. He doesn't know if he really hates it or not.

E = Experience (How experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?)

Will isn't very experienced. He's beautiful and kinda husband material for anyone, but his troubled mind, the fact that he doesn't really like random physical touch and his lack of free time haven't cooperated much with him. So let's say that before you, he hadn't sex with many people. He probably lost his virginity during his final years of college and had too few casual nights throughout his adult life.

He definitely knows what he's doing, though. Even though he isn't a womanizer, Will's a fast learner, as well as knowing that each person likes things differently. He's an empath, so he'll understand and adapt himself to how you enjoy sex, your kinks...

F = Favorite Position (Pretty self-explanatory...)

If he's feeling more submissive, definitely Cowgirl. He likes seeing you in control of the situation, he likes to hold your hips and suck your boobs while you ride his cock. It's great for you to be able to grab his soft hair and force him begging you to cum.

If he's more dominant, Will likes fucking you missionary. He likes looking at you, seeing your bambi eyes glaze over with pleasure as you cum and cream his cock. He's a very visual guy, sees your delighted face just turns him on even more. In this position, he can also bite your neck and kiss you intensely while he's fucking you dumb.

G = Goofy (Are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous...)

Depends on the time. If Will's feeling almost 100% mentally well, you two can have a few laughs during the act. But usually, he's so caught up by his own mind and issues that sex with you also becomes a way to distract himself and get rid of the darkness trapped in his thoughts.

H = Hair (How well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes...)

He has a considerable amount of hair there, curly and dark hair. He doesn't care much about things like that, but if you want him to shave it all or at least a little bit. Will doesn't want it being unpleasant for you when you're giving him a head, so you can tell him to shave it if you wanna.

I = Intimacy (How are they during the moment, romantic aspect…)

Will's a very romantic guy, even when he's dominating you. He likes looking into your eyes while fucking you and worships you mentally, feeling lucky for having you by his side.

But sometimes Will just needs fucking you hard and sends his nightmares and weird hallucinations away. Or sometimes he's so psychologically fucked up because of all the criminal cases and ends up letting himself go, treating you just like a random pussy to fuck. Despite everything, these situations happens rarely and he always cries afterwards, apologizing for being too rough and treating you with so much disregard.

J = Jack Off (Masturbation headcanon)

Like I said, Will doesn't have a lot of free time to think about sex and when he does, he prefers using it to fuck you. But if you're in different places or some unforeseen events happens and he simply can't take it, Will jacks off using his own mind as an incentive. He's a very visual man, but he doesn't like porn videos and also doesn't likes sharing nudes, he's ashamed and finds that virtually dangerous. He can cum just by remembering the taste of your pussy on his lips or how your boobs bounce when you ride him. Will also has a very creative mind and can imagine many different sexual scenarios with you.

During his time as a prisoner, he definitely masturbated A LOT thinking about you, not giving a fuck about how loud his moans were. His cock would turn red and almost raw from rubbing himself too fast and hard, growling your name and annoying the other prisoners and the staffs at the BSHCI, especially Frederick Chilton.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Will definitely has breeding kink. This man's dream it's being a father and it's practically impossible to convince him to have sex with a condom. Even if you're not ready to have a child yet and take the contraceptive pills, he wants cumming inside you just at the idea of picturing getting you pregnant, carrying his little baby in your belly. While he's on top, fucking you at an absurdly fast speed, he gives you some dirty talk like "You want me to fuck a baby inside you? You want daddy getting you pregnant? Breeding you?". Then later he wants to see the results of that, pulling out of you and seeing your little pussy full with his cum. You can be sure that he'll eating you out after that, relishing the mixed taste of your juices with his own sperm.

We can already tell he also has a bit of Daddy kink, right? I need admit, that's a little weird, considering his dreams about having children, but he loves treating you like his little baby. When he's dominating, you can call him Daddy and watch this man become ecstatic.

Mommy kink too, maybe because he didn't have a mother figure present in his life, also because he dreams about having a family with you (kinky and weird but cute AGAIN). Add that to a breastfeeding kink. He loves sucking your boobs even at random and non-sexual moments, while he lies on your lap and lets you caress his hair. Will definitely calls you Mommy sometimes.

Praises turns him on, much more than degradation. He wants to be a good boy for you, just like he wants you to be a good little baby for him. But like any Mommy/Daddy kink, there are rewards as well as punishments. If you're good girl for him, he'll fuck you dumb for hours and give you as many orgasms as you can handle. If you're being a brat, he'll bend you over his knees and spank your ass with his belt or some wooden paddle, demanding you to count each beat and start counting again if you make a mistake or forget a number. If he's being a good boy, you'll let him spend an entire free day just sucking your boobs, without any other concerns on his mind, just the feeling of your nipples on his tongue it's enough to make him cumming on his own pants.

Choking. Spanking. Biting...

Maybe CNC too, especially post-prison!Will. He's so mentally messed up that he feels better exposing his creepy desires during sex. After always setting your limits and a safeword, he likes chasing you through the woods at night, he definitely uses a knife to tear your clothes and draw some blood from you, licking every drop.

Pet play, but not often. You're his only kitty.

L = Location (Favorite places to do the do)

At home, in your bedroom, when he's sure the dogs are locked out.

But for CNC roleplay, it's definitely in the woods.

Sometimes at his classroom, at night, after class ends and all the students have already left.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

As weird as it sounds, stress it's something that turns Will on the most. His mind it's so turbulent and he urgently needs feeling you distracting himself from all this shit.

He also gets very horny when you wear clothes with a low cut neckline or a transparent fabric (like I said, it doesn't matter how small or big your boobs are, he literally worships them as they are).

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Will wouldn't have a threesome with another woman. He doesn't even consider the possibility of touching a another girl. Actually, he doesn't want threesomes with men either, just maybe with Hannibal...

He also doesn't like the idea of being blindfolded, because that would make him lose the little sense of reality he has left.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Will loves feeling your velvety mouth around his cock, giving him cat-like licks first. However, Will's a true giver. He loves eating your pussy out. His mouth and tongue skills make you see stars. If you want him being fast and rough, he'll be. If you want him being slow, he'll be. If you want him just sucking your clit repeatedly, he'll do it. If you want him using his tongue and his long calloused fingers at the same time, he'll do it.

What's obvious it's: Will loves the taste of your pussy and he's addicted to it. He can definitely make you get so many squirts even during just one night.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

Most of the time, Will's slow and sensual, even when he's being more rough and dominating you. He's always enjoying the moment and the feeling of your walls squeezing his cock.

But sometimes he'll be so fast, especially when he's so mentally fucked up that he needs IMMEDIATELY just letrinhas his frustrations out.

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

Will isn't the biggest quickies fan, he prefers enjoying the moment. But it often happen when he has nightmares, so you can calm him down and get him back to sleep readily afterwards.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Also, Will isn't the biggest fan of taking risks when it comes to exhibitionism or something like that, but he's a such experimentalist guy, loving testing different kinks with you.

S = Stamina (How many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

Will Graham doesn't have very free time to fucks you that often, so unfortunately he won't take long to cum. But lucky for you, he'll be a good boy and make it up to you by fucking his fingers inside you or letting you sit on his face and rub your pretty pussy against his lips and his nose until you cum. Even though he's already exhausted.

T = Toy (Do they own toys? Do they use them? On a partner or themselves?)

At first, Will was a little wary by the idea of using toys on both of you, but that quickly changed. He loves paddles, handcuffs, whips, vibrators, dildos, cock rings... The only thing he really doesn't wanna try it's wear blindfolds. But if you want him to blindfold you, that could be something interesting to explore.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Will's at his most teasing mood when he's finger fucking you, wishing you begging for him to fuck you or at least eat you out too. He's not very proud of that, but sometimes he also teases you by being a brat when you're dominating him.

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

Will's very loud, he moans too loudly and sometimes it sounds more like a desperate whimper than just a moan. He's almost like a crybaby man when you're giving him a head.

W = Wild Card (Get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

One day, you met Will after he finished his class. He was very stressed, both because his students and also because the new case Jack had gotten him into. You tried to calm him down, saying comfort words, but for a moment Will's eyes darkened and he roughly pushed you over his own desk, covering your mouth as he lifted your dress and began fucking you like an animal, hands squeezing your neck with a intense strength. He knew you could use your safeword if you wanted. You knew that too. But his angry gaze as he thrust against your tight walls felt so good. He just kept choking you with one hand and covering your mouth with the other. When he was done, he came all over your face, barely giving you time to process what happened. A few seconds after coming off the high, he cried into your shoulder, realizing that even though you enjoyed all that rudeness, he seemed acting almost like a monster. Almost as if criminals were getting into his mind more and more.

X = X-Ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants, picture or words)

We already know that Will has curly, dark hair down therer. So let's talk about size. I don't think it's that big, but something around 6 or 6.5 inches, a mid and common size. However, he's quite thick, making you whimper whenever he put it inside you, your tight pussy trying to crush him as you both moan with each thrust. His cock it's so pretty, a little darker tone, slightly brownish, but with a reddish tip.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

Will's always too busy or distraught to think about sex, but don't worry, whenever his sex drive finally arrives, he makes up for all the "lost" time.

Z = ZZZ (How quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Oh guys... This guy feels so good after the fuck, freeing his mind from all insomnia issues and nightmares. Don't blame him for sleeping so quickly before you.

[moodriingz]

The Prophecy | J. Hughes

Summary | You’ve given up on love until love hits you in the face (with a door) 

Warnings | Unedited, one curse word, (really bad) angst

Author's Note | I finally finished all of my finals! So that means more regular stories so send in requests! This is also part of my 100 follower celebration!

Masterlist

You never expected to feel so lost in a city you lived in for most of your adult life. You and your college boyfriend broke up after five years of dating. You met early in your freshman year and were stuck together like glue. He made you feel like you caught lightning in a bottle, so much so you were willing to do anything for him. So many of your friends thought you were going to get married and he had been hinting at it since you graduated a year ago.

You were blindsided when he said that he didn’t think you two should be together anymore and basically kicked you out of your shared apartment. Luckily Hannah, your best friend, offered to stay in her apartment until you could find one. 

All you could think was that it was your fault. Why else would he end it so suddenly? He gave you little to no explanation. Even though you were still so young you felt like you would never find a love like his. It was like someone was betting against you. All you ever wanted was someone who wanted your company.

After a couple of weeks you were able to find a new apartment in a different part of town and you never felt so excited or rejuvenated. Hannah was trying to convince you to start dating again, but you told her it was too soon. You were scared someone was betting against your love life and you didn’t want to risk it yet. 

Little did you know when you went to check out a new pizza place you would run into the cutest guy you’ve ever seen. It wasn’t a normal meeting though he almost gave you a concussion by hitting you with the door.

“I’m so sorry, are you ok? How many fingers am I holding up?” The stranger asks as he stares into your eyes looking for any signs of injury. Before you respond you notice his really tall friend recovering the pizza off the ground.

“I’m fine thank- why are you moving your finger in front of my eyes?” You ask confused about what he is doing.

“I’m trying to make sure you don’t have a concussion. You hit your head pretty hard when you fell,” he said, still doing some concussion protocol? You’re not too certain what is happening honestly.

“I think I’m ok I really appreciate it though,” you say finally getting the opportunity to stand up as he backs up. You go to move inside before he stops you.

“Wait what’s your name?”

“Y/n,” You tell him before turning around to enter the shop and order your much deserved pizza.

Later you meet up with Hannah to debrief about both of your weeks. You almost forgot to tell her about the mystery pizza man until she mentions dating to you again.

“Hannah, I'm not going on a date right now. But there was this really cute guy who almost gave me a concussion the other night when I went to get pizza,” You say nonchalantly.

“What? Y/n why didn’t you tell me? What’s his name? Are you going out with him?” She babbles as you roll your eyes.

“No to all of those questions. I felt like such a fool because of my ex and I’m not doing that again.” You say with a shrug. Living alone has really forced you to think about your relationship and you realized that the end of your relationship was most likely your fault, and you definitely do not want to get into another relationship until you figure out how to stop it from happening again.

After dinner you and Hannah decide to hit a club that was only semi full until the hockey crowd filtered in after the game. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits though so the Devils must have won.

Little did you know is that your pizza mystery man was currently walking in the club with some of his teammates to celebrate. Hannah was a pretty big fan and spotted some of them almost instantly.

“Oh my gosh the Devils are here we should go say hey. Maybe you can find a date,” She wasn’t going to take no for an answer so you just let her pull you by the wrist.

Hannah finally stops when she’s face to face with Nico, who you only recognize because of all of his ads around town. Before you can introduce yourself someone calls out your name.

“Y/n,” Your mystery man. He says it shocked like he didn’t expect to see you again.

“You know Jack Hughes?” Hannah whispers into your ear. You just ignore her because maybe it's fate? Maybe it’s a cruel joke?

You don’t even know what to say, you’re so shocked by the turn of events. You never would’ve thought you’d meet him again. You thought your near concussion experience would be the last you see of him.

“I’m Jack by the way,” He says and you’re drawn in by his voice and his eyes that haven’t left yours.

“I think you owe me a drink for almost killing me,” You say, shocking yourself.

“In my defense I didn’t try to give you a concussion, my brother was distracting me,” He says leading you to the bar. You order your regular drink and he does the same before asking you if you’d want to talk for a bit.  

The two of you talked for what seemed like minutes until Hannah came to find you to let you know that she’s leaving. You check the time and realize you should probably leave as well. 

“I had an amazing night thanks for keeping me company,” You say getting up to leave.

“Wait let me give you my number,” Jack says standing up and you nod, handing him your phone.

You walk Hannah home because you’re much more sober than she is and all she can talk about is that you know Jack Hughes.

“You should go out with him, he's so cute and sweet.”

“Hannah I’m not dating right now and you know that,” You say, leading her to her door.

“Yeah I know but you just deserve to be happy, and I really think he would be perfect for you,” She said, drawing out her syllables. You say goodnight and make your way home which luckily isn’t too far from her apartment.

The next day you decide to listen to Hannah and reach out to Jack. You try texting him telling him that you had a great time talking to him last night, but the message never gets delivered. All you can do is feel idiotic. It wasn’t fate to run into him twice (physically or not). You feel so childish thinking maybe this was your chance. 

You blame Hannah for getting your hopes up to think that maybe something could happen. You were starting to think that maybe it was some cruel joke fate was playing on you. You were almost compelled to pray to change your prophecy, but then you just started feeling even more insane. But, there must be a way to change it, right?

Later in the week you decide to work out of a cafe nearby and feel like the universe is playing some sick joke on you. As you look up your eyes meet with a pair of blue eyes staring you down. You smile shyly at the hockey player not knowing how to respond to someone who never responded to your text. Jack took that as an invitation to join you.

“You never called,” He says as he sits down.

“I texted but you never responded,” You say nervous you’d get turned down in person this time.

“What are you talking about? I was so excited to see you again because I wanted to get your number the first time we met but I thought it would be weird if I asked after almost giving you a head injury. I would’ve noticed if you texted me,” He rambles and you just pull out your phone to show him the message. He clicks around on your phone until his eyes get wide.

“I gave you the wrong number,” Jack says with a blush on his face. You feel that maybe your tables are turning. Instead of fate working against you, maybe they just wanted you two to meet a couple of times.

“Third times a charm right?” You smile at him as he fixes his number in your phone. You two fall into conversation once again before he checks the time.

“I have to go but I can’t leave until you agree to go on a date with me,” Jack says with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. You just nod knowing that someone was finally betting on your love life.

[prettealolilol]

So, I love the headcanon of the batfam being menaces in the kitchen, and that half of them are banned from entering for the rest of their life.

However, you can't tell me that Batman, the man who has contingency plans for his contingency plans, who carries shark spray repellent, the man who travelled for a year (i think ?) on his own with only a backpack (and a lot of money but still), doesn't know how to cook. There is no way, he can't fend for himself in any type of situation (apocalypse ? ready; zombies ? ready; stranded on an island on his own ? ready). He can definitely take care of himself without Alfred, because Bruce is paranoid and there's the eventuality of the butler dying. And anyway, he probably learnt some dishes when he was younger so he could help Alfred around the house (it made him feel closer to the only caring adult in his life). He also definitely learnt traditional dishes while travelling and every time he adopts (it's his way of showing he cares).

(Cooking was one of the ways he bonded with Jason. The boy was tense and wary, not used to having so much food for free. When Bruce realised Jason cooked, he offered to teach him a few dishes he learnt around the world. It was the first time Jason called Bruce 'dad'. Every year they would cook (and make a mess) for Alfred's birthday.)

There's this whole thing with Dick only eating cereal (I don't know much about him, sorry) and being close behind Bruce as a kitchen menace. I don't really know how life in a circus works, but I'll go with the fact that they didn't always have access to a kitchen while traveling, so the food was never sophisticated. Yet, with the circus, Dick travelled a lot and met wonderful people. Some locals would sometimes bring them traditional plates, and even teach him how to cook them. The reason he doesn't really cook is because he finds the kitchen too complicated. Who needs so many utensils ? It's disorienting and feels too clinical (Dick associates cooking with sweet lessons from his mom and having fun with the people from the circus.).

(The times he actually took the time to cook at the manor was when Jason joined and they would try to bake. Dick cooks with Damian sometimes. At first it was to make him comfortable by being domestic, giving the excuse of learning to work together, but now it's just to bond. Bruce joins them sometimes.)

As said previously Jason knows how to cook. I'm not sure if it's canon, but he cooked for his mom, and is never banned from the kitchen in what I read. Similarly to Dick, he grew up cooking easy things. He didn't have access to much food, most of the time stealing from markets and fighting for bread in back alleys. He would stand in the shadows, staring at the window of a restaurant kitchen until he knew the moves by heart and would redo them at home (he'd spend days saving money and stealing the adequate ingredients). It was always simple dishes though. So when Jason first stepped in the kitchen ? He was amazed, and felt like one of those chefs he would observe for ours. The first weeks, he'd wait until everyone was in bed and sneaked in to cook (Alfred always acted like he didn't know). When he came back to Gotham after the pit, he began stress-cooking a lot. He'd steal money from Bruce and cook enough to feed a whole building in Crime Alley (he ate some once and threw up immediately. It tasted too much like home. He never ate anything he cooked again).

(Cooking with Alfred became an excuse to come to the manor and stay for dinner and sometimes even the night. (The first few times, the butler was the only one Jason could be with without activating his fight or flight instinct.) Watching his family unknowingly eat something he cooked and praising the food makes him feel like he may be allowed to be part of the family. Slowly, he starts leaving food to them (on the batmobile because he knows Bruce didn't eat before patrol, in Tim's office because he overworked and didn't go home, in Dick's kitchen because he got hurt during his day job), and nobody ever mentions it.)

I already explained my point of view for Tim in a previous post. Whether his parents were loving or not (fanon vs canon), they still travelled a lot. So Tim grew up having to learn to cook because there wasn't always someone at Drake's manor, and Drakes don't call people in the middle of the night because they're hungry or a little sick. So Tim knew the basics to care for himself, he learnt to wrap and stitch his own wounds at ten after being too close to an explosion where Batman and Riddler fought (seeing later the pictures he got, Tim thought getting some glass in his arm was completely worth it). Of course, he doesn't know any complicated dishes, he does enjoy the chemical aspect of it, the reactions between the ingredients, the way the molecules change with time and temperature variations. Tim also enjoys the historic aspect of it, so he'd learn to make dishes just because he liked the story related to its invention (it has proven useful in many social gatherings to know so much about food and culture). When he started as Robin, those skills became useful when he had to cook for Bruce in the middle of the night because he wouldn't wake Alfred up. After moving in the manor, Tim kind of dropped this little hobby. Alfred is here to cook, and he has other things to worry about (Jason coming back, then Damian being introduced, the whole time stream issue...).

(When he has some time, Tim scrolls on his social media, saving videos about recipes and learning about dishes and their history. He promises himself he'll find some time to try them. When Jason starts leaving each of them food, Tim buys a recipe book. As often as he can, he cooks something, prints a copy of the recipe and drops it off at Jason's current place. One time, when Damian is sick and no one else but Tim is at the manor, he ends up cooking an Arabic dish (a grandma recipe for sick children). Damian stops saying he's useless after this.)

Again, I don't know much about Cass, so it's really how I feel about it. Cass grew with simple dishes. When she joined the batfam, she didn't understand the importance of sharing a meal, people eating together, Alfred spending so much time in the kitchen, or why there were so many ways to cook one ingredient. Just like Dick, the kitchen feels too unnecessarily full, too many things that are just not imperative. To her, food was here to feed and strengthen the body. Cooking should be fast and easy because food was not supposed to be pleasant, just necessary. She doesn't really know how to cook. She can prepare food so it's edible, hunt or light up a fire. But growing up with her father taught her that food is only here to feed. She actually discovers its importance after walking in on Jason and Alfred cooking together. It was one of the rare times Jason would go farther than the cave and into the manor. They were not talking, and yet the atmosphere was soft, acknowledging. Reading Jason's body, she saw happiness and contemptment, the usual tension and anger nowhere in sight. She asks Tim about him (because he's the one who offered to teach her sign language, the one who she goes to when she needs a definition.) and he tells her how cooking can be many things, it can be an offer, it can be death, it can be love, it can be survival...

(Alfred once explained how it was his way of caring. He'd make different dishes depending on people's mood or state. When Cass understood that cooking was a form of language, she took it upon herself to learn. She watches Alfred cook for days, asking questions. She goes to Jason's place to ask him his opinion, teasing him when he gets flustered under her staring. She learns to cook and enjoys it.)

At the league, Damian was a prince. He didn't cook, it was beneath his status, there were servants for that. Like Cass, although he had access to higher quality food, it was only there to feed you. When he arrived at the manor ? The shock to see only one servant, and that his Father sometimes cooked for himself. His Father, who her mother had represented as a king, someone powerful enough to have his grandfather's respect, the man he was supposed to become. It took time for Damian to step into the kitchen for different reasons. First of all, the kitchen was not his place to be, it's Pennyworth's territory. He was not welcome there and knew that to make an enemy out of the man that raised his Father. Secondly, Damian was taught restraint, he would not give in to his basic urge. He could wait until morning even if he felt like his stomach was clenching on itself. The reason for walking in the kitchen was Grayson dragging him inside, promising some bonding time necessary for working together (it was fun, although Damian would not admit it).

(After realising the importance of cooking in the household, Damian decided he could not not know how to cook. Everyone seemed to have the knowledge it wouldn't do for him not to know. Maybe, he also felt like cooking would teach him to be a better part of the family and be accepted as the method he was taught all his life did not work. He learnt to cook on his own, sneaking in the kitchen and training. When he finally mastered a dish, he announced to Alfred he'll be cooking for the evening. Even if he'd never admit it, the praises he received that evening made him feel lighter, like he belonged. And no Grayson, he was not blushing.)

When Duke moves in the manor, it's kinda weird to have a butler. Duke was raised in a normal, middle class family, so cooking is a normal thing he helped his parents with. He would come home from school and help his parents cook dinner, sometimes doing it himself if they were still at work. He didn't know anything fancy or foreign dishes, but he could cook well. So having Alfred do it alone all day ? Not how Duke was raised. The first weeks, he would go into the kitchen and offer his help to Alfred, who would constantly refuse, joking about letting him do his job or he might become useless in his old age. Although it was a joke, Duke (who had just moved in and didn't really know how to act) stopped asking, not wanting to make the butler think he was taking his place.

(He still cooks sometimes, when he feels nostalgic. Cooking reminds him of his parents, his mothers' laughter and his father(s warm hand on his shoulder. When Duke discovers that Cass is learning to cook, he decides to do it with her, learning new recipes from around the world. It helped him a lot to feel at home at the Wayne manor.)

My point is, love the massacre this family can be when left unattended in a kitchen, but they definitely know how to cook.

[holmsister]

I think one of the things Dungeon Meshi is definitely about is how different people deal with being an outsider/marginalised/neurodivergent/what have you and basically what im getting at is that Kabru is TEXTBOOK "high functioning [insert diagnosis here]". Its that how they say it still? Don't care.

Basically. This man shows up and you listens to him talk and see how his party treats him and you think. Oh this is a cool guy who has his shit together. And then after like two pages you find out that he has constant flashbacks to Utaya that make him completely freeze, anxiety attacks, thought spirals, is incapable of analyzing his own feelings, is a stuttering mess when the stakes are high, has never done a chore in his life, keeps putting himself in triggering situations and re-traumatising himself, and the icing on the cake is when you read the extra material and it turns out he regularly forgets to eat and lives in a depression nest of dirty clothes and self-medicates insomnia with alcohol and also is 22. Which also kind of puts Misilril not wanting to let him go in another light - yeah for sure she's controlling and infantilising and also its not like she was really helping his issues but also she was not entirely wrong in her judgement. This man does NOT know how to take care of himself. He knows how to do the bare minimum so when he shows up at work the next day he can fool his coworkers into thinking hes got it together enough. For a bit.

He is DEEPLY unwell and he knows it but he is carried by the desperate wish to avoid another catastrophe. If he stops for a moment he KNOWS he'll collapse so he doesn't.

I also think this is why him acting nurse to Mithrun is such an important part of his arc. Its like. This person who has spent all of his adult life focused on a single objective disregarding everything else is faced with what happens when you do that for too long. And the result is a wet tissue of a creature who looks like he doesn't know where he is most of the time.

He is a man on the brink. I have no doubt he felt relieved when he decided he could trust Laios - not even in a Labru way, straight up because he knew he could not keep going like this.

But also like. Of all the characters in the manga, I think Senshi and Kabru are the most lonely ones. Except Senshi seems to be OK with solitude - for sure it's not entirely healthy to be alone for as long as he was but he definitely did well enough. He is very good at taking care of himself. Meanwhile Kabru *knows* a lot of people but can you really say he has friends? Rin, maybe, arguably, but even she does not seem to truly know him, you know? He keeps himself hidden from everyone. I think the only time we see him entirely honest is when he says to Laios that he wanted to be his friend, and hes so shocked when it comes out, you can tell he did not mean to say it. And differently from Senshi, he does NOT fare well alone. He likes people, he needs people. Again compare with Mithrun - he has like a squad of people taking care of him. If Kabru had a breakdown of that size can you say his party would go out of its way to help? Im not sure. Not because they're bad people, but because he's simply not that intimate with any of them.

Idk man it just struck me all of a sudden. Laios is weird and offputting and doesn't care about other humans the way Kabru does and YET he is infinitely more successful at building deep, meaningful relationships and taking care of himself as well. I think this is part of why Kabru is so fascinated with him as well. He can tell Laios has something he doesn't have. Wait this is turning into a whole another post I'll write this next time.

[lurkingshan]

hi there i hope you don't mind me asking for recs! this might be a bit too specific but do you know any (good) bls with age gap? i've only watched old fashion cupcake and minato's laundromat and i'd love to see more of that dynamic. have a good day!

Hi anon! I am delighted to talk about age gap bls with you. A few notes about how I define this:

I think of a true age gap romance as one where the narrative is at least in part driven by the age difference, not one where the characters are just incidentally different ages but it doesn't really matter to the story

The age gap needs to be significant enough that it puts the characters in different phases of life, so something like a college freshman dating a senior doesn't count

I also don't count supernatural stories where there's a massive age gap as a function of one of the characters being immortal, that's a totally different genre and narrative intent IMO

I will only include a show in this list if the age gap is between the main pair or a very significant side pair who has a lot of story time

So this means I would not be including shows like My Tooth Your Love or The New Employee where there is technically an age gap but everyone is adults and it doesn't really matter to the story. Or shows like Cutie Pie and Love in the Air, which do play with power dynamics somewhat based in age but where the actual gap is negligible and the story isn't about their age difference. Or something like Ossan's Love where there is an age gap pairing in contention but it's not actually the core romance of the story. Then there are shows where on paper there is an age gap between the main characters but the production cast actors the same age, so it never actually feels like an age gap story no matter how many times they write in dialogue trying to convince me that 28 year old is 40 (I love you dearly, Moonlight Chicken but please be serious).

So all that said, there are not as many proper age gap bls as you'd think! You'll note that this rec list is dominated by Japan and Taiwan, the absolute rulers of this trope. Productions in these countries love to dig into an uncomfortable taboo, and a true age gap romance fits nicely in that niche. Thailand doesn't play much in this space thanks to their branded pairs system that puts close-in-age actors together (and the couple times they tried large age gap romances were so terrible that I shan't speak of it). Korea has surprisingly done very little on this despite noona romance being one of the most popular kdrama subgenres. Where are all the hyung romances, I ask you??

With all that rambling out of the way, onto the list of age gap bls I recommend checking out.

History 2: Right or Wrong

An under appreciated entry in the HIStory franchise that pairs an overworked single father who is neglecting his parenting duties and the student he hires to help look after his kid.

History 3: Make Our Days Count

These two are technically a side couple, but they get near equal story time to the mains and they are an exemplar of a great age gap romance that gets the character dynamics exactly right to mitigate the uncomfortable power differential when one is an adult and the other is still growing up. My personal favorite age gap bl pair.

History 4: Close To You

This one's for the girls who like to tackle multiple taboos at once. Not only age gap, but also stepbrothers, with a bit of personality disorder thrown in for flare! And somehow with all that mess, they tell the story so well and make you believe. Do not @ me, I said what I said!

Kiseki: Dear to Me

I know many folks remember this show primarily for the side couple, but the mains actually have a very well done age gap romance between a gangster and a high school student he accidentally drags into hell with him. The plot of this show is absolutely not to be taken too seriously, just have fun and go with it!

Lovely Writer

The only Thai bl I think qualifies under the definition above and actually tells its story very well. This one is interesting because you get to see them both as kids and as adults and see how their age difference and its effect on their relationship shifts over time.

Minato's Laundromat

You already mentioned this one, anon, but I'm putting it on this list for posterity. A classic age gap bl with a romance between a repressed older man and the persistent teenager who worships him.

Mr. Mitsuya's Planned Feeding

Winner for most significant age gap in terms of years, this show is about a mid-20s editor who falls for a writer twice his age after meeting him on the job. So much glorious food and sexual tension.

Old Fashion Cupcake

Another one you've already seen going on the list for posterity. A workplace age gap romance with a younger man pursuing his mentor via foodie dates. One of the best Japanese BLs ever made, period.

The Pornographer

A maladjusted (to put it mildly!) man gets hit by a young student on a bicycle, and uses the situation to bring him into his home as a writing assistant. Things get pretty fucked up from there. This is one of my favorites and very under appreciated in part because you have to chase the story across two series, two shorts, and a movie to get the full narrative. Trust me, it's worth it!

[stoat-party]

Big fan of The Charon Situation being just so incurably screwed up. If ever there were a person equipped to have full control over an adult man’s free will, it’s definitely not the Lone Wanderer. Even the most educated, well-meaning, and genuinely righteous LW couldn’t handle the responsibility. She’s a teenager raised in an insular totalitarian ant farm who’s suddenly been thrust into a world with no authorities, no guidance.

Which creates a wonderful dynamic with Charon. If Ahzrukhal is to be believed, he was raised this way - he never had the chance to be an adult, taking risks, shouldering responsibility, gaining independence. His parents probably weren’t in the picture for long. I imagine his lack of agency causes him to be emotionally immature sometimes - how can you learn to solve problems like an adult if all the adults in your life treat you like a weapon or a dog or a houseplant?

This guy has to be so screwed up in every way. According to the game guide, he just doesn’t sleep?? Or Azzy never let him sleep? He has that idiosyncratic formal speech pattern, he worries a lot, and the only personal detail we know about him is that guns make him happy. He also kind of openly hates the player’s guts sometimes (he’s sarcastic when given certain commands, is joyfully mean about the GECK, and basically sentences you to death in the non-canon base game ending). No matter how hard the LW tries, some damaged part of him will always resent her authority. She could be a thousand times kinder, fairer, and more just than all his previous employers combined, but she’s still one of them. He still doesn’t have free will.

That power is illegitimate for a reason. There’s no way not to misuse it eventually, especially for a teenager with endless stress and trauma of her own. You’re fighting and you tell him to shut up so you can have the last word. You get a significant other and he gets left home with the dog some nights. You take a quest path he doesn’t approve of and he has to grit his teeth and go along with it.

It’s not fair, can never be fair, and that’s the perfect dynamic to explore. Because as much as he hates her, he loves her too. She literally saved him from Hell on earth, gave him the opportunity to be a force for good. He’s not dumb, he knows that the problem is the contract, not her. Over the years they’ll mature together and learn how to fix a lot of these problems. There are so many unique challenges to creating a healthy relationship out of… that.

(A lot of writers have the contract get destroyed, especially for 😉 reasons. There’s nothing in the game indicating that can’t happen, and it works fine for their purposes. I just think it���s more fun for it to be a continuous obstacle.)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA For telling my partner I'd like to bring my ex into our relationship?

I'm copying this over from r/relationship_advice, because the responses are giving me the impression they don't really get what polyamory is & I'm hoping tumblr does. For reference: there's me (29M), my ex (28, Trans Man), and my partner (30M).

My ex and I were best friends in high school, went to the same college, & dated through the tail end of undergrad, for about a year and change. We ended things on very good terms, the only reason we broke up was a difference in life paths: I stayed in the city to get my Master's, he traveled constantly for his work (he's a sculptor who makes these huge custom multimedia pieces, they're genuinely some of the most beautiful things I've seen). We fell out of touch for the most part, but I'd see him popping up on social media occasionally, or he'd text me when he was in town and we'd hang out, along with some other school friends.

The last time I saw him before our present situation was about 3 1/2 years ago today. We went out for drinks, he came back to my place after, and we ended up hooking up. He stayed in town for about a week, and we hooked up a few more times, and then he left again. He sort of dropped off the face of the earth after that, but he'd always been pretty sporadic, especially when he had a big project, so I didn't think much about it.

Not long after that, I met my current partner. He's truly one of my favorite people in the whole world; he's incredibly thoughtful, and earnest, and passionate about his morals & principles (he's an environmental lawyer), and more than anything, he's someone I never feel like I have to pretend with. He asked for my number, we had our first date a few days later, and ended up staying awake the entire night just talking about anything and everything, so we went ahead and got 5am pancakes and called it our second date. We've been together for a little over 3 years now, we've been moved in together for about 2, and while we've had the occasional fight or rough patch I can definitely say I love this man, and I plan to spend the rest of my life with him.

So, the big change.

About a year ago (~2 years since seeing my ex, my partner and I have lived together for about a year at this point), my partner and I are having a night in, and there's a knock at the door. It's my ex, looking absolutely ragged, holding a 15 month old baby. As in, a baby who was conceived 24 months before then. Yep, it's pretty much what you're guessing. I let them both in, we had a sit down in the kitchen, and he told me everything he'd been doing in the past 2 years in between me cussing him out for keeping it all from me in the first place. I really do want to keep this as short as possible, so to give you the super condensed version:

She's my daughter, he's completely sure about that, there's no one else he's been with the math is even close to correct for

The second he found out he was pregnant, he more or less panicked. He's got a whole Thing about feeling like he's irresponsible/not a "real" adult, and this really set him off, so telling me felt like "admitting to fucking both our lives up" at the time. His OB/GYN said some pretty awful shit to him about not being more careful as a trans man too, which just made it all even worse

Because of all that, he'd genuinely planned to just never tell me I have a daughter & raise her completely on his own, but a few things compounded to force his hand:

The birth was really rough on him, and his recovery was slow enough he was having trouble going back to work, to the point where money was getting tight

On top of that, our daughter has celiac disease, and between paying out of pocket for blood tests & spending more on baby food she's safe to eat, things got desperate enough he went and took out a really dodgy loan from a scummy payday company

He was at our door because all of this had finally spiraled to a point where he'd lost his apartment, they'd been sleeping in his car for about a week, and he couldn't think of anything else to do

I think I was probably feeling every human emotion in existence at the same time through all of this, but the thing I remember most from the whole conversation was the way my partner kept drifting right back to the baby, and the soft way he looked at her. We put my ex & daughter up in a hotel room for the night and told him we needed to talk, and we'd discuss our options in the morning, but I think even then I kind of knew what our answer was going to be.

Sure enough, for the last year and a half we've been co-parenting our little girl, all three of us. We didn't want to juggle who's got her, or force my ex to find a place to stay, so we've turned my partner's home office into our daughter's room, and redid most of the downstairs layout so my ex could move into an actual bedroom, rather than just sleep on our pullout couch in perpetuity. We finally succeeded in convincing him that rest and recovery was more important than trying to contribute to the house finances right away, and it's been magical watching all that stress and terror slowly fall off him. It's like he's a little more alive again every time I look.

Which is where my question comes in.

I'd like to restate, I love my partner 100%. None of this changes that whatsoever. If I ask, and he says no, that will be the end of the discussion for me completely. But I have eyes. My ex is, objectively, a very attractive man. I know we work well together, and I have to admit I'm very curious to see where that same chemistry could lead now that he's not on the other side of the country half the time. I've also been noticing these little moments between him and my partner. Nothing I'd consider crossing a line, but I've caught my partner checking my ex out several times, as well as vice versa, and they get along remarkably well. Sometimes I'll go to enter a room, and see them both sitting there laughing and chatting and playing with our baby, and I'll just hang back to watch because it makes me so happy.

Add to all that, we're pretty deeply ingrained in each other's lives now. My partner and I don't often go out on dates alone anymore, but the last few times we did it felt as if my ex was missing from the table. We watched a movie together last night, and my ex sat in the middle of us with his feet in my partner's lap and his head on my chest, and it felt just as natural as my arm on my partner's shoulder. It's not about just having sex with him, and it's not that I'd want to invite any old person into our relationship. I know we already all love each other, and I think there's potential for that to become romantic between the two of us and my ex.

It just feels as though we're all holding our breath, waiting for someone else to say it first. My ex certainly isn't going to bring it up when he's living rent free in "our" home (it's his home too, but he doesn't seem to see it like that yet). My partner grew up sheltered enough that I'm not sure he's ever heard of polyamory at all, so he's not going to bring it up. That just leaves me.

My problem is, if I'm wrong about what I think I'm seeing, or if I bring it up the wrong way, I can't take it back. I don't want my partner to feel insecure or betrayed, I don't want my ex to feel pressured or put on the spot, and I definitely don't want my daughter to lose any of us, which I know could happen if we aren't all on the same page. Or worse, if we do all date and it goes badly.

Should I just keep this whole thing secret? Is that even worse? Would I be the asshole for opening this can of worms on everyone else?

Help!

[hollowed-theory-hall]

I agree that Sirius was the best caring adult figure in Harry's life, but there is something that has been bothering me.

Molly said that Sirius was seeing James instead of Harry and was treating the latter as the former's stand in and well this line from GOF came to mind- ‘You’re less like your father than I thought,’ he said finally, a definite coolness in his voice. ‘The risk would’ve been what made it fun for James.’��

So like I am unsure if I just started viewing their interactions through this lens without any basis after Molly mentioned that line, or if Sirius actually did this in canon. Thoughts?

Hi, 👋

I think Molly is wrong about how Sirius sees Harry as a James stand-in. Sirius doesn't treat Harry the way he treated James. I covered it a bit here, but Sirius is very protective of Harry. While Sirius would definitely do a lot to keep James safe, it's different. Sirius saw James as an equal, capable of just as much as himself, Harry, whom he clearly treats as someone more precious than himself. The way he tries to protect Harry and gives advice to him never read to me like how you'd talk to your best friend who's your peer.

And Sirius knows Harry isn't James. In the quote you brought up yourself, he even calls it out. The line is from OotP and the context is kind of important here. This is after Sirius was stuck in Grimauld for the better part of the year and offered Harry to come check on him during a Hogsmead weekend in his dog form. Harry shot him down:

“All right, all right, I’ve got the point,” said Sirius. He looked most displeased. “Just an idea, thought you might like to get together —” “I would, I just don’t want you chucked back in Azkaban!” said Harry. There was a pause in which Sirius looked out of the fire at Harry, a crease between his sunken eyes. “You’re less like your father than I thought,” he said finally, a definite coolness in his voice. “The risk would’ve been what made it fun for James.”

(OotP, 305)

What Sirius is doing here isn't nice, but it's not really him seeing Harry as a James stand-in. He is guilting Harry using James to agree to him to come. Sirius just wants to do something, to get out of Grimauld, and he cares a lot for Harry's safety, but not much for his own. So, to Sirius, the risk of getting caught and sent back to Azkaban isn't as bad as someone hurting Hary. But Harry wants to protect Sirius. So, Sirius is doing a shitty thing trying to guilt Harry using his dad, but he is in a very bad place mentally, and back in GoF, it always seemed to me he sees Harry as Harry.

All the advice Sirius gives Harry is with the intent of keeping him safe. With James, I think he would approach advice in a whole different way. Here is a scene from GOF that doesn't strike me as the way Sirius would behave with James, an equal peer:

“Sirius — how’re you doing?” ... “Never mind me, how are you?” said Sirius seriously. “I’m —” For a second, Harry tried to say “fine” — but he couldn’t do it. Before he could stop himself, he was talking more than he’d talked in days — about how no one believed he hadn’t entered the tournament of his own free will, how Rita Skeeter had lied about him in the Daily Prophet, how he couldn’t walk down a corridor without being sneered at — and about Ron, Ron not believing him, Ron’s jealousy . . . “. . . and now Hagrid’s just shown me what’s coming in the first task, and it’s dragons, Sirius, and I’m a goner,” he finished desperately. Sirius looked at him, eyes full of concern, eyes that had not yet lost the look that Azkaban had given them — that deadened, haunted look. He had let Harry talk himself into silence without interruption, “Dragons we can deal with, Harry, but we’ll get to that in a minute — I haven’t got long here . . . I’ve broken into a wizarding house to use the fire, but they could be back at any time. There are things I need to warn you about.” “What?” said Harry, feeling his spirits slip a further few notches. . . . Surely there could be nothing worse than dragons coming? “Karkaroff,” said Sirius. “Harry, he was a Death Eater. You know what Death Eaters are, don’t you?” “Yes — he — what?” “He was caught, he was in Azkaban with me, but he got released...

(GoF, 331-332)

Harry's well-being is more important than his own, Sirius, at no point complains about living in caves or eating rats to Harry. To his best friend James, I can guarantee Sirius would have made at least a quip about it. Not with Harry. Because Sirius doesn't want him to feel any guilt over asking him for help or advice.

And Sirius just lets Harry rent, just talk his heart out because he needs to and he has no one else to talk to. This is something I believe he would've done for James too, but with James, it would be mutual. Both of them would rent to each other and make jokes about it to lighten the mood, with Harry he doesn't do any of that. He's concerned for Harry, at no point does he talk about himself. Harry remarks himself Sirius looks concerned and not with the same dead, haunted look from Azkaban.

And Sirius explains things to Harry patiently, he doesn't expect him to know everything he knows in the way he would with James. He's aware Harry isn't James, that he's younger, that he needs to be protected. Sirius is aware he is the adult and that he should take care of Harry and allow him to feel safe his own comfort be damned.

So, yes, I think Molly's line colored their interactions in OOTP for a lot of fans. Sirius, being in an overall worse mental state and lashing out more, helped this image. But I never got the impression Sirius saw Harry as James reborn at any point.

The movies did Sirius no favors either by adding this line: "Nice one, James!"

I hate that line so much, it just doesn't represent the way Sirius sees Harry at all. Sirius sees James in Harry, but he is still aware he's a different person. I think he's not as crazed from his time in Azkaban as Molly or some of the fandom think him to be. In GoF, he is so sensible, and he actually figured out the whole plot except for who the Death Eater is. His less stable behavior in OotP I think is more a result of being essentially under home arrest (in a place that he both misses and despises himself for missing) while people he cares for are in danger and less the result of Azkaban.

[hyperbali]

After the final battle against Corypheus, Jeanne Amell's newly reunited and fairly eccentric family - herself, Nathaniel Howe, their daughter Dejana, Morrigan, and Kieran - were quick to leave Skyhold, sensing trouble brewing on the horizon.

For several years, they traveled the expanse of Thedas together, the elder three doing their best to raise and mentor their children - and adding yet more to the brood.

In 9:47, when Dejana was a young teen, the family stopped over in a fairly remote part of the Free Marches. Deja, as was her wont, wandered off to explore on her own, finding an ancient and rather foreboding ruin. She was almost drawn into it by a mysterious impulse - and deep inside, she found a most unusual tome.

Though Flemeth is gone from the world, vestiges of her power yet remain; not enough to command or possess, not anymore, but enough to shake. Dejana's head felt as though it were about to split from a sudden onslaught of light and heat and pain--and then all went dark...

Jeanne, realizing she'd not seen her daughter for several hours, sent Kieran to find his sister. When he came up empty-handed, the adults delved into the search. Hours turned into days... then weeks... then months...

Dejana Amell has not been seen again since.

-

In the meantime - a traveler happened upon an unconscious Deja that very eve, thinking they'd found a lost and alone child. When she woke at their camp, she couldn’t remember who she was beyond her given name, or how she got there. Still, she's always been a smart girl - and clearly brimming with magical power. Such things have their potential.

Option One: Dejana De Riva - Spellblade

Madeleine De Riva had been on her way back to Antiva after a successful assassination in Orlais. Though not exactly the nurturing type, she recognized just what a mage with some fairly impressive swordsmanship could be capable of - with the right guidance. She took the girl with her back to Antiva City, and so began the young future Crow's unforgiving and often quite dangerous training.

Option Two: Dejana Ingellvar - Death Caller

Zophiel Ingellvar, a rather accomplished necromancer of the Grand Necropolis, had been returning from an excursion to meet with what remained of the seers of Rivain. They had always been quite shrewd, pragmatic, and perhaps more than a little bit of a schemer. With the girl practically radiating dark magic with barely a blink, they knew it would be best to bring her back to Nevarra. Some of the elder necromancers might have had an issue with it, but, well... nothing some creative memory spells couldn't fix...

Option Three: Dejana Laidir - Evoker

Meenah Laidir, a Lord of Fortune with a fairly obscene reputation and following of her own, had been hoping to shake off hot pursuit from Kirkwall's city guard by way of the Vimmarks after a heist gone awry. Getting stuck with a tag-along had definitely not been part of the plan, but when the girl startled at a noise in the woods and practically called down a firestorm, what opportunist would have been stupid enough to turn up their nose at that? The rest of the crew certainly didn't seem to have any problem warming up to her, at least!

-

Even as the world seems to be falling apart yet again in its latest disaster, and an ever-rebellious Dejana pushes at every boundary and authority she can, she struggles to regain the person she once was. Senses trigger fleeting memories - the smell of warm perfumes, the low hum of an old Fereldan folk song... but still, she tries to stay focused in her newfound life.

But for the voice in her head, the wizened and wicked cackle ever ringing in her ears, and the sudden incredible compulsion she feels once more to get herself involved when she hears whispers of the Dread Wolf...

[jesncin]

What are your thoughts on the concept of Clark Kent having once been Superboy in his youth? It's a period of time that's been added, explored, and removed through various adaptations and reboots since 1945 – the original '41 pitch being "Superman before he developed a social conscience." It introduces his own cast of characters his age that affect his eventual growth into an adult: Lana Lang, Pete Ross, Lex Luthor, the Legion of Super-Heroes, etc. Does it add to the mythos or is it unnecessary?

ooh! I definitely think his Superboy era is one of the unique things about Clark that was lost post-crisis. I've seen arguments for both sides! And I think what matters most when approaching it- is less about how it technically fits into Clark's life, and more about what it thematically adds to him as a hero.

If you're like me and building on something like SSTK as a foundation, then the Superboy era starts right here. Growing up, this version of Clark was very scared of his powers and outright hid them to pass as human. A part of him wants to help others with what he can do, but he's still a kid with problems that feel too big for him. Years later, after he saves a circus strongman and realizes he can frame what makes him different in an acceptable package, his mom makes Clark an outfit with the symbol she found him wearing as a baby. This version of Superboy would have a limited power set. It's a rich era where you can squeeze a lot of teen "figuring out who you are/changing body/puberty" angst with small town superhero-ing.

I think what holds people back from going as wacky as early Superboy went is that there's a cap to how much they want Clark to figure himself out during this time. Again if we're working off SSTK, it'll be a lot harder to expose Clark to things like the Legion of Super Heroes because this Clark has a lot of internalized insecurity over being an alien. So meeting and having a positive experience with other aliens wouldn't make his big coming out moment in the finale of SSTK as strong if he isn't overcoming his fear of the unknown. Sure you could erase his memory like STAS did, but that means he doesn't carry what he learned with him. Thematically some people like the idea of Smallville representing these earlier struggles, and for Metropolis to feel like this bigger more adult expansive world opened up for Clark.

I think what people doing the "Is Superboy integral to the mythos or not" debate should open up to is the idea that as Superman's character evolves, his earlier life is going to look different depending on the story we're telling and what he represents about us as people. Maybe he'll look less like the toddler putting villains behind bars, and more like an awkward teen still cobbling himself together.

the tldr is that I think Superman's Smallville era feels too empty without Clark doing some kind of heroics in his youth. So yes to Superboy! Just be open to it looking different from pre-crisis Superboy. Yes he's figuring out his conscious, but he should still have a ton of growing up to do.

[mossy-green-aka-ferrythem]

I can't get over how I was just casually watching a Tulok and Mango video, because you know, I love Elden Ring, and I love seeing how these people go about playing Elden Ring (probably some of the absolute best youtubers out there in that regard), and they just, god their analysis of Miquella. (Also, this post will casually bring up the DLC final boss, so watch out for that.)

I remember I just felt so stumped when it came to Miquella as a character. However, they just pick up and put the pieces together so clearly, that it makes me wonder how I haven't picked up on it sooner.

Like. Literally everything about Miquella comes together when you realize that one of the themes he is centered around is "Naivety". His eternal childhood represents how he is eternally naive, as he is but a child. His decision to marry his own brother not only shows how far he's lost himself in his own naivety. His "Age of Compassion" has no compassion at all, by making everyone servile to him he takes away other's free will, and a lord of a kingdom with no thinking subjects, is no lord at all. Miquella would just end up repeating the genocides that Marika committed before him I bet. He just really didn't know any better because like. He is a child. Children make bad decisions. He really did have good intentions at heart, especially in regards to his sister.

However, he lost the plot. His quest to ascend to godhood and make Radahn his consort really would only lead to further sacrifice and further ruin. Mohg was charmed and left without purpose, only there to execute a ritual to send Miquella to the Realm of Shadow, Malenia, in order to kill Radahn, had to stop resisting the influence of the rot god, and bloom for the first time in her life. These are just large, sweeping examples, but I really do think it shows Miquella's sheer descent when he chose to succeed the power structure.

Also. We cannot ignore the St. Trina-shaped Elephant in the room. Yes. I really do think it's best to look at her as a trans allegory. Like just. She is literally described multiple times as "Miquella's love" and "Miquella's fate", and she is most definitely meant to represent who Miquella's ideal self would end up being. Miquella finally growing out of that eternal childhood and blossoming into a woman. I really do think St. Trina is meant to represent Miquella's adult self. I mean, look at how even after being ruined, she still blossoms. She has the will to grow and endure, to take root somewhere. While Miquella, in his desire to succeed the power structure, had to remain a man. Throwing away that part of himself, that compassion, that love, leaving only a being that can grow like a weed. The way he looks in the promised consort fight is more like Kudzu, growing and choking all around him, rather than St. Trina, who blooms so beautifully...

Really there is a lot to think about here and this post isn't the best in terms of organization but like, you know?

[robinasnyder]

I really liked the Shazam/Jon Kent issue. It sort of hit my emotions specifically.

I have this thought experiement I run sometimes, where I imagine being a teenager again, but with all my adult memories. This thought experiment mostly just depresses me. I've concluded that I would be forced to relive painful challenges I've already overcome while losing all of my years of hard work and potentially all of my dearest relationships. That one hits me really hard, especially where it concerns my husband, my person, my Jay. It's hit a point where I now imagine him also be transported back so we can find each other. I can't easily imagine living without him, and know with all my heart that we'd both do better surving anything together.

Maybe you can see where this is going.

Damian has it right that Jon being de-aged is depressing. That's because Jon being a child again forces him to lose his life again. Yes, he wouldn't have to be so responsible anymore, but he would still have the mind and heart of someone who does. And suddenly, he wouldn't have the powers or authority to back it up.

Jon aged in real time, but not in sync with his home universes time. It's not like Jon was suddenly aged up. He didn't go to sleep at 12 and wake up at 17. He was isolated and tortured for years before he escaped and made his own way before finding his way home. He grew up, just not with the people he loves most. At minimum, that would have to put a strain on relationships, as people expect him to be one way, a kid who's still figuring things out, but he's different now and an adult who's self-sufficient and has been for a while.

To go back to that younger age would mean straining those relationships again in new ways. Suddenly, his powers he could depend on wouldn't work right anymore (something which could easily be triggering, given those years in the Volcano were because his powers couldn't work), and he'd be legally a child. It's not easy to feel like someone is treating you like a kid when you aren't. Imagine how badly it would hurt to be an adult stuck in a kid's body. (There's a whole BTAS episode on that.)

And most importantly, Jon would have to give up his relationship with Jay if he remained a child. Jon even states that with everything that's happened, all those years he's fought through, that the one anything that's made it okay was Jay.

I didn't call my husband my Jay as a joke. When I can't trust in anything else, even myself, I can trust him. And vice versa. Jon calls Jay because he believes he can help and actually make it better, even if Jay can't find an immediate solution.

When Jon goes to Damian, it's less for help and more Jon wanting to try to play the way he did before, but Damian's older too and wisely chooses not to try to relive the past. When Jon goes to Jay, it's for his partner, his support, his person. And yes, Jay is able to look at the situation from the outside and see what Jon and the others can't. (Which is something I think Jay and Jon have both provided for each other in the past multiple times.) He fixes it, but I don't believe Jon called Jay simply because he thought Jay could fix it, instead because he needed his pillar, his focus in the storm, his person.

And I love at the end, the pair of them making a pillowfort and being silly, but also choosing to go forward with their lives.

Nostalgia has its place, but it can blind you to the future. There's a place for enjoying those things you loved as a child because those things are still part of you. But as an adult, there's a lot more years you'vd lived, and so there's a lot more that makes up who you are.

I was reminded of the Sailor Moon Super S movie, where the scouts have been turned into children at some point. They're talking about how nice being a child is, but Neptune says something to the effect of "but there are things adults can enjoy that children can't", which given the way Uranus blushes is definitely a sex joke. And yeah, obviously there's that, but there's something quite wonderful about being an adult. There's a beautiful complexity to being an adult and getting to decide what that means. And there's a different beauty to being an adult who is with another adult and both of you getting to decide together what types of adult people you're going to be.

So yes, I loved the last part with Jon and Jay, the recognition of both of them needing those light-hearted, childish moments, but also both desiring to continue to be adult men with each other. Them finding that balance together is really beautiful, I think.

[angel-atelier]

I’m a watermelon slammed into your driveway ـ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ٨ـﮩـ٨ـﮩــ٨ـ

Okay, so I got lazy and it's not the most polished it can be but oh well. More info about them below! Tw attempted murder and things of that nature, they aren't healthy:

Very physically affectionate, Kitty tends to initiate contact, but Jeff is more than fine with it lmao. He finds it hard to open up to anyone, so having someone who will be romantic and cuddly without him having to ask is perfect.

They can both be sooo jealous it's crazy. Jeff is more of a protective/possessive type than a "ur cheating on me" type. Kitty can be overly reactive, quick to jump to conclusions, and hot-headed. Kitty doesn't often accuse Jeff of cheating on her, but if he gets enough attention from a woman repeatedly, she might come out guns blazing.

They semi-frequently rob convenience stores together both for money and food. Sometimes Jeff will go out on his own and rob jewelry/flower stores and bring the spoils home as a gift for her.

Though their relationship might be better than one might think, they still get into explosive arguments from time to time. It usually starts off as a very minor problem, but they are both quick to anger and have issues with authority. They're deeply traumatized and abused young adults, and they haven't really gotten to live "normally" until each other.

Kitty doesn't cry very often in front of Jeff, but when she does, it tears him apart. She isn't an infrequent crier, she's usually very good at hiding sadness. When she does cry in front of him, it's usually something very deep seeded in her coming out. He knows it's probably his fault.

Jeff would think Kitty is pretty with or without her scars, but Kitty definitely has warped her own insecurities into seeing it as something that makes her prettier.

Since she and Jeff started dating, she definitely regained her confidence about her physical appearance. Going from beauty pageants and hiding herself during what are supposed to be some of the best years of her life to being able to wear whatever she wanted was incredibly freeing. No more pageants, no more forced extracurriculars, she finally has a choice.

The first time they met was when Kitty woke up to him trying to murder her (she was ~18 and he was ~19). Her father woke up hearing her scream, and rushed in. By the time Rodger got down the hall with the gun, Jeff had already left. She was very nearly decapitated and had only half a Glasgow smile carved, It was a miracle she recovered as well as she did. Her mother pushed for several more corrective surgeries to mitigate how visible her scars would be, but Kitty insisted on only doing what was necessary. Her scars were a part of her life now.

Jeff tends to call her Kitty, Kitty, and babe. He's not the time to use super romantic pet names. Full first names are only used by them both when something really serious is happening.

Jeff truly does love her and feels bad for what he did to her, but it's not a topic of conversation that comes up. Jeff isn't a tactful guy, he knows he doesn't have the skills to properly address the whole "almost murdering my future gf" topic, if there are skills for that lol. Kitty was traumatized by the whole event of course, but her family life and childhood wears more heavily on her mind than her own attempted murder. She hasn't made peace with it, but being in control of her own life has helped, even if the decisions she makes may do her more harm than good.