#and i LOVE when they assume i don't go out much or on vacation cause i'm stingy no it's cause i'm alone

[davinaclare]

when people around you notice the littlest change in other people's mood meanwhile you're dying inside and people think you have no problems cause you have no kids and therefore no expanses 🙂🙂

[jediavengers]

I know you’re in love with him

WARNINGS: Smut, p in v, choking, oral (f recieving), dirty talk, dom!anakin, sub!reader, unestablished relationship

WORD COUNT: 4.3k

Summary: Anakin find out a little too much when eavesdropping on Y/N and Padmé.

"I can't thank you two enough for coming here on such short notice."

The sound of birds chirping and the feeling of the golden warm sun calmed both Anakin and Y/N, which made them kindly smile to the Senator in front of them.

"Of course, Padme. Anything for a friend." Y/N pulled Padme into a embrace. Anakin stood back, letting the two reunite.

As they pulled away, Padme politely nodded to Anakin. "I'm sorry to pull you away from more pressing duties, but it seems like my life is on the line yet again."

"Don't apologize." Y/N insisted. "Besides, we'd both rather be on Naboo for a few weeks then be fighting in the war. It's exhausting."

Anakin nodded in agreement. "It's kind of like a vacation for us."

Padme smiled at them both. "I'm glad you guys have some downtime then. I doubt anyone is going to try to hurt me here, but they just wanted someone to stay with me until the threat is caught." After a few more minutes of catching up, Padme began to lead them inside.

Y/N and Anakin had been to her lake house before, but the beauty of the interior still didn't fail to make them both look around in awe.

"I'll show you to your room." Padme gestured for them to follow her, leading them down a long hallway. "Here."

Padme opened a large oak door, leading them inside. As they walked in, Y/N's jaw dropped at the sight. A beautiful four poster king sized bed sat on one end of the room, and on the other end was a living space. An attached bathroom with two large doors that were wide open was on one wall, and Y/N could see the large jacuzzi that was implanted in the floor.

Even though it was glorious, her mind was on one thing. There was only one bed. Anakin's mind had drifted there too, obvious confusion and concern adorning his features.

"Padme, it's beautiful but.. There's only one bed." Anakin spoke, setting down his and Y/N's bags on the ground.

"Sorry about that, but I wanted to make sure you guys got the best room of the house." Padme smiled excitedly. "It's almost as nice as the master. I figured since you two have had a lot going on, as well as the fact that i'm taking you away from more pressing matters, you would enjoy a nice room like this."

"I love it- i really do, but um.. would it be possible for me to stay in a separate room?" Y/N asked.

"Do you not like it?" Padme frowned, sadly looking around at her decor.

Anakin shook his head quickly. "No, no, we both love it. It's just, one bed and there two of us."

"It's a king sized bed, i'm sure you'll have plenty of your own space." Padme smirked, causing Y/N to furrow her eyebrows. "Well, feel free to get unpacked. I'm going to go check if the chef has started on dinner yet." Padme gave no time for interjections, leaving the two Jedi alone.

Padme shut the door behind her, causing Y/N and Anakin to awkwardly stare at each other for a couple moments. Eventually, Y/N turned away, walking over to what she assumed was a closet. She began to unpack her clothes, hanging her robes and other pieces of clothing up. She left her panties and bras in her bag, figuring it would be better to hide them away.

"I'm sorry." Anakin spoke.

Y/N confusedly turned to him, furrowing her eye brows. "Sorry? For what?" She questioned, zipping up her bag.

"For having to share a room." Anakin shrugged. "I mean, it's not ideal. I'll try not to hog the bed."

"No, it's okay." Y/N turned back around, placing her bag in the closet. "We're best friends, it's not that big of a deal."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Y/N had gone to spend some girl time with Padme a few hours ago after dinner, leaving Anakin to have some time for himself. He was nervous, but honestly excited, about sharing a bed with Y/N so he took some time to calm his nerves.

After leaving them alone for a while, he figured he could give them some company. Stepping out of his room, he began to walk to Padmés room.

As he approached her room, he heard their voices through the door.

"God, I just wish there were some suitable men." Padme groaned. Anakin could hear shuffling through the cracked door, making him flinch and back away a few steps.

"I know there's someone out there for you, Mae. What's your type? Maybe I could hook you up with someone." Y/N suggested, chuckling at the finish of her sentence.

"You? Set me up with someone? I'm sorry, Y/N/N, but you're a Jedi. You don't know many men who are on the market." Padme replied.

"I guess you're right. Anyways, so tell me, what is your type?" Y/N asked again. Anakin could hear a heavy sigh and then a groan.

"I guess.. I like guys with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Tall, obviously. Oh and I don't like super sensitive men. Like grow up, ya know?" Padme ranted, making Y/N laugh.

Anakin furrowed his eyebrows at the last comment, but continued listening.

"What about you, Y/N? What's your type?" Padme questioned.

"I don't have a type." Y/N answered.

"Come on, Y/N/N. Even though you're not allowed to have attachments you can still think guys are hot." Padme teased, making Y/N giggle. "Come on girl, tell me."

"Fine. I guess.. Blonde curly hair. But not platinum blonde, more like a dirty blonde. Blue eyes.. Tall, muscular but not beefy. And ambition is really attractive. Loyalty and bravery. Oh and I love a man who's dominant." Y/N rambled, making a light blush appear on Anakin's cheeks.

"For someone who isn't supposed to have attachments and doesn't have a 'type', it sounds like you're describing a certain someone down to every small detail." Padme giggled. Anakin leaned against the wall, trying to hear them better. His heart fluttered followed by his stomach twisting.

Anakin heard a thump and then a soft groan, followed by Y/N huffing. "I have no clue what you're talking about."

"Don't hit me! And of course you don't." Padme teased. "It's not like you just described Anakin almost perfectly. The one thing you're forgetting about him is that he's a big baby. I don't know how you can handle being around him that often. He's such a whiner!" Anakin frowned deeply, folding his arms across his chest.

"Hey!" Y/N snapped. "First of all, don't say that. He's just sensitive. Second of all, I was not describing Anakin!"

Padme let out a loud cackle, another thump and groan sounded after a moment. "I said that to get a rise out of you. And save it, Y/N I know you're in love with him."

Anakin's heart rate quickened, and he couldn't help but smile softly.

"Love? Seriously? If anything I just think he'd be good in bed." Y/N snorted. "I've had casual hookups before with no attachment, so thinking he's attractive isn't against the code."

"Whatever you say." Padme answered. "All I know is that friends don't look at friends that way."

There was a few moments of silence, causing Anakin to assume the conversation was over. Just as he was about to walk away, Padme began to speak again.

"You know, I'd bet if you asked him to fuck you he probably would."

"Padme!" Y/N scolded. "What's the matter with you?"

Loud giggles erupted and Anakin couldn't help but smirk. "Even though I wouldn't mind getting laid, I couldn't do that. Especially not with him. The council would flip if they knew two of their Jedi fucked each other, not to mention the fact that he's the chosen one and all."

"I guess." Padme whispered. "Good thing you're not on Coruscant right now.. No one would know."

"Mae, you can be such a bad influence, I swear." Y/N's tone of voice was irritated. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm never having sex with Anakin, as much as I'd like to." Anakin's eyes widened at the last statement, and he could feel his pants become uncomfortable as his mind began to wander.

"So you admit it! You do want him!"

"Fine. Yes. But even though I may feel something for him, I could never act on it." Y/N softly replied.

"At least you get to share a bed."

"Yeah, about that, what the hell were you thinking? Putting us in a room together?" Y/N shouted.

"Quiet down, unless you want Anakin to hear us." Padme whisper screamed. "I told you why I did it. I did it so you guys could have the nicest suite."

"Cut the bullshit, Ms. Matchmaker. I know for a fact every room in this damn house is nicer than any bedroom i've ever had." Y/N replied.

"Fine. You guys just needed a little shove, okay? You both are stubborn and would never admit to your feelings, so why not help out a little?" Padme reasoned. "Come on, just admit it. You know you like sharing a bed with him."

After a few more minutes of eavesdropping, Anakin backed away. Heading back to their shared room, he closed the door and began to nervously pace.

It wasn't long after that Y/N had entered, oblivious of Anakin's newfound knowledge. As she walked in, Anakin stopped pacing, facing her with his brows furrowed.

"You good?" She rose her brows, heading over to the closet.

"Yes! I- i mean yes." Anakin's voice was high pitched at first, but he quickly deepened it.

"Uh- alright." Y/N grabbed her pajamas, walking to the bathroom. "I'm going to get changed."

Y/N braided her soft Y/H/C hair, the thick locks falling over her shoulder. She slipped on her pajamas, the less revealing pair that she brought. She thought she would be having her own room, so most of her pajamas consisted of either satin nighties or thin and very revealing night dresses. She did pack one less suggestive pair of pajamas, which was a matching button up and shorts. It was black with small pink hearts adorning it. The trim was a matching pink, and the shorts had a satin bow.

She felt childish, but they sure were comfortable. After Y/N finished getting ready to sleep, she took a breath and exited the bathroom.

She internally groaned when she saw Anakin laying on the bed. He was under the duvet, but she could see his upper half which was bare. He had his flesh arm draped over his eyes, not noticing that she had come out of the bathroom.

Y/N stayed quiet, walking over to the closet and placing her dirty clothes in a hamper that was provided.

"Aw, your pajamas have little hearts on them!" Anakin laughed, causing Y/N to turn back so she could glare at him.

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes, walking over to the bed. She slipped under the covers, giving them a good amount of personal space. "At least i'm not shirtless."

"Hey, I don't like to sleep with one on. It's uncomfortable." Anakin defended, which made her furrow her eye brows and shoot him a glare.

"Whatever."

Y/N's irritated demeanor was definitely from the conversation her and Padmé had earlier. Her sexual frustration as she well as the fact that Padmé called her out for her obvious feelings for Anakin made her on edge. Especially since these feelings had been building for years and this is the first time someone had called her out for it.

After a few moments of silence, she felt the bed shift, which caused her to glance over at Anakin. His expression was unreadable, but the fact that he was slowly inching towards her made her swallow nervously.

"What did you and Padme talk about?" He asked in a sing song voice. He was now right next to her, laying on his stomach with his chin resting in his hands.

"Girl stuff." She shortly replied, furrowing her eyebrows at his weird behavior. Slightly uncomfortable since she was in fact talking about him with Padme, she picked at her nails.

"Girl stuff? Like the guys you want to fuck?"

Y/N's head shot up to look at him. His head was still in his hands and he had a goofy grin on his face. "I have no clue what you're talking about." She looked back down at her hands, resuming the picking she was doing to her cuticles.

"That's not what I heard." He sang, sitting up. Y/N dead panned, looking up to meet his blue eyes. "Are you seriously going to make me say it outright? i heard you, Y/N. I heard that you want to fuck me."

"Uhhhh-" Y/N shot out of the bed, her heart racing. She wasn't one to face her problems, she usually avoided them.

"Hey! Where are you going!?" Anakin shouted, standing up as well.

"What? Sorry can't hear you!" Y/N croaked, rushing to the door. Guess she'd be sleeping in Padmé's room tonight.

But right before she could leave, Anakin grasped her wrist and spun her around so they were now facing each other. His face was no longer teasing, but now it was serious.

"Come on, Y/N/N. We need to talk about this." He spoke, furrowing his eyebrows.

"There's nothing to talk about, Anakin. You invaded my privacy. I wasn't going to say anything to you for a reason." Y/N snapped, glaring up at him.

"Why not?" He conveniently ignored the invasion of privacy comment, making Y/N roll her eyes. "Why weren't you going to say anything?" He was still gripping her wrist which made Y/N nervously swallow.

"We're not having this conversation. Now let me go." Y/N sternly spoke, looking up into Anakin's blue eyes. She could feel her self control slipping.

"No, you don't just get to act like you didn't say what you said. You can't leave me hanging." Anakin pleaded.

"You invaded my privacy, you twat. You found out something I wanted no one to know. You and l both know we're not supposed to have attachments so i'm not-"

"Fuck the code. I don't care." His voice was deadly, which made Y/N freeze and gulp nervously. "I've been controlling myself for years now. I haven't done or said anything because I wasn't going to do that to you. Not if you didn't feel the same. But, fuck, you do feel the same and now I can't not have you."

"What are you saying?" Y/N whispered, searching his cerulean eyes.

"I'm saying that I not only want to fuck you but I want you. Not just your body. I love you." His words were quiet and strained.

Y/N's eyes widened, and after a moment, all self control was gone. Their lips were smashed together perfectly, their bodies shoved against each other. Y/N was slammed against the wall, all sense of gentleness thrown out the window. 

Anakin's hands were gripping her hips and her hands were tangled in his curly blonde hair. Their kisses were quick and rough, teeth clashing and lips already growing sore from the desperate roughness.

"Need you." Anakin spoke in between kisses, his hands finding their way down to her ass and cupping it. He squeezed it firmly, making her whimper into his mouth.

"Then have me."

That gave him the permission to do what he's always wanted to do. He picked her up, their lip lock not breaking as he carried her over to the bed. He threw her onto the plush mattress, their kiss breaking momentarily.

He crawled on top of her, running his hands all over her body before smashing his lips back onto hers. Y/N swiped her tongue against his bottom lip, asking for entrance. He complied, letting their tongues meet in a messy battle of dominance.

Anakin's hand found her breast, squeezing it firmly through her shirt as he continued kissing her. He broke the lip lock, letting his kisses find their way to her neck. He wasn't being merciful. he immediately started harshly sucking on her sensitive skin, bruises sure to form.

Y/N arched her back a small amount as he found an extra sensitive spot, making Anakin smirk against her skin. His kisses traveled down until he let go completely, wetting his lips as his hands ran their way down to her shorts. Without wasting another second, he yanked her pajama shorts down, taking her underwear with them. He immediately spread her legs, taking in the sight of her dripping sex.

"Fuck." Anakin whispered. "So wet." He took his index finger and thumb, spreading apart her slick folds so he could have a better look at her soaked hole. "All for me?" He teased, not taking his eyes off of her tight cunt.

Y/N's cheeks burned red and she embarrassedly covered her face with her hands. "Ah ah ah," Anakin tutted. With his free hand he swatted her hands away. "Look at me when i'm touching you." Y/N took a shaky breath and looked back down at him, wetting her lips as her eyes met his. "Atta girl."

Without any foreplay or warning, Anakin shoved his face into her pussy, his lips attaching to her clit immediately. His vigor made Y/N arch her back and let out a loud moan.

She wasn't expecting him to touch her so roughly as quickly as he did, but Maker, did it feel good. "Anakin!" She cried out, making him pull away and give her a stern look.

"Gotta stay quiet for me, Angel." He purred, immediately attaching his lips back to her swollen clit.

Her moans were now soft and quiet, eager to listen to his demands. Anakin ran his tongue up and down her slick pussy, wanting her to feel every touch and every movement of his tongue. He slowly pushed one finger into her cunt, making her bite down on her fist to suppress the sounds she was so eager to release. As she arched her back, Anakin shoved his face harder into her pussy, quickening his pace so he could bring her to her orgasm.

He swiftly added another finger, pumping in and out of her hole with such ease and vigor that made her whole body tremble.

She was basically a mewling mess, which made Anakin smirk into her pussy. He could feel her walls clench around his fingers, signaling she must be close to her orgasm. He didn't stop his movements, he continued to desperately lap at her clit and dip his fingers in and out of her.

"Fuck! Ani- i'm so-" Y/N was too caught up in the pleasure to finish her words, instead, she bucked her hips up to his face, needing more.

Anakin knew what she wanted, so he harshly sucked at her clit and added a third finger, causing Y/N's back to arch so much that it began to hurt.

Anakin curled his fingers in her sopping cunt, brushing against her spongey g-spot she so desperately needed stimulated.

"Im-" She began to speak, but her impending orgasm interrupted her. Instead of finishing her words, her slick gushed all over Anakin's face and fingers. He didn't slow down his pace, causing her whole body to twitch and tremble in pleasure and overstimulation. "Oh- oh my g-god!" she whimpered as he eased her out of her orgasm.

He eventually pulled away, the lower half of his face completely soaked in her cum. He had a cheeky smirk on his face as he sucked her juices off of his fingers. Anakin wiped away her slick off of his chin with his bare arm, not taking his eyes off of her as he did so.

Her heart was pounding as he looked deep into her eyes, and as he slowly inched towards her so he was hovering over her, she felt small. Anakin smirked at her shyness, so to distract her, he began to unbutton her pajama shirt. He let it fall off her shoulders, exposing her skimpy black bra.

"For someone who wasn't expecting to get fucked, this sure is a slutty little thing." Anakin snapped her bra strap making Y/N shiver. She was still trembling from her orgasm, and couldn't help but whimper as she thought about how his cock would soon be buried into her cunt. Anakin unclipped her bra and groaned lowly as he saw her perky breasts, her nipples already hardened. She had goosebumps erupt on her body now that she was completely naked. "Tell me what you want." Anakin whispered, beginning to softly kiss her neck again. "Tell me."

"I-" Y/N shakily began. "I need you!" She whined.

"What do you need me to do, baby?" Anakin pulled away from her neck, grinning down at her. Y/N couldn't help but roll her eyes at his cockiness, but still gave in.

"Need you inside of me." She cried, huffing and tugging on the waistband of his sweatpants.

Anakin hummed. "Alright, if that's what you really want." He quickly pulled down his sweatpants, throwing them off to the side. He was left in black boxer briefs and Y/N could see the tent his length made through the material.

Making eye contact with her, he slowly pulled down his boxers, biting his lip as he saw her reaction. Y/N whimpered at the sight of his thick length, wondering how the fuck that would fit in her little hole.

"Don't you worry pretty girl, i'm gonna make that pretty little pussy feel so good." Anakin wrapped his large hand around his cock, pumping it a few times before he spread her legs again and rubbed it through her folds, still slick from her first orgasm. "All for me." He whispered under his breath.

Y/N wrapped her legs around his waist and bucked her hips, desperate to be filled. Anakin complied, slowly pushing his cock into her needy cunt.

"Fuck!" She threw her head back and let out a shaky breath, digging her fingernails into his back.

Anakin hissed at the feeling and continued to sink himself into her pussy. As he bottomed out, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. His gentleness soon subsided, him drawing his cock out of her tight hole and shoving it back in with a single thrust.

They formed a steady, rough rhythm, his cock stretching her walls out so much that her legs were shaking. One hand held himself up, sitting next to her head. He gripped the sheets, and with his other hand, he snuck it onto her neck. Squeezing her throat lightly, it made her roll her eyes back into her head from bliss.

"That's it," Anakin groaned, continuing to vigorously thrust into her cunt. Y/N could feel his cock touch every part of her, something that no man had ever truly fulfilled.

"A-Ani!" Y/N whined, digging her heels into his lower back.

"Shhh," Anakin bit down on her earlobe and gently squeezed her throat again. "Gotta stay quiet for me, pretty girl."

Y/N's mouth was wide open and she complied with his request, the sounds in her throat subsiding. Her boobs bounced as he continued to thrust into her, Anakin placing the hand that was once around her throat on her right boob. As he continued to pound her relentlessly, he kneaded and squeezed one of her breasts while he sucked and bit the other one.

Anakin spoke sweet nothings to her, pushing her towards her impending orgasm. It was beginning to grow nearly impossible for Y/N not to make any sounds, so she clasped one hand over her lips while the other tugged at Anakin's blonde curls.

"Fuck baby, you feel so good." Anakin purred, throwing his head back as he thrusted into her.

"Anakin- Anakin i'm so close!" She whined, closing her eyes and letting her lips part in heavenly bliss.

"Yeah? You're gonna cum for me? You're gonna cum on my cock?" Anakin chided, squeezing the boob that he was still kneading.

Y/N nodded vigorously, wrapping her arms around his neck and whimpering quietly. "I'm gonna- i'm gonna come, Ani!"

Her walls clenched harder around his cock, pushing him towards the edge. "Hold on baby, i'm almost there." He began to thrust harder and faster, making it so they could come undone together. "Okay pretty girl, cum on my cock."

Y/N arched her back and let out a pathetic whine, the walls of her cunt clenching around his fat cock. She felt herself gush all over his length just as spurts of his cum shot into her quivering pussy. "Oh my god-" She moaned, scratching her nails down his toned back.

"Fuck, yes," Anakin let out a small whimper which made Y/N cum even harder, loving the sounds he was making.

After they rode out their highs, Anakin pulled out and collapsed next to her, the both of them breathing heavily. He wasted no time pulling her close, wrapping his long arms around her trembling and sweaty figure.

Y/N hummed clinging onto him. Their sweaty skin stuck together and the smell of sex filled the air. It was quiet for a few moments before Y/N spoke up.

"What the fuck did we just do?" She whispered, burying her face in his neck. She was still slightly out of breath.

"We just fucked."

"Anakin, i'm serious." Y/N whined, slapping his chest. "We just broke about 20 different rules."

"I don't care." Anakin shrugged, pulling her closer and pressing a soft kiss on her sweaty forehead. "I love you, and i'm not going to let the code get in the way of that."

Y/N leaned up, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you too."

[brucewaynehater101]

Oh my god, I love that so much. Tim's heart beat was only for Kon, so when Kon went away so did his heart beat. It's still gone because Tim hasn't even come *close* to recovering from Kon and Bart and Steph's deaths, even if all three of them are back they still deeply effect him. Also Tim being the heart of the team so so <3 to me.

Tim 100% will use this incident against not just Bruce, but the entire family. Dick suggests he cuts back on the caffeine and Tim replies, "the only time I do is when I'm Relaxing on a trip and last time I went on a trip you nearly killed Ivy because you were to stressed to think straight." and when Jason comments he should take a rest, Tim says, "I only rest on trains but last time I got on one, you nearly made another duffel bag of heads."

Turning back time a bit though, can you imagine when they get to the train car that Tim is on, expecting it to be some grand show down with all of them in costume? And then they hear... music? coming from the train car that the tracker says Tim is in?? They all swing into the car while Tim's back is to them, yelling along to Shakira and when he turns around it's literally, "WHENEVER, WHEREVER, WE'RE MEANT TO- AAAAAAAAA" And he jumps a solid foot in the air while chucking his MP3 at the closest Bat, Bruce, and hitting them square in the forehead with it. Tim is death glaring them as he says, "what the fuck are you doing here, I'm on vacation. I'll be home tomorrow, what the *fuck* is so important that you tracked me down on my day off???"

Yes! Exactly. There's so much angst to be explored with Tim's missing heartbeat, how that reflects his current mindset/relationships with people, and how that affects Kon. I like to hc that Kon listens to various YJ members' heartbeats as a calming measure and reassurance. His inability to hear Tim's causes him stress and heartbreak (your choice on whether that's platonic or not).

Tim is a chaos gremlin who uses guilt tripping (in lighthearted measures) with a vicious lack of mercy. It only works half the time on his family members anyways and is a healthier form of airing out grievances (than trying to attack anyone).

Tim most definitely is swaying and dancing to the music when the Bats find him. He refuses to be embarrassed by this. If they want to make fun of him for dancing and singing alone on a train, they can suck it.

Tim: "What the fuck is so important that you tracked me down on my day off??? The world better be ending."

Bruce: "Tim... you weren't answering your phone and no one knew where you were."

Tim: "I'm on my vacation like always? You know this!"

Bruce: "No. No we didn't."

Tim: ".... Is this another case of me assuming you know about something that's been happening for years?"

Bruce: *nods with pursed lips*

Tim: *sighs heavily*

Jason: "Wait.... your vacation is riding cargo carts for days?"

Tim: *points a finger at Jason* "I don't want to hear judgment from you, Mr. Red Helmet."

Also, the reveal of them finding out why he developed this de-stress mechanism is going to be great. Just Tim refusing to make eye contact as he tries to nonchalantly explain being abandoned in another state/city and having to make his way home before he was even a teenager. Then he turned this very messed up form of neglect into a semi healthy form of decompression due to the same incident happening more than once to Tim.

The Bats obvious go fucking ballistic

[diminuel]

So do Dragon and Crocodile have a tier list running of acceptable babysitters for Luffy?

Haha!

I assume that really depends! Since the ocean is vast, it's a question of who is available at the particular location.

(Why are they taking him with them in the first place? Maybe Luffy is very clingy *lol* I'm not entirely sure how this AU works X'D)

But generally, everyone who is able to handle Luffy (or even Luffy, Sabo and Ace all at once? I assume the two other boys are also theirs) gets put on the acceptable babysitters list X'D

I'm just imagining now a scenario of Dragon and Crocodile going on a vacation for two weeks. Who would they most trust with their kids?

Makino would probably be high up on that list, though the problem is of course that Luffy might just get himself into danger so ideally Garp or Dadan would also be around to keep an eye on him if anything happened.

Doflamingo is probably also a go to baby sitter, especially since it's likely that there are other people around as well who will watch Luffy if Doflamingo is busy (Cora, Law once he's older, the Dressrosan royal family once Doflamingo settles there - in this happy timeline AU he doesn't take over, he just makes it his base)

Kuma and Ginny are probably also high on Dragon's list of reliable babysitters (Iva probably prefers short time baby sitting *lol* They have better things to do!)

Mihawk probably would be fun for Luffy but less so for Mihawk. I don't know how much patience he has *lol* (I don't know if Perona and Zoro would be with him early in this AU?)

Luffy would probably love to hang out with Shanks but he's not really the most reliable guy (no offense, Shanks.)

And since Crocodile spends a lot of time in Alabasta he might also make Cobra babysit X3

(I can also imagine that when Dragon wants to be a pain in the ass he'll drop Luffy on one of the Admiral's desks. It's a good strategy! If Luffy is causing chaos for them - tossing important documents out of the window, pulling the receivers off transponder snails or blocking the lines by talking to someone else, stealing Sakazuki's hat - they can't do their stupid marine work and get in the way of what the RA is doing *lol*)

My thoughts on that, but if you have additions or protests let me know X'D

[qsmprambling]

I think something to keep in mind re: the newer islanders comments regarding Foolish and Leo, regardless of how frustrating they are, is that it comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of qFoolish as a person, which is partially caused by the persona Foolish himself presents to everyone.

Foolish gives the impression of being a very open person who probably couldn't be bothered to keep too many secrets unless it was fun, a happy and impulsive spirit and just a general fun and chaotic person. He doesn't seem to take things too seriously, going with the flow and doing whatever seems most fun to him in the moment.

He doesn't seem like the type to get deeply attached. He doesn't seem like the type to keep secrets or hide how he is feeling. He doesn't seem like the type who would dwell enough on something that it causes him heartache, because he is impulsive, and free-spirited, and unattached, right?

He's playing with Capybaras, he's laughing with his friends, he's making jokes and playing around. Heck, he isn't even really talking about Leo that much - if you accept everything you see at face value like most of the newbies who never got to meet Leo or don't know qFoolish will, it must look like he's not all that upset about her being gone and isn't really thinking about it too much, right?

But the other islanders know. The ones who have known the eggs, and the ones that know Foolish, they all know the truth.

Bad has noted that he isn't sure other people have noticed, but he can tell that Foolish is hurting. Jaiden too has made comments a out how people don't take him seriously. Baghera left him alone with the concrete because it felt so wrong to swarm him in that moment that she knew was painful for him. And though I haven't seen comments from the others, I have no doubt all the other islanders who have been here for months wouldn't ever question how much Foolish loves and misses Leo. (Tina is the exception with the new islanders as she met Leo before joining the server and she knows Foolish is a good parent).

But the new islanders accept Foolish for how he presents himself. They see him laughing and playing and having fun and assume those are his true feelings and don't realise they are, but he is also hurting. They see him not bring Leo up and they don't realise it's not because he doesn't care, but because confronting his feelings isn't something he is good at. He prooved that when he ran away the moment he was directly asked about how he was feeling after finding Leo's message, or when he brushed off Bad's sympathy and rejected his offer of a hug (but did accept Bad's offer to stand near him, because at least it was something he could bring himself to accept...).

For Bagi it also doesn't help that she spends so much time with Bad, who is someone who is literally wearing his grief for all to see. No one is questioning that Bad is missing the eggs, because it's obvious. But just like no one (other than Foolish and Baghera) realised just how depressed Bad was in his vacation arch because of the carefree attitude he put on, Foolish's demeanor has made it so his grief is not obvious to those who aren't willing to look a bit deeper. Most people are willing to accept whatever they see on the surface, and not attempt to look beyond that. I'm sure other islanders other than Foolish are also being misunderstood - an example would be Tubbo's comment that no one seemed to care and no one was doing anything to find the eggs, without knowing about Bad's drastic actions, or Philza's breakdown over Tallulah's letter, or Fit's quiet grief, or Aypierre's increased drinking, or Roier's deterioration, and all the other things the parents and relatives of the missing eggs were feeling and going through.

Anyway I am rambling, but long story short it is frustrating when the new members don't understand the grief of Foolish because they accept his surface level persona, and that is something Foolish himself is perpetuating, but just remember that even if the new islanders don't understand, all the old islanders do. Even if they don't speak it out loud, and some are more obvious that others, they are all united with Foolish in their grief.

[not-goldy]

OMG GOLDY, your post where you mention catching a grenade for the one you love. I can't stop thinking about a few months back when Jk was going through his missing Jimin spiral & during one of those lives, he sang Bruno Mars Grenade. Its so painful to listen to him. He wanted Jimin so bad while he was super duper busy & now we know Jikook have had this planned out for a while, enlisting and going through the process for a while. He really meant that song, every fucking word of it.

Also Jikook are fucking geniuses. Some said they thought they were laying low publicly cause of MS & now it seems true. They didn't want added attention cause they were going through the process behind the scenes. They weren't about to gay out. Taking separate planes to meet up. Smart as fuck. Jk however, couldn't keep his emotions in check & kept going rogue on their plan & started doing his Jimin lives. Doing online stuff Just enough to let us know everything was great, even if we weren't seeing them together. Jk timing his lives when JM leaves & posting pics for Jimin to comment. You sneaky little shits. Its all deliberate. Jikook keeping it online, even though we know they were meeting up behind closed doors, due to things they were saying and things they were working on, that was picked up by k-army. Like Jimin talking about them drinking together or Jk mentioning Jimin moving his stuff. Never underestimate queers in the closet. They always get their message across. Now that the process is over and it seems to be a done deal for them. Now look. Jikook took that plane TOGETHER to Tokyo (no more separate planes) and went on one last vacation together. No more worries cause it's most likely set in stone them enlisting together and the hard part is over and now nothing can hinder it now. Damn, that must have killed Jikook having to watch people claim they weren't close after Chapter 2. Don't those people feel stupid.

I also wonder if this is why Jk tried to say that J on his finger above the M is for Jk, cause its too obvious going into Military with a big ass J M on his wedding ring finger, knowing he is enlisting with JM. Interesting.

😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢

The closet can feel so safe and miserable at the same time. Imagine the source of your security also being the one thing chipping away at your mental health and sanity.

I don't wish that on anyone.

But it's also the safest place we could ever be.

Jungkook should have been more creative than he was coming up with that cock and bull story about the JM.

When you think about how Jimin had to fight Namjoon on stage when he called him JM the whole Jm on his hand start to feel even more sus than it already is.

Like how did that conversation go?

Jk: Guys look, I tattooed my initial on my ring finger above Army. It's J for Jungkook. Not Jeon. Jungkook.

Bts: wait a damn mininute that spells..... JM not JK

JK: HOLD ON IT DOES? HUH.... THAT'S WEIRD

Jimin: don't look at me my name is J.I.M.I.N not JM

Those two are accomplices 😭😭😭😭🤣🤣🤣🤣

I want the interview where someone asks them about the JM thingy again cos it's too in our faces not to notice and surely he's seen it, noticed it- like did the thought never occur to him his hand makes so much sense if it was attached to Jimin's wrist? Cos I swear if people didn't know him and you showed them that hand they'd assume that was Jimin's hand since it had his initials on there.

If I were a director at Hybe, I'd set them up and let them talk about it head on and make a joke out of it with Jimin stating for the camera- Jungkook is obsessed with me he even has my name on his finger.

I mean he said he's always thought Jk was his copy cat it would make so much if he escalates it into obsession cos that's where we at now🤧

Imagine people start calling him JM instead of JK because they think that's his name🥲💀

[ambrossart]

Hello, my question is about the Bowers gang and the music. I simply found it curious and fun and since Victor also seems to be a music fan and invited Evelyn next time to listen to music, my question is about her musical tastes, if she has a group. favorite or what genre of music do they listen to or if they have a favorite singer since Belch is a character who is characterized by the fact that he loves Metallica, so he asks me what type of music would each one listen to, Belch, well, he listens to metallica and anthrax (he has a band t-shirt and it appears in a movie if I remember correctly) Victor in one of the chapters says that he likes an Aerosmith song but from there I don't have an idea of ​​the bands or singers I heard, much less Henry or Patrick, I feel Patrick would be the strangest, he doesn't even seem like a person who listened to music or is a fan of someone and Henry doesn't seem that way to me either, and also it's from the 80's so it's even more interesting because I love the music of the 80's. 80s and 70s.

First of all, I absolutely love questions like this! I’ve had the worst week, so this was a very welcome mental vacation. Thank you for this.

Anyway, let’s discuss everyone’s music preferences! I’m just gonna break this down character by character to make my life easier.

— Evelyn

Evelyn likes whatever songs catch her ear on the radio. Music isn’t a huge part of her life, so she doesn’t really have a favorite song or artist. She has songs she likes (a lot of those classic 80s pop hits), sure, but I doubt she knows the names of most of them. So far, I think the only artists I’ve specifically mentioned her liking are Olivia Newton-John, the B-52s (literally just for “Love Shack” probably), and The Beach Boys, but we’ll discover more of her interests later. It’s not a major storyline by any means, but it does get explored.

— Vic

This may be a departure from canon, but in my mind, Victor Criss is an early adopter of the whole 90s grunge aesthetic. Messy hair. Ripped jeans. Flannel. Oversized shirts. Drinking coffee and smoking weed. If this story took place in the 90s, Vic would be all up in that grunge scene. I’m honestly super bummed I couldn’t go that route with him, but mark my words, that boy will go full grunge in college. He will.

Since this story doesn’t take place in the 90s, a lot of people (and by “people” I mean the characters in the story) probably assume Vic’s into heavy metal like Belch, but that’s not necessarily true. See, Vic is very picky about his music, and I don’t mean that in a snobby way at all (although Vic can be a little snobby about it). For him, music is therapy. Vic just wants to get really high, listen to some music, and escape himself for a while. And the wrong kind of music can be painfully grating to him, like to the point where it would cause him intense physical discomfort. That’s why he’s so picky.

So what kind of music does Vic like? I dunno… I could see him being into psychedelic rock, artists like Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Byrds, The Beatles, stuff like that. Vic is very private about his music, though. There’s a reason Christie Gibson can’t seem to figure him out.

It's also a pretty big deal that Vic has invited Evelyn to listen to music with him. Just saying.

— Belch

Next to Victor, Belch is probably the most serious about music. As we all know from the movie, heavy metal is his preference and his passion, but he’s also the kind of guy who can (secretly) appreciate a well-composed song regardless of its genre. That being said, Belch does tend to steer clear of the mainstream pop music scene… unless, of course, Christie Gibson is with him. Yeah, when those two are together, he pretty much lets her play whatever music she wants (because Belch is a good boyfriend).

— Henry

Yeah, I don’t think Henry is that serious about music. He listens to it, sure, everyone does, but it doesn’t impact his life significantly. Despite that, Henry’s tastes are probably very similar to Belch’s, simply because that’s how Henry gets exposed to most of his music: he listens to whatever Belch plays in the car. Apart from that, I could also see him being into bands like Led Zeppelin, Blue Öyster Cult, Deep Purple, Kansas, etc. But would he consider any of them his favorite band? Probably not, because Henry doesn’t have a favorite band.

Honestly, I think Henry has a very negative relationship with music in general. Anything that tries to tap into his emotions or influence his emotions, yeah Henry doesn’t like that. At all. He doesn’t wanna feel things. He doesn’t wanna think about his parents or his childhood. He wants all that shit to stay buried real deep.

— Patrick

For Patrick, all music sounds the same—and by that, I mean it’s all just “noise” to him. He doesn’t connect to it on any level, least of all emotionally.

In Chapter 5 (I think?) we saw Patrick using the radio kind of like a weapon. He purposefully messed with the knob to create the most annoying sounds his possibly could, hoping that it would drive the other guys in the car crazy. And it worked. Belch almost crashed the damn car. That pretty much sums up Patrick’s relationship with music. It’s just something else for him to manipulate and use for his entertainment.

So yeah, I could see Patrick listening to some really weird shit, like music that isn’t really music, but more like a bunch of random creepy/disturbing sounds put together. Patrick’s a weirdo. There’s no way he listens to traditional music.

___________

Okay, that's all I have to say on the subject. Thanks again for this ask! It was a lot of fun to think about. ❤️

[augustinetwo]

𝑹𝒐𝒕 𝑰𝒏 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒆 ☆ 🌊🪸🐚🥥

•───────• ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ •───────•

Just played Rot In Paradise !! For a game jam, I feel like it's really good, and I'm honestly impressed studio investigrave finished an entire game of such great quality in such a short amount of time. But, this is a sort of review/analyzing the game ?? (^o^)

So I'm going to list off things I liked, interpretations and stuff !! (And yeah, I know next month racheldraws is going to put out a statement on what the ending was, and everything, etc. after the gamejam time limit, and everything is over)

⚠️ Also, spoiler warning !! ⚠️ I'm basically talking about the whole game, including endings, so if you haven't played it/watched a playthrough yet, I heavily encourage you to !!

•───────• ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ •───────•

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝑰 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅 ☆

The characters were amazing as usual !! All of their dynamics were so cute, and it made what happened to them really effective. (*´Д`) Honestly, I can't even pick a favorite character because I love all of them so much !! (σ≧▽≦)σ For such a short amount of time, the characters were fleshed out pretty well !! ^u^ It really does feel like they're a close group of friends that's known each other for a long time, and it was really sad to see them be affected throughout the game. ( ´_ゝ`)

The art style is really charming, and the music does a good job at capturing the vacation beach vibes. The tension and buildup to the subtle horror and open-ended endings are also really good, and I think the way they foreshadowed things did a good job of making the whole trip feel ominous.

As for the endings, I like their vague vibe and the way you can interpret them how you'd like. It makes the game more personal when it's such an easy metaphor, if that makes sense? As in, it's easy to compare it to many things and can help a lot of people feel seen.

The designs for the "zombies" (whatever you'd call them) were really cool, too !! (^∇^)

I would love to have more interactions with the characters and be able to hang out with them more !! While the characters were solid and good in the time they had, I kind of just wish we had more of them, but again, I still love the game a lot !! It's just kind of me loving the game and wanting more !! (*≧з≦)

•──────��• ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ •───────•

𝑹𝒂𝒎𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈

I agree with the people saying this game is likely a metaphor for substance abuse/alcoholism and toxic friends. It's honestly a pretty heavy-handed metaphor, but I'd like to try and take a different perspective because I don't want to just repeat what's already been said.

Instead, I'm going to be taking a look into the more supernatural aspects !! (^^)d (There's not much to work with, so I'll try my best !!)

First of all, I'd like to over the information we were given in game about this rot. All the affected characters have an unquenchable ghirst/appetite, specifically for things that are associated with the ocean. It's almost like some kind of effect or curse overcoming them - scrambling their personality, tastes, etc. Even changing their appearance.

The main cause of the rot is presumanly "She." We don't exactly have much information on this "She," not even a name. But, based on previous information, I'm going to assume it's some kind of ocean goddess.

I think the reason June was able to escape the curse/virus was the option to save the old man. When she rescues him, he says, "When She takes back what's rightfully hers, you'll be lucky not to be left behind." Whoever this "She" is was probably angered by June saving that old man, and therefore did not want to being her to her ocean.

Along with the effects of the virus/curse I think they bring out the worst traits in people and maximize them. Not saying I know these characters well, by the way, it's just me guessing. Feel free to disagree and eplain why !! Carmen is carefree and bubbly, but she has a tendency to put her feelings above others'. Von has a sharp tongue and is easily irritable. In the game, it says she likes to hate on things. McCoy, I'm honestly not solid on this one, but maybe he is easily dismissive of problems and lets them slide. Ryan we don't get to see much of when he's affected, but I'd say he's a bit of a downer and too nonchalant (/j)

Also, I have a suspicion that they're like turning into into fish people of some kind, and might be growing gills, idk !! I just want to talk abt this gameee ghhh

[laura1633]

Back with #Retired Charles cause I have too many assignments due tonight.

Now, how should their first meeting after Charles' retirement go?

Assuming Charles had left Monaco cause he doesn't want to be in the public eye, should they meet while Max is on vacation to wherever Charles lives now?

Or let's make them meet in a hospital where Charles is going for a check-up?

Or or, let's make Max show up at Charles' upar...(Sorry, I was saving my stray cat from the other stray cats) ...apartment ,cause the poor baby really misses Charles, and every other day, he goes knocking on its door in hopes that maybe Charles is back in Monaco. Nevertheless, Charles is there this time. Maybe he is visiting his mum and brothers, or seeing his doctor.

And Charles is there, he is finally there in front of Max, and OMG feeling, angst, and fluff.

Do you think Max would cry ?

I swear to God if I had a writer's bone in my body I would have written it, but I don't. So I'm gonna vent at you about it here. Hope it's okay.

Can I come back and vent more ?

Oh feel free to come back at any time with ideas of how this would play out, I love to hear it!

All these ideas could totally work! The idea of Max going to Charles' apartment all the time is really sad (in a good way because fiction needs angst). I can imagine him showing up at various times, he has long since given up on Charles being there. Now Max goes and sits outside Charles' door and talks to him as if he is inside. It's just Max's way of getting things off his chest and feeling like he still has some connection. The doorman has just started letting Max in so he can sit outside Charles' front door. But this time, after he cries and admits how much he misses Charles he feels the door move and then open .... and Charles is stood looking at him!!!

Charles has moved away from Monaco after retiring suddenly and unexpectedly due to health issues but he has returned to just check up on his apartment and visit family. He can't ignore Max anymore though, not when he hears him crying outside his door.

Max is already upset but this would also turn to anger because why has Charles just disappeared and not contact him. Perhaps this is when Charles opens up about his reason for retiring 🥺

I think you are already a bit of a writer, the hardest part is often having the idea in the first place, everything else gets better with practice. Imagination is key and you clearly have lots of that which is great! Definitely feel free to keep sending thoughts through 💕

[quitealotofsodapop]

I've had a funny thought. What if the other two celestial monkeys, Gibbon and Baboon, were still alive, they were just off-planet? Like, moved to the Andromeda Galaxy far away, to get away from whatever bullshit and trouble they caused (because of course they did, they're celestial monkeys after all) and have been living there only with Buddha contacting them once in a while with messages on stuff going on (and since it is a different galaxy, it takes a while for the messages to go to them).

I am saying this, because I had the funny image of them finding out about MK (and later the twins) and they wanted to meet the others finally.

I dunno why they were moving like 1930s cartoon characters when meeting the fam in my minds eye, but they were.

And got knocked away by SWK for that. But it's all good later. So many stories shared.

Seeing how the Long-Armed/Connected Arms Gibbon is apparently able to quote "Seize the sun and the moon, Shorten a thousand mountains, Distinguish the auspicious from the inauspicious, And manipulate planets and stars." It would be easy assume they're probably an extremely powerful astral creature.

Meanwhile ol' Red-Buttocked Horse Monkey/Baboon is just; "Has knowledge of yin and yang, Understands human affairs, Is adept in its daily life And able to avoid death and lengthen its life." which is just being socially aware.

It would be hilarious if they were the OG troublemakers, like even to a degree that the Buddha had to step in. Probably drove the last few Celestial Emperors nuts with how much nonesense they got up to. Sun Wukong and Macaque may have even known them as when they were very young. Eventually they just went on vacation to a different galaxy and never came back (and all of the Realms sighed with relief). They likely chill amongst the stars along with banished/exiled Celestial Beings - Princess Zhinu and her family to name a few. This doesn't mean that they don't still cause trouble for Earth however.

Gibbon: "Hey Babs! Look at this little guy!" *holds out an angry-looking lump of cosmic energy* Baboon: "Hmm. Looks like a piece of Hundun left over from when the Heavens and Earth were one in the same, Gibs." Gibbon: "...wanna see how far I can chuck it?" :3 Baboon: "Aim for China, I wanna see if it'll causes a ruckus for the new divine Emperor." Gibbon: *winds up the energy lump like a baseball and chucks it*

*Many years later in the Celestial Realm* Lao Tzu, looking through a telescope: "...oh damn. I should tell the Emperor about that weird comet coming straight towards Earth."

I love the mental image of the Gibbon and Baboon moving like rubberhose cartoon characters - the long arms on Gibbon and the legs on Baboon just moving like they're Cuphead NPCs. Maybe so many eons in deep space does that to your movements. Meanwhile poor SWK and Mac are terrified.

[lixenn]

@mimiruku

Getting surprise attacked not by this question! Thank you so much for stopping by Jojo!

Edit: I fucked up and posted this on accident when it wasn't ready yet. So I deleted it and made it a seperate post. Sorry about that OTL

I'll try my best to answer it 🫡 (Disclaimer: the time line here is a bit of a mess. Since Housekeeping AU is pre-canon most of tenth gen would be itty bitty but for the sake of this ask just assume I'm talking about the canon versions)

Dan

Squalo (romantic) Squalo and Dan simply vibe. The Captain and the Chief. Loud and quiet. Co-parenting the assassin nutcases together, complaining about the latest stunt some idiot pulled, despairing over Xanxus throwing stuff habit. They are comrades in suffering, your honour. Their bond is forged with blood (not theirs), ink (from all the paperwork) and alcohol (because they need it), it's unbreakable trust👍(beware the bickering though because there's lots of it when these two get going).

Xanxus (romantic) Now, while Squalo and Dan share similarities, Xanxus and Dan are pure contrast. Xanxus is one of the few people that can really rile Dan up, for some reason he knows how to press all his buttons and regulary breaks Dani-boy out of his shell. Squalo brings calm and rest, while Xanxus brings fire and passion. And lots of swearing.

Lal (platonic) Lal and Dan are a great duo. Both competent, both no-nonsense, both sick of training idtiots and dealing with their bosses. They would get along great, quietly exchanging stories over a glass of wine while their partners off doing stupid shit (which they are steadily ignoring). Their friendship would get so much done, they would terrify anyone into submission with a soul piercing stare, it'd be fun!

Fon (platonic) These two haven't met and I don't know if they ever will but they would chill togehter, drinking tea. Just relaxing. Dan would appreciate Fon's zen and ability to kick ass, because he values competence in all forms.

Tsuna (platonic) Dan truly understands Tsuna's plight. Surrounded by chaos, constantly dragged into nonsense... When you just want some godforsaken peace and quiet. They would bond over the craziness that is their life and Dan would teach alll the ways to cope with the chaos (there may be alcohol involved).

Dave (all platonic cause Dave is on the aro spectrum)

Lussuria Sharing a passion with fashion and gossip, Dave and Luss get on like a house on fire. They regualary meet up for spa sessions where they exchange the hottest tea and bitch about Chief not taking care of himself. Sometimes they fuck, sometimes they just giggle and paint each others nails, it very much depends on the mood.

Reborn Chaos gremlins stand united! Dave and Reborn are two peas in a pod, living for the trolling, making everyone's life hell just for the lols. Chief's chaos sense will go haywire should they ever meet and he will instantly cash in all his vacation days at once, cause he ain't dealing with the clean up no sireee~

Bel Another litlle shit going on the list. Dave and Bel are competing over the top spot of: driving Chief to homicide and let me tell you it's a close race. Davey-boy and Baby-Bel love getting up to mischief together, with Dave trying to hold back some of Bel's murderous tendencies. (Dave prefers pschological torment and he's not really that much of a fan of corpse clean up). You could see their relationship as brotherly but if you mention it to either of them they will probably hiss and bite/stab you.

Haru Dave would find Haru adorable! Look at her! Designing funky custumes, eating all the cake and chasing after love. How cute! Dave approves! They would bake cake together, talking about boys (while Dave gives all the wrong advice because he doesn't know shit about romance actually).

Chrome Dave takes on look at Chrome and instantly takes her under his wing. He'd see the look in her eyes, her shy demeanour and thin figure and feel like he's staring into one of these fun house mirrors. Like recognises like. He'd try his best not to spook her, soften his edges a bit and then get some food in her. They'd cook together with Dave showing her the ropes, telling her funny stories all the while, trying to make Chrome laugh. Their relationship would have a bittersweet taste but with a satisfying finish at the end.

[blorbocedes]

galex + snap out of it : )

"Don't marry her." Alex says, feet on the sofa, a stripe of his stomach visible from where he'd untucked his white rehearsal dinner shirt, looking up at the ceiling.

George freezes from where he was pre-ironing his slacks, so the staff could give it a fresh press in the morning. "Sorry, what?"

"Don't marry her. We both know you don't want to." Alex says rather matter-of-factly, still staring at the ceiling.

"I thought the groom was supposed to get cold feet. Nice of you to assume that responsibility too." George jokes trying to be casual, but his hand is still holding the iron facing up, tense all over.

"Jury's still out on whether you even like women. I know you're looking forward to being a minor Earl by marriage or whatever, but otherwise you'll be miserable. 5 years, tops. So, let's cut the losses. Don't go ahead tomorrow." Alex's voice is the same dispassionate bluntness with which he'd break up with countless girlfriends, boyfriends, the implied 'it's not me, it's you.' He never directs it to George. George lives the security no matter how many hearts Alex breaks, his remains intact. Best mates privilege. He's still not fucking looking at him.

"What are you on about, Albon?" George forces himself to sound calm, resting the iron on its stand before he burns something. "Had too much brandy with the uncles? Projecting your own fear of commitment, yeah?"

Also. It's not important when faced with accusations he's not even into his future wife, but he's marrying into being a minor Duke, thank you very much.

That makes Alex sit up, look squarely at George. They both know how to get under each other's skin.

"You don't love her. You love me. And nothing's going to change between us, except you in your eternal misery might pop out a kid or two to be 'pragmatic.'" Alex rolls his eyes. "So I am asking you to reconsider."

You love me. They don't -- they don't really say that to each other. They know it, in the way Alex tags along to his family vacations, the way girlfriends would enter and exit his life but the only constant is George. It's like getting sucker punched, hearing it out loud, letting the forbidden words pierce the air, and they can't be taken back.

"Why in the world would you say this now? You -- we went ring shopping together! And you say this to me now, the night before I'm about to get married?!"

Alex sighs. He looks at him pityingly, those handsome almond eyes looking at him like he's missing something incredibly obvious and it twists something inside George. George had shown every cut of diamond to Alex and every band size. They had toured and tasted wineries together. And Alex had been completely neutral about it all, only a grimace when she'd join them for dinner. Then he started bringing his own date along, so they could make it a couples' thing.

"George. You wanted to be an architect. You wanted to design the next Bank of England. You're an IP lawyer."

"What's that got to with anything?"

"Because you will do anything once it's expected of you. I didn't want to have to say it to you. This entire year, I thought, any day now he's gonna realise it. When we fucked at your stag do, surely. You Googled what to write in your vows, mate! And I realized after tonight, no, you're actually going to do it tomorrow, sign yourself to this -- this mental nuclear conjugal fantasy cause Heaven forbid, you don't live up to being mummy and daddy's perfect little checklist. So you've forced my hand here, Georgie. And now I'm asking. Do it for me doing it for you."

Alex gets up and takes both of George's hands in his, who stands frozen, looking at him beseechingly; the gentleness Alex can be with him when no one else is around. George swallows on nothing, his eyes prickling already, thinking, Don't make me choose. Don't you dare.

"I booked your honeymoon. I still have your passport details. There's two tickets to Bali for tomorrow. We don't have to look back. Let the dust settle here, we'll be thousands of miles away." Alex looks at him with so much hope, and this close -- he can smell his cologne, it's something expensive George got him for his birthday, when they're standing this close the few cm Alex has on him in height is visible, makes George feel small for once.

There's probably a wedding caterer somewhere in the kitchens with a cake with his name and a statuette figure of a bride and groom on it. A tasteful 120 guest-list including family, important acquaintances, minor royalty have all arrived, flown in to be here. A years' worth planning, arguments over eggshell or pearl napkins, periwinkle or daisies in the bouquet, an actual six piece orchestral band because the bride's family is too good for DJs, the multiple photoshoots in cardigans and fake laughter to really sell their joint personal branding of upper class but down to Earth, completely in love but not over the top about it, a fitting match of young professionals but also from well-bred families. George's wedding isn't about him, it's about being the social event of the season, with his parents front and centre. Compared to years of law school, all he has to do is walk down an aisle tomorrow to make them proud.

He shakes Alex's hands off as if the touch were scalding.

"This is. This is wildly presumptuous of you, Alexander. And it is bloody disrespectful and borderline delusional to think I'm just gonna walk out on our families because you, what? You think that this is some wild romantic gesture? I'm just supposed to drop everything and run away with you? Don't fucking say you're doing it for me like some king of altruism. It's selfish, that's what it is. My great grandmother flew in for this! Jesus, Alex. You're scared because I'm doing the mature, adult thing here and you're scared I won't need you as much. You need to grow up."

This time, George is the one who can't bear to look at Alex anymore. He's scared his resolve will break if he does. He holds his breath, stands as dignified as he can with his righteousness, nose upturned. Alex stares at his side profile for a second before shaking his head and places something on the ironing board before leaving.

It's the velvet ring box.

George breathes out shakily, blinking the tears pooled in his eyelashes.

On the morning of the spring wedding of the season, the sun is shining, the pigeons are shooed as explicitly requested in the groom's itinerary, staff runs about making sure everything is perfect, every errant flower petal on the aisle is carefully placed, the suit jacket and shirt and slacks all ironed and delivered to an empty room.

George has never flown economy before. There's a baby crying and the growing irritation at the corner of forehead that would grow into a tension headache was distracting him from the obvious repercussions of what he is doing, the most impulsive and reckless decision of his life. His leg is tapping in the too small legroom, flimsy seatbelt loose around his waist -- did economy seatbelts even save lives? Alex's elbow nudges against his, grounding him, 30,000 ft in the air. He smiles at him, shakes no at the offer of the packeted nuts, and tries to keep the sinking feeling at bay, lacing their fingers together.

[sublimecatgalaxy]

So I've been thinking of a oneshot or blurb, whatever you're up for, with Loki Laufeyson but with an arranged marriage type deal?

I think that it would be so interesting to see him kind of like 'I hate that Frigga is setting me up with this random woman' but then he sees her and is like 'I take that back...'

Love your work! Thank you for all that you do❤️

Oh my god I love this kind anon 🥺 I opened my anon ability for like an hour last night and got a whopping 15 requests so now I know what I'm going to have posting during my vacation! If my math is right then this should be posting by the time I reach my hotel that we're stopping at 😃

"Frigga, this is not what I imagined when you said that I was to be married to one of your sons." I panic, wrapping my arms around myself as she reaches out to me, hands resting on my shoulders with a reassuring look in her kind eyes. "He's quite literally hiding from me." I can't fight the pout that rises to my lips at the thought of Loki hating this engagement as much as I did when I was first informed.

I assumed that he knew the slightest bit about me just like I heard things about him through the grapevine of the realms. I thought that the rumors about my beauty and knowledge would do me justice- enough justice to cause Loki to be more intrigued than disgusted.

"The Allfather just broke the news to Loki last night. He did not respond well but I'm hoping after he meets you, his opinion will change." She sighs, wrapping her arm around mine before leading me down the grand hallway.

"I don't wish to upset him or put him in a position that he's uncomfortable with." I mutter, my shoulders drooping in disappointment, worried that my future husband has already grown to resent me before he's even met me.

"You are so sweet." She coos. "Come with me, we will see what that mischief maker is up to." There's a flutter of excitement in my belly at the realization that I will meet him in just moments but with every step I take towards his room, I get even more nervous.

"Is he really as bad as people make him out to be?"

"He is troubled, yes. But he is even more my son than Thor is." She grins proudly and I can only imagine how hard it must've been on her to have to care for a son who's not even her blood. I know the rumor that Loki was taken as a preventative of war but I never stopped for a moment to think of how that would weigh on Frigga and Loki's relationship. "I love him with all of my heart and trust that you are a fitted suitor to care for him and pull him out of his dark times."

"I will try but I am not a miracle worker." I smile nervously as she raises her fist to rap against the large wooden door before us and I can hear the sound of shuffling coming from behind it. The door opens seconds later to reveal Loki, hair slicked back but disheveled and he's quick to raise a hand to tame it.

"Mother?" He smiles politely before switching his gaze to look at me with cute, furrowed brows. "And... stranger?" He looks to her for frantic confirmation and I lower my gaze to the floor, suddenly feeling so exposed and embarrassed.

"This is Y/n." I curtsy as best as I can, ignoring the weakness of my knees and Loki stalls, dots connecting in his head. "Your bride-to-be."

"Oh." Loki opens the door further to look at me better and he gulps, clearing his throat before holding a hand out to me. "Oh." He lifts my hand to his lips, pressing a simple kiss to my knuckles with a sheepish smile. "Forgive me. I, uh..."

"I assume you're apologizing for your moodiness." Frigga chastises and I giggle quietly, gaze sweeping to look over at her with a teasing glare.

"All is forgiven." I finally find the strength to speak, my voice coming out weaker than I had originally intended it to. "When my mother first told me that I was to marry you, I locked myself in my room for a week and refused to eat." Loki chuckles, head bobbing in a simple nod of acknowledgment before giving his mother a look that almost says 'see?'.

"So it appears that the feeling is mutual?"

"I suppose you could say that." I sigh but now that he's right in front of me, smiling and looking at me like that, it's hard to be disappointed at this arrangement we're in. "Though I heard of your mischievous rampages, I was never informed that you would be so handsome." His face pales at the wink that I throw his way before I bow to Frigga, stepping away from the two of them to round the corner. I can hear Loki sigh loudly and his mother laugh, a warm smile spreading across my face at the realization that I made him flustered.

"Why would you not tell me that she's beautiful, mother? I look like a fool." Loki huffs, his tone heavy with exasperation and I slap a hand over my mouth to conceal a giddy laugh.

"You always claim you love a challenge, Loki."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o- Taglist: @bubblebuttwade @rafelover2405 @leslienjazzy @sorceresss @grxnde-dwt @alex–awesome–22 @bunnietoof @niyamar1e @serialghost @plantlungs @geniusohn @akaliltimmytim @lilaalouuxx @xshariex @elliotsbeigeguitar @elle4404 @lelieja @srhxpci @joselyn001 @taysirene @spinkspanther @thedivineuphoria @peter-maximoffs @tsukishimawhore @poohkie90 @szlaco @distantsighs @nstyles4299 @wolflover384 @givemefoodandlovesstuff @vane28282 @yeswhatever33 @amirrahfranson @vvaalleennttiinna @f-mu @yaspillz @jeyramarie @skylievin@abbybarnes17 @jointherebellion215 @visiondaddy @steezysimfinds @its-ya-gay-boi-luigi @crunchytoenailsyum@glizzymcguirex @beth123lg @melovesmut @rafecameronswhore @ariianelle @write-from-the heart @vampviolets@haylee-e @honee-chai-tea @lokiandbuckywife

@officiallyunofficialperson@heyaitsklaudia@rosepetalsparks @bluetreecloud20 @scenesofobx @double-shot-of-tequila @1dluver13xx @colbysbrocks @iamasimpingh0e @loveshineslikethesky @id-3-kbro @diorsitgirl @errorfound101-allideasburnedout @neverwillknowme18 @ellyskey @taylors-folk @loversjoy @myaloveee @thyris-is @lagataprrr @aaaaslaaaan @witxhy-lexx @minjix @luvroseee @tee-swizzle @savageneversaw @admiringlove @hysteriahall @piceous21 @starlightandfairies @igotmajordaddyissues @drewstarkey-wife1 @manyfandomsfanvergent @revesephemeres

[ikibli]

A Dystopia is Utopia from Another Angle(BNHA HPSC POV)

The Meta Liberation Army, cause of so much death and suffering, is a thing because people wanted to use the superpowers they were born with without thinking of the consequences.

Flying if you have wings is all fine and dandy. But who's going to make every possible villainous use of a Quirk an enforceable crime that doesn't unfairly discriminate against people with certain Quirks? Who's going to clean up all of the accidentally destroyed buildings, and who's going to fix them, or pay for the repairs?

That's not even counting the purely legal or economic problems.

If someone can create gold from nothing and sells the gold, soon gold will be worth a lot less. And the American dollar is technically based on the gold standard...

If someone can clone themselves infinitely, do the clones count as employees or just the original? If the clones count, where do their paychecks or vacation days go? If only the original counts, then their boss doesn't need any other employees since they can just pay their one cloner employee a bonus to learn any new skills, thus thoroughly depressing the job market since nobody wants an employee that isn't a cloner and his company makes millions in profit from only needing to pay one employee. This is also assuming the cloner has a boss that isn't him.

If someone is about to be late to school and starts running at 80 miles per hour, do they count as a pedestrian, car, or cyclist? This seemingly pedantic question is important because of things like right of way, safety laws and who's liable for what in the event they collide with something or get run over. The insurance clauses for colliding with a car and colliding with a pedestrian are very different, as you well know.

The only reasonable solution to all of these problems is to just put a blanket ban on using your Quirk, for any reason, then hand out licenses, under the control of a responsible authority.

Then there's heroes. We all love heroes, don't we?

They help you when you need it, and they expect nothing in return except the smile on your face. Every schoolchild wants to be a hero- why would you dream of anything else unless it's to be an "everyday hero" like a doctor? Why wouldn't you want your name chanted in awe? Why wouldn't you want to use your powers to put a little good into the world?

Stop laughing, you were like that too when you were eight. I have the transcripts on my phone.

Heroes are famous celebrities. Heroes are emergency responders. Heroes are the police. Heroes are the military. Heroes are judge, jury and executioner for villains. Heroes are the righteous defenders of justice, here to stop the villain and save the day. No cost is too great for them (or others, but we don't talk about that) to pay in the service of others, but even if you die you can die satisfied you contributed to the greater good.

Oh, it's not like that? Your license is a chain, a burden? You wish you had said no in the beginning? You wish you could be assured you would make it to forty? You wish you could be with the one you love without duty getting in the way?

Well, that license is also the only thing keeping you from drowning in the tide of real life. We fed you. We housed you. We trained you to be the best hero you can be. And we can take that away at any second if you disobey.

Do you even think of what you would have been if we hadn't saved you? You would have remained a filthy, uneducated child living in a slum. You would never have made it to forty either way- you would have turned into a wretched villain and been killed by a hero if not by your own filth, if we hadn't saved you. Just like your father.

Yes, your father. He was a thief who ruined what he couldn't steal, and inevitably ruined that too. He died at age thirty-five, killed while robbing his fifty-eighth convenience store.

Don't worry, we erased every mention of your parents' existence from all but the most classified of our own records.

What do you mean, I'm a monster?! We did it for your own good! How would the people react to finding out a hero like you was related to a lowlife like him? Think about it.

Why am I telling you this? I thought you'd never ask.

I'm explaining this to you, so that you understand why we have to do this.

We're the Public Safety Commission, not the Public Happiness Commission. We can forgive a few mistakes here and there, provided you understand what you did wrong.

What we can't forgive is for you to keep making mistakes, mistakes that get people killed.

So, you're going to tell us every little secret you've ever kept from us. And if we find out you've turned on us...we'll have to terminate your employment. Permanently.

What do you mean you'd never tell me? Of course you will!

You're confused? Don't worry, I'll tell you.

You see, unlike my quaint little cousin in the police, I don't just detect the truth. I force the truth. Agent Orange, start the recording.

Now, Hawks. Are you loyal to the Hero Public Safety Commission?

No? I thought so. Why?

Oh, you have a boyfriend. How cute. How much do you know about any Commission secret projects?

Nothing? Good, we might be able to let you live then. What are the main and secondary weaknesses of each League of Villains member?

Congratulations. I see you've found a way around my Quirk. With video game slang, of all things.

Too bad I'm smarter than you.

What are the best three ways to kill each League of Villains member?

You're still trying to get around it? I thought you knew better than this.

What are the best three ways to kill each League of Villains member in real life?

Seriously?! I really hate people that make me get this specific.

What are the best three ways to kill each League of Villains member in real life without access to alien technology, orbital missiles, orbital space stations, intercontinental missiles, nuclear weaponry or a Quirk that allows you to manifest objects from video games?

I'm beginning to think it would be better to just tell the media what you've been doing and let them eat you alive.

What are the best three ways to kill each League of Villains member in real life with any combination of any number of the following things-any of the Quirks of any licensed hero, conventional firearms, conventional melee weaponry, poison, fire, explosives, any support gear that is possible to construct without the use of a Quirk-What was that?

The League of Villains coming to rescue you?

Ah, I see I've been outplayed. You truly didn't need to resist, all you needed to do was stall.

I see you've made your decision. Goodbye, Hawks. Let us never meet again.

[lazysailor]

27 Tommie

The day after he went out to get new clothes, the storks had to get out of the hotel due to them being found out by other kids. But now they seem to have a sudden change in budget. Instead of having to rob gas stations and steal, they were able to afford to travel and get the materials they needed.

Instead of them being just being a group of storks with no interesting name. They were now referred to as “Egret Academy”, a name made by Starkey.

Right now they were traveling on a charter bus to who knows where. Kayden was asleep next to him on his shoulder. He had noticed she hadn't got that much sleep lately, he didn't know why though.

Since Kayden seemed safe at the moment, he took his main focus to the others around him.

He had taken note that lots of the kids in “Egret Academy” looked up to Starkey and that they blindly obeyed him. If Starkey had told one of those kids to jump off a cliff that kid would probably do it in a heartbeat.

Tommie hates the thought of people looking up to Starkey. He had figured Starkey didn't do anything that important that could cause him to be looked up to. 

He was just another guy to him that loved having power and control..Like his “mom”.

Tommie looks over to Kayden who is still asleep next to him. He could see eye bags that started to develop under her eyes.

He then promised himself to never let Starkeys ideas get to her head.

..

A couple days later they ended up at this camp..what was it.? Tommie was sure it was called redwood something, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Him and Kayden were standing under a tree taking in its shade. The other kids were running around, climbing trees, basically acting like kids for once. Starkey was somewhere, probably busy talking to the owner of the camp.

Tommie was enjoying the temporary peace and quiet when Kayden suddenly started trying to talk to him.

“Y'know I went camping once..” She says with a somewhat awkward tone.

He wasn't that interested in her story, but she didn't seem to notice that.

“It was sometime during the day..My parents were relaxing in the lake house we rented and my brother suggested going out to find snakes.” She starts telling him.

“We both went out to a forest that was near the lake and he found a water moccasin assuming it was a rat snake.” Kayden continues.

“The start of my vacation was ruined by him since we had to go to the ER and give him some kind of vaccine.” She finishes.

Tommie doesn't say anything to her about her story and she lets out an awkward laugh.

Before she could try to continue her conversation, she just walks away from him.

Now he stands under the shaded tree alone. He makes sure to stay a bit guard, he doesn't know when everything can go wrong again and he assumes Starkey could possibly betray them in the future..

..

Later that night he and Kayden set up camp near the rest of the kids.

Tommie looked at Kayden for a few moments and debated in his head.

“Should I tell her about Starkey? Or should I just wait till later?” He thought to himself.

“It's better to just tell her now, I don't know when Starkey could betray us.” He concludes in his head.

Tommie sits up on his sleeping bag and looks over at her.

“Kayden, I need to tell you something.” He says to her.

“What is it.?” She asks him.

He takes a second to gather his words.

“It's about Starkey, I think he can't be trusted.” He starts off.

“He's been too kind to all of us and I don't want you to fall for anything he promises us in the future.” He tells her.

“I know that.” She simply says.

He was surprised by her response.

“What?” He says in confusion.

“I know that Tommie, I obviously can't trust everyone here. That's just stupid if I did.” Kayden tells him.

Tommie stares at her for a few moments while feeling surprised and confused by her.

Then she spoke up again.

“Plus I don't plan on staying here for long.” She says.

“What do you mean?” He asks as he feels some kind of anger build up inside of him.

“I plan on leaving the storks once I find Avery.” She tells him.

“But he's probably dead by no-” He tries to say but he gets cut off.

“He's probably at a harvest camp right now and I just have a gut feeling he's still whole.” Kayden adds on.

His anger was now being replaced by jealousy.

“She just couldn't abandon him once she found this guy!?” He thought.

“She has to stay with me! I can't let her leave!” His thoughts said.

“Kayden, you don't have to leave soon as you find him.” He says to her.

Kayden gives him an annoyed look and ignores him.

She lays back down on her sleeping bag and faces away from him.

He doesn't say anything to her annoyance towards him.

Tommie stands up from his sleeping bag and walks away in frustration towards the wooded area.

He makes it a bit away from camp and sits down on the ground against a tree.

He knew that Kayden had her own personal goals.

But he wanted her to stay and be with him so bad.

All because she reminded him of her..

..

It was a nice summer day, Tommie and his younger sister Bella were walking around the neighborhood. Bella was riding on her bike while he just preferred to walk.

She started picking up the pace on her bike and started to speed past him.

“You're too slow!” She shouts as she rode past him.

He laughed a bit at her.

“Not if I get past you first! Then you'd be the slow one!” He says as he starts to run up to her.

She laughed and started to ride across the street.

But before they both noticed a car sped down the street, the driver wasn't paying attention to the road.

The car then crashed into Bella

Tommie remembers to this day the sound of her screaming in pain.

The fact the driver tried to move over her body like she wasn't even there.

The sound of sirens quickly approaching the scene.

All while Tommie stood there and watched in shock..

..He learned later that the driver was high on some kind of street drug and that he was sent to jail for murder.

He remembers the police bringing him back home and when the policeman left him alone with his “mom”.

She yelled and hit him blaming him for killing his sister even though the accident was so quick and he couldn't do anything about it..

One week later he found out he was sent to be unwound.

..

Tommie didn't want Kayden dying on him..

He needed her to live for his sake..

[allmydokkuns]

the brainworms have decided it's time for another ramble so on tonight's menu is Lan Qiren, no not like that please do not consume someone else's fictional uncle without said fictional uncle's consent. Vague spoiler alerts for character backstory and plot IG?

The running motif (might be the wrong word? Coincidence maybe?) of "younger uncle having to step in to parent the next generation because someone died or is Otherwise Unavailable" is really obvious with Lan Qiren. Very unfortunate for him, and I don't get to see a lot of interpretations of him in fandom that expand beyond the "stickler for the rules suffocating teacher ish figure" that we see of him re: the Cloud Recesses arc from Wei Wuxian's perspective. Therefore I'm just gonna slap some text into this post about all the things we don't really know about him but some stuff I assume or infer based on some shit in my brain yeah.

Lan Qiren, birth name and age unknown, is the younger brother of Qingheng-jun (name and age both unknown), and the paternal uncle of the Twin Jades of Lan. We know this cause both Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji address him as "shufu," which is the more formal version of the "-shushu" WWX uses for Jiang Fengmian. In the absence of any other known siblings or close blood relatives of the main branch of the Lan clan, this also automatically made him, from his birth until the birth and successful upbringing of (at least) his elder nephew, the sect heir to Gusu Lan. I say this because it's important context for the role he plays in both the sect and his nephews' upbringing.

I'll talk a bit about Qingheng-jun and how the choices he made re: Xichen's and Wangji's mother/their marriage completely ruined Lan Qiren's and his son's lives. I don't think we know much about Qingheng-jun and Qiren when they were younger until Qingheng-jun apparently meets his wife-to-be and the situation escalates until he married her to protect her from execution (?) and proceeded to punish their whole immediate family by choosing to go into seclusion as well. You might argue that it was a good thing he recognized what a disaster this all was and took some kind of punishment for it, but. But. As the oldest son and older brother, he serves as the future sect leader, role model for the disciples, and has the duty to not only lead the sect but also guide any siblings he has from "taking the wrong path," so to speak. His choosing to go into seclusion is a punishment, yes, but was completely unnecessary in the grand scheme of things. Even assuming his now wife was a guest cultivator of some kind, he would have been well within his rights to step back and allow the rules to run their course once she committed a crime, to be startled out of his infatuation (?) with her into realizing that maybe she wasn't a good choice (or the only choice) for the future sect leader's wife, do his penance, and then move on. So why didn't he? Love, panic or obsession?

His choice to be secluded himself with her can mean different things depending on how you interpret the Gusu Lan practice of seclusion. Is it physical seclusion only, or did he take it to the extreme and was completely hands-off for everything from sect affairs to his children's upbringing? Obviously he had kids with his wife but that would be allowable since you know, marriage and heirs. The fact that the kids' monthly visits to his wife are mentioned but none to him kind of suggests that he had a minimal role in his sons' lives. Also it's super weird in the context of filial piety and the importance of a father in that role ethic. Fortunately for plot purposes, this role (and the duties thereof) he so very conveniently vacates can also be fulfilled by Lan Qiren.

The visits to their mother could be excused under the guise of letting LXC and LWJ exercise their filial piety, i.e. their respect for their mother. But all other duties normally carried out by the husband and wife as well as the sect leader and sect leader's wife would fall on Lan Qiren and whatever sect members/servants/caretakers were appropriate. E.g., as a man, Lan Qiren cannot nurse his nephews until they're weaned, but can choose nursemaids and servants who have the right skillsets to care for very young children. When they're older but still not old enough to be granted courtesy names/live in their own households, he is the obvious choice for them to live with, so they can be taught the rules, proper etiquette, how to read/write, etc. Again, as an elder, this would be part of his purview as their uncle, but he would not be primarily responsible for these things in their lives if it weren't for the extenuating circumstances of his brother's disaster of a marriage. Also important -- it seems he's also the face of the sect and is entrusted with handling politically significant intersect matters such as the guest disciples and the whole incident with WWX punching Jin Zixuan, which tracks with him being the only other candidate in the main family to lead the sect in his brother's absence.

Politically Qingheng-jun would have been doing Qiren a favor because he wouldn't be as important otherwise as a second son, if it weren't for the fact that Qiren gets all of the thankless work with none of the recognition. Qiren's significance as sect heir expired as soon as his sister-in-law gave birth to two healthy sons, at which point he's just a placeholder until Lan Xichen comes of age, UNLESS both of his nephews die with no heirs. And by all visible criteria, he's done a fucking good job too! If he was power hungry and coveted his brother's position, he didn't have to do such a damn good job of raising his nephews that they became the first and second highest ranked young men of their generation, you know?

Speaking of heirs, why is Qiren raising his nephews alone? Given the familial and sect obligations he has on his plate, it would have been reasonable for the sect to shore up any instability by finding a good match for him posthaste, which would have the added bonus of giving any potential nephews a maternal figure in their everyday life to handle the manners and etiquette bit, at least. Depending on the amount of time between marriage drama and Xichen being born, I can think of a couple of reasons:

Gusu Lan came out the other side of marriage drama and collectively went, we're not doing that shit again, and conveniently does not give Qiren any marriage prospects.

The rest of the jianghu hears rumors about the marriage scandal and maybe isn't as eager to marry off daughters into Gusu Lan as they might have been otherwise (yes, Qiren isn't as attractive a prospect as a first son, but he's still unattached, unless he has a reputation that dissuaded prospects in the first place)

Lan Qiren came out the other side of marriage drama and internalized that trauma, or maybe wasn't the marrying kind anyway (see marriage dynamics of the other sect leaders in the Big Five), and went "oh fuck no"

Gusu Lan's elders saw that Xichen had a lot of potential from a young age, and decided marrying Qiren off with the obligations of his own wife, children and household would be distracting him from nurturing the sect heir(s once Wangji is born) that they already have, with special emphasis on Qiren teaching them The Right Way To Be A Lan and maybe even fobbing more stuff to do on him so he never has the time to court and get married. Normally such things would be under the watchful eye of Qiren's parents, or Qingheng-jun once their parents were dead, but as we've already established, sect and familial duties don't seem to be a priority for that guy so.

Depending on how shitty you wanna believe the Gusu Lan elders are, maybe Qingheng-jun made a deal with them that he would have no part in raising any children from his marriage to help protect the woman he loved, idk. Can you tell I'm not very sympathetic to him? As far as I can tell, he trapped his wife, his sons and his brother into the consequences of his own actions and is basically the whole reason for LWJ's tragic backstory™ because God forbid any sect heir in this series have a healthy father-son relationship, am I right?

And then Qiren has to watch his younger nephew get whipped to within an inch of his life for finally breaking the rules (that he taught Wangji) they lived under so disastrously, and then his older nephew is so torn up about all the fun, fun revelations from Guanyin temple that history repeats itself and Xichen shuts himself away and Qiren can only hope that time will help Xichen heal, because Wangji's gone as soon as he possibly can to chase the man he almost died for once already, and he's older and tired but he might as well be young again and holding A-Huan for a walk around the courtyard until he stops crying for all that everything else has changed.

Anyway. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk about Lan Qiren, Gusu Lan's original Lan er-gege and Tragic Lan Backstory™, I'm gonna drop some headcanons about him and y'all feel free to reblog, reply, whatever with y'all's thoughts.

Lan Qiren's likes, in no particular order:

Respectful students that are diligent and work hard.

Hearing his nephews play music together.

A good pot of tea after a long morning's work, just before training and between meetings, paperwork, etc.

Copying over manuscripts/poetry/what have you in his spare time

Poetry

Lan Qiren's dislikes, in no particular order:

People that rely solely on luck, talent or family background to gain accolades

Things being wasted, food, potential, time, etc.

The gentian house.

Having to wait until it's almost curfew to meditate in the rabbit meadow.

Splinters