#and it's not just lacking patience with idiots on their own posts

[carlyraejepsans]

UTY!Flowey, "lore" and how to criticize a fan prequel without being an insufferable pedantic, a guide by Biscia.

(for my muskless fellows, here's a transcript of my thread on Undertale Yellow that I posted on Twitter. enjoy!)

There's this really frustrating attitude in fan spaces i like to call "lorepilling" where people are substantially more concerned with encyclopedic knowledge of details & minutiae (so called "lore") in place of full-text thematic/narrative analysis as if the two are mutually interchangeable.

It's especially common in large franchises and story heavy videogames, and it's like... Are You Treating This Piece Of Art Like A Trivia Battle Or Are You Treating It Like A Story

This is coming from a person who is also deeply autistic about UTDR trivia btw, I'm just saying that when it comes to transformative *stories*, depending on the impact it has on character, themes, and narrative structure... lore is expendable.

Ultimately this is why most of the UTY criticism i see (on twitter specifically) falls flat. What does it matter if "lore" means Flowey couldn't chronologically be there when the justice human fell, as long as the game narratively justified his presence in the story in a compelling way?

The real criticism, in the end, is that it didn't.

He's a plot central, main cast character from the canon returning in a cast of mostly OCs and what does he have to show for it? An admittedly sick boss battle in 1/3 endings, sure but... not much else. He has no significant "presence" in the story, no tie, interaction, or even just... an opinion on the rest of the cast. Which is a huge miss when Flowey's meta role is to be Thee completionist player mirror. He's the OG lorepilled UT fan! He's an opinionated little shit!

This isn't to say that UTY *didn't* engage w/ his metanarrative. When me and @a-town-called-hometown first started playing the game (we were both skeptical of Flowey's inclusion), he immediately said "It would be really cool if they made it so this has been going on for a while and Clover has no idea". Which is precisely what the game did in the neutral ending, and what I will openly say was the most well written & well executed part of this game's story...

...a part we almost didn't see, because the pacifist ending disappointed us so much we lost all will to replay.

To put it in the words of my friend Mel @clowwwnbytes, there's a deafening hollowness to UTY Flowey's motivations & core principles where his guilt towards Chara—and resulting black and white thinking—should be. You're telling me Mr Kill-or-be-killed, "sacrificing yourself to do the right thing is stupid", would stand there after 1000s of failed attempts to make Clover survive, look on as they make the same mistake Asriel he did, and fondly call them friend? Cue the guitar, roll the credits?

He would lose it. Oh my god he would lose his goddamn mind, he would throw the nastiest temper tantrum in the world. Are you serious? How dare you. How DARE you. All this effort, all my patience, and you just let yourself DIE for a few worthless idiots? I should've let you ROT!

*clears throat* sorry got a bit too into character. as i was saying.

I can understand a UT prequel wanting to distance itself from the canon Chara storyline in order to form its own identity, but then turning around and choosing Insane About Chara The Character™ for a sidekick is... far from optimal. In the end, Flowey comes across as underutilized and inconsistent, with a whole lot of wasted potential.

This is an issue I have with UTY's character writing (original AND returning) and story structure as a whole. Lots of inconsistent character arcs, tonal dissonance, overuse of situational sadness... it's an amateurish work, after all, and you can feel it. There's no shame in that.

(Though, there ARE some issues that i take more seriously with its writing, especially when it comes to its two main female characters—Ceroba's lack of narrative agency and depth borders on misogynistic writing imo. But that's a topic for another day)

Over all, UTY was an incredible piece of collaborative transformative work, with gorgeous art and a genuinely incredible OST, which... would have benefited from more experienced writers. But hey, you can only ever learn by trying!

For all it could've been a better story, it certainly did not fail to entertain: both when my friend was playing it, and after in our many discussions of its writing, its faults and how it could've been improved (royal scientist!ceroba character fix you will always be famous. to ME!)

I'm sure this project served as an incredible source of experience for the developers: as individual creators AND as a team. I look forward to their future projects!

but also if i have to see another person say UTY is better than Undertale i might turn into The Jonker.

end of the essay! really couldn't stand any of the pedantic ""criticism"" I'd seen of this fangame so far, so i had to say my piece as someone more versed in analysis. happy to elaborate on anything in the replies or in my inbox!

[strawberry-seob]

Soulseob bp smut? 🥺🫴🏻

anon... thank you so much for your patience with this request. but here it is <3

name something you like your girlfriend to do to your face ✩ seobsoul

🔥pairing: jongseob x shota

🔥rating: 18+, !!!MDNI!!!

🔥 summary: shota asks jongseob to sit on his face. jongseob can't refuse.

🔥warnings: jongseob boypussy, oral sex, facesitting, established sexual relationship, face riding, masturbation (shota), friends with benefits, possibly idiots in love

🔥word count: 1.7k

🔥a/n: cross-posted to my ao3. follow me on twt if you want (absolutely no minors)!

“Yeah, just like that,” Shota breathes out, Jongseob grinding down gently against his lap. Jongseob’s wet, just absolutely soaking through his blue boyshort panties and onto Shota’s crotch, and Shota’s uncomfortably hard erection is trapped in between his own hips and Jongseob’s dripping cunt. 

Earlier that day, when Shota had begged Jongseob to come hang out with him in his dorm and play video games, Jongseob had known it would end up like this. It always did. And Shota might not ever admit it, but this is all he ever wants. 

“Nng–ah–” Jongseob pants, whining against Shota, his head falling forward onto the older’s strong shoulder, the TV still on but long forgotten.

“Jongseob,” Shota says, his smooth voice barely above a whisper, drowned out by the sounds of Jongseob’s breathy pleas.

“Hey,” Shota insists a little louder this time, and Jongseob leans his head back up, looking at Shota, expression impatient, frown lines marring his brow.

“Let me eat you out?” Shota asks, heart thudding in his chest. A smile pulls at the corners of Jongseob’s mouth.

He hesitates but only for a moment. “Okay,” he says, smiling that same smile that he always has for Shota.

The bed squeaks as Jongseob maneuvers his underwear off lazily, and Shota’s dick twitches at the sight of dark hair between his soft, small thighs. It looks like he hasn’t trimmed in a while. Shota’s pupils widen, his mouth watering.

Jongseob starts positioning himself to lie down but Shota stops him, settling him back into his lap as he scoots downward onto the bed underneath him, to lay down completely, his hips bracketed on either side by Jongseob’s legs.

“What are you doing?” Jongseob asks, not yet annoyed, but again, impatient. His biggest issue with Shota is his pace, the way he never seems to move fast enough, always trying to drag things out. Jongseob wishes he would just get on with things. He doesn’t want to think, doesn’t want to wait, just wants Shota’s tongue licking him open.

Shota doesn’t speak, just makes a low whine in the back of his throat that, if Jongseob were a little moodier today, would probably get on his nerves. But today, he thinks it’s cute. Most of the time he thinks Shota is cute, though he’ll never say that out loud. 

Shota grabs Jongseob’s hips more firmly, strong fingers pressing into the soft flesh there, and scoots him upwards, towards his chest, until Jongseob’s nearly sitting on his throat. Shota wouldn’t mind suffocating to death under Jongseob’s weight, though. 

Jongseob scoffs nervously, careful not to betray how rapidly his heart had begun to race in his ribcage. “Shota, I’m serious, knock it off.”

Shota clears his throat, looking up at Jongseob with feigned innocence, despite his obvious lack thereof. 

“Sit on my face,” Shota says, point blank, no question, just a simple command. But it’s somehow not exactly bossy either. 

Shota knows that no matter what they do, no matter how it happens, Jongseob’s always in charge. And he’s never really thought about it, about whether or not he prefers it that way, if he wished the roles were reversed, but it works. He likes the way things are. Likes that when he can’t make decisions or figure out what he wants, Jongseob chooses for him. But for some reason, today, it’s his turn to want something. And he wants it bad enough that he’s actually telling Jongseob what to do for once. But he’s thought about this for so long that he has to at least try. 

Shota sees Jongseob lose his composure just for a split second, expression twitching slightly before settling into a warm blush as he runs a hand through his ashy blonde hair, the strands falling back into place to nearly cover his eyes. But Shota can see enough in that subtle expression to see that he’s got a chance.

“Okay. If you want,” Jongseob says, just as simply, after only a second, and Shota beams, flashing a smile full of charmingly crooked teeth as he helps Jongseob settle onto his mouth. 

He smells Jongseob before he tastes him and as usual, he’s hit with a wave of arousal, hot blood pumping straight to his dick. The damp hair of Jongseob’s bush presses against his lips as he kisses into the sweet mess, juices coating his mouth. Jongseob hadn’t showered since the morning, and Shota prefers it like this, inhaling deeply, senses flooded with musk, sweat, and the sickeningly sweet flavor that’s just so undeniably Jongseob that it drives him insane.

Shota darts his tongue between the folds, pushing the hair out of the way as Jongseob sucks a sharp breath between his teeth, something in between a whimper and a gasp. He grabs at the hem of Jongseob’s shirt but Jongseob stalls, not seeming to want Shota to take it off.

But Shota feels drunk right now, he can’t get enough of Jongseob, he needs to taste him, feel him, see him, really see him. The last thought strikes him as he realizes they usually do this in the dark, or at least under the covers, and he begins to plead.

“You look so good. Please?” he says, pulling his mouth away for just a moment before licking agonizingly slow against Jongseob’s cunt. 

Jongseob groans and rolls his eyes, removing his shirt quickly and Shota thinks he’s probably never, ever been this happy before. He wants Jongseob to suffocate him. If he never takes another breath, he wants to die with the taste of Jongseob on his lips.

But Jongseob never makes it that easy for Shota. Never lets go, not fully. His legs are tensing uncomfortably as he hovers over the guy’s mouth and he could probably come in this position if he could just relax, if he could just focus on the sensation of Shota’s tongue punishing his swollen clit, but it’s not like he’s actually supposed to like… sit, right? He wants to, though, his legs are aching and he’s not sure which sensation to focus on, when Shota interrupts his train of pleasure-ruining anxiety.

“Jongseob,” he says quietly, voice muffled as he lifts his head slightly to be able to speak. Jongseob stares down at him. “What’s up? Wanna stop?”

Shota scowls for a split second. “No. I want you to sit. Like my face is a chair… or…” he pauses, large brown eyes darting to the side before looking back up at him. “My lap. Relax like you’re grinding into my lap.”

“Won’t I–”

“No. Please just trust me,” Shota responds, eyes determined, and Jongseob is shocked to hear him be so forward, so unwavering in telling him what he wants. And despite his reservations, he concedes, feeling the muscles in his thighs relax as he settles his weight onto Shota’s face. 

Nearly immediately, Shota’s mouth begins moving against Jongseob, tongue darting out to lick between his slick folds and push into his needy cunt. Jongseob braces himself against the wall, eyes squeezed shut as Shota slides his tongue in and out of him, eventually moving up to begin sucking on his clit again and by now, Jongseob can feel himself becoming undone, heat spreading through his body, head emptying entirely as Shota eats him out greedily, feverishly, in a way that he never has before. 

Shota reaches a hand up to grip one of Jongseob’s hips to steady him, and Jongseob can feel Shota’s other hand reaching underneath his shorts to begin touching himself. Shota’s tongue gets sloppy, jerking distractedly from left to right without rhythm as he moans into Jongseob’s cunt, his hand working diligently to get himself off.

But Jongseob was so close, to the point that he’d be a little annoyed if Shota weren’t so hot, moaning against his pussy and touching himself like a horny teenager (even though technically, for the next month or so, he still is). 

So maybe it’s the inconsistent sensations or maybe it’s how impossibly sexy Shota sounds or something else that makes Jongseob start grinding against his mouth but it’s exactly what he’s looking for. All of his reservations dissolve into thin air as he ruts against Shota’s face greedily, desperate for release, smearing himself all over Shota’s lips and still-moving tongue as his muscles start to tense, his whole body flushing as he feels his orgasm coming, just barely within his reach.

And when he does come, a shameful heat washes over his body at the way he rubs against Shota, his spread thighs trembling and jerking as the muscles contract and pleasure wracks his body with waves of ecstasy that have him crying out desperately, voice high-pitched and breathy and so, so pathetic.

He knows how much Shota likes when he’s vocal, so as he slows down the movements of his hips, Shota’s mouth never leaving his soaked pussy, he’s not surprised when Shota comes closely behind him, eyes squeezing shut and moaning against Jongseob, the choked whimpers vibrating pleasantly against him to the point of near overstimulation.

“Mmm,” Shota hums, exhaling a pleasantly deep sigh out his nose, eyes still shut, and Jongseob can tell that he’s smiling even before he lifts his hips to get off of him and find a couple of rags to wipe them both off. 

And when they’re back in their clothes, controllers in their hands and a pleasant warmth in their limbs, Shota looks at Jongseob. Really looks at him, taking in the dry split ends of his bleach-damaged hair; the way he bites his bottom lip in concentration; the soft slope of his nose and the way his t-shirt hands so delicately on his shoulders. Shota smiles, not realizing he’s staring until Jongseob glances over at him with a slight scowl.

“What?” Jongseob asks, distracted as he looks back at the screen.

“Thanks. For that,” Shota half-whispers, half-mumbles, not even really sure of what he’s trying to say.

“Huh?” Jongseob asks, brows furrowed, glancing over at Shota briefly, clearly not hearing him over the sound of the tv.

“Nothing,” Shota responds with a small smile, his contented gaze lingering on Jongseob for a beat more, before looking at the screen and dropping it entirely.

[damnfandomproblems]

Posting a compilation of replies to Fandom Problem #5796.

Anon:

"Don't you think that minors would be more polite if..." No. No I don't. I was a minor in fandom. I also grew up at the dawn of the internet age and had internet safety pounded into my head from the age of 10 onward. If I interacted online at all outside of viewing and reading, I knew better than to be an asshole, because the internet has always been an adult sphere. I saw other minors get well deserved internet smackdowns for acting stupid online. If the kids are in actual kids spaces, then fine, leave them alone, that's their space. If they're on Xitter or Tumblr.com or A03 and acting the fool? No. You're in an adult space, interacting with adults, and those adults aren't there to cater to or coddle you. Which media the adult in question happens to like is irrelevant. You came into our spaces and started throwing a shit fit because you, a minor, didn't like what you, a minor, saw in our, adults, adult spaces. Most of the time we don't care if you're being cringe and having fun. Go, have fun, be cringe be free all that. Some kids are great and here to learn and have fun and are able to actually read the fandom room and know how to act like a respectable human while also having a good time. But if you're being antagonistic and hateful because you literally just are not mature enough to handle/comprehend what's going on in the space, then you don't need to be in the space at worst. At best, sit down, hush, and learn rather than running at the mouth about how you hate x y z thing because eww icky or you think it's problematic to your current pet social issue that doesn't even have anything to do with it. Kids are some of the biggest natural bullies out there. Kids being assholes to each other isn't just a trope, it's why secondary school/highschool was hell for so many people. Adults aren't all assholes, we're just better at calling kids out on their bullshit and don't have the patience for the "but I'm a minor" nonsense. Being a minor doesn't mean you're free from consequences, but some of y'alls parents clearly never taught you that. They aren't puritans, they're being idiots because they literally have no concept of fandom history and are just parroting nonsense that's been spoon-fed to them by other idiots. And rather than question things like anyone with critical thinking skills should be doing they take it all at face value and believe their own poor understanding or lack thereof is gospel, and everyone suffers for it, including other minors who also don't know better.

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Anon:

Fandom isn't just for minors though. Adults are allowed to be in fandoms even if it is uncomfy to minors. Adults are allowed to make NSFW of fictional characters in fandom if they want to. If minors don't like it, they can just ignore it. If minors want to be respected, they should also respect adults in fandom spaces. Complaints like "adults shouldn't be here" or "you are an adult, go get a job instead!" does not make you any better.

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Anon:

I agree with this tbh. Like adults are the ones making things unsafe for minors in fandom spaces. YOU are the ones who approach minors unprompted. Minors are just minding their own business in fandom, then you all come along and bother everyone.

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Anon:

I agree with this post, cause like... the ones doing the most harassing are adults. I am a minor, and it makes me feel unsafe in fandom spaces. Especially when I see adults drawing nsfw of characters who are MINORS! aging them up does not excuse that gross and creepy behavior. Just stop and give us a space where we don't get pushed into a corner and called annoying. Leave our fandom spaces!

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Anon:

When I was 17 so technically a technically still a minor I would have to keep my age off of all my blogs and accounts because so many other minors have ruined being younger in a fandom space. Literally just having my age up affected my numbers and how seriously I was taken. Y’all are not innocent though stop playing victim there are valid reasons why people don’t like you. Tons of younger kids these days are entitled overly sensitive and somehow both pretentiously “woke” and super disrespectful at the same time. So yea saying this as someone with pretty recent memories of being a minor online so many of you are actually insane and people not feeling comfortable around you is completely valid especially when you’re typing stuff like this up as your best defense. Especially with darker or NSFW stuff you don’t have to look we aren’t shoving down your throat you chose to be here just look away.

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Anon:

I see people getting mad about Fandom Problem #5796, but that kind of is just proving the point? You all act like the minors are the biggest problem in fandom, but you are the ones constantly inserting yourselves and making it about you. I see adults say things like: - "Fandom wouldn't exist without adults." - "Who do you think created fandom? Not minors!" - "Minors wouldn't have content if it weren't for adults." All are ignorant of the idea that minors are the foundation to fandom. Fandom would not exist if it wasn't for minors being interested in it and starting groups for people to join. Often times, the best artists and writers in the fandoms are THE MINORS. Adults make the space uncomfortable by inserting themselves and putting NSFW fics and art of minor characters. Then they get pissy when a minor points out it makes them uncomfortable and go "stop invading our space!" You are the ones trying to push minors out when we just want to have fun! Just leave us alone! -A minor

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Anon:

Of course, 5796 has a corollary: "To the minors who constantly complain about adults in fandom being mean to them: don't you think adults would be more polite to minors if said minors didn't make fun of them, didn't treat them like shit everywhere they went, didn't blame them for all the problems on the internet, didn't publicly shame them for minor social faux pas, didn't call them "pedophiles" for anything from liking an icky ship to saying two words to a minor in passing to just existing peacefully in a space where a child might theoretically be present, and didn't try to gatekeep them out of fandom spaces that were literally made by and for them?? And don't give me that "well we just want to be safe! 🥺" Bs. Because if that were in any way true, then y'all would be listening to the safety tips that the adults are giving you, not using them as a scapegoat for anything bad happening in fandom and generalizing them as these eeeevil predators who just hate children." It doesn't matter what your age is; if you refuse to behave in a given space, then you won't be welcome in that space.

[inked-night]

Rudbeckia, the endearingly obsessive and clingy girlfriend, had a knack for turning every trial in the foggy realm of Dead by Daylight into a full-blown melodrama. Her target? The stunning, enigmatic Illyana, who was the epitome of calm and patience (Qualities that Rudbeckia seemed to lack entirely).

Picture this: The trial begins, and the Entity’s fog envelops the macabre landscape. The generators hum ominously, and the survivors scatter like startled rabbits. But not Rudbeckia. Oh no, she’s too busy mooning over Illyana, her "precious, spectacular, and drop-dead gorgeous" girlfriend (Yes, those are Rudbeckia’s actual words. She’s not one for subtlety).

Now, Shen Jiu and Penelope—bless their souls—have the unenviable task of keeping Rudbeckia from going full-on apocalyptic. You see, when Illyana is in danger, Rudbeckia transforms into a Shakespearean tragedy waiting to happen. Her battle cry? "I shall reduce this realm to ashes, slay all who dare harm Lyna, and then dramatically end my own existence!" (She’s got the flair for drama, that one).

But wait, there’s more! Enter Cale, the resident idiot friend. He’s the guy who inexplicably cheers Rudbeckia on. Why? Because he secretly enjoys watching her unravel. It’s like reality TV, but with more blood and less dignity. Cale’s motto: "When life gives you a deranged girlfriend, grab some popcorn and enjoy the chaos".

And chaos there is. Rudbeckia loses her composure whenever an actual killer—especially Michael Myers—dares to breathe within a five-mile radius of Illyana. It’s as if Rudbeckia’s sanity meter drops faster than a survivor vaulting a pallet (Spoiler alert: She usually ends up dying in hilariously stupid ways because she insists on confronting these killers. Yes, even her ex-brother Myers, who seems to harbor a grudge against Illyana. But Rudbeckia? She’s convinced Myers is just trying to woo her beautiful Lyna. Talk about sibling rivalry).

Meanwhile, Illyana remains the serene lighthouse in the storm. When Rudbeckia inevitably bites the dust (Again), they both wake up in the Entity’s cozy cabin. Illyana never contradicts her lovable lunatic of a girlfriend. Instead, she showers Rudbeckia with kisses and soothing cuddles. It’s like a post-trial spa day, except with more bloodstains and fewer cucumber slices.

And then there’s Shen Jiu, the voice of reason (Or so he thinks). As he watches Rudbeckia’s antics, he contemplates his life choices. Why, oh why, did he end up with this motley crew? What karmic debt did he accrue in a past life to deserve friends who make the Entity itself raise an eyebrow?

[beginningobserver]

Something that keeps coming back and forth in my mind is that, since the Advverse has this concept of the digimon representing their human partner's heart (or being their "other-self")... And this can also be applied to Rui and Ukkomon, in my honest opinion.

Especially when it comes to how the human psyche also affect the evolution of a digimon, which is why you get Taichi being reckless and (according to the novel) a prideful idiot resulting in SkullGreymon back in Adventure'99 (and also why Daisuke lacking any strong negative emotion during 02 never forced him to dark-evolve V-mon)

I'm not very good at meta-ing things like these, so please feel free to correct me if I'm missing something out!

To start this meta-post, i'd like to remember a few details from Rui's backstory:

His dad was extremely sick and on a deathbed status;

His mother was basically doing everything to keep everything in control, to keep his dad alive and to raise Rui at the same time, so she was constantly under stress;

Despite her being under stress all the time, she seemed to not understand Rui at all. She would just snap at a 4 year old (!!) when he didn't do things the way she expected him to do. She never had patience to explain stuff, and just wanted Rui to act like a grown up already;

In a very not-so-subtle scene, we see that Rui has a ton of bruises potentially implying she hit him countless times for not "obeying" her orders;

She also claimed that Rui "never kept his promises" and assumed things like "I made burger steaks, your favorite!" without even asking if Rui really liked those.

There's also a few hints that she never heard him at all, which escalated into Rui never being able to voice his own needs, the things he liked and hated, and to just accept anything offered to him without hesitation in order to not get hit by disagreeing;

Also, thanks to that he just seemed to be very obedient and did not even argued with the 02 group when Daisuke dragged him back and told "we're already involved here!" and then had to politely cooperate with them. The only good outcome from this was that he simply learned his own part of the problem and managed to solve it... even if later that year he was being quite paranoid about what happened and got dragged into the Dark Ocean.

You see, Rui had a very... troublesome backstory which contributed to a doomed relationship with Ukkomon and then assuming that everyone with a digimon is his fault and that now everyone was fated to an awful life of their digimon fighting til the death to protect them.

Ukkomon also reflects all of Rui's problems too, he has enough parallels with both Rui and Rui's mom (the latter at least in a scene), and Rui's whole narrative could've been affected by Rui's psyche and making him mix his grief and anger by reaching this part of his backstory again.

The thing is... Rui was basically continuing the abusive parenting he had been suffering before Ukkomon appeared. His whole version of the story tries to frame Ukkomon as the bad guy, someone who stepped in and deceived him this whole time. It's not different from Rui's mom accusing Rui to never keep his promises, and then hitting him for not doing what she asked in the exact way she expected him to do. (ma'am HE'S JUST FOUR YEARS OLD can you chill please!!?)

The 02 kids siding with Ukkomon does not mean they were invalidating Rui's feelings -- something that i saw people be quite uncomfortable with it previously, especially about Hikari's line re: Ukkomon -- none of them put the blame on him or did the same awful things his mom did, they all pointed out the flaws in his judgement and in a respectful way.

But back to Ukkomon... In the movie and Drama CD we realize a few traits he shared with Rui:

He also lacks social skills and talking with others, I suspect he never had contact with other digimon if he's directly linked to a "big entity" as he told Rui (and at the end of the movie this sole information is confirmed because whoever is linked to Ukkomon realized that the digivices were not needed anymore because humans and digimon can form strong bonds without those devices);

He has the tendency to take the blame and run away (Rui had been running away from his own problems as well);

Ukkomon being quite insensitive and lacking awareness of what's morally accepted in the human world is what led Rui to finally show a trait he had in common with his mom: He can be quite violent when triggered.

Yes, I used the right word: Rui gets really triggered when Ukkomon misinterpreted his desire of having friends and "people like me" and then says he wished for all of those. Rui is right there sitting watching a news report of the events from the movie "Revenge of Diablomon", which takes place in March 25-26, 2003 in the timeline.

By saying "It's what you wished for", Ukkomon immediately hit a very awful sore point in Rui, and resulted in their pettiest ugly spat. Note that in this scene, Rui definitely attacks Ukkomon at first, just like his mom would do every time he disobeyed her. But then, he stops and starts trying to break the digivice instead, since he either had no courage to kill Ukkomon, or he was still believing Ukkomon was some sort of "god-tier" like digimon.What i mean is that Rui really had the same destructive and violent behavior his mom had.

And this is also present in Ukkomon's final form.

His final form, BigUkkomon, connects to Rui's anger and sorrowful state (because, BigUkkomon's main attack is swinging its countless, supermassive tentacles, crushing and gouging targets over a vast range -- according to the Bandai/null lore profile.)

Another thing about Ukkomon himself is that the scene of him giving his eye to Rui in order to "fix" a mistake can be read as Ukkomon simply destroying himself (literally!) in order to keep Rui smiling and happy, which there's a few suspicion that Rui being all bubbly and smiling in the very first scene he, Ken and Daisuke witness by themselves in-movie meant that he wasn't exactly happy and just repressing a ton of frustration and sorrowful in order to not make his mom angry, and him never voicing his own needs was his own "self-destructive" manner to trying to keep her "happy" and perhaps not "worried".

But that's my own interpretation ok.

[theonethatyaks93]

PaTB Drabbles Chapter 1: Date Night? (Human AU)

Hello everyone! I'm back after eight months. I have some new writing in store for you and it's a compilation fic. This is going to be a large collection of many of the PaTB one shot ideas I've made during my hiatus and perhaps even a few I want to explore more. I'm excited to be back and hopefully I will return to regular posting once more. Without further ado, enjoy!

(Here's an A03 link if you want to read it on there):

Dr. Robert T. Brainslowski had absolutely no time for inane distractions. Especially with such important goals lingering on the horizon for him to achieve. His passion for world domination was a never-ending pursuit, one that took all his focus during the waking hours, and even invaded his subconscious at night, appearing to him as visions of grandeur in his dreams. His fruitless attempts at proving his worth and securing a place for himself among the greats required every ounce of his effort. Being the busy man that he was, Brain had little patience for obstacles in his path to glory. Unfortunately, his assistant had other things in mind for him, ones that didn’t meet up with his goals.

Patrick Pinkus - a gullible, idiotic buffoon as Brain liked to call him - had completely boggled tonight's plans for conquest by setting him up with a supposed "date." He’d gotten the alarming news of his upcoming get-together right as he was completing his latest blueprint. Brain was less than pleased with Pinky's feeble attempt to introduce romance into his life, having been set up on many dates previously. All of which ended in disastrous fashion. A few bops to the head did little to aid in the searing rage and unfamiliar uncertainty that Brain was facing.

Especially considering the date he was set up with was male.

"A date? What a fool Pinky is to think I'd be interested in anyone romantically. I have far more important things to focus on." Brain mumbled to himself indignantly as he waited for his other half to arrive at a fancy restaurant uptown. Pinky somehow managed to book the locale for him, despite the tedious reservation process. Despite that surprising feat, Brain believed that the “date” was going as poorly as it could possibly go; he hadn’t even arrived yet. Brain had been drumming his fingers on the elegantly decorated tablecloth for six grueling minutes, had checked his watch for ten.

"Where is this cretin?" Brain huffed, patience wearing very thin. He had a plan he needed to execute; he had no time for tardiness or a lack of professionalism. This person proved to have absolutely zero sense of schedule. "I assume this person Pinky has chosen to set me up with is just as foolish as he is. He is simply an imbecile in its truest form. I'd even bet that he is on the exact same level of..."

 Brain's words faded to a discreet murmur as the restaurant's doors opened swiftly and an elegantly dressed man stepped in. Everyone in the room seemed to glance over towards the individual, whose dark gray hair and circular-framed glasses seemed to glisten under the lights of the nearby bar. He walked with confidence, elegance, and class, but seemed to be lacking the smile to match, instead he was scowling.

However, it made Brain freeze in his tracks. He could not take his eyes off of this man. How his suit fit comfortably around his waist, how his blue eyes seemed to twinkle delicately. He felt his heartrate increase exponentially and his gaze kept glancing over him repeatedly.

His eyes widened even more when the man came directly up to him and give him a quick look over, that harsh grimace firmly in place. "Are you Robert Brainslowski by chance?" he asked in an unexpectedly buttery smooth British accent.

It was only then Brain realized that this was his date.

This dapper, handsome, and strangely alluring man was his date.

For the entire evening.

 Brain was about to have a heart attack.

 "Y-yes," he meekly stuttered out, all his reasonable thoughts dissipating into nothingness. "I am he, but you may refer to me as Brain...it's...what I'm called by my...acquaintances..." Brain did not believe that formalities were required yet conveying that information to the man was proving arduous.

His date looked at him for a moment before responding by extending his hand. "Charles Lexington Worcestershire, charmed to be meeting you."

He was so lost in his rampant thoughts that he failed to shake the man's hand for a moment or two. Even then when he finally returned the gesture, his grasp was shaky and not the least bit composed. He could practically feel the tension. "So... Charles..."

 "Oh, I almost forgot. Please, if you are to refer to me, refer to me as Chips. I favor it, mate."

 "Chips..." Brain repeated to himself, finding the man's unusual nickname endearing. Considering they had practically done the exact same thing when it came to their real names. He'd only known him for a minute, and he already was beginning to sense a lack of typical upset at Pinky's matchmaking shenanigans.

“Where shall we begin?” Brain nervously pondered for a moment, rubbing his hands together in an attempt to ease the discomfort. “I... must admit I was not expecting my colleague to pair me up with such a... perplexing individual such as yourself."

 Chips raised an eyebrow, sitting down in his chair across from Brain's with a seeming lack of interest. “I don't understand either. I'm only familiar with your associate Patrick from my colleague; according to them, they were college roommates.” Chips studied him again, eyes roving over his entire body. “I have seen most people in this city. Yet I have never seen you around before in all my years bein’ here.” Chips gave Brain a deep stare, as if he were observing the very foundation he was made of and all the qualities he possessed.

 Brain swallowed harshly. He could feel Chips’ icy blue eyes attempting to push past all the barriers he had made for himself over the years. It was as if he was trying to get information out of him. And unfortunately, Brain was about to succumb to his tactic. "Well...I'm a scientist at the renowned facility Acme Labs, so I spend most of my time...alone and concentrated..." He took pause in his words when his date's expression shifted to one of bemusement.

 "Acme Labs you say? Doesn't seem like a place I'd want to work at, considering I'm employed at a much cleaner facility in the part of town that isn't covered in rubbish."

Brain could feel the sweat beads forming on his forehead, especially with Chips’ sardonic response to his occupation and place of employment. It was not that he desired to work at Acme Labs, it was simply that he could not find work anywhere else.

"I... I would like to...well I have a much more...ambitious goal in the future..." Brain said without entirely knowing what he was about to do. Still, he was trying to salvage anything that remained for this date to continue, even if it meant confessing his greatest want.

Chips adjusted the lapels of his suit, a movement that indicated slight boredom, before looking back at Brain with a puzzled glance. It appeared that Brain had captured his attention, even for only a moment. "Do tell what this goal may be."

 Brain nodded, proceeding to discuss his desires to take over the world. He described the plans he'd made in the past, the discovery of his assistant Pinky, and what he wanted to do as a world leader. He even mentioned his failures, though passed them off as simple roadblocks and nothing more. As he talked and rambled about his passions, he took note of how Chips became less tense, lowering his shoulders and widening his eyes. Occasionally, he could even see slight curiosity.

He also realized that him noticing these details was making him blush a ferocious red; he hoped that Chips wouldn't notice his flustered state through the glow of the soft candlelight.

“Well, Brain,” Chips said after Brain had finished his discussion (though it was more of a tangent), “it appears that you have captured my interest. World domination is such a unique goal and you offer a lot of perspective on the issues of our society.” Chips slightly adjusted his position in the seat, moving closer to Brain. “I was going to cut this little 'date' short on account of my busy schedule, but perhaps I can allot a small bit of time to you and to dinner." He was visibly smirking, a move that Brain subconsciously believed was an attempt to seduce him.

"Oh..." Brain had to take a minute to regain the rational thought that had escaped his mind. "Then...let us continue this engagement." As if on cue, the waiter brought two glasses of white wine, before he promptly turned around and left, scoffing at the two of them.

Homophobic miscreant.

 As they savored their wine, Brain, and Chips dove into a conversation regarding the nature of scientific experimentation, specifically on the lesser rodent species. Brain found himself astounded at how Chips was able to be so calm and gentle with the mice he evaluated on, especially since laboratories stereotypically had harsh and relentless upper management that imposed strict rules.

 "I am struggling to believe that you actually claim to have done all these things you say, Chips. How have you never been questioned by authority for your unusually affectionate behavior towards lab mice?" Brain perplexedly remarked as he sipped his alcohol, swirling the liquid around in the glass.

 "I'm a man of my word, mate,” Chips exhaled sharply, “my laboratory's management simply trusts me to do my job and does not care about how I treat the specimen I work with. It's quite a surprise."

Brain could not comprehend the enormous differences in their work environments. Chips had practically found the laboratory nirvana, where discrimination and mistreatment were limited and obscure. Unlike his own facility, which was filled with distaste and cold, callous individuals who turn their heads at people like him. "You are quite fortunate, my friend. Me and my associate struggle with a very cumbersome workplace, it's hard to even walk a foot without someone torturing some helpless creature or spouting a mindless slur." Brain sighed deeply, this lifestyle was profoundly affecting him in the worst feasible way, giving him a deep hatred for humanity and for himself. Being open was an impossibility and he had been forced to repress everything. "It's been an immense struggle for me to be confident about anything."

"Blimey..." Chips passed him a surprised but understanding look – the first one of the night – reaching a hand across the table to cover his own that was still. Brain made a soft gasp, blush returning to his cheeks. "I know how it feels, like the world is going to crumble beneath your feet and you're going to drown. People don’t seem to understand us, and we’re forced to hide. I faced a lot of insults when I came to work one afternoon with a male partner instead of a female one, and it was painful. We broke up not too long after because of that. But you grow numb to the insults and realize that there are people out there who will listen. That those people who try to take you down are bloomin’ mongrels."

 He thought about what Chips told him, surprised by the bluntness of his phrasing. He was right. He certainly wasn't alone; he had Pinky who confided in him without hassle and now it seemed like Chips would join that insignificant list. He was listening. Chips, a random man that he hadn't even shared a meal with yet, was taking the time out of his day to talk to him about such gripping, personal issues. That was an admirable feat in itself. Despite the date being set up by Pinky, Brain found himself enjoying it far more than he'd ever thought he could before. And he was particularly enjoying Chips’ company.

"You are correct, I do have people who will listen. It appears that you have become one of them..." Brain's pink eyes started to scan the floor, somehow it was becoming interesting to him. Partially from embarrassment but also because that too familiar warmth in his face was returning.

The other man chuckled, his soft laugh making Brain look up again. "Oh, Brain, you are a funny one. Even if it’s not intentional. Seems like what you said is true though. I am listening to you now." He moved his hand to cover Brain's more, a delicate motion meant to comfort him. "I think this date is going smashingly. You’re by far the most enticing individual I have ever come across on these little excursions.” Chips took a quick sip of wine before looking at Brain again, eyes shining. “Perhaps we can order a little something and continue with our conversation?"

Brain blushed more somehow, the color deepening in shade. He nodded eagerly, pleased that this date was surpassing his low expectations. "I-I suppose we should...and if you want to discuss other things..."

Chips smiled, the faintest glimmer of his pearly white teeth beginning to show. "I would like that very much, Brain." he responded earnestly, bringing his hands back to in front of his chest as he anticipated the next piece to their ever-growing conversation.

Brain had to blink once to confirm it, but he was certain that he could see a slight reddish glow in Chips’ cheeks, accenting his soft grin perfectly. Brain felt his own lips being to upturn ever so slightly, as he too eagerly waited for Chips to say something else.

He would certainly have to thank Pinky later. After reprimanding him for his incredulous set up of course. But for giving him the opportunity to speak with the incredibly enticing man sitting in front of him, Brain supposed he could give him a break just this once.

[roosterbox]

Fic Rec Friday 8/4/2023

Title: Endless. Not Everything.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022)

Relationship: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Hob Gadling

Characters: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, Hob Gadling

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Dream can have a gender, as a treat, Dream of the Endless | Morpheus is Bad at Feelings, Lack of Communication, Idiots in Love, I cannot stress enough that nobody in this fic has any emotional intelligence, they're all idiots, idiots who don't talk about their feelings until shit goes tits up, LITERALLY, Happy Ending, Body Horror, kinda? tagging anyway cause better safe than sorry

Summary: "I am. Endless. But there are still... things that I am Not."

'Lovable' is at the top of the list, he thinks, though 'wanted' isn't far behind.

'Woman' is on there somewhere too, apparently.

———

And now for something completely different. But if it’s yet another gay ship, how different can it really be?

Much like with Steddie, I fell for this pairing sight as yet unseen. I’ve never watched The Sandman. Never listened to the audiobook(s). Never read the comics. But someone posted cute fanart. And dammit, I am weak.

Y’all know gender fuckery is one of those fic subgenres I adore, and I feel like this fandom/pairing is particularly well-suited for it. Just the fact that endless, ethereal beings could have gender at all (Desire notwithstanding) is pretty interesting. And Dream trying to be something else, only for it to be just… wrong wrong wrong, ugh. My little Enby/Gender-Fluid heart just breaks for him. Because I know that feel. I’m sure a lot of us know that feel, even if we are only squishy humans and not Endless. Also I love the Author’s note at the end. Definitely shouldn’t be that hot of a take - it makes perfect sense to me!

Dream is absolutely precious in this, in his gender conflicted glory. And Hob. Hob Motherfucking Gadling. I am officially crowning him as my Sandman Blorbo. That man is a saint. He certainly has the patience of one, at least. The care he shows to Dream in this fic is just everything. When his first concern when he finds Dream after their… encounter(?) is if Dream is okay, if he hurt Dream… I cannot. And I love that, despite him being several hundred years old (and Dream being several millennia), their communication skills still need work, lol. They may be an immortal human and the immortal personification of Dreams, but they really are just like us.

This is a beautiful story.

———

Next Week: Spacedogs time again! And this one’s a doozy. I mean, with how obsessed with space Adam is, canonically even, it somehow makes absolutely perfect sense to have an AU where Nigel is an alien, right? It’s soft, romantic, slightly silly, and sexy as hell.

Stay tuned!

[thisandthat-whatever]

Cockroach anon came back and I blocked it again. If it comes again, there won’t be a third time. I will delete the ask before I finish reading it. This is not a charity shop . I can’t waste all my time explaining simple shit to morons who refuse to understand it.

The anon came back saying “you say you are casual but complain about people blocking usernames for days”. It is because I spoke about it with certain people in DM’s and when those certain people act one way to me in DM’s and then act another way in their posts the next day, I react understandably and have to re-emphasize my points to them and to morons like you who simplify those who want to see the usernames as ”hecklers who harass people” when MAJORITY of people who want to see the usernames want to see it to see it with their own eyes and want to see the account in general to decide for themselves if that person is legit and the source is believable or not.

I was explaining this too many times because you all are too dense to grasp that it is not just one type of person who wants to see the username or the source. And that is why we always showed the source in Tomdaya version 0.1. And like I said it is also redundant to block it if it is a tweet, because people can still find it by copy/pasting the text in search , so it is REDUNDANT and pointless to block it.

That is why I explained it and pointed out how we did things differently . I was EXPLAINING and providing REASONS. And when it went misunderstood, I explained again. But your idiocy and your tunnel vision of viewing things are too stubborn so obviously it was a waste of my time, as is this post. So I won’t let you waste my time with a third anon ask, dimwit. You will be ignored/deleted/blocked because I can’t fix your severe lack of understanding; and like I said my patience runs only so far with idiots.

[hoodienanami]

i was just gonna leave this post as is but fuck it

i get why ppl say this kind of thing about mclaren. its an incorrect interpretation of his goals for punk and betrays a lack of understanding of who mclaren was but i get why ppl beileve it about him. he did in fact run a clothes store. but if you say this about bernie rhodes. bernie rhodes the marxist. bernie rhodes who did not own a clothes store. bernie rhodes who's vision for punk was similar to crass'. then im sorry but youre just antisemitic and theres barely any difference between you and the idiot on youtube who makes in depth videos about how jews control the british music industry and the song bodies was created so evil jew malcolm mclaren could influence good christian children to think killing their good christian babies is okay. yes thats a youtuber who actually exists. do you see why i have no patience for this?

no longer debating ppl who say weird shit about malcolm mclaren and bernie rhodes im just linking them to pdfs about unconscious antisemitic bias and how to fight it ❤️

[essayofthoughts]

There’s this thing I see a lot of today where people, especially larger blogs*, respond to something they don’t like not by blocking, deleting an ask, ignoring an ask, or even, if they have the spoons and patience, addressing the point of difference with understanding, but by making fun of it.

*I know tumblr doesn’t have a public follower count but you can absolutely tell which blogs are larger than others from the simple practice of asking “Does this username crop up on my dash on a regular basis from multiple sources?” It is uncannily reliable.

Some of this is just the modern, twitter-quippy style way of online media - twitter and tiktok reduce down the point of contact and allow people to make completely spurious, bad-faith arguments based on nonsense because they’re looking at a very narrow snapshot of what’s going on and forget to consider the whole of it and also that there’s a person on the other end of it.

Some of it is that some people are goddamn bullies, and like the thrill of responding, of dismissing others - especially people they can deem “haters” or “idiots” (regardless of the actual truth of that statement). There are people who want to feel superior and they gain that feeling by putting down others.

And some of it... well it comes back to that point about it often coming from larger blogs, because I’ve seen some blogs, starting out with a reasonable number of followers and then growing drastically, get worse in this specific way.

Because when you get more followers, you get an echo chamber. You see this more obviously on facebook, twitter, youtube, where the numbers are public, but it’s still true here. Blogs are followed by people who like a specific part of a blog’s output. They support that output and encourage it. When people come along and are - well, perhaps they’re haters, or perhaps they misunderstood something, or perhaps they’re legitimately ignorant because they never knew about it before - but they say something the blog doesn’t like.

The first few times, early on, before they blow up, these bloggers can -and indeed often do - respond with patience and kindness. It gets them a reputation - they’re nice, and thoughtful, and consider things, and it draws more people to them. It gives them a kind of social badge of “no, this one’s okay. this blog’s a Good Person”. Sometimes they might even wade in when replies from their followers get aggressive to try to defuse things - but you can’t do that forever, no one has the spoons, especially as their follower count rises. They might make a couple posts asking people not to be rude, they might disable replies - the good ones delete asks they can’t be bothered to deal with, block posts and people and phrases and move on with their lives - but some don’t

Instead with some blogs, at some nebulous point as their follower count rises it’s like a switch flips.

And they start being flippant. They start responding with quips or jokes. They start responding not with patience but in bad faith, with rudeness, even with insults. I’ve seen someone send a follow-up ask to one such blog clarifying their POV, their ignorance, that the jokes made were legitimately hurtful to them - and the blog and the followers just doubled down on their behaviour.

This is not helped by the followers - who usually make these kind of jokes as well, often before the blog does. It normalises it to the blogger, seeing all of these things in their activity feed, and it also means that when the blogger starts acting that way, few of their vocal followers will condemn them for it - there’s a kind of tacit support of this path. Even when challenged, once the flip is switched, few change back.

No one wants to think that perhaps they’re a bad person. No one wants to think that perhaps what they said was rude and uncalled for. That they didn’t have to respond to that ask, or that perhaps they could have explained why they made those jokes that could seem rude - especially when they get outside of their immediate circle which is ever more likely when you have a certain number of followers. They don’t want to consider that, or their effect - so they double down. It’s made worse. In many ways, it’s basically this meme:

[Image ID: The Simpsons Meme of Principle Skinner. The first panel has Skinner with his hand on his chin asking “Am I out of touch?”. In the second panel he’s straightened, staring ahead. The caption is “No, it’s the children who are wrong”.]

Except that in a terrible way, they’re not out of touch. They’re out of touch with what they originally presented - kindness, decency, being a Good Person - but they’re perfectly in touch with their vocal followers who don’t want to think about the feelings of others and the consequences of their actions, who want to joke and quip and even bully complete strangers without ever considering if they are actually doing the right thing, the good thing, the empathetic or educational thing.

And not everyone has the spoons to explain things! But when that’s the case - you can block a person. You can delete an ask. You can choose not reblog a post only to clown on it and then drag it up a week or so later to clown on it some more.

I’ve seen people like this tell others to curate their experiences, tell my friends and myself that we wouldn’t be so annoyed at things if we just curated our feeds, and often getting quite mad about what they’ve assumed about us - but the thing is, they’re not curating their experience. They’re responding to things in a way that, specifically, they have learned will get them a response and support from their followers. They’re doing it because it perpetuates the conflict algorithm that nets them followers and so increases the echo-chamber of their support - and further cements that flipped switch into place.

There are some bigger bloggers who don’t appear to have gone this path. Who do seem to think about things and consider and don’t unnecessarily reblog posts to clown on a smaller blogger, or respond an ask only to be mean and nasty rather than just deleting the ask and moving on with their life. But it’s few. It’s concerningly few.

I find it kind of depressing. There are blogs I legitimately enjoyed before I saw them go this path. There are blogs I’ve witnessed steamroll people, or deliberately bring back a post that had moved out of common circulation specifically to clown on the (reliably a smaller blog) OP.

It’s mean spirited. It’s unnecessary. It’s the kind of behaviour that when it’s twitter dogpiling I see some swaths of tumblr look down on as though somehow we’re better.

And yet, for some reason, when it happens on here, it’s suddenly okay.

I fucking hate it.

[4acoffee]

A voice in the back of his head tells him that he's never cared before exactly how many words a girl says to him, and he promptly tells said voice to shut the fuck up.

pairing. bakugou x reader

word count. 2.8k words

genre & warnings. fluff, pining but he doesn't realize it, baku in some serious denial, swearing (lot's)

notes. jusus FUCKING christ. im SO glad to be done with this you have no idea. It's been in the works for like three months I'm so done with this fic. pls lemme know if u like it if this flops ill cry. also sorry i havn't posted in like forever im a loser i know.

Katsuki Bakugou does not have crushes.

Crushes, were for stupid schoolboys and stupid girls.

Like you.

Yea, — if anyone had a crush, it had to be you. That's why you only smiled at him when he was looking at you. It's why you never tried to make eye-contact with him during class. It's why you never talk to him outside of class, and always walk on the other side of the hallway, and laugh at shitty hair's lame jokes.

There's no way someone like him, would like anyone like you.

Raccoon eyes was an idiot for even putting such an absurd thought in his head.

And it all started because he ran out of those stupid pencils.

Which was those dumbass's fault too. That week, dunce face broke all his pencils trying to do a ghost summoning trick in class and begged him to let him borrow one of his pencils. Which was annoying, but not a big deal because he's Katsuki and he was always fucking prepared.

But then, raccoon eyes lost her shit at the ugly grape fuck during class, and accidentally dissolved her only pencil in a fit of rage. Which meant he lost another one to her.

And then that same week, shitty hair was testing out his strength in class on pencils, snapping them in half with and without his quirk, he lost five pencils to his useless antics.

So by the time Friday rolled around, he had just one mechanical pencil left to get him through the day. Which would have been fine, ― if he didn't run out of lead right in the middle of fucking English class.

Now, he could have asked the teacher for a pencil, but she was this dusty, old hag, and Katsuki was known in his class for aggravating her to the point where her veins popped out on her face, and she would screech at him like a mad banshee. And Katsuki would rather pull out his own nails and stick them in his eyeballs like push-pins, than face the lecture she would no doubt give him if she found out he had come to class "unprepared".

So now, he was stuck, pissed off at everyone, multiple writing assignments to finish, a professor who never liked him, zero patience, and completely lacking in pencils.

Fuck his life.

And the day would have only gotten worse, if it wasn't for you.

He doesn't know how you knew that he needed a pencil. Then again, since you so clearly liked him, you must have been watching him all the time. You must have seen the miffed look on his face and noticed how he was furiously clicking his pencil for any lead.

Most people who didn't know him personally tended to steer clear of him for the most part. So needless to say, he was mildly surprised when small, quiet, you — tapped his desk with your little ink covered fingers.

You never spoke out much in class, and Katsuki only knew you as the voiceless girl who sat next to him in class and constantly kept at least one earbud in, drawing on your hands or doodling on the corner of your paper when the teacher was talking.

He figured it would be a miracle if you were even passing this class.

But when he turned to you with narrowed eyes, you held his gaze carefully, and held out a new pencil to him.

At first, he's less than pleased, ― Katsuki wasn't gonna just accept help from some random extra.

But you shook the pencil at him, urging him to take it, and he once again meets your eyes, ― long enough to realize that you had to be one of the prettiest girls he's ever met.

Brilliant, and mildly amused, your gaze held a sense of thinly veiled curiosity that peeked through the serene look on your face. There's a small smudge of blue ink on your forehead that pisses him off a little more for how much more endearing it makes you. You tilt your head and the sun peeking out from behind you makes the metal of your earrings flicker, catching his attention like a cat to a laser pointer ― the golden rays cast small shadows down the curve of your cheeks from your eyelashes and, and ―

― and he had been staring for way to long.

Scowling, he snatched the pencil out of your grasp and turned to his assignment, pretending to read the instructions. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw you curl over your own paper and get back to work.

For the rest of class, he stole small, fleeting glances at your focused form.

He decided that he absolutely hated the way your hair looked glossy and soft in the light filtering through the window. And the way you tapped your foot on the floor to the beat of whatever music you listened to, and the intricate designs you often drew on your hands, slightly smudged where your fingers held your own pencil.

The bell signaling the end of class snapped him out of his stupor and he angrily stood up, sending his chair back with the force and shoving papers in his bag.

He's half way down the hallway to his next class when he realizes he's still holding your pencil.

He stares down at it with a glare and considers throwing it in the trash for a second.

Your face pops in his head for a second, (rather rudely, and unnecessarily if he might add), and he grimaces before shoving it haphazardly somewhere behind him in his bag.

.

The next day, Bakugou stomps over to class, fully restocked with his own pencils.

He sits down in his usual seat and glances at you without thinking. You were reading the board at the front of the class, but you turned your head to him when you felt his gaze on you.

His slouching position immediately straightened at a backbreaking speed like a soldier at attention.

Instantly, he wanted to howitzer himself into the next dimension.

What was he so damn jumpy for??

He fixed you with a defensive glare, like his ears didn't feel so annoyingly hot, "What!? Hah? I don't need your stupid pencils today. " he bit out.

You squinted at him, and his annoyance only heightened when he noticed the way your lips twitched upwards in amusement.

Did you think he was fucking funny or something?

"Ah, ― ok." You replied.

He twitched in his seat as he watched you turn your attention away from him and to something on your phone.

That was it?

That was fucking it?

He accepts your help one time and suddenly you can't spare him more than a fucking two word reply?

A voice in the back of his head tells him that he's never cared before exactly how many words a girl says to him, and he promptly tells said voice to shut the fuck up.

He glowers for the rest of class and makes it a point to not even glance in your general direction.

This works more or less to his favor for a few days, until he starts seeing you show up around him and everywhere outside of his class.

The moment he sees your eyes turn in his direction in the hallways, he swivels his head away so fast he nearly gets whiplash from the force.

Your outside after school waiting for a ride, and his carefully neutral expression turns sour when you don't even look up from your phone when he walks stiffly in front of you.

He catches you make icy hot crack a smile with some stupid joke in the lunch line, and he almost combusts into a nuclear explosion on the spot when he sees you ruffle his hair affectionately. How, and why the fuck were you acting so familiar with that damn candy-cane bastard?

The annoying voice in his head from before prompts him to go and place himself between the two of you, ― a physical divider ― but he immediately brushes it off again. He chastises himself for even allowing such ridiculous thoughts to enter his head over a useless extra like you.

.

Unfortunately, Katsuki in time comes to find that you’re not as useless as you seem.

As raccoon-eyes eventually manages to drag you into their tight knit group of friends, he begrudgingly realizes that there is much more to you than just ink covered fingers and pretty eyes.

You're one of the top students at the school. Picking up things easily, you don't pay much attention in school because you prefer to and work better doing things in your own time. You, however, make a horrible teacher, and any attempts to tutor his so called friends in any subject, end in more jokes cracked than brains, and it's all too easy for you to dissolve into half giggles and smart remarks with them.

Your also, a little shit, he discovers, much to his chagrin.

"I still can't believe you go to bed at 8:30 like an old man."

The sly gleam of your eye when you join forces with his friends to tease him makes him want to slap his hands directly over your stupid eyes because he hates the way he's so automatically drawn to them.

And that stupid fucking twitch of your lips whenever he speaks to you. Like your trying to hold back a smile. Why the fuck do you do that. The fuck is wrong with you. Just smile like a normal person dammit.

So fucking distracting.

Especially when he starts bringing you new, colorful pens for you to draw with for when yours run out of ink. And the wipes he keeps stored in his bag for the teachers that kept threatening to email your parents if they saw you drawing on yourself during class.

God, you had to be the worst thing that's ever happened to him.

Which he swears up and down is the only thought running through his head as he sits next to you at the library with his chin in his hands.

Definitely nothing having to do with the fading sun weaving through your hair in strands of gold, or the plush of your lips when you bite into them distractedly.

And your godamn eyes. Calm, sweet little almond eyes, so, ― pretty.

(Seriously, when the fuck did he start using words like "pretty").

It takes him a second to sense that said eyes were now focused on him. Unwavering and almost downright pleased in a way that made his hands clam up and saliva build up in his mouth.

"Hey Bakugou, you in there?" You ask cheekily.

He bites back a snarl, "Fuck off, tiny."

You raise your hands in mock surrender. "Ok, Ok, ― just making sure we didn't lose you into the void, you were looking pretty intense there."

"Shuddup I was just thinking."

"About me?"

"No, what the fuck?!" He seethes, ignoring the librarian who sent him a stern look from her desk.

You snicker and he almost jolts out of his seat when you scoot your chair way too close to him.

You jostle his feet under the table and he kicked back impulsively. What he wasn't expecting, was for you to purposefully tangle your legs together, pulling yourself to the very edge of your seat.

Suddenly your face is right in front of his and he stiffens when you twist your fingers into the sleeve of his school uniform.

"Aw, you don't like me then?"

He absolutely hates the way he can hear the blood pumping into his ears.

"No, I fucking hate you. I can barely stand being around you." he bites out somehow.

He's taken back for a second from how fake the words sound even to himself.

"..."

"Oh."

Suddenly, you turn your eyes away from him and to your lap, lowering your eyebrows. Your lips fall into a deep pout that leaves him wanting to smush your cheeks together in his hands.

You look utterly crestfallen.

"That's kinda mean yunno." You say to him softly. "I really thought you liked me Bakugou."

He blinks at you in alarm.

He wasn't actually expecting you to take him seriously. You never do any other time. You knew there was hardly ever any real malice behind his words to his friends.

Right?

"It's ok if you don't, I understand. But, uh, I'm gonna go home now." You say quietly, without meeting his eyes.

Shit, ― he thought.

Did I, actually go too far?

You remove your fingers from his sleeve and make to grab your things to leave.

He panics, he couldn't let you go like this!

Frantically, he grabs your hand and pulls you close to him.

"The fuck are you talking about?! Are you really that stupid?"

You look at him sullenly and try to pull away. He doesn't let go, but stands up to keep you pushed against the table.

Katsuki is reeling at the feeling of your skin under his, but tries to keep himself focused on the situation.

"Of course I fucking like you, dumbass." He nearly growls without meeting your gaze.

"I always buy you shit and make you food don't I? You think I'd spend my money and time on ya' if I didn't like you." Katsuki grumbled.

He can't believe what he's about to say.

"Thoughtcha' already knew you were my favorite." He mutters.

He down at you and freezes on the spot.

You have the most shit-eating look he's ever seen in his life on your face, and he later swears left and right to himself that he spots the slightest flush spreading across your cheeks.

Your goddamn eyes are once again so fuckin bright and he can barely process anything else with the way you're smiling at him.

"Bakugou,―i'm your favorite?!" You blurt out.

"I knew it! I can't believe I got you to admit it!!" You said horribly happily.

Katsuki stares at you in disbelief. Was that all a fucking act?

Your positively glowing now and Katsuki wants nothing more than to slap himself for falling for your stupid tricks again. How fucking dare you use your goddamn face against him like that. You were just playing with his feelings at this point.

He's about to tear his hand off your arm in a fit of anger when you pause your giggling and suddenly grab him by the collar of his uniform and bring his ear right next to your lips.

"Yunno, ― your my favorite too ok? Don't forget that." You whisper conspiratorially.

Your breath on his skin makes him nearly tremble, and he just knows that you can feel how hot his face his when you press your lips to his cheek in a chaste kiss before pulling away to grab your things and disappear just as quickly.

Katsuki is sure that he probably looks like he just got hit by a train.

A dazed grin makes its way onto his face that he desperately tries to hold back, but fails as his fingers brush the spot where your lips just were.

All at once the feeling fades when his eyes meet the absolutely delighted looks of his friends from across the library.

They make all sorts of kissy faces and obscene gestures that has his face looking the same color as his ruby eyes.

He scowls deeply and turns to angrily make his way out of the library.

As he passes a window, he pauses when he catches sight of your figure walking across the campus.

Ink-covered fingers pressed to your lips.

-

If there's one thing most people don't know about Bakugou's friends, it's just how perceptive they really are. Their normally aloof and carefree behavior seems to veil the fact that they are indeed future heroes and they have trained to be finely tuned to each others behavior.

So it didn't take long for them to notice a shift in the actions of their angry blonde friend.

It took even less time to connect the dots to you.

And naturally, ― they began scheming.

Perhaps not scheming per say, ― as they watched Bakugou zone out in your direction for the nth time that day at the library, Mina smacked Denki over the head one day for using that word.

"We're not scheming anything Denks." she whispered.

"Then why are we whispering?" He muttered back, rubbing his head with a grimace.

She sighed deeply and massaged her temples.

"We just need a way to get him to realize that he's feeling an emotion outside of acute bloodlust and anger for once." she explained.

"So then what, do we like, plot an intervention or something?" Sero supplied.

Mina, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, with great effort, resisted the urge to send an acid quirk infused slap in his way.

Sensing this, Kirishima was quick to pipe in, "C'mon guys, nothing like that, Bakubro just need a little push in the right direction, is all."

Mina nodded in approval.

"Blasty's smart, he'll understand what needs to be done once he works out his feelings. Hopefully."

A mummer of understanding passed through most of the group.

Sitting up straight and cracking her knuckles, Mina whipped out a pen and piece of paper like a weapon, "Alright boys, don't worry, your girls got just the plan."

Kaminari made a face like he just struck gold.

"Ohhhh! Okay. So we're planning an intervention."

"For FUCKS SAKE―"

masterlist

[sagau-my-beloved]

Can we get more of venti coming to our world

I'm invested 😻‼️

Headcanons about sagau Venti with reader in the real world:

Absolutely! I'll go ahead and post those headcanons I said I was going to do under here, but I'll probably be posting another actual continuation of the work soon, hope you all enjoy!

Warnings: general Sagau, minor codependency, mentions of alcohol consumption, that's about it folks

-

• You are now the owner of a very high maintenance but devoted God

• Congratulations

• He can do tricks, so that might make up for some of it

• The first month or two you completely confined him to the house

• If he's going to go out there and make an idiot of himself, he might as well not seem like he's from another planet while doing so

• Wants to know about everything, really an unsatable amount of curiosity

• "But how exactly can television content be turned into 'waves' and travel through the air in particles? How do they know what to reform as??"

• After answering about a thousand questions, you finally just get him his own phone so he can look them up himself while you're not there

• Big mistake

• You now can't get peace no matter where you go

• He's the type to call and text you over every little tiny thing

• "My lovveee, I saw a bird today :D!" *sends attachment*

• "Uhh, are you sure that's not a leaf?"

• "..."

• "My lovveeee, I saw a leaf that looked like a bird today :D!"

• At the end of the day, you're going to have about 100 messages and over 50 calls

• Also constantly steals your phone to take pictures of himself and change what you have him set as in your contacts

• "Ok why did you change your contact name 'most beloved and devoted follower'?"

• "... Am I not your most beloved and devoted follower?"

• You're going to have to take him to a few clothes stores too, he gets weird enough looks just on his behavior alone, no need to add to that

• Keeps the signature green color though, and he could never part with the braids

• Since you wouldn't let him go outside, he decides to take an interest in plant keeping

• Says that it's stifling to be surrounded by no life all the time, kinda uses that line to guilt you into staying home with him more too

• You're going to have to reel him back a bit though, otherwise your entire house is going to be covered in greenery

• "Just one more? Look how sad it looks here."

• He always gives you that heartbreakingly sad face and you really just can't deny him, as much as it's putting a dent in your wallet

• Speaking of money, that's another thing he's particularly curious about

• He's only ever had Mora, so he likes learning about the history of your type of money and how it didn't come from a God

• Was also very confused about the lack of Gods and supernatural things

• Teach him about organized religious, do it, I dare you

• If he thought it was weird still having a decent following after not appearing for a couple hundred years, boy oh boy, watch him as he tries to grapple with Christianity

• He tries very hard to help out during the day when you're not home

• All the modern appliances are kind of confusing at first, you certainly have come home to a mess a few times before

• But after a few weekends that you spend dedicated to teaching him how to use the things around your house, he gets the hang of it

• Likes to spend his time cooking and cleaning and making things

• You once joked about how it felt like the nineteen fifties when you walked in and he excitedly greeted you, rambling on about the various things he did all day which included making dinner and  trying his hand at various fiber arts

• He didn't get the joke

• I honestly think he would be pretty good at crocheting or knitting if he could develop the patience for it

• He does feel like this mundane housekeeping stuff is the least he can do for you though, not having a lot of modern day money making talents

• He snuck into a bar once to try playing for money (and get a few drinks) as he usually did, got kicked out almost immediately

• Still indulges though, you're going to have to drop a couple hundred on wine each month

• Almost cried when he learned that dandelion wine wasn't really a thing here

• You did take him to an alcohol store and let him pick out what he wanted after that incident, then practically forced him out of the building while you paid, otherwise he would have definitely be carded and you both would have had to leave with nothing

• Clings to you the rest of the day after that, going on and on about how much he loves and appreciates you, and that gets more intense the more he drinks

• One of the earlier problems was where he would be sleeping

• He spent the first week on the couch, allowing you to have your space

• For the next three weeks he acted as though he was going to sleep on the couch, and then crawled into your bed when you fell asleep

• You eventually just gave in and let him sleep there, he was much happier to be openly affectionate when he knew you weren't going to kick him out immediately (you still had your limits)

• Always wakes up first, the only caveat to that was when he drank heavily the night before

• So I guess he only woke up first about 50℅ of the time

• But insist heavily on making you something in the mornings, coffee, tea, breakfast if you'd let him

• "Oh good morning my love! Would you like something to eat? I made it just for you~"

• There are times where you can't sit down with him to eat, having to be somewhere early

• He always plays it off, but is super upset after you leave

• The food just doesn't taste nearly as good without you there

• Oh, and good luck if you have a cat

• He doesn't tell you that he has an allergy for the first couple of days, just internally dealing with the discomfort of it

• He has already resigned himself to the fact that this is going to be his fate from now on, he's come to terms with it

• You do catch on, ask him why he didn't tell you sooner that he was allergic, then offer to buy him some over the counter medication for it

• "That's possible!?"

• Small existential crisis, it's fine, don't worry about it, this happens a lot

• Eventually you do finally have to let him out, it's in his nature to wonder

• And honestly, he's kind of horrified over the current state of your world

• The political climate, the ecological climate, all of it

• It reinforces his believe that he's running his city correctly by not running it at all

• It also strengthens his resolve to eventually bring you back to Teyvat with him, it's so much nicer there, and it isn't nearly as hot, and the world isn't falling apart

• Looking past that though, he does really like going to different places, hikes and trails and beaches

• His powers do still work as well, there's just as much elemental energy in this world as in his, it's just no one knows how to use it here

• You do scold him every time he does something like that in public though

• Also he's absolutely guilty of pda

• Can't help himself

• Tries really hard to avoid phrases like "your grace" or "divine creator"

• But sometimes they slip out, and then people give you both weird looks, and you glare at him, and he looks at you apologetically

• He'll make it up to you later

• Is actually coming up with tons of new ways to make things up to you, because of how good you are to him

• He should really be the one providing for you, in all ways, and it frustrates him to no end

• He always feels like he's in debt in one way or another, but that's fine, that's the way it's always been

• As soon as you both get to Teyvat he's going to make up for it all, give you anything you want

• If you do ever end up getting there, he's gonna have some habits he might have a hard time breaking

• "Why is the Anemo God cooking for the creator?? Aren't there like 50 other people that can do that???"

• He'll find himself missing the convenience of your world sometimes

• Also, the sudden lack of one on one attention is going to completely eat at him

• If it's particularly bad, he's going to take you on a vacation back in your world for a few weeks

• (which translates to like two years there oh no—)

• Eventually you do have to tell him about the game, how you're not really "the creator", but just the person who guides the player, how there are hundreds of other people worldwide that know about him and all the others, play the game no different than you

• It takes a while for him to really come to terms with it

• Still justifies you being better than everyone else because you actually have an active religion surrounding you in the game, you're the one he came for

• And even if you didn't "make the game" you're still the reason why so many people in it are happy

• And he's still 100℅ convinced that you are a reincarnation of the creator

• Game or not, that universe is real to him and all that live in it, there are a lot of things that happened there that aren't shown in game, so that must mean it exists outside of the game too right?

• But he has an absolute day going through people posting about it

• You are kind of looking over his shoulder, doing your best to limit his exposure to some of the really horrible Internet stuff

• He prefers reading, creating, and singing your praises in his spare time anyway, which works out well for both of you

[kahluah]

What I hate about all this is I can't even find the content I want to see here anymore. I hate blocking people that aren't spam bots, but these Twitter stans have tried my patience. Like I'm cool with whatever interpretation, but when I come to a tag that is supposed to be curated with specific takes, that's what I want and expect to see. Not all this tsundere best grape jiujiu meow meow stuff. That's what the general tag is for.

Just because the word canon is in the tag name it doesn't make the take more valid lmao. It's a search category with a passive aggressive name because the people that made it were harassed out of the general tag. They deserved the snark for essentially being kicked out of the character tag. Plus it made it easier to search out novel specific posts, so to me it was a win/win

And I just shake my head at these people trying to "reclaim" the tag and telling the fans that made it to go make a new tag again. Hey Twitter stans, why don't you make your own tag called "actual canon Jiang Cheng" or whatever if it means that much to you. The tag name doesn't automatically make you any more correct or incorrect. Right now all you're doing is ruining people's ability to curate their content.

And really you make yourselves look like idiotic assholes who lack critical thinking skills and try to cover up that fact by harassing the people that inform you of the above, and enticing a mob mentally to try to get your way. (Which given the content of the source material...)

[wri0thesley]

Nat😫😫😫 I'm just reading your naoya posts and I cant😫😫😫 why do I love this arrogant man😫 is it possible to write something of a connected fic to your arrangement story about how he feels jealous over a similarly docile reader (doesnt have to be connected if you dont want tho!!). like he hears about how the reader has been getting marriage proposals from other men since naoya hasnt given an affirmative to your family,,,, and now the reader is forced to consider other candidates (although she still cant atop thinking about our favourite princely asshole) and naoya cant handle this thought lol he deserves to know what angst and the pain of yearning tastes like😌 I hope this wasn't too confusing aaaa😭😭 I love your writing, and im glad youre in this jjk brain rot too🤧

patience - naoya x fem!reader (1.5k)

arrangement // patience // my jjk masterlist

warnings: naoya remains an asshole. submissive reader, arranged marriages, mentions of murder, talk of adultery. pining/angst. not sfw, minors dni!

naoya hates that he can’t stop thinking about you.

Naoya hates that he can’t stop thinking about you.

Oh, he’d meant it when he’d spat ‘pathetic’ and ‘useless’ and ‘worthless’ at you – your bloodline was unimpressive, your lack of cursed technique tragic, your clan elders absolutely idiotic for sending a nobody like you to tempt him. But . . . something about the look in your eyes, the meek little bow of your head, the way you’d listened to every one of his orders with a soft little gasp and a desire to follow them to the latter . . .

He hasn’t told your family that he’s not interested in you, but word gets around the jujutsu community when someone is looking for a spouse. After all, they’re determined to retain blood purity, to keep techniques in the bloodline – your family soon hear that Naoya is still considering all of his options. That other pretty young daughters from other bloodlines have been to see him.

(Naoya rejects them all, for frivolous reasons that he doesn’t want to admit are frivolous. He hadn’t liked the look in that one’s eyes. He didn’t want his children to inherit the colour of that one’s hair. That one had walked two steps behind him, not three--).

You haunt his thoughts. You and the bow of your head, the bite of your lip, the way you’d looked with tears brimming in your eyes. The suggestive curve of you beneath your kimono.

Ugh.

He hears, too, that your family have been exploring their other options. They’d seemed thrilled, at first, that Naoya hadn’t utterly swept you off the table – but six months have passed, and they want their daughter married and out of the house and fulfilling her duties.

He hears about your marriage proposals through that same grapevine. He hears that other men say you are pretty and quiet and obedient, that you will make a fine wife, that you will listen to commands and give soft smiles and raise children like you ought to--

And once, he smashes a glass from gripping it too hard as some nobody in the Kamo clan mentions that he’s going to ask your family for your hand in marriage.

You say no. He hears, too, that your elders are growing frustrated with your dismissals of proposals. They have left behind the thought of marrying you into the Zenin clan, but clearly you’re still clinging to the idea that Naoya might want you despite what he’d said.

He doesn’t, he tells himself, when he wraps his fist around his cock and pumps it and thinks about your look of surprise as his come splatters across your face.

He doesn’t, he tells himself, when he compares a young lady sent to entice him with you. When she looks him in the eye and he thinks that you would never do that, that you would keep your head bowed, that you’d be deferential as he needs you to be.

He doesn’t, he tells himself, as a servant cleans up the shards of glass that he shatters and he asks the Kamo clan member if perhaps he would like to spar, and he hits him just a little bit too hard so he ends up wheezing and doubled over on the training mats as Naoya stalks out of the room.

It’s not his style to pine. He has the pick of every eligible young lady in jujutsu society; he should not be hung up on such a worthless, pathetic little thing.

He hears of another proposal. This one, apparently, hasn’t been rejected straight-out – this one, you seem to be considering. Other members of the Zenin clan don’t understand why his jaw sets at the news.

“You didn’t want her, did you?” He asks. “You didn’t seem keen after the meeting.”

One of his other distant cousins, an upstart too big for his boots, grins.

“That was before she was hot property, though,” he leers at Naoya. “Our golden boy doesn’t like the idea of people coveting his trash--”

Naoya has struck him before he can think and stalked out of that room, too. Something about you has truly opened the can of worms that is Naoya’s violence, and he refuses to admit to himself that it’s because he wants you.

It’s not because you’re hot property – though, certainly, the way other men talk and laugh about you and the knowledge that you’re wanted serves to set a fire within him. It’s because he can’t stop thinking about you.

He tries courtesans. He chooses pretty, well-mannered ones who look a little like you – but their eyes when they look at him are glassy. They’re not the same as yours, brimming with life and want and confusion at the position you’ve found yourself in and the way your body responds to Naoya.

He doesn’t admit to his mistakes. He doesn’t think ‘I should have accepted the proposal, I should have joined the clans’ – instead, he thinks ‘I should have fucked them then and there. I should have made them scream my name until their reputation was ruined and everybody knew they came apart on my cock. It’s their fault that I can’t get them out of my brain.’

He walks with fists and teeth clenched and snaps at every servant who dare looks his way. Naoya has always been unpleasant, but he’s downright impossible with his spine in knots and his eyes narrowed.

He’s going to have to do it. He’s going to have to contact your family, ask for another audience, if only to get your fucking face out of his mind--

He’s not expecting to come across you before he’s even made the call, standing in one of the gardens of the Zenin estate. You’re wearing the same kimono you had first visited him in, and he hates that the sight of it makes a throb low in his belly as he remembers seeing it crumpled on his bedroom floor. He swallows as he stalks towards you and you turn, your pretty eyes widening – he sees the flash of memory, the flash of desire. He wonders if anybody would dare speak to him if he took you right here, in the garden--

An older man opens a door behind you.

Naoya recognises him only vaguely. The Zenin estate is swarming with various, less important Zenins; this one’s a great-uncle, perhaps? Or a cousin thrice removed? He’s someone unimportant in the grand scheme of things, save for the way that he walks up to you and wraps an arm around your waist.

“Ah,” the man with his hands on Naoya’s property says. “I see you’ve met my betrothed.”

His heart stops cold. He’s nobody. Unimportant. Nothing.

He’d called you the same thing; an ‘act of charity’. So why does the sight of an arm around you attached to a man too old and not powerful enough to be a threat make Naoya feel like he’s chewing rocks? Naoya manages to spit out a;

“Congratulations.”

“Yes,” the old man (great cousin? Naoya doesn’t make a habit to remember people he can’t use later on) says, pulling you closer, groping at your hip through the kimono as you keep a sedate, smile on your face without looking directly into Naoya’s eyes. “You’ll be seeing her around a lot. I hope she didn’t bother you.” A squeeze to your ass, this time, shameless. “Say hello to the future leader of the clan, sweetheart.”

(At least this man’s on Naoya’s side, he tries to console himself, but it doesn’t work.)

“H-hello, sir,” you say, and your voice is as tremulous as he remembers it. His cock stirs. He hates this.

“Sorry to bother you,” he inclines his head politely and tugs on your arm, pulling you away, leaving Naoya kissing his teeth and trying to not simply slit the man’s throat with the knife in his hakama and take you for his own.

What had the scum said? ‘You’ll be seeing her around a lot’. He supposes, then, that you’ll be sequestered in one of the other chambers in the Zenin estate--

A slow smile spreads across his face.

You wouldn’t say ‘no’ to your clan leader, would you? And . . . your future husband is old. Any Zenin is a Zenin, is it not? Even if a son is born with Naoya’s features, Naoya’s technique . . . nobody would say anything to him about it. And you’re in reach. Close to him.

He only needs to get you alone before the wedding to make sure he gets to take your maidenhead. He hates the thought of another man’s filthy hands on you, but accidents happen all of the time--

And then you’ll be a widow. You won’t be expected to marry for a while. And if you’ve already borne fruit and proved yourself – perhaps Naoya will even play the chivalrous leader and lower himself to take you for his own.

Yes. Just a little patience.

This is an arrangement he can get behind.

[lovee-infected]

Your character analysis posts are really accurate! I like how you want to show that a character is a lot more than they show. It kind of angers me that there are people who headcanon the boys as something they're not, or they saying that they're this one personality trait only. What other characters from twisted get mischaracterized, at least in ur opinion?

THANK THANKK !! XD

I really enjoy going into depths of characters' personalities because damn- there were some big brains behind their creations!

This question was rather important so I couldn't decide on any specific characters to talk about, so I decided to list all of the twst characters and how they'd often get mischaracterized.

Mischaracterization isn't bound to twst fandom because as long as a there's a fandom, fanon interpretations of characters exist.

Almost any character in any fandom can be mischaracterized at some point, but it isn't always that noticable or important. Mischaracterization often becomes noticable when pretty different interpretations of rather 'popular' characters exist within a fandom, which causes many to argue over what the correct interpretation is.

For now, I'm dividing all of twst characters into "5 groups" to explain how each of them might often get mischaracterized.

Group A: Complex personalities

It's simple, these characters can be quite hard to understand. It's either because of having too many features at the same time, which makes them quite hard to read because we'll need to achieve a balance between all of their different personality aspects, or being quite secretive and mysterious which awfully bounds our knowledge regarding these characters and their personalities.

•Malleus Draconia: We previously talked about Malleus; the main reason of him getting mischaracterized is having plenty of spine-chilling features while having considerably childish and innocent hobbies at the same time. This opposition often makes it hard to decide on what the cannon Malleus is like, because it can hard to choose one between his darker side and softer side. What we need in order to achieve a rather cannon interpretation of Malleus, is a balance. Just as I previously said: Malleus isn't a baby, but he isn't a monster either.

•Lilia Vanrouge: Even without going into depths, you can tell that Lilia's personality is complicated as hell. Though I can't really tell that he's being Mischaracterized because the cannon Lilia himself can switch into a totally different personality in a matter of second, one moment he's a 90+ year old father trying to lead his children into he right path, one moment he's an unraveled neon teenager playing the ear-scrathing heavy metal with that guitar of his, and the other second he's an absolute monster which can creep the heck out of you with a simple "Boo". Lilia can also get plenty of different personalities through fanon interpretations:Yandere Lilia/Vampire fae/ Papa Lilia/ Daddy Vanrouge many other details which I can't go through now,but let me just say: A Lilia analysis would be rather long, and interesting one.

•Jade Leech: Speaking of reading characters, better know that this mister eel Leech is an absolutely tough one. You'll never know what he's hiding behind that friendly yet evil smile, or what intentions might be behind his extreme will to play the role of the butler and help everyone out. Understanding this Sebastian Michaelis complex is an absolute challenge and this is probably one of the things that makes him so Interesting, you always know that he's hiding something dark on the inside, yet you can't really tell what it is.

•Cater Diamond: This might be rather hard to notice, but there's a lot about Cater which is left untold. Despite his sweet and positive appearance, his personality is actually a bitter-sweet complex of too many emotions and a pretty well-written background. The amount of info found through his voice lines and personal stories is rather amazing as if you're reading a real boy's life story! But this amount of detail and considerably dark aspects of his personality can make it really hard to understand what's going on in this mysterious mind; especially because of how he seems to be hiding a second face under that friendly smile.

•Jamil Viper: Jamil can be quite hard to read. He isn't really emotional and hardly ever expresses his true feelings. Even NRC students agree that he can be quite a mystery, from his past life and daily struggles to how many of his true feelings and intentions remained a secret until chapter 4. Jamil is a complex of pain, power, hatred and patience. His background is perfect example of a villainous story and how a child can grow to be a villain, which is quite interesting! Jamil's story is worthy of a detailed analysis and some time for all of us to understand what this guy has been going through.

•Rook Hunt: We often tend to know him as Pomefiore's "dramatic stalker", and he surely is! The fanon interpretation of Rook doesn't usually go against his cannon interpretation (Expect for the times that people get salty over his appearance or attitude- Which leads to the creation of countless Rook memes-) While it's true that he's more than just a French stalker, it can be hard to talk about anything else when it comes to Rook, because the cannon Rook tends to hide a lot about himself, leaving us with a considerable lack of useful information to use. He really got us all there, huh? Even as he's a fictional character and we're living in real life- he tends to control what we know and think of him-

characters that can also belong to this group: Leona Kingscholar, Idia Shroud, Vil Schoenheit , Floyd Leech

Group B: Ignoring important features:

This group can get easily mischaracterized, mainly because each and every of them has an specific feature that really makes them stand out. (Ex: Riddle's short temper, Azul's soft and sensitive side, Sebek's obsession with Malleus,...) But paying to much attention to that one specific feature often leads to ignoring everything else about their personalities, and gives them a pretty simple and fanon interpretation which can sometimes be the total opposite of the detailed and cannon one.

•Azul Ashengrotto: Azul's fanon picture had an extreme change after chapter 3, mainly because of how his background and breakable side was revealed; the cruel and heartless mafia boss turned into the soft and emotional baby. This sudden change in perspective stole the hearts of many fans and the fandom in general came to appreciate Azul even more, but at some point it caused his most important feature to be forgotten: Azul tends to be strict about hiding that sensitive side of his, so the Azul we get to see in general is the fearful picture of the mastermind who's taken the magics of many away, not that baby Octopus who used to cry whenever other kids bullied him because he was different. Getting to know his background and true feelings made us forget about his professional and strict side which is indeed the most important side of his personality!

•Idia Shroud: Baby boy, soft child, sweet tooth cutie, pretty little emo,...and hundreds of other nicknames to appreciate Idia and his iconic nature. But in contrast to what many assume based on his appearance and social anxiety, Idia is way different from just a shy yet adorable nerd; this guy is seriously hiding some evil inside. If you go through his stories and get to the points where he's thinking with himself, you'll see how different he can be. While he can't really get to tell these properly through his main lines, you can find him secretly insulting and nagging at how annoying some people are several times. It isn't just about being shy, Idia obviously dislikes many of the people around him. Focusing on his social anxiety and awkwardness causes us to forget how different he is when he isn't forced into a face-to-face conversation, also note that there are many thoughts going through this guy's brain that you probably hadn't thought of.

•Floyd Leech: While Jade's personality is obviously a pretty complicated one, Floyd's character is even more confusing because of his playfulness and seemingly childish manners. But it's important to remember that deep inside, floyd is just as mysterious as his brother. Describing Floyd as childish and dumb is equal to falling into Yana's trap, because Floyd is designed as an extremely smart and somewhat of sadistic character. It's so important to know that he's way more than just a chaotic eel or an playful idiot, Floyd literally has anything needed to be ranked among the most dangerous characters of the game, his personality along side his magic and genius can be quite deadly.

•Sebek Zigvolt: To be honest, many of us are just doing him dirty. Look, it's true that Sebek's often caught praising and talking about Malleus but please do not forget that Sebek as well has got his very own personality! Associating Malleus with whatever he says or does (especially through fanfictions) is somehow fading his character because most of the things I get to read or hear about him involves Malleus. Come on! This is Sebek that we're talking about, not Malleus! I understand that talking about Malleus is legit something he often does but while you're writing a fanfic, please remember that Sebek has got hundreds of features and personality manners to talk about other than talking about his "Waka sama". So instead of just focusing on his Malleus appreciation habit, try to get to know his very own features and personality! In many of fanon interpretations, Sebek is bound to doing nothing but talking about Malleus and only him which is pretty unfair! We should all take some time to talk about Sebek himself, not his obsession with Lilia or Malleus.

•Riddle Rosehearts: I understand where this is coming from, but I want to see something more than an angry Riddle shouting and screaming about the importance of rules and harshly forcing others into following them whenever I read something that involves Riddle. I see how being angry and turning as red as a tomato is his rather famous feature but we shouldn't ignore everything else about hum because of it. Other than his background and mentionable talents and abilities as the greatest dorm leader Heartslabyul's history, keep this in mind that Riddle did decide to try and change his way of leadership and reduce his obsession with rules after his overblot.

Characters that can also belong to this group: Vil Schoenheit, Rook Hunt, Kalim Al Asim, Silver, Epel Felmier

Group C: Ignorance/Lack of information

The reason with this group is obvious, we need to talk about them more often! While they're all great characters with interesting designs and personalities, it's somehow rare to see anyone doing a proper analysis of their characters, either because of not going through their details or stories, or even going through them but not finding anything special.

•Ace Trappola: Both Deuce and Ace are characters who have appeared through all of the chapters so far, which means that we've had the chance to get to know them better than any other character in the game! But their fanon interpretations are pretty simple and sometimes, boring. Most of us don't even realize that we're mischaracterizing them-! I often see them being pictured as either stupid or loud and troublesome. Ace for example, got a really strong plot about how he'd go through a relationship and his past experience in the ghost marriage, which can be a strong guide to how we should picture Ace in reader inserts, but sadly we're just sticking to fanon interpretations and don't give his personality the detail and cannon depth he deserves. Let's note that he can be quite evil, smart, logical and unpredictable too at the time.

•Deuce Spade: Deuce's case is pretty similar to Ace. I'm not saying that he's a totally different one from how the fandom is characterizing him, but come on, Deuce isn't just a chicken dummy! We've learned a lot about his relationship with his mother, his past life, his relationship with his close friends, his hobbies and his will to become a great magician so there's a lot we can say about him! Instead of just sticking to his clumsiness and sometimes, stupidity it's better to consider those features and details to describe him. Not only will it make us have more of a cannon interpretation on Deuce, but it'll also inspire us to create newer and more creative content for him!

•Silver: Look, while many of us love this sleepy guy, we need to understand that he isn't just a sleeping beauty or Lilia's cute son! Let's admit something, we're facing a lack of Silver content and even as we go through most of the existing Silver fanfics and content, it either has something to do with his sleeping issues or his relationship with idia, maybe some arguments with Sebek as well but it's rare to see anyone talking about anything else than these when it comes to Silver. His relationship with Lilia and Malleus, he way he appears in others' side stories, how he handles his tasks and the way Malleus and Lilia describe him is telling us that there's a LOT about him which we often ignore!

•Trey Clover: It's true that the cannon Trey isn't that different from the fanon one, but I can tell that the fanon Trey lacks quite a few of the cannon features. We're giving him a rather solid and sometimes boring personality of Heartslabyul's calm and collected mum who treats everyone nicely regardless of how reckless or annoying or rebellious they are. But the real Trey does express annoyance and uncomfortablitiy from time to time, he can even be quite sarcastic. If you come to get a close look, you'll see that Trey isn't always as nice as he seems to be.

•Ruggie Bucchi: I genuinely adore Ruggie's personality design, especially how he mostly comes of as a mysterious troublemaker but at the same time, he's being a tiny family man on the inside. Watching how he can be quite reckless toward other students in NRC (especially the first years) and on the other hand, be a pretty caring and protective sibling who really loves and cares about his poor family and is working his hardest to support them really brings the tears of joy to my eyes. Ruggie's story has got a lot to tell and this interesting design and personality really deserves more attention and supporters!

•Jack Howl: It's true that Jack doesn't really get mischaracterized , but he deserves to be talked about more often! Most of the fandom captured his personality really good and I can feel his tsundere-ish and protective vibes through most of the fanfics that involve him. He's got a rather calm and collected nature which gives him a more balanced personality compared to the rest of the characters, and can make it easier to understand the cannon Jack. He used to get really mischaracterized back in twst's pre-release, but after the game was released and we got to know the cannon Jack, most of those misunderstandings were solved. Perhaps the only thing that I wish to mentioned more often are the adorable details and his background, especially his relationship with his family and siblings.

Characters that can also belong to his group: Silver, Deuce Spade, Ace Trappola, Rook Hunt

Group D: The healing type (Iyashikei)

Look, the cannon interpretation isn't always the happiest or the sweetest. This group usually get mischaracterized because their fanon interpretation is presenting something better, something that more fans would accept and love. 'Softening extremely dark and unapproachable personalities' or 'spreading adorable and wholesome headcanons' are two common ways of the healing type. Characters with extremely bitter personalities usually belong to this group, because their stories can be too sad for the fandom, so many decide to go for a softer yet untrue way of characterizing them, which is sometimes good but going too far with the softening process often leads to creating a character that's nothing like the original.

•Leona Kingscholar: While I was working on my Leona analysis, I came to understand why some fans prefer the fanon Leona over the cannon Leona. Cannon Leona is quite dark and unapproachable, and you'll find his background and personality in general quite painful and sometimes depressing if you try to study the cannon Leona. Within all of the twst characters, he's got the darkest design therefore it can be quite hard for fans to accept his cannon interpretation. That's why some try to give him more of an affectionate and soft nature to make his personality seem less painful to go through. This sometimes create a totally wrong interpretation that goes against everything that the cannon Leona is, but at the same time many fans agree that cannon Leona on the other hand is just too dark to accept. We can tell that this fandom's favorite Leona is a balance of cannon and fanon Leonas, something neither too dark nor to childish and wholesome.

•Ortho Shroud: There isn't much we know about Ortho and his background, and I can't say that he's being directly mischaracterized either. Sometimes all we have to use in order to capture his personality are the fan- theories, which can really complicate stuff. Best way to know him is by paying enough of attention to his voice lines and hidden details, but it can end up being quite dark if you dig too deep- His background with Idia isn't directly mentioned but there are some dark details hiding through the story that can seem quite scary when you actually think about them, therefore many of the fans decide to ignore those details, and since there isn't much of Ortho content (mostly fanfiction) either, many (including me) decided not to mention anything about those dark aspects...

•Epel Felmier: Cannon Epel is quite different from the fanon Epel. Not saying that Epel is a meanie because he surely does have pretty cute and adorable aspects but the cannon can Epel can be quite reckless, mean and rude at the time while the fanon Epel is always described as a shy, cute boy(which is exactly what the cannon Epel hates to be described as). Going through his ghost marriage stories and voice lines, we can realize that Epel's rather bad with romance, and for now, he doesn't really seem to be interested in any love-related issues either. Writing reader inserts especially can be really hard if you're going to stick with the cannon Epel, therefore many choose to use the fanon Epel instead, a cuter and softer Epel who's quite acceptive and approval of being in love. A considerable majority of fans prefer this soft and cuter Epel, and this is why Epel mostly gets mischaracterized in reader inserts.

Characters that can also belong to this group: Malleus Draconia, Azul Ashengrotto, Cater Diamond, Ace Trappola, Lilia Vanrouge

Group E: Mischaracterized on main

Spreading false headcanons, not paying enough of attention to official details and simplifying complicated personalities are often counted as general ways of mischaracterization. Unlike the previous groups, this group doesn't really have a proper excuse for their mischaracterization, especially as we see some fans are being attacked and offended by some who tend mischaracterize characters in this way.

•Vil Schoenheit: We previously talked about Vil and how there's a pile of wrong information about him spread all over the fandom, from the one saying that he's trans and his pronouns are she/her (Many fans were attacked and forced to use She/Her for Vil) to the ones that are picturing him as a selfish character who cares about no one but his very own beauty, and is bullying Epel just because he envies Epel for being more beautiful than him. Look, regarding his relationship with Epel I must say that he's trying is hardest to make Epel be more mindful of his appearance and manners, he cares to help each and every around him look their best and isn't just focusing on his very own beauty. I meant to add him in group B because how many consider him to be obsessed with beauty and ignore everything else about him like his remarkable skills in leadership and other abilities in general, but considering the great amount of wrong information that is being spread around the fandom and is causing misunderstandings and arguments, I thought it'd be better to put him in this group.

•Kalim al asim: One sentence, four words: He is NOT stupid! While I insist that everyone in the fandom is free to have their personal interpretation and ideas regarding the characters and their personalities, keep this is mind that it's okay as long as it doesn't offend anyone else! How does it feel when Kalim stans are just watching others making fun of their favorite and calling him useless and stupid? Even worse, how does it feel when they're being told reckless stuff like: "Hey, you know that your favorite is the dumbest character in the game?" Let me clear 3 points right here: 1)Even if one's favorite is stupid, you do not have the right to insult them because of it even if you mean it as a joke 2)Nope Kalim is not stupid, generosity and caring for everyone around him with genuine kindness makes him a good and pure person, not a stupid one. 3) People who are saying that he's stupid because of not doing that great in school are just as funny as those who told all of us that you won't be any successful if you don't get good grades in exams. Lmao, dude this is the 21st century.

Characters that can also belong to this group: Floyd Leech, Epel Felmier

Well, I guess that's all? I couldn't talk much about any of them otherwise this would've gotten too long- So I just put a small intro of how each of the boys often gets mischaracterized instead. Okay it's awfully late lol I leave this now-

[ignyxdaughter]

𝐈𝐗 - 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒

(𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 / 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐳𝐨𝐯𝐚 𝐱 𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧)

READ ON WATTPAD

MASTERLIST

A/N: Hey guys! I'm so, so sorry for the delay. I tried my best to post the chapter as soon as possible, but my days were very turbulent. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it💕

summary: Katherine and Genya have a serious talk. Hope plans to make Agatha meet Nick without the hybrid knowing he’s actually her twin brother.

word count: 2840

warnings: none

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Besides having a terrible night of sleep and no breakfast, Katherine had to endure a headache and the loud chatter of the other handmaidens. Moreover: there were no news from her shadows or her cousins about Agatha or Ravka itself.

But what is truly testing the witch's patience is the Corporalki that keeps following her since yesterday. She was heading to the library when she saw from the corner of her eyes a male figure following her. As a test, the woman decided to wander around the Little Palace to make sure if the man did follow her. She had to hold a scoff when he turned for the third time the same hallway as her.

She didn't have the chance to go to the library yesterday due to this. Katherine is being watched, yet she doesn't know if the Heartrender man is the only "spy". It's clear that he's following orders, since the Darkling saw her on his chambers. The witch must admit she was utterly surprised for not getting punished by the General, though she must've thought he wouldn't let this go. Of course the Shadow Summoner would — and should — do anything in his power to know what a servant was doing on his rooms. However, it's a bit disappointing to see such a poor spying. It's almost funny to watch Grishas trying to stalk a poor handmaiden without knowing she's a powerful witch.

Oh, how they underestimate her.

Katherine gasps at the sudden cold wetness on her chest. She looks down at the soaked white blouse, her rage doubling in size and her jaw clenching to not scream at the idiot who's done this.

"Ms. Anya!" Of course it had to be the lightscum, she thought.

"I'm so, so sorry!" Alina put her own kefta on the woman's blouse in an attempt to dry it. "I was— Well, Genya was—" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I took the jar from her and tripped on the corner of the table. You know how this fancy mobiles are—"

"Enough." The Sun Summoner shuts her mouth immediately, an unsaid warning in the coldness of Katherine's voice.

"I didn't mean it."

The handmaiden takes a deep breath to not say something she might regret. "I know. Just give me a towel and I'll fix this."

Before she could blink, Alina was by her side with a towel. The woman takes it without thanking her and begins to dry her blouse a little. The room stayed in an unpleasant silence for some minutes until Genya decided to break it: "You have to meet Baghra now, Alina."

"But—"

"The Heartrenders will escort you." She nods to the men on the doorway.

Alina faces Katherine again, whose eyes were at the soaked blouse. She's been trying to gain her respect — or at least earn a smile from her — since they were introduced, but she's been failing miserably. The Sun Summoner felt on day one that she annoys the woman; it's clear due to the indifferent expressions towards her. Unlike many servants, Ms. Anya doesn't talk to Alina unless she asks something, and is never entertained by her clumsiness, jokes or lack of knowledge.

Genya noticed that too. She'd even tried to have a conversation with Ms. Anya, but a blonde handmaiden entered on her way and had the chance to talk to the brunette first.

"She doesn't deserve this." The Tailor suddenly says.

Katherine still tries to dry her blouse. "What?"

"Your harshness. You're too cold to her."

She finally looks up, a frown on her face. "I answer all of her questions. If I were cold or impolite, as you're implying, I'd always ignore her."

"But you don't talk to her."

"Of course. I was not hired for that."

It takes everything in Genya to not roll her eyes. "Alina's suffered enough on her life. She's a wonderful person, and I'm sure she'll be happy to see you as a friend."

Katherine scoffs. "You just want me as her friend to ease the disappointment she'll soon feel."

The Tailor frowns, though her stomach twists in nervousness. Unfortunately, it is true. One of the reasons she wants Ms. Anya to befriend Alina is for the latter forget Genya when she enters the Second Army as a real soldier. It'll be painful to lose the Sun Summoner friendship, but it's a sacrifice she's ready to make if it means to be seen as a true Grisha.

"What do you mean?"

"The letters to Mal, of course. You didn't send them."

The redhead's heart sinks in fear. Fear of her to tell Alina and ruining her chances on the Second Army. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a good liar... for those who doesn't see. Unfortunately for you, I see and know everything."

"I'll then repeat what I've said." She approaches the servant, close enough to seem threatening. "I. Don't. Know. What. You're. Talking. About."

Katherine raises an eyebrow, but nods. However, the Grisha doesn't see the slight quivering on her lips. But how could she? Just close friends or older people are able to notice Katherine's lies. Moreover, you can count on the fingers how many had discovered her plans before their execution.

It's difficult to catch a handler, especially, The Handler.

"Don't worry, Genya. Your secret is safe with me." She calmly walks to the door, but stops to face the Tailor again. "You'll be a terrific soldier."

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"Celtic Rituals", a female voice makes Agatha look up from the book she's reading. "You're as curious as you seem."

Her dark brown eyes widen when she sees Veronika with a warm smile. However, they widen even more at the realization that the redhead read the book cover, which means she knows Norse runes. Of course Agatha suspected since the beginning that Veronika wasn't truly what she says. If you take a quick glance, she's just an ordinary girl, but if you take a close look, you see that she's full of secrets, secrets that Agatha wants to discover. After all, the ginger woman seems familiar to her. Maybe she was part of her past.

"You know Norse runes, werewolves and Halloween. What more?"

She shrugs. "Uncountable things, though I'm not my family's brain."

Agatha chuckles. "There's someone smarter than you in your family?" She nods. "They must be a genius then."

"She is. Now—", the redhead approaches the dark skinned woman "why are you reading that?"

She pouts. "Knowledge. Curiosity. Attempt to unlock a memory. Take a pick."

Hope's heart clenches. Her cousin's trying to discover her past again and she can't help. If she does, the spell they'll do can affect Agatha's memory and that's not a risk any Mikaelson's willing take. Agatha has to remember naturally as much as possible.

Katherine's reading some books of the Little Palace's library, Levi and Nick are searching around Os Alta after some wizards, Michelle's paying attention on every corner of the palaces in hope of getting something useful. Unfortunately for Hope, she's just the bridge that links Agatha to her cousins. She can't do any research far from the Grishas. However, she can manipulate Agatha to remind things by mentioning tips of her past.

That lights a candle on Hope's brain, an idea popping in it. The ginger looks at Agatha again, seeing the similarities with her brother. It's impossible to look at the two and not notice they're siblings. So why not arranging a meet between them? Agatha could remember something if she sees Nick. The only thing she can't tell Agatha is his real name.

"You know, I feel kind today, so I'll tell you something."

She faces Hope with a frown. "What?"

The redhead analyzes the library to see if anyone's looking at them, then she leans forward and whispers on Agatha's ear: "There's a man that knows some things about the Supernatural community. Maybe he can help you."

"Who is it?"

"His name's Konstantin." She looks at her cousin deep in her eyes. "I can arrange a meeting, but you have to promise you won't tell anyone."

Agatha nods. "I promise. I need to know some things about myself, Veronika."

Hope gives her a sad smile. "I know, and that's why I'm helping you. I'll tell you the arranged place and time if I got the meeting. After all, he's a busy man."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Power busy people, darling."

The hybrid chuckles. "Thank you, Veronika. Really."

"Trust me, you don't have to thank me."

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Agatha's nervous. She's never been in Os Alta before, her only memories of Ravka are the palaces. A few friends invited her one day to go to the city, but she refused, wanting to read instead. However, the woman doubts those Grishas went to where she is now, the poorest part of Os Alta — though it doesn't seem that poor.

She looks at the bar Veronika told her. The placard is in Latin, which is an unusual language to be, but the writing bellow the bar's name is in Ravkan.

PRAECANTRIX

drinks, food and a lot of fun

"You own me one, Veronika", Agatha mutters before pulling the door open.

The environment is turbulent. A woman and a man play together an hectic song on the violin and there's a bet table on the darkest corner. There're waiters trying to not drop the drinks on the tray, some people relaxing after a long day while others are drunk or high, talking and singing with themselves. There're also couples on the dance floor shamelessly making out, kissing each others necks too, which will certainly leave hickeys. In every way possible, this is the opposite of the two palaces.

"He's there", a waiter stops in front of Agatha to point at the man on an empty table, away from the noise, but near enough to see everything.

The hybrid walks towards him, but stops when he faces her. All of her body freezes, including the heartbeats a the air on the lungs, a shivering runs through her spine, sending goosebumps all over her skin. For a minute, Agatha thought of poking herself to stop whatever dream she's having, but soon enough she realized that this is reality.

This is happening. But how?

The man is a male version of her. The same dark skin and brown eyes, tall with muscles and a defined jaw. Although his black hair is shaved, she's sure it'll appear curls like hers if he let it grow. Agatha's gaze finally pauses on the man's throat, where a huge scar lands. It seems made by a clawed animal — a wolf —, which must've almost ripped his throat apart.

Agatha has one like that on her chest. She'd saw it one day on the mirror and had tried to remember where did she get that. Her shot's that it was a wolf.

Maybe this man knows what scarred her like this.

"Ho— Veronika told me you were wanting answers." He says, trying not to be dragged by his emotions. After all, it's not easy to see your twin, pretend you don't know them and don't talk about the past.

Agatha sits in front of him. "What's with the scar?" Her eyes widen and heat flows on her cheeks after realizing she's said that out loud. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The man chuckles, his eyes still on hers. "Wolf."

I knew it! "For your comfort, I have one too." She pulls the shirt's collar to show her scarred chest. "But I don't know what caused it."

He smirks. "It may be from a wolf too."

"Yeah." She clears her throat. "Where are you from, Konstantin?"

"United States", he takes a sip of his kvas. "Louisiana."

"I think I'm from there too! I mean, America."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My thoughts are all in American english, so it'd make sense to be from there."

Konstantin smiles, and for some reason Agatha mirrors him. The man tells her everything about his city, New Orleans: its beauty, history and legacy, cultural habits, how alliances between people are important... The woman listens to every part with a smile, her heart warming at the man's passion for the place. It must be a dream to live there.

"And the French Quarter... Ah!" He sighs with love.

Agatha curiously nods, eager to know as much as possible. "Tell me!"

"There's music everywhere. It's the most awesome part of New Orleans. You know why?" She shakes her head. "Because the Supernaturals' own it."

The woman almost spills her kvas. "What?!"

He chuckles at her shock. "It's exactly what you've heard."

"No way! This is... This is insane!"

Konstantin smiles. "Each part of the French Quarter belongs to a species. Only the main streets are everyone's, where there're goods from all kinds."

"There are no humans there?"

"Of course there are, but they don't know they're minority. There was a time when New Orleans attracted hunters, who tried to capture and torture Supernaturals for information." He sighs and faces her. "A lot of people died, Agatha, but they didn't want to give up the city. It was everything they've ever knew."

"And what happened?"

"The Supernaturals spread the word to the nearest covens, saying New Orleans would welcome everyone. If they couldn't stop the hunters to come, then they would outnumber them."

"Did it work?"

His smirk is devious. "Every hunter that stepped on there was mysteriously vanished. After a while, they stopped appearing." Agatha's jaw dropped. "A few humans went there to find a vampire or something, but when they left the city unharmed, people started to believe the Supernaturals are myths."

"So you use this on your favor to live in peace." Konstantin nods. "That's unbelievable! Amazing!"

His smile reach his eyes, not because Agatha found that fantastic, but due to the time he's spending with his sister. Nick can't describe the feeling of seeing and speaking to his twin again. It is as if he was finally in peace, the thoughts of her being in danger gone... for a while.

"You know, we celebrate Halloween there, if you want to go."

Agatha's dark brown eyes shine. "I'd love to. It must be the most mesmerizing celebration."

"I assure you it is." His heart clenches at the memories of them eating sweets and trying to scare their mothers. "We light candles all over the streets, make arts on pumpkins, pray for the living and dead world, eat candies... But the most fantastic thing of  Halloween is that we can be ourselves without fear, is the only night we can use our powers wherever we want."

"Veronika told me that."

He gives her a sad smile, fighting the tears threatening to leave his eyes. "I know."

Agatha finally stand up. "I gotta go. Thank you, Konstantin. It was really nice to meet you."

He follows her movements and stay face to face with her. "I loved meeting you too, Agatha."

"Can we see each other again? I wanna know more about the Supernatural."

"Sure."

The woman is surprised when the man suddenly hugs her, yet she retributes it. Something on her tells to never let him go, no matter what. Maybe Konstantin will be an important person on her life. It's a weird thought though, since she's just met the man, but she embraces the feeling. The man made her feel good after a long time, she was relaxed while talking and listening to him, her focus was just on him, it was as if there was no one else in the world but them.

Agatha must be mad, however, she's sure a strong connection was built the moment he hugged her.

"The moon is the key to everything", Konstantin says after separating them. "Don't hold your instincts while talking to it."

She nods. "I won't."

When the woman leaves the bar, heading to the Little Palace, Nick throws himself at a chair. He looks at the dance floor, where a few vampires drink blood from some humans' necks, then at the couple playing a fae song on the violin. Finally, he gazes the table on the darkest corner of the bar. People usually confuse it with a bet table, but he and all of Ravka's Supernaturals know that it's a tarot table, where witches read the tarot cards to predict the future.

Ravka is not only full of Grishas, with their small science. There are Supernaturals, full of magic, too. They don't practice their merzost in public, of course, but the little actions are the proof that they don't follow any "main" traditions. For example, everything in this poor area is in Latin, the universal language of magic.

A werewolf waiter comes to recoil the cups of kvas on Nick's table, and without facing her, he says: "Give me a bottle of vodka, please. I need something strong."

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A/N: English is not my first language. I’m gonna mix the books and the tv show to make the story line clearer (I read soc, the grisha trilogy and its tales). I don’t own Shadow and Bone and TO/Legacies characters; they’re, respectively, Leigh Bardugo, L. J. Smith and Julie Plec. Also, this is how I think the Darkling is,and some of the events will be changed due to the story's course!