#and since that is based off the children's book the borrowers

[ladye-zelda]

WAIT I JUST THOUGHT OF THE PERFECT NAME FOR MINISH CAP LINK

Say hello to...

BURROWER!!!

[marygih]

The idea that Abaton was a place of death and a place of birth is so magnificent.

Librarians and Ymbrynes took care of the dying old people and comforted them before they died that they would help the next generations and took into the world and took care of newborn children, giving them a special feature if they were born ordinary.

It's so wonderful! Your mind makes me tremble with admiration!

And here is my little headcannon based on this thought - Jake [and Abe was] great at getting along with young children, namely small children, newborn babies and children under 5 years old, since librarians were also considered patrons of young children.

By the way, I saw your photos. You are really very beautiful and you have great hair :)

Thanks! The idea of ​​births happening in Abaton also comes from a statement by Ransom, he says that the only way for a human to enter a loop without having their mind destroyed by it, is if this human is born within the loop. So the only way to safely get a human to borrow a soul in Abaton is if that human is born within the Abaton loop. This is cool because it takes away the morbidity of the place, Abaton wasn't just a symbol of death, it was a symbol of life too.

I would like to think about it, the library of souls is huge, all the peculiars who donated their souls had a peaceful end and died knowing that they would help future generations. They would give their unfortunate normal descendants the chance to have a peculiar life and all the privileges that came with it, since peculiars were living gods back then. In the same way that normal parents want their children to be normal, peculiar parents wanted their children to be peculiar, it was their right to be peculiar. They loved their children so much that they wanted them to have the best. Being quirky was a blessing

Your headcanon is really cute! I completely agree with him. In all the books the librarians are very good with children, see how Olive loves Jacob, and since Abe perfectly passed off as a social worker, little Noor adored V. and liked Abe.

Thank you very much for the compliments 💜 you are very kind, it made me very happy 🥰

[rebelliousstories]

Something Blue

Relationship: Sean Renard x Reader, Eric Renard x Reader

Fandom: Grimm

Request: No

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Happy Ending, Mentions of Pregnancy, Based off of Something Blue by VOILÀ

Word Count: 2,829

Main Masterlist: Here

Grimm Masterlist: Here

Summary: Relationship of old, relationship of new, a dress that is borrowed, and someone is blue.

“If anyone can find just cause as to why these to should not be joined together in holy matrimony, may you speak now, or forever hold your peace.” Her eyes scanned the crowd, before landing on a man who sat in the back of the cathedral. He shifted in his set, and sat up straighter as he caught her gaze. Green eyes met hers, and her brow furrowed ever so slightly as to not draw the attention of her groom, who was holding her hands tightly in his. The man at the back let his mouth open and close several times before standing , and shouting into the silence.

“I object.”

Three Months Earlier…

“Dearest, we need to finish these wedding invitations and get them out today.” A feminine accented voice rang through the study. Every book in here was as old as she, if not older. The man at the desk raised his head from his papers to where she sat surrounded by papers of her own, wax seals and envelopes. He stood, and rounded the desk to come stand near his fiancé.

“My dear, how do you feel about a quick little trip across the pond?” Eric asked his fiancé that sat there.

“What do you mean? We don’t have much time to get ready for the wedding. What business do you have in America?” She questioned, setting down the wedding invitation in her hands.

“I wish to deliver a special invitation in person to someone there. As a matter of fact, I wish for you to do it.” This had her attention; Eric Renard did not care to be anywhere near that country.

“Whatever you would like, dearest. Who is this person?” She inquired, turning back to her invitations.

“My brother. Sean.” Her hands stopped. It had been years since she had heard that name. She did not even know that her fiancé was talking to the man. turning towards the prince, the woman could not help the feeling and look of confusion that washed over her.

“Sean? You want to invite him to the wedding?” Her tone was full of ridiculous intention. But Eric simply sat on the space of couch next to her and cradled her face in his hands.

“No, my dear. I want you to invite him to the wedding,” he held her in place as he spoke, “when we were children, I dreamed of having you at my side at the alter. I wanted to show my dearest brother that I had won.” It was then she was reminded that she was not the love of Eric’s life, but yet, a trophy. She would become a trophy for him to parade around, and languish in a loveless marriage for the rest of her days.

“Of course,” she agreed without enthusiasm, “when shall we leave for America?” Her fiancé patted her cheeks gently and disengaged himself from her. Eric went back to his desk and pulled out some documents.

“Tonight. Pack enough for a few days. We won’t be staying long.” And with that, he was out of the room. Finally, having a chance to be away from him, she breathed a sigh of relief. Being near the royal was suffocating, to say the least. He was paranoid to put it mildly. But, he abandoned her task in favor of going to pack her bags for their weekend getaway to America.

The flight there was completely uneventful. Smooth skies,and an equally smooth landing, with a red carpet being rolled out leading to their car that was awaiting them. After he helped her down the stairs, Eric slipped her hand to his elbow and pulled his phone from his pocket. It was not but a moment longer, as they walked down the carpet, that he began speaking.

“Sean,” she heard and tried not to show that she was eagerly listening to the conversation, “well I decided that I would invite you out for dinner while we’re here. Yes, here. I’m in Portland. Well, I think a certain lady would love for you to join us for dinner. She has something to ask you. Tonight, my suite at the Gregory. See you then, brother.” Eric ended the phone call right as they got to the car, and he helped his fiancé into the vehicle first, before joining her. Driving out of the airway, and towards the city, her thoughts wandered.

Last time she had seen the younger of the two brothers, she was still in school. Never did she think that her life would turn out the way that it had. She never thought that her life would be stuck in the position that she was. The further they went, the longer her thoughts droned on. Soon, they shifted to Sean. What did he look like? Did he still have the same gorgeous sage eyes that he once captivated her with as children or did they change over the years? Her fingers fiddled with a locket in her pocket, worried that she would lose it before they arrived at their destination.

The hotel was grand and stunning, definitely something she would expect out of her lover. Brilliant white marble floors and beams. Striking red carpets and drapes to clash beautifully with the white. And small golden accents to highlight both colors. Their suite over looked the Willamette river, which provided her some comfort. There was something unexplainable about the serenity of water. She passed her time with putting away her things, while Eric ordered enough food for the three of them, and made the final preparations. But nothing could prepare her for the sound of a door opening and closing while an unknown voice drifted through the air.

“Eric.” It clipped, and it made her breath stop in her chest.

“Sean. Come on, bro. Let’s eat.” He called, clapping the younger man on the shoulder.

“Darling!” Eric barked, waiting for his fiancé to make her entrance. She shook ever so slightly but followed his command, and made her appearance. If Sean was shocked to see her after all these years, he made no show of it. She, on the other hand, was not as disciplined as him. Her shock caused her mouth to gape open slightly and her eyes to go wide. She could hear him say her name, and it barely cut in over the sound of blood rushing through her ears.

“Sean. It’s good to see you.” She called, fearing that if she stood any closer to the man, she would lose all sense of propriety.

“It’s good to see you.” He answered, making her astutely aware of the accent less voice he used.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way way, I’m starving.” Ever the one to find some way to make it about him, Eric pulled their attention back to him and what they were supposed to be doing. The older prince held out the chair for his fiancé, and sat down across from his brother. Everyone began to eat tentatively, until Sean broke the awkward silence.

“What is it you asked me here for?” He cut right to the chase. Her hand paused in its place of bringing food to her mouth, while Eric simply dropped his fork, and took another drink of wine.

“I’m sure by now you have heard of our engagement.” Eric boasted, placing his hand on his fiancé’s thigh.

“I have. Congratulations.” Sean answered politely, noting how tense she seemed next to his older brother.

“Darling,” Eric drawled out, “don’t you have something for Sean?” It was phrased like a question, but everyone could hear that it was not. She nodded obediently, and held out a small rectangular piece of paper.

“An invitation for the wedding. We do hope that you’ll come.” Sean accepted it from her, and it took everything in him to not allow his facade to fail as their fingers brushed.

“Your highness?” Someone interrupted. Eric groaned and stood, buttoning his coat.

“I’ll be right back.” He placed a kiss to the hairline of his fiancé. Soon, it was just the forgotten prince and his brother’s fiancé in the area. Sean watched her for a moment, before reaching a hand out for her to hold.

“I can’t believe you two are getting married.” He admitted, his eyes downcast.

“Believe me, I can’t either. And not for the reason you probably think.” She, too, admitted.

“What do you mean?” Sean inquired, setting the invitation down on the table with their dinners.

“Eric wants me for a trophy. He’s not doing this for love. Then again, very few royal marriages are out of love.” Her mood turned sour.

“I remember how we used to compete as children for your hand. Guess we found out who won in the end.” There was nothing joyful about this conversation, but it needed to be said.

“Sean, I waited.” Her statement made the prince perk up.

“I waited for so long for you to return. But you never did. I could never find out where you had gone to. No one would tell me anything. Then last year, my father had to repay a debt to the family. So Eric took me as payment. He wanted to come here to rub it in your face, as juvenile as that is.” Her words just kept coming as she gripped Sean’s hand tighter and tighter.

“How your father made someone as pure as you, I’ll never understand.” This sent a fierce blush to her cheeks, and her hand dug around in her bag that was right next to her chair.

“Here, take this. Eric doesn’t know that I kept it, so don’t let him catch you with it. I fear what he will do if he ever knows how long I have had that on my person.” In Sean’s hands now, instead of hers, was a locket. He smiled as he opened the piece of jewelry to find a picture of the two of them from their childhood days.

“Our first formal dance. You looked gorgeous in that green dress.” Renard was lost to nostalgia now.

“I wore it to match your eyes. They’ve always been my favorite shade of green.” She admitted, before clasping his forearm in her grip.

“Please, come to the wedding.” Before Sean could find a protest, she continued. “It’s selfish, but I want to see your face one last time before I am trapped as your brother’s trophy forever.” The man turned over his response for a minute, and in that time Eric came back into the room. Hearing footsteps, the pair jumped apart as if burned. Sean placed the locket in his jacket pocket, and turned to face his brother.

“Where were we?” Oblivious, intentionally or not, to the tension in the room, the elder prince Renard sat back down at the table.

“I’ll come to the wedding. I appreciate the invitation.” Sean’s eyes stayed on hers just long enough to send the message across, before returning to his brother.

“Wonderful! A family reunion. What splendid adventures.” Eric returned to his meal, and the other two followed suit. The tension stayed as they continued their evening, but no one was talking about it.

Three Hours Ago…

Pacing around the room, her hands were ringing together so much, she was surprised she did not hear bells coming from them. In a gorgeous white dress, complete with a veil, she felt like a princess. However, this princess was getting married to the beast, not the prince of her dreams. Ever since that fateful meeting with Sean all those months ago, her thoughts were plagued by green eyes and a kind smile.

“Mademoiselle, it is almost time.” A maid called out as she ducked her head in the room.

“Thank you, Marie. Is it cold in here to you? It feels like it is twenty below.” Marie shook her head and looked towards the fireplace. It held a roaring fire, but she said nothing about the chill the bride was feeling.

“Non, mademoiselle. Perhaps you need to stand near the fire to warm you before your walk.” She offered, and the bride nodded as she went to the warming fire. As Marie left, she noticed that while her hands, and bones were warming, her feet remained ice cold.

This was not how she wanted her wedding day to play out. But there was no corner of the globe that her fiancé would not overturn to find her again. There might be no love in their marriage, but she knew just how possessive he was.

Three Minutes Ago…

As she stood at the entrance of her walkway, she could only hope and pray that Sean was out in the audience. As selfish as it was, she needed him there. She needed to see his face as she said “I do” to keep her going. Her mind would forever morph Eric’s face into Sean’s, and she was just hoping that she was able to remain under the radar.

“Mademoiselle, it’s time.” Marie spoke gently, and flitted around her bride. Making sure the train was fluffed out, and the veil was placed over her face. She accepted her fate as the organ played the wedding march. Taking a deep breath, she imagined Sean waiting for her at the end of the isle instead of his brother, and it made her feel better. She no longer dreaded walking down the aisle if it meant Sean was waiting for her. But the second she saw Eric at the end, the illusion was broken.

She was a trophy wife. Nothing more, nothing less. Her steps were calculated, and slow as she floated down the aisle. Scanning the crowd, she could see Sean near the back as he stood. She smiled underneath the veil and tried to calm her breathing. Her hands felt sweaty and clammy, while her feet felt heavy and cold.

Joining her hands with Eric, she wished for something, or rather someone,to save her.

Present…

The gasps heard as Sean objected were loud and plentiful. Her veil had been moved which allowed everyone to see her reaction. Shock and wonder filled her expression, while Eric tightened his grip.

“Come now, little brother. Don’t don’t do this now.” The elder prince drawled out. He let out a groan as his brother made his way towards the isle.

“You’re welcome to marry her, but I feel as if I should tell you that she is pregnant with my child.” Now, confusion marred her features. Eric looked between his bride and brother in astonishment.

“Is that true?” He growled, yanking her closer and causing her to yelp.

“I don’t know what he’s talking about.” She admitted, confused and worried about what was going to happen.

“If you need any proof, brother, here it is.” Sean produced a series of black and white ultrasound images that were dated. Eric took them from his brother, and looked back towards the woman at the alter.

“You told me that you were in Italy on this date!” Eric roared; he was furious. Standing there like a fish out of water, she looked between her betrothed and his brother, who held out a hand.

Without thinking, she made her way down to the man and took his hand. She paid no attention to her fiancé who was screaming her name as they left the cathedral. Making their way to a vintage Benz, she laughed as she sat in the passenger seat.

“I’m not pregnant. How did you?” She questioned, as Sean drove off from the wedding.

“One of my associates. His wife is pregnant and I asked for his help.” He explained as he continued to drive closer to town.

“You know, I don’t even own this dress.” She admitted while laughing lightly, taking the veil off and placing it in the backseats.

“Oh yeah? Is that your something borrowed?” Sean chuckled out.

“Yeah, I guess so. You were my old, he was my new. This was borrowed, and my heart was blue.” She spoke so softly, that Renard looked towards her before placing his hand at her ready to hold.

“Well, why don’t we go back to the castle and get you away from my brother. Yes?” Nodding, her heart stopped racing. Her hands dried up and her feet warmed.

“I know for a fact that I’m not growing old with him.” They continued their drive, with no more repressed feelings and the feeling that they were no longer bound to something destructive.

Some Time Later…

Turning on the television from her couch in the condo she shared with Sean, her gasp rang out through the area.

“Eric Renard, crown prince of the Kronenberg family, was killed as his car exploded not far from Vienna airport. All of Vienna is in mourning.”

As horrible as she felt, the smile she gained was needed. He could no longer haunt her in her new life with her prince.

[jackiequick]

Arrowverse OC ✨

Inspired by DC Comics

-> Shayera De La Cruz of Andor 🌱

Adopted Earth Name: Lyra Olivia Cruz

Nicknames: Princess, Green Thumb, Shay, Liv, Ly, Ms Cruz and etc

Age (depending on the season): 20–25

Height: 5’5 (5’7 in heels)

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: Latina. Mexican one her moms side and Cuban-American on her father’s side

Place Of Birth: A fictional planet called Andor, next to the planet Thalon in the Rao System

Grew up: She landed in Coachella Valley, in California when she only less than 5 years old. Since she stuck in the phantom zone for a few years. She was found by a lovely couple. How she doesn’t know much of Earth’s actual culture, she was never one to truly understand it.

Shows appears/media references: Smallville, The Flash, Marvel, Supergirl, Dc Legends Of Tomorrow, Glee, Arrow, Star Wars and etc.

Career/Job: Artist. Paint, cartoonist and such.

Friendship: Team Flash, Team Supergirl, Felicity Smoak, Thea Queen, Sara Lance, Ray Palmer and much more.

Powers set: Earth based. Girl got a green thumb. With just the flicker of her fingers, Lyra can grow and control planets such a flowers, trees and make the air more fresh. On occasion, she can create plants. Her emotions effect the planets around her. With time she realized, she sometimes can control the weather just to make it grow or the sun to shine on the gods green earth.

Sometimes she will say something like, “The trees. They speak to me..they’re happy that it rained.”

—

Extra Info

Her biological parents were like royalty in her small planet across the south coast of the planets. Far from behind the other universes or planets nearby, simple people. Like down to earth country folks were the people on her planet. Everyone and everything looked like Earth with a fairytale style in the architecture (very much like Naboo). Their technological advances were slower than other planets, since they shared and borrowed from one another. But no one cared. Rather rich themselves in the minimalistic living instead. 

Some rarely gifted with certain abilities when they reached a certain point in their lives, meanwhile someone are not. One powers that only some elders held dear, that few past onto their children were to remember their past lives. Such as soulmates.

Her home looked like an Enchanted Forest, the ones you would hear in fairy tales crafted to share with little girls to imagine when they play dress up. She was kinda a loner growing up, having her books of fairytales and action filled stories of heroes to read.

One day she was stepped around the streets when a voice called her, consumed and curious she followed. Her dress flew behind her, walking until she saw that appeared to a wishful bouncing voice, belonging to a tall man. He was magical in a sense, convincing to anyone who listen.

“Hello?” She asked, fixing her dress and gasping at the suited man, “Who are you?”

“W-who am i? Well I’m your ticket to advertising adventures dear.” Reply the said with a kind smile, “I’m Roland.”

“My ticket to where?”

“Well Princess Shay-era, you are a very good girl. You don’t deserve to leave in this dump of a planet, but to bring your gifts to others.”

“M-my gifts?”

“Why yes of course. Your gifts. No offense, but do you really wanna be stuck in a place with no longing a little thing like you?”

Shayera crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, “What’s your game, pirate? What about my parents?”

“You’re planet was doomed to death anyway, just like the otherwise beautiful ones on this side of the galaxy. We rather saved your ass now.” He said with a shrugged smile and secretly he opens a portal.

“We..? Uh, w-who sent you?”

“You’re mother. She knew you wouldn’t want to listen without a little push.”

“My mama..? Wait—”

—-

The said portal opened and slides underneath her feet, Shayera landed asleep and shipped off world. She wasn’t brought with much, expect a few items. The portal trip was fine until she was knocked off course resulting, in her form landing in the phantom zone for weeks.

Finally she woke up to the pretty sky. Coachella Valley, in California. Her eyes were closed but sun shine still peaked into her face. She heard a young couple talking over her body. They were kind people from what she heard.

Shayera’s eyes gently blinked open catching the couples eyes. From their perspective, sweet young bright eyed little girl in a blush pink soft dress landed a few feet away from their home. It was a charming sight. The pair always wanted children and thought it was a gift from the universe.

“Hi sweetie, what’s your name?” Asked the women, Rosita.

“I don’t know..not remember..I’m sorry..” Said the girl looking at the couple confused but with a sense of familiarity in her eyes.

The man, Sean smiled, “It’s okay, we’re take you in.”

She smiled, gentle love in her eyes. They returned it, the couple named her Lyra Olivia Cruz. After Sean’s mom and Rosita’s grandmother.

—>

Years went on, Lyra lived a normal life as a teenager. School, friends, traveling to different place, reading and watching movies, shopping and so much more. Sure weird things happened over the city, in which her and her good friends coined it as ‘The Wall Of Weird’. Posting everything that happened onto the school newsletter and journal the ones they didn’t say anything about for themselves.

Sometimes it was like a damn comic book or music happened right before their eyes.

Until one day over the spring time, Lyra developed theses annoying headaches and decided to detox her body in the backyard nearby the small flowers she grew with her mother. It worked like a charm taking it all in, the fresh air, the sun and the greenery around her. Her fingers ran across the grass then flowers, as her hand sparkled. The flowers grew a little bit as Lyra looked at her face gasping in shock. Poor girl screamed, she though she was dreaming.

And her first thought afterwards was…

“MAMI! I THINK I GOT POWERS!?” She yelled calling her mother stumbling back in the house, practically falling face first on the wooden flooring. “Ow…” She added shortly.

Her mom was confused for a moment until Lyra showed her, more or less. After her dad came home from work, they had a long talk. Sean and Rosita told her what they know, that wasn’t much for neither of her parents to off on. The two felt sorry. They told Lyra that she was sent here in a pink dress, wearing a pair of dusty rose earrings and a small notebook that kept drawing in them. To their surprise, their daughter wasn’t mad at them or worried about anything. She knew she was loved and sent her as a blissing for a chance to live a good life.

As she started to work on her small scale of skills she promised to use her powers for good care, not destroying or manipulate nature. Eventually her friends found out finding it super cute and interesting.

—>

Everything was great until after senior year, she moved up to Central City to start exploring her job as an artist. Yes she does have the opportunity in California to draw and sell her art, but she wanted a different environment as a landscape for her cartoons. She was chatting on the phone with a friend when she noticed a young woman about to trampled over by a incoming speeding car.

She noticed a abandoned flower stand nearby, the man left for a break. So in result Lyra wiggled her fingers sparkling a dusty rose color as the flowers stretched out and grew wrapping themselves up gently pushing the woman away. It was a very subtle movement. Lyra released her touch on the flowers as they went back to their original form.

Lyra looked around hoping no one truly noticed, buying the said flower, leaving the money on the flower cart and walked away. They were tulips her favorite. However she was wrong, the woman who she saved did notice and a few days later found her at Jitters Coffee Shop.

Leanna O’ Conner was called in by her friend Officer Penny Spivet to see her.

Lyra refused the idea, she wasn’t one to use her powers very often and doesn’t want to be like the hero The Blur or anything.

Leanna wasn’t suggesting that and said, “Girl I ain’t asking for you to do that. But you were spotted and tracked by a camera, your smart and sweet and kind. We could use you on the team, every once in a while.”

“I’ll think about it..what do you know about me?” Lyra asked curiously.

“You grew up in Cali, you studied news and stories eventually becoming a artist for the paper. And you can manipulate planets?”

“I can control and manipulate them to grow or even strengthen themselves.”

“If you come by to the labs, I’ll like to see it sometime.”

The sometime came soon as the day she visited, The Team Flash was fighting King Shark. She had to help them by growing a cage from the ground up to hold him off in the park until they can get handcuffs on the huge half animal. Caitlin and Iris grinned impressed. Once it was done, Lyra agreed to come over every once in a while to help, but she was more than happy to hang out with the crew.

—

Her, Cisco and the others would do movie nights. Referencing comic books, tv shows and movies. In their universes, Marvel was a common thing that would mention among pop culture.

The superheroes in a barn reference, excelsior, spidey senses tingling, superhero landing, Hulk references, X-Men and etc. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, so much more being named dropped ever so causally no one bats an eye!

—-

One day Iris even mentioned, “You said you were touched on journalism right?”

“Yeah? I usually do the doodles.” She replied one day as the girls were hanging out.

“Do you know a column called ‘The Wall Of Weird’? It was popping up on again on my throwback new feed.”

“Hahahahaha! I do actually, cause i help write it.”

“No way!”

“Yeah it was a fun thing we dropped online, I didn’t know it reached cities.”

“Girl it’s the Internet, of course it did.”

—-

Hell Lyra when met Kara Danvers and others, she fell head over heels in love. Yeah she loved the other teams but Team Supergirl was unique.

With her being from technically another planet, the colorful city, the similarities between perspective she shared, and Winn was her absolute favorite. All having to save each other at least once. Oh did I mentioned how nerdy everyone was with certain things? It was super cool!

Winn opened the door where she locked in and yelled out grinning, “Hi! I’m um here to rescue you, princess.”

Even though she was chained up, Lyra grinned and gasps, “Hmm. Aren’t you a little short to be a stormtrooper?”

“You rewatched Star Wars without me?!”

“Actually it was me and James!”

“Traitors! Me and Kara rewatched Wizard Of Oz without you guys.”

“You traitors!”

—

Alex was a badass, Lyra supporting her every single step of the way to her journey. In result, Alex helped her try to find more of her heritage whenever asked.

She was one of the most supportive people in her life and vise versa.

—

Plus she wouldn’t lie saying she had a small crush on Supergirl. I mean how could you not have a crush on Kara Danvers?! She’s adorable!

Also, they worked together so they get to see each other almost every day. Other days they were chilling together.

“You’re gonna love me forever. Close your eyes!” Lyra said running into the apartment.

“Okay? Please tell me it’s a puppy!” Kara yelled out with her eyes closed.

“Okayyyy! Now open ‘em.”

Kara gasped seeing pizza from their favorite restaurant, donuts from the shop across from CatCo, and a dvd of the film The Great Gatsby.

“OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU!” Kara yelled in glee hugging her.

“HAHAHA! IT WAS NO BIGGIE!” Lyra yelled back hugging her.

——

If you wonder if she gets to see her friends and family, Kara and Lyra are able portal or teleport using a device Cisco made. Winn sometimes had to adjust the schedule or corrected coordinates for travel. 

Sometimes it leads her into trouble bouncing from once place or universe to the next…

—

Thank you for reading this! I hope enjoy it 💞

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @yetanotherwells @msrochelleromanofffelton @blueboirick @sherloquestea @morgan108 @t-nd-rfoot @ohgodnotagainn @topgun-imagines @gcthvile @superspookyjanelle @hanlueluver @halesfavoriteharlot @rooster-84 and etc

[iamnotclumsy]

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐨𝐧

William Afton x fem reader

(Based on Bride of chucky)

(Part 1)

……….

You finally did it. You finally found him.

It’s been a few years but you did it. He’s at some horror attraction called “fazbears fright”. And luckily, you had a friend that lived next door and his dad worked there.

You dated him for quite some time, of course this was before you found out what a monster he was. He murderd children! You were disgusted….especially when you thought about all the things you did with him. But a part of you still loved him. You hated him. But loved him.

But after the whole spring lock incident happened, it was almost impossible to find him. But now he’s used as some sort of “scare gag” at fazbears fright. Honestly, you were unsure if you REALLY wanted to go get him. But, you missed him and it would be dangerous to let him be free there. You were sure he would try to escape. So it would be better if you got him first. There would be less deaths that way.

The plan was simple. You asked your friend if you could borrow his extra key to the place, to retrieve something you left there on a previous visit. And go there and load him into your car.

You arrive there and go inside. Luckily, you didn’t have to worry about security because the security guard recently quit and they haven’t found a new one yet. You found him in one of the rooms. There he was. William Afton. Trapped in a decayed yellow Rabbit suit that now looked a bit more green, but still William Afton. Honestly he didn’t seem to be alive. But you dragged him to your car anyway.

You drive home and get out of your car, but before you can open the backseat door you hear a voice. “Hey y/n!” You turn around to see your neighbor Jason. “Oh hey Jason, what’s up?” You ask. “Did you find your thing?” Oh um yeah I did” he puts his hand out “good. Can I have my key back?” “Oh sure”. You hand him the key back “do you ever even go to your dad work place?” You ask, genuinely curious. “No not really, I think he just gave me keys because I’m his closest family. Y’know, for “emergencies”. But I don’t really care too much for the place” he answered. He goes on. “Anyway, I’m heading over to my girlfriend’s”. You nod. “Okay, buy!”

You watch as Jason gets in his van and drives off. You then turn back to your car. You bring him inside to your living room and set him up against the wall.

You tap him. Trying to wake him up. “Hello?…wake up. Wake up! William!….god damn it” you stand up and go to your room to get a book you bought called “Voodoo for Dummies”. You bought it ever since you knew about the kids haunting the animatronics. Tho there was a lot of cool things in the book, but it seemed that William wasn’t really…awake or alive. So maybe there was something that could awake him. You hoped so. It was the only thing that you thought might work. Your last resort.

You found a spell, a chant that awakens spirits. So you go over the the bunny man and start the chant

“Ade Due Damballa! Give me the power, I beg of you! Leveau mercier du bois chaloitte! Awake!”

Nothing happens. “Awake!…awake awake awake!” You give him a slight shove. “Son of a bitch..” you felt defeated. All your effort of finding him was pointless. At least you had his body, I guess?

You hear a knock at the door. “Who could that be?”

……….

[mareenavee]

Non-Elder Scrolls Easter Eggs I've Written into My Fic

As a writer, even in my original work, I'm very influenced by Tolkien's writing. When I was seven years old, my uncle gave me a copy of The Hobbit, and I've been rereading it as my first book of the year pretty much ever since as a tradition. Sometimes I read it aloud to family (: It reminds me why I started writing and why I've continued on for so long, despite so many setbacks in my life. That said, here are some Tolkien easter eggs I've included in my fic as an homage. Some of you may know some of these already (: Nyenna's name. She's actually named after the goddess of grief, sorrow, pity and courage, Nienna. In the Book of Lost Tales, her name was spelled this way at one point. There are some strong reasons why I named my MC after this particular goddess, and not any of the others, but I leave it to the reader to decide maybe why.

In my fic universe, it's common for a people known for storytelling to want to name their children after figures from fiction. Nyenna is one such child with one such name, ergo perhaps Middle Earth exists in Bosmeri fiction in this version of Tamriel... (: I know it's silly, but it makes me happy.

Nyenna's step-brother, Eris (a Dunmer name borrowed from older games which happens to coincide perfectly with the name of the Goddess of Strife in Greek mythology. That, too, is on purpose lol) has been known to tell Nyenna that she's always in the wrong place at the wrong time -- out of the frying pan and into the fire. This is a reference to the title of chapter 6 in The Hobbit.

The entire story is based on a quote I discovered by bibliomancy in a fun little workshop at the local Pagan store back when I was in college. I have used its premise for many a story in my time and it also worked well with Nyenna and Teldryn's story, too. In this case, we can equate Nyenna to Beren in this quote (: It's from The Silmarillion:

“You must choose, Beren, between these two: to relinquish the quest and your oath and seek a life of wandering upon the face of the earth; or to hold to your word and challenge the power of darkness upon its throne. But on either road I shall go with you, and our doom shall be alike.” -- Luthien

And that's all I can think of off the top of my head an hour before I should go to sleep. :D I hope it was a fun read.

For those of you wondering, my fic is right here -> The World on Our Shoulders on AO3

Please feel free to reblog your fic's hidden easter eggs, my dudes. I love stuff like this! Include fic links in the comments or in your reblogs and I'll go check em out.

[abimee]

people always tell me my art style remindse them of childrens book illustrations and i rarely make kid friendly stories anymore but you know what i need to make some so here

Aria Wewason is a freshly indoctrinated middle schooler of the Island Cities Elementary School in the disastrous and opportunistic year of 2008; smartboards and chunky computers have just been rolled into the classrooms, and on-line video-hosting websites have just taken off in the public conscious, and Aria has one dream set in her mind above all else --- to start a media production club in her final years at her school, and become the host of her own web series!

However, she lives in a secluded and slow-to-the times town tucked in the farthest reaches of Wisconsin; where iPhones are still coveted between the rich kids, and most kids her age still lived off of their parent's landlines and slow-running computers and have little to no access to the world wide web. Aria herself has little knowledge of technology herself, but is determined to become the most tech-savvy kid in her school and show the world her creativity and imagination through video!

Luckily, she's got a team behind her set to help her out;

her best friend since they were in preschool, Bell Mabel, who has access to the latest home computer through her parent's at-home jobs, and even owns her own Nikon handheld

the most popular --- and richest --- girl in school [name here], who after a rocky start in elementary school spent picking on Aria came to consider Aria her best and only friend, with an obsession for trading card games and with one finger on the pulse of all things gaming

a strange and energetic 4th grade who asks everyone to call her ''Tock'', who has a school-renown habit of causing trouble and gaining the ire of the teachers around her, yet is unmatched in her artistic and roleplay skills, and her through place in special education has a curious and strange level of knowledge of the inner workings of the school.... including where their budget goes?!

two IT techs crammed into a small closet the school calls their ''server room''; highschool dropout Ryder MacNamara, the second in command and often the one running around from classroom to classroom helping with the daily disruptions and presentations. Also known to moonlight as the Friday Popcorn maker, and routinely known to interrupt gym class to ''borrow'' the use of the gym teacher's microwave stashed in their room, which usually brings no less than five minutes of her picking on the teacher in front of the kids and making them laugh.

Ruyan Wozniak, a married woman and the showrunner behind everything plugged into the walls of the school. Often only found crammed into the small closet with her army of cables and screens, and known for her unending amount of kindness and patience for the students of the school when seemingly nobody else would listen to them, she has grown to become the kids' favorite ''teacher'' of them all, but when asked if it's true that she's married to the gym teacher she will often lie and tell them that theyre siblings, and she's actually married to a famous football quarterback for some reason

Seth Wewason, Aria's younger brother and classmate of Tock, whos always following around Aria and talking about wanting to be a weather forecaster on their local channel some day.

With the support of her friends and two IT nerds behind her, Aria is dedicated to seeing her goal achieved, and to leave the lasting legacy of the founder of the media productions club at her school! But when the Charter School section of her school --- a hallway blocked off from the rest of them, and spoken to in hushed whispers as ''holy curriculum'' full of classrooms with bean bag chairs and no homework --- begin to talk about forming their own media productions club, will Aria and co be able to defy their odds and be the ones to first the school's first-ever video-based morning announcements, or will Aria's only shot be taken away by the prestigious elites of the school?

[atomic-insomnia]

Find the Word Tag

thanks for the tag, @dotr-rose-love!

fly

The decision I’ve already made in my subconscious slowly takes over, and, gritting my teeth, I change course.

He stays quiet, head constantly spinning at the changes in scenery, as I fly us to an after-hours quiet street in the financial district.

As I touch down on the roof of a small office building, quiet and dark, he says, “Where are you…”

“You can find your own way home, right?”  I uncuff his hands, un-loop his arms.  “It should be pretty safe around here...And you of all people know how to get around the rooftops here, right?”

this is from a superhero/magical girl based story that I poke at occasionally.  I don’t plan on publishing it anywhere but I’m attached to the characters and some of the concepts so I keep going back to it even after I’ve “abandoned” it lol

suggest

Amelia’d work on her silkiest smile and smokiest voice, herding a gaggle of men with money to burn around her and letting them put out for drinks and lights for her cigarette, while she plucked any spare shiny bits they had in the chaos of the dance floor.  She’d find a sap with more pocket change than brains and cozy on up to him by the end of the night, suggest a room somewhere nearby, then turn the corner and slip out of his grip.

good old Beg, Borrow or Steal again

perfect

Privately Lydia weighed the future benefits of carrying a revolver; on the one hand, it might scare off the unwary even if they were armed too.  On the other, she might shoot someone, and if they didn’t have a Wanted Dead bounty on ‘em that was a waste of a perfectly good bullet.

this is the same group of characters as the superhero story except in a wild west au.  because nothing says “i plan to leave this story abandoned” like making a bunch of au’s for it...

book

"What do you want, Amelia?"  The stack of books clacked against the desk loud enough to echo down the quiet rows of book shelves as Matilda dropped them to the desk top surface.  "You don't care enough to talk to me for fun or just to get caught up.  What are you after?  What do you want your only living family to do for you, since you can't be bothered to even care about the rest of us?"

One thin drawn-on eyebrow raised, but Amelia didn't add in that she could hardly be put out to care for the people had never cared about her as anything but a sideshow attraction.  Their parents struggled to remember they had two actual whole children, and always seemed to act like one of them could've gotten a real dinner but both of them would just have to fight over it.

annnd Beg, Borrow or Steal again.  the girls are fighting, but the girls are always fighting, sooooo...

I’ll leave an open tag for whoever wants to do it!  Your words are (pick one or both) Morning/Mourning, Wear/Where, See/Sea, and Allowed/Aloud!

[sekhisadventures]

Leza, Apprentice Fire Mage

(Artist's Rendition of Leza by xHyperwolfx )

Important Stories:

Firefox: After meeting the mage Nelen Fullmoon, Leza is gifted some of his collection of books to feed her love of reading... one of which is Nelen's spellbook from when he was an apprentice at Dalaran.

Azure Light in the Winter Sky: Leza, now Nelen's apprentice and a fire mage, and her teacher are at the Azure Archives when Alalestria Wintersky attempts to use the power of the Archives in a bid to kill Samantha Montebank.

Familiar: When Leza's sister, Sekhi, is stranded in Khaz Algar following Dalaran's destruction at the hands of Xal'atath, Leza joins with Avalon and Savage United, taking a ship and sailing to the isle ahead of the Alliance and Horde. En route they are attacked by a school of naga, and Leza awakens to a new aspect of her magic to save them.

Race: Vulpera

Class: Mage, Fire School

Eye Color: Pale violet

Birthplace: Vol'dun

Residence: Her family's cart, wherever it may be at the moment.

Abilities:

Apprentice in Fire Magic: Leza has only recently awoken as a mage and has wound up apprenticed to Nelen Fullmoon. Despite him being a member of the Alliance he feels sympathy to the young vulpera after helping to save her from a mob of Primalists following her accidentally setting fire to her family's cart when she first awakened and lost control of her magic.

Null Bracers: As a safety precaution during her training, and at Leza's request (she is afraid of accidentally doing damage to her family's home again,) Nelen worked with Nitika and Jaie to craft her a set of bracers with enchanted Malygite crystals set in them. When Leza says a specific phrase the bracers enforce a magical null on her, essentially silencing her magic. She can turn this off and on at will, which gives her a feeling of security while she learns to control her new powers.

Bookworm Vulpera: Leza is a big reader, which is a rarity among the vulpera. While they would keep written records of their cart stock, cooking recipes, and medicine ingredients reading for pleasure is a rarity among them as cart space is limited and most caravanners from Vol'dun would prioritize trade goods and essentials out of necessity. Leza loves reading and is quite eager to see her teacher's library when they get the chance.

Spellfire Phoenix: Since her travels to the Isle of Dorn Leza is often accompanied by a familiar in the shape of a hummingbird made of flames. She is able to transform it into a larger hawk-like bird, big enough for the vulpera herself to ride on. She can indeed ride it, or she can fight alongside it, the phoenix able to use arcane fire magic the same that Leza can. Its her familiar so any spell she knows, it knows, though it can only use fire based ones. Doing such advanced spellwork is incredibly draining to Leza, and she can only keep it manifested for a short time. She will often collapse once the phoenix vanishes.

History

Leza is the second of four children, born to the vulpera Atu and Risala. She grew up as part of Kiro's cavern in Vol'dun with her elder sister Sekhi and her younger twin siblings Zato and Eeda. When she was very young her older sister heard the call of the elements and became a shamaness, eventually joining a group of mercenaries calling itself Savage United.

Five years after this, her family was trading on the Dragon Isles when she met one of her sister's friends. A worgen mage by the name of Nelen Fullmoon. The mage showed her how he had an extensive library that he could access using a hand-mirror to create a portal big enough to reach through, allowing her to borrow several of his tomes. Among them was an apprentice's spellbook from his own childhood at Old Dalaran before the original city fell to the Scourge during the Third War.

Nelen had done this at Leza's request, thinking it harmless. Unless one had the potential to use arcane magic it was just an ordinary book… but it turned out Leza had that potential, and she almost destroyed her family's cart and nearly injured her mother. Terrified by what she'd done, she fled into Thaldraszus before she could lose control of her magic again.

She was found by a group of primalists, one of their sin'dorei members able to sense arcane magic use. The primalists were set to kill her for the crime of using "Titan Magic," but she was rescued by her sister and several of her allies. Upon seeing what the primalists had done to her the normally more reserved shamaness became enraged and unleashed the full extent of her shamanistic power on the primalist mob that had found her sibling, creating a tremendous sandstorm that killed them to a man.

Afterwards, Nelen offered to take Leza under his wing, making the vulpera girl his apprentice. He gifted her a spellbook penned by his own hand, along with a novice's wand crafted by another of their friends and a set of bracers set with Malygite stones that could be used to create an artificial magic null that Leza could activate if she feared losing control of her magic again.

Trivia

Leza actually does make a small appearance in the story before she becomes a mage. During the "Three Years of Peace" she is with her parent's caravan when Galdia, Sekhi, and Nitika accompany it to Mulgore. At this time however she is incapable of using magic yet and is an ordinary vulpera child.

Leza suffers from eyestrain, as does her teacher Nelen. The reason being that reading by camplight, torchlight, or candlelight is very strenuous on the eyes, which is why they both require corrective lenses. Yes they could simply not do that, but tell any bookworm this and then let me know what kind of reaction you get. They tend to be pretty funny.

Leza is currently the only member of Sekhi's family who is capable of fighting besides Sekhi herself, however sharp eyed readers might notice that their twin siblings, Zato and Eeda, have expressed interest in archery (Zato) and martial arts (Eeda) so this may change depending on how long I keep this story going.

[nerdby]

Loki Season 2, Episodes 2&3

Theories & Breakdowns

Okay, I just finished watched episode three of the second season of the Loki series and I know that there is A LOT to keep track of in the Marvelverse and that it can be confusing. Trust me, peeps, I started getting into Marvel in a hardcore way all the back in 2004 back when google was practically useless cause it was bogged down by ads and every other link led to a porn website. The only advice I got when I asked for help on getting into the comics was, "Just pick one."

It was very unhelpful advice because X-Men was my jam back then and this was before House Of M had been written to clean up the Marvelverse. So there were literally a dozen different X-Men stories going at once and ALL of them were set in alternate universes in alternate timelines with various tie-ins to the Avengers, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, ect. Forums and the Marvel online encyclopedia was a gift from the Gods.

So I wanted to talk about some theories and tie-ins to the comics and other aspects of the MCU. That way people aren't confused and there will be less bitching.

Narnia Time

One thing that I noticed a lot of people were confused by is Loki referencing the events of Avengers (2012) like it happened a long time ago even though it had really only been a few weeks. If you go back and watch the first two episodes, though, you will notice that Brad has much longer hair in the second episode. This means that he probably has been in that particular universe or time branch for a while and remember

Time passes differently in the TVA.

In C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles Of Narnia -- specifically The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe -- the Pevensie children disappear through the magical wardrobe into the land of Narnia where they reside for YEARS after defeating the White Witch and becoming the new monarchs of Narnia. But at the end of the book, the Pevensies wander out of the wardrobe and back into their own world where it turns where only a few MINUTES have passed. Cause time passes differently.

Brad's new do and the fact that time passes differently in the TVA has me wondering if the TVA doesn't also operate on Narnia time. It wouldn't be all that surprising because the Loki series would not be the first piece of media to borrow this particular element of the Narnia saga. It was also a very important plot point in the 1999 anime Digimon Adventure01 (AKA Digimon: Digital Monsters) which was based off of the Japanese handheld toy and PlayStation 1 video game.

Both of which predate the Pokemon manga and anime, by the way.

It would be incredibly, laughably ironic though because the TVA is a pretty obvious metaphor for Christofascism and Narnia was written by C.S. Lewis to indoctrinate children into Christianity. Seriously, one of the books in the series called The Horse & His Boy is an Islamophobic shitrag about a boy from Narnia that rescues a girl from a very obviously Middle Eastern-inspired desert nation and brings her back to Narnia. Which at the end of the series we find out is some sort of metaphor for purgatory and Aslan is Jesus, I think.

It's been a long time since I read the books.

I just think that's hilarious and also 100% logical given that the Loki series seems to be a crossover of Agent Of Asgard and the Kang Dynasty that's building up to Avengers Forever. I'll talk about that more in a bit.

Amnesia?

The other thing that people seemed confused by when Loki referenced Avengers (2012) is that he seemed to be taking full responsibility for the ordeal. I mentioned in another post that in the first Avengers movie Thanos more than likely told Loki about the Infinity Stones, but very conveniently left out the fact that the Mind Stone which was encased in his staff would make him act like a giant, tantrum throwing douchenozzle and very easy to manipulate. I think that Loki taking responsibility for the Chitauri invasion supports that theory somewhat and also suggests that

Loki still hasn't figured out that the Mind Stone had any effect on him and therefore blames himself for the events that took place in the first Avengers movie.

Because it is canon that he was being controlled by the Mind Stone and manipulated by Thanos. This was confirmed by Marvel back in 2019.

If this is confusing then go back and do a very thorough rewatch of Avengers (2012) and Avengers: Age Of Ultron. It is in AoU that we find out that the Mind Stone is encased in the staff that was given to Loki by Thanos in the first Avengers film.

Who Built Miss Minutes?

In episode three, Miss Minutes said that Kang built her as an AI program to play chess with, but history has proven that Miss Minutes doesn't exactly have a great a track record and might not actually be trustworthy. Not only that but there is a theory trending that the Loki series building up to the Avengers Forever story arc from the comics. In the Avengers Forever story, Avengers from across the multiverse are brought together to take down a team of evil super villains by the Avenger Prime who is none other than Loki himself. And the guy leading the villains is Viktor von Doom -- AKA Doctor Doom who is the Big Bad in the Fantastic Four, but also a prevalent villain in other characters' arcs. Like everyone has gone head-to-head with Doom and his Doom Bots.

So is it possible that in an alternate timeline Kang and Doctor Doom knew each other, and Doom built or helped build Miss Minutes's AI program and Kang took credit for Doom's work? Or could a Doom variant using Miss Minutes to communicate with Kang and manipulate him?

Also there is a Fantastic Four movie in the works at Marvel, but it is still in pre-production. It would make sense that there would be some sort of a tie-in with all the multiverse shenanigans. Kingo from the Eternals was even briefly referenced in an easter egg in episode two of the Loki series.

Fascism

This is something I don't particularly like to talk about on this blog because it gets into my own personal religious beliefs. Which I have been mocked and discriminated against because of by asshole atheists on this app.

If you're an atheist with a bone to pick with religious people because you refuse to get therapy for your PTSD this is your opportunity to kindly fuck off👌🏻

But since Loki is based off of the Norse God it's kind of unavoidable. Especially with the giant looming statues of Thor, Odin, and Baldr in episode three. I know people are gonna have questions.

Those statues were a nod to modern day Norse Paganism and Loki sneering at them, I think, is Tom Hiddleston's and Marvel's way of saying they don't exactly approve of how things are going in the community.

That is because there is a very serious problem with Nazis and fascism in the Norse Pagan and Pagan community in general.

What the Loki series was referencing in episode three is called Folkish/Volkish Heathenry -- Heathenry is a synonym for Norse Paganism. Folkish Heathenry is basically Christofascist Norse Paganism. It is Norse Paganism that was inspired by Adolf Hitler's Nazi occultism blended with misappropriated Wicca, Norse Paganism, and Christianity. Folkish Heathens -- also called Odinists which are NOT the same thing as Odin devotees -- adhere to The Nine Noble Virtues which were written in the 1970s by members of the British fascist party before they became extremely popular in N. America.

The Nine Noble Virtues teach that good Norse Pagans must be white, cishet, and able to pull their own weight in society. That is eugenics -- racism, queerphobia, ableism, and there's no shortage of misogyny or toxic masculinity, either. Its white supremacy.

If that also sounds a lot like rightwing evangelicalism that's because it is. See, Folkish Heathens have blended Christofascism with their own completely bullshit version of Norse Paganism to make the actual Norse God Loki into a Satan-esque character. They have done this by placing heavy emphasis on the story of Ragnarok where Loki instigates war against the Aesir -- Odin and his allies -- after Odin punished Loki for the death of Baldr by forcing Loki's toddler son Vali to murder his twin brother Narfi by turning Vali into a rabid wolf.

I'm not gonna lie. That is an oversimplification because there is a HUGE list of bullshit that Odin put Loki through in The Eddas, including ruining his marriage and banishing three of his children essentially orphaning them. There is also a lot of political metaphors that play into the story because The Eddas were put to paper for the first time in the 11th century right in the middle of the Roman conversion to Christianity, and there were a lot of practicing Pagans back then that did not want to convert. Norway started a motherfucking war, so they could keep practicing Paganism and some historians believe that Loki is a metaphor for the Pagans who did not want to convert. Many of whom may have also been part of the Sami who are the indigenous people of Scandinavia. Cause, yeah, Scandinavia was colonized.

But the oversimplification is kind of the point because Folkish Heathens rely on the naivete of new converts and ex-Christians looking to get into Paganism to lure them into their cults. And, yes, I do mean actual cults that exist both in N. America and in Europe. They use the story of Ragnarok to turn Loki into this evil Satan-esque character while painting Odin, Thor, and Baldr as Yahweh and Jesus.

That is because the Norse God Loki spits in the face of heteronormative Christian values. He is a bisexual, polyamorous, nonbinary genderfluid shapeshifter that is capable of getting pregnant, giving birth, and getting other people pregnant. Folkish Heathens do not recognize Loki as a God worth worshipping because they hate queer, trans (nonbinary people are trans -- look it up), intersex, and poly people as well as disabled and BIPOC people. And the Norse God Loki Laufeyjarson -- AKA the God of outcasts, stories, playtime, the hearthfire, home, and the family -- represents all of those things.

That is why in tonight's episode of Loki there was no Loki statue up there with Thor and Odin.

I know these things because I am a Norse Pagan that worships Loki. I used to run a blog dedicated to exploring the subject of Loki's transness and kinda preventing the erasure of transgender history. I have watched the Nazi problem in the Pagan community get steadily worse since 2018, starting with the Lokean community. For three years, I got hate mail and death threats from Nazis and TERFs and ignorant puriteen mini fascists.

If you've ever wondered why I take the politics of the Marvel comics and fandom so seriously now you know.

I've been suicidal since I was twelve years old. The X-Men: Evolution cartoon series started to air on KidsWB around that time, and that was the first piece of media that taught me that it was okay to be different from everyone else. And that I did not deserve to be dead or ostracized because of my differences. X-Men is a Marvel property, so I am not exaggerating when I say that Marvel kept me from killing myself as a child.

That's why I'm so happy and so proud that Loki scoffed at Folkish Heathenry. It also confirms a suspicion that I and many other Heathens have had that Tom Hiddleston knows about Lokean Norse Paganism. Because there are also a ton of references to Norse Paganism in the first season and in post-2008 Marvel books.

I'm going to post a link to the Southern Poverty Law Center's information on Folkish Heathenry and the Asatru Folk Assembly -- AKA the AFA. The AFA is the largest white supremacist Norse Pagan cult in the US with four all white churches or hofs. The second largest cult is The Odinic Rite, and the largest European Folkish cult that I know of is called Norsk and it is based in Norway.

I'm doing this because I know a lot of people reading this will think I'm insane or exaggerating and not take the issue seriously.

Peeps, that's exactly what they want.

Please, read this article about the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand. It goes into detail about how Nazis use "off-color" jokes and memes to normalize white supremacy. Those jokes and memes are the reason why you're rolling your eyes right now, and they are also the reason for the book bans here in the US, the Don't Say Gay Bill in Florida, and why JK Rowling has any fandom left at all. Even though she said she supports Nazis.

[iloveschiaparelli]

UPDATE Errol has a British accent while Rodent and Tobias have American ones.

Tobias spent his early years with his parents and grandmother, who had a home AND managed to continue paying rent to Veldergrath even after her rent was spontaneouslt doublef but was not "well-off" by any means, indicated by the fact that she borrowed books from her employer rather than bought them for Tobias to read. Probably the closest thing to a middle class that exists in Carthya. Roden grew up in an orphanage, the only one of the trio to have spent his whole life there.

Mott has a proper British accent while Cregan has a snarly one, like you'd expect of a caricaturized "British lowlife."

Errol, on the other hand, came to Farthenwood at the age of 10 to help pay his family's debts. While we don't know his family's financial situation, it's clear by the context that they aren't rich either.

Clearly the divide in British and American accents is not split by national boundaries between Avenia and Carthya, but social status. Therefore, there are 2 options for what we can gather about this world based on the audiobook performance:

Option 1 is that accents aren't developed in early childhood like they are in real life, but instead may be shaped even after the age of 10. Which would explain why Tobias has an American accent despite growing up in a debt-free home (he would have been sent to work at Veldergrath's estate had his grandmother or parents incurred debts with him), because a couple years prior he landed in a small orphanage and his accent came from there. There is some consistency also because Errol, who did NOT come from a debt-free home, has a British accent and that could be explained by the fact that he's been living at Farthenwood, around high society, since age 10. However, this option doesn't hold water because if this was true, Sage would have picked up the Carthyan orphanage accent and Conner would never have remarked on his Avenian accent

Option 2 is that Sage is the only character in the performance so far who does not conform to any sort of standard, and that while the British accent is reserved for high society, families who exist in proximity to high society end up picking it up as well (this would include Errol's family, explaining why he had the accent prior to arriving at Farthenwood.) Roden, Tobias, and other orphanage children would have an American accent because even Tobias' family did not exist in close enough proximity to high society to acquire the accent. This interpretation implies that Mrs. Turbeldy comes from a richer background than is let on by the books: she began life as part of an upper-middle class family but somehow fell in standing until she ended up working against her will in an impoverished orphanage. This would also explain her eating more than the boys to the point of gaining weight (chapter 1) and her taste for accessories and jewelry that are disproportionate to her income: It's the standard of living that she grew up with and is used to. It's also why she allows Sage to bribe her with trinkets despite hating his guts, because he's the only boy at the orphanage with deft enough fingers and a bold enough attitude to bring her the items and food that remind her of her past life.

This interpretation also affirms what we already know about Mott, which is that his family has been associated with Conners for generations, meaning that while Motts family are not nobles, they still carry the pride and mark of high society. It also affirms the interpretation that Cregan, while having served high society for a while, comes from a "lesser" background, likely having grown up in the capital surrounded by the royal army and having joined them at some point before eventually winding up in Conners service. I can't recall at the moment if Cregan has a canon backstory or not.

Sage, on the other hand, only sounds American because the reader, while possessing impressive voice acting skills, is likely American himself and had no desire to act out varying accents throughout the book as Sage's accent changes, nor to choose an accent and have to keep it up for the entirety of the book and narration. This could be out of a desire to spare the audience from confusion, laziness (self care), or both. I'm guessing both. If I had to fake an accent for 8 hours a day for several days straight I would lose my mind too.

I will have to wait for Imogen's arrival to be certain of this pattern. I'm also incredibly curious to see whether Amarinda has a British accent, and whether Sage's accent will switch to British when he changes his accent/assumes Jaron's identity. My money is on No for the latter, both because the reader is American and also because Jaron 1) did not conform to royal standards to begin with and 2) left his family at a young age. I don't know if this reader also did the audiobook for The Captive Kingdom or not, but I also wonder if he would read Darius as British or American considering that Darius is family to Jaron, but is also conformed to high society.

I'm listening to the False Prince audio book right now (major spoilers in this post btw!!!!!!!!) and I'm still in the first chapter but the reader (Charlie McWade) has read most of the narration in a pretty flat tone while giving all the characters wildly performance accents, EXCEPT SAGE, who has a basic American accent just like the narration and so far only has slightly more life injected into him. Conner and Mrs. Turbeldy are both being read in these performative British accents.

If you've read the books then you know that not only are Conner and Turbeldy both Carthyan but SAGE, who is actually Jaron, is ALSO carthyan and spends most of the first book pretending to be Avenian and faking an Avenian accent.

WHICH IMPLIES THAT THE ACCENT OF THE AVENIANS IS JUST AN AMERICAN ACCENT. And the Carthyans are British.

Help??? Is Sage's accent going to change from American to British as the book goes on and he "learns" to fake a Carthyan accent? Is the narration going to change to a British accent at the end when we realize that he's been Carthyan all along?!! Or has he been in the Avenian accent for so long that now he just thinks in an Avenian accent?

Help I know I'm probably reading too much into it but this is insane i can't stop thinking about it, Sage/Jaron's accents and sarcasm play SUCH an important role in the series so it feels SO wrong that all the characters would get essentially Pro Voice Actor Treatment while he gets to be read in a flat American tone regardless of what façade he's putting on at any given time.

[littleeyesofpallas]

Considering I've been back on some of Kubo's word stuff (when have I ever been off it?) I figure I could stand to consolidate some of my old related junk into a hub.

The necessary primer on wtf I'm talking about here for a general English speaking audience, is,

Japanese is written with a mix of kanji[漢字](ideograms borrowed from Chinese) and kana(phonetic characters in one of two types; hiragana[ひらがな] as the standard, and katakana[カタカナ] used variously for emphasis/style and/or foreign words)

Some kanji have different meaning and/or pronunciation based on context

For this reason, in various children's publications a kind of superscript called furigana is used to indicate how to pronounce kanji for school age readers

Kubo utilizes furigana in an unusual way in Bleach...

So, typically when a foreign word is included in line with Japanese text it is phonetically transcribed in katakana, approximating the pronunciation thru Japanese phonetics. Or in some cases written out in roman letters with aforementioned katakana written as furigana. But they're still both the same word with the same pronunciation, just like how furigana is used with Japanese.

But when Kubo uses borrowed language words for the names of techniques and powers in Bleach, he frequently designs them to be written with one "meaning" in kanji, but with a pronunciation in another language. So, for example...

When Kubo introduced the term "Visored" what he actually had in text was the kanji [仮面の軍勢] meaning something like "Army of Masks" or alternatively "Masked Troops" and the pronunciation guide given is Va-i-zer-do[ヴァイザード]. (and the actual roman letter spelling was only confirmed as "Visored" later in the MASKED character book.)

So that's three different written forms for one word 仮面の軍勢, ヴァイザード, and VISORED, with two different meanings, "Masked Troops" and "wearing a visor." See how that got real tricky real fast? And Viz's English translations, with great frequency, did not address these tricky bits well, or indeed at all.

anyway, with that bit of trivia for context(and forgive me but some version of that block of text is going to show up in a few of these old posts too) here's a bunch of times Kubo did that thing I just mentioned, assigning disparate meanings and pronunciations to things...

Shinigami stuff:

[✖]: "Soul Society" itself is actually one of the earliest cases

[✖]: Renji using simple speech to try and communicate more complex ideas

[✖]: Rose's bankai moves, all named after classical orchestral compositions.

(There's generally less of of it here since most is just straight forward Japanese)

Arrancar stuff:

[✖]: A bunch of the names of places in "Hueco Mundo"(Hollow Area)

[✖]: Tiny dump of Chad's vaguely arracnar adjacent stuff

[✖]: a funky case with Gantenbainne

[✖]: That time Neliel referred to Hollows as "Beasts"

[0, 1] [2 & ½s] [3 & ⅓s] [4, 5 & ⅕] [6 & ⅙s] [7-9] [3, 6, 103, 105, 107]: all the named arrancar Resurreccion

[✖]: Tousen's Resurreccion, Grillar Grillo

Quincy Stuff:

[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]: a big list of Quincy terms

[✖]: Quilge's super weird censored speech in Vollständig

[✖]: The term Vollständig, plus the Vollständig names themselves

[A-E] [F-K] [L-Q] [R-V] [W-Z]: The Sternritter's Schrift powers

[✖]: Schatten Bereich and a few other Quincy locations

[✖]: Not really wordplay, just Cang Du being Chinese

Hell stuff:

[✖]: The new arc title itself

[✖]: The little hell jelly blobs Kyoraku comments on

[✖]: Akon's mahjong science attack

[pinkmirth]

can i req some dad reiner fluff? i feel like he would have a lot of kids bc of the breeding kink 🥴 but yeah just some cute stuff pls thank uuuu!!

THE THOUGHT OF REINER BEING FATHER JUST DOES SOMETHING TO ME I- AJHSJS

THANK YOU SM FOR REQUESTING, ANON!! LET'S GET CAUGHT UP IN THE REINER BRAINROT TOGETHER <3

═════════°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═════════

—DAD REINER!

 (MODERN AU + MENTIONS OF PREGNANCY + FEMALE BODIED READER + FLUFF + SLIGHTLY SUGGESTIVE + REINER BEING THE BEST DAD EVER DUH + TW: SLIGHT LANGUAGE)

═════════°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═════════

Dad Reiner who was such a hot mess moments before he became a father to begin with. The pair of you are situated inside a hospital room, occupied with things much bigger than a sprained ankle. He stood alongside you, his beloved, all the while; Encouraging your efforts and attempting to ease your pain with the squeeze of your hand within his bigger one. As fretful as he feels, it's no surprise that Reiner ends up passing out a good few times, and he wasn't even the one in labor. Though, the hard part is now over, and all his worry has subsided.

Dad Reiner who recalls whimpering, weakly grinning, and eventually bawling of joy when holding his child for the first time. You'd never seen his cries mingled with such joy before. He cradles yours and his newborn within firm forearms and large, mindful hands. The pair of you sob and smile, ogle your baby with a relieved, content thrum in your heart. You allow Reiner to attempt squeezing into the hospital bed beside you, as broad and weighty as he is, with your child being held right between you and him. He’s a hot mess, but an overjoyed one who has you; and little Reiner x [Y/N] junior 🥺

Dad Reiner who converses with you for days before ultimately deciding on a name for yours and his daughter— Joyce Braun. He contemplated on “Karina”, the name of his dear mother. Though, he wants his little girl to be better than any past generation, and rather goes with a more revitalizing name, one that holds a simple, but deep meaning in his perspective. As obvious as it sounds, the name means “Joyful”. That's all he wants; for his kid to be happy in this life, happier than he ever was. Therefore, he bases her name, the root of his dear child’s identity, on cheerfulness.

Dad Reiner who tends to grow somewhat frustrated. Not with you of course, not even with Joyce’s incessant wailing in the early hours of the morning, but with himself. It wasn't as though he did anything wrong, he simply hopes that he won't. Begs himself not to fuck up with this whole “Parent” thing. If it wasn’t clear enough, Reiner wants to be nothing like his own father. He’ll never, ever shoo his child away and disregard them, but instead use those same hands to hold, guide, and lift them up. It doesn't take long for the blonde to snap out of his funk, because he's sure that he can become all the better for the sake of his little family.

Dad Reiner who wakes to your still, ethereal-like form every morning, and it's enough to make his day. A kiss to your neck, a nibble along your earlobe, and a couple repetitive rubs to your waist and thighs are enough to stir you right awake. And if that isn't the case, then it's usually the other way around; You pressing soft, lengthy kisses to his sharp, attractive cheekbones. Despite who arises first, there’s always one thing that's bound to happen— Joyce making her arrival into the bedroom via crawl, with a babble and a cute, happy little shriek upon seeing her parents.

The pair of you have no clue as to how she manages to make her way over to your room every time, but you're simply glad that she does so safely. It's Reiner’s cue to leap out of bed and scoop her off of the carpet and into his awaiting arms, clad in nothing but a white tee and the baggiest sweats. He appears disheveled, but it's still clear to see the main striking similarity between him and his pretty little daughter; Those amber brown eyes that hold the same warm, yellowish hue as his do.

He rocks the giggling one-year old, back and forth and right back again, gazing upon his squirming bundle of joy until you mention that he’s been doing so for a whole ten minutes. He grows sheepish and merely chuckles in reply, resting Joyce’s head upon his firm chest with a sigh. He could do this for ten hours more if it were up to him.

Dad Reiner who knocked you up a couple more times, and real damn good at that. There’s something of a breeding fetish that he’s got on him, which is the reason why your little family is now two kids larger. There’s Joyce, who’s now seven years old, along with her two baby brothers, the pair being a mere one year apart from the other. You and Reiner no longer have to worry about checking on Joyce in her crib, for she sleeps on her own bed now, like the “big girl” she claims to be.

Though, the boys now have you both occupied, and you’re lucky to have an older daughter who’s so understanding and rarely ever  grows jealous. Joyce, your girl who’s on more of the rambunctious side but ironically never pleads for attention, has been spending much more quality time with Reiner. Both you and him are busy with the boys, but the blonde tends to have free time on his hands every now and then. Besides, someone’s got to keep Joyce company.

Reiner happily obliges, and makes this father-daughter time worthwhile. Wholesome picnics to the park that always end in races back to the car and Reiner being a damned klutz and dropping his sandwich. Having a “spa day”, filled with Reiner’s not-so-great attempts at doing his girl’s hair, messy manicures and a hefty bag of makeup that Joyce “borrowed” from you. He spoils the girl as if the lot of you are rich (and since Reiner’s always got a hefty load of spare cash, you technically are), but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Dad Reiner who’s a lot more used to this “dad” thing now, since it’s been a couple good years down the line. You and him have amazing bonds with each of your kids, but they seem to latch onto Reiner’s large, broad body at any given time a lot more than they do you. Joyce is twelve, the brothers are five and six, and Reiner’s officially a DILF— The finest one at that. His stubble stays nicely trimmed, along with the subtle creases at his eyes becoming a little more distinctive. Goes to work, and sometimes takes the kid’s lunches instead of his own, because that's just the Reiner Way.

He’s the ultimate father in practically every situation, even when looking out for peers and comrades. He doesn’t mean to, it’s just that habits easily stick with Reiner, and it’s rather difficult for him to let them go. Besides, with three kids, how do you expect him to not be in “dad mode”?

Dad Reiner who utterly loves having random little talks with his kids, and never invalidates them, not for one second. It’s almost as though he can see things in their perspective, and they don’t know anyone else better to vent to other than their dad and mom. Though, when they tend to babble on about something that’s rather popular within their generation, it gets hard for him to catch up. They proceed to call him “old” and receive a good chase around the house before they get caught and looped into a tickle attack, and that's basically the worst thing imaginable if you’re in the Braun family. The reason being is Reiner’s unparalleled speed, despite his age; Thirties to early forties, but he’s still extremely fit, and has no problem running a mile if he has to.

Dad Reiner who’s in love with his family and the person they’ve gradually helped him become. You cherish him and your kids like none other, and he does the same. Sometimes it abruptly dawns on him; He’s a dad, and he’s actually a good one, who would’ve known? He smiles to himself, allowing his amber eyes to flit over to wherever you are before his soft grin grows wider. You look back, blow a kiss, and he does the same. The action is exchanged before he strides over to give you the real deal— Though, your sweet little peck is all cut short when Joyce and the boys skip in and start making kissy noises, with you and Reiner laughing all the while.

═════════°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═════════

“Papa,” Gale, the youngest son of the bunch, calls aloud and gains his father’s attention. Reiner peers up from his book and gives a brief, questioning response. “Yes, dove?” It’s a simple, sweet nickname; One that he calls you, Joyce, and the boys.

“Mommy’s in the bathroom crying.” The blonde drops his novel with an punctuating hitch of his breath, the book falling upon the couch with a dull thump. “—Why? Is she alright?” Reiner, the man who generally keeps himself rather poised, is now frantic, sharp brows downturned at his son's statement.

“Uh, I dunno. She’s crying, but smiling too.” This then causes Reiner’s brows to furrow. “Smiling, you say?”

“Yeah. Can we go out to get ice cream today? I wanna get, uh.. Chocolate chip, please!”

Reiner lets a brief laugh slip loose at Gale’s query, but he has to prioritize his wife over a summertime snack. He then begins to make a beeline towards the bathroom, in search of you. “Soon enough, dove. I’ve got to go up there and check on your momma first, alright—?”

Gale then shrugs and hops onto the couch, little feet padding along the spacey seat as the leather creases underneath his weight.

“By the way, Papa,” Reiner then pauses, open to any vital information his son could give, “she has this funny stick thingy in her hand. It’s got two little lines on it and stuff.”

Reiner chokes on his breath, lower lip beginning to tremble and quirk into a smile. If the case is what he thinks it is, he’s got all the reason to bust out with the teary eyes and jovial whimpers, just as he did when receiving the news of his three expected children in the past.

“A stick..?”

“Mhm,” hums Gale, proceeding to jump upon the dark brown couch, “Mama probably wants some chocolate chip ice cream too.”

═════════°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═════════

[komatsunana]

👁️👃👁️ greetings

I have come threatening you with yet another ask.

Since you're a book nerd, what novels/books do you think the cast of NANA would read or associate them with?

Have fun😈

threatening me with an ask fkdjfkldjsf

please note of course I primarily know and have read English literature and haven't read much Japanese literature. So I'm mostly going to associate them with Western literature, though granted I think NANA's characters are more Western leaning regardless when it comes to their tastes.

but ok let's see...

Of course Hachi has herself a stack of bodice ripper romances, that's just. I just know ok. She doesn't get into reading until she's pregnant, but then she gets into reading biographies of her favorite movie stars as well as the original books that her favorite movies are based on. Of course she reads lots of Jane Austen too, and hmm I'm feeling Persuation would be her favorite.

Also My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante.

Nana of course borrow's Hachi's favorite bodice rippers after Hachi readers them. She uses them to fall asleep to but more often gets sucked up reading them and laughing her ass off. Hm, I'd associate her with The Outsiders by SE Hinton.

Also, totally Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn... lol :3c

This is slightly evil for Nobu, but Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.  But also The Outsiders by SE Hinton for him as well.

For Yasu... Maybe Blood Brothers by Willy Russel?  Twin brothers separated at birth, live different lives with one wealthy and the other poor and ends up in prison... And they fall in love with the same woman.  Seems very suiting for our Yasu. (I also considered East of Eden by John Steinbeck because the idea of seeing himself and Ren in Cain and Able parallel......... hurts)

For Shin something like Mio, My Son by Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish children’s book.  Also Notre-Dame-des-Fleurs (Our Lady of Flowers) by Jean Genet because certain people keep bring it up with Shin ;_;

Ren.... Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.  something something a boy and his rose............ something something

Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton for Takumi.  Or something like  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë or Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.

For Reira... Hm. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.

I have no evidence for any of the this, but I really like the think that Miu is a horror fan.  And that her dream role is in a Japanese horror movie.  So something like The Summer of the Ubume by Natsuhiko Kyogoku is my pick for her.

Asami, obviously, only reads magazines lol. But maybe something like Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue.

For Mai... Valencia by Michelle Tea.  But tbh, Mai herself probably doesn’t read anything that isn’t Nana or Blast related.

[tonguetiedraven]

I've got a writing request that's been brewing in my mind for a while - I just really want some good emotional hurt/comfort for Yukio, there's not enough of that on AO3. Bonus points for hugs, a good cathartic meltdown, and/or Yukio having a diary.

Thank you for the ask and prompt/request. Yukio, funnily enough, is probably the character I find absolute hardest to write. I did go for the hug and diary/journal bonus points though. Didn't quite hit the meltdown. It's set post the current arc and touches on some of Yukio's suicidal tendencies and depression.

so content warning for some suicidal talk

On another note, if you enjoy Yukio, check out these amazing people and their ao3 pages, because their Yukio's are *chef's kiss* :

Jeiidaan, (@yukiokumura on tumblr)

revoleotion, (@revoleotion on tumblr)

rynoa29, (@29rynoah on tumblr)

you can also check out my page here and see my Yukio stories.

—————

“Yukio! You got a minute?” Rin rushed over with a flurry of movement that always made Yukio feel a bit tired, as if he was the one flailing and dashing everywhere. His brother was a perpetual blur of energy, and had always been.

“Yes?” He kept his reply far more reserved and kept at his steady pace to the office. He had to finish the tests, and grading the essays, and then he’d have to create a lesson for Shiemi tomorrow to make certain she didn’t fall behind with her class.

It would be at least three more hours before he could return to their dorm. Even then, there wouldn’t be a chance to rest.

There was never a chance to just… rest.

Rin slowed down to keep pace with him, and his tail started to twitch with pent up energy. He was even bouncing a little with each step. Where did he get that kind of energy? Yukio had never had that much of it.

“Yukio,” Rin beamed, glee making his eyes sparkle as he rushed his words, “how did the picture end up in jail?!”

Yukio leaned back at the sheer volume and exuberance his twin spoke with, and frowned. “I—what?”

“It was framed!”

The joke took a moment for Yukio to understand, and when he did, the corners of his mouth quirked up without his permission, and the quietest huffs of laughter broke past his lips.

Rin’s smile grew even larger, he let out a bubbly laugh of his own and bumped Yukio’s shoulder with his own. His tail whipped through the air in an ecstatic wag, and he bounced cheerfully in the spot. “I gotta go,” he said after a moment of just grinning. “I’ll have dinner waitin’ on ya!”

With a flurry of limbs, Rin was gone again. Yukio was left with a small smile and another chuckle.

Framed. Terrible joke. Absolutely fantastic.

It would just be a strange thing if that was it. Rin was always a bit odd, and he shared every bit of news/information with more excitement than it was typically due. It would have just faded into the monotony of the day, and been a singular bright spot in the otherwise dreary gray…

But it wasn’t a one off, and it wasn’t the only strange moment.

Rin told him at least one terrible joke every day. And after three days of that, the others started to join in. Ryuuji and Konekomaru tended to tell school based jokes that always took a moment to understand, but still left Yukio smiling or trying not to snort.

Izumo told animal based jokes, all of which were strangely endearing and adorable. Shiemi told the absolute worst sort of children jokes that he hadn’t heard since he was a child with Rin and they’d borrow joke books to make Shirou laugh.

Renzou went with slapstick, which was both alarming and annoyingly hilarious. He was unreasonably good at falling, flailing, and knocking things over only to catch them again.

Yukio had never really considered how childish his own sense of humor was, but with the jokes, prat falls, and puns that were starting to fill his day, he had to admit that he was not the most sophisticated of people when it came to what he found truly funny. Though he couldn’t understand why everyone didn’t laugh.

Lunches were made everyday, as always, but he started to notice Rin making them brighter, and the ingredients seemed to shift, though he couldn’t quite identify what all the foods had in common. They were still tasty and filling, so he had no cause to complain, but he filed it away as an oddity along with everything else.

Yukio watched and wondered, and continued through the slowly (always so slowly) improving days. Spring was coming, and with it came brightness and a sense of hope he wished was as potent for him as it was for everyone else.

The fountains were running again, and he secured a secluded spot beneath a few trees to watch them and the people that milled about them.

“Hey,” Shura plopped down next to him, uncaring about the slight chill and her shorts. He had never seen her actually show any acknowledgement of the cold. “You feeling better?”

Yukio swallowed his mouthful of salmon and frowned. “I’m sorry? Was I not feeling well?”

Shura stole one of the pieces of dark chocolate Rin had put in his bento today. “You know what I mean, kid. You still feeling down? ‘Cause if so, you know I’m always around to talk?” She popped the chocolate in her mouth, smacking in a way that had always made him irritated. Now he didn’t notice past the confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

Shura tilted her head towards him, eyes narrowing in study. They widened after a moment of consideration and she promptly laughed too loudly. It was a horribly forced sound. “Just kidding! Well, partly. I mean, you can always talk to me. But, yeah. Don’t look so serious.” She prodded his side with her elbow, grinning in a way that had him entirely confused. She stole a piece of his spinach, and jumped to her feet. “See ya later, kid. Enjoy your lunch.”

Yukio watched her go with a frown of confusion and tried not to focus on the twist of worry rising in his gut.

It wasn’t like any of them could know.

—————

The problem with worry was that Yukio was terrible at ignoring it. So once he became aware of something he could be worrying about, he did worry about it.

The jokes continued on, but now he couldn’t help but notice the way whoever told him would stare at him for a moment after he laughed, something almost worried in their own expressions. He inspected his food more closely, and noticed certain themes in what was and wasn’t included, and it worried him.

More so than that, he noticed Rin around far more often. It wasn’t always in a way he was meant to notice, but Rin was never too far away. If Rin wasn’t there, then Shura was. Shura started to keep actual office hours that conveniently coincide to when he was in the office and or grading things. Shura who had never bothered with office hours and probably hadn’t graded a single thing since they’d started.

He filed the oddities away quietly and looked for more. He analyzed his results and came to one decidedly bad theory.

It took almost no effort to find and break his twin.

“Rin?” his twin hummed in acknowledgement to the question. He was on his stomach, legs crossed in the air as he read his manga, and his tail was thumping happily at whatever the story was. At least it was his own manga this time and not one he’d absconded from Yukio. “Do you have a moment?”

The way Rin’s entire instantly went stiff felt like a confession. “Yeah?” Rin rushed, dropping the manga and sitting up at attention. “Whatcha need?”

It was too much worry to not know.

“What have you been doing?”

Rin’s tail twitched. “Reading? Did ya need something?”

He shook his head and took a seat in Rin’s desk chair. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I meant, with me. Why the jokes? And the lunches? And the,” he waved his hand to indicate Rin being here, “the hanging around?”

Rin smiled fakely. “Do you not like the jokes? I got some different ones I could try?”

“What— no, that’s not what I’m—”

“There once was a pig that did karate…They called him Pork Chop!”

“Rin,”

“What did the sushi say to the bee? Wasabee!”

Yukio leaned forward and plastered his hand over Rin’s mouth. “Please listen.” Rin’s mouth closed under his palm. “I’m asking why you’re doing it. When… when did you find out?”

It had to be that. There was simply no other explanation that made sense. Not that Rin typically made a lot of sense.

Rin’s entire body slumped like someone had suddenly cut his strings. Yukio lowered his hand, and Rin’s eyes welled up. “When did I find out? Shit, how long ago did you write the thing?”

Write? Oh.

Oh no.

“Rin—”

Rin shook his head hard, and yes, there were tears in his eyes. Tears that tore at Yukio’s gut and made something sick and self-loathing churn in his gut. He breathed through the emotion and waited for Rin to speak.

“I,” Rin reached under his pillow and pulled a small, heavily folded and familiar piece of paper out. “I wasn’t lookin’ through your stuff, honest. I just found it by accident when I was borrowing your plant book.”

“Pharmaceuticals,” Yukio corrected automatically.

Rin glared. “Whatever. I found it under that thing. I didn’t want to believe it, not after everything, but…” He unfolded the letter as he spoke and stared down at it. Yukio didn’t have to look to know what it was. He’d just assumed he’d thrown it away when he couldn’t find it.

“I’m sorry. You weren’t meant to find it.”

Rin swallowed thickly, sniffing and looking generally miserable. “Yeah, I figured that much. Figured you’d probably tell me if it actually got that bad again. You’d promised, but…” He scrubbed at his eyes and stared at Yukio as they welled up again. “I did some research and stuff.”

Rin trailed off. Yukio waited a moment, trying not to concentrate on the horrible guilt and loathing, and finally decided Rin wasn’t going to continue without some encouragement.

“Research?”

“Research. It said laughing can help? And then I saw the stuff on brain foods and figured it couldn’t hurt.”

Yukio’s life had been tainted with death since he was born. Dramatics of their birth aside, the first demon he could remember seeing was a ghoul, though he hadn’t understood what it was at that time. It seemed that he’d always been aware of death, and that the sorrow of it had been around him since he could first walk.

Rin had never been that way. Wanting to die was something that had never happened to him, as far as Yukio was aware. (He wouldn’t dwell on those sort of thoughts. The world needed Rin, and Yukio needed Rin to be as full of life as he always ws. Rin feeling like he did most days was too terrible a thought.)

For Rin, suicidal thoughts, depression, weariness with life, they all had to seem strange and horrible, but they were just part of who Yukio was.

Or who he had been. He was trying to get better, though it didn’t feel like he’d made enough progress. Certainly not when Rin was sitting there with tears streaking down his cheeks and his hands clenched around a letter Yukio had written.

“Rin, that wasn’t…” Yukio, with a weary sigh, got up from the chair and strode across the room to his desk. He pulled the drawer out, tapped the corner, and waited for the false bottom to pop loose. The notebook was still there.

Pulling it out, he dusted the cover and made his way to his twin. Rin had his bottom lip caught nervously between his teeth and looked seconds away from a full anxiety-driven flame up.

“I don’t mean them. Not really. I… I’ve written—”

“You’ve written others?” And something in Rin’s voice was so broken that Yukio’s hand trembled. He nodded his head, hating himself a little more for being the reason that expression was on Rin’s face, and that crack was in his voice.

If he wasn’t so weak… if he could just—

(Don’t think like that. Rin loves enough to cry at the thought of you hating yourself.)

“Do they help or something?”

Yukio swallowed. “Help?”

Rin motioned towards the notebook. He wouldn’t quite look at it. His eyes were staring at Yukio’s chin, not quite meeting his eyes, and refusing to lower to the notebook. “The, uh… the letters? Do they help?”

“They’re not just letters. They were, for a long time, but… I’m, er,” swallowing again, he forced himself to push on, “I’m journaling now? It was something… I was told to try it instead.” Yukio sat back down across from Rin and opened the back cover. He flipped through the empty pages until he reached his last entry. “It was just a lot of stream of consciousness.”

“What’s that?” Rin’s eyes were on the floor now, too nervous to look at him or the journal.

“Just writing down what you’re thinking or feeling without planning it out or trying to make it sound a certain way. It helps to see everything and sort out what I’m actually upset about. But, I’m not just supposed to do that. I’m also supposed to record the positive stuff.”

Flipping through a few more pages, he couldn’t help but notice how much the positive section shrank the further back he flipped.

There it was. Nestled firmly at the beginning of the happy section. Two weeks after he’d been told to start, and when he’d finally managed to write something.

How did the picture end up in jail? It was framed. - Rin after my last class. He was happy, and it was the first time I remember looking to see if his tail was wagging. I was glad to see it was.

He turned the book around, taking a moment to scan the top and noting that he hadn’t felt like ending everything that day. Or he at least hadn’t written anything about that down. It was safe.

“That was the first one I wrote,” he explained. “I didn’t get why I should, the entire thing seemed so stupid, but I saw that joke, and it made me smile.”

He tilted the book towards Rin and watched his eyes scan over the paragraph. They widened a little as he read, and his tail stilled its nervous twisting.

“You heard laughing helps? What exactly?”

“Helps when you’re feeling…” Rin trailed off and worked his throat. Yukio watched him, and something in his heart throbbed until his own eyes were burning.

Helps when you’re feeling suicidal. Helps when you’re feeling depressed. Helps.

How many jokes had Rin told him? How many specially made lunches had Rin produced with the hopes of helping his mind be healthy?

How many times had Rin read that letter (so much of it was to Rin) and planned more jokes and ways to make him laugh?

And the others… did they know about the note or just that he was hurting? What had it taken to get them involved?

(He didn’t notice the tears spilling down his own cheeks.)

Yukio pulled the notebook back to his own lap, mindlessly flipping through the pages as he came to terms with the fact that they all probably knew. All the jokes, all the ridiculous (hilarious) behavior, it had all been to make him laugh, and specifically to make him laugh. Rin had included spinach in dozens of meals now, and he loathed spinach.

Even Shura was keeping watch.

Part of him itched to write all his thoughts and feelings out. They were swirling and too intense to understand properly. He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling, just that he was feeling a lot of it.

There were tears falling on to his book though, and that was a start.

Tears are healing. His counselor had said. Don’t be upset by them.

Rin had found his note and tried to help. Rin had told him countless jokes and now Yukio’s journal was filled with silly and happy things. He swallowed, voice too thick to speak even if he knew what he wanted to say.

Rin didn’t wait for him to speak. He just got up, and pulled Yukio out of the chair. He squashed the notebook between them as he wrapped Yukio up in the tightest of hugs. The sort that hurt a little, but left him able to feel the hug long after Rin had let go.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know. I’m sorry I didn’t tell ya. I’m sorry it happened.” Rin’s face tucked itself against Yukio’s shoulder. “I’m sorry the jokes were lame, but I promise to keep finding more. I’m gonna make you every healthy lunch, and I’m gonna be here. I promise.”

Yukio held him back and didn’t care that the notebook fell. He didn’t need it to remember this moment. Happy, sad, whatever it was, it was important and it was his.

[fatalism-and-villainy]

zhou zishu for the character ask meme?

Thank you for enabling me to talk about fandoms you're not in!

one aspect about them i love

He kills children. (No, really, this was the thing that made me straight-up love him when i read Qi Ye. Sometimes I'll see people say "oh, wow, he's so problematic... I guess I can love him anyway though" whereas I'm like "all these things are good actually.")

More seriously, he's so opaque about everything. He is repressing and compartmentalizing all over the place, and is so used to hiding his true feelings and intentions for court intrigue and espionage purposes that those things become obscured even to himself. (There's a part in TYK where he casually brings up Jiuxiao's name for the first time since his death, and it's noted that this is a big deal for him, and then it says something like "it wasn't a big deal, it was just that part of him was hollow on the inside" like buddy?? you okay there???) Like, he's very prickly, and a lot of his warmer feelings towards people come out through his actions and reactions, which makes him very fun to read about. (Like that scene where he's trying to act all nonchalant about Wen Kexing's sexual exploits while it's clear he's extremely flustered by the topic of conversation.)

But he also has such a playful side! He's very cool and controlled and measured throughout Qi Ye, but he is a Gremlin at heart and seeing him start to joke around and enjoying being a shit-stirrer is one of the joys of reading Faraway Wanderers.

one aspect i wish more people understood about them

*gestures upward at "he killed children"* Like I feel like I keep harping on the stuff that happens in Qi Ye, but he very much did arrange for a kid to be raped and murdered for politicking purposes. I think a lot of characterizations of him that feel jarring to me are based on his Word of Honor characterization, and fair enough, I can't fault people for wanting to work off the show if that's their preferred (or only) canon, and even this fic of mine is borrowing some elements of that version of canon, but. Sometimes I'll see people characterize him in relation to morality or specifically sexual violence/exploitation in ways that just... do not line up with what he's actually done.

Also, this is relevant to Wen Kexing as well (who I also have to answer an ask for), but I'll put it here - he's actually pretty similar to Wen Kexing in personality and morals. Again, I think the show allows more room to interpret them as having contrasting personalities, but one thing I love about their book dynamic and characterizations is how much it's impressed upon the reader that they are very similar, and process the world very similarly, and this is why they have such an intuitive understanding of each other.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character

This doesn't work if one takes them as having a more itinerant lifestyle post-canon, but - given Zhou Zishu's approach to the people close to him being "irritation and standoffishness --> reluctant affection, I think he should adopt strays. Let him have cats and dogs, and complain about how much work they are while secretly growing very attached to them. It just makes me happy.

Also, given the fact that he invented the nails, I want to see him come up with other magic inventions in his free time. He just likes tinkering. It's enrichment.

one character i love seeing them interact with

Wen Kexing is a given, of course, and really does bring out some of his most delightful qualities (the bantering and the little games they play!), but I'll put Beiyuan here as well. Just weird gay friends. Also Liang Jiuxiao, because of the codependency and tragedy of it all.

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more

I'm always hungry for more interactions between him and Jiuxiao, haha. I suppose I'm also curious about the backstory of how he met Helian Yi, as well.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character

Ah, this one I seem to struggle with each time. Okay, I'm inspired by the show's exchange between Wen Kexing and Gu Xiang about playing cards (and the entire concept of scary crime organization leaders playing cards), so I'm going to say that it was Jiuxiao's wont to regularly cajole him into playing cards with him (sometimes with alcohol involved). Zhou Zishu put up a fuss about being busy but always indulged him.