#and the family history and having no interest in the present and the people you're actually fairly closely related to

[notasapleasure]

why are the family members who pay for genealogists and spend all their time looking into the family tree the ones who utterly resent their living relatives and don't want to have to play nicely with any of them lmao

[bridehall-if]

--The hungry mouth of Bridehall Manor lets out its clarion call. You have been compelled to answer.

DEMO OUT NOW!

You play as the youngest child of the Simonson family, born out of infidelity-- a perfect Victorian scandal. Due to your unfortunate birth circumstances, your parents have decided to send you away to take up a position as household manager at the remote Bridehall Manor after the previous one's untimely (and altogether strange) passing. You expect your time in the mansion in the Catskills of New York to be uneventful and isolating.

You'd be wrong.

The longer you stay at Bridehall, the more secrets you find hidden behind its mahogany doors, beneath its ornate wallpaper, under its rich hardwood floors, and especially within the denizens of the house themselves.

Just be careful not to drown in the deep, deep black of its shadows.

+ Customize your MC-- what's their attitude towards society? How do they feel about working at Bridehall? What are their thoughts on the supernatural?

+ Also, choose your gender,* interests, personality, name, and more.

+ Discover more about the (troubling) history of Bridehall and the people that have lived in it.

+ Experience the world's most uncomfortable carriage ride.

+ Romance 1 of 5 ROs-- the matriarch, the minister-in-training, the runner-up, the major, or the phantom.

+ Befriend those who live there, or make enemies. Connection is a fragile thing, especially in a place like Bridehall.

+ Blood sacrifices! If you're into that sort of thing.

TW: Gore (not extremely descriptive), mentions of infidelity, violence, brief suggestive content, mentions of animal death, mentions of drug use. This IF is recommended for those 16+

================================================*Disclaimer: Because this IF is inspired by the 1880s, gender roles are still sort of a thing. There is an option to play as femme/masc non-binary, but based on your presentation, that affects how you are treated in society and some additional world aspects. However, there will not be any transphobia/intentional misgendering in this IF. It's just not something I want to write. I'm not non-binary myself, so I'm very open to suggestions on things to change relating to this topic.

================================================

🌑Harriet Margrave -- the matriarch -- (she/her) {FMCs only}

| Assured. Respectable. Intimidating. The wife of Amos Margrave, although she doesn't like it when people bring it up. She runs the house, some might say with an iron fist. She seems to have taken a dangerous liking to you.

| However, beneath her strong, cool exterior, she's not all that she seems-- you catch glimpses of something dark and curious lurking. It's up to you to decide whether it should never see the light of day or, perhaps, to be consumed entirely by it.

| Harriet is in her late 40s, with ash brown hair always kept in a neat, complex updo and deep blue eyes that shift with tones of green in different lights. She has a light but rosy complexion and stands at around 5'7. She tends to wear a lot of black, as if she's in perpetual mourning, although she doesn't mind an occasional blue accent.

"Low and deep Spake in mine ear her voice: "And didst thou dream, This could be buried? This could be sleep? And love be thrall to death! Nay, whatso seem, Have faith, dear heart; this is the thing that is!" Thereon I woke, and on my lips her kiss." -- snippet of Assurance (1887) by Emma Lazarus

================================================

🌒Ansel Margrave -- the minister-in-training -- (he/him)

| Flighty. Devout. Gentle. A hopeful future Methodist minister, he's recently been plagued by supernatural visions (or so he says,) and your arrival and the circumstances surrounding it do nothing to calm his worries. You may be able to reassure him otherwise.

| As you get to know him, he may reveal that he has far better reasons to be afraid than you might think. Will you walk with him through his troubles, or leave him to wander the solemn corridors of Bridehall on his own?

| Ansel is in his early 20s, and he looks much like his mother with his ashy brown hair and pale complexion, although due to its lack of rosiness it sometimes borders on ghostly. He'd like to dress more vibrantly but fears reprisal from his clerical peers, thus, he usually sticks to muted greens and browns. He stands at around 5'9, and wears spectacles.

"In solitude profound, As shadows fall, what memories, Thick as dew-drops on sun-risen meadows Troop around thee!" -- snippet of Night In Egypt (1880) by George Vaughan

================================================

🌓Cecil/ia Blumenthal -- the runner-up -- (gender selectable, he/him or she/her)

| Independent. Scrappy. Creative. C's been working at Bridehall for practically their whole life, climbing the ranks until they could finally reach the position of head butler/housekeeper they deserved-- until you came along. In their eyes, you have everything you want on a silver platter, and how much work have you done to get it? None. In short, they've got a real bone to pick with you. Will you play into the feud, or maybe try to change their feelings? Honestly, best of luck on that one.

| Because of how long they've been at Bridehall, C knows more about its history and secrets than they let on. Much, much more.

| C is in their mid-20's, with shiny brown curls that F!C keeps in an artfully rushed bun and M!C keeps just a bit too long. They have coffee-brown eyes and warm, tanned skin dotted with freckles. They stand at 5'6. They prefer to dress for convenience rather than style, but they always wear a tarnished silver brooch in the shape of a bird-- F!C pins it to her collar, while M!C pins it to his lapel.

"I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. And I waterd it in fears, Night & morning with my tears: And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles. And it grew both day and night. Til it bore an apple bright. And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine." -- snippet of A Poison Tree (1794) by William Blake

================================================🌔 Marshall Ward -- the major -- (he/they)

| Outgoing. Empathetic. Perfectionist. A new arrival at Bridehall like you, he's an old family friend of the Margraves who plans to stay for the autumn. He's the perfect picture of polite society-- porcelain smiles and impeccable manners. Despite the divide between him as a guest and you as the help, he insists on making a connection with you. One that may be a bit too strong for his own good.

| Now, you don't know much about the military yourself, but it is a bit odd that a non-retired military officer was permitted leave for an entire season, and whenever you ask questions surrounding his arrival, you only get heavy silence in return. It's as if there's a tight wire of secrecy underlying his sunny veneer, and the more you press, the more it's likely to snap.

| Marshall is in his early 30s, with short, coily black hair and an impeccably combed mustache. They have light tan skin and have a small scar running across their cheek, and he stands at 6'2. He is very meticulous in the way he dresses and is particularly fond of red ties with embroidered patterns on them.

"Volleyed and thundered; Stormed at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell. They that had fought so well Came through the jaws of Death, Back from the mouth of hell, All that was left of them, Left of six hundred. -- snippet of The Charge of the Light Brigade (1854) by Lord Alfred Tennyson ================================================

🌕Annabelle -- the phantom -- (she/her)

| Mysterious. Quiet. Ethereal. Every so often, out of the corner of your eye or the reflection in a mirror, you catch a glimpse of her. Is she even real, or is she simply a product of your own mind, spiraling ever deeper into instability? Whatever she is, you feel an indescribable, intangible pull to her that may become very hard to resist.

| Annabelle is inextricably linked to the house and its history. If you dig to learn more about her, you may unearth the very roots that Bridehall stands on. Roots that it would very much like to keep underground.

| Annabelle appears to be in her mid-20s, although the semi-translucent, filmy aspect to her makes it a bit hard to tell. She has very dark skin that glitters and shines under moonlight, and she seems to be perpetually wet, as if she had just been thrown in a pond. She wears a pale pink dress a decade or so out of date, and stands at about 5'3.

"For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling-- my darling-- my life and my bride, In her sepulchre there by the sea-- In her tomb by the sounding sea. -- snippet of Annabel Lee (1849) by Edgar Allan Poe

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[edenesth]

The Way to His Heart [1]

Pairing: general!Seonghwa x wife!reader

AU: arranged marriage au (Joseon era)

Word Count: 3k

Summary: Life has been hell ever since your mother's passing many years ago. Despite being from a prominent family, you've never received the privileges associated with it. It only got worse with the arrival of your stepmother and her daughters. When the intimidating General Park was in search of a wife, your father seized the opportunity to dispose of you, simultaneously securing a connection with the powerful general—killing two birds with one stone.

Teaser | Fic Masterlist | Part 2

Park Seonghwa.

As pretty as it may sound, that name was known across the nation as the intimidating military general trusted by His Majesty, the King, to lead the royal army.

For those who have not had the privilege of encountering him in person, the assumption might be of a rugged and perhaps middle-aged individual, given his extensive experience on the battlefield and high military rank. And those who have met him will know that his beauty was just as deadly.

But there's more to it – his renown extends beyond the confines of martial prowess. The general has garnered a reputation for scaring away all potential marriage candidates. His cold nature isn't limited to the battlefield; it extends to his personal life, affecting even the people closest to him.

In essence, Seonghwa was not a figure most people would look forward to meeting at all. If anything, most tended to avoid him like the plague. His name alone was enough to instil terror, be it in enemies, common folk, or even nobles.

But he was more than fine with it.

The general took pleasure in the fear that gripped anyone crossing his path. He had no interest in being loved or admired. The bloodshed inherent in his job brought him ample satisfaction, and the accompanying title and wealth were merely added perks.

One thing that irked him more than anything else was the King's relentless insistence that he should marry.

You see, he lacked the capacity for love, having grown up devoid of any such affection. All he cared for was his own survival. He understood, more than anyone, that trust was a rare commodity on this earth. Those close to him always harboured their own motives. The concept of genuine love or care was as good as non-existent in his dictionary.

His parents, if they could even be called that, abandoned him by a dumpster outside an orphanage. Born prematurely and deemed likely to die soon, they left him for dead. However, his determination to survive surpassed all expectations. He fought through the years and emerged as the person he is today.

Seonghwa's entire childhood was marked by brawls fighting for survival and to earn a living. But then fate took a turn when a perceptive military soldier scouted him, recognising the untapped potential within.

Rising from the bottom, his borderline cold-blooded character propelled him swiftly up the ranks, achieving remarkable progress within just a couple of years. His notoriety soon echoed in the ears of the King, and almost in the blink of an eye, he ascended to become one of the youngest generals in history.

And that was how he learned, through the hard way, that one would have to be useful in order to be valued. He has seen enough to understand it was a dog-eat-dog world.

The King favoured him solely for his skills, his servants stuck around for the generous pay, and every potential spouse presented to him was merely interested in his wealth or title.

This time would be no different.

"Seonghwa-yah, you're not young anymore, my boy. It's time for you to get married and have a few kids. Otherwise, who would succeed you? It would be such a shame for your bloodline to die with you." His Majesty said, a concerned frown creasing his wrinkled forehead.

The general lowered his head to conceal the smirk on his face. See? That's exactly what he meant. One would be foolish to believe that the King genuinely wanted the best for him; all the old man cared about was ensuring the continuation of his legacy.

Before Seonghwa could present another argument, as he always did, the King raised a hand to halt him, "That's enough; you have rejected all my previous proposed matches and deliberately scared off some of your betrothed as well. I may have been too lenient with you. This time, you will get married, and that's final."

He gripped the hilt of his sword in frustration, "But, your Majesty—"

The King shook his head, "Seonghwa, you will be stripped of your title if you do not cooperate."

That was enough to silence him.

He had worked tirelessly to reach his current position; it would be stupid to jeopardise it all over a refusal to marry. The whole idea seemed utterly outrageous; the old man must be senile to be threatening him over something so trivial.

But what choice did he have?

None.

"Fine, as you wish." The general sighed.

His Majesty's demeanour swiftly changed, breaking into laughter and applause, "Oh, that's wonderful! We already have a perfect candidate for you anyway. The Minister of Military Affairs has offered his eldest daughter's hand. I'm sure she would make a lovely wife for you."

"Has he now? How thoughtful of him."

Seonghwa wasn't stupid; he recognised that the minister harboured resentment regarding his recent ascent in the ranks. The old fool was undoubtedly anxious about preserving his own position and was actively exploring ways to subdue the younger man's progress, going to great lengths just to keep the general from outranking him.

As the assembly with the King concluded that day, Minister Jang was quick to intercept Seonghwa before he could exit the palace, "General Park, I eagerly anticipate our forthcoming union. I assure you, my eldest is a gem; you'll come to adore her." The elder man remarked smugly.

"Oh, I'm sure I will." He sneered, shrugging off the minister's hand before storming off.

Arriving at his estate, a servant approached the general with a tray of tea, "Welcome home, master," Having suppressed his anger for too long, he couldn't hold back any longer. He smacked the tray out of the poor woman's hands, growling, "Get out of my goddamned sight this instant." She bowed repeatedly, apologising profusely as she picked up the tray and the broken cup before scurrying away.

He slammed the door to his study open, nearly scaring the living daylights out of his only trusted aide, Jongho, "S-sir, is everything alright?" The assistant asked tentatively.

Seonghwa grumbled as he kicked his desk aside to sit in his chair, "The King demanded that I get married and even threatened to strip me of my title if I refused. I need you to dig up some information on Minister Jang's family; that man is up to something."

Jongho bowed once and rushed off to do as he was told, "Will do, sir."

Glaring at his desk, he clenched his fists at the thought of his future wife. Considering her hateful father, she likely resembled him. After all, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. He was more than ready to face the likes of her, having successfully scared off a few spoiled brats before.

More unbearable to him than the King's incessant pressure for him to marry was the presence of irritating little pests, manifested in the form of noblewomen from wealthy families—the entitled sort who believed they were superior to everyone else.

All the encounters he had experienced so far were with that particular breed. If given the chance, he would gladly eradicate every single one of those seemingly useless, good-for-nothing individuals. Without a doubt, his wife-to-be would be another one of those insufferable girls.

Be prepared, wife. Life is about to become quite exhilarating for you.

"Gather around, kids. I have news!" Your father announced as he entered the family estate, cheerfully wrapping his arm around his second wife, your stepmother.

"What's going on, father?" Jinah asked, eagerly joining her two sisters, Jinhee and Jinjoo.

The man let out a tired sigh when he realised you were nowhere in sight, "Where is she?"

Jinhee scoffed, "You mean unnie? In her cage, of course. This is a family meeting; why would we need her around?"

The minister directed a nearby servant, "Fetch her to the main hall; I have an announcement to make." The three sisters and their mother exchanged intrigued glances, wondering what this unexpected proclamation could entail.

Staring numbly out of your tiny room window, you ponder the meaning of life. What was the point of being born if every member of your own family shunned you? To be fair, only your father is family; your stepmother and stepsisters are mere outsiders. Yet, even he hasn't bothered to treat you as such.

Your mother might have been the sole person to ever love you, but you couldn't possibly be sure. Unfortunately, she hadn't been alive long enough for you to remember much about her.

Could she have had any love for you, even when she herself lacked affection from her own husband?

That, you'll never know the answer to.

You've heard that your father had no choice but to marry your mother for political reasons and that your stepmother had been his mistress at the time. When your mother finally fell sick and died, he seized the opportunity to marry the harlot and take in all three of her bastard daughters.

Life has been nothing but hell ever since.

No one has treated you like a lady from a noble house; not even the servants were allowed to do so.

All you could remember was pain.

Endless pain all throughout your childhood.

In fact, the pain still persisted until this day, you felt it acutely in the numerous spots on your body, each a testament to the beatings you endured regularly as punishment. And those punishments were often for things you didn't do—blatant lies told by your stepsisters that your father used as an excuse to unleash his wrath.

Excluded from all family activities, even meals, you survived on leftovers and were confined to your quarters with nothing to occupy your time. It felt as if you were treated worse than the estate's servants, receiving only enough sustenance to keep you alive. You were more like a punching bag, there solely for their tormenting pleasure.

No one would acknowledge you in this household. You were as good as dead until one of your family members wished to have some fun, your misery providing the best entertainment.

So, imagine your surprise when you were summoned to the main hall for an announcement. Why does your presence suddenly matter? The curiosity gnaws at you as you reluctantly make your way to the gathering, wondering what twist of fate awaits you this time.

Cowering shamefully, you faced the evident disgust in your stepmother's and stepsisters' eyes as they took in your shabby appearance.

You struggled to figure out where to sit.

Approaching the only available seat next to the youngest, Jinjoo, you trudged over timidly, only for her to intentionally spill her cup of tea on the chair, "Oops! My bad, unnie. I guess you'll have no choice but to stand." You wished the ground would swallow you as everyone around snickered into their fists.

You looked over to your father, hoping he might stand up for you, only for your heart to sink in disappointment as usual when he averted his gaze with a clear of his throat, "Alright, now that you're all here, I have news to share." He announced, leaving you standing awkwardly in the corner, unnoticed and unwanted.

"Something interesting happened at the assembly with His Majesty this morning," Your father announced, capturing everyone's attention. All eyes were on him, eagerly awaiting the big revelation of this announcement, "The King has pressured General Park to marry once again, and this time, he was serious."

You noticed the expressions of your stepsisters turning fearful at the mere mention of the famous general.

"I figured it would be good to establish a connection with the general, considering his powerful standing in the military. So, I offered my daughter's hand to him in marriage."

Your stepsisters all gasped simultaneously.

"Father! How could you do such a thing to us?! Haven't you heard? That general is a monster! He scared off all of his previous fiancées. Do you have any clue how he'll treat us?" Jinah screeched tearfully.

But her mother calmed her with a sly smile, "Oh, you silly girls, why did you think your elder sister is here for?"

Oh.

Remaining rooted to the spot, you took in the shocking news. Your supposed family cheered at the announcement, their excitement palpable.

"Oh, unnie! You're finally making yourself useful for once!" Jinhee laughed, and your father nodded, a smirk playing on his lips, "That's right, my dear. You've always struggled to find a purpose in life, haven't you? Perhaps you'll grow to love your new life with General Park. I'm sure he'll take good care of you."

Everything turned into a blur as they celebrated what felt like your demise. Dismissed to your quarters, you retreated, letting the weight of the information sink in.

You had heard of General Park; how could you not? He was only the most feared person in the entire country.

Perhaps, in a twisted way, that could be a good thing. If he were to end your miserable life once and for all, it might be a mercy for you too.

After all, you had had enough of this life.

On the day you were set to marry Park Seonghwa, you were puzzled to find a group of servants sent to your quarters, armed with some of the finest clothes you'd ever seen, "What is this?" You questioned, eyeing the luxurious garments with scepticism.

The head of the maids sighed, "Young miss, you are marrying as the eldest daughter of Minister Jang. Surely, you have to at least look the part, yes?"

Oh.

That made sense.

Of course, it was all to make your father look good. Who would care about you?

Resigned, you sat like a doll as they worked on enhancing your appearance, transforming you into a vision of refinement. You observed their extra effort to conceal the remnants of bruises and scars from years of torture.

"All done." The head maid declared as they turned you around to face the mirror. As your eyes met your reflection, you failed to recognise the person staring back at you. You hadn't known you were capable of looking... what do they call it? Beautiful?

But this was only temporary.

You couldn't possibly fool the general forever with makeup. Sooner or later, he would see just how ugly and broken you were underneath all these artificial lies. And he, too, will be just as disgusted as everyone else. When that happens, you are mentally prepared for all the possible outcomes.

How much worse could it get?

After all, you had already endured a lifetime of hell. Surely, the torment couldn't be as severe as what you had experienced all these years... right?

One of the elderly servants, always watching you from a distance with pity in her eyes, approached you as the others dispersed. Her frail but warm hand landed on your shoulder as you met her gaze through the mirror.

With a kind smile, she nodded encouragingly, "I hope you find happiness out there, young miss." You didn't know why your eyes grew wet at those words as you watched her leave with the rest. The unexpected warmth in her gesture lingered, and for a moment, a spark of hope ignited within you.

Happiness?

You weren't sure you even knew what that word meant, but perhaps you'll learn the meaning of it outside of these walls. These walls that felt so much like prison all these years, it's almost funny how it was supposed to be your home.

Truthfully, you didn't think you'd ever live to see the day you would be allowed to leave this wretched place. Caged in here all your life, does anyone even know of your existence?

Perhaps not.

Well, now they might.

Heading to the entrance of the Jang estate, you carried little belongings, close to none.

Your family stood around, excited to see you off. The devious smirks on your stepsisters' faces faltered slightly at your transformed appearance before they scoffed, "Who would've thought? Guess you could actually fool someone looking like that. Just wait till he realises how useless you actually are." Jinhee sneered.

But Jinjoo snickered, "Oh, I'm sure she'll be useful in certain ways."

Jinah burst into laughter at the implication, "Oh yes! Give us plenty of nieces and nephews to play with, yeah?"

Your face burned with humiliation as they made fun of you, as they always did, "That is if she's strong enough to survive him in the first place." Your stepmother muttered, chuckling slyly.

Your father took a step toward you, "There's no time to waste; now get going. Don't you dare make me look bad."

You bowed before turning to leave, but a surge of courage prompted you to look back at your father one last time, croaking, "Father... have you truly never cared for me at all? For my happiness?"

He clenched his jaw, his response cutting, "Don't make me laugh; you and that mother of yours have only ever been a pain to me."

That hurt.

Why did it hurt?

It wasn't news to you. But still, it hurt.

"You want happiness? Find it with him then."

« Preview of Part 2 »

The night before the wedding, Seonghwa lifted his gaze from his scrolls to find his aide arriving slightly out of breath, "Have you found anything, Jongho?"

The assistant nodded after bowing, "Not much on the rest of the family; everything about them is just as known by the public. However, I did uncover more information about the eldest daughter, your bride."

The general straightened in his seat, "What about her?"

With a frown, Jongho continued, "It seems not much is known about her, despite being the eldest. She's the only daughter of Minister Jang's first wife, and no one has seen her set foot out of the estate since her mother's passing. Most sources claim her to be a mystery."

Seonghwa smirked, leaning back in his chair, "She must be quite precious for her father to keep her hidden all these years. Oh, I'll treat her well, all right. Get the head maid to prepare her quarters."

Jongho nodded curtly, feeling a chill run down his spine as he witnessed the sarcastic grin on his master's face.

"Only the best for future Lady Park."

I just want to emphasise that this is NOT a sequel/prequel or extension to Seonghwa's part from my 'Crazy Form' Comeback Special Series. This is a completely different story taking place in an entirely different universe.

Also, while this may be in the Joseon era, I do apologise if some of the details may not be historically accurate. After all, this is only a work of fiction, so please enjoy!

As always, thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts, feedback or reviews! I love hearing all about it! <3

Tag list: @aurasblue @marievllr-abg @itsvxlentine @minghaoslatina @huachengsbestie01 @evidive @weedforthoughtz @ssrnghwa @yunnieo @sunnyhokyu @lynnsqueendom @frobin4ever @chwesuh-imnida @thunderous-wolf @itstheghostofmypast @professormingisglasses @deltamoon666 @avantalem @famishalll @yungilia @soobiverse @joongified

All Rights Reserved © edenesth // DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, PLAGIARISE OR REPURPOSE.

[justivik]

yandere! loser headcanons.

english isn't my first language.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser who is part of the photography club while you are part of a school sports club. He met you when his group went to the gym for a photo shoot of all the clubs.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser who thought you were gorgeous and got nervous when he had to sit next to you, while you held your sports ball and he nervously held his camera.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser that after your first meeting he couldn't stop thinking about you and started looking for you all over campus almost every break. He would see you playing with your classmates or talking to your friends and gosh... your smile is beautiful!

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser who started to have you as his muse in every photo shoot he did. His little crush on you turned into an intense obsession, he had to know more about you!

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser that recapitulated all the data he had about you, such as full name, social circle, family, address and house number or even collected the garbage you threw away to keep it in his special folder for you.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser he thought about approaching you but he didn't know how to hold a conversation, he barely had any friends at school and you were the team captain along with you being popular. He doesn't stand a chance with you!

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser that one day during the break between classes he was doing his history work until your presence invades his tranquility, your voice dominates his ears and your eyes manipulate his heart. You approached him to chat while waiting for your friends, you showed interest in his work and he was mesmerized.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser where after that conversation he started acting like a real creep

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser started following you everywhere, trying to have a conversation with you even when you were with someone else. You thought maybe he wanted to be your friend and you let him continue with these attitudes until the actions went from distance to physical contact.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser who held your hand, was jealous when you spent more time with other people, hugged you without asking and take pictures of you without you noticing. You were patient with him even when everyone told you to report him to the principal.

He's not a weird kid! Maybe his display of affection is like this!

He literally has a folder with 450 pictures of you.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser start to be more and more present in your personal life. You find him in your favorite coffee shop, in the park where you always go to relax or even in the supermarket.

“Y/N! Nice to see you here. I didn't know you were coming here too.”

“don't you live about 40 minutes away from my house and this supermarket?”

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser keeps watching you in your training sessions to the point that your coach has had to take him out because he was distracting your team with the sound of his camera.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser he's a good manipulator and blackmailer, he knows you feel bad about being rude to others or even excluding someone. you're so sweet! even he gets jealous when you are nice to someone else.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser He behaves desperately and may even have a panic attack when you are not by his side.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser that you have become so accustomed to his presence that you start calling him ''best friend'' (he thinks). You've let him into your room because your mother forced you to after he came to your house by surprise and introduced himself as ''a good friend coming over to make the history homework''.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser when you go to the bathroom, he steals some clothes and objects from your room to have it on his ''shrine''.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser has severe anger problems.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser always spamming you with messages, sending you audios and pictures of what he's doing.

๋࣭ ⭑ yandere! loser acts like a lost puppy by your side, following you around. He's pathetic and he knows it.

“I still can't believe how perfect you are!”

[blueberrypancakesworld]

Snake dance for emperors

Emperor Geta/Caracalla x fem!reader

warning : dysfunctional family, tried comfort (as much as this is possible with these two), kissing, use of dagger, smutish, some touching, written before the movie comes out characters may be different at the end

summary : With the Colosseum, other types of entertainment come to the Empire of Rome. Not only acrobats and actors but also animal tamers and especially the agile snake dancer with cobras slithering along her body caught the attention of the two most powerful men in the world. So what happens when you're in a room with poisonous animals, pressure to perform and two emperors?

info : I just love them can't wait to see how they are in the movie. I'm not fully satisfied, it was supposed to be something else (more smut) but now it is what it is I hope you like it anyway:)

masterlist

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Rome, the empire of history past versus present and future. A place of aspiration, arts and philosophers who passed on their knowledge to interested minds.

Violence and entertainment by gladiators in the Coloseum and the home of two young men who could have taken over the world with laurel wreaths on their heads.

The money practically clung to their bodies no matter where they went it was the finest fabrics and colors of dye that surrounded them both, the white face makeup and the dark, mineral-infused coat around their eyes darker protruding, light hair divine as the sun, making the two emperor brothers recognizable everywhere.

With the triumph and amusement in the Colosseum, the rich and influential men also met at parties organized by the elite. Politicians, philosophers, merchants and scalpers as well as military generals could all be found there... but besides the elite there was also the untrhlatung in the form of fire-breathers, exotic animals and songs.

Showmen with magnificent costumes or the snake woman surrounded by flowers while on her light clad body the dark snakes curled along, beautiful but dangerous animals taken from the straw woven baskets on her hand along her arms skillful fingers and soft sounds of her voice with inviting and engaging vibrations of her body.

The small beads and stones on her tiny outfit covered her most necessary parts as the silk clung to her body and the animals moved across it. ,,I wonder what will happen if they all bite her," the elder mumbled to his brother, who shook his head in amusement at the comment, a hum of laughter leaving his lips, and took another sip of wine.

Geta hardly liked the party at first, but the younger knew that it was much more important to be well received not only by the senate but also by the other pillars of the empire.

They might be at the top, but without merchants, influential philosophers or even the slave traders, Rome would lack important things. ,,It would be amusing for a moment...but hardly any different than in the Colosseum," he replied briefly, not giving his advisor a glance but seeing that Caracalla's smile did not fade.

Despite the fact that he was older by a year, he seemed to have little interest in all of this, only the prospect of perhaps a little mischief or amusement had brought him out next to his brother.

So they found themselves sitting here for a few minutes, a little apart from the large tables and round corners in the rooms with the exotic pretty things from displays of dead things and old weapons to her.

A young woman arrived in Rome with one of the many circus wagons that presented themselves in different cities and entertained the people with talent for special normal amusement and no murder and killing.

She had known that the normal shows were as beautiful as they were and she always smiled when children were fascinated watching the animals and she could teach them something, so she knew how serious it was when it came to such parties, ,,The Imperial Brothers, the elite will be there...one mistake and we are next" were the words of her boss who knew that they could use any coins and let her go.

So here she was, dancing around at first, talking about the artifacts, but as soon as the torches announced the night and cast old shadows, she resumed her role as a sanke dancer and took her place.

At first, some stopped to look at her body and clothes until they were fascinated by the snake, paying attention to the connection between her and the animals, sometimes throwing flowers and coins to her for the extra money it was worth to buy new fabric.

Some even talked to her about her interest in the animals, though most of the questions were about ulterior motives for other services she no longer offered, and perhaps she kept the snakes a little too far away from her to keep the men at a distance.

She would only be here for a few more hours until she was picked up, until she saw the gold, until she saw the two wreaths, until she saw the golden hair, until she heard the curtains being drawn and she was alone with the two emperors.

She heard them talking, and in between the full words she saw their gazes, pairs of eyes looking at her as if she were long dead or undressed, or perhaps both. ,,As sorry as I am, my time here is almost at an end my Emperors" she dared to raise her voice interrupting the quiet conversation and words to the animals and relaxed slightly hoping they had drank enough to just leave, she felt her own exhaustion her feet aching from standing so much.

The moon was high in the sky, providing light in the great city alongside the fires of torches and lanterns of oil but her hopes were dashed when she saw the playfully indignant look on Caracalla's face as he tilted his head, ,,But we are still here and not satisfied," he protested, his fingers closing tightly around the goblet in which the wine floated.

Even Geta, who didn't like the party, apparently wanted relief and a reward for having to do this to, only made an almost inviting gesture, ,,I want to see her," he said and she didn't know if he meant her first or her snakes.

Stifling a sigh, she got off her little stage and approached them slowly and carefully. She had always had her snakes under control but now one mistake and they would all hang.

Geta's eyes looked into hers for a moment, not dismissively but rather challengingly, he let his gaze wander over her body for a moment, lingering on her chest, which was recognizable despite the light fabric, before he held out his hand and she offered him a middle part of the snake to stroke.

The three of them knew very well that she could not do anything except follow orders. Geta could take her here and now he could just as well have left her to his brother who could probably still put on an amusing show. But this narrow game between emperors, a powerless victim and deadly nature was much more amusing.

Almost imperceptibly, his lips curled into a smile, ,,Pretty animals, dangerous and deadly like their owner, aren't they brother?" he asked, turning his gaze to Caracalla, who was watching the whole thing with a broad smile, but his fingers were playing with his dagger, the blade moving slowly towards her.

He seemed to be only heartbeats away from carving her skin with the tip, his desire to see the blood as in the arena never seemed satisfied, ,,If the emperors allow it, will you hold her?" she asked quickly when Caracalla could finally cut her and she knelt down in front of the two of them, seeing the brief imperceptible twitching of the fingers that would not only have liked to lie on the snakes, if the knife had gone a little further up her skin, the fabric of her scanty top would have been torn apart.

Fingers that had already caressed his middle, his gasping giggles and the slight moans that came from her dancing movements, the fantasy of the gods and her being.

Sometimes more, sometimes less obvious, but he saw that she saw it. It amused him. Both brothers seemed to be turned on by the power of being able to take whatever they wanted…but they were merciful for the moment.

Before even Geta smiled at the gesture, crediting her for her courage in the face of two men who could mean her end at any time, she gave the first snake to Geta and took his hands in hers, ,,Calmly and slowly it will not bite you as long as you respect its power, my Emperor," she said, feeling his gaze on her as she slid one of the animals onto his arm and he looked at it for a moment.

,,You'll always kneel before us at your next performance," he murmured casually as if it were a thought that had just come to him, kneeling and crawling naked like a whore instead of leaving her the last dignity was the appropriate thing to do in his eyes.

,,And amuse us," Caracalla added and she found the cool point of the dagger sharp under her chin again, the older one forcing her to give him attention like a child who didn't get sweet honey from his mother, disgustingly foolish but dangerous, but Geta made no move to help her. Why, in the end, she was just a dancer, a woman a nobody compared to two emperors.

Slowly guiding the snake that had wrapped itself around her chest onto her hand, she carefully took his free hand in hers, ,,They would smell blood and devotion it would be unwise" she said not warning but rather reminding them that the black cobras were not toys, they were nature, animals that could not and would never be tamed.

The moment like a tension on the battlefield the cobra seemed to wrap itself quickly around Caracalla's neck not tight but the more it tightened despite not being a constrictor it could be dangerous.

The protection of the bond to her only went so far as the snake would obey orders on its own and Caracalla was in danger of becoming another victim. ,,Attention is wrapped around pretty things," she heard Geta say, his own fingers stroking her cheek, leaving her still paused, the cool blade of the dagger still against her neck, the younger emperor moving closer to her.

Once again a difference in power, he could have accepted the death of his brother for her, for her body, for his lust that her lips would probably wrap around his middle.

While it would probably still excite him as his suffocating brother took her cunt, this was just another thought in a moment that had an uncertain end.

Her snake seemingly not bothering him as he caressed her cheek, she smelled the makeup, the wine and the metallic gold and yet she returned the heartfelt kiss as he grabbed her harshly by the neck and pulled her close, she still vaguely heard Caracalla's gasp, which must have reached its amused ecstasy as death robbed her of its air.

She felt the dagger slip only slightly from her neck but that was all she needed to pull away from Geta with a jerk, hearing his annoyed snarl, she let her lips trail over the dagger, seeing the fascination of the two men at what she had done before she put her fingers to the blade.

,,Relax," she murmured before engaging the blond elder in a kiss, hearing the smirk that was stifled, the shake of his head and the laying down of the dagger as the clasp came off his neck after a few moments and she took the cobra back.

The moment between them was the fact of possible death, the lie obviously driven by the challenge, her uncertain determination and the deadly metal.

Taking the snakes back, she felt the burning gaze on her back just as the two emperors seemed to be waiting for a moment, the slight dull closing of the crobe the last bit of composure the two men could muster before they rose from their chairs and she felt their hands on her.

Another night in Rome for the emperors whose night was hardly different from any other, a night she had hoped she would never have to do again....but under the touch of human gods and her fast beating heart, it seemed she would never be able to tame the human snakes and their stifled sounds of pleasure and pain would be heard long into the night through their poison.

She was the first to hear Caracalla's giggle, but when she felt the cool fingers of Getas on her arm, the metal of the rings moving harshly over her skin, he turned her into his arms to engage her in another kiss while his other hand finally came to rest on her breast. He simply tore the fabric off for something else better.

His older brother, however, claimed her other half, his lips, once painted with make-up, had long lost their red and she now felt him press against her, almost obsessively taking her breath before she gasped out, her painful moan drowned in the kiss as Caracallae cut her with the dagger to get the blood.

Caracalla's fangs dug into her skin, his bites hard and sharp as he feasted on every drop of blood, a grotesque contrast to his white make-up. With every thrust, with every lustful sound, with every attempt to resist, Geta seemed to take on her strength, wrapping himself around her, depriving her of all sight, his serpentine body never letting go of her that night. Both had found the perfect prey and would leave nothing of her, for once ensnared, snakes never let go of their prey.

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[copperbadge]

I guess you probably get asked why you’re converting a lot but I still want to ask,

I dunno, I don't think I really get asked all that much, to be honest. Usually when I do it's like -- I mention I'm converting to a Jewish person and they'll be like "Getting married?" and I'll explain I'm not, which does necessitate an additional explanation.

It's difficult to vocalize, which is interesting because it has really very little to do with faith, and that's usually the most difficult part of discussing any conversion, I think. Often I'll just say, "I heard a call". Which is actually a rather Christian way of putting it, but I think it's probably the easiest way to explain, especially in a heavily Christian culture.

I had...I don't want to call it religious trauma exactly because compared to most people I know who exited Christianity, it wasn't traumatic -- I was just raised in Christianity and had trouble buying the faith in the various ways it was presented to me, and there's a certain type of ardent Christian who comes at you hard if you're in their church asking awkward questions. A few encounters with some egregious megachurches in my youth left a bad taste in my mouth, so in my twenties I really wanted nothing to do with religion and didn't have the time or energy anyway -- I wasn't actively anti-religion, just disinterested.

But in my thirties I had to ask myself, do I wish to be part of a faith community? And once I'd decided that despite being pretty heavily agnostic I did want that in my life, I had to decide what I wanted it to look like. There are churches within many branches of Christianity that are fine, and there are whole branches that are fine too, but I kept tripping over my disinterest in Jesus. I did almost become a Quaker but although I really like a lot of the Friends' attitudes towards social justice and I enjoyed silent Meeting, it eventually didn't feel quite right for me (the Quakers in my life refer to me as "Friend-ly"). I looked into Zen Buddhism but didn't click with it in quite the way I'd hoped.

Judaism didn't feel perfect, but unlike other faiths, after several years of study I have yet to reach a point where it feels "not for me" in the way the others did after a few months; even when I struggle with some aspects, instead of saying "I don't think this is it" I dig deeper, and Judaism is a place where you can just...keep digging. I like the sense of history, I like the idea that you can argue not only with other Jews but with the divine itself and maybe even win; I don't like arguing but I like that the option is there, which it never was in my Christian confirmation classes. I like the way Judaism frames community and family, I like the emphasis on scholarship and exploration. I've had to unlearn a lot of weird Christian and atheist attitudes about the Torah, but that's been educational too. Ancient cultures have always interested me and Judaism is sometimes the practice of actively conversing with ancient history that has been incredibly preserved but not calcified. I like that I can be an agnostic Jew if I so choose, once I finish conversion.

(Sometimes I joke, "Eh, I'm not really a huge fan of pork, either, so it's an excuse not to eat pork chops," but that's a joke for very specific company. I don't keep kosher or plan to, but I like that there is an option to show one's devotion through acts of nourishment, and that food is always such a huge part of Jewish ritual. And I like Jewish food.)

There is something in me that reacts to Jewish storytelling -- the fear and fasting of Esther, discourse on the sacrifice of Isaac, grumpy Rabban Gamliel from the Talmud, even the history of the Piazza Alla Cinque Schole when I stumbled into it in Rome. I didn't care particularly about the story of Moses when I learned it as a child, but I sniffle at the parting of the Red Sea in Prince of Egypt every damn time. Not even because of the miracle! I'm simply moved by the vision of a people going to freedom, scared but going, protecting each other and singing as they go.

Anyway. I'm in a conversation with Judaism that isn't over yet, and either eventually I'll reach a point where it ends, or I'll convert and be in this conversation the rest of my life. Kind of fun not to know yet which it will be.

[specialagentartemis]

Citizen Science and Contributing To Scientific Endeavor When You're Not "A Scientist"

Comments on some of my posts about science and misinformation express frustration with scientific establishments, and want to see more accessibility and attention given to amateurs participating in the scientific process and having their scientific voices heard.

If being involved in the creation of knowledge and discovery is something important to you, that's something I strongly encourage! It's absolutely possible. Amateur researchers with a passion and an eye for detail have made some fantastic discoveries - but what is often glossed over in stories like these are the years of work, the patient dedication, and the collaboration with university researchers that often underlie such discoveries.

The search for truth and information and the passion for science is present in a lot of people who aren't official "scientists" - curiosity is natural! And if participation in scientific observation, hypothesizing, experimentation, and discovering new things about the world is important to you, there are lots of ways to go about contributing - and the new year is a great time to start.

What are you interested in?

Ecology

Observing the world around you is for everybody. Getting invested in the environment of your hometown is for everybody. And, as the Mythbusters famously said,

Some ideas for a local ecology project:

Record the temperature outside every day at the same time - at sunrise, or noon, or sunset, or midnight. Depending on where you are, the local weather recording station may be miles away or on top of a mountain - measure the temperature yourself and compare it each day to what your app says. When is it accurate? When isn't it?

Record the weather every day. How much precipitation? What time of day? What kind?

Record what animals you see every day, where, when, and how many. Or choose a specific animal, like birds, or bees on flowers, or turtles or frogs in a local pond, or whiptail lizards vs. invasive house geckos, and record the numbers you see each day.

Record when in the year you see the first, or last, of a plant or animal. When the crocuses sprout, when the buds appear on the maple trees, when you see the first clover flowers or prickly pear flowers, when the first robin comes out or the first lizards come out of hibernation.

If you have an outdoor cat or a free-roaming dog, attach a GoPro or similar small camera to its collar to see where it goes and what it does.

Identify the plants growing in your neighborhood, and check in on it regularly to keep track of how each one fares in different weather conditions, or if any animals particularly like or don't like to eat it.

Bulk order some test strips, then take a small sample of soil from a local park or water from a local waterway each weekend and test them for PH, lead, chemicals, or whatever. See if it changes over the year, or after a heavy rainfall, or during drought.

Take a photo of the same spot every day for a year.

Linguistics

The study of how people use language! Everybody uses language in some capacity.

Do you have any small children near you? Talk to them! Record how they pronounce things and what they call new (or even familiar) concepts. Look for patterns.

Ask people you know if "dog" and "blog" rhyme, or if "Alohop" is a good pun for a pineapple beer. My family gets ENDLESS amounts of mileage out of this one with each other. Ask people you know questions about how they pronounce things, or what they call things. Make maps of dialectical differences between generations, neighborhoods, etc. Track linguistic shifts in the modern world.

History

Everyone and everywhere has a history, and accurate history is pressingly relevant always.

See if you have a local historical society, library archive, or history museum that is looking for volunteers to transcribe or translate collections.

Get elbow-deep in local archives. You likely have some sort of local archive near you that has not been fully digitized. Go in with a topic you want to learn about - Black families, Jewish communities, how your hometown transferred from Indigenous hands to settler ones, women who owned their own businesses, immigration, inter-racial relationships, sports, ice harvesting, farming practices, contemporary opinions on a major world history event that now seems so inevitable, sports and people's reactions to sports - and read everything in newspapers, wills, deeds, photographs, or other available records about your topic of choice. See if you can find connections that you haven't seen anyone else talking about.

These are just some things that occur to me immediately as something that anyone can do, if you're sufficiently interested in a question and want to discover more about it. The more local your topic, the less likely anyone has a solid answer to whatever you're wondering - and the more immediately relevant to the people around you your discoveries may be!

Combining it with a New Year's Resolution can also get you more motivated to do the things you want to do. Is your resolution to get more exercise? Take a brisk walk each morning and take a picture of the same area every day for a year. Take a walk every weekend down to the lake and count the turtles and frogs you see. Is your resolution to keep a daily diary For Real This Time? If nothing else, resolve to write down the weather and precipitation each day! Do you want to volunteer more or meet new people? Look for citizen science or local history groups! Feeling like you're working toward something Real is a great motivator.

Henry David Thoreau's detailed descriptions of the nature each day around Walden Pond in the 1840s provides a valuable benchmark for modern ecologists to compare environmental and climatic changes since then on a granular level. Silly rhyming poems and idiosyncratic spellings in letters and diaries help linguists track dialectical and pronunciation changes across time. Amateur science is great and valuable! We all can have a part in understanding and paying deeper attention to the world around us, if we want to.

[blueknight20]

Blood-Sucker

CecilxReader!superhero

Word Count:3,081

T/W: Broken bones, mentions of blood constantly throughout the story, drinking blood, vampires, slight smut, choking, mentions of sex

!! I'M SO SORRY IF I MISSED ANYMORE, PLEASE JUST LET ME KNOW, I WROTE THIS OVER THE SPAN OF 3 DAYS AND SOME MAY HAVE SLIPPED!!

Info: Reader is basically a vampire with slight blood manipulation power, that isn't helpfully against super humans. There is a lot of background in this and it may be all over the place but it’s my first time writing fanfic especially with a character that has as many layers as Cecil does but he’s just too cool and lovable not to want to write about also I've been very inspired after reading so many great stories on here. To help with confusion when an event is taking place in the past, it'll be shown like this for the whole section until you're back in the present . Hope you enjoy though<3

Background: This is taking place as the Mark variants make their way to the main universe and a Mark variant attacks the pentagon. Reader and Cecil have been dating for a couple of years now and reader is a reformed villain.

Cecil could feel the life being choked out of his body as he was looking down at Mark…or at least a version of him. His feet were off the ground and he was kicking and punching to get out of his grip but nothing was working and he felt himself getting weaker by the moment. If Cecil was being honest with himself he never believed in all that “life flashing before your eyes” bullshit but as he felt himself descending into darkness all he could think about was you. The way you smiled, how you blushed every single time you sucked his blood , the way your eyes dilated when the two of you shared an intimate moment like he was truly the only thing in life that made you happy and that made him feel special, the way you understood that his job took up most of his life and worked around it, and that no matter how much of an ass that he was, you were understanding and patient with him, and of course, the thought of how the two of you first meet…

 It was during the first few years of Cecil's job as Director and it hardly romantic, you were still doing crimes back then, getting paid to make deaths look like accidents, your powers aloud you to cause heart attacks by slowing down a person's blood flow and of course the GDA thought the random heart attacks of men with no family history of them was strange. They caught wind of someone with blood abilities and had been tracking you for weeks and when Cecil’s team of GDA agents finally caught up to you he couldn’t help but notice on the monitor the way that you pulled your punches and tried your hardest to defend yourself without putting anyone else in danger even the GDA agents that were shooting at you. It wasn’t until a nerve taser put you down that you were put in a collar to stop your power as well as some cuffs before being put in a cell.

 Cecil paid you a visit after a while, trying to see if he could shake some information out of you, like if you were truly a vampire and if there were more of you, how much blood you need to survive and when you need it, how your powers worked, and why you were protecting his agencies even though it was clear that you could kill them with a simple punch and you answered all of them, truthfully too but only as long as he answered the questions you had too, things like how he got the scar on his face, how he got his job, how many people he’s killed. When it was all over he just said “Thank you for the cooperation” very simply as he stood up and headed towards the door.

“Will you stay and talk to me” you said before he turned the door knob that was in his hand, making him turn and raise an eyebrow to you before you continued “It’s been long since I’ve talked to anyone this interesting” 

“I try not to make a habit of spending the better half of my day mindlessly conversing with criminals when I have a world to save” He stated simply, a hint of annoyance in his voice like he was disgusted by the fact that you even asked. And all you could do was smile, trying to swallow a laugh, he was kind of cute when he was seriously annoyed. 

 As you cocked your head to the side a bit, you asked “Was what I did really that bad,  you’ve killed more people then I have if anything you should be in these cuffs, and everyone that I have killed deserved everything they got.” 

This peaked his interest and he returned to his seat across from you. “And just how do you get to be a judge, jury and executioner? Do you think that just because you happen to have some powers that you get to decide who lives and who dies?” He asked leaning in, shifting his weight onto his elbows that were on the table between the two of you ? 

“I didn’t say that nor do I believe it but I do believe that the people who make the world a shitter place by hurting others deserve certain fates. Powers or not” you shot back.

He narrowed his eyes, staring daggers at you like he was studying you, it made you feel vulnerable but not in a bad way, it was like you placed all your card on a table and someone was trying to decide if you were good enough while all you could was stare back while you wait for them to make their decisions, that was before Cecil chuckled a little, leaning back away from you which caused a confused look to take over your face. “Some people would say the same thing about you. Listen, you have promising abilities that could be use for a better cause, one that includes nobody dying and you finding a sensible way to calm you appetite” there was a few beats before he continued “Come work for the GDA, you’d be working as a superhero, you’d give you a job, a stable blood supplies, and missions where you can bring shitty people to justice.” 

You frowned your eyebrows trying to gauge if he was just lying to you or not “I don't want to be some mindless weapon that you try to control, I know how you operate, Cecil, you’re a control freak that would do what it takes to get the outcome that you want, no matter what or who it risk”

“You will have a voice if that is what you are worried about, I won’t promise that it would always be heard but I won’t ask you to put anyone in danger…other than yourself. In order to take this job you have to be willing to risk your life for people that you’ve never met, people you’ll never see again, and even some people who hate you. Is that something you could live with?”

You took a few minutes to think then said with a smile on your face  "I'll come work for you if you agree to spend a day with me once a week that I get to plan.” This made him raise his eyebrows, thinking for a few seconds before he said deal and walked out of the room, leaving you smiling to yourself. What occurred for the next few months were once a week hang outs that most include sitting in his office while he ate a meal and you drunk a bag filled with blood with small conversations. After a few months it turned into simple talks about their week and job, spending time in parks but mostly his office so that he could stay close to work. During those months tension was building between the two of you, and one day the tension just happened to be mixed with whiskey which led to the two of you making out and having sex on his office desk. After a conversation it was clear that the two of you wanted to go forward in spending time with each other. The relationship for the most part was private, nobody knew other than Donald, after he may or may not have caught the two of you kissing in Cecil’s office, and you tried to stay out of each other's way, Cecil would give you a mission, you’d handle it and he worried himself to death the whole time, he knew you were capable but he still couldn’t take his eye’s off the screen whenever you were fighting to make sure you were okay. Whenever he could get a moment alone with you, he would try and savor it as such as he could, showing you just how important you were to him, how much he missed you, how much he valued the time you spent together.

And in the last moments of his life, that’s what he could remember, the moments that he shared with you and how pissed you were going to be that he was dying. That was until he saw you come into his vision as you jumped on the Invincibles back, biting his neck, causing Mark to drop Cecil. A yell left Mark's lips as he stumped around trying to grab you and get you off his back, finally he got a hold of you and threw you into a wall causing you to let out a grunt before Mark flew and grabbed your throat, pressing you against the wall. Cecil stood up, his arm was broken but he still pulled his gun out and tried shooting the Mark, he knew it won’t do much but he was just trying to irritate him enough to get his attention away from you. You were letting out feral like growls and grunts while squirming before you lifted both of your legs and kicked him in his chest, sending him backward, before he could recollect himself, you jump on the Mark wrapping your arm him, causing you both to fall, the Mark falling on his back as you sink your teeth into his neck, sucking all the blood you could, the taste was strange, maybe it was because he was an alien or maybe it’s because Cecil had been supplying you with his blood for a while now every now and again. Maybe it was because you were in love but it just tasted sweeter than anything you’ve ever had before especially when you were able to get it directly from the source, allowing you to smell his colon mixed with the smell of cigarettes and whiskey, so when ever he allowed it, you couldn't stop yourself from jumping at opportunity.

You lifted your head away from Mark’s neck, he’d stopped moving, maybe you sucked all the blood out of his body, you weren’t sure, you were dizzy, it’d been so long since you drunk this much blood at once, since becoming a hero you tried to limit yourself to what you needed in order to do your job, you dealt with the hunger daily and it hurt but you didn’t burden anyone with what was troubling you.

That was the case until during one of your “work dates” with Cecil that you felt a pinch of hunger in your gut, causing you to flinch into yourself and hold your stomach. Cecil, who was already staring at you, as you were sitting in his office across from him, stood up instantly, asking if you were okay, you nodded but he asked you to explain further. You explained that in all honesty you were starving and how you’ve been trying to limit yourself to only what you need and how there were some days where you just needed more blood than normal since you were using so much energy. He stared at you at you for a moment as you tried not making eye contact, looking down at your feet, there were moment like this were you were worried about what he thought of you, if he was judging you for what you genuinely needed to survive, it made you feel shitty and less than for how much his opinion matter to you, that was before you heard the sounds of him taking off his tie and shirt causing you to blush and stand up. 

“What are you doing ?! Donald just caught us kissing like a week ago and you’re trying to have sex in the office?” You yelled the first part and whispered yelled the second part.

He sighed before simply saying “It’s not like that, but also don’t be dramatic, it’s not like we haven’t done it in my office before.” He finished taking his shirt off and said “Come here” You just stood there and blinked. “You said you were hungry right ? I’m trying to help you out.” Again you blinked. He looked so stoic and yet vulnerable, he was going to let you suck his blood, his life was in your hands and he trusted you, the revelation hit you like bricks too or maybe the hunger was making you delusional and you were reading too much into things. 

“Are you sure?” You asked, taking a step towards him, putting a hand on both of his shoulders. He gave a small but reassuring smile and nod before putting his hand on your cheek and slowly pulled you closer to his neck, you could smell his blood while he was this close and it was consuming, it made you feel you could truly lose yourself in it and drown. You kissed his neck then licked the same spot, you could hear him suck in some air in, you slowly opened your mouth wide before sinking your teeth into his neck, making him moan slightly. He held your waist with both of his hands slowly moving them so that one went down to grab your ass while the other one moved up and slowly rubbed your back. The blood, his scent, the rubbing, it was truly sending you over the edge, you pulled away from his neck, licking the blood that dripped down from the wound, looked up at him. 

Cecil couldn’t tell if it was the lack of blood, the licking and biting, the way you looked at him, eyelids half open, blushing with you mouth slightly open while you were looking up at him, his blood smeared on your lips, or the fact that you were pressed against him but he couldn’t help put want to bend you over his desk and tell you how pretty you looked. That was the plan until Donald walked in, without knocking like it was his own damn office, causing you to turn around.

“Sir, I was wondering i-...” looking up from his tablet he made eye contact with the both of them, and as the scene set in for him, you could see the blush start to make its way onto his cheek, he tried to open his mouth to say something but nothing was making sense, he was just stammering before Cecil yelled 

“Jesus Donald, just get the fuck out” causing Donald to yell a loud, I’m sorry sir before running out of the room, closing the door behind himself. Cecil and you look back at each other before you let out a light chuckle.

“It was probably for the best, I should be getting back to my job, as should you” You put your hand on his chest,standing on your tippy toes and giving him a quick peck on the lips before heading over towards the door, as you make your way out you looked back him. “Come to my place after you're done with work” before blowing him a kiss and closing the door, leaving him unfocused for the rest of the day while also having to deal with weird smiles from Donald.

“Y/N !!!” You heard Cecil yell from behind you, making you immediately turn your head to him, the bone in his arm was sticking out and he looked as if he hurt to walk, he was bleeding from a cut over a swollen eye that was starting to turn purple but even then you could see the concerned look on his face. Cecil looked down at you, on top of the dead Mark, blood dripped down from your mouth, covering most of your chin, through your hair he could still see your dilated pupils, you looked like a feral animal as you slow moved towards him not saying a thing before you leap at him, he fully expected to be a feral vampires snack until he felt your arm wrap around his waist, face in chest.

“CECIL I WAS SO WORRIED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BE DEAD BY THE TIME I GOT HERE AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHY DOES THAT THING LOOK LIKE MARK BUT NOT REALLY AND WHERE IS DONALD HE'S SUPPOSE TO BE TAKING CARE, HE KNOWS HOW RECKLESS AND STUBBORN THAT YOU CAN BE SOME TIMES !!!” You sobbed into his chest as tears made of blood rolled down your face, tightening your grip so that you weren’t hurting him but made sure he wasn’t going anywhere. And all Cecil could do as he looked down at you with a surprise look and wrapped his working arm around you, kissing the top of your head.

“I have to go and figure out where these Invincibles are coming from and how to get rid of them, I need you to help with survivors on the street Donald should be somewhere in the city, if you see him stay close to him. Do not engage until it is absolutely necessary, do you understand ?” You gave a hesitant nod, knowing this was his way of telling you that he would be okay and just needed time to himself to figure things out, before running out the room to do your job, hoping that when this is all over, you can get a few hours with just each other. 

Part two-https://www.tumblr.com/blueknight20/781269493339029504/blood-sucker-part-2

Hope you enjoyed, I was thinking of maybe writing something else that showed the start of dating as well as a first time together kind of story but I'm so unsure lol.

[s4pphicb1mb0]

Smarty- Young!Grayson

Warnings: LESBIANS and flirting. R is 20, and Grayson is 21.

It was another day at the Piltover Enforcer Academy. The results were out, and you scored rank 1 like always. You were beaming and walked out with a certificate that was about to go on your parent's wall, again. Your family were natural-born enforcers. With your mom and dad being sheriffs at their time of service and your grandparents being teachers at the academy, all this came naturally to you.

The academy was a 4-year training period which included the first two years being trained, and the last 2 yeast training the new enrollers. 

You are walking to your dorm when you feel two hands on your shoulders, and you're spun around, and you're standing face to face with Grayson. The now 3rd-year senior who was always behind your ass, but she was also helpful to you often.

“So, what's the outcome smarty?” she asks you with a smile on her face

You flip your certificate around, and she grins and ruffles your hair

“I'm proud of you, little smartypant. Welcome to the second year. Will make sure you have a hellish time,” she smirks and looks you up and down. She was proud that you scored well, but nothing less was expected of you. After all, no one likes a failed nepo baby,

“Oh, shut u,p you k-” she interrupts you and holds your face between her thumb and index and leans closer

“And I advise you to keep that bratty little mouth shut if you don't want any problems with me in your year 2,” she says, her voice serious and gruff, but she still has that hint of a smirk on her face.

You just scowl in response and push her away

“Ugh, don't do that,” you pout and cross your arms

“Do what? I'm only instructing you. It's my job as a senior” She smirks and crosses her arms and looks down at you proudly. Grayson was a year older than you, and now you were promoted to year 2 and she was promoted to year 3. Of course, she was gonna use her status as a trainer to overpower you.

“Whatever I'm going to my dorm. See you tomorrow morning" You dismissively wave your hand and take your certificate back from her.

“Well I expect to see you on time for the laps,” she says with a pat on your shoulder.

You walk away and go to your dorm. You call your parents and talk to them and tell them about the good news. And you spend the rest of the evening reading and preparing for the new year. Yes, you were a huge nerd….. You were already reading for the next day so you could answer the teachers and show off your smarts.

The next morning you are woken up with the loud alarm that rings throughout the academy at 5 AM. You excitedly jump out of your bed, pick up your things, and go to common showers. You knew no one was gonna jump out of bed and go to shower, so you got the bathroom all to yourself. 

You don't waste time and are done in 15 minutes.

You come out and head straight to the breakfast hall. You were surprised to see how many people were already present. Did they not shower? You pick up a tray and get toast, egg, fruit salad cup, bacon, and a big cup of coffee.

When you spot Grayson, you go to her. You feel a bit shy because she's already sitting with her group of friends and you aren't sure if she's gonna let you sit. But she's your only semblance of a friend. 

You approach her table and everyone goes quiet and looks at you. Then Grayson looks at you and speaks.

“Oh….good morning”

“Hi” you mumble shyly, feeling a little embarrassed by all the eyes on you

“Wanna join us?” she asks, sensing your purpose

“Yes please..” you say as you slide into the seat next to her.

The next few moments are awkward, but then Grayson brings up your family history, and all her friends’ interest suddenly peaks and they're all interested in you.

“Y’know I'm surprised at how polite she's being, never was this nice to me” Grayson mentioned

“Oh shut up, you always piss me off” you quipped.

“See what I'm talking about, always gotta deal with this smartass,” she said with a grin and her friends laughed.

The alarm rings, signaling everyone to go to training. Grayson gives you a pat on the back and sends you off.

You do not dread lectures as much as physical training. You despised it. Sweating and exertion made you wanna skip classes. It was only 6 am and you knew the next 3 hours would be hell. You felt stupid as it clicked that people didn't shower because they would get sweaty after training.

You see Grayson scolding a few first-years who joined training late and weren't wearing proper training shoes. Well, she's supposed to be scolding them, but it looks like police intervention.

A 4th year senior comes and blows that obnoxious whistle and all the 1 and 2nd years start running. You were standing in the first file of the squad. 

1 lap in and you wanted to pass out. You see that everyone is focused on running and correcting year 1 students. So you pretend to trip and roll over on the floor. The whole squad of 2nd years stops and all surround you and ask you if you're okay.

The whistle blows again and you hear someone yell. “Aight, everyone move along and  leave the injured girl alone”

Grayson commanded. She walks to you and looks at you conveniently falling on the bushes.

“You think I'm dumb pretty girl?” she says with a smirk.

That made a flush rise up to your face which you couldn't hide

“I-I…what?” you stammer out

“I said. Do you think I'm dumb?” she crouches down to your level and stares at you.

“What do you mean…haha?” you nervously chuckle.

“I saw how you just stepped off the squad and conveniently rolled onto the bushes” She grips your chin in her hand and pulls you closer.

“S-sorry I-I just…um….sorry…..” you sigh and look away

She pulls you back by your chin and forces your chin upwards so you're looking at her

“Go take 12 laps,” she says

“What?! No!? I can't seriously plus the others only have 3 lap-”

She cuts you off

“Nope. That's your punishment” she says as she gets up and pulls you up by your arm and brushes the dust off you. She looks around for a second and then quickly pulls you behind a tree.

This was so sudden and out of character for Grayson

She pins you to the tree and gosh you're about to kiss.

This can't be real. She leans in and-

“Listen, you are gonna be the prefect this year” she whispers

Oh

No kissing?

“What do you mean prefect?Why?” you ask. You knew there were prefects every year, Grayson was the one for 3rd year.

But why were you gonna be th-

“Your parents were prefects for 4 years in a row. What do you mean by ‘why’? Plus you ranked 1 amongst not only your year, but overall all 4 years and the staff couldn't pick anyone better" she says, her tone serious as she kept her voice hushed.

“And what does that have to do with 12 laps?” you cross your arms defiantly and scowl at her.

“Oh, that? It's gotta do nothing. Just wanna set an example for year 1’s” She smirks and releases her grip on you which you forgot she even had it on you.

“I don't wanna do either, the perfect thing or 12 laps” you mutter

“What was that smarty?” she raises an eyebrow and looks at you

“I don't wanna do 12 laps or be a prefect,” you say, a bit louder

“Well, you don't have a choice. Go run or I will make you” she says

That just made you snort because you pictured Grayson peddling your legs like you do when you make babies burp

“What's so funny?” she asks, her tone almost seeming as if she was sad about being left out of the joke “Nothing. I'll do 6 laps. And I'll think over the prefect thing” you say as you run away, not giving her a second to add to your punishment.

“Hey! Smartass! Come back here!” but you were too far gone.

Oh, you were gonna be a prefect if it meant spending more time around Grayson.

[historyinclusionist]

History Inclusionist

An "Inclusionist" who believes that identities which are 1) shown to be supported in the community's history 2) are harmless personal identities that don't pose harm to others are valid and should be included in their communities.

Overall:

"History Inclusionism" refers to being inclusive of personal identities based on the identity being:

A self affirmed personal identity (locatable only within a person's interaction with and relations to the world around you)

Historically shown to be included in an identity subculture (Such as in a notable number of personal accounts, poems, zines, books, or other media from a subculture)

Shown to be non harmful to other identities or persons (Such as in more than one professional study)

Examples: - Different studies over human history have concluded that being raised by gay parents doesn't cause inherent harm to children. Therefore, gay relationships are provably shown to be non harmful. They are included here. - Different self-reports, comics, zines, and other writings from the past 60 years mention male lesbians, bi lesbians, and lesbians in relationships with men. Therefore, it is historically shown to be included in lesbian culture, and is included here. - Studies, reports, and other examinations by professionals over the course of human history have come to the conclusion that minors in relationships with adults cannot properly consent and are harmed by those "relationships." Therefore, personal identities that try to justify these "relationships" are not included here.

"Personal Identity"?

"Personal Identity" is a purposefully broad term meant to apply to most self-affirmed forms of identification (plurality status, orientation, gender, etc).

Being a History Inclusionist means that you are in complete support of the following personal identities:

Plurality which does not attribute its origins to trauma

Lesbians who are also male / Gay men who are also female

Lesbians who are also mspec (bi, pan, poly, etc) / Gay men who are also mspec

Transgender / nonbinary people who don't experience dysphoria or only feel euphoria

Nonbinary genders, including xenogenders / nonbinary genders that are "atypical" (based on fictional characters, highly specific, based on animals, etc)

"Atypical" relationship formats such as polyamorous relationships, relationship anarchy, kink-focused relationships, etc (Or generally any other form of relationship between two or more consenting people that would not fall under anything on the list below this)

Gender presentations which conflict with and/or defy the expected norm (Women who use he/him pronouns, men who present feminine, etc)

Being a History Inclusionist means that you absolutely do not tolerate or support the following:

Acting on or encouraging attraction to children as an adult (Ped*philia)

Acting on, encouraging attraction to, or associating positive feelings with the attraction to one's family members (Inc*st)

Acting on or encouraging attraction to, or associating positive feelings with the attraction to animals (Z*ophilia)

TransID/TransX communities, the idea that someone can transition into or identify as an age, disorder, or condition they physically are not or do not have (transrace/diarace/trace, transabled/transdisorder/'transplural'/transautistic, and so on)

Arguing with other members of the LGBT community over who is allowed to use derogatory words (Q-eer, f-ggot, d-ke, and so on)

Tagging: @mogai-sunflowers @neopronouns @radiomogai

If you're interested in reading more about why I consider XYZ a good faith thing and why I don't consider XYZ the same, I made a Carrd! 📖🏳️‍🌈

[drdemonprince]

Your advice to the letter-writer whose friend is a former abuser is interesting to me! I largely agree with the specifics, but I'd have added advice to be careful with how the former abuser treats the letter-writer. I might also advise them to be careful whenever the former abuser describes conflicts, as they might be likelier than average to use a woe-is-me framework. I would recommend caution with anything the abuser suggests they do that might cause them discomfort or humiliation, even if it sounds righteous in theory. I realize this is not very fair of me. The former abuser shouldn't have to live with increased carefulness and suspicion from their friends. Maybe it's not a real friendship if you're always wary about your friend potentially turning on you. But purely pragmatically... a lot of former abusers do abuse again, even if they had changed, sincerely, for a while. And "my friend who knows my history and stands with me, even losing some other friends in the process" is a prime target for Abuse II: Abuse Comes Back But In A New Enlightened Way. Deciding to have solidarity with a former abuser is a very moral thing to do, but it's also a trait some abusers are great at warping for their own benefit. Again, I know I'm being unfair, but I keep seeing this happen. Sometimes the friend gets sucked into a narrative where they eventually blame the former victim and become increasingly protective. Other time they say very clear-eyed things but ultimately still end up physically or sexually or emotionally mistreated.

I guess my question is, you say you believe the abuser fundamentally changed, so what does that look like to you? Are you able to fully relax around people who've abused in the past? Abuse is the result of circumstances, but it's also a sort of skill; how do you trust people to never use that skill again?

Great things to be aware of, honestly, thanks anon for the nuanced and careful view.

I like your framing of abuse as a skillset rather than a type of person -- and it's a skill that a whole variety of people wield, including sometimes those who are identified by most not as abusers, but as crusaders for justice or even supposedly for victims' rights. Having been abused and having also learned to be a canny social manipulator, I do see abuse as a skill that gets taught in dysfunctional groups and family systems, and which we can all potentially fall back on when we're backed into a corner.

Knowing how to recognize the skills of abuse being utilized (and maybe even more importantly, how you feel when a person leverages certain tactics against you) is really important for self-preservation in general. Being friends with someone who has a known abuse history that they are explicit & contrite about, in some ways, puts you in a safer position than if you were interceding with a more covert abuser who uses such tactics under a banner of benevolence. But it's also true that many people who come to be known as abusers were initially known as charming, and right thinking, and moral -- and it's very possible for someone who has done abuse to present themselves as such but not mean it. We can't ever really know the full depths of someone else's heart and mind, nor do we have to -- we can look to their actions and the skills they use, particularly when they are frustrated or feeling attacked.

[juanarc-thethird]

If interested please DM him

Nora: How was your Valentine's Day?

Jaune: Um... Normal.

Nora: You didn't ask a girl out?

Jaune: No...

Nora: Why not?

Jaune: Because no one is interested in me?

Nora: What?! How is that possible?!

Jaune: Trust me, it is possible.

Nora: Not on my watch! *Leaves*

Jaune: Hey! Where are you going?! *Sighs* Whatever, it's not my problem.

The next day....

Jaune: *Reading a book*

*Ting!*

Jaune: Huh? *Checks his phone* An unknown message?

*Ting!* *Ting!* *Ting!*

Jaune: More?

*Ting!Ting!Ting!Ting!Ting!Ting!*

Jaune: What the?

*TING!TING!TING!TING!TING!TING!TING!TING!TING!TING!TING!TING!*

Jaune: WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!!

Momentas later

JNPR's Room

Nora: *Playing games on her phone while lying in bed*

Jaune: *Shows up* *Angry* What did you do?!

Nora: Do what?

Jaune: You know very well what I mean. What did you do?!

Nora: I seriously don't know what you're talking about.

Jaune: I'm talking about this!

Jaune shows his phone, still being bombarded by messages from unknown numbers.

Jaune: Why do I have a bunch of strangers asking me on a date?!

Nora: *Excited* Really?! That means that my post worked!

Jaune: *Confuse* What post?

Nora: This one!

She selects something on her phone and shows it to Jaune.

"Do you want a Man that has abs? Do you want a man that can cook? Do you want a man that is literally the dream house husband?! Well look no further.

Jaune Arc, the only son of the Arc Family.

Let's talk about features: - Power: No - Money: No - A car: No - Great confidence: Nope... but he has a humongous dick that makes up for everything else.

Let me tell you a story. One day I entered the bathroom without checking to see if anyone was there using it. And when I did it, he poked my eye. "With what?" you might ask. I think we both already know answer to that.

You can present him to your parents, to your sibling who never stops bothering you that you are single and alone, to your weird creepy uncles, to your gossiping fat aunts, to your racist grandmother who no one dares to tell her to stop saying rude things, because for some reason everyone is afraid of her. And I can assure you that all of them will change their ways when they see what a good boy this man is. God damn it! Everyone will want to protect this golden retriever of a person!

Good boy Approved!!

Things this man is old enough to do: - Vote: Yes - Consent to Sex: Yes - Becoming Huntsmen: HE IS ALREADY A HUNTSMEN!

This man has history. He's seen some shit. He has done "things" for his friends. He has killed for his friends. He will not judge you like other people.

Interesting facts: - He is a good boy on the outside, but he is a beast on the inside~ *Wink* *Wink* - He is an Arc, so he is designed for breeding. - He holds the record for most boxes of cereal consumed in one day!

What more can you ask for?!

Look...

Let's face the facts. He may not be the most beautiful person in the world, but you aren't either (I mean that's why you're still single). So stop lying to yourself and stop lying to your mom about that "guy" you met at the supermarket. (We both know that's a lie). He may be too good for you, but he's really desperate. So send him a message and try your luck.

Jaune Arc 206-XXX-XXXX"

Nora: What do you think? Very cool, right?

Jaune:...

Jaune: Am I a joke to you?

[greenerteacups]

I think "the problem of house elves" is really interesting in that it reveals an issue with what I suppose can be broadly categorised as "urban fantasy"?, that is to say fantasy in a modern real world setting, which nonetheless uses magical creature lore. Inevitably, as an author, you're going to purposely or inadvertently draw parallels to real world "stuff" that's ladened with baggage... and it can be really hard to make it work because readers will be raring to pick apart these kinds of analogies.

House elves are a great example of this, in that, there really are creatures called house elves (or brownies) in English folklore and they really do, in the stories, seem to enjoy doing housework and chores in exchange for things like food and shelter (and shouldn't be given clothes or they'll never come back).

However, by initially drawing a parallel to slavery with House Elf labour (a real-world very dark baggage laden issue) and then not having the time to really delve into the history and complexity of her wizard / house elf relations you end up with the narrative seeming a bit confused as to how we should feel about people having house elves as servants / slaves. On one hand, we only see "bad" families having elves, on the other, we're told Molly Weasley would like one, then we're shown that Hogwarts uses them and that they, mostly, want to work for wizards without pay or holiday. People that grew up in the wizarding world seem to view Hermione's concerns with the kind of bemusement I encountered as a vegetarian kid explaining why I didn't want to eat animals to most of the people around me. This says a lot about the way House Elves are viewed there.

House elves are not viewed as being akin to human and therefore do not fit neatly into human parallels. Dobby is presented as an anomaly because, unlike most houseelves, he does not dream of labour and being bound to a particular wizarding family. I think JKR tries to represent this through Hermione's ineffective activism, but it's clumsily done because Dobby's our first and most poignant introduction to House elves and he was being seriously abused without any protections in place. There's also the Black family situation which.... yeah.

I think a couple of paragraphs of explanation from, maybe, Dumbledore outlining, perhaps, the symbiotic magical relationship of wizards and elves, and how the Malfoys / Blacks were somehow unusual in their cruelty and disrespect to this relationship, would've done a lot to smooth at least some of this over.

The issue, I think the books very quietly imply, is actually more aligned, although not perfectly of course, in a real world sense, with animal abuse / humane treatment of animals than with human slavery, as house elves ( as folkloric creatures) crucially do want to do house work in their nature and their treatment by wizards is therefore what needs to be monitored through the introduction of protections (older Hermione will surely be championing these kinds of reforms). Not perfect of course as House Elves are sentient, talking creatures... but they're also not human beings and it does make some kind of sense that they wouldn't have the same values... it's just, slavery being OK sometimes, is really not the sort of message you want to imply through an inadvertent and imprecise parallel.

Just chiming into the house elf convo as I find this issue in fantasy writing endlessly fascinating and as an aspiring fantasy writer myself, quite frightening!

This is so well-put, I almost can't bring myself to add anything to it — really excellent and considered treatment of the ways that the elf relationship was probably intended to read differently than it did in the text. More attention to the elf/brownie legend would have gone a long way for me in fixing my unhappiness with S.P.E.W., because it would have given a canonical basis for thinking Hermione's actually just wrong about this relationship, and that she's somehow missing an important historical context. That's a great point.

Staging elves as an intermediary between humans and animals whose treatment mirrors animal rights conversations is a really smart way of talking about it, too, as it captures the moral dimension of Hermione's quest without making everyone else look abjectly terrible for not supporting it. Staging her as, say, the PETA of the Wizarding World, where everyone thinks she's campaigning to Give Copyright to Monkeys, etc., makes Ron especially seem much more reasonable. I'm going to think about your interpretation a lot in how I write house-elves in the future.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Who was better and why?

General (or Consul) Bonaparte,

Emperor Napoleon,

Or Napoleon on Saint Helena?

ahhh interesting. I suppose my main question is: What is meant by "better"? Better in what way? How is "better" qualified?

If you're asking if I have a favourite, I don't. I think there are interesting aspects to Napoleon throughout the entirety of his life, no matter what hat he was wearing or persona he was seeking to embody.

In general, I have a particular fondness for Napoleon on Saint Helena because, in many respects, he feels the most accessible in terms of his base humanity.

It's there in Emperor Napoleon, for sure, but it's so hidden and walled over. Or, another way of putting it, he goes to great lengths to try and Perform Empire and that results in an interesting divorce of man and emperor. Josephine commented on this - the split between Napoleon and Bonaparte and how she wished more people knew Bonaparte, because there is a good man under the (at times harsh) imperial mask. Ditto to all the men who knew him pre-empire days saying they loved Bonaparte, not the emperor.

Yet, we still absolutely see aspects of the human under it all. It's just gilded and calcified.

Whereas Napoleon on Saint Helena is presented as more intimate and accessible. This was done on purpose, to a certain degree, because Saint Helena was one large imperial memory making machine. Napoleon was trying to control the post-Empire, posthumous narrative as much as he could. So allowing some intimacy for the viewing audience is important. (Napoleon was a good spin-doctor, never forget this.)

However, I think there are many truths to him as a person that we see at this time that we rarely catch sight of elsewhere:

Napoleon and his interest in the movement of ants and how they do their formations so he wouldn't let the line of them crawling up his bedside table be disturbed;

Napoleon the historian and writer with his millions of projects on the history of France, commentaries of Caesar etc.;

Napoleon the Dad who palled about with the children of his entourage, alongside Betsie Balcombe and others;

Napoleon the practical joker with an impish sense of humour;

Napoleon the man used to getting who he wanted when he wanted them showing a real ugly, nasty side when it came to Madam Bertrand turning down his advances;

Napoleon the man who hyper fixated on sheep at one point (or something in that ballpark) and read everything he could get his hands on then lectured Bertrand about it for a day straight because Napoleon was vibrating with a desire to talk about sheep husbandry;

Napoleon with all his arrogance, cynicism, and self-centeredness but also his personal pride, his sense of duty, his strong work ethic, his cleverness, his intelligence, his desire to be able to be generous even if he wasn't always able to be, the man who missed his family, who mourned the dead, who refused to ever give in and let other people define him etc.

All aspects of the above are present in Napoleon throughout his life, to varying degrees (some come and go with time), we are just able to see him most on Saint Helena.

Funnily enough, General Bonaparte never existed - it was never a military title he formally held. He held other ranks, including head of the army, but he was never simple General Bonaparte during his active military career. It was the name the British bestowed on him in exile so it should be General Bonaparte/Napoleon on Saint Helena.

But I take your point - young Napoleon. Artillery officer Bonaparte then first consul. Artillery officer Bonaparte presents a fascinating time when Napoleon was figuring out who he was in terms of French and Corsican identity. We see him shifting from Buonaparte to Bonaparte - finding his voice, his feet, who he thinks he wants to be and how that changes over time. It's very much a young person in transition and figuring out who he is, putting on different identities to see if they work for him - the way all young people do.

First Consul Bonaparte is actually one I don't have strong thoughts about. But I've always been interested in Old Man Napoleon and other select aspects, and so my interests rarely took me into the First Consul period.

---

thank you for the ask! Not sure if I answered it at all but you know...have some half-awake ramblings.

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

Hey there—this is completely spontaneous on my part, but I just saw your post from a few hours ago about how good the SW fandom used to be, and, dunno, I just wanted to say that I appreciate you. Your SW analyses were always so interesting to me, especially when you got into a debate with someone, because of how you backed your arguments up with evidence. I wish I could write rhetoric like you do. Anyways, you're especially cool to me because you're French and I've got French citizenship from my mom (though I grew up in the States), and despite not being Jewish, you've been really, really kind to us. So thanks for everything—the lengthy, passionate, convincing SW posts that got me through the pandemic, the interesting religious takes (I vaguely remember you going off on someone who said that religion was irrelevant in the modern world, arguing about the impossible-to-understate role it has had in the history of humanity, including in the present day—which, to a history and IR fan who'd gotten used to the sight of anti-religious takes because it was rebellious and trendy and cute, was like a breath of fresh air), and even now, your words since October 7th. I don't know if I ever reblogged or even liked a post of yours, I'm more likely to take a screenshot and put it in a folder on my desktop, but I just wanted to let you know of the impact that you've had in my life. 💛

Awww, it's so cool to find out about people who liked my stuff even if they never said! Idk how to explain why it makes me so happy but it's like it adds more to the whole experience as I look back, it's one more piece of the full picture that I'll never have. Like finding a new detail in a familiar setting and going 'oh! that was there all along? :D'

What was it about my SW stuff that you liked? the constant ranting and raving about the Jedi or the fawning over Obi-Wan? xD (And yes, yes I *did* get into a row with antitheists because I vented about being frustrated with Richard Dawkins' worldview lol. I don't think it really went anywhere.)

I'm glad reading my posts was ever comforting to you. I constantly want to be saying more since October 7th, but I really think using the internet as a battleground would be spectacularly unwise in my case. I've always tried to only argue my opinions from a position of complete confidence and thorough knowledge of all the facts, and that's a lot easier to do with a nerdy fictional universe that's contained to easily accessible media vs complex current global events. I can be stubborn and arrogant and I always want to be right, so in order to not get sucked into propagating self-righteous misinformation and turning into exactly the type of ignorant know-it-all who'd preach to others about geopolitics they learned yesterday on twitter, I preferred to step back.

That said, there is one thing I can and always will say with utter confidence and full knowledge that it's right: the worldwide spike in antisemitism and the horrifying abuse all Jews have been subjected to for over a year both irl and online is appalling and must be called out. The Jewish people are very close to my heart because of my family history, my upbringing and my personal faith in God and my saviour. So from one ~vaguely Jewish~ Frenchie to a vaguely French Jewish person, שׁלום and salut! 💙

Also, telling me you've taken screenshots???? of my posts???? to SAVE THEM???? ON YOUR COMPUTER????? is genuinely one of the highest compliments you could ever give me wow thank youuuuu. I hope you can still have fun going back to them from time to time 😄

[starsfic]

drunk red son admitting that he thinks MK is adorable is my crack

His phone was ringing.

His phone was ringing and it was three in the morning. At least, that was what the blurry red smudges on his clock looked lik. Qi Xiaotian reached over and, after a few minutes of smacking around, found his phone.

He squinted at the bright light as it turned on.

Red Son was calling him.

Weird.

Tonight, or at least last night, was their bachelor parties and they had agreed on not talking tonight while he chilled at the party that Long Xiaojiao, as his maid of honor, threw. Macaque had insisted on being his man of honor and Xiaotian hadn't regretted it. His party had been fun! A night at the theatre, thanks to Macaque's connections, followed by make-your-own noodles and a full run down of all his baby videos had been great. People switched between him and Red without any issue.

At least, until Azure Lion had talked to him while everyone else was busy. Despite working on making g up for his actions, it seemed he still had some resentment for DBK and Princess Iron Fan.

"You don't have to marry him."

Xiaotian scowled at the thought. Yes, he did, because he loved Red and wanted to get married and have a huge family... A fresh ring brought him back. A message was under the call.

Dragon_Girl: Sorry, he missed you too much!

Right under that message was a picture. His heart swelled at Red, curled up on some couch. He held his phone. Xiaojiao's picture had the perfect angle to show it was a picture of him.

"Awww, Red..." Xiaotian pressed answer. "Hi, handsome. Are you-"

"NOODLE BOY!" He bit back a snort at the voice. Was Red drunk? It took a lot to make him drunk. "NOODLE BOY I LOVE YOU!" Xiaotian's shoulders shook with restrained laughter. "DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

"I hear you, I hear you," Xiaotian managed to wheeze. "I love you too, Red!"

"NOT AS MUCH AS I LOVE YOU..." There was a groan that seemed to echo. Was he in the bathroom? "YOU...YOU...YOU AND YOUR CUTE FACE!"

"You think I'm cute?" Of course, he did. Red told him how cute he was in private. There had been a whole presentation once that had made Xiaotian weak at the knees. "How cute?"

"Cute....Cuter than...than...BABY COWS!" He leaned back at the yell. "What are they called?"

A chuckle came from the other side. "They're calves, Red," Xiaojiao's voice drifted in. "Let me talk to your pretty husband, kay?"

"Sure..." As the phone was exchanged, Xiaotian had to lean back again at a gasp of "WE'RE MARRIED!"

"You're getting married, Red," Xiaojiao sighed, clearly fighting back giggles. "Hey, bud! Sorry, I know you and Red didn't want to talk, so you would be all excited to see each other during the wedding, but he really wanted to talk to you. Especially with how much he was talking about your cute, kissable face."

"It's not a problem," Xiaotian leaned back with a satisfied sigh. 'How much did he drink?"

"Eh..." Xiaojiao paused, probably mentally counting, before groaning. "I don't know. I lost track of him a bit," This sigh was less giggly. "When I found him, Azure was talking to him. I don't know what he said, but Red was really interested in the drinks after that."

Of course. "Yeah, Azure talked to me too," Xiaotian rubbed his temples. He would tell Wukong about it the next day. Peng was already banned from getting anywhere near him or Red or any future kids. He didn't want to add Azure to that list, but he would if he had to. "But, he doesn't matter. Keep a good eye on him, okay? I wanna kiss his cute kissable face."

Xiaojiao chuckled. "Of course I will. Hey, Red, I'm hanging up. Do you have something you want to say?"

Silence, a deep breath...

"I LOVE YOU!!!!!"

Xiaotian finally couldn't take it, even as his ears rang from the shriek. "I LOVE YOU TOO!" He hung up before a stream of high, happy giggles shot out of him.

Forget Azure, forget whatever stupid history was in the past, focus on the now. The now was important. The now was this-

Tomorrow (because they did want to recover from their parties) Xiaotian would walk down the aisle with his cute love and wed him in front of their family.

And hopefully there would be no more lonely nights.