#and this time they actually have a chance to grow as one | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

the-artist-grimm · 2 days ago

Note

Im sorry if you already answered something similar but does the twins ever reunite with Forneus in your au? If so how does it exactly work out, does Narinder, Anthea, and Forneus share custody?

Crimson Angel AU - The Situation between Forneus and the Twins

(Anon, @gerroacarnival and @xquaserh Putting all these asks in 1 cause oh boy this is a COMPLICATED question to answer oof. I wanna preface this that while I love Forneus just going by the characters personalities/themes of this AU the reunion is not as fairy-tale happy as it is in game)

Anyway-the boys do reunite with her technically, but not in the way Forneus dreamt. Reunions are good in theory, the long lost children reunite with their ‘real’ family, hug their mother, go ‘home’ with her, start life anew, but life isn’t so simple, now is it? It’s never that easy, not when one side clings to the memory of three day old infants and a reunion she'd dreamt of for so long it just became her expectation, and the other side has no memory and complex feelings on the whole matter with this slight feeling that perhaps while their mother loves the idea of them, she doesn't actually love them.

It's messy, complicated, and no matter what, will NEVER be the reunion Forneus wanted. The second they left her embrace, she lost the chance to be the mother she'd wanted to be for them, yet never realize till too late what else died with them.

(Putting this under the cut cause it's longgggg. The Twins and Forneus's story has so little in-game text that it's become this favorite thing of mine to interpret/expand)

The Two Parents

Forneus did and didn’t have a choice to give the boys up. When Shamura appeared, the newborn, extremely premature kits were already doomed to die, so the choice to either let them pass naturally or to allow War to take them as gifts with a potential of reunion was an either damned if she did or damned if she didn’t, situation. And in her grief and desperation, she chose the option that gave the potential for hope. She gave the twins to Shamura, accepted the golden skull, and waited. Waited for her babies to come home, waited as a mother who never really ever had a chance to be a mother-one who works off feelings but no experience.

Meanwhile when it came to Aym and Baal, Narinder never told them who their parent(s) were. How could he, when he himself had no certainty as to who they were? Though his 7th Vessel, Forneus, had left service specifically because of pregnancy, he had no means of tracking how much time had passed since when they first arrived (it could've been a century since for all he knew), nor any means to confirm without doubt that the black, newborn kittens were hers even once his next vessel gave him the date-he couldn't ask them to investigate something so personal and unrelated to their cause.

Their box held only their bodies, a spider-silk cloth which was their burial shroud, and a note penned in Shamura’s hand. ‘A Gift’ that’s all the note said. No names, no clues, no nothing. While Narinder had suspicions, he could not in good conscious tell the boys of a potential mother out of risk of being wrong-of getting their hopes up for a heroic parent only to be proved that it wasn’t her, or worse, told heroic tales just to learn they were abandoned all along. Vessel 7 was heroic yes, had a sense of justice yes, but during her service her luck had made her grow arrogant, had transformed flirting into a game of hearts and people into a way to get the upper hand-for all he knew, if they were hers, they could've all along been her means of trying to easily get out of vesselship. He just didn't know.

And thus Narinder raised them from there. He tried to use the title of ‘Master’ as a barrier in hopes that, if they did have a family awaiting them, he wouldn't take their place, (it was also out of guilt for being the reason they were trapped) but he also couldn't bring himself to fully shut them out either. The moment their dead bodies healed in the gate and they started to mewl for attention his unbeating heart bled for them, and he just couldn't deny them love because he knew how much it hurt to be without.

The Twins

As centuries passed Aym and Baal were content with Narinder as their 'Master'. He who told them stories of his time above, who taught them how to fight, who fashioned them clothes from whatever scraps of cloth he would get vessels to send-he was all they had and knew. When they felt the time to sleep it was in his paws they curled up, when they got hurt training or got bored it was from he they received comfort and attention. It was his magic which allowed them to age against the Gateway's stasis, it was he who saw their eyes open, watched as they learned to speak and walk.

But that’s not to say neither did think of whoever was left behind from time to time. Baal tried to keep hope that he and his brother were taken-stolen by the Bishops, with whatever parents they’d had having desperately tried to keep War away. Aym, meanwhile, only felt anger, bitterness and resentment, for who lets two three day old kits be taken and sacrificed? Narinder himself simply tried to keep neutral on the subject, not wanting to feed into either side in hopes that'd avoid a heartbreak or the smooth transition to their 'real' kin.

The Lamb

When the Lamb appears and starts to befriend them, it's then the boys suddenly find themselves feeling the same sense of security and comfort Narinder gives them towards Anthea. As the lamb brings them toys and books catered to their interests, teaches them to read, uses the crown to show them the world above and encourage their boundless curiosities. As nights suddenly see the lamb visit in their nightgown book and quilt in hand, letting the twins snuggle into their sides as the three are cradled against Narinder's chest while reading a book, and the boys fall asleep to a heartbeat for the first time. Narinder had always been stability and security, Anthea became tenderness and warmth.

Anthea teaches them what a 'Father' is as well, and the boys realize that's what their master actually is-he's their dad and tentatively start testing calling him as such, and while it's not until just before Silk Cradle they realize it (yet don't call them Baba yet) Anthea's long on their way to feeling like a parent too.

Which then begs the question…what of the parent(s) left behind?

First Contact

Baal still wants to meet them, he's always been curious and just wants to know who they are, while Aym is still angry and wants nothing to do with them. They got a parent in their master, and Anthea's their friend and practically a parent too, so why bother with the ones who abandoned them? Narinder overhears the boys debate over it more and more, and as Anchordeep’s door opens, Narinder hesitantly asks the Lamb for a favor.

He’d heard rumors of a shopkeep she-cat who wore a golden skull, and Anthea had been the first to confirm that cat's name was Forneus. He’d never asked a vessel to do such a thing before, mainly out of not feeling close enough to ever ask such a personal, unrelated to the Bishops, task, but he wants to give the boys closure, and Anthea would happily do anything to help the kits. And thus they're sent out, and in a bit of a side quest work their way to getting Forneus to sit down and just...talk.

She explains her side of what happened, how the boys were born too soon, how she had really no choice, breaks down, and as the cats had been listening in and Aym who's now uncertain feels bad, and he requests Narinder for permission to speak.

“Save your tears for when we meet” is what he says, and that’s all that’s said through the crown.

For Aym it’s an olive branch-he’s sorta gotten an answer as to why he and his brother were sacrificed, though he's not entirely sure how to feel since well...she still gave them up, but she looks sorry so... Baal's eager and happy to hear that they were cared about but is a little disappointed at realizing that she didn't really hesitate despite the situation, but regardless, both are willing to give her a chance. They want to get to know her, and then they'll decide how they feel after that.

They, do not, see her as a proper 'Mother'. Just someone who shares their blood who they want to meet. To then Narinder's still Dad-he's still the one who makes them feel secure.

Meanwhile for Forneus it’s proof that she’ll get what was promised. Her boys are not only alive, but they’re children-they’re still children, so she'll now get what she wanted and more. They'll reunite and she'll then take her children home to travel by her side-she’ll get to raise her dear little babies just as she’d planned, and while it took so long it's going to be perfect.

She's dreamt of the boys seeing and running into her oncoming embrace crying. That they'll love her instantly and had already because she's their mother so of course that's how they'll feel. How could they not? Children ALWAYS love their parents.

The Lamb promises to help her meet them once they’re free, and every visit after, Forneus tries to get the boys to talk again-offers gifts for the lamb to bring to the Gateway, rambles on about all the things they'll do together while the Lamb browses her shop. And...well they're things, at least. Most of the toys she offers are either baby toys or things that just don't interest the boys, and some of her plans are...plans. They're elaborate-taking them to X mountain, to X landmark, traveling here and there and everywhere. Big and grand and...and never mentioning their Dad or Anthea being there.

Baal thinks it's sweet how excited she is while Aym is getting more and more unsure-but even Baal eventually admits that she's a little...loud. Forneus is loud-she's energetic and eager and while he and Aym can be too, seeing it from a stranger about them is...weird. She keeps calling herself their Mama , and calling them Zamir and Delshad despite being told otherwise because apparently those were their names (a fact not even Shamura had been given. Narinder had to name the boys himself). She keeps talking about those three days they were with her, and it kinda feels like she loves the babies she gave up and not them.

Anthea tries to tell her about them, but she usually doesn't realzie since she's busy talking to her babies and not them, it's as if the lamb isn't even there. The boys can't even try to think of trying to talk-she never leaves an opening for them to try. Eventually the boys ask Narinder to mute the crown during the Lamb's shop visits the more uncomfortable it gets.

It's like going to a family reunion and being brought to your great Aunt who last saw you as an infant at your christening. She insists on kissing your face and hugging you tight and going oh how big you've grown sweetiepie and this and that and...and you put up with it because she's family but...well she's a stranger despite the shared blood. She doesn't actually know the you of now-and you don't know her.

Reunion

When the final Bishop falls is when Forneus suddenly finds herself left in the dark. For 6 months she sees hide nor hair of the Lamb, and gradually gets worried because where are her sons? The Bishops are dead, why hasn't she been given back her babies?

(The Lamb had been avoiding her cart during crusades out of both grief and guilt-Aym's dying word of calling them 'Baba'...it broke something in them, made them realize just how much the boys had meant. They had a shattered heart and endless guilt, and having to face Forneus and explain she'd never meet her sons? It'd been too much as a grieving parent themself)

The twins were revived after 4 months but Anthea only finally approached Forneus after 6, and she was too relived to finally hear she could meet them to bother asking what'd happened. Anthea invited her to come to the cult that weekend, and Forneus happily accepted, not even noticing the tiredness in the Lamb's eyes nor the uncertainty in their tone. Even on the day she arrived at the cult, she didn't mind the lamb, not even as Anthea gave her a final warning.

"There was trouble setting them free…they’re wary, skittish, they’ve been through a lot... I know you’re excited but please be gentle when you speak to them, be calm and keep your distance please they’re so easy to startle."

Meanwhile the boys waited at the temple with Narinder, who, for the hundredth time, asked if they were certain they were ready for this. Though it'd been 2 months, the toll of dying so traumatically via turning to ash, of being trapped in the gateway, the trauma of resurrection, the fear of being alone without their parents because that's what he and Anthea were to them, Narinder had wanted them to wait as did Anthea. The boys could hardly sleep without at least one of them there with them in bed, were just starting to be ok interacting with other people, could only handle the touch of a select few and even then sometimes would just break down into panic attacks out of seemingly nowhere. They weren't ok, but the boys had insisted. This woman who claimed to love them had been kept in the dark for so long, they felt bad and wanted to try.

They felt guilty for not being ok. Even as Narinder and Anthea repeatedly and gently reminded them that it was alright-that their feelings were valid, that they could take all the time they needed and they'd be right there to support them, the boys had insisted and they just couldn't deny them their choice.

But once Forneus arrived no one got the chance to even properly introduce the boys to her-she just saw them, ran towards them for the reunion she dreamt up, swept them into her arms, and next thing she knew she had two yowling, struggling kits trying to break from her hold. In her excitement and in not listening to Anthea's warnings she'd done the worst thing anyone could've done-she was louder, bigger, stronger, scarier than them, and as the kids managed to shock her into dropping them suddenly Baal was hyperventilating, and Aym was working himself into a panic attack. And Narinder and Anthea, having two months practice in calming them like this, and having long been the twin's safe people, immediately fell into place. Narinder got Baal, Anthea got Aym, and Forneus could only watch.

Could only watch as Baal started gasping for Dad as Narinder tried to get him to breathe, as Aym started sobbing for Baba and practically tried to bury himself in their embrace, as her babies looked at her in fear and clung to someone else.

And then all she can feel is anger. She'd waited 300 years-those boys were hers. Why are they clinging to someone else?

From there it just becomes a mess, she gets into a very loud, very heated argument with Narinder especially for 'stealing' her sons which just scares the boys more, and in a very poor move tries to just grab one of them which prompts Anthea to use a show of godly power and threaten her to get out of the Cult which she does since a crowd has also formed (the Cult was ALL aware of the twin's poor mental state, and they'd all grown very protective of the community's first children despite having to keep their distance because by gods those kids deserved more than what fate had given them).

Forneus leaves angry, and Narinder and Anthea now got two kits who had been tentatively healing temporarily back at square one, and who are now gonna start having nightmares of a stranger taking them away on top of preexisting ones.

I wanna note that Forneus isn't a bad person. She isn't, but she's also not used to things not going her way. As a vessel she was 'Lady Luck', she who rarely died, who always had the upper hand, who would pop curse shots at the Goddess of Famine for fun and be the heartbreaker of her own cult able to flirt and tease and talk her way to whatever she wished. She's kind and cheerful and charismatic sure and she genuinely does want to help people and do the right thing, but there's still this...ignorance, arrogance-that she doesn't even realize is there.

Like how above in Starfall Part 1 she VERY casually mentions how she 'knows what it's like missing her own twins' and 'how 'hard' it must be for Anthea to have nothing of their family to remember them by', but the thing is...she doesn't know. She's so hooked on this idea that she WILL get her boys back that she completely has just ignored the grief that comes with loss entirely this whole time. The way she misses her sons is NOTHING like how Anthea misses their brothers-she misses them like a relative you haven't seen in awhile but will see soon. Anthea misses their brothers because they're DEAD and they know that they will NEVER see the two again, especially now. Like Forneus has not considered how she's lost a LOT of moments with her children. They're still kids yeah but they're not returning to her as blank slates-though physically and mentally 11 they've been with Narinder for over 300 years, that's a lot of time to be without her. She loves them, but kinda more-so the sons she thought she'd get back.

Thus when you've been envisioning this 'perfect' reunion the entire time only for it to not go your way...it's a hard pill to swallow. She gets disappointed/angry understandably-anyone would, but instead of stepping back and realizing she can't fault the boy's feelings she takes it out of the ones who 'took' her place instead, which then turns her into this loud scary bad-guy to the boys.

And Aym and Baal aren't to blame in this situation, like they're kids, and like with my 'great aunt who last saw you as a baby' analogy, it's not their fault they don't immediately love her. She's a stranger-one whom, the more she tried to force interactions via the crown during their imprisonment, seemed to have little interest in them personally and more in whatever children she assumed she'd be getting back. And after that disaster of a first meeting? They don't want anything to do with her she scared them that much.

As for Narinder and Anthea they both feel awful because they understand why Forneus is angry, she only gave them up because she was promised a chance for reunion (though she ignored the CHANCE part of that), but in the same breath Aym and Baal are their sons and they'll take their side first over anyone else's. And the thing is there's nothing that could've been done on their part to prevent this really either.

Anthea telling Forneus the twins had died? Anger, grief, then upon their revival a fierce insistence for the boys to NEVER go near the Lamb or Narinder again, which the twins would've been just as terrified and against.

Narinder not showing care to the kits for those 300 years? They would've gotten attached to him anyway since he was literally all they had, though they might've turned out worse emotionally because of neglect

Telling the boys to wait longer to meet Forneus? She likely would've just shown up on her own within another month anyway since by that point Anthea had just freed Heket from Purgatory and word was starting to get around about the new God of Death so this would've happened but worse.

The only way Forneus could've had the reunion she'd wanted would have been if Narinder never forced the twins to start aging against the stasis. But then there would be two 300+ year old infants, which is a whole other can of worms.

Notes/Explaination

Again I love Forneus in-game she's so adorable and my one of my favorite NPCs to visit, but I also like making imperfect characters, especially parents and their relationships with their children. And while I love the idea of her being this wonderful, sweet, amazing mother, I also like the idea of her being really flawed about it to.

Crimson Angel is about learning to communicate with your loved ones, and in this case, it needs to be her looking at things from the twins view and realizing that if they don't want her in their lives, she has to accept that. She needs to realize that she's not entitled to their love just because she gave birth to them. She also has to let go of the sons she gave up that day-those three day old infants who were perfect little blank slates, and get to know the boys they became without her. She has to realize someone else took her place in their hearts, and realize that if she wants to join them, she HAS to let the boys come to her, and that she has to work on THEIR terms.

She cannot try and force a love if she wants a chance for it at all, and must swallow her pride and listen to others who know the boys better-Anthea and Narinder, alongside the boys themselves.

She'll get a relationship with the boys eventually, but it's not going to be the one she hoped for. She's gotta work on herself first and realize her flaws, maybe get some practice with handling children via unintentionally adopting a certain fan-favorite grave spider kid after finding him all alone, and just...wait. Narinder and Anthea are the twin's primary parents, and while Forneus does eventually get to a place where they're comfortable with her, it's never going to be on the same level, and they all just gotta contend with that.

Boarders are by @/lambouillet

#I love tragic stories can't you tell? Also stories that explorer the relationship between parents and kids-cause a lot of times kids agency #in the relationship is often ignored/taken for granted-they shouldn't be expected to love someone because of blood alone #*beats characters emotions to a pulp* it's for character development I swear!#crimson angel au #cotl #ask #cotl shamura #cotl narinder #cotl aym #cotl baal #crimson angel au lore #cotl forneus #cult of the lamb #my writing

92 notes · View notes

mr-ys-phantasma · 20 hours ago

Text

🌙 Moon Phases 🌙

Agatha Harkness X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1369

Chapter 40:

You all turned to look at Billy, who grabbed his little spell book from his body bag. "At least we have our personal items."

Immediately, you rushed to check your body bags, all bearing similar expressions of relief by being reunited with your pendants.

You wore your own necklace, the light metal cold against your flushing skin, and adrenaline still coursing through your pumping veins. Your fingers gently brushed the three moon phases, and you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath.

Wearing it, somehow, made you feel more secure and safe; a placebo effect that helped calm you down a little more and allow your head to be clearer.

The moment was interrupted, though by the sound of the morgue drawers being pulled back into place, the knocking sound almost startling you.

If that was not enough, the growing lights above you started to flicker before one shut down.

"The countdown," you exclaimed, eyes following the circle formed by the lights; while wondering how quick each light would turn off after the other.

Deep inside your instincts were telling you that the time would not last long, not as long as the other trials.

Agatha noticed that Jen was rather quiet, not panicking like usual. Instead, Agatha swore Jen was actually thinking of something for a change.

"You seem relaxed." She called her out. "Usually, at this point, you're either complaining loudly or freaking out loudly."

Jen gave her a hard look, clearly not in the mood for her annoying antics. "I'm thinking."

"Oh. About what?

"How to save your ass."

"Pardon?"

"I couldn't save Lilia. I didn't even try to save Alice. I'll be damned if I let you three idiots die."

You placed a hand on your waist as you looked at her, clearly not happy being called an Idiot or any of your companions being called that.

However, you held back any remark for the moment. It was the first time you saw Jen actually putting others above herself, when all those trials she had been selfish and the first to go when given the chance.

And considering you once again needed to work together somehow to make it through, this worked in your favour.

Of course, Agatha did not seem to share your thoughts.

"Wow. Such a purpose. How are you gonna do that without any magic?" She questioned, in the mood for an argument.

"Agatha, that's enough," you said, no authority coming from your voice much to your dismay.

Your body was still on edge, and it was taking a lot of mental training to remain calm and try to think of a solution, rather than letting your emotions and your haunting memories get the best of you.

Thankfully, you were not the only one ready to defend Jen.

"Y/N is right!" Billy said, putting his foot down. "She saved you from poisoning. She saved all of us. All while bound." He looked at Jen and offered a weak smile. "Maybe you don't need it."

Jen wanted to believe him, but she had a hard time too. Not that you blamed her. Your magic might be sort of a curse and a blessing to you, but you can not imagine your life without it.

"Well, if that's true, that means I've wasted the last century of my life." Jen commented. "That doctor in Boston didn't take anything from me. I gave it up."

It was then that you all noticed Agatha fidgeting faintly by tuning her fingers together and avoiding eye contact.

Unlike the others, you knew she acted that way when she knew something but refused to tell. Something that actually made her feel guilty, even slightly.

"Ags," you called her out, but she did not look you in the eyes. "You know something," she was about to argue, but you beat her to it. "I know that face and that fidgeting. I know what it means"

Defeated, Agatha started to throw parts of a story that matched Jen's story, and everyone made the connection.

"I didn't know it was you! It was the 1920s. I did the odd spell for bank notes. I don't know. The patriarchy really shelled out to shush a lady. It was bind or burn!" She justified herself, or so she tried.

For Jen was furious finding out the truth, and she had every right to be. With anger blinding her, she rushed to Agatha and even pulled a thick lock of her hair in one strong pull.

Agatha didn't even flinch at the pull, having built quite a pain tolerance thanks to Rio. She didn't even fight when Jen tied her wrists together with that strand of hair.

She might not react to it, but you were about to. No matter what took place back then, seeing Jen ripping out Agatha's hair like that made your protective instincts hit in.

Forgetting your own anxiety caused by the closed room, you were about to move and tackle Jen; having forgotten your powers worked normally.

Billy grabbed you by the waist and kept you back, surprised by your strength, considering he was taller than you and clearly heavier.

"Wait! Wait! Look!" He told you as he kept pulling you away from the two witches. "Yhe unbinding ritual."

This made you stop your fighting and look, realizing he was right. The strand of hair and the wrapped wrists were the basis for the ritual.

Jen was not trying to harm Agatha, you realized. She was trying to break the binds that kept her magic dormant and get back what was sealed away a century ago.

You calmed down, and Billy let you go. He stood right behind you, and the two of you watched as Jen repeated the same mantra again and again.

You hold nothing.

Each time that phrase was spoken with more power, with mode determination... with more need to work.

Jen's voice cracked, but she kept going, holding on every beat of hope that was left within her... one last chance to get back what was stolen from her.

In the end, it seemed to work based on Jen's expression.

Her face changed from shock to realisation and she could not help but fall on her knees, arms cradled in front of her chest and let out gasps and faint cries of hapiness; pink magic coming alive from her palms.

The sight broke your heart, seeing how Jen truly felt finally having her magic back.

Magic for witches was their essence, their core, and their will to live. It was part of them and having it sealed away, unable to sense it... to recreate this feeling of power and mysticism that existed within...

It was a fate worse than death.

Suddenly, Jen disappeared right in front of your eyes.

"What?" You exclaimed and rubbed your eyes, fearing your mind was playing tricks with you.

"Where did she go?" Billy asked next.

"Out of here," Agatha replied in a soft tone, deep down actually feeling happiness for Jen; capable of actually taking back what she was looking for.

You frowned. "But we are not done with the trials, yet"

Agatha looked at you, her gaze softening. "She is done with it. Her trial has already passed, and she got what she wanted."

You felt the need to argue but stopped yourself. The Road was a place unknown, and not even you or Agatha or Rio knew much about it. Each time it worked differently, each time seemed to make up something new.

So, who says the trials were not shortened? Or perhaps, it was giving a chance for some to find what they are looking for and be free without having to finish the road.

This was a comforting thought, deep down wanting to end this and get out.

The fact remained, though, how were you going to find what you are looking for? When you pretty much had nothing to work with and unlike Jen; there was no binding whatsoever that could be broken.

Chapter 41

#agatha all along #agatha fanfic #agatha harkness x reader #moon phases fanfic #agatha x reader #kathryn hahn #agatha spoilers #agatha harkness #aubrey plaza #marvel #lesbian #billy maximoff #jennifer kale

62 notes · View notes

velvetvexations · 2 days ago

Text

I'm censoring this URL because the OP is eighteen. Do not seek the post out and do not harass anyone. Teens are often wrong about things. It's fine. It's radfem bullshit but it's fine.

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

Let me be clear: The idea that t4t was invented by trans women for use betwixt themselves, and that "TME" people "gentrified it," is (a) holy fucking shit racist as fuck and (b)

takes a deep breath

WRONG INCORRECT UNTRUE EASILY VERIFIABLY FALSE

The OP is eighteen. That means that we did not do anything. They were not born when It came about on Craigslist and was being used by all trans people from the very start. I don't think they know what Craigslist is and probably more than half the people reblogging it don't either.

TME people fucking gentrified it? Are you fucking kidding me? Are these people tossing that post back and forth just fully playing pretend in fucking Tarabithia, what world do they live in where this combination of syllables makes sense and doesn't cause them to wither up in shame for even having the thought, much less vocalizing it?

Ohhhh but what really gets me is the assertion this was done because being with "TME" people meant there was a high chance you could be "socially (or even physically) murdered."

No.

No, OP. If you were any kind of trans person in pretty much any time and place before the 2010s, and a relationship with a non-trans person went poorly, there was a very high chance you would be dead. There's no "or even" about it. That is what fucking happened. Your ex didn't go crying to your mutual friends telling them about how you hogged the blankets. Your non-trans ex would proceed to ACTUALLY FOR REAL MURDER you, assuming they even waited for the relationship to go sour and didn't just kill you the second you walked through the door like they were always planning to do.

That's how it was when I was growing up, denied transitioning but longing so achingly to be a girl in spite of the horror and misery that seemed to plague us. So I have a problem with the obsession with sOcIaL mUrDeR that keeps getting tossed around these days, because of how degrading it is not only to how bad things still are with death after death after death, but how it disrespects what we came out of. But to directly act like soooocial murrrrrder was the big scary thing trans women feared back then? That's heinous. That's sickening. The social consequences all trans people were deathly afraid of back then was being outed as trans and then being fucking stabbed within twenty-four hours.

Even in spite of the election and what's coming next, how good we have it would be nigh-incomprehensible to the first trans men and women and non-binary people to be brave enough to advertise themselves as t4t to strangers. Like, I need everyone to understand that. They could not have wrapped their fucking heads around it. It'd be like explaining a circuit board to a Mesopotamian. One could show them a video of the Blue's Clues episode about queer people and it'd just register to them as migraine inducing static.

We're in such a better place than we were. And this is what people do with it.

Make up bullshit reasons to be angry at their siblings and imply they also didn't get murdered for being trans on a regular basis, or that even just trans women cared about an irritating buzzword, even as cishetpatriarchal fascism is empowered and determined to drag us back to the the horrific dark age that scholars refer to as Literally All of Human History Up Until Now.

Amazing.

Why do I even try. Like, with anything. Why do I get out of bed in the morning. I could have stayed in bed all day listening to rain sounds.

Anyway, that's my thoughts on that.

#so angry about so many things #trans radical feminism #discourse #cw hate crimes

52 notes · View notes

noneatnonedotcom · 14 hours ago

Text

1: nothing to say to that one you're entitled to your opinion though from what I've heard you're in the minority. 2: so you're saying you have something against the idea of people learning and developing through the story? that's kinda the whole point of a story, yeah jaune was absolutely after weiss for the longest time to his own detriment and in the end he chose to help out neptune to make weiss happy rather than step in to purse her himself showing growth and humility. 3: that's just 1 again honestly 4: he doesn't force himself into the story, he's in the story because he's the only one that fucking grows in any noticeable way. he's the every man. cinder isn't the main antagonist she's a subordinate to salem who is the main antagonist of the story and the primary cause of rwby's journey. jaune's not contrarian he's just the only one that doesn't prescribe to protagonist-based morality. 5: okay so summing up all your points, you're an immature child go it. doesn't change the narrative and if you look at the poll it's overwhelmingly for jaune so at the very least you're enough of a minority in the opinion that I don't have to care about you anymore. final note, weiss isn't ruby's girlfriend we actually have quite a bit of evidence that she's actually straight and jaune has a better chance with her than ruby. fuck off and come back when you understand story structure

129 notes · View notes

howlsofbloodhounds · 3 days ago

Note

Imagine if killer ever took the other's "blame" and put it on himself to protect them from nightmare, cuz he knew how he was, how to deal with him, being like a martyr to not let the others get such a "punishment" like he probably will, but never received the same opportunity from the others

Idk just a little dream I had and got interrupted

Yeah, I can already see Killer doing that. And not in the, “secretly cares” “wants to shield them from pain” way exactly—although I can see that in an au where the gang managed to gain access to and gain the care and trust of Stage 1 Killer—which in unlikely to happen in a more canon adjacent bad sanses au.

Still, even if he doesn’t actually care about any of the gang and wouldn’t at all be affected by their deaths or loses, he’d still be rather self sacrificing—from a more logical stand point, if it serves a use. Because that’s what he and the body is: something to be made use of.

He won’t shield them from their own mistakes or their consequences, at most he may offer to dish the punishment out himself instead of letting Nightmare do it. (Mostly if he’s grown attached, but if he hasn’t, either because Nightmare has him do it or he offers because he’s either 1. bored, or 2. thinks he made a particularly bad mistake in teaching the others.)

I can definitely see Killer taking the blame for any of the first mistakes any of the gang makes—because as Nightmare’s right hand, they’re his responsibilities. If they fuck up, it’s because he fucked up on teaching them—and so, if Nightmare allows it, he’ll take the responsibility.

He will never do it a second time for the same mistake, i don’t believe. Because if they don’t learn after the first time, then they deserve what they get—and clearly they need to be taught some other way. Nightmare decides the consequences, and Killer doesn’t care enough to try to prevent it is what he tells himself. (Rather than the reality that he can’t prevent it.)

As a mentioned, vastly different story if he managed to form some type of attachment to one or all the gang—the self sacrifice would go hard. But it’d still be from a logical, matter of fact, but rather dehumanizing perspective of himself.

He can handle the pain, he likes the pain, he knows Nightmare and they don’t, he’s a tool, he was made for this, etc, etc. any justification besides the possibility of having emotions, and having had enough to grown attached. anything besides the possibility of having grown weak.

still i don’t think growing attached would be enough to motivate him to do more than nightmare allows. if nightmare is insistent that they take the punishment and not killer, and that nightmare gives the punishment instead of killer, killer would probably shift gears on ensuring they know what to expect and how to handle the boss. as opposed to say, shrugging his shoulders and walking away without caring about whatever could possibly be happening to them, beside perhaps pulling out some medkit to handle and take care of the aftermath.

now though, regardless of if killer has formed attachments or not, if nightmare allows killer to give the punishment, I don’t think he’d hold back on them at all.

Just enough not to kill and render useless at least. it’s his responsibility that they learn their lesson. he’s making them stronger and smarter, and ensuring they have less of a chance of ending up back here again or disposed of.

32 notes · View notes

darklydreamingdaddydom · 1 day ago

Text

He could tell his girlfriend was getting quite stressed from work and school… She never seemed to get a break. So he waited until she had a solid 5 days of nothing.. With no one or thing to worry about.

A lot of planning was involved, he cleaned out an old storage room and put in a crib with plastic sheets and cuffs on each corner of the bed (good for changing naughty rebellious little girls who wet and mess themselves.)

There was a cabinet, filled with diapers, powder, wipes, and cute little outfits that made her look like a 3 year old.. There were also paddles, vibrators, rope, cuffs, and crops etc. depending on how bad his little girl decided to be.

Finally it was time.. She came home from work with a sigh of relief.. He handed her cranberry juice with laxatives and diuretics. Soon enough she would realize that she needs diapers, and Daddy’s guidance.

“Sweetie, I want to talk to you about something.. I know things have been so stressful for you, and I want to help. Let me take care of you this weekend, so you can just relax.” She loved the idea of that, it sounded perfect to her… Little did she know what was actually in store for her.

Some time had gone by, and she was beginning to get a bit suspicious… Why did he keep feeding her snacks and drinks? She had all ready had so much, but she didn’t want to disappoint him.. Suddenly a need to pee washed over her and she doubled over trying to hold it.

“What’s wrong baby?” I asked, as I pulled her onto my lap. “I’m not a baby,” she responded rather indignantly. “Now let me up, I need to use the bathroom.” She squirmed in my lap as I held her in my arms, she gave me a strange look as she struggled. “Listen baby girl, I’m going to take care of you this weekend, but you’re going to have to follow some rules… Rule number 1, bathroom off limits.”

“You’ve gone crazy, haven’t you?” She asks in disbelief, the pressure growing in her bladder. “Crazy for you little girl,” I teased as I began to tickle her. Now she really began to squirm and writhe about, but suddenly froze as I felt my own crotch begin to get soaked, with a steady *drip drip* on the floor.

“Oh my God, Sarah, didn’t you just say that you weren’t a baby?” She was didn’t know how to process what happened, red in the face and utterly humiliated.. She just wanted to hide, she couldn’t believe that she just wet herself, now she was soaked.

“C’mon sweetie, lets get you cleaned up.” Before she knew it she was being carried in his arms.. She really did feel like a baby in that moment, and it was kind of nice knowing that he was there to take care of her.. But then she saw it. He opened a door to what looked like an adult nursery.

Before she could say anything he had laid her down and began locking her ankles and wrists into the cuffs attached to the four corners of her crib. That’s right, her crib, because she was the only one in sight who wet themselves like a toddler.

“What are you doing?!” She yelled and she flailed about against her cuffs. Relax sweetie, this is for your own good.. You need to give this a chance, the cuffs are just in the beginning to help you settle in.. They may be used as punishment in the future if you’re going to be a naughty little brat. “Are you fucking crazy?!” She yelled. He gave her a hard swat on her butt, and that was enough for her to go quiet, with just a small whimper, as she looked up with pleading eyes.

He began to cut her clothes off of her, until she was completely naked. The look in her eyes betrayed her, was she secretly enjoying this all ready? Could she finally give up control to someone else? He did make her feel safe, even though she was completely helpless now. But then she saw it, he pulled out a thick diaper from the cabinet, and her face grew more red then he had ever seen.

“What are you doing with that?.. Please no..” She begged, and she lifted her cute little ass for him without even thinking. Before she knew it he had expertly taped the thick diaper in place between her legs. She couldn’t help but press her diapered butt against the changing pad bringing it back and forth as the diaper rubbed against her princess parts, making her moan. She felt so humiliated and helpless, why was it turning her on so much?

He slapped her diapered but again, and told her no cumming without permission was rule number 2. She pouted and looked up at him, about to plead for a second time before she caught herself.. She didn’t want to be in diapers! This was ridiculous!

“You’re going to behave, right baby?” He let her out of her restraints, and lifted her onto his hip, carrying her back over to the couch. He pulled a sheet off the couch, which turned out to be waterproof. Important when you have a leaky baby to take care of. Into the wash it went, to be ready again in a few hours when her diaper is at its leaking point.

He held her in his lap again, giving her soft kisses and rocking her.. She was still trying to get over the fact that her Daddy was holding her in nothing but a diaper, when she felt a sudden intense pressure in her bowels. She blushed at the thought of calling him Daddy, and began to squirm. “Please let me up, I really need to go.”

“That’s what your diapers are for sweetie, just relax and let go” She wasn’t having it though. She kept trying to fight and even buck against him as he held her down in his lap. It was to no avail, she couldn’t struggle and hold it.. She felt herself losing control, blushing as she let farted and her belly growled and grumbled. She stopped struggling and focused all of her might on holding it in.

She began to cry as the mess forced its way out of her and filled the back of her diaper. It just kept coming as she grunted and struggled to push it into her tight diaper. She was utterly exhausted and spent by the end, and a complete mess. Makeup down her face from crying, and the fullest diaper she could imagine. She began wetting herself, but didn’t even care at this point. She just tried to hide in his arms, really feeling like a baby for the first time.

He patted her mushy diaper, pressing it into her.. She didn’t even try to stop him any more. “You’re such a good girl, you’ve gone through a lot baby.. Lets get you cleaned up with a bath and then get you in a fresh diaper. Then we can curl up and watch a movie.

She sighed as he was carrying her again. She was humiliated, but she knew she was in good hands.. She would never admit it, but she might be enjoying this after all.

#ab dl #diapered #diaper kink #ab/dl #ab/dl diaper #daddysgirl

36 notes · View notes

cozzzynook · 16 hours ago

Note

feed me blitznut(blitzwing x lugnut) or prowlbee pleaseee

Prowlbee

Bumblebee feeling insecure about his relationship with Prowl and his team in general.

He isn’t like other mechs and he knows that.

He isn’t socially graceful, he’s small for a bot— a minicon by dysfunction ( disability ) not physically strong and overly chatty at the worst of times. With a temper and faked over confidence that was far beyond his size with a damaging need for acceptance and to prove his spark existing is not being squandered.

He has many faults that he rather not acknowledge in public and plenty that are written plain as Bulkheads large servos on his transcripts.

He’s a bot with not a lot going for him, he knows this. He doesn’t need you to remind him Sentinel, thank you very much.

He’s not an idiot contrary to belief.

He’s smart enough to know he shouldn’t hope for much let alone have much since he’s just a discarded spark that grew up in the slum sparkling centers that have been condemned since he reached mechhood.

Bee is well aware his chances are not supposed to be great in life.

But somehow…they are.

He’s less bluster and forced ego and over compensation.

He’s become a scout for his faction.

One of the very best they have due to his speed and size.

He’s become incredible at remaining silent during missions just as he once did in the centers and on the streets.

He’s learned to stop broadcasting his flaws by poorly painted confidence and actually excel where he can.

It sucks that he doesn’t have all the good qualities his teammates do but he must have something good if he’s the best scout and Prowl has optics on him.

The ninja bot began courting him in his own strange way that Bee accepted on accident.

They both knew this and yet Bee didn’t refuse any of the mechs gestures, words, gifts or time.

Prowl left him notes reminding him to fuel and to put a pillow on his back while streaming.

The mech would place his servo on his lower back and whisper comforts or reminders into his audial when no one was looking or they were alone in passing.

Simple gifts like cute themes to match his gaming setup. He was a sucker for chibi knickknacks and mini pillows to put on his berth. A little secret between the two that all but one came from Prowl.

The mech was careful and strategic yet natural while courting Bee but all Bee had to offer was spending time with Prowl and gifting him plants to his growing garden.

Bee would sit silently with audial jammers on to listen to music and game while Prowl meditated beside him.

He would join Prowl in the fueler and cook for him.

He learned early on how to make anything taste good since he had no choice but to consume lower dregs most didn’t like.

Bee had no family to greet or welcome Prowl into and he had nothing fancy or expensive to give Prowl.

All he had was his spot on the team, his title as best scout and being able to finally sit still and not yap Prowls audial off.

He figured thats what Prowl wanted but he was yet again wrong.

Prowl didn’t want him to change unless its what Bee himself wanted.

He didn’t want a quieter partner nor just a berth warmer.

He wanted a conjunx.

He wanted Bee.

And who was Bee to say no to one of the few good things in his life?

He wasn’t.

He was simply B from the 127th slum on Cybertron that no longer existed.

A bot who became one of the best scouts his faction had seen and a mech who was under team Prime and helped Optimus Prime on Earth end the war.

…

But at night, at home, in berth, the kitchen, laid back in the oil tubs or relaxing in his gaming chair…

He was Bee.

Prowls little dancing Bee.

#prowlbee #prowl #bumblebee #transformers #prowl x bumblebee #tfa #animated bumblebee #animated prowl #tf animated #transformers animated

21 notes · View notes

accirax · 19 hours ago

Note

As of the latest episode, with all the secrets out in the open, do you have any changed opinions on the general outcomes of your “Secret Swap: For Better or Worse”?

Now that is a fantastic question! Thank you for remembering that this post existed-- I wasn't sure if anybody other than me did 😅 (And also, thank you for your patience while waiting for me to respond to you.) Here's a link to the post in question for anyone who might not know what fatherfigurefusion is asking about. As for the contents of that AU...

DRDT Secret Swap AU: For Better or Worse - REVISIONS

(CW for the suite of issues that we always have to talk about when it comes to the DRDT secrets: murder, death, suicide, implied homophobia/transphobia, self harm, eating disorders.)

Well, first of all, it's good for me that (other than the Xander/Teruko swap thing still not being confirmed) all of the secrets landed in the way in which I thought they would at the time I wrote that post. I would have had a lot more workshopping to do if, say, Hu had been the murderer without remorse and Levi had been the hopeless child.

I think I'll run through each choice I made individually, and then maybe try to fix any issues I encounter at the end after summing up the situation.

The Good Timeline

Eden receives Levi’s secret

Well, Eden did have a more negative reaction to Levi's secret than I initially anticipated in this post, criticizing him for being selfish in hardly even remembering whose lives he took. However, Levi also (presumably) has a more positive reaction to being approached with his secret than I feared. He was willing to share it with everyone himself, so I doubt he would threaten Eden if she were to approach him with it.

An updated summary of what might have happened: Eden receives Levi's secret, and is a little frightened, but might want more details before judging Levi fully (after all, she already knows that his family weren't the best of people). If she decides to approach him about it, Levi coolly explains what exactly his secret means. Eden's discomfort grows, which makes Levi feel bad.

Is it a fantastic scenario? Not really. But are there any better solutions to Levi's secret out there? Debatable. I think this one held up decently.

Nico receives David's secret

I still stand by this one, despite David being even more wild than initially expected. There's definitely a chance that Nico would just bluntly say the secret at some point if they determined that David was being manipulative. But, at the very least, Nico wouldn't be bringing their own drama to the situation-- just potentially elevating others' via timing.

It's a hard secret to deal with, but I still think that Nico is one of the better options.

Hu receives Ace's secret

So, this one obviously gains the new complications that we now canonically know that Ace was the killer, and that he was planning to do so basically before the motives were even revealed. I still think that Hu would probably react in much the way I "predicted" (assuming Ace's former bullying of Nico didn't already damn him in her eyes too much). But, I also don't think that hearing kind words from Hu would be enough to dissuade Ace from wanting to kill for his own safety.

Therefore, what happens to Hu after Ace kills? Is she now stuck in the opinion of defending Ace at the Class Trial, and being inevitably disappointed when he's revealed to truly be the killer? I guess that's not that different from what Hu canonically did with Nico, but it's not like that's going to be great for her mental health either. Not to mention 1) she would have been speaking up for a previously more controversial figure, therefore bringing her judgment even further into question for ever trusting Ace at all, and 2) Ace would actually die at the end, which would be worse for Hu's "wanting to be reliable and save people" bit.

For those reasons, I think this assignment is... dubious, but Ace's secret is also much more of a loaded gun now that we know that he was already planning to kill prior to the secrets' existence. I don't think there's any assignment I could make that would convince Ace out of killing.

J receives Eden's secret

This one still makes a ton of sense to me.

Rose receives J's secret

While I may wind up shuffling this one around in order to defuse another secret's problem, I think the logic behind this assessment holds true.

"Xander" receives Arei's secret

Also still makes sense to me. Let my girl rest. (But not in peace.) (Well, wait.) (You know what I mean!!!)

Arturo receives Min's secret

I don't think that any of our further explanations of Arturo's traumas would make the "poisoning the competition" secret any more traumatic to him. Thus, it still works.

David receives Xander's secret

I. Um. Wow.

I'm pretty certain I wasn't the only one caught off guard by the true extent of how much David cares/d about Xander. With the "knowledge" that David was planning on throwing the killing game and slaughtering everyone in pursuit of Xander's ideals-- taking into account that his actions may have been falsified/exaggerated, of course-- I fear that leaving David with this secret might be irresponsible.

If his emotions surrounding Xander grew even fiercer, so might his determination to bring the killing game to an end. No matter how much what David said in the Class Trial was the truth, I don't think giving him Xander's secret would have the "out of commission" effect I wrote about. This is definitely one I'd like to reassign, if possible.

Arei receives Whit's secret

Now, we have the confirmation that Arei didn't tell anyone about having Levi's secret! We still (understandably) don't know anything about Arei's relationship with her mom, though. Still, this one is looking good.

Veronika receives Charles' secret

As it turns out, Veronika actually found the secrets overall pretty boring (or at least, so she tells us), and only didn't reveal Hu's secret because of the pact she made with Hu. However, I still think that the logic behind her revealing the secret to Charles early holds, and that it's for the best that Charles learns this information on the sooner side. So, this one is still good!

Levi receives Arturo's secret

Well. We know that Levi wouldn't condemn someone for murdering a family member! If anything, if he treated Felicity's death like his own father's, he'd just forget that he ever read the secret. That's a joke, but I think I did a good job with deescalating Arturo's secret.

The worst consequences I can see here are 1) Levi coming to believe that Arturo is a bad person (which may have been the case already?), and/or 2) Levi could callously spill Arturo's secret to the group if he didn't understand the gravity of the sentiment. We don't exactly know how Arturo would react to his secret being shared publicly in a non-Class Trial setting, but given how he treated Eden in his mini-breakdown in 2-10, I can't imagine it would be good.

However, those are only hypotheticals, and I don't know if I'd really get any better by giving Arturo's secret to someone else. I still stand by most of the logic, so I think this choice would remain.

Ace receives Veronika's secret

I still think that nothing bad would happen from this assignment. Which means... Ace would proceed in his plan to kill Eden. Yay...?

Now that we finally have the answer as to who the killer is, it's really weird to look at this good AU. Every time, I'm like, "phew, we didn't do anything to give someone the motivation to kill!" But, as I don't think there are any secrets Ace could receive that would convince him not to kill, that just means that the "good timeline" is condemning Eden to die. Is that really better than some of the other timelines?

That's a bit more philosophical than I think is required for this AU re-analysis, so we'll just give this one a pass.

Teruko receives Hu's secret

Honestly, I think this one got better since I proposed it. This was probably my least favorite assignment of the original good AU. However, now we know that Hu had interest in forming a pact of secrecy with the person who held her secret.

Naturally, it's possible that she was only able to make this pact with Veronika because they had each other's secrets. I have no idea how Hu would have figured out that Veronika had her secret otherwise, barring a Hu!Mastermind situation.

However, as we saw in canon, Teruko decided to approach Rose and ask Rose about her secret. If Teruko did that in this AU, then Hu could surely ask Teruko not to tell others about her secret, and I imagine Teruko would oblige. It removes the possibility I was worried about with Hu feeling insecure about someone learning this about her; while that may still be the case, we can assume that instead of lashing out, she would just ask Teruko to keep it on the down low. This one's good!

Charles receives Rose's secret

I mean. Yeah.

Whit receives Nico's secret

Yeah x2. I do wonder how Whit would react if Nico tried to ask him for help with regards to Ace's bullying, though. I doubt that would actually happen, given that Nico doesn't trust anyone. Still, I'm curious if Whit would turn a blind eye like he did to their arguing canonically, or if that direct connection to Nico's mental health would call him to action a la Charles.

"Min" receives Teruko's secret

If David's creepy-ass smile didn't convince you that this secret should remain dead and buried, I don't know what will. This one can stay.

Finally, we've finished recapping the good version! In the end, I was still happy with 13/16 of my answers, which is a pretty good batting average.

But, how would I fix it? Well, as I alluded to in Rose's section, I think I would wind up giving Rose a different secret than J even though it was fine, just because Rose is a really useful slot to have. The best solution I could come up with is that Rose gets Ace's secret, David gets J's secret, and Hu gets Xander's secret.

I don't think that anyone would get mad at Rose for throwing away Ace's secret because it's pretty personal and likely not murder-related. And, Veronika was able to figure out that the secret belonged to Ace mere moments after hearing it for the first time anyways.

While giving David's secret to J is a bit of a dangerous game, I don't think he'd really be able to do much with it pre-Trial without blowing his cover. He might reveal the secret at the Trial just to throw things off track, but even when the secret was with Rose, it probably would have been revealed via process of elimination at the Trial anyways. We don't get the "take David out of commission" factor that made the assignment extra good the first time around, but that was a fluke. I don't think there's anything here that could stop David from David-ing.

I am banking on the fact that learning about Xander's suicidal tendencies wouldn't reignite any old feelings in Hu, but I think it would be okay. I would imagine that their circumstances are pretty different, and (on the surface, at least) Hu seems pretty resolute in her newfound desire to live.

As for Levi's secret, I think the best path for it would be to bury it in the "Xander" or "Min" slot and hand Eden either Arei or Teruko's secrets. Obviously, both of those are very loaded choices, given that Arei and Teruko are almost certainly the two characters that Eden is most connected to in the narrative right now.

In Arei's case, if Eden approached her about her secret, I think that encounter would play out much like the canonical clock-making scene did. However, that means that (if David is still in the area, I guess) they would also have that same rebound that would lead to Arei declaring herself Eden's friend-- albeit probably not as dramatically, given that in this universe, Arturo never attacks Eden. Of course, if Ace is still in the area, that then raises the question of whether the target would still change from Eden to Arei if Arei didn't make such a bold declaration. Which is the better scenario? That's impossible to say, because they both suck. Still, things to think about.

In Teruko's case, it really depends on how kindhearted Eden is feeling at the moment. I want to believe that Eden would approach "the killing game is all your fault" with skepticism and patience, and talk to Teruko to learn that she (most likely) has no memory of anything like this being the case. If Teruko could see that Eden wouldn't immediately turn against her at her literal worst, it would probably go a long way. That being said, it would be totally reasonable for Eden to be upset and worried about reading this secret, and to therefore begin to distrust Teruko.

Both of these situations raise enough issues that I can't decisively determine if they're better than just leaving Eden with Levi's secret. I'll leave it up to you to decide which iteration you personally prefer.

On to the bad section!

The Bad Timeline

As I said in the original AU post, it's difficult to determine which options are truly the worst when there are so many terrible options. Therefore, I expect that most-if-not-all of these options will still get a pass at least. We'll see if I wind up having enough brain cells to change anything in the end.

And, on that note...

Ace receives Levi's secret

Yeah, this one is still bad! Knowing what we know now, Ace is definitely killing if he gets Levi's secret, possibly faster. I do wonder if it would wind up leading Ace to target Levi, even if I'm not sure how he would pull that off. If Ace tried and failed, could it lead to Levi killing Ace instead? Eh, Ace probably wouldn't even try, given that everyone would suspect him if Levi were to turn up dead. "A reason to stay mad at you," indeed.

Veronika receives David's secret

The logic behind this one still cracks me up. Totally still think I'm right, though.

Levi receives Ace's secret

This one is okay. Really, the pushback I'm running into is just that things are already so bad with Ace that I don't think this extra layer of distrust would make things all that much worse. Plus, I don't know if Levi would pick up on the subtler implications of Ace's secret anymore. The question is just, "is there a better way that we can screw over Levi in this situation?" We'll just have to wait and see.

"Xander" receives Eden's secret

Sorry for kinda closeting you, Eden. But, that's what makes this selection so bad. And that's why it stays.

Arturo receives J's secret

There's no way to make J more miserable than to directly hand her secret over to Arturo. We'll continue sticking with canon on this one.

Hu receives Arei's secret

I didn't even mention in my original passage that Hu's love for her family would put her at odds with Arei's treatment of her sisters. That's really terrible, I say with a thumbs up.

Rose receives Min's secret

Tracks.

Teruko receives Xander's secret

While the whole David thing didn't really pan out, I do think that Teruko's segment still makes sense. It's possible we could do worse, but it's not like giving Teruko more reasons to hate herself is a terrible conclusion. I mean, it is, but not for the sake of crafting the worst possible timeline. You know how it is.

Charles receives Whit's secret

Charwhit angst :((((( Good thing that'll never happen in canon! Ha ha. This section is oxygen-potassium, which would also be potassium oxide (K2O), a corrosive compound! Or, you can just call it O-K.

Whit receives Charles' secret

Meanwhile, this section gets a heart from me.

Arei receives Arturo's secret

So if Arturo were in this even worse mental state after Arei wrecking his shop, possibly even being the blackened himself, would Levi also die? Because, Teruko was presumably planning on enacting her plan no matter who the blackened was, and DefaultTV would presumably always punish Teruko for it, and Levi (unless he too was too distracted by this motive) would probably still step in front of Teruko to repay his "debt" to her. However, if Arturo was either the one up for execution or too hateful of himself or anyone else to be spurred to surgery, we'd probably lose Levi too. It's even worse than I thought! Which means it's fully approved.

David receives Veronika's secret

Although this one kinda reads to me as "not that bad," it's important to keep in mind that I gave David a "not that bad" secret so that he would continue to encourage other people to share theirs. That's important for screwing over everyone else. So, I think this one will remain, but I could see blowing it up if it would help something else worsen.

Nico receives Hu's secret

This choice has always been one that I've felt was difficult to talk about, as was probably apparent by the million disclaimers I put at the beginning of it. Because of that, I'm sort of inclined to dissolve it. However, I... think it still holds up?

We also now have the direct confirmation that Hu wanted to keep her secret under wraps because she didn't want others to see her as weak or unreliable. If Nico was holding on to Hu's secret, she would likely only figure that out in a moment of stress, when people needed her to be reliable the most. My point is, she might go into further overdrive trying to prove to Nico that she really is reliable, which would only make things more stressful for Nico and more annoying for everyone else. With that additional reasoning, I don't currently see any reason why this should be changed.

"Min" receives Rose's secret

I didn't realize before that I had Rose and Min swap secrets-- not that it really matters, given that I could have just as easily given Rose's secret to "Xander." Anyways, this also tracks.

Eden receives Nico's secret

I still feel mean for this one 😅 But, y'know, that's just what life is like for a professional Eden Bully. Which is worse, threatening a lesbian with homophobia or falsely accusing her of murder for a year and a half? (/j) Jokes aside, this will remain.

J receives Teruko's secret

Guys, did you know that J HATES MURDER? Forget the theorist's "I feel like" disqualifier, J would definitely tell everyone and their annoying celebrity mom that everything in Teruko's life is worth killing for. Like a fine wine, this got better with age.

Unsurprisingly, after what I predicted at the beginning, I wound up approving 15/16 of these options. The only one I really had any issues with was Levi getting Ace's secret.

The worst secret for Levi to receive would probably be either something that makes him perceive a "good person" as a "bad person" or a "bad person" as a "good person." So, like, Teruko maybe for the former? And the worst person for Ace's secret to go to would probably be someone who would outright weaponize it against him, so possibly someone like Arei or David.

If I wanted to shuffle things around, I think it would give David Ace's secret and give Levi Veronika's secret. Ace's secret is also the kind of juicy insight that could still allow David to pull his manipulator BS, and David could absolutely destroy that man in the Class Trial, blackened or not, with the info when the time was right. Meanwhile, I could see Levi being like, "well, if it's stopping Veronika from hurting herself, then... her talent is a "good" thing, right? Every day I grow more jealous of you and your amazing perception, Veronika..." Honestly, I think I do like that one more than what I originally wrote. Let's roll with it.

And now, nearly two months after this ask was sent in, I'm finally done with it! Once again, I'm sorry I spent so long to complete this relatively simple ask. I hope this lived up to your expectations! Thanks for sending it in :)

16 notes · View notes

basmala260 · 23 hours ago

Text

The basic dynamics of Hirano and Kagiura's relationship

First of all, I don't like comparing the two because they both fall into the spectrum of ideal romance and the other into complicated romance, But just to make things clear, Sasaki To Miyano is more genuine and romantic while Hirano To Kagiura is more on the complicated side discuss identity crisis where hirano is dealing with his self issues and Kagiura deals with his concept of love Unlike Sasamiya where everything was perfect, friendship, admiration, feelings, time to give a proper answer, mutual feelings

But I will use this in some paradoxes between natural and complex relationships to illustrate some points, fair enough

1. Kagiura's personality is the fastest to develop in this relationship. He just loves his roommate, trying to make sure of his feelings, but thanks to his friend's support, he determined his proper definition of love. Of course, a large part of him is inclined towards his parents' relationship* and as I mentioned before His desire to feel Hirano's feelings for him turned into a physical desire because he couldn't get the look he wanted from Hirano's eyes.

* With that said, I want to touch on this point since this is one of the ways the manga shows how childish Kagiura is, it's something where you ask a child what they want to do when they grow up and they'll tell you they want to be like their mom or dad

I actually asked one of the kids in the family a couple of days ago what she wanted her partner to be like when she grew up, and her response was simple "a kind and a caring person." (You can pull any child near you and they will give you the same answer).

Isn't that exactly what Kagi loves about Hirano? (I mean I know this is a natural trait of the person you love but usually it is not only this, I hope this makes sense) What I'm trying to explain here is how Kagiura is always referred to as a child

Not only that, but Hirano's rejection of him activated the stubborn (and seemingly childish) feeling inside him. Hirano had already rejected him twice (9 - 23.5) But he was vehemently denying it, confident that Hirano would "REALIZE HIS FEELINS" and not "give up." (Because I used to see a lot of people saying that Kagiura is forcing Hirano)

As I mentioned before, this is blind optimism.

Unlike Sasaki, who didn't think he had much hope, and in the time he gave Miyano to think, he was happy that Miyano was thinking of him and didn't want anything else, and even if he had rejected him I'm sure everything would have stayed the same and he wouldn't ask Miya to think again at any chance He was really grateful to have Miano in his life, just it

2. Move to Hirano who The one on his side of the relationship is much slower and also late, since this was the first time he experienced something like this, he had no one to confess to, he had no one to love, and he had never been in a relationship before, Hirano struggles to define and understand love itself, He is not looking for a clear concept, he is trying to find a concept

He had never thought about it before, and it seemed to him that everything he did to Kagiura, from pampering and loving, was a natural act, as he was searching for a sense of responsibility throughout the story.

He was the only child of his parents, intellectually intelligent, but socially stupid, qualities that formed fertile ground for the desire to feel responsible.

We can see how he is a supporting character in the main manga like Hanazawa, but unlike Hanazawa who was driven by anxiety, Hirano was driven by responsibility.

Every time Kagiura gets close to Hirano physically and Hirano doesn't move, it's not that Hirano wants Kagiura to get closer, it's not that Hirano trusts Kagiura not to get closer, but it's already made clear that Hirano doesn't mind Kagiura touching him, it's just that he doesn't understand what this should mean, it's not that he doesn't want to or that he wants to, he just stands helpless not understanding (The thing is, in chapter 20, he was just surprised, but he wasn't bothered by it)

Unlike Sasaki and Miyano, there was a boundary and a line between the contact between them.

The most likely idea for me is that Hirano is slow to understand his feelings because he is trying to understand Kagiura and has never tried to understand himself.

#I hope this was fun and helpful to read because I really enjoyed writing this and it took me some good time to sort things out #My psychology professor complimented me a lot today #Yes #I analyze gay characters ma'am #hirano to kagiura #hirano and kagiura #sasaki to miyano #kagiura akira #hirano taiga #sasamiya

17 notes · View notes

impval · 3 days ago

Note

Hi! I just found your tumblr, and i absolutely love your Cate fics and your writing style. It's absolutely beautiful! Anyway, I was wondering if I could request a Cate x fem!reader?

Reader is basically spiderman? Has the all of Peter Parkers cannon abilities (super strength, enhanced speed and durability, etc) and she's super smart and has built her own webslingers?

Anyway, R is best friends with Jordan and they have a friendly competition for #2 going and have for ages now. Jordan has always known R has feelings for Cate and has tried to encourage her to do/say something?

Cate has always had feelings for R but is afraid to pursue R because of her powers? Anyway, maybe there's an attack on the school and R is one of the first people to act and saves Cate but gets really hurt in the process, so afterwards, Cate hovers and tries to take care of R to 'make up' for it? It leads to them finally talking, properly?

I'm sorry this is so much, and please don't feel like you have to take the request if you don't want to and/or if it's too much!

"Pay attention, bro."

The hand barely brushes against your cheek in the nick of time, a cocky smirk pulling at the corners of their lips.

Even the most miniscule of their movements are swift, and their blows powerful and strong.

Jordan's smirk grows when they realise what (or who) exactly has your attention. "Aww, look at you watching her like a little puppy."

"Shut up," you said, blocking their next strike and shoving them backwards, "And get out of my business."

You were not, in fact, paying attention. Not to anything that mattered, anyways. Jordan could hit you square in the jaw, and you'd barely even notice. No, your attention was focused on the blonde standing a little too close to Andre, and you could feel your jaw clenching involuntarily before you forced yourself to relax your features.

She was your friend, just your friend, and it was so dumb that you had feelings for her. Your crush was so stupid and pathetic and so, so pointless.

Jordan chuckled, easily evading your attack as they danced around you in the ring.

While you enjoyed a bit of good-natured banter - the way they knew about your crush just made your skin prickle and itch and all you wanted to do was throw your hands up and admit it. But, what a stupid idea was that?

"You're distracted," Jordan hummed, "You keep looking over at Catie. You're like a cartoon character, hearts for eyes and everything"

"I am not." You were. You absolutely were. But it was hard to care when Cate was all laughs and giggles and pretty grins directed at Andre, who seemed to be blissfully ignorant. You hated Andre.

It was stupid, stupid, stupid. You knew it, which was why you had been avoiding her as much as humanly possible until it was entirely impossible, which is how you found yourself here, attempting to spar with Jordan and entirely unable to focus because every time you chanced a glance in Cate's direction, your brain would immediately lose all functionality and you would promptly have to duck out of the way of a oncoming punch.

Cate, who was talking to Andre with a smile on her face. Like she was actually enjoying his company. It's not like it was rational, either. Andre wasn't anything you should be worried about. He was in a relationship with Luke for fuck's sake.

Your spider-sense was a godsent during times like these. You shoved that last thought away with such force that you almost missed Jordan's next blow - managing to stumble to the side just in time.

"She's just talking to Andre. "Jordan glanced over their shoulder, "Seriously? You jealous?"

Cate had one hand on his arm, laughing at something he had said. What the hell was so funny?

"Bro," honestly, they thought you were both hopeless, "It's not like she's out of your league or anything. She would say yes. Your just a chickenshit."

You knew why you hadn't asked her out yet.

For one, for all you knew, she wasn't even into girls. Second of all, what if she wasn't interested in you?

"Oh, and this is coming from you," you shot back, "Who only admitted your feelings for Marie after you slept with her. And you didn't even remember it the next morning because you were fucking drunk. And stop calling me bro."

They managed to smack you right in the mouth and you stumbled backwards, nearly falling flat on your ass if you wasn't for your steady, spidery, balance.

"You got me. But at least I asked her out after that, huh? Bro."

Oh, you little shit..

In fact - Jordan had grown so sick of it they were actively planning how to lock you in a closet with Cate just so you would stop making a fool of yourself.

"Honestly," Jordan said, dropping their fists, "How long are you two going to keep this up for? Watching you pine is worse than watching those reality shows that Andre watches just to make fun of them."

"I don't know." You looked miserable, like a lost puppy without a bone or something.

Oh, God.

Jordan swore.

"Nope," Jordan grumbled, already grabbing you by the shoulder, "Hell no. You are not allowed to be mopey. That's not allowed. I can deal with the whole pining thing. I can deal with the whole 'I'm-in-love-with-Cate-but-can't-admit-it-bullshit'. But this?" Jordan raised an unimpressed eyebrow, pushing you out of the ring.

"What, can't deal with a sad bro?" you grumbled, rolling your eyes but allowing them to usher you out of the makeshift ring. Andre was still talking to Cate, who for some reason, never looked your way.

"What are you going to do? Console me? That's not really your thing."

Emotional support? Nope, never. That wasn't something Jordan usually did.

But Jordan seemed to be going through some sort of emotional awakening with their super mature girlfriend, who honestly was a little too mature, in your opinion. She was always so insightful and calm, and you never understood that since Marie grew up in an fucking orphanage.

Twenty minutes later, showered and changed, you reluctantly met Jordan outside the locker room. You had to admit, though, that for once, Jordan was actually trying to get you to feel better rather than just being their usual smug self and it was... nice.

Apparently, the best idea of comfort in Jordan's head was a movie night with them and Marie. A movie night. Because that's what you needed. Not some time alone to wallow in your self-pity.

Surprisingly, Jordan’s plan of forced comfort seemed to work. The action movie provided plenty of mindless entertainment to keep you from thinking about Cate.

It was good night, you had to admit later. Jordan was never one for touchy-feely emotions. So it was... different, to be snuggled in with them, Marie on Jordan's other side, watching some cheesy film and eating an pizza.

And you even managed to get through the night without once thinking about Cate. It was a record. A personal milestone of sorts.

Except the next day wasn't so kind to you.

Cate's ability to exert mind control was insane, but it only worked when she was in physical contact with the person she wanted to push. So despite her power, Cate fell under the support category, even if she was one of the most powerful students here. So, you shared only one class.

It was the stupidest class - the required 'Heroes and Society' class that all of the students hated but had to attend anyways. Usually, you and Cate shared the class with Marie, but she managed to wriggle her way out of it somehow today. What a coincidence.

You tried really, really hard not to think about how you were going to spend a good hour sitting in close proximity to Cate. With no one else to act as a buffer.

"Hey," a cheerful voice pulled you from your thoughts, and you found yourself looking up at the girl who plagued your mind.

And it was worse, the fact that she seemed so cheerful and happy to see you as she slid into the seat beside you. The fact that she leaned in close enough that you could feel the heat coming off her body, that she smelled faintly like something sweet, that she looked at you with those beautiful blue eyes and smiled.

"Hey," you said back, trying to keep your tone casual. "You ready for this boring shitshow of a class?"

"Are any of us ready?" Cate retorted with a roll of her eyes, glancing up to see the professor walking in.

She was wearing her usual black gloves. Cate knew the way people were scared of her and wore her gloves to quell their fears (and her own) - to help people see her and not some terrifying, mind-controlling supe.

You hated her gloves. You even had told her that, once. You'd been high off your ass and had gotten all philosophical, about how everyone had the potential to be dangerous.

"Yeah, because I'm totally gonna remember whatever bullshit this guy is spewing for my final," you mutter, running a hand through your hair.

Students were zoned out, ignoring the professor as they either drew in their notebooks, or chatted quietly or scrolled through their phones.

You worked with the web shooters on your wrists, checking that they were still in place and not broken, when Cate suddenly spoke.

"Another update?" she asked.

You always found yourself looking forward to her asking about you latest technology. Because you could tell she was genuinely interested, that she wasn't just asking out of politeness, and even better, she understood it so talking to her about it was always a million times better than talking to anyone else.

"Yeah," you mumble, fiddling with the wrist of the left shooter, trying to fix a loose screw you must have missed from your last patrol. "I need more adhesive. And the new cartridges don't hold as much webbing as the last ones, so I'm a little worried I'll run out in the middle of a fight…"

God, you were going to blather on forever if she didn't stop you. But you couldn't help it - you loved talking about the latest improvements to your suit.

And you were so cute when you did, and Cate couldn't help the stupid little smile tugging at her cheeks. Listening to you talk about your suit and the upgrades you were making to it was honestly one of her favorite things - probably because she loved the look in your eyes when you were passionate about something and because she was also lowkey obsessed with your tech.

"How much webs do you keep on you?" she asked, leaning her chin on her hand, watching you work.

Your cheeks heated a little under her gaze, but you forced yourself to continue working, forcing all your focus into the web shooter that you were trying to fix. You couldn't let yourself get distracted. Not when she was so close.

"Not enough," you admitted after a moment's hesitation. "I think I brought twelve in each shooter."

Cate laughed a little under her breath, amused that you kept losing yourself while you were with her. Because you did. You constantly found yourself staring at her, tripping over your own damn feet. You were a total disaster around her.

"You're going to end up swinging around the city when you lose all your webs," she teased, gently bumping her knee against yours. "Then you'll just be a useless little spider."

She was always careful about her touch, it was something you'd noticed early on. She rarely touched people for more than what was necessary. Which was why every time she brushed you, the small amount of contact was like a jolt to your system. You were a mess everytime because of it.

But you had enough sense left to roll your eyes dramatically.

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad," you said, feigning annoyance. "When I was first starting out, yeah. I kept running out of webbing mid swing and crashing into people. But that hasn't happened more than...I don't know, two times in the past six months."

Cate wasn't stupid. She was a very observant. She'd noticed that you'd been pulling away from her, and sure, you always had an excuse about being busy, or having something else to do, but you were a terrible liar.

"I doubt anyone in the dorms has been able to forget the sounds of you slamming into the window like a goddamn bird."

Ooch.

You flinched at the memory of the time you smacked into the side of the building directly outside Jordan's window. It had been loud for sure. And embarrassing as hell.

"And you are doing a terrible job at avoiding me, by the way," Cate teased.

And her words had your head snapping up to look at her, freezing like a damn deer caught. You had been avoiding her. But she'd noticed. Of course she noticed. You weren't as stealthy as you thought.

"I'm not avoiding you," you say immediately, like the liar you were.

It was subtle, but you could see it - the slight furrow of her brow, the way her fingers fidgeted with the hems off her gloves.

The professor's eyes lingered on you and Cate for a moment, but he continued his lecture.

In the back of your brain, your spider-sense buzzed like a warning, but you pushed it away. Probably just your brain going haywire again.

"Yeah, okay," Cate said with an eye roll. "If you're not avoiding me, then why have you been canceling plans? Or bailing on movie nights?"

God, it must have been so obvious that Cate had decided to ask directly. You couldn't just admit that the reason you'd been avoiding her was because of your completely ridiculous crush on her.

Cate was your friend. It would be so stupid to ruin what you had because of a silly love that would never be reciprocated.

Just tell her.

But you pushed away that annoying voice that sounded like Jordan, instead focusing on the blank expression on Cate's face. She didn't look surprised or hurt. She just looked… calm. Which irritated you.

You always hated how she could keep such a straight face. You couldn't understand it. It was like she had a million thoughts going on behind her blue eyes, and she refused to share a single one.

"I have some stuff I need to think about," you said eventually, not looking up to meet her gaze because you knew she'd see the guilt in your eyes. "Personal things."

Cate frowns.

She knew that you were lying. She knew that you were avoiding her, but she doesn't know why. Was it something she did? The thought leaves a sour taste in her mouth.

"You're not in any kind of trouble, are you?" she asked quietly as the professor went on rambling.

"No. Just personal stuff. Nothing major," you say, waving your hand dismissively even though you felt like crap for not telling the entire truth.

Cate gave you a long, searching look, like she could see right through your bullshit, and you hated that she still somehow managed to look so damn beautiful even when she was worried.

But then professor starts explaining what's going to be on the big final for class. You'd been zoning out for the last half of the class, so you don't fully understand what he's explaining. A part of you was glad that the professor intervened when he did. It spared you from saying something stupid or from having to look into those damn blue eyes just a little longer.

Students immediately scattered when the bell rang, rushing to get out. Even the professor was in a hurry, rushing out of the classroom. Cate took her time getting up, slinging her backpack over one shoulder and shooting a look your way.

it was like clockwork - you always walked with Cate to her next class. The walk was almost always in comfortable silence, and you were used to it. She'd always insist that you didn't have to, that it was out of your way. But you always did it anyways, just to see her smile.

"Are you coming? Or are you going somewhere else today?" Cate asks, a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Your heart sank at the question. You still had to walk Cate to her next class. The class she had in the other building across campus. Which meant about a five-minute of awkwardly walk.

With a sigh, you grab your backpack and stand up. "No, I'll come with you," you mutter, avoiding her gaze.

"Don't sound too excited about that," Cate replied, sounding just a touch bitter.

Cate headed for the door, and you knew you didn't have a choice but to follow.

The walk to the other building was quiet at first. She kept her gaze forward, and you focused on the path in front of you, trying not to look at her, but that was getting harder and harder.

Finally, she broke the silence.

"Is it really that bad?" she questioned, still walking. "Spending time with me, I mean."

You almost wanted to laugh. Because spending time with her was one of your favorite things. To be around her, to be near her and talk to her, that was all you wanted. But you didn't know what to say. And you didn't want her to know how you really felt.

"No, of course not," you replied hastily. "You know it's not you that's the problem, right? I just.. it's really just personal stuff."

People gave Cate space as you two walked, they were instinctively wary of her power. There was always a small gap around her, people carefully steering clear, as if one brush against her skin would land them under her control.

"Why won't you tell me about it then?" she pressed, glancing over at you. "We're friends, aren't we? And I can't help if you don't give me any details."

You just sighed. "I just need some time. I'll tell you eventually, okay?"

"You never used to be like this," Cate pointed out, and she did sound hurt now. Fuck. "We used to hang out all the time."

"And then," she continued, in that same bitter tone, "You just started dodging me out of the blue. So you'll have to excuse me if I'm a little irritated."

No, no, no, fuck no...

The second you grabbed her shoulder, you almost let go at the flinch. Cate wasn't a fan of unexpected touches. Especially if she couldn't see them coming. But she didn't pull away from your touch, even if there was some tension in her muscles.

"I'm sorry," you said quietly, and you really were. "I just…I need some time to think about some stuff, that's all. I promise you, i tell you about this later."

Cate looked as if she wanted to argue, but she didn't. The two of you were already outside her building.

She stopped outside the door, shifting her backpack strap and biting her lip, as if contemplating whether to question you further. But eventually, she just let out a shaky exhale and nodded.

"Okay," she said, finally looking up at you. "Okay, fine. But you promise," she pressed.

"See you later," she muttered, and then she turned and went into the building, leaving you to feel terrible for lying to her face and even worse because of the hurt look in her eyes.

You cursed yourself all the way to the next class.

Cate was so goddamn good at acting cool and untouchable, but you had known her for so long, that you knew better. You knew how hurt she'd been when you'd started spending more time alone. And yet, you were still too damn scared to tell her the truth.

Danger!

Your head snapped forward, and your eyes scanned the area.

It was a sunny day, and most students were either in their classes or going to them, and nobody seemed out of the ordinary.

That was weird. Usually your spider sense was pretty on point and went off whenever you were in any real danger. Not like that time at the cafeteria when Jordan set off some firecrackers behind you and you almost hit the ceiling, but still.

What the fuck was happening?

You heard people screaming and running, and it didn't take your spider sense to figure out that something was wrong. Your heart skipped a beat in your chest as a terrible realization hit you.

Faculty Support building.

It didn't take long for you to piece together what that meant.

Cate and her classmates were in danger. They didn't have combat powers and they'd be pretty much defenseless against a real threat.

Before you could even fully process your panic, you were already running. When you finally reached the building, you had to shove through a crowd of people standing by the entrance, peering fearfully into the building. They had all backed a good distance away from the entrance. Fucking idiots, you thought.

There was chaos inside and...

... hideous monstrosities, grotesque parodies of humans and animals fused together in an abominable manner. Wings stretched out from some of them, while others brandished razor-sharp claws and teeth. Their eyes were soulless black pits, devoid of any humanity.

And the worst part? There weren't just a few of them. It was like they had come out of a goddamn horror movie, surrounding students and attacking.

A few teachers were using their powers - freezing the monsters, even their minds to stop them - but others were struggling to help. Most of the staff at Godolkin were more suited to office work than actual combat. But they were trying.

Danger!

Suddenly, there was a crash, and glass shattered behind you, and then one of the creatures charged at you.

It was fast, that much you could say. If it weren't for your powers, you'd probably be dead in an instant.

You dodged at the last second, and the creature slammed into the wall so hard, it left a dent in the wall.

"Shall we dance, dear?"

Your quips were kind of a nervous habit. You never actually felt as confident as you sounded. The thing let out an animalistic hiss in response, charging towards you again, seemingly in irritation as you started threw debris and trash at it.

You were just a little too agile for it to get close enough to do any real damage, and it was making the creature angrier and angrier. It hissed and screeched as it continued to try and slash you, getting more and more frustrated.

The chimera had gotten tired and its movements were becoming slower. Finally, you saw a moment where you had a clear shot, and you didn't let the chance go to waste. You shot a web at the chimera, trapping its legs and then pulling it down to the floor, hard.

"Well, I had a good time. Bye-bye."

You had a feeling this creature wasn't fully grown yet but you didn't waste anytime with that thought. You used a large chunk of rubble and slammed it onto the abomination head.

It twitched violently for a few moments, and then fell still, the lifeless body lying in pools of black blood.

For a few seconds, you just stood there, staring at the body at your feet, still trying to process what the fuck just happened.

While you were fighting, more students arrived, you could hear Jordan swearing and Luke's fire was burning somewhere. But you couldn't help but worry about Cate. Had she managed to escape? Was she with other students, or had she tried to hide somewhere?

You continued to fight, dancing around the creatures and helping the other students.

The thought that she might be in danger nagged at you, making it difficult to focus on the fight. And there were so many of these weird, disgusting things that you couldn't even imagine where to find her.

And your questions were soon answered.

The scene before you was both incredible and terrifying. Cate was surrounded by two of those horrid creatures, but they were just obediently waiting for her to give them an order like a dogs.

Well, it was probably easier for Cate to take control of these creatures, they didn't seem to have even a semblance of intelligence, only instincts. She seemed so unbothered, so calm, almost like her usual, untouchable self. But the bloodshot eyes and the slight tremor in her hands showed that this was definitely taking a toll on her.

The chimeras seemed to follow her every command, attacking and taking down other monsters with an unnerving obedience.

She was breathtaking. Unbelievably beautiful. And in that moment, it hit you just how much you loved her. It was a deeper feeling than a mere crush, something strong and powerful that you knew would last forever.

Danger!

Suddenly, something large, greater than any of the creatures you had fought against, burst through the wall. It looked like a lizard on fucking steroids and its reptilian eyes glowed with intelligence. It scanned the battlefield before narrowing its eyes on Cate.

The creature hissed, a low, aggressive sound. It clearly focused on Cate, and you could feel a tinge of fear in your chest. It was just so damn big.

You didn't think.

You just acted. Without hesitation.

You shot a web and swung yourself into the air, launching yourself at the lizard creature. It roared as you jumped on its back. It was huge, at least ten times bigger than any creature you had encountered so far. Its yellow eyes glowed with malevolence and it hissed and thrashed, trying to throw you off.

"Get off me, you damn insect!" the lizard roared, its voice like gravel and malice.

Oh, shit, mini-Godzilla can talk?

It was strong, and you could feel the muscles underneath shifting and writhing as it thrashed around, trying to shake you off like a dog shaking off a flea.

"You're going to have to try a lot harder to get rid of me, you overgrown gecko," you quipped, as you fired off some more webbing to secure your position.

"Bro! You just had to pick the extra-large one, didn't you?"

Well, fuck, you'll recognize this voice anywhere. Jordan didn't look particularly thrilled to be fighting such a overgrown gecko, but they never backed away from a challenge.

The moment the lizard noticed Jordan, it seemed to become even more enraged. It let out a deafening roar, the sound echoing through the halls of the building, and then it started to charge straight towards them, with you still clinging to its back.

Jordan wasted no time, releasing energy blast, then another and another.

Suddenly, you slipped. Your grip loosened just for a moment, but that was more than enough.

In that split moment of distraction, the enraged creature suddenly twisted its body in an unexpected move, throwing you off its back and sending you flying across the room. You crashed into the wall and felt a sharp pain shoot through your body.

The impact left you dazed, and for a moment, it was hard to think straight. Your head felt like it had been caved in, and your ribs were definitely bruised at best. Everything was fuzzy and your head was spinning, the pain radiating from the collision making it hard to focus.

Everything became a hazy blur. The sounds of battle faded away and the world seemed to tilt and spin. You felt weak and exhausted, your adrenaline finally starting to wear off and leaving you vulnerable.

A familiar voice, soft and strained, cut through the fog, a gentle touch on your face. Cate's worried eyes was the last thing you seen before darkness engulfed your consciousness.

---

You didn't know how long you were out for. Seconds, minutes, hours, maybe?

When you finally woke up, you found yourself lying on a bed, the soft sheets beneath you feeling strangely comforting. Your head was throbbing painfully, and your ribs ached with every breath.

You struggled to open your eyes, blinking against the harsh light.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay," a voice whispered, familiar and tender.

Cate.

Cate was there, her face etched with concern as she sat beside the bed, her eyes fixed on you. Her touch was gentle as she placed a hand on your shoulder.

You tried to speak, but the words came out as a hoarse croak. Cate seemed to understand, though, her expression softening.

"Take it easy," she murmured, her voice soft and soothing. "You took a pretty bad hit."

You eagerly accepted the glass of water that she gave you. The water tasted heavenly as it ran down your parched throat.

"You had us all worried, you know," she said, her tone filled with concern.

The dark circles under her eyes, the slightly disheveled state of her hair, and the slight trembling of her hands. It was obvious that she hadn't been able to rest properly. Probably thanks to you. Your heart ached seeing her in this state. She had been worried for you, worried sick by the looks of it.

Cate placed the glass back on the bedside table, her eyes never leaving you.

"You shouldn't have. I'm like a cockroach. Only a spider." you said like a clown you are. Cate barely smiled at that. "How long have I been out?"

And what the fuck happened. You've never seen anything like this, except maybe in movies. But this was a real life.

"Two days. And no, you're not a spider, you idiot." she replied, her voice tinged with a hint of irritation. "You had a concussion and some bruised ribs. You were lucky they didn't break."

Ouch. You huddled in the hospital bed, trying to appear smaller. Cate rarely got mad at you, but when she did, it was scary.

Cate's irritation seemed to soften at your pathetic attempt to make yourself smaller. She sighed and rubbed her temples, her expression becoming more concerned than angry.

"You... You shouldn't have done what you did," she continued, her voice stern. "Throwing yourself at that monster, trying to be a hero. You could've been killed!"

Her words hit you hard. You'd known it was a reckless decision even as you were doing it, but you hadn't cared in that moment. All that had mattered was protecting Cate.

"But I couldn't just let that thing hurt you," you said, your voice weak. "I had to do something."

Cate's jaw clenched and something flashed across her face so quickly you couldn't tell what it was. "That thing was Professor Connors," she corrected you.

Who?

She saw the confusion on your face and continued to explain.

"Professor Connors. 'Heroes and Society' class. Ring a bell? He's was also a geneticist and used to work at Vought. He was experimenting on some kind of gene-mutation or something. That's probably why he turned into that… thing."

Wait, seriously?

You couldn't help but snort. "Was this his twisted revenge for everyone sleeping during his lectures?"

Cate rolled her eyes at your remark, but a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Yeah, I guess turning himself into a giant lizard was Professor Connors' way of getting back at us for being such terrible students," she replied, her voice laced with sarcasm.

But then her expression turned serious again.

"But it's not funny. You could have died. And it would have been my fault. It should have been me, not you."

The realization that Cate blamed herself for your injury made your stomach twist into knots. You tried to sit up straighter, despite the painful ache in your ribs, wanting to face Cate properly.

"No!" you protested, wincing at the effort. "It should have been me. I'm the one who's got superstrength and healing factor. I'm the one who's supposed to protect you."

Cate opened her mouth to protest, but you cut her off.

"I'll be fine, I'll heal quickly." you decided to cheer her up a bit. "And your powers saved our asses. Seriously, you handled those creatures like a boss."

Cate let out a soft, watery chuckle at your attempt to lighten the mood. "Yeah, I guess I did kick ass," she murmured, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.

You glanced around the room, taking in the colorful array of flowers and balloons. You felt guilty for worrying everyone, but then your attention returned to Cate.

"Looks like I have a veritable florist shop in here," you commented weakly, trying to lighten the mood.

The look Cate gave you could freeze hell.

---

And... now Cate was firmly in her overprotective mode, and she made sure you followed every single one of the doctors' instructions. It was both endearing and annoying the way she made you take the pills, undergo the tests, and eat the damn vegetables.

She wouldn't let you lift a finger, insisting that you rest and focus on getting better.

"If I let you out of my sight, you'll probably end up trying to fight another giant monster."

Jordan, of course, made comments about Cate playing nurse, but they wisely chose not to say anything in front of her. At least they have brains left for this.

"Hey, bro, I think your future wife is a little obsessed with taking care of you."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Whipped."

You even caught her sleeping on a chair next to your bed a few times. Exhaustion was getting to her. And despite your protests, you secretly enjoyed the attention.

Finally, the day came when the doctors gave the all-clear sign. You were released from the hospital wing, but they warned that you should try to stay away from strenuous activities for a while.

"Do you really think I can sit still for long?" you asked Cate with a smirk.

As Cate walked with you back to your dorm room, her expression became more serious.

"Look, they said you shouldn't overdo things," she reminded you, glancing at you out of the corner of her eye.

You rolled your eyes at her concern and pushed open the door to your room.

"Yes, Nurse Dunlap, I know. 'No heavy lifting, no intense physical activity, and no trying to rescue any damsels in distress for at least a week,'" you said in your best serious and responsible impression, mimicking her tone.

Cate's reaction was a bit more intense than you would have expected. She closed the door and turned to face you.

"It's not funny," she said, her voice sharp and something about her expression made you pause. Behind the irritation, there was a hint of something else.

Worry. Fear. Anxiety.

You gently squeezed her hands, trying to reassure her.

"Cate, I'm fine. I'll take it easy, just like the doctor said," you told her, your voice gentle and soothing.

"You're not, you idiot," she protested, her voice cracking slightly. "You were unconscious for two days with a concussion and bruised ribs."

Your heart ached as you realized the pain you had caused her. She was scared, worried, and desperately trying to keep herself together.

But more than anything, you were sick of holding back your feelings, of hiding how you truly felt about her. You couldn't continue on like this, pretending that what you felt for Cate was just friendship.

And then you decided. No more being a coward. No more holding back your feelings. It was time to tell her. Consequences be damned.

"Cate," you began, your voice soft and shaky. "I… I need to talk to you about something. Something really important."

Cate's eyes widened at the sudden seriousness in your voice.

"Okay," she replied, her voice hesitant. "What is it?"

Be brave, be brave, be brav..

Your palms were sweaty, and your heartbeat was so loud in your ears that you feared she might hear it. The words were right there on the tip of your tongue, but actually saying them out loud seemed to be the hardest thing in the world. It's easier to fight a monsters.

"First, I just want to say... I'm sorry," you started. "I'm sorry I worried you and I'm sorry I scared you. I know I shouldn't have done what I did, but I just... I couldn't just stand there and do nothing. I had to protect you."

This was the easiest part.

"I know I've been acting differently lately. It's because… because I couldn't admit what I was feeling. I have feelings for you and I don't know if you feel the same, but i had to let you know because it's been eating me alive for way too long."

Cate's eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat. For several seconds, there was only silence between you. The air was thick with tension, and you could hear your own heartbeat echoing in your ears.

Cate's reaction was unreadable, her face emotionless. The uncertainty was killing you.

"Cate," you finally blurted out, unable to take the silence any longer. "Please, say something? You're kinda freaking me out right now."

Fear. Hesitation. Uncertainty. You wondered for a moment if you had made a huge mistake. And then, just when you thought you might burst from the tension, Cate spoke.

"You… you can't be serious," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why… why would you like someone like me?"

Cate's grip on your hands faltered as she looked down at her gloved hands. She always wore gloves, as if to hide the part of herself that she thought was monstrous.

Could she really not see how incredible she was? How amazing? You wanted to yell, to scream out how stupid that question was. But instead, you reached out to cup her face gently.

"I'm different," she protested weakly. "I can... I can push people. Make them do things. That's not normal. It's messed up. I'm messed up."

You could see the doubt and insecurity written all over her face. She truly believed that she didn't deserve to be loved because of her powers. It broke your heart to see her think so lowly of herself.

"You're not messed up," you said gently but firmly. "You're special. Unique. Your powers don't define you. They're part of you, yes, but they're not who you are. I know you. I see you."

I love you as you are.

The tears welled up in Cate's eyes, and she bit her lip, trying to hold them back. She wanted so badly to believe you, to accept your kind words. But years of being judged, rejected, and feared had etched themselves into her very being.

"But… but what if you change your mind?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "What if you realize… you realize it's too much? That I'm too much?"

You knew that she wasn't rejecting you, not really.

You gently wiped away a tear that had escaped down her cheek.

"Cate, look at me," you said softly, tilting her chin up so her gaze met yours. "I won't change my mind. You're not too much. You're just right. Just the way you are."

Cate's eyes met yours, and for a moment, she couldn't do anything but stare at you. She had imagined this moment many times. But here it was, real. And you, looking at her like that. The look in your eyes was so sincere, so loving, that Cate's breath caught in her throat. No one had ever spoken to her like that, looked at her like that.

"I want to be with you. Do you want this?"

She was so used to people avoiding physical contact with her. People who saw her powers as a danger. Anyone with half a brain would know that her gloves were a sham, any skin-to-skin contact would be enough.

But here you were, unafraid, holding her face.

Cate wanted this. She had wanted this for so long. Slowly, a small, shaky smile tugged at the corner of the lips. She swallowed hard, voice trembling with emotion.

"Yes," she whispered, her eyes never leaving yours. "I've wanted you for so long, but I was too scared. Too messed up."

Jordan was right, you two were hopeless.

A wave of relief and happiness washed over your heart. This was real. Cate wanted you back.

You reached out to touch her cheek again, your fingers traced lightly over her skin. The warmth and softness under your fingertips made your heart race. You wanted to pull her closer, hold her tight and never let go.

You couldn't believe this was happening. Cate, the girl you'd been too scared to admit your feelings for, felt the same way about you.

The room seemed to shrink around you, the outside world forgotten. All that existed was her and you, wrapped up in this moment. Her perfume filled your nostrils, a sweet, almost addictive scent that made you want to get closer to her.

"Can i kiss you?"

Cate imagined what it would be like to kiss you so many times, but now here you were, asking her permission.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice soft and a bit shaky. "Yes, you can kiss me."

The way Cate's hair fell over her face, the heat of her skin under your fingers, the way her eyes flickered between your eyes and your lips. You felt light, like you were floating on cloud. Cate wanted you, she agreed to kiss you.

And then you closed the distance between you and pressed your lips against hers.

#gen v #wlw #cate dunlap #cate dunlap x reader #gen v x reader #gen v imagine

16 notes · View notes

raging-tackeydios · 1 year ago

Text

time is a flat circle

#shitposting #shitpost #196 #pikmin #pikmin 4 #barbenheimer #barminheimer #barbie movie #oppenheimer #seriously this is almost too good to be true #three fandoms melding together like this is a once in a lifetime occurrence #and this time they actually have a chance to grow as one #before some idiot kills them prematurely by making a convention associated with them #dashcon #superwholock #video games

202 notes · View notes

blue-mood-blue · 11 months ago

Text

I’ve grown to appreciate the aus where Shen Yuan enters the story as “Shen Yuan” - same name, probably similar face, generally able to interact with PIDW as himself and change the story through his added presence. I like the sense of “if only you’d been here, things might have been better the first time around” of it all.

And I was thinking, it’s a funny coincidence in that scenario that someone named Shen Yuan gets put into… another Shen Yuan. What are the chances? What a weird twist of fate that Airplane would pick out the name that his most dedicated critic could slip into seamlessly.

What about a version where it’s not coincidence at all?

Airplane goes to school with a kid named Shen Yuan. He’s prickly and hard to approach and a little intense, but Airplane is persistent. In fairness, Airplane is relentless - and maybe it’s a good thing that they end up being friends, because they’re a little too much for anyone else to handle. They balance each other out. They’re the “weird kids” in class and they’re okay with that, because even when they don’t have any words for it, they know they’re not like their classmates, not really. That’s okay; they don’t want to be.

Recesses and breaks are consumed with the elaborate stories that Airplane wants to tell, and all the holes Shen Yuan pokes into them. It’s not mean-spirited, though, even though Shen Yuan isn’t the kind to temper his words. It’s passionate. He cares about those stories the way Airplane cares about them, and it can’t be mistaken for anything else when they lean together conspiratorially across the lunchroom table. They’ve both got notebooks filled with details and characters and monsters. Shen Yuan’s practically got a whole bestiary sketched out in wobbly childhood attempts at art, entries fervently scrawled beside them. Airplane prattles out plots nonstop, always with the promise of shining eyes and being asked “what happens next?”

They come up with a whole world together. Airplane’s going to write about it someday. Shen Yuan is going to read every word.

Shen Yuan misses school. Shen Yuan starts missing school a lot.

Airplane goes to the hospital room instead. He doesn’t think to worry, because Shen Yuan is okay - that’s what he says. He looks okay, and he’s a kid, and it doesn’t feel real that anything bad should happen to a kid. He doesn’t think to worry. He doesn’t think to say goodbye.

It’s one of the older Shen brothers who catches him on the way up to the room one day, in the hallway just outside - snaps at him to go the fuck home, and when Airplane hesitates, pushes him into the elevator and tells him not to come back. “Tells” is a generous way to describe the way the words come out - a growl, a hiss, the sound an animal would make when a hand got too close to a wound.

(It’s not fair to name a villain after him, even if the name never really comes up in the story. He wasn’t trying to be mean. He’d lost a brother minutes before, and he was getting his brother’s friend out of the way so he didn’t have to… see. It isn’t fair, but then, none of it is fair.)

Death feels very real after that.

The notebooks get shoved into a closet, and it’s not until Airplane’s moving out and one falls on him from a high shelf that he thinks about it again. He’s written things, lots of things, but nothing as ambitious as this - nothing as important. It could be good, he considers. He’d promised. Shen Yuan wanted to read it.

The problem was that no one else does, not for a long time, not until Airplane has whittled himself and his art into a corner and into such an unfamiliar shape that he has to wonder how it’s still his own face he sees in the mirror. He has to eat. He has to pay rent. Shen Yuan would yell at him, but Shen Yuan isn’t there to yell at him, and who cares. Who cares if it could have been better? The people who actually are here love it, and it’s paying his bills, and sometimes stories don’t go the way they’re supposed to and the world is fucking unfair. It doesn’t matter.

(It does. But he shoves that thought away along with styrofoam cups and soda bottles to the bottom of a garbage bag.)

Authors are not gods and their power is limited, but Airplane exercises just a sliver of what he’s been granted and gifts an inconsequential sort of immortality. He thinks about making him a rogue cultivator, maybe the kind that goes around documenting beasts and compiling his findings. He thinks about making him someone too powerful for death to touch, or too important to threaten, but when Airplane looks at the world he crafted and everything that’s become of it, it feels like the kindest thing he can do for Shen Yuan is a childhood where he’s loved, and a death that’s peaceful. What does it say about that world, that he’d kill off his best friend too early again instead of making him live there?

(The best writing he ever does is the only, shining moment of humanity that his scum villain ever displays: a lament about death that comes too early, about a brother gone too soon. The commenters praise him. The commenters flatter over how real the emotions feel. The commenters don’t get any response from Airplane on that chapter.)

Death is incredibly real when it comes for him too early, too, still hovering over his keyboard with the story technically finished and incredibly incomplete. Airplane could tell himself that’s because the written version can never be the version in the writer’s head, always shifting and with every possibility still on the table, but he knows better than that. The System knows better than that, with its condescending message about “improving” his writing and “closing plot holes” and “achieving his original vision”...

…and he’s a child again. He’s a child in his own story, he’s Shang Qinghua now without the benefit yet of a peak or cultivation or anything, and maybe he’s a little bitter, and a little scared, and…

And Shen Yuan - with longer hair, with robes, with a couple of older kids watching him from across the street, but undeniably the prickly little boy who used to sit down imperiously across from him and tell him everything that was wrong with the chuck of writing that had been handed to him last period, but with that smile that said he was only invested because he knew it could be better and they were going to make it better - marches up to him with a fire in his eyes and a frown that warns of a coming tirade.

“You told it wrong,” is the first thing he says.

Shang Qinghua wants to ask how him how he’s here, how this is possible, or maybe laugh because, yeah - yeah, Shen Yuan has no goddamn idea how wrong he got absolutely everything.

(Shang Qinghua wants to say “I missed you” and “why did you leave so soon” but he’s here now. He’s right here.)

“I know,” he says instead. “I’m sorry. It all kind of… spiraled out of control.”

Shen Yuan frowns, but then it dissipates the way it always does, and his eyes shine with ideas the way they always used to. “That’s okay,” he relents, grabbing for his hand. “We’ll fix it. We’ll make it what it was supposed to be.”

#scum villain self saving system #svsss #shang qinghua #shen yuan #airplane shooting towards the sky #this got more into the feelings than i thought it would #surprising no one #anyway just! childhood friends au! as a reason for a shen yuan insert!#obviously he is not going to die as a child in this version #shang qinghua would not have that nope not again #also pls consider poor shen jiu who looks at this child that shen yuan has picked out for a best friend like '...really? that one??'#(it's up to you if he's shen yuan's actual brother from his first life)#(put there's a part of me that likes the idea that shen jiu also gets a second chance to spend more time with his brother)#a second chance for them to grow up together!#THAT SAID #RIP TO SHANG QINGHUA #WHEN SHEN YUAN IS OLD ENOUGH TO LEARN ABOUT ALL THE PAPAPA #the LOOKS shang qinghua is going to get #anyway here have a thing because I CANNOT add another au to my drafts thank you and goodbyyyyye

917 notes · View notes